New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-05-22
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE MAsTERTHIEF.

fS MSes in Taane University OF Lousiana
Pr. x i22 Published for the Am American FOLK
Lore Society by Houghton Miih'h w.
HERO-TAI.Es OF IRELAND. COLLECTED by 5er w,
% ( co. curtin y w
The masterthief OF folklore Is personase
worthy OF consideration. His presence marhs "
stage OF culture which at IFS worst j. se'e'" ~
moves from utter primtivism The narratives %
bic adventures whether told by himseH or D!
.hors ore those Of one who has travelled far ana
~ has had much experience OF the world anu OIL
rnank,nd When there is nothing to Steal 'ha' H.
Union mon live literally from hand 10 hnou'" gam
.rng m prccicus things. the superlatveiy cunning
40, can hardly be imagined. But with the gum
mer,nc notion Of property rises the thought OF MN
,,o takes that property by gui.eful means anu
,,o more refined tho Imagination becomes, the more
varied are the achievements attributed 10 mn"
seems 4 far cry from the animal taies III VIM.
hgure the ,abbit and the fox to the epic Oh VIM,
I-,vsses i~ the hero; but they are linked 10 each
- ultimately by the cunning which Is their
most prevalent characteristic. The odyssey Is o"s
n perfected and much expanded taie Vi -,
thief But II is cognizant OF many 'n'is
which the typical story OF this sort klo"S "o,'"o
=, elbows ,,a ANTIQUE affiliations In such episodes rs
tho stealing Of the cattle OF the sun anu VIC "
,rsonment n, the cyclopean cavern whie IL n"'
T., soma features that are almost uhlNefs"' .o
example the entrappng OF the master '"'. ,,,,o,
accomplice In manner similar 10 Una" ... =.
IN the story of the Forty IhieVes' VI ~
,.,,cb the tar baby OF the Southern negroes 'ep'
"N'0'' ~ rr,,ro, IDEA In Professor Fortiers
cancellation NJ Louisiana tales there are FEATURES VI
49, ,orhahv eplsode which suggest some reno'e
parallea The thief. that Is the why am ..
rabbit is caught In the soft TAR Oh Vi. - ,
as II may be supposed. the partner % ~ aoo
,as hold fast by the gins or the pitch on the "oo
49, rova, ,reasure-house. That he does not
,s. nj. head belongs to another part or the s'o'''
nut the most curious phase or the ep'soao "" -
paralIel IN an incident belonging 10 ore VI '''' 49,
,.,es given by Mr. Curtin. Compair iap'' Wv
rabbit hero. twice passes the TAR oa'' g.
.ovch,ng Il but is taken the third Time 90
,o'.""s " ,n intervals of his giant killing, twice
aad nv the Mace where certain magiea' per
SON called Hung Up Naked was suspenu'' a' "'os
tree I'm ticht bonds. l'ut the ''''u "' -,
nroyared on TO loose the wretch for eNe's w. ~,
he took on Hung Up Naked TWO '"'"' VI -.
.nn snch fashion that when he hal HUNG UP N""."
.a,,d he was himself douby bound he hah VI"
,,n,,,, ~ aye men hard and tough on ms p'"'
n, all the episodes 81 the mhstef'h'e' wv"
~ the cyciops II most certain v" ~ ~. .r,,
considerable body Of folklore, thoukn "'"' 49,
different from the classical mo'',' ,,, =, ans
49, "a 4, n form which Is no, wholly neVo'' o' s"a.
~ ~ "a us origin I, would have been 80 '''F
..ao,s "a haye go, an nklins ~ ru'h ''",l
g., classical sources through somehow VIM '
vsnd that one does not '"'' N"'" WV" a..
creature. those litlc boys were VINO V'''' ~,
slant, and were kept IN cnvc ny 'n''' W. '.,
s.,o,,od n, the rate Of one n day lnt moro !" W.
49, ,ou, tho animation Of the episode M "
80. I, Mr. curtin's book nor about nH o''''''
,-ov,d,ng the inquiry on the sublect w n"' w. w.
ante 7, "a confcsscdly part OF the "nr'''"
r,rr,,,ve and II is quite unclaSHc"I i"e ""'
.,o,v ia n typical one. II begins WIN ,n' "'
$500, OHIO loft three sons to the tender mer''cS "
81. inevitable s,epmothcr. The boys ""i w"
w" Wv, m,,acr ,ho, the stepmo,hor only discovered
-, no accident Then she contrived 70 nave INV"
can, IN the fatal quest OF King Cona's 'hr'' n'''
IN their way they fell In with man VINO '"'"''
o,, N be the Black Thief. ana when 'ney WIZ
.ro,r,, NJ prisoners before King conal TINS per-
sor,ge saved their lives by the simple oe''. "
.v,nr stories This young man Is very near death,
King conal would say. and the BACK ih'e' "uu''
saw 81 was nearer" and the King wonn say ~"
ras that?' or words TO the same enec'' an" 80 NV
s,orv would he introduced. Among 'he "uN'"'"
uere one with witches. another with demon cas-
Mid Nth n man-eating giant who had secre.
,reasure and finally with three giants VINO na'
captured a woman and child ana were aoou' "
make n meal OF the latter. He substtuteu PIX io'
the child and hid himself among the corpses VIM"
the giants had slowed in the cellar OF theif cas"e'
IIe killed all the giants This story saved MS own
,,o Tor KIM Conal knew that he was the chld
who had beer saved. Mr.. Curtin remarks that the
tale OF the Black Thief Is favorite' though uhder
varied forms in many parts or lreiahu' ne ".e'''
have added tina: is one OF the few tales in modern
very early times In the form preserved IN a TO-
,rorca known at the close OF the twelfth century.
the three young figure as the sons OF the mas
terthief They taken In an attemp, 10 steal the
Queens horse with its golden bride and golden
saddle The father Is first required TO ransom them,
hut refuses on the ground that he had duly warned
them OF the peril they Then he IL allowed 10
mead for their lives by relating his own adventures
Among these is the tale OF his escape after ropong
the Kings treasury. by cutting off the head OF his
accomplice, who had been caught In the traps that
were placed in the treasure house. Another story
4. a curious variant Of the Polyphemus Saga. show
ing that II existed in independent tradition In
the north OF Europe. The masterthief went with
a hundred chosen companions 10 the cave or giant
who kept his focks In the midst OF distant FOR
est They all caught and devoured. with the
single exception Of the masterthef. who succeeded
in pacatng the giant. In binding him ana escaping
The episode OF the woman saved from cannbals
also occurs in the twelfth century romance. AS
this tale in its earliest known form belongs 10
France and TO Latin not 10 Ireland or any OF the
vernacular languages OF medieval Europe and as
II occurs In a book modelled on the common ORR
entail form exemplifed in the Arabian Nights, the
Seven Viziers. the Hopadesa, and other hctions In
which subordinate tales are arranged as parts or n
more or elaborate containing narrative Its East
ern origin is almost certain.
Nearly all the Louisiana tales OF the exploits Of
Compair Iapin that is. OF the rabbit can be rele-
gated without mucn effort to the class OF the mas
terthief They describe the depredations of cum
ming rascal who Is able 10 outwt all other creatures
and is proud OF his depredations Something OF the
same kind can be said OF the Irish hero tales gath
cred by Mr.. Curtin. There are many Odyssean
traits In the narratives OF these wandering adj
venturers. The exaggerated accounts OF their
strength and valor and OF their chivarous gener-
osity have at times effect similar 10 that OF the
satire In Ceramics The thing IL overdone on pur-
pose. 1t is the aftcrthought OF time which has
got away from mute reverence for It's warlikc
heroes Except for certain fragments that beray
a remote primtvism. mere details imbcdded In mar
rativcs TO which they do not originally belong. 1t
would be hard to show that any OF these tales 20
hack OF the times OF Morse invasion. II II curious
that the axe a favorlte weapon with whole bodies
OF Irish soldery as late as the Tudors has dfsap-