Page:Barlaam and Josaphat. English lives of Buddha.djvu/92

lxxxvi polation in the Barlaam Literature. But its existence in one form of it is a proof that interpolations of parables were possible, and should make us careful before assuming that any- one parable was in the Indian original unless literary criticism can establish its provenance.

9. Man among Ghouls. — In the Bombay Arabic there occurs an interpolated story of a vessel that was cast ashore on an island inhabited by ghouls, who disguise themselves as beautiful maidens. This has a certain amount of similarity with the Myth of the Sirens, while it has several Indian and Buddhistic variants (for which see Appendix. II.), which prove that it was a favourite conception of the Buddhists. Indeed, the ghoul who disguises herself as a beautiful maiden is quite a frequent motif in Indian folktales. The chief interest of the story- is, however, its relation to the incident in the Odyssey. It has to be remembered that the Bishop of Colombo is inclined to think that certain portions of the Jatakas have been influenced by the general scheme of the Odyssey. It, therefore, becomes possible that, instead of the Sirens being derived from the Ghouls in