Language and Folklore. 385 
has retained a very old characteristic, for instance in the Niwaaniaq 
or Nawagiaq legend, in which the blade of grass appears (just as in 
the Alaskan variant), as one of the dwelling-places of the wandering 
soul. The EGr. form may, too, have retained or attained an artistic 
moulding not known in other localities where a corresponding legend 
is told in simple prose, for instance the animal fable about "the Raven 
and the Geese” (p. 210, lyrical-epical poems, no. 16). This amusing 
fable was only known to Rink in a somewhat abbreviated form from 
West Greenland, and in an equally short form from Labrador (but 
not, as is mistakenly stated p. 208, in a variant from Alaska). How- 
ever the motive is to be found in what is perhaps its original con- 
nection in a far longer and more diffuse tale from SW. Alaska, noted 
by Е. W. Nelson.” The first episode in this tale resembles the motive 
in my no. 17: “Altercation between a Wheat-ear and a Raven.” As 
these two motives, (1) the conversation between a raven and one or 
several other small birds, who refuse his matrimonial proposals, and 
(2) the tale of “the raven and the geese” are likewise known to be- 
long to one single whole from the most northern and most southern 
corner of West Greenland (there noted by Kroeber and Knud Ras- 
mussen)”, I presume that the two episodes, — the unfortunate raven’s 
proposals and subsequent marriage into the goose family,—when taken 
together correspond to the original form of the fable, and that the two 
bird fables which I found in two separate poems among the Ammas- 
salik Eskimo (nos. 16 and 17) originally formed a single whole. 
It is very interesting to substantiate the fact that these fables 
— just as my notes from Ammassalik show — are preserved in East 
Greenland in the form of poems. I recognize in this an original 
characteristic — and perhaps the same holds true of many other tales 
or myths, otherwise found only in prose form — they descend from an 
original bound form. Among many uncivilised folk the epos precedes 
the prose tale as seems to be the case among the Laps in northern 
Scandinavia and among the Finns in northern Russia (bylin-poems).? 
There is no doubt but that the bound form better preserves all the 
details and special characteristics than a prose tradition. 
The traditional forms of the tales (prose legends) no doubt vary 
somewhat according to the kind and quality of the tale. There are 
some, comparatively indefinite and loose in form, and which there- 
fore vary more from one individual to another, than do others. These 
are the comparatively late and merely local tales which refer to events 
which have only been relegated to the category “legends” by the im- 
mediately preceding generations or but a few generations ago. They 
deal with episodes of the hunt, dangerous journeys, contests between 
hunters and players, the magic arts of the angakut, etc. The others 
have a different character, both in form and content, and are treated 
like the oldest members of the household, with a certain degree of 
reverence. These tales often have a mythical content, or contain re- 
Е. W. Nelson (1899) pp. 462—464. 
Cf. in this connection p. 208. 
Moltke Moe in the introduction to Qvigstad and Sandberg: Lappiske eventyr 
og folkesagn (1881) p. VI. — Stan. RoZniecki: Varægiske Minder i den russiske 
Heltedigtning, Indledningen (Copenhagen, 1914). 
NUE 25 
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