Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 25, 1914.djvu/298

 2/0 Reviews.

Scandinavian, notably Kullervo's own name and Untamo. In one variant of the revenge-story Denmark is mentioned. The name Palja (smith's hammer) may perhaps arise from a confusion of the name Hamlet {a??il>Iodhe, "blockhead") with ambo/t ("anvil"). Other comparisons, some very far-fetched, between the names in the two sagas are suggested.

Finally, there is considerable reason for thinking that the Kuliervo-saga arose, not later than the thirteenth century, in West Finland, i.e. in a population partly Swedish in speech.

While not feeling competent to pronounce dogmatically on the very complex questions of philology and the provenance of the tales which arise in this discussion, we are strongly of opinion that from the standpoint of folklore the author has not proved his case. The details above given seem to us to bear but a very faint resemblance to each other ; notably in regard to the hooks, Hamlet actually uses them in his revenge, while Kullervo's fire- hook is not heard of again. We look in vain for other and more important points of resemblance. The kernel of the Hamlet-saga is surely the feigned madness of the hero, which causes his life to be spared and disguises his real cunning. In the case of Kullervo we have not a trace of this ; even if we were to postulate some- thing corresponding to the " strong boy " episodes in the original tale of revenge, this would give us only stupid and clumsy strength, not insanity. That Hamlet's madness is an integral part of the saga no one who reads through Setala's list of the variants can doubt. We are not sure that it was originally feigned. Folklore is full of tales of successful fools, and the belief that madness is a form of inspiration is widespread. Again, we are not certain that the incident of the changed letter is not original, as only the tale of Brjam seems to be without it. Finally, the incident of Ophelia is of some importance in the Hamlet-saga, and it is mere special pleading to suggest that a similar episode in the Kullervo-saga led to the later inclusion in it of the Deflowering of the Sister.

All this, however, is not to say that the book is worthless. The industry of the author has brought together a mass of most inter- esting material, Scandinavian, Finnish, and Esthonian ; and several of his minor theories, such as those concerning the date, origin, and distribution, within Finland, of the sagas he treats of, are most