With his parents,
And with all of us together.
We have here again the intertwined trees of the Tristram and Isolde legend; the special golden apples of Hesperides fame, and even since of the fairy tales. In the latter, the golden apple represents often the palace of the giant, with all the treasures that it contains, and the possession of the apple brings with it the possession of the princess. The Black Sea plays here a part, which reminds one of the raging sea in the pilgrimage of the soul. But what is of importance here is that the princess is called “the sister of the sun.”
LXXXIII.
WHERE DID THE SWAN COME FROM?
The Story of the Swan Maiden and the King.
This is in its essence the well-known story of the swan-maidens, but with a very marked difference. It is here used more or less to describe the origin of the swan, whilst the tale of the swan-maiden presupposes the existence and knowledge of such birds.
The version, which I have been able to find is, however, not complete; still it is clear enough for our purpose. It runs as follows: