Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 9, 1898.djvu/69

 Rh element becomes a really potent factor in the normal life of Britain, it is certain that contact, mingling of blood, mutual influence in romance and saga had taken place between Celts and Scandinavians.

It may, 1 think, be assumed that such traces of the specifically Eddaic versions of Teutonic mythology and heroic saga as have been detected in Britain are due to the Scandinavian settlements of the ninth and tenth centuries, though even here the Wayland smithy instance forbids hard and fast dogmatism. Finally, just as delicate questions arise with regard to possible influences of Celtic romance upon Scandinavian story-telling, so the reflex action of Scandinavia upon Celtdom has to be taken into account.

If we pass from general consideration of the three main streams of Aryan folk-literature which have fertilised these islands to the actual distribution of our folklore, we are confronted by curious anomalies, to explain which upon any theory of specific racial influence is extremely difficult. Taking the Gaelic-speaking area first, we find throughout its present extent (with one remarkable exception to be noted presently), from Kerry to Sutherland, and from Perth to Donegal, the closest community of subject-matter and treatment. But this community cannot be laid to the account of common race. Pict and Brython, both of whom are known historically to have held large portions of this area, of however near kin they may be to the Gael, whose tongue they now speak, cannot be identified with him without so perilously widening the conception of race as to make it meaningless. Again, the Scandinavian element in certain portions of this area which are now purely Gaelic in speech is considerable. Yet, as I have said, the folk-literature of this entire area is remarkably homogeneous, and, so far at least as present research goes, is not affected by variations of race within its limits. Here the influence exerted by a common language and a common literature (for until 300 years ago there was practical identity between