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334

Moe, Moltke, Unpublished Collection. Christiania. (From Bö and Hitterdal.)

"GUTTEN OG STUTEN"
(The Boy and the Ox).

ABSTRACT

Hero, in giant's service, must clean stable of ox-[Helpful animal]-- Giant killed-- Hero flight on ox through brass, tin, and silver forests. Hero plucks leaves, causing three giants to appear. Ox kills two giants, is wounded by the third; bids boy not name him; but boy does so, whereupon ox loses all power, and is slain together with hero by third giant.

TABULATION

(1) A boy who is in giant's service is set to clean the stable of an ox. Finding task insurmountable, he drives a plug into the ox. When giant comes to see if work is done, the plug flies out with great force and hits him in the head, smashing it to pieces.-- (2) Boy mounts the ox and rides "far and farther than far". They come to an immense wood with trees and leaves of brass. Ox cautions boy not to touch the leaves, or to speak, or name the ox. They have almost passed the wood, when boy plucks a brass leaf. "Who is it that passes my wood?" says the giant, who is so furious that fire sparkles from him. "That you will soon learn!" says the ox, as he rushes at him and kills him. The same thing happens when they pass the wood with trees and leaves of tin; also when they reach the silver wood.-- (3) But here, whilst fighting the giant, the ox receives a wound. The boy says, "Blood is dripping from you, ox!" At the same moment the ox loses all his power, and the giant kills him and the boy together.

Cox, Marian Roalfe. Cinderella: Three Hundred and Forty-five Variants of Cinderella, Catskin, and Cap O' Rushes, abstracted and tabulated. London: David Nutt for the Folklore Society, 1893.

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