_Source_.--Griffin's _Tales from a Jury-Room_, combined with Campbell,
No. xvii. _c_, "The Slim Swarthy Champion."
_Parallels_.--Campbell gives another variant, _l.c._ i. 318. Dr. Hyde
has an Irish version of Campbell's tale written down in 1762, from
which he gives the incident of the air-ladder (which I have had to
euphemise in my version) in his _Beside the Fireside_, p. 191, and
other passages in his Preface. The most remarkable parallel to this
incident, however, is afforded by the feats of Indian jugglers reported
briefly by Marco Polo, and illustrated with his usual wealth of
learning by the late Sir Henry Yule, in his edition, vol. i. p. 308
_seq._ The accompanying illustration (reduced from Yule) will tell its
own tale: it is taken from the Dutch account of the travels of an
English sailor, E. Melton, _Zeldzaame Reizen_, 1702, p. 468. It tells
the tale in five acts, all included in one sketch. Another instance
quoted by Yule is still more parallel, so to speak. The twenty-third
trick performed by some conjurors before the Emperor Jahangueir
(_Memoirs_, p. 102) is thus described: "They produced a chain of 50
cubits in length, and in my presence threw one end of it towards the
sky, where it remained as if fastened to something in the air. A dog
was then brought forward, and being placed at the lower end of the
chain, immediately ran up, and, reaching the other end, immediately
disappeared in the air. In the same manner a hog, a panther, a lion,
and a tiger were successively sent up the chain." It has been suggested
that the conjurors hypnotise the spectators, and make them believe they
see these things. This is practically the suggestion of a wise
Mohammedan, who is quoted by Yule as saying, "_Wallah!_ 'tis my opinion
there has been neither going up nor coming down; 'tis all hocus-pocus,"
hocus-pocus being presumably the Mohammedan term for hypnotism.
_Remarks_.--Dr. Hyde (_l.c._ Pref. xxix.) thinks our tale cannot be
older than 1362, because of a reference to one O'Connor Sligo which
occurs in all its variants; it is, however, omitted in our somewhat
abridged version. Mr Nutt (_ap._ Campbell, _The Fians_, Introd. xix.)
thinks that this does not prevent a still earlier version having
existed. I should have thought that the existence of so distinctly
Eastern a trick in the tale, and the fact that it is a framework story
(another Eastern characteristic), would imply that it is a rather late
importation, with local allusions superadded (_cf._ notes on "Conal
Yellowclaw," No v.)
The passages in verse from pp 137, 139, and the description of the
Beggarman, pp. 136, 140, are instances of a curious characteristic of
Gaelic folk-tales called "runs." Collections of conventional epithets
are used over and over again to describe the same incident, the
beaching of a boat, sea-faring, travelling and the like, and are
inserted in different tales. These "runs" are often similar in both the
Irish and the Scotch form of the same tale or of the same incident. The
volumes of _Waifs and Strays_ contain numerous examples of these
"runs," which have been indexed in each volume. These "runs" are
another confirmation of my view that the original form of the folk-tale
was that of the _Cante-fable_ (see note on "Connla" and on "Childe
Rowland" in _English Fairy Tales_).