About This Book
A comparative folkloristic study collects and analyzes a widespread folk-story motif across languages and literatures, assembling a bibliography and numerous variants. It reviews earlier scholarship, classifies tale types, and examines how the central motif fuses with related themes — including a ransomed or poisoned maiden, quests for restorative waters, thankful animals or companions, and allied adventure cycles. Detailed chapter-by-chapter analysis traces patterns of combination and diffusion, offers exemplars and commentary, and concludes with a synthetic account of structural relations and avenues for further research.