Reidar Thoralf Christiansen

“ It often has been said as an objection against the comparative tale-researches that the material on which it is founded is too uncertain and frail to draw any conclusions from, and to a certain point these objections are justified. The fact is that every single version of a tale is the result of an individual development. ”

“ The problem we meet is always the same: what is the explanation of this coincidence? We have no adequate reason for not believing in wandering and transfer. Complicated novels as most of the tales are, would not grow up spontaneously in different places, and it is their wanderings the tale-researches in single examinations will endeavour to follow. Among these investigations this work takes its place as a contribution to the history of tales. ”

“ What is of interest here is not such a motive as possible expression for a view of the world belonging to a more primitive stage in the phase of development, but it is this episode as one of the poetical motives of a novel. ”

“ The unity of this research then, is not, as will be seen, the single archaic motive, as for instance here animals appearing and acting as human beings, a motive which besides very likely roots in the comtemplation of nature in times past. ”

“ Further a variant in parenthesis means that it has not been accessible for me and a * that the version is cited from the abstracts in Bolte and Polivka’s commentaries.
To mark the content of the versions signs as follow have been used.
I. The Introduction.
I.
The two acting persons quarrel, A 1 about food, A 2 about money etc., A 3 The scene is removed to the sea.The two persons lay a wager that: Right or Wrong (Lie or Truth) is the Reward of the World. ”

“ C 1 No animals appear.No more is told of the other person.The animals accuse each other of having tattled.Some evil happens to the other person.The end is good for the other person too.A new person comes in. ”

“ Die Mythen der Zemaiten I 163 (I ACD 1, II A, III AC, IV A, V AB 1) .
II Lettonians (Lett.) Victor von Andrejanoff: Lettische Märchen p. 44 (div I D 1, II A 1, III CD, IV A, V AB 1) .
III Great Russians (SR.) 1. A. N. Afanasjev: Народныя Русскія сказки. Kasan, I 101, 66 a (I BA 1, D, II CB, III B, IV A, V AB) . — 2. ib. I 103, 66 b (I BD, II B, III B, IV A, V AB) . — 3. ib. 66 c Astrakhan (I BC, II B, III A, IV A) . — 4. ib. 66 d (I BCD 6, II B, III ABC, IV A, V AB 1) . — 5. ib. 66 e (div II B, III H, IV C, V AB 1) . — 6. ib. 66 f Tver (div II B, III CB, IV A) . — 7. ib. ”

“ Place unknown. 82. Sirelius 179 from Carelia (I BCD 5, II CB, III B, IV A, V ?) . — 83. E. Salmelainen: Suomen Kansan Satuja ja Tarinoita (1852—36) II, 172 from Savolax (I A 3, BCD 5, II CB, III ACE, IV A, V AB 1) . — 84. ib. II, 183 from Carelia (I ACD 1, II B, III ABD, IV, V AB 1) .
III Esthonians (FE.) 1. Fosterländskt album (1847) III p. 8. (I A 1, CD 4, II A 1 r, III ACB, IV AB 2, B 3) . — [2. Viron Satuja 1849 p. 5] .
Circle 9. The Russia. Poland. Galizia.
Lithuanians, Lettonians, Great Russians, White Russians, Little Russians, Poles. ”

“ Popular Tales and Fictions I p. 256, Cosquin p. 91 (I AD 2, II B, III BD, IV A, V AB 1) . — 8. South India: Charity alone conquers. Indian Antiquary XIII p. 285 = H. Kingscote: Tales of the Sun (1890) p. 65 (I BCD, II div, III—V div) . — 9. Malvi. Kota. G. A. Grierson Linguistic Survey of India IX 2, 262 (I AD 2, II B, III BD, IV A, V B) . — 10. Panjab. Steel and Temple: Wide Awake Stories p. 290. Prince Half a Son (div II ABD, III B, IV A, V AB 1) . — 11. South India. ”

“ Bolte—Polivka Anmerkungen II p. 477. ↑ As to the numbers and letters used to mark the different Finnish circles compare: Aarne, Finnische Märchenvarianten (FFC 5) p. XVI and 58 (n:o 613) and O. Hackman, Märchen der finländischen Schweden (FFC 6) p. 111 and 12. SSI. indicates the collections of the swedish, SFL indicates the collections of the finnish literary society. ”