Ernest Rhys

“The Princess of Colchester.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 65-69.

Anonymous — Sat, 28 Jan 2023 17:34:10 +0000

“The Princess of Colchester.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 65-69. Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 01/28/2023 - 10:34

Tale Summary

Long before King Arthur, there was a king in the eastern part of England who kept his Court at Colchester, who was left with his beautiful fifteen-year-old daughter when his wife died. The king remarried with an ugly, horrible woman on account of her wealth, and she had a daughter much the same as herself. They turned the king against his own daughter with rumors, and the girl asked him to be given a small pittance so that she may leave and seek her fortune in the world. He consented, and her mother-in-law gave her only brown bread, hard cheese, and a bottle of beer. After giving thanks and making her way through woods and valleys, the princess met an old man sitting at the mouth of a cave. She offered him what little she had of bread, cheese, and beer, and he gladly partook. He gave her a wand and told her that there was a thick hedge ahead which would open if she waved it. He also told her that she would come to a well with three gold heads, and she should do anything they ask of her. The princess went through the hedge and met the heads at the well, and each asked this of her:

“Wash me, and comb me,

And lay me down softly.”

She did this for each of them gently with a silver comb and placed them on a primrose bank. The heads blessed her for her kindness, the first giving her grace to match her beauty, the second with a flowery fragrance, and the third with the gift that, as a king’s daughter, she should be so fortunate to become queen to the greatest prince in the land. The princess had not traveled much further when she met a king hunting in the woods, and he immediately fell in love with her. They were brought back to his palace and married, and when it was revealed that she was the daughter of the King of Colchester, the couple paid them a visit. The Court was pleased to see how fortunate the princess had been, who was given a dowry. The queen and her daughter were envious, and so preparations were made for the sister-in-law to seek her own fortune. She was packed with many riches, foods, drinks, and sweets, but when she met the same old man on her path, she rudely refused to let him taste any of them. He cursed her, and she tried going through the hedge but became stuck in the thorns. The unpleasant girl searched for water for her wounds, and came across the well with the three golden heads. They asked her the same as her step-sister, but she only threw a bottle at them. They cursed her, the first giving her leprosy, the second turning her hair into a packthread, and the third bestowing on her a poor country cobbler as a husband. The girl traveled into a town where all ran from her, except for a poor cobbler, who happened to have ointment which was a cure for leprosy. He asked that if he restored her complexion she would agree to marry him, and she agreed. The couple went back to the Court of Colchester, where the queen was so upset at her daughter’s fate that she hung herself. The king was glad to be rid of her, and gave the cobbler a hundred pounds to take the unpleasant girl to a remote part of the kingdom, and there they lived for many years.

Fairy Tale Title

The Princess of Colchester

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Common Tale Type

The Kind and the Unkind Girls

Tale Classification

ATU 480

Page Range of Tale

pp. 65-69

Full Citation of Tale

“The Princess of Colchester.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 65-69.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

AV��ʪ and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys

Book Author/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Illustrator(s)

None listed

Publisher

J.M. Dent & Co., E.P. Dutton & co.

Date Published

1907

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London, New York

Publisher Country

United Kingdom, United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

A collection of stories split up into three categories: "Fairy Tales and Romances," "Mother Jack's Fairy Book," and "Later Fairy Tales and Rhymes"

Traditional

White

“The Giant that was a Miller.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 63-64.

Anonymous — Sat, 28 Jan 2023 17:23:21 +0000

“The Giant that was a Miller.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 63-64. Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 01/28/2023 - 10:23

Ernest Rhys

Tale Summary

There was once, in Yorkshire at a place called Dalton, a Giant that was a miller and who used to grind men’s bones to make bread. One day the giant had caught a boy named Jack, and kept him as his servant for many years, never letting him leave. There was a fair coming to town that the boy very much wanted to attend, but the giant refused. One hot day, the Giant was snoozing in the mill after eating bread, with the knife laying loosely in his hand while he slept. Jack took the knife and stabbed the Giant in his single eye, but the Giant fought back. The Giant had a favorite dog who was in the corner, which Jack stabbed and skinned. He then threw the hide over his shoulders and ran on all fours barking between the Giant’s legs and so escaped.

Fairy Tale Title

The Giant that was a Miller

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Common Tale Type

Tale Classification

Page Range of Tale

pp. 63-64

Full Citation of Tale

“The Giant that was a Miller.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 63-64.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

AV��ʪ and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys

Book Author/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Illustrator(s)

None listed

Publisher

J.M. Dent & Co., E.P. Dutton & co.

Date Published

1907

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London, New York

Publisher Country

United Kingdom, United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

A collection of stories split up into three categories: "Fairy Tales and Romances," "Mother Jack's Fairy Book," and "Later Fairy Tales and Rhymes"

Traditional

White

“Tom Tit Tot.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 51-57.

Anonymous — Sat, 28 Jan 2023 16:06:07 +0000

“Tom Tit Tot.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 51-57. Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 01/28/2023 - 09:06

Ernest Rhys

Tale Summary

After overbaking five pies, a woman tells her daughter to put them on a shelf to let the crust get soft again, to eat later. The daughter thought that if they would be okay to eat later, she may as well eat them then, and so ate each one. At supper-time, her mother asked for a pie, but the girl explained that she had eaten them all, and she was taken out into the street and beaten, all the while her mother singing:

“My darter ha’ ate five, five pies to-day!

My darter ha’ ate five, five pies to-day!”

The king happened to be walking by, and asked the woman what it was she was saying, and so ashamed, said instead:

"My darter ha’ spun five, five skeins to-day!

My darter ha’ spun five, five skeins to-day!”

The king was so impressed that he asked for her to be his wife under the condition that for eleven months of the year she would be treated lavishly, but the last month she would spend spinning five skeins a day, under penalty of death. So they were married, and for eleven months the girl was treated well, but then she was taken to a room with a spinning wheel and a stool. The king told her that starting the next day, she would be shut in with some flax, and her head would be cut off if she did not produce five skeins. The girl sat in the kitchen and wept, for she did not even know how to spin. Then, there was a knock at the door, and in came a small black thing with a long tail. She explained her situation to him when he asked about her crying, and he promised to do all the work for her. He would give her three tries every night to guess his name, and if she could not do it by the end of the month, she would be his. She agreed, and every morning she snuck him the flax from her window, and every evening he snuck the finished skeins back, and the girl was not able to guess his name. On the second to last day of the month, the king was confident that he would not have to kill his wife, and so had dinner with her in the room. He told her a story about how earlier that day he ventured into a new part of the woods and came across a small black creature with a long tail hopping around a chalk-pit and singing:

“Nimmy Nimmy Not,

My name’s TOM TIT TOT.”

The next evening the creature visited her and asked for her guesses, expecting her to soon be his. She guessed wrong twice, and then repeated the chant her husband had told her:

“Nimmy Nimmy Not,

Yar name’s TOM TIT TOT.”

The little creature shrieked and flew away, never to be seen again.

Fairy Tale Title

Tom Tit Tot

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Common Tale Type

The Name of the Supernatural Helper

Tale Classification

ATU 500

Page Range of Tale

pp. 51-57

Full Citation of Tale

“Tom Tit Tot.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 51-57.

Original Source of the Tale

An old English tale, analogous to the Rumpelstiltskin story.

Tale Notes

AV��ʪ and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys

Book Author/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Illustrator(s)

None listed

Publisher

J.M. Dent & Co., E.P. Dutton & co.

Date Published

1907

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London, New York

Publisher Country

United Kingdom, United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

A collection of stories split up into three categories: "Fairy Tales and Romances," "Mother Jack's Fairy Book," and "Later Fairy Tales and Rhymes"

Traditional

White

“Mr. Fox.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 49-50.

Anonymous — Sat, 28 Jan 2023 15:43:44 +0000

“Mr. Fox.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 49-50. Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 01/28/2023 - 08:43

Ernest Rhys

Tale Summary

Once upon a time there was a young woman named Lady Mary, who went with her two brothers to one of their country houses. A young man named Mr. Fox often visited with them, whom Lady Mary was quite taken with; he frequently invited her over to his house as well. One day when she had nothing better to do, Lady Mary went off to his home alone, and found that no one answered the door, over which there was an inscription that read:

“Be bold, be bold, but not too bold.”

Lady Mary kept going through the house, and the same inscription was over the stairway and above the entrance to the gallery. Over the door of some chamber, it read:

“Be bold, be bold, but not too bold,
Lest that your heart’s blood should run cold!”

The room was full of skeletons, and when Lady Mary retreated hurriedly downstairs, she saw Mr. Fox came towards the house dragging a young lady by the hair with his sword drawn. Lady Mary hid under the stairs just in time, and when Mr. Fox and his victim climbed them above her, the girl’s bracelet got caught on the banister and he cut off her hand. The hand and bracelet both fell in Lady Mary’s lap, who carried them away back to her brother’s house unobserved. Shortly after, Mr. Fox came to dine with them as usual, and Lady Mary told everyone that she would tell about a strange dream she had. She relayed the events at Mr. Fox’s house exactly as they happened, ending each sentence with:

“It is not so, nor it was not so.”
And Mr. Fox’s reply always was:
“It is not so, nor it was not so,
And God forbid it should be so!”

Until Lady Mary told of the cut-off hand, which she showed everyone, saying:

“But it is so, and it was so,
And here the hand I have to show!”

And Mr. Fox was instantly cut into pieces by the guests.

Fairy Tale Title

Mr. Fox

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Common Tale Type

Maiden Killer

Tale Classification

ATU 312

Page Range of Tale

pp. 49-50

Full Citation of Tale

“Mr. Fox.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 49-50.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

This tale opens with a quote from Much Ado About Nothing:

“Like the old tale, my Lord: it is not so, nor ‘twas not so; but indeed, God forbid it should be so.”

AV��ʪ and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys

Book Author/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Illustrator(s)

None listed

Publisher

J.M. Dent & Co., E.P. Dutton & co.

Date Published

1907

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London, New York

Publisher Country

United Kingdom, United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

A collection of stories split up into three categories: "Fairy Tales and Romances," "Mother Jack's Fairy Book," and "Later Fairy Tales and Rhymes"

Traditional

White

“Catskin.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 45-48.

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 19:01:30 +0000

“Catskin.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 45-48. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/27/2023 - 12:01

Ernest Rhys

Tale Summary

Once upon a time there was a girl who was born to a father who only wished for a male heir, and so was sent by her mother to live with a foster-nurse in a house by the great oak wood. When she was fifteen years old, her foster mother died. Before this, she had instructed the girl to hide all her pretty dresses by the crystal waterfall, put on a dress of catskin, and go seek work as a servant-maid in town. The girl, now known as Catskin, found work under a cook, who was a mean woman who often beat her. Time came when there was a great ball in town, and Catskin begged the cook to let her go, but she only made fun of the girl and threw water in her face. Catskin went off to her hiding-place in the woods, and sang:

“She washed every stain from her skin,
In some crystal waterfall;
Then put on a beautiful dress,
And hasted away to the ball.”

She went to the ball, where everyone was stunned at her beauty, and the lord only wished to dance with her. After spending the night together this way, he asked where she lived, and she responded:

“Kind sir, if the truth I must tell,
At the sign of the Basin of Water I dwell.”

Catskin slipped away, put on her furry dress, and made her way back to the kitchen unseen. The young squire, the next day, told his mother he would never rest until he found this beautiful girl. After a time another grand ball was held, and when Catskin asked the cook’s permission to go, the woman again teased her and broke a ladle over her head. Back at her hiding-place in the woods, she said:

“She washed every blood-stain off,
In some crystal waterfall;
Put on a more beautiful dress,
And hasted away to the ball.”

Catskin met again with the young lord, and they again spent the night dancing. When it came time for her to part, she would not tell him where she lived, but said:

“Kind sir, if the truth I must tell,
At the sign of the Broken-Ladle I dwell.”

And then she slipped away as before. There was then the greatest ball of the year, and when Catskin asked the cook for permission to go, she ridiculed her and broke a skimmer on the girl’s head. Catskin went back to her hiding-spot, and said:

“She washed the stains of blood,
In the crystal waterfall;
Then put on her most beautiful dress,
And hastened away to the ball.”

She met again with the young squire, and they spent the ball as they had the others, and when it came time to part, Catskin said:

“Kind sir, if the truth I must tell,
At the sign of the Broken-Skimmer I dwell,”

Catskin then hurried away from the ball, but was followed closely by the squire, who saw the disguise she put on at the kitchen. The next day, he took to his bed and called for a doctor, saying that he would die if Catskin did not see him. She was sent for, and the doctor convinced the squire’s mother for her consent in their marriage. Catskin and the squire were then married, and lived happily ever after.

Fairy Tale Title

Catskin

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Common Tale Type

Peau d'Âne

Tale Classification

ATU 510B

Page Range of Tale

pp. 45-48

Full Citation of Tale

“Catskin.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 45-48.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

AV��ʪ and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys

Book Author/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Illustrator(s)

None listed

Publisher

J.M. Dent & Co., E.P. Dutton & co.

Date Published

1907

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London, New York

Publisher Country

United Kingdom, United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

A collection of stories split up into three categories: "Fairy Tales and Romances," "Mother Jack's Fairy Book," and "Later Fairy Tales and Rhymes"

Traditional

White

“The Lady Mole.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 41-44.

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 18:50:46 +0000

“The Lady Mole.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 41-44. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/27/2023 - 11:50

Ernest Rhys

Tale Summary

In Cornwall, the first mole was once a beautiful woman. She was an only child; her family was lordly, and her father dead. Her name was Anne of the Combe, and she was very lovely, and most striking of all her features were her big blue eyes. Every man wanted her, but she had her heart set on Sir Beville of Stowe - a valorous knight. One day, a banquet was held at Stowe, and Anne was invited. She dressed herself magnificently, in luxurious velvet fabrics and jewels, and stood with her mother in front of the mirror and adored herself. The girl’s mother said a prayer that her daughter would bend the heart of Sir Beville and make him fall in love with her, and Anne haughtily replied that with such beautiful eyes as her, she needed no prayer. Suddenly, she shrieked, and in a beam of light she was gone forever. Years went by without any sign of the girl, until a gardener saw a small hill of dirt, and upon it, the ring she had worn when she disappeared. The ring had a Cornish inscription, which read:

“Beryan erde Ayn und perde!”

A priest from Morwenna was called, and interpreted the legend of the ring:

“The earth must hide
Both eyes and pride!”

Those there beheld a small creature with dark velvet skin very much like Anne of the Combe’s robe, and watched how it crawled along the ground without eyes. The ancient priest wept, because he knew that this animal was a maiden who was doomed because of pride.

Fairy Tale Title

The Lady Mole

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Common Tale Type

Tale Classification

Page Range of Tale

pp. 41-44

Full Citation of Tale

“The Lady Mole.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 41-44.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

This tale opens with a solemn description of the life of a mole. The narrator tells us that the mole is born into her own grave, is an exile from the light of the world, and her existence is a type of doom. The tale ends with an explicit warning to “damsels of the west,” reminding them of Alice of Combe’s fate, and that they should not be vain under the same penalty.

AV��ʪ and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys

Book Author/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Illustrator(s)

None listed

Publisher

J.M. Dent & Co., E.P. Dutton & co.

Date Published

1907

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London, New York

Publisher Country

United Kingdom, United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

A collection of stories split up into three categories: "Fairy Tales and Romances," "Mother Jack's Fairy Book," and "Later Fairy Tales and Rhymes"

Traditional

White

“The Story of the Fairy Horn.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 39-40.

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 18:44:44 +0000

“The Story of the Fairy Horn.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 39-40. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/27/2023 - 11:44

Ernest Rhys

Tale Summary

Once upon a time, there was a knight who bore a wyvern (a type of dragon) on his shield, and who one day was riding past Gloucester when he heard of a magical fairy mound. It was a place where tired knights and hunters could climb up to and get relief. The knight met a wood-cutter, who told him that he had to ascend alone, and that when he reached the top, he must say “I thirst!,” and a cup-bearer would appear to him with a richly decorated gold drinking horn adorned with gems and jewels. The cup will be full of a nectar which will heal and revive him, and the cup-bearer will be courteous and quickly take leave after attending to him. The knight decided to steal this drinking-horn, thinking it would be foolish to give it up once it is in his hands. That day, he went to the mound and did what the wood-cutter said. After saying “I thirst!,” the knight was met with a cup-bearer who handed him the beautiful drinking-horn. He took his drink of nectar, then made off with it. The Earl of Gloucester, who often visited the fairy-knoll, heard of this robbery and killed the knight, taking back the horn. He did not return it to the mound, however, and instead gave it as a gift to his lord, King Henry the Elder.

Fairy Tale Title

The Story of the Fairy Horn

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Common Tale Type

Tale Classification

Page Range of Tale

pp. 39-40

Full Citation of Tale

“The Story of the Fairy Horn.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 39-40.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

The narrator tells us that because of the events in this story, you may stand all day at the fairy mound

AV��ʪ and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys

Book Author/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Illustrator(s)

None listed

Publisher

J.M. Dent & Co., E.P. Dutton & co.

Date Published

1907

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London, New York

Publisher Country

United Kingdom, United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

A collection of stories split up into three categories: "Fairy Tales and Romances," "Mother Jack's Fairy Book," and "Later Fairy Tales and Rhymes"

Traditional

White

“The Green Children.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 37-38.

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 18:37:34 +0000

“The Green Children.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 37-38. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/27/2023 - 11:37

Ernest Rhys

Tale Summary

Once, a wonderful thing happened at St. Mary’s of the Wolf-pits, and that thing was the discovery of two strange children by the townspeople. The children, a brother and sister, were from the lower world and their skin was a green tint. No one could understand their speech, and they refused food such as bread, milk, and honey, even though they were very hungry. At last, fresh-cut green beans were brought to them, and with excitement they opened the stalks instead of the bean-pods, and wept when they were empty. They were shown where to properly extract the beans from, and they happily ate them and would not have any other food. They said that everything in the lower world was green, and that instead of sunshine they enjoyed a softer kind of light, such as the light after sunset. When asked how they came to the upper world, they answered that they had followed their green flock to a cavern, and heard sweet-sounding bells which entranced them to keep going further. They came into this world and were blinded by the sunshine, and so were caught. No one knows what happened to the Green Children.

Fairy Tale Title

The Green Children

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Common Tale Type

Tale Classification

Page Range of Tale

pp. 37-38

Full Citation of Tale

“The Green Children.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 37-38.

Original Source of the Tale

Based on a legend from North East England, which became a popular ballad in the 19th century.

Tale Notes

This tale is unusual as it does not follow a substantial plot. The narrator does not know what happens to the characters.

AV��ʪ and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys

Book Author/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Illustrator(s)

None listed

Publisher

J.M. Dent & Co., E.P. Dutton & co.

Date Published

1907

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London, New York

Publisher Country

United Kingdom, United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

A collection of stories split up into three categories: "Fairy Tales and Romances," "Mother Jack's Fairy Book," and "Later Fairy Tales and Rhymes"

Traditional

White

“The Green Knight.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 19-36.

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 18:29:11 +0000

“The Green Knight.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 19-36. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/27/2023 - 11:29

Ernest Rhys

Tale Summary

One winter-tide at Camelot, when Arthur was King of Britain, there were fifteen days of celebration amongst the Knights of the Round Table. Just as the first course commenced, an unfamiliar knight appeared at the doorway. He was huge, dressed all in green and riding a green horse, carrying a holly bough in one hand and an axe in the other. Unafraid, King Arthur welcomed him, and asked why he had come. The knight replied he was looking for a worthy opponent; whoever was willing would strike him with the axe, and be prepared to receive a counter-blow within twelve months and a day. Sir Gawayne, Arthur’s nephew, volunteered, and the Green Knight had him swear to find him for his returning blow. After Gawayne struck and decapitated him, the Green Knight picked up his head and rode away, but not before telling him to go to the Green Chapel to receive a blow on New Year’s morning. The year passes, and the day after All-Hallows day, Gawayne and his horse are prepared and set off. On the morning of Christmas Eve, he was lost in the woods trying to find the chapel. After praying, he stumbled on a magnificent palace, and was invited to stay. He spent time merrymaking with the lord, and learned that the Green Chapel was only two miles away. The lord of the castle asked him to stay until the next morning, so that he could bring the knight whatever he caught during his hunt in the early hours, and gave him in token a ring which he could not give even to the fairest lady. The next morning, awaiting the lord, Gawayne met with the lady of the castle. He told her he would freely give her anything in token of his service and her courtesy, except for the ring. She begged for it but he would not give it up. The king returned from the hunt with meat, and Gawayne again agreed to spend another night. The same things happened that day and the next; Gawayne refused to give his ring to the lady, and the King returned from his hunt with game. On the third day, however, Gawayne accepted from the lady a green girdle which was to protect him from being wounded. The next day, a servant took Gawayne near to the chapel, and for the rest of the way the knight searched for it alone. Suddenly, he was met with the Green Knight, who held a new Danish axe. On his orders, Gawayne lowered his head and exposed his neck, but flinched before the blade touched him. The Green Knight reproached him, saying he did not flinch at Gawayne’s blow, and so again he showed his bare neck but this time did not flinch. The axe hit him but did not kill him, and Gawayne demanded the Green Knight not strike him anymore, because their agreement was a blow for a blow. The Green Knight revealed that he was the lord of the castle he had stayed at, and knew that he had taken the girdle from his wife, which meant he had sinned a little even if he did not give up the ring. Gawayne confessed and was forgiven, and was told to keep the girdle as a souvenir. He asked the knight’s real name, which was Bernlak de Hautdesert, and learned that he was acting under Morgan le Fay, who wished to terrorize Queen Guinevere, King Arthur’s wife. Gawayne returned to Arthur’s Hall, and told all of his adventures, and of the green girdle he now wore as remembrance of his shame. Afterwards, all the knights decided to wear green girdles for his sake.

Fairy Tale Title

The Green Knight

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Common Tale Type

Tale Classification

Page Range of Tale

pp. 19-36

Full Citation of Tale

“The Green Knight.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 19-36.

Original Source of the Tale

Based on an old Arthurian story from the 14th century, a chivalric romance written in Middle English.

Tale Notes

AV��ʪ and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys

Book Author/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Illustrator(s)

None listed

Publisher

J.M. Dent & Co., E.P. Dutton & co.

Date Published

1907

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London, New York

Publisher Country

United Kingdom, United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

A collection of stories split up into three categories: "Fairy Tales and Romances," "Mother Jack's Fairy Book," and "Later Fairy Tales and Rhymes"

Traditional

White

“The Lambton Worm.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 8-12.

Anonymous — Sun, 22 Jan 2023 22:39:21 +0000

“The Lambton Worm.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 8-12. Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 01/22/2023 - 15:39

Ernest Rhys

Tale Summary

Once upon a time, there was a young heir of Lambton Castle, who lived a very careless life. One Sunday morning he was fishing, and after cursing for a time after having no bites, caught a worm, which he tossed into a nearby well (still known as the Worm Well). A venerable looking stranger saw and asked what he had caught, and the boy showed him the worm in the well; he had never seen anything like it and thought it a bad omen. The worm soon outgrew the well, and then began to outgrow the hill it lived on (known as Worm Hill), and became a terror to the town, just about a mile and a half away from old Lambton Hall. The household assembled in council, and an old wise man said that a large trough in the courtyard must be filled with milk. This they did, and it appeased the worm enough to keep it at bay. Many knights over the years traveled to fight the creature, but none succeeded, because the worm had the ability to rejoin itself if it were cut. After seven years, the heir of Lambton returned, and after seeing the damage the worm had done, took counsel from a wise-woman. She instructed him to get a good suit of armor, stud it with spear-heads, and stand in the river to meet the worm after taking a certain vow. This vow would allow him to slay the first living thing he encountered on his way homewards, but if he did not succeed, no lord of Lambton for nine generations would die in his bed. He prepared himself, taking the vow and putting on the armor, and met the worm in the water. The worm squeezed him tightly, but the harder it squeezed, the more the spear-heads hurt it, until the heir was able to chop the worm up and let the pieces be carried away with the current, unable to be rejoined. He had promised his father to blow a bugle to alert him of his success and safety, and so that the lord could let loose his favorite dog to meet him as the victim of his vow. When he blew the bugle, his father was overcome with happiness that his son was still alive, and forgot all about the vow, and ran out to see him. The heir, in a panic, blew the bugle again, and the dog ran in front of the lord and was slain. But, it was too late, and the vow was broken, because he did not kill the one he saw first, and the wise-woman’s curse lay upon the Lambton’s for nine generations.

Fairy Tale Title

The Lambton Worm

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Common Tale Type

The Dragon-Slayer

Tale Classification

ATU 300

Page Range of Tale

pp. 8-12

Full Citation of Tale

“The Lambton Worm.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 8-12.

Original Source of the Tale

Based on a legend from North East England, which became a popular ballad in the 19th century.

Tale Notes

The tale mentions a modern ballad, which describes the battle with the worm:

“The Worm shot down the middle stream

Like a flash of living light,

And the waters kindled round his path

In rainbow colours bright.

But when he saw the armed knight

He gathered all his pride,

And, coiled in many a radiant spire,

Rode boutant o’er the tide.

When he darted at length his dragon strength

An earthquake shook the rock;

The fireflakes bright fell round the knight

But unmoved he met the shock.

Though his heart was stout it quailed no doubt,

His very life-blood ran cold,

As round and round the wild Worm wound

In many a grappling fold.”

AV��ʪ and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys

Book Author/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Illustrator(s)

None listed

Publisher

J.M. Dent & Co., E.P. Dutton & co.

Date Published

1907

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London, New York

Publisher Country

United Kingdom, United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

A collection of stories split up into three categories: "Fairy Tales and Romances," "Mother Jack's Fairy Book," and "Later Fairy Tales and Rhymes"

Traditional

White