Page 284. The “Iron Hans” cycle (Grimm, No. 136) Bolte and Polívka (3 : 97) outline as follows:—

  1. (A¹) A prince sets free a wild man, Iron Hans, whom his father has captured; (A²) the prince flees from the machinations of his hostile or wanton step-mother; (A³) the wild man bestows on a childless couple a son, who, however, after a definite term, must be surrendered to him.
  2. (B) While with Iron Hans, whose orders he disobeys, the boy acquires golden halt, and (B¹) is either forgiven and restored to favor, or (B²) escapes on a talking horse.
  3. (C) After covering his gold hair with a hat or cloth, he takes service as a gardener at a king’s palace, where the princess falls in love with him.
  4. (D) At a tournament he appears three times on a magnificent horse that Iron Hans has furnished him with, and he gains the hand of the king’s daughter.
  5. (E) He manifests his nobility as victor in a combat, as a dragon-killer, as a bringer of a cure for the sick king (cf. No. 97), or on a hunt, where he disgraces his mocking brothers-in-law.
  6. (F) Iron Hans or the helpful horse is disenchanted.

For American Indian variants of the “Iron Hans” cycle, see Thompson, 350–357.

Page 284, line 3. For throwing of apples to intended husbands, see Bolte-Polívka, 2 : 381; 3 : 111.

Line 16. For the branding of the brothers-in-law, see Grimm, Nos. 59, 91, 97; also Bolte-Polívka, 3 : 114 (note 1).

Juan Tiñoso means John the Scabby. Two French versions have exactly the same title, “Jean le Teignous” and “Jean le Tigneux” (Bolte-Polívka, 3 : 99). A somewhat distant Sinhalese relative of “Juan Tiñoso,” in which the hero is a turtle, is Parker, No. 151 (2 : 345–352).

In an Osage Indian story occurs the release of an imprisoned monster by a boy (Thompson, 331).

[38].

Page 288. For bibliography of the question “How much is the king worth?” see Bolte-Polívka, 3 : 232. The Negrito’s counter-demand to the king’s third task (i.e., drink all the fresh water) is identical with the counter-demand to the task of counting the drops in the sea (ibid., 3 : 231).

Page 291. Bolte and Polívka (3 : 214) emphasize the fact of the mutual borrowing of incidents by this cycle and the “Clever Lass” cycle.