is Wodin or Odin. The horse is evidently the white steed, Gleipmir, of the ancient god.”
From Mr. Joseph Crawhall, of Newcastle, I have received the following song. It was given to him by a friend who called it a carol, and said that in his early days he used to sing it every Christmas with his sisters:
The first day of Christmas my true love sent to me
A partridge upon a pear tree.
The second day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves and a partridge upon a pear tree.
The third day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Three French hens, two turtle doves, &c. &c.
The fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Four curley birds, three French hens, &c. &c.
The fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Five gold rings, four curley birds, &c. &c.
The sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Six geese laying, five golden rings, &c. &c.
The seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Seven swans swimming, six geese laying, &c. &c.
The eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eight maids milking, seven swans swimming, &c. &c.
The ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Nine drummers drumming, eight maids milking, &c. &c.
The tenth day of Christmay my true love sent to me
Ten pipers piping, nine drummers drumming, eight maids
milking, seven swans swimming, six geese laying, five gold rings,
four curley birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a
partridge upon a pear tree.
Another version of this carol may be found in Halliwell’s Nursery Rhymes, and one which recognises all the “twelve good days” of the Christmas feast. In its complete form it runs thus:
The twelfth day of Christmas my mother sent to me
Twelve bells a-ringing, eleven ladies spinning, ten ships
a-sailing, nine lords a-lcaping, eight ladies dancing, seven swans
a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five gold rings, four canary birds,
three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge upon a pear
tree.
