>Hi folks:
>
>A query from a friend. Can anyone help out? (Cross-posted to two lists;
>sorry for the cross-, but it seems like the best way to get information from
>many places!)
>
>Peace,
>Paul
>
>Dear Paul:
> A current topic of discussion on the EEFC list is all the songs describing
>the interment of (usually young) women in the walls or foundations of
>bridges
>or buildings to ensure their stability, break the curse on a site, etc.
>Examples of such songs abound in the Balkans and even all the way to India,
>and I
>remember some from British songs. I thought some tales were in Grimm, but
>Gitry [John's colleague - PJS] couln't find any. Do you have any examples
>you can remember?
>-John Uhlemann
walled up woman or walled up wife...
something like that will show up on Stith Thompson's Motif Index of Folk
Literature. One's local univ. library is sure to have it.
good luck
dave
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David G. Engle
California State University, Fresno
Tel: (559) 278-2708; FAX: (559) 278-7878
http://www.csufresno.edu/forlang
The Traditional Ballad Index Web Site:
http://www.csufresno.edu/folklore/BalladIndexTOC.html
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