Blair Collection > Beside the fire

XXXVl PREFACE.
told, whereas there is a certain solemnity about the repe-
tition of a folk-tale proper.
After spending so much time over the very latest
folk-tales, the detritus of bardic stories, it will be well to
cast a glance at some of the most ancient, such as bear
their pre-historic origin upon their face. Some of these
point, beyond all doubt, to rude efforts on the part of
primitive man to realize to himself the phenomena of
nature, by personifying them, and attaching to them
explanatory fables. Let us take a specimen from a story
I found in Mayo, not given in this volume — " The Boy
who was long on his Mother." * In this story, which in
Von Hahn's classification would come under the heading
of "the strong man his adventures," the hero is a
veritable Hercules, whom the king tries to put to death
by making him perform impossible tasks, amongst other
things, by sending him down to hell to drive up the
spirits with his club. He is desired by the king to drain
a lake full of water. The lake is very steep on one side
like a reservoir. The hero makes a hole at this side,
applies his mouth to it, and sucks down the water of the
lake, with boats, fishes, and everything else it contained,
leaving the lake coiii ci]\ni le boi^^ -00 lÁitiie, " as dry as
the palm of your hand." Even a sceptic will be likely to
confess that this tale (which has otherwise no meaning)
* An buACAiLL t)0 bi a b]rAT)|Aip a iiiÁrAi|\.