The Folktale
Stith Thompson
The lamb without a heart. Accused of eating the lamb’s heart, the thief maintains that it had no heart. *Type 785; *BP II 149, 153; Wienert FFC LVI 40, 107; Oesterley No. 83; Herbert III 205; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 57; Penzer V 130 n. 1; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
Part Two The Folktale from Ireland to India II – The Complex Tale 10. The three worlds C. Saints Wander on Earth |
In pious legends everywhere a popular theme is the incognito wanderings of saints or other holy men, or even of gods themselves, in the world of mortals. Ovid's tale of the appearance of Jupiter and Mercury at the home of Philemon and Baucis and of the hospitable treatment of the unknown guests is one of the most attractive ancient stories. In Christian lands such adventures are usually ascribed to Christ and Saint Peter. Of such tales there is a considerable number scattered through the collections of saints' legends and exempla of the Middle Ages. Several have established themselves in popular tradition and are frequently picked up by folklorists. In another connection we have already noticed the tale in which these mysterious strangers reward hospitality by granting wishes, some of which are foolishly wasted. [230] Christ and Peter are not always received hospitably. In one story, The Greedy Peasant Woman ( Sometimes the unknown holy men are lodged, but the host, not realizing who they are, mistreats them. In the tale of Christ and Peter in the Barn ( The two elements in this tale are paralleled elsewhere. The boorish treatment of the guests by the host is found in another poem of Hans Sachs', the Story of The Savior and Peter in Night Lodgings ( The unsuccessful imitation of the miracle is best known in the tale of Christ and the Smith ( Among the stories of the adventures of these two sacred persons with the keepers of inns is one somewhat reminiscent of the tale in which the wishes are foolishly wasted. In this story of The Forgotten Wind ( The holy wanderers are not always looking for food or lodging, but they sometimes interest themselves in general social life. This is shown in the story of The Lazy Boy and the Industrious Girl (   Most of the tales of this group are very simple and consist of nothing more than an anecdote. Somewhat more complex and much freer in entering into combinations with other material is the tale, Who Ate the Lamb's Heart? ( For the story of a stolen heart, or other member, and the contention that the animal had none, there are a legion of parallels from all over the world. [234] |
[230] See [231] For a detailed discussion of the transformations of this greedy woman in the several versions of the tale, see Dähnhardt, Natursagen, II, I23ff. [232] This tale is more popular than the one about threshing the grain. It is found, either as a wonder tale or a legend, in most countries of Europe. [233] See, for example, John Heywood's "Play of the Weather." [234] See |
Types: 750A, 750B, 751, 752A, 752B, 753, 785, 791, 822 |
Motifs K402 |