Jamaica versions of this popular story appear in Milne-Home, 70–72;
Jekyll, 14–16; Trowbridge, JAFL 9: 283–284. Parsons Andros Island,
150–152, has equivalent versions.
The False Bride motive is very common in African story. Compare
Callaway, 105–130; 303–316; Theal, 56–66; 144–147; 151–154; Jacottet,
90–99; Torrend, 66–68; Dayrell, 126.
In number 101, the true bride comes at night and sings and is detected
through the words of her song. In this story, she comes at night to
suckle her child; see the Child ballad version noted by Parsons, and
Bolte u. Polívka 1: 76–96, on Grimm 11, Brother and Sister. In Theal,
55–66, the drowned woman comes at night to suckle her child, is
watched, and a net set to catch her. In Theal, 144–147, the snare and
the milk are set for the false instead of for the true bride as a test
of her witch nature because no witch’s tail can escape the attraction
of milk. This is like the old fable of the cat who became a lady, but
betrayed her origin when a mouse ran across the floor.