invariability of the incidents most important to the plot, and where a tale is built up in a simple way these incidents will not he placed in the beginning, but in a later part of the tale. Several intervarying introductions will lead to the same situation, and for this reason we have a series of motives, let us call them introductory incidents, which constantly melt into each other. In our tale however the introduction too is rather unvarying. Here we find two leading persons and the plot shall develop from their relations to each other. Where two persons act at the same time, the stylistic of tale seems to demand, that they are placed opposed to each other, as is also the case in this story, which even is founded on this contrast. In most of our variants two leading-persons make their appearance as expected. (As Pal 1, 2, Ar 1, 3, Pers. Tk. Ind. 1–3, 5–9, An. Kor. Afr Kab, Kam, Mad. Eur 1 GN 1–6, GS 1–5, GD 1–3, 6, 8–10, 12–17, 19, 20, 23. 12 GI 3; 2 GG 1–3, 5, 6, 9–11, 13, 14, 16–18, SW, GH 1, 3, 4; 3 CI, CB 1–2, RF 1–4, 5–8; 4 SC 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, FM 1–3, Sa 1; 5 RI 1–7, M 2, 3; 6 Bas 1, 2, RE 1–2, RP, 2; 7 RR 1–3, Boss, SS 1–3, 5, 6, SB 1–4,Alb 1, Gre, 1, 2; 8 GF 1–3, 5–8, FF 1–6, 8–10, 12–20, 22–25, 28–34, 37, 38, 43, 44, 46, 48, 51, 52, 54, 55, 59–68, 70, 71, 74, 78, 80–82, FE; 9 Litt, Lett, SR 1–4, 5, 7–19, SWR 2–7, SP 1–6, 9–17, SU 1–10, Gag 10; 10 K 1–6, 9; 11 Zig 1). As will be seen the two leading persons predominate by far, beeing found in 246 out of 311 variants.
A closer examination on this point has been necessary because some of our versions show three or only one person. Tales with the three persons are: (Eur 1 GN 2, GD 4, 5, 7, 11, 18, 21, 22; 2 GG 4, 6, GH 2; 3 RF 5; 4 SC 1, 2;
A. Olrik. Episke Love. Danske Studier 1908 p. 81 R. Th. Christiansen, Nogen Iagttagelser etc. ib. 1915 p. 71.
