A very considerable number of words of French origin or of marked similarity to French words are found in parts of the Vorarlberg. _Gespousa_, a bride, has a distinct philological affinity to _épouse_; and _au_, water, pronounced very similarly, can be traced to _eau_, and is found common to both North Tyrol and the Vorarlberg. _Shesa_, a trap or gig, bears a marked resemblance to the French _chaise_. Even England appears to have contributed a considerable number of words to the vocabulary of certain districts of Tyrol, though perhaps they are, more strictly speaking, words similarly derived from German or Norman French which have become common to both. In _gulla_, a gulley; _gompa_, to jump; _datti_, daddy; _witsch_, witch; and many others this is traceable. It will be gathered from these few examples that the language and dialects of Tyrol are composite of several tongues, as is almost always the case in countries which have seen many vicissitudes of occupation and development. [Sidenote: FOLK TALES] In Tyrol, which has experienced these and possesses such a large share of romantic beauty, and even nowadays some "solitary places," there need be little wonder that legends, superstitions, and myths are found nearly everywhere. Almost every village has its own, whose origin has been lost in the mists of antiquity, and whose date can only be traced uncertainly by its analogy to some other similar, more widely known, and more easily dated legend, tale, or superstition. Many of them enshrine actual events recorded and re-recorded with poetic license and varying accuracy, so that at last what was originally founded upon fact has in process of time become overlaid with much poetic imagery and fiction. To most of these tales and accounts of events each teller added something of himself suggested by his knowledge, imagination, or art; and thus ultimately what had once been facts became legends common to all throughout the length and breadth of the land till some one set them down in permanent form by writing or printing. Then the variations in a measure ceased.