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in his turn, tries to obtain secrets by sitting in the tree, but he is caught and killed by the devils.

2. French Canadian: Barbeau, JAFL, xxix, 25.

B. Hero blinded by brother. The younger brother agrees to be blinded so that they can make their living by begging. elder abandons him.

C. Secrets learned from tree hiding place. As above. D. King's favor gained because of secret knowledge. above.

E.

The

As

Wicked brother tries same method of learning secrets and

is punished. As above.

AMERICAN INDIAN VERSION.

3. Micmac: Rand, No. 14.

A. Dispute as to good and evil. Two partners make a wager as to which is the more beautiful, heaven or hell. They leave the decision to the priest, who, in league with the elder partner, decides in favor of hell.

B. Hero abandoned. The defeated partner, now destitute on account of his loss, wanders about until he meets an old man to whom he is kind. In return he is helped by the old man.

C. Secrets learned from tree hiding place. The hero climbs a tree and while he is aloft some men come under it and talk. They tell how the king can be cured of his blindness by the sweat of a white horse.

D. King's favor gained because of secret knowledge. The man now uses this knowledge and restores the sight of the king, for which service he is rewarded with a large fortune. Being a pious man, he spends it all for charity.

E. Wicked companion tries same method of learning secrets and is punished. When the wicked partner hears about the fortune, he climbs the same tree, but the men see him and kill him.

4. Tepecano: Mason, JAFL, xxvii, 189, 209.

Falling on robbers. Regular. Cf. Chapter XIX, incident E. Fatal imitation. See Chapter XIX, No. 4, incident B (i), for exact parallel.

B. Hero blinded. Rich man blinds poor man.

C. Secrets learned from tree hiding place.

D. King's favor gained because of secret knowledge.

E. Wicked companion tries same method of learning secrets and is punished.

All regular.

This Micmac tale corresponds with the European version in everything except the blinding. Considering the close contact of the tribe with the French, little doubt can be entertained of its French origin. Likewise the Tepecano version is certainly from a Spanish original.

XI. THE WISHING RING.

The story of Aladdin and his wonderful lamp is the literary form of a widely distributed folk-tale. It has been studied with great thoroughness by Aarne in his Vergleichende Märchenforschungen, pp. 3-82.

GENERAL TYPE.

See Aarne, pp. 38-56.

ob

A. Magic object received. The hero receives a magic ject (usually a ring or a magic stone) which will perform all the wishes of its owner, frcm (A1) a man whose son the hero has saved from death, or (A2) a cat and dog which he has rescued.

B. Magic castle. The hero builds a magic castle by means of

his wishing ring, and marries the king's daughter.

C. Theft of magic object. The wishing ring is stolen by (C1) the wife, or (C2) a third person who wants to possess the wife. D. Removal of castle. The castle and the wife are trans

ported to a distant island.

E. Recovery of object. The hero recovers the missing ring with the help of (E1) a grateful cat and dog who swim to the island and bring back the ring, or (E2) a magic object by means of which the hero transports himself to the island. [The latter is the usual literary form.]

F. Restoration of castle. The castle is restored, the thief punished, and the hero lives happily.

EUROPEAN VERSION.

1. French: Sébillot, Contes des Provinces de France, p. 15. Cf. also Norwegian: Asbjörnson (1873), No. 63; Tyrol: Schneller, No. 44; French Canadian: Barbeau, JAFL, xxx, 107.

A. Magic object received. The three sisters of a fisherman marry the kings of the fishes, birds, and mice. The latter gives the fisherman a snuff-box that complies with every wish.

B. Magic castle. Regular. Marriage to princess.

C. Theft of magic object. The box is stolen by (C2) a former suitor of the princess, while the hero is hunting.

D. Removal of castle. The castle and the princess are removed to a distant place.

E. Recovery of object. The hero calls on (E3) the king of the fishes and the king of birds (the eagle) for help. He rides on the back of the eagle to the castle. [Cf. Chapter II, incident [1.] He steals the box while the impostor sleeps.

[blocks in formation]

For a large collection of variants from all over the world, see Aarne, pp. 3-38.

AMERICAN INDIAN VERSIONS.

2. Micmac: Rand, No. 2.

A. Magic object received. An abused youngest son who has a magic arrow, and thus travels fabulous distances, is kind to an old man. In return the man gives him a box containing a dancing man (or "manitoo"), who will perform all the hero's wishes.

B. Magic castle. The hero pays court to the chief's daughter, and by means of his magic man performs the tasks set him by the chief-removing a high mountain and defeating a neighboring tribe in war. He then builds a large castle and marries the chief's daughter.

C2. Theft of magic object. A servant steals the box while the master is out hunting.

D. Removal of castle. moved to a distant island.

The house and the princess are re

E2. Recovery of object. By means of his magic arrow the hero reaches the island and recovers the box while the impostor is asleep.

F. Restoration of the castle. Regular. The impostor is killed and flayed, and a doormat is made of his skin.

Dragon fight. The story ends by the chief's sending of the hero to fight with a dragon. By means of his mannikin the hero kills the dragon, and in this way rids himself of the malignant power of the chief, whose magic came from the dragon.

3.

Maliseet: Mechling, JAFL, xxvi, 229.

Strong John. The story begins with the adventures of Strong John [Chapter XXIII, below]. Finally, out of fear the king allows John to marry the princess.

A. Magic object received. John receives from a little man (out of pure generousity, it would seem) a box with a mannikin in it. This mannikin will perform the owner's will.

B. Magic castle. He builds a castle across from the king's palace, and he and his wife live in it.

C2. Theft of magic object. A giant (whom John has duped earlier in the story) is a servant in the house. He steals the box while John is duck-hunting.

D. Removal of castle. The castle is transported to an island in the sea.

E. Recovery of object. John finds the old man who has given him the box. The man gives him the power of changing himself into a fox. On the back of an eagle he rides to the island [Cf. No. 1]. Then, turning himself into a fox, he tempts the giant to chase him. As a fox he runs through the house and recovers the box.

F. Restoration of castle. Regular.

XII. THE MAGIC APPLES.

This story of the Magic Apples is very closely related to the last tale discussed, "The Wishing Ring," and the one immediately following, "The Magic Birdheart." In all of them occurs the theft and recovery of the magic object. They are all treated in great detail by Aarne, who cites a large number of versions.

1.

EUROPEAN VERSIONS.

French: Cosquin, No. 11. ture orale de la Picardie, p. 292.

Cf. French: Carnoy, Littéra

A. Presents from cat-women. Three soldiers, come to a deserted house in the woods and there find themselves served by mysterious agents. They see cats, and these cats (really enchanted princesses) give the men each a present: to one a self-filling purse, to another a magic traveling-cap, and to the third a whistle which furnishes as many soldiers as the owner desires.

B. Loss of magic object. The owner of the purse plays cards with a princess who steals the purse from him.

C. Transportation to distant place. By means of the traveling-cap he transports the princess and himself to a distant island.

D. Escape of princess. The princess escapes and returns home with the magic object, leaving the hero behind.

E. Discovery of the apples. The hero eats an apple which causes horns to grow on his head. Later he finds apples which remove them.

F. Punishment of the princess. He makes his way back to court and succeeds in causing the princess to eat one of the apples. Horns grow on her head.

G. Recovery of the objects. Posing as a doctor, the hero undertakes to cure her. He demands her confession and recovers the objects as, one by one, the horns fall off.

2. Scotch (Gaelic): Campbell, Popular Tales from the West Highlands, No. 10.

A. Presents from enchanted princesses. Regular.

B. Loss of magic object. Regular.

C. Transportation to distant place. Regular.

D. Escape of princess. Regular.

E. Discovery of the apples. Regular.

F. Punishment of the princess. Regular.

G. Recovery of the object. Regular.

H. Marriage to disenchanted princesses. The three soldiers return and marry the three disenchanted princesses from whom they received the presents.

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