English Fairy Tales

English Fairy Tales

XXXII. THE STRANGE VISITOR

Source.—From Chambers, l.c., 64, much Anglicised. I have
retained “Aih-late-wee-moul,” though I candidly confess I
have not the slightest idea what it means; judging other chil-
dren by myself, I do not think that makes the response less
effective. The prosaic-minded may substitute “Up-late-and-
little-food.”

Parallels.—The man made by instalments, occurs in the
Grimms’ No. 4, and something like it in an English folk-
tale, The Golden Ball, ap. Henderson, l.c., p. 333.

XXXIII. THE LAIDLY WORM.

Source.—From an eighteenth-century ballad of the Rev. Mr.
Lamb of Norham, as given in Prof. Child’s Ballads; with a
few touches and verses from the more ancient version
“Kempion.” A florid prose version appeared in Monthly

Chronicle of North Country Lore for May 1890. I have made

the obvious emendation of

O quit your sword, unbend your bow

for

O quit your sword, and bend your bow.

Parallels.—The ballad of “Kempe Owein” is a more general

version which “The Laidly Worm” has localised near

Bamborough. We learn from this that the original hero was

Kempe or Champion Owain, the Welsh hero who flour-

ished in the ninth century. Childe Wynd therefore = Childe

Owein. The “Deliverance Kiss” has been studied by Prof.

Child, l.c., i. 207. A noteworthy example occurs in Boiardo’s

Orlando Inamorato, cc. xxv., xxvi.

Remarks.—It is perhaps unnecessary to give the equations

“Laidly Worm = Loathly Worm = Loathsome Dragon,” and

“borrowed = changed.”