Courtship and Marriage Animal Brides 1 The Frog s Skin Georgia 3 brothers who wished to marry each would shoot an arrow and each shall take his wife from where the arrow falls two oldest brothers fell on nobleman s house youngest s fell in lake two older led home their noble wives youngest took home a frog from the lake all the sisters in law wanted to get rid of the frog and get the brother a new wife but he insisted the frog was fated to be his they got rid of the frog the brother was lonely he was sad went to work came back home looked into his house and the sidewalk was replenished with a cloth on it and many food dishes the frog was in its place croaking he thought the sisters did it for him it happened again so he decided to sit on the roof and see who it was frog took off its skin and it was a beautiful maiden he went in caressed the frog and ate his food the next day he hid in the same place the maiden got out of the frog skin he snuck in and tried to throw it in the fire she cried and said he would be destroyed if he did he burned it anyway she said if he turns miserable it is not her fault lord of the country wanted his wife and said to sow a barnful of wheat in a day or give him his wife he obliged sadly he went home and told his wife she told him to go to the lake and call forth the bullocks and they would sow the grains in one day the lord then said to gather all the wheat he had sown he went home and told his wife she told him to go to the lake and ask for the jackdaws he did they came and each gathered a seed and put it in the barn the lord said there was one seed short then a jackdaw came with the missing seed lord then told the man to go to the underworld and get the lord s dead mother s ring wife told him to go to lake and get the ram he did the ram told him to get on his back ram shot through the earth they traveled on and saw a man and woman sitting on a bullock skin that was not big enough and they were going to fall off brother asked why it was not big enough they told him that they would tell him when he came back then they came to a man and woman sitting on an ax handle he asked if they were afraid they said they would answer when he came back then they came to a priest feeding cattle he had a long beard that spread over the ground and the cattle fed on his beard and brother asked why his beard is the cattle pasture he tells him he will answer when he comes back journeyed on again saw a boiling pitch with a flame coming from it this was hell ram told him to sit firmly and they went through the fire saw a sad woman on a golden throne she asked what was wrong he told her and she gave him a casket and told him to take it to the lord and run away came to priest again he said he only loved himself in life his flock fed on neighbor pastures and neighbor flocked starved so now he is paying the penalty came to couple on ax they said they loved each other too much on earth and it is the same here came to people on bullock skin they said they hated each other in life and equally here he took the casket to the lord the lord went to hell and the brother kept his wife 2 The Swan Maidens Jacobs hunter who spent whole night stalking deer setting traps one night he was watching in the bushes near the lake for wild ducks heard a whirring sound overhead thought it was ducks coming got his arrow ready it was 7 maidens in robes made of feathers the hunter was most attracted to the youngest he took her dress swan maidens came back from bathing in lake youngest couldn t find her dress the 6 elder maidens left her there after searching all night the hunter came from the woods with the dress and she begged for it back he gave her his cloak but wouldn t give her her robe made her promise to marry him and took her home and hid her robe had 2 children and lived happily one day her daughter was playing hide and seek with her brother and found the robe took it to her mother she put it on and said if her husband wanted to see her again he would have to find her east of the sun west of the moon flew away hunter went to find her came across an old man who had fallen on the ground helped him up old man asked him where he was going he told him asked the old man if he knew where the land was old man said no but he could ask old man whistled all beasts in the world appeared he was king of the beasts none of the beasts knew old man told him to seek his brother king of the birds he found him and told him what he wanted he whistled sky filled with birds none knew told him to find his brother king of fishes he found him none answered a dolphin came out and said it was at the top of the crystal mountain and that it was near the wild forest went to wild forest came to two men fighting they asked him to settle their dispute they said their father died and left two things a cap that makes you invisible and shoes that make you fly He said they should race for them and then he disappeared with them and wished himself to the land east of sun west of moon went to king and told him he was there to seek his wife he asked who it was he told him king said if he could tell her from her sisters he will believe him he said if he could take each of them by the hand he will know which is her because when she lived with him she sewed clothes for her kids and her right forefinger had marks of a needle he won her over king sent them home lived happily ever after 3 The Mermaid Wife Shetland Islands story told by inhabitant of Unst walking at edge of a creek saw mermen and mermaids dancing and seal skins beside them on the ground as he approached they fled turning into seals and plunged into the sea one skin was near him he grabbed it and hid it he returned to shore and met the owner of the skin she was …