Page:FFC2.djvu/3

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The system of folk-tales (märchen) in the Copenhagen Folklore Collection is elaborated by Svend Grundtvig. The c. 800 versions of tales in his Ms. collections are here reduced to 134 types (religious legends, animal stories and short humoristic tales are not included in this number, each of these makes its own series in the Grundtvig manuscript). These types form no system of incidents but a system of actual tales, each represented by a number of versions which agree with one another in essential features.

In the later classification of tales in the Copenhagen Collection this system is also followed. Types which are not represented in Grundtvig's system are set apart as »without number» (Udenfor nummer) or as »religious legends», »animal stories», »short humoristic tales» (»Legender», »Dyresagn», Skæmtesagn»). Some day all these shall be classified according to a system which FF. is preparing. In the last few years some of the Grundtvig types have been subdivided under A, B, etc. Sometimes these letters signify that one type of the tale has two individual versions, sometimes also that two different tales have been incorrectly placed under one type. The distinction between these two classes is however in some cases incertain.

Here I give the list of types[1]. The english names are those which seemed to me to fit the type (e. g. com-

  1. The danish names in italics.