plait (in the Norse, snua, wenden, winden, schnüren); thus, too, Schnatz is the plaited hair—the bride goes to the church in Schnatz (see Estor's Teutscher Rechtsgelahrth; Hofmann's Oberhessische Wörterbuch, part 3; and Schaum's Braunfelsische Alterthümer, p. 45. In the Wetterau the word is specially applied to Sunday fineries). Sich aufsetzen and Aufsatz are also used to express dressing and arranging the hair. The woman who narrated this story used räthsel as feminine, as the earlier rätersch is known to have occurred.
A close examination of the Carlovingian myth of Bertha, the betrothed wife of Pepin, who is supplanted by her waiting-maid, and spins and weaves in the mill, would fully prove that our story, which in its chief incident manifestly corresponds with that myth, is much more ancient, more beautiful, and more simple. See Fr. Wilh; Val. Schmidt's valuable essay, in the 3rd vol. of Boiardo's Roland, p. 1., 42. In connection with this the name of Falada (the middle syllable is short) is specially remarkable, because Roland's horse Valentich, Falerich, Velentin, is in the Heimons-kinder, Pfalz. MS. 68a, called Volatin; and Wilhelm von Oranse's horse is Volatin, Valatin, Valantin, in Türheim. In Swedish, see the Volkssagen und Volkslieder of Afzelius, 1. In Hungarian, Molbech, p. 387. In Albanian, see Hahn, 2. 165, 166. The Russian story Bulat (Dieterich, No. 10, comp. No. 5), is founded on the same saga, only it is applied to a youth. In the Pentamerone, see The Two Cakes (4. 7).
90.—The Young Giant.
From the Leine district.[1] This story betrays an unmistakable affinity to the saga of Siegfried, whose powerful giant-nature in youth and after-life is described in the poems in much the same way. He catches lions, ties them together by the tails, and hangs them over the wall (Rosengarten, 3; Siegfrieds Lied, 33). This affinity is much more evident in his labours with the smith, whom he here beats as unjustifiably (Lied 5). The smith, like Reigen, is greedy of gold, and from covetousness, desires to keep everything for himself alone; furthermore there is the cunning shown by the equally greedy bailiff, who would gladly be rid of him, which corresponds with that of Reigen, as the dangerous haunted mill corresponds with the dragon's lair to which he, being unacquainted with fear, goes courageously, and comes back victorious. (This is a point which is specially prominent in the Norse saga, for Brünhild had sworn she would marry no one who
- ↑ The river Leine rises in the Hartz Mountains in the S.W. part of the Province of Saxony, and formerly gave its name to a department of which Göttingen was the chief town.—Tr.
