Folklore as an Historical ScienceGomme, George Laurence
History
Folklore as an Historical Science
Gomme, George Laurence
Folklore
"West in Valland was a man infirm so that he was a
cripple and went on knees and knuckles. On a day he
was abroad on the way and was asleep there. That
dreamed he that a man came to him glorious of aspect
and asked whither he was bound and the man named some
town or other. So the glorious man spoke to him:
Fare then to Olaf's church the one that is in London
and thou wilt be whole. Thereafter he awoke, and fared
to seek Olaf's church and at last he came to London
bridge and there asked the folk of the city if they
knew to tell him where was Olaf's church. But they
answered and said that there were many more churches
there than they might wot to what man they were
hallowed. But a little thereafter came a man to him
who asked whither he was bound and the cripple told
him. And sithence said that man: We twain shall fare
both to the church of Olaf for I know the way thither.
Therewith they fared over the bridge and went along
the street which led to Olaf's church. But when they
came to the lich gate then strode that one over the
threshold of the gate but the cripple rolled in over
it and straightway rose up a whole man. But when he
looked around him his fellow farer was vanished."
I shall have to refer again to these Breton and Norse versions,
because of their retention of London Bridge as the locale of the
story, in common with all the versions which have been found in
Britain. In the meantime it is to be noted that the remaining
non-British variants are told of other bridges and other places.
Holland, Denmark, Italy, Cairo, have their representative
variants;[23] and it thus presents to the student of tradition an
excellent example for inquiry as to the value to history of legends
world-wide in their distribution attaching themselves to historical
localities.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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