Page:Barlaam and Josaphat. English lives of Buddha.djvu/135

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APPENDIX
cxxix

By these parables he frees himself, and wanders about converting numbers to the true faith, till at last he comes back to his father, the old King.

[Occurrences in Barlaam. — Only in Bombay form of the Arab, version.

Indian OrigvnaZ. — Clearly a variant of the Buddha legend.

Parallels. — The legend of St. Alexis has the episode of the desertion of the wife on the wedding night.

Literature. — Hommel, 169-72 ; Kuhn, 15.]

X.c. iv. The Man among the Ghouls.

A ship was shipwrecked on an island inhabited by ghouls, who turned themselves into beautiful maidens to entice the shipwrecked sailors. They lived very happily for some time, till the captain came across an earlier victim of the ghouls, who told him what they were. He also told him that their only chance of escape was from a gigantic bird who visited the island once a year. But the captain is warned, that if he looks back when escaping, he will fall off and be drowned. On the appointed day the sailors intoxicate the ghouls, and perch upon the back of the bird. The ghouls, however, call to the sailors as they depart, and when the captain lands he finds that none of the sailors have survived the voyage.

[Occurrences in Barlaam. — Only in one form of Arab.

Indian Original. — Valahassa Jataka, ed. Fausboll, ii. 127 ; tr, E. Müller in Pali Grammar, 128 seq.

Parallels. — Myth Sirens (cf. Academy, 13, 27th Aug.

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