Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 24, 1913.djvu/276

 2 54 Reviews.

dead had water of some kind to cross before reaching their final destination.

This is a most interesting book, and makes one lament the early death of its author, who might have enriched the scientific world with many other such excurses as those contained in this volume.

Bertram C. A. Windle.

On the Independent Character of the Welsh ' Owain '. {Romanic Review, 191 2.) By A. C L. Brown.

In this study Professor Brown carries a step further the campaign initiated some ten years ago, which had for aim the demolition of Professor Foerster's theory of the dependence of the Welsh Mabinogi, The Lady of the Fou7itain, on the /■wai?i of Chretien de Troyes.

With the general results of Professor Brown's argument I am entirely in agreement ; in fact I expressed similar views on the subject as long ago as 1902, in my Legend of Sir Lancelot du Lac ; but so far as the present study is concerned, while Professor Brown is inclined to lay somewhat undue stress on minor and doubtful details, he overlooks points of real and striking importance, sufficient in themselves to prove his thesis. Thus the argument (p. 158) that the reference to a 'lustrous' or 'resplendent' castle is a proof of the Other-world origin of the story, is scarcely con- vincing; any castle of white stone, with the sun upon it, might very well suggest such an adjective. The detail may be a purely natural comment. Again, the fact (p. 159) of the silence of the hosts during the meal is quite capable of explanation on normal grounds ; chivalric etiquette prescribed a courteous silence till the guest made his willingness to speak apparent. This latter detail might well belong to the present redaction of the story, and have been absent in the original source. These are minor details ; more important is the fact that Professor Brown has failed to detect the real source of the character he terms ' The Monster Herdsman,' whom he looks upon as the servant of the Fairy mistress of the Other-world palace. The black Giant who herds