224 Notes and References

girdled swans may have influenced it as well as the Swan Knight
Romance.

XXVIIL JACK THE CUNNING THIEF.

Sources.— Kennedy, Stories of Ireland, pp. 38-46 ; Campbell, West
Highland Tales, i. 320 seg. ; “ The Shifty Lad,” Dasent, Popular Tales
from the Norse, pp. 232-51, “ Master Thief.” Kohler has a number
.of variants in his notes on Campbell: Orient und Occident, Band ii.
Mr. Clouston has a monograph on the subject in his Popular Tales,
ii, 115-65. A separate treatise on the subject has been given by
S. Prato, 1882, La Leggenda di Rhampsinite. Both these writers
connect the modern folk-tales with Herodotus’ story of King Ramp-
sinites. Mr. Knowles in his Folk-tales of Kashmir, has a number of
adventures of “ Sharaf the Thief.” The story of “ Master Thief” has
been heard among the tramps in London workhouses (Mayhew,
London Labour and London Poor, iii. 119).

Remarks.—Thievery is universally human, and at first sieht it-might
seem that there was no connection between these various versions of
the “Master Thief.” But the identity of the tricks by which the
popular hero-thief gains his ends renders it impossible that they should
have been independently invented wherever they are found.

 

XXIX. POWEL, PRINCE OF DYFED.

Source.—Lady Guests Madznogion, with the names slightly angli-
cised, and omitting the opening incident.

Parallels—F or the incident of tearing off the hands, cf Morraha ;
the enchanted hill and maiden occur at the beginning of “Tuairisgeul
Mor” in Scottish Celtic Review, i. 61, and are fully commented upon
by Mr. Nutt, Zc. 137.

XXX. PADDY O’KELLY AND THE WEASEL.

Sources.—Hyde, Beside the Fire, pp. 73-91.

Parallels—On green hills as the homes of the fairies: see note on
“Childe Roland,” English Fairy Tales, p. 241. The transformation
of witches into hares is a frequent zo¢zf in folk-lore.

XXXI. THE BLACK HORSE.

Sources.—From J. F, Campbell’s manuscript collection now deposited
at the Advocates’ Library in Edinburgh (MS. 53, vol. xi.). Collected