The Grateful Dead: The History of a Folk StoryGerould, Gordon Hall
General
The Grateful Dead: The History of a Folk Story
Gerould, Gordon Hall
Dead -- Folklore; Folk literature -- Themes, motives; Grateful dead (Tale)
Harz I. stands closer to Norwegian II. than the preceding. A youth pays
his all for the burial of a poor man, whose ghost joins him. They go
to a city, where a bespelled princess kills all her suitors who cannot
answer a riddle. The companion spirit tells the youth to save her,
explaining his own identity. He gives wings and an iron rod to the
hero, who flies with the princess to a mountain spirit, and hears that
he must guess that she is thinking of her father's white horse. The
next night the youth follows her with two rods and is thus enabled
to guess that she is thinking of her father's sword. The third night
he follows her with two rods and a sword, with which he cuts off the
monster's head. This he shows her in the morning when asked the usual
question, and so he breaks the spell. On the wedding night he dips her
thrice in water. The first time she comes from the bath a raven, the
second time a dove, and the third time in her own shape, but purified.
The burial is here retained, but the agreement is entirely
lost. Though the variant follows Norwegian II. in general, even to
such details as the preliminary beating of the lady, and the bath
of final purification, the important trait of flogging the bride,
by which the hero is saved on the wedding night, has altogether
disappeared. Like Simrock X., the tale has obscured the first of the
two secondary themes for the benefit of the second. Its position seems
sure, however, as a member of the little group now being considered.
Jack the Giant-Killer clearly belongs to this group, approaching
Irish I. in form. The earliest complete version that I know is
unfortunately not older than the eighteenth century, and perhaps has
lost several features of interest which might be found in earlier
forms. King Arthur's son sets forth to free a lady possessed of seven
spirits. At a market town in Wales he pays almost all his money to
release the body of a man who died in debt. He gives his last twopence
to an old woman, who meets him after he has left the town. Jack the
Giant-Killer is so pleased with these good deeds that he becomes the
prince's servant. They go to a giant's castle together. Jack tells
the giant that a mighty prince is coming [98] and locks him up,
so that the two take all his gold. Jack takes also an old coat and
cap, a rusty sword, and a pair of slippers. They arrive at the lady's
house. She tells the prince to show her in the morning a handkerchief,
which she conceals in her dress. By putting on the coat of darkness,
and the shoes of swiftness, and following her when she goes to her
demon lover, Jack gets the handkerchief for his master. Next day the
lady tells the prince to get the lips which she will kiss the last
that night. Jack follows her again and cuts off the demon's head,
which the prince produces, thus breaking the spell that has bound
her to the evil spirits.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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