Page [147]. Cannibalism. Cf. the Lapp Stories, "Bædnag-njudne," "Stallo og Fiskerlappen," "En Datter af Stalloslægten flygter fra sine Forældre og gifter sig med en Lapp," "To Lappepiger gifte sig med Stallo," &c. in Friis. Rink, Eskimo Tales, "The Brothers visit their Sister," p. 128. Old Deccan Days, "Brave Seventee Bai," p. 28. Payne, Arabian Nights, The History of Gherib and his brother Agib, vol. vi. p. 112.
Page [148]. A monster is fooled in a similar way, in "The two Children and the Witch," p. 60. Portuguese Folk-Tales, F.L.S. 1882. See also Grimm, vol. i. Hansel and Grethel, p. 67. Dasent, "Buttercup," p. 146, and "Boots and the Troll," p. 253. Also other parallels noted in Ralston Russian Tales, p. 168.
The hair combing is a favorite incident in numerous Lapp stories.
The latter part of the story seems to be a compressed edition of the Cinderella incident.
[CINDER JACK. Erdélyi, ii. 11.]
The Magyar title of this tale is: "Hamupipöke," and as there are no genders in the Magyar language, the name may stand either for a male or a female.
Sports similar to those mentioned in the tale (but of course on a very much reduced scale, so as to suit ordinary mortals) formed part of the wedding festivities in Hungary in days gone by. Cf. Baron Radvánszky's work on Magyar Family Life in the 15th and 16th Centuries. 3 vols. (In Magyar).
For the whole story, Cf. the Finnish "Maan, meren kulkija laiwa" (S. ja T. ii. p. 22), a story from Ilomantsi, which tells of a king with an only daughter, whom he does not wish to marry, as he cannot bear the thought of parting from her, and so set as a task for any one who wished to marry her, the building of a ship that could sail over land and sea. Three brothers, who were merchants, lived in the land: the youngest was called Tuhkamo (Ashiepattle): these determined to try their luck; but the elder failed, because they rejected the offer of help from an old man; Ashiepattle secured the old man's good will, and so won the day. The latter part of the tale is something like that of [Shepherd Paul] in this collection.
A Karelian story, entitled "Tuhkamo" turns upon three brothers, whose father before he died bade them come and pray for him by his grave: only the youngest did so. He was rewarded, and by means of a wonderful horse, achieved marvellous feats of jumping, and so won the princess. Another story from North Finland: "Tuhkamo," relates how a dead father came to his three sons in their dreams, and ordered them to watch on the sea-shore; the youngest alone did so, and caught a swan maiden, whose father set him three tasks; viz. to fell all the trees near a bay; to set them up again; and to bring a golden chain from heaven. He managed all that by the help of his bride, but got into trouble over the last, as when he rode up to it, on his wondrous steed, and seized it, it was so heavy that he fell down to the earth, and was completely buried in the ground, except a little hair, which remained above ground; a duck made her nest on his head, and laid her eggs in it, and by means of a fox and other animals which came to eat the eggs Tuhkamo got out of his difficulty; he next fooled two men who were quarrelling over three precious gifts; he then went on to three houses asking for his bride; all the animals, &c. were summoned, and at last an eagle took him to his lost bride, who recognised him by a piece of the golden chain he put in the water the princess's servants drew.