the golden bough-第258章

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would　be　at　an　end。　But　that　can　never；　never　be。　However；　the　young　man　got　hold　of　the　egg；　smashed　it；　and　put　out　the　light；　and　with　it　the　witch's　life　went　out　also。　In　a　German　story　a　cannibal　called　Body　without　Soul　or　Soulless　keeps　his　soul　in　a　box；　which　stands　on　a　rock　in　the　middle　of　the　Red　Sea。　A　soldier　gets　possession　of　the　box　and　goes　with　it　to　Soulless；　who　begs　the　soldier　to　give　him　back　his　soul。　But　the　soldier　opens　the　box；　takes　out　the　soul；　and　flings　it　backward　over　his　head。　At　the　same　moment　the　cannibal　drops　dead　to　the　ground。

In　another　German　story　and　old　warlock　lives　with　a　damsel　all　alone　in　the　midst　of　a　vast　and　gloomy　wood。　She　fears　that　being　old　he　may　die　and　leave　her　alone　in　the　forest。　But　he　reassures　her。　Dear　child；　he　said；　I　cannot　die；　and　I　have　no　heart　in　my　breast。　But　she　importuned　him　to　tell　her　where　his　heart　was。　So　he　said；　Far；　far　from　here　in　an　unknown　and　lonesome　land　stands　a　great　church。　The　church　is　well　secured　with　iron　doors；　and　round　about　it　flows　a　broad　deep　moat。　In　the　church　flies　a　bird　and　in　the　bird　is　my　heart。　So　long　as　the　bird　lives；　I　live。　It　cannot　die　of　itself；　and　no　one　can　catch　it；　therefore　I　cannot　die；　and　you　need　have　no　anxiety。　However　the　young　man；　whose　bride　the　damsel　was　to　have　been　before　the　warlock　spirited　her　away；　contrived　to　reach　the　church　and　catch　the　bird。　He　brought　it　to　the　damsel；　who　stowed　him　and　it　away　under　the　warlock's　bed。　Soon　the　old　warlock　came　home。　He　was　ailing；　and　said　so。　The　girl　wept　and　said；　Alas；　daddy　is　dying；　he　has　a　heart　in　his　breast　after　all。　Child；　replied　the　warlock；　hold　your　tongue。　I　can't　die。　It　will　soon　pass　over。　At　that　the　young　man　under　the　bed　gave　the　bird　a　gentle　squeeze；　and　as　he　did　so；　the　old　warlock　felt　very　unwell　and　sat　down。　Then　the　young　man　gripped　the　bird　tighter；　and　the　warlock　fell　senseless　from　his　chair。　Now　squeeze　him　dead；　cried　the　damsel。　Her　lover　obeyed；　and　when　the　bird　was　dead；　the　old　warlock　also　lay　dead　on　the　floor。

In　the　Norse　tale　of　the　giant　who　had　no　heart　in　his　body；　the　giant　tells　the　captive　princess；　Far；　far　away　in　a　lake　lies　an　island；　on　that　island　stands　a　church；　in　that　church　is　a　well；　in　that　well　swims　a　duck；　in　that　duck　there　is　an　egg；　and　in　that　egg　there　lies　my　heart。　The　hero　of　the　tale；　with　the　help　of　some　animals　to　whom　he　had　been　kind；　obtains　the　egg　and　squeezes　it；　at　which　the　giant　screams　piteously　and　begs　for　his　life。　But　the　hero　breaks　the　egg　in　pieces　and　the　giant　at　once　bursts。　In　another　Norse　story　a　hill…ogre　tells　the　captive　princess　that　she　will　never　be　able　to　return　home　unless　she　finds　the　grain　of　sand　which　lies　under　the　ninth　tongue　of　the　ninth　head　of　a　certain　dragon；　but　if　that　grain　of　sand　were　to　come　over　the　rock　in　which　the　ogres　live；　they　would　all　burst　and　the　rock　itself　would　become　a　gilded　palace；　and　the　lake　green　meadows。　The　hero　finds　the　grain　of　sand　and　takes　it　to　the　top　of　the　high　rock　in　which　the　ogres　live。　So　all　the　ogres　burst　and　the　rest　falls　out　as　one　of　the　ogres　had　foretold。

In　a　Celtic　tale；　recorded　in　the　West　Highlands　of　Scotland；　a　giant　is　questioned　by　a　captive　queen　as　to　where　he　keeps　his　soul。　At　last；　after　deceiving　her　several　times；　he　confides　to　her　the　fatal　secret：　There　is　a　great　flagstone　under　the　threshold。　There　is　a　wether　under　the　flag。　There　is　a　duck　in　the　wether's　belly；　and　an　egg　in　the　belly　of　the　duck；　and　it　is　in　the　egg　that　my　soul　is。　On　the　morrow　when　the　giant　was　gone；　the　queen　contrived　to　get　possession　of　the　egg　and　crushed　it　in　her　hands；　and　at　that　very　moment　the　giant；　who　was　coming　home　in　the　dusk；　fell　down　dead。　In　another　Celtic　tale；　a　sea　beast　has　carried　off　a　king's　daughter；　and　an　old　smith　declares　that　there　is　no　way　of　killing　the　beast　but　one。　In　the　island　that　is　in　the　midst　of　the　loch　is　Eillid　Chaisfhionthe　white…footed　hind；　of　the　slenderest　legs；　and　the　swiftest　step；　and　though　she　should　be　caught；　there　would　spring　a　hoodie　out　of　her；　and　though　the　hoodie　should　be　caught；　there　would　spring　a　trout　out　of　her；　but　there　is　an　egg　in　the　mouth　of　the　trout；　and　the　soul　of　the　beast　is　in　the　egg；　and　if　the　egg　breaks；　the　beast　is　dead。　As　usual　the　egg　is　broken　and　the　beast　dies。

In　an　Irish　story　we　read　how　a　giant　kept　a　beautiful　damsel　a　prisoner　in　his　castle　on　the　top　of　a　hill；　which　was　white　with　the　bones　of　the　champions　who　had　tried　in　vain　to　rescue　the　fair　captive。　At　last　the　hero；　after　hewing　and　slashing　at　the　giant　all　to　no　purpose；　discovered　that　the　only　way　to　kill　him　was　to　rub　a　mole　on　the　giant's　right　breast　with　a　certain　egg；　which　was　in　a　duck；　which　was　in　a　chest；　which　lay　locked　and　bound　at　the　bottom　of　the　sea。　With　the　help　of　some　obliging　animals；　the　hero　made　himself　master　of　the　precious　egg　and　slew　the　giant　by　merely　striking　it　against　the　mole　on　his　right　breast。　Similarly　in　a　Breton　story　there　figures　a　giant　whom　neither　fire　nor　water　nor　steel　can　harm。　He　tells　his　seventh　wife；　whom　he　has　just　married　after　murdering　all　her　predecessors；　I　am　immortal；　and　no　one　can　hurt　me　unless　he　crushes　on　my　breast　an　egg；　which　is　in　a　pigeon；　which　is　in　the　belly　of　a　hare；　this　hare　is　in　the　belly　of　a　wolf；　and　this　wolf　is　in　the　belly　of　my　brother；　who　dwells　a　thousand　leagues　from　here。　So　I　am　quite　easy　on　that　score。　A　soldier　contrived　to　obtain　the　egg　and　crush　it　on　the　breast　of　the　giant；　who　immediately　expired。　In　another　Breton　tale　the　life　of　a　giant　resides　in　an　old　box…tree　which　grows　in　his　castle　garden；　and　to　kill　him　it　is　necessary　to　sever　the　tap…root　of　the　tree　at　a　single　blow　of　an　axe　without　injuring　any　of　the　lesser　roots。　This　task　the　hero；　as　usual；　successfully　accomplishes；　and　at　the　same　moment　the　giant　drops　dead。

The　notion　of　an　external　soul　has　now　been　traced　in　folk…tales　told　by　Aryan　peoples　from　India　to　Ireland。　We　have　still　to　show　that　the　same　idea　occurs　commonly　in　the　popular　stories　of　peoples　who　do　not　belong　to　the　Aryan　stock。　In　the　ancient　Egyptian　tale　of　The　Two　Brothers；　which　was　written　down　in　the　reign　of　Rameses　II。；　about　1300　B。C。；　we　read　how　one　of　the　brothers　enchanted　his　heart　and　placed　it　in　the　flower　of　an　acacia　tree；　and　how；　when　the　flower　was　cut　at　the　instigation　of　his　wife；　he　immediately　fell　down　dead；　but　revived　when　his　brother　found　the　lost　heart　in　the　berry　of　the　acacia　and　threw　it　into　a　cup　of　fresh　water。

In　the　story　of　Seyf　el…Mulook　in　the　Arabian　Nights　the　jinnee　tells　the　captive　daughter　of　the　King　of　India；　When　I　was　born；　the　astrologers　declared　that　the　destruction　of　my　soul　would　be　effected　by　the　hand　of　one　of　the　sons　of　the　human　kings。　I　therefore　took　my　soul；　and　put　it　into　the　crop　of　a　sparrow；　and　I　imprisoned　the　sparrow　in　a　little　box；　and　put　this　into　another　small　box；　and　this　I　put　within　seven　other　small　boxes；　and　I　put　these　within　seven　chests；　and　the　chests　I　put　into　a　coffer　of　marble　within　the　verge　of　this　circumambient　ocean；　for　this　part　is　remote　from　the　countries　of　mankind；　and　none　of　mankind　can　gain　access　to　it。　But　Seyf　el…Mulook　got　possession　of　the　sparrow　and　strangled　it；　and　the　jinnee　fell　upon　the　ground　a　heap　of　black　ashes。　In　a　Kabyle　story　an　ogre　declares　that　his　fate　is　far　away　in　an　egg；　which　is　in　a　pigeon；　which　is　in　a　camel；　which　is　in　the　sea。　The　hero　procures　the　egg　and　crushes　it　between　his　hands；　and　the　ogre　dies。　In　a　Magyar　folk…tale；　an　old　witch　detains　a　young　prince　called　Ambrose　in　the　bowels　of　the　earth。　At　last　she　confided　to　him　that　she　kept　a　wild　boar　in　a　silken　meadow；　and　if　it　were　killed；　they　would　find　a　hare　inside；　and　inside　the　hare　a　pigeon；　and　inside　the　pigeon　a　small　box；　and　inside　the　box　one　black　and　one　shining　beetle：　the　shining　beetle　held　her　life；　and　the　black　one　held　her　power；　if　these　two　beetles　died；　then　her　life　would　come　to　an　end　also。　When　the　old　hag　went　out；　Ambrose　killed　the　wild　boar；　and　took　out　the　hare；　from　the　hare　he　took　the　pig