Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-12-19
CHRISTM AS LEGENDS.

Illustrated London News
Scattered round the Christmas season, we
find in cur own and other countries host Of
amusing cd folk tales, most of which. apart
from their own intrinsic merits are valuable
faithfully embodying the superstitious be-
liefs of our fOrefathers in connection with
the Yule- tide festival. 1t would seem that
in days gone by, these fireside legends were
extensively circulated at Christmas-tide, the
varied incidents they contained acting as SC
many warnings to those who might, mad
vertently or otherwise, le induced to disre
gard the ira litionary notions of the season.
As the greater part of these tales are novel
probably to most readers, it may not be in
opportuIe to give some illustrations Of them.
Thus, Norwegian folk tales often alude t.
the merry duings of the Miss at Christ.
mas time-a class of fairies about
the size of small children, and who
were, we are reminded, far more
numerous in the good old times than nova
days. Like Shakespeare's Puck, they are
fond Of prankS, and unless the master of the
house pam0ers them, they arc spiteful and
vindictive, and hence it is not surprising
that their good will is deemed worth Sc
curing.
On Christmas Eve, therefore. offerings of
sweet porridge. cakes, beer and other deli
cacies are provided specially for them; but
care must be taken that this act is performed
with every mark of respect, otherwise they
will quickly show their dspleasure Thus
it is related how, one Christmas Eve when a
girl i'll n hooking spirit brought these little
beings their customary offerings, she was SO
severely handled by them, that Oh the fol
lowing Christmas morning she was found
dead III the barn
al of nj tnl1 10
peasantry, AMI received by them with the
utmost faith, we can well i'm
agine how ready they naturally
We're to gain the patronage and friendship of
these mysterious elves who, in a thousand
and one ways, could befriend those who &c.
knowledged their superior power.
Among Norwegian folk of the sea re-
lating to CHI istmas, we are told how n GER
tain sailor, according to custom, was desir-
Gus of pres euting on Christmas Day cake
to the spirit of the waters; but when he came
to the shore, lo.-much to his disappoint.
ment-the waters were frozen over Reluct
ant to leave his Offering upon the ice he
tried to make hole; but, in spite of all his
laborS, he could not make it large enough for
the cake to 20 through. When perpexed rs
to what he should do, he was agreebly sur
prised by the appearance of little tiny
through the hole he had made, seized the
cake and instantly disappeared with it, In
this legend originates, it is said, the compli.
ment paid to n Norwegian lady, Your hand
is like water sprito's'
The Morse peasant, in his popular tales,
has curious solution for the oft-asked ques.
tion, why is the sea salt'' 1t appears. that
once upon time, long, long ago, there were
two brothers, one rich and the other poor.
Now it happened on Christmas Eve that the
poor one had not so much as Il crumb OF
bread to eat, SO he went to his brother for
help, who gave him whole fitch of bacon,
at the same time bidding him go to a certain
evil magician. On arriving at the magician's
house, he was surrounded by host of per-
SONS anxious to buy his fitch Well" said
he, by rights my old dame and l ought to
have this bacon for our Christmas dinner:
but since you have all set your hearts on it, !
suppose you must have it, but if / sell it all
must have in return that quern behind the
door yonder.' At first the old magician
laughed outright at this proposal, but the
"Iolr brother stuck to it, AMI so at last the
magician Parted with his 1uern.
On reaching home the clock struck IL as hi,
wife met him at the door, wondering what
had kept him out so long. "Ohn said he,
you shall quickly see the cause of my de-
lay after which words he put the quern on
the table, bidding 1T grind everything neces.
sary for the Christmas fare The wife, a
may be imagined, stood thunderstrucIi
watching the quern grind out daintie.
enough to last till Twelfth Day. When, how.
ever, the rich brother saw, on Christmas
Day, all that was on the talle, he was very
envlous and said, "whence Lave you got all
this wealth.
For some time the poor brother refused to
tell but IN the course Of the days rejoicing
he incautiously gave out the history of the
magic quern, which his brother ultimately
bought Tor $500 Before long, however, lie
found that it kept on grinding, and 50
alarmed was he that he resold it to his
brother for tho same money that pur-
chased it. "a
As before, IL soon brought renewed pros
perity to the poor brother, which enabled
him to buy golden house. the fame whereof
spread far and wide, and attracted strangers
from all parts. So one day a stranger cams
to SEQ the quern, and the first question he
asked was whether it could grind salt
"Grind salti' said the owner, Il should just
think so; and anything else You like"
Thereupon, so anxious was he to buy the
quern that he nxomised to pay untold wealth
for it, Secured of his prize he put TO sea
and when so far off that no one could reacf
him, lie said to the quern, "Grind salt, anC
grind both fast and good" No sooner hat
he spoken than the quern forthwith began
grinding salt, which, in an amazing shor
time, arose in heaps ON the deck aud threat
ened TO sink his vessel, Alarmed
at the rapidty with which the queri
kept grinding, he entreatel it, Oh
his knees, to leave Off; but still it went on
and before many minutes the vessel sank be
meath the weight of salt Butothe quern
still beneath the water, keeps grinding ant
hence the saltness Of the sea.
These tales, in which the witch elemen
figures strongly, still exist in our own coun
try. Thus, in the Isle of Man, it is relate,
how Il fiddler, having agreed with strange
to play during the twelve days OF Christina
TO whatever company he should bring him
was aston-hed at seeing his new maste
vanish into tho earth as soon as the bargain
had been made, Terrified at the thought 0
having agreed 20 work for so mysterious
persosage, he quickly resorrei to the clergy
man, who advised him 10 fulfill his engage
ment al 20 play nothing but psalms, Ac
cerdiIA as soon as Cnristmas-tide arrived
the sird stranger made his appear
and beckoned the fiddler b