Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 2, 1891.djvu/55

Rh There came a giant (turilas) man — a shirt-wearing monster (tursas) of the sea. The wretch, indeed, had planned a scheme — had thought upon a fine affair. He sent a nightmare upon her. He caused the unwilling one to sleep —brought her at last to seek repose Upon a honey-dropping sward, upon the liver-coloured earth. He lay there with the girl, Made the girt parturient, quickened her into pregnancy ; He himself takes his departure. The miscreant began to move away — the wretch to wander forth. The girl becomes oppressed with pain, her womb becomes heavy. In her sufferings she laments : "Whither shall I, poor wretch, whither shall I, most luckless, go In these my days of great distress, with cruel torments in the womb ?" The Creator [v. Jesus] uttered from the sky : "To be confined, O harlot, go. Into a deep forest, into a wooded wilderness recess. There other harlots were confined — strumpets [v. mares] dropt their young." She went thence in another direction — walked ahead with rapid steps, Strides from stone to stone, sprang from fallen tree to fallen tree. Into the homes of those "dogs", as far as (the abodes) of "woolly whelps". There she discharged her womb — gave birth to her progeny, Produced a son of evil sort — the boy Rickets that causes pining away. That gnaws the roots of the navel — keeps cutting into the backbone.