Karel Jaromír Erben (1811–70) was a Czech poet, historian and archivist with a particular interest in the folklore of his homeland. Born in Miletín near Jičín, Erben studied philosophy and law in Prague before working there as a court legal official. In 1843 the Czech patriot and historian František Palacký recruited him to join the National Museum; Erben was appointed archives’ secretary there in 1850. Erben’s books include his Romantic ballads Kytice z pověstí národních (A Bouquet of Folk Legends) of 1853 and his retelling of traditional stories Sto prostonárodních pohádek a pověstí slovanských v nářečích původních (One Hundred Slavic Folktales and Legends in Original Dialects) of 1865.