New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-09
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK
A STUDY IN COMPARATIVE MYTHOLOGY.
GRIMMS FAIRY TALES. And Household Stories

/ GKlMMS FAIRY TALES. And Household stories
Translated from the German by Mrs. IL b.
duction by the Editor Of The Ch ,n.o' Ctsslcs."
| PIP XA, 625 Frederick Wasne & Go.
This version Of the popular taos collected ny
the brothers Grimm cannot take the place OF Mrs
! Hunts very complete some OF the stories
for one reason or another have Deer omitted AID
! the explanatory notes are numerous But the
TRANSACTIONS are excellent, and clothed in simple
and appropriate language Tho introduction !. sus-
gestlve. II call. attention briefly 70 the varioIs
theories respecting the origin or popular tales and
myths and 70 their dlsjribu ion. Tn, editors oar
opinion IS expressed senten lousy In tho remark
that in reality tho earth g small and mankind Tad
common origin" There Is passage. howcvc-
which may be mlsIntcrpreted. whore certain taos
are described r, the exclusive property OF one ma
lion. To England for sxampl" IL limited IN" tai' II
Jack ana the Beanstalk. This is true Of the tale
| AS whole But when the strange myth'i oGy Of
this familiar tale picked pieces the shrt Is
found scattered In many places about the esrfh.
The Grimms found only two German tales that
could he compared with II in is entirety. AMI the
parallel In those cases was not very c.osc. ], is
needless to repeat the story but Is convenient TO
recall certain details The actions " the young
hero ~ th~ heans,alk are. unknown 70 himself CON
,-oUel by fairy who upon his arrival In the uuler
world. tells him that she me frsni AMI n.lv q
his murdered father It is she who imDcl+ him TO
sci his mothers cow FOR handful Of orlght-co.ored
beans and who the mira "ulous growth Of
the stalks which spring In night from th- pfoc
where the beans were cast away. Plainly u the
exgenclcs OF the narrative required she myhi east
~ be made the heros wife and the story be made
identical In that particular with host OF ,:h,rs
told In various parts OF the world. Nor woull Il be
n novelty IN popular fiction II she made
with the Old woman VINO hides Jack in the giants
castle since transformn lions OF the sort are COM
monpiace OF fairy lore Then We must remember
that Jack carried OF three prizes from the giants
han la ~ N
gold and silver coin. and golden harp whicl played
any tune at all merely for the asking. The housc
Itself In which the giant lived was 9h'nng a,'nc-
ture n model in little OF the Golden city which
figures In many mythical variations. In order TO
explain the tale DR. Tylor. in his Early History OF
Mankind" has 10 tradition current In the
island OF Celebes. The natives Of that Island say
that long ago one Of their detles. then moral
named Kasimbaha. Ayins down from the sky
seven white doves which as soon MS they threw IN
their feather dresses were transformed 10 beautiful
girls He stole OF these dresses. In accordance
with the usual custom Of mortals who meet these
Nylng maidens and thus secured wife. kasmba-
ha found that particular hair OF his wifes head
was endowed with magical power and he could not
resist the temptation to pull II out The result was
a great storm. which carried the wife back 10 her
home In the sky The child which she had aban-
doned cried for her, and KasiYbaha. seeing that
well-disposed rat had gnawcd the thorns of the
rattans climbed W by them with his son upon J Is
back found his wife. and finally took his place
among the gods.
In this Celcbcs tale two things are to be consld
ered-h use Of the number and the doveke
figure Of the nyng maidens-for these instantly re-
call the myth Of Orion. who pursued the seven
daughters OF Atlas in the form OF doves until they
took their pace In the sky az the PleIndcs. While
tradition gives seven as the number OF these stars
only six arc visible 10 the naked eye The missing
one IL said to have been overtaken by the mortal
rS1tf ha-
hind her veil for shame. Now the Dyaks of Borneo
have a story about the Plelades which shows that
the heaven -storninp hero could reach them by way
OF the word-ree. Those times say the Dyaks
when people had little 10 eat. \ party OF mon put
TO sea In search OF food and after they had sailed
n long distance fruit tree growing downward
from the sky one Of them assembled this and found
himself at It's roots in the country OF the Pleades
where he learned all about the cultivation and cook
ing Of rice and various other arts connected with
agriculture But the Indian tale OF Saktideva holds
in solution Of the elements OF all the stories
on this theme than almost any other which could
be mentioned This romance Is 10 be found In
book with the title Observation-Disclosures. which
written by Somadeya Bhatta In the reign OF Harsha
Deva King OF Cashmere" near the beginning OF the
twelfth century. A favorIte topic In that book Is
the career Of n young man who was first loved and
then deserted by a superna tural creature Vldyad
hare. Sometimes he finds her again In an almost
Inaccessible Island Of the Far West rcigning IN hap
pinsss n golden city in which the blest take
their ease amid gardens and palaces. But Saku
deva. a frivolous Brahmin. to whom the task
set OF finding the Golden City. sought her in the sky
He passed through an adventure not unlike that OF
Jonah. and escaped Charybdis by graspng tho low
hung branches OF a ng tree. Climbing to the top
OF this tree Just Jack did on his beanstalk. he
heard an eaRl. telling It's mate, OF Its proposed
flight to the Golden city. Upon the back OF this
bird he was carried to the wonderful place. where
he wos nj once ushered into the presence OF the
Queen of the vidyadhares who received him
kindly as Nnusicaa did the sca-wearied Odysssus.
emitting \ proposal Of marriage. II had been
foretold that she must await mortal. and she had
refused all offers from those OF her own race Al
luding to Nausoaa, It Is curious TO note that the
guardian OF the vidyadhares was known by the
name OF Kauska. n word similar In sound. II was
his Office to exercise sort OF supervision the
divine msidens. who sometimes forgot their dignity
For example. the three sisters Of the Queen once