Segnius Irritant: or Eight Primitive Folk-lore Stories/Appendix 2
APPENDIX II.
A list of the fairy stories in D. G. Bernoni’s collections, showing their relation to similar Slavonic ones:
First Collection.
The Two Waiters.—In part is the story of Boccaccio and Cymbeline. Its relation to the Sun-horse type of story is shewn by the king going to a hut, where he leaves his robes for seven years, seven months, and seven days. Its more modern character by the title I due camerieri.
The Shark.—In part the Virgin Godmother (Upper Lusatian); in part Halek’s modern story Under the Hollow Tree, itself derived from ancient folk-lore sources. Compare the Shepherd’s Pipe (Polish), Bracok Vtacok (Slovenian). The Tinkling Linden (Upper Lusatian), etc.
The Devil.—This is the Blue Beard story, itself related to the Virgin Godmother, the Sun-horse, and the Zlata pava (golden or darling pea-hen; Slovenian).
A Holiday Dinner.—The most modern travesty of George and his Goat (Domaslik Bohemian).
Twelve Girls in Child.—Of the Long, Broad, and Sharp-Eyes class.
Bestianelo.—This is Foolish Greta.
The Fisherman’s Wife.—This is a local legend of an unfaithful wife, exposed by a priest. It contains of Slavonic fairy stories only the triple element to connect it with the Arctic myth.
Consa Cenere.—Cinderella (Bulgarian: Popelka).
Ari Ari Caga Danari.—Obrechu hybej se. Beat-stick (Kasubian).
The Beast with the Seven Heads.—George and his Goat, and Perseus and Andromeda.
The Madcap.—Local.
The Parsley.—Connected by El Mezo with Hloupy Piecuch (Polish). The number seven occurs in it. In part The Miraculous Hair (Serbian); in part The Skeleton King or Prince Unexpectedly (Polish).
Good as Salt.—In part Boccaccio’s Merchant of Genova, and thus a variant of El pomo d’oro (Bernoni’s third and last collection), that is The Shepherd’s Pipe (Polish).
Cipro Candia e Morea.—This is a modernized form of the Tinkling Linden and the Virgin Mary Godmother.
The Three Old Women.—A burlesque fairy story. Compare the Three Fates.
The King of the Beans.—Distantly related to the Three Citrons.
King Bufone.—Of the El Granchio type. Related to the Golden Treasure (Upper Lusatian).
The Girl with Four Eyes.—In part the Tinkling Linden; in part The Devil (Polish).
The Friulan.—Local.
Mazzariol.—The Venetian Raras or Setek (Bohemian), Iskrzytski (Polish).
Second Collection.
The Five Ells of Cloth.—The introduction is the same as that of the Devil and the Shoemaker (Moravian). The story is the Polish Jalmuzna (Alms).
El Giusto (The Just).—This is the Moravian Godmother Death.
How the Race of the Friulani were Born.—Local.
Siropa de barcazzo le fieve descazzo (Barge sirop drives away fever).—Local.
San Querin.—Local and Comic. The element three occurs in the beans, scarlet-runners, and corn, which connect it with the Three Citrons, etc.
Vigna era e vigna son.—No apparent relation to Slav folk-lore. It is connected, however, with the two Zodiacal signs, Leo and Virgo.
I orfaroni.—Local.
Co gerimo vivi (When we were alive).—Comic. Local.
The Three Brothers.—Burlesque, but connected by the triple element with the Slav and Arctic solar myth.
The Riddle.—No apparent relation to the Slav.
The Three who go to the Pope of Rome.—Comic.
The Three Goslings and the Cock.—These two stories belong to the Budulinek (Moravian), and Otesanek (Bohemian) group.
Petin Petelo and Galeto e Sorzeto.—This is our “Fire burn stick, stick beat dog.”
Nono Cocon.—A degraded form of Rè Corvo and the Three Citrons.
Rosseto.—In part Budulinek; in part a corrupted form of Hank a Janka. Comic.
Sorzeto e Luganega.—An amusing variety of Petin Petelo.
La Mosca.—The same as Un Vecieto birbo. (Bernoni; last collection).
The Three Sisters.—Long, Broad, and Sharp-Eyes. The flask of water giving life connects it with the next story, and this with the Dragon and Czar’s son (Serbian), which in turn links it to the Lapp—The giant who preserved his life in an egg.
The Twelve Brothers and the Twelve Sisters.—As the last. It contains also the principal incident of the Spirit of the Unburied one (Polish), and that of Joseph and his Brethren, but in a form which shows that this last is really an allegory of the dubious victory of the spring at the beginning of the year. The youngest of the twelve brethren thrown into the well by them, and saved from it by the spirit of the Unburied one whom he had buried, is the Hero of vitality who buried the Sun in winter, and in return is saved from the spring flood by it in spring.
Bernoni’s Third (and last) Collection.
The Basket of Flowers is George and his Goat.
Apple and Rind.—This is the Two Brothers (Serbian), it also occurs in English folk-lore.
A Wife who won’t eat.—The Golden Pea-hen (Slovenian).
The Golden Apple.—The Shepherd’s Pipe (Polish). Note the name of the Venetian variant connects the Polish story with the annual Arctic myth.
Bela la mare ma più bela la fia.—(Fair the mother but fairer the daughter). In part The Virgin Mary Godmother. In part Father Know-All. In part the Tinkling Linden.
The Wind is the Skeleton King. Points of resemblance with Father Know-All, the Three Citrons, and the Miraculous Hair.
The Enchanted Ring.—Traces of the Virgin Mary Godmother.
Casa cucagna.—The Golden Spinneress (Slovenian), becoming, in the last stage of its eventful history, Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew.
El Mezo (The half).—Hloupy Piecuch.
The Crab.—A form of the Golden Treasure; some points of resemblance to the Miraculous Hair.
The Love of the Three Oranges.—The Three Citrons.
The Sister Dumb for Seven Years.—The seven connects it with the Sun-horse. It continues as the Three Citrons, then turns into the Virgin Mary Godmother, to end something like the end of the Merchant of Genova (Boccaccio).
The Dead Man.—A blending of the general idea of the Sleeping Beauty legend, with a close reproduction of the anti-climax of the Three Citrons.
Goat’s Head and Hare’s Ears.—More or less a variant from the Three Sisters, which see.
King Crow.—A variant of the Three Citrons; but it has preserved its Prologue.
Un veiceto birbo.—Comic.