English Fairy Tales

Joseph Jacobs

II. THE THREE SILLIES.

Source.—From Folk-Lore Journal, ii. 40-3; to which it was
communicated by Miss C. Burne.

Parallels.—Prof. Stephens gave a variant from his own
memory in Folk-Lore Record, iii. 155, as told in Essex at the
beginning of the century. Mr. Toulmin Smith gave another
version in The Constitutional, July 1, 1853, which was trans-
lated by his daughter, and contributed to Mélusine, t. ii. An
Oxfordshire version was given in Notes and Queries, April
17, 1852. It occurs also in Ireland, Kennedy, Fireside Stories,
p. 9. It is Grimm’s Kluge Else, No. 34, and is spread through
the world. Mr. Clouston devotes the seventh chapter of his
Book of Noodles to the Quest of the Three Noodles.

III. THE ROSE TREE.

Source.—From the first edition of Henderson’s Folk-Lore of

Northern Counties, p. 314, to which it was communicated

by the Rev. S. Baring-Gould.

Parallels.—This is better known under the title, “Orange

and Lemon,” and with the refrain:

“My mother killed me,

My father picked my bones,

My little sister buried me,

Under the marble stones.”

I heard this in Australia. Mr. Jones Gives part of it in Folk

Tales of the Magyars, 418-20, and another version occurs in

4 Notes and Queries, vi. 496. Mr. I. Gollancz informs me he

remembers a version entitled “Pepper, Salt, and Mustard,”

with the refrain just given. Abroad it is Grimm’s “Juniper

Tree” (No. 47), where see further parallels. The German

rhyme is sung by Margaret in the mad scene of Goethe’s

“Faust.”