Cornwall, ix, xiii, xiv, 11, 64, 69–70, 90, 113, 129
Cowslips: fairy flowers, 34, 39; girl’s life bound up with cowslip’s, 42–44
Craigie, W. A. (English folklorist), 37
Cricket: horse plays, 142–43
Croker, Thomas Crofton (Anglo-Irish folklorist), viii, xx
Cromwell, Oliver: breaks oath of Fenmen, 85–86
Crowder, Grace (informant), 149
Cuckoo: escapes over wall, 129
Cumberland, 123, 128
Custom: v–xvii passim; studied by English folklorists, v–vi; as survivals of primitive culture, vi. See also Charms
Danes: ambushed, 80–81
Danish tradition, 11, 117
Death: apparent, 89; corpse stolen, 99–100; jokes about Heaven, 113–16; curse, 60; threat, 49; warning, 68; of bride, 87–88; of Charles I, 86; of farmer’s wife, 138; of father, 45; of King John, 85; of stepdaughter, 28; of unkind girl, 10; of witch, 54, 59, 63
Death, cause of: ambush, 81; cholera, 98–99; decapitation, 28; drowning, 57, 89, 133–34; hanging, 87, 96, 98, 106; murder, 65, 82, 97; supernatural causes: quicksand (lured by sea-morgan), 55; scalding, xxvi; shooting, 148; caused by fairy, 36; caused by witch, 58; girl dies when cowslip is pulled, 44; open grave, 61–62
Deception-lying: about daughter’s spinning ability, 12; about eating pies, 11–12; about learning foreign language, 122–23; about parson’s sins, 118
—sham: covering up guest’s death, 99
—stealing: car transporting corpse, 100; from orchard, 116; gold mug from fairies, 37; money, 102, (from brother), 97, (from son), 65; money and jewels from King John, 82–84; ring from newly buried, 89; sheep from parson, 118
—trickery: escaping by great jumps, 87; going to school for twin brother, 120; outwitting bogey, 29; relating experience in hell, 138; selling “bill-paying” hat, 126; shouting “Fire” to wake lazy wife, 136
de la Mare, Walter, 73
Demons, mentioned, xiv, xvii
Derbyshire, xv, 3, 90, 116, 117
Devil: argues with parson for soul, 105–106; as black rider with hounds, 53; as woman, 77; chased by giant, 71; contest with giant, 72, 73; hinders building of church, 70; met in hell, 138; nose pinched with tongs, 77; outwitted by Jack o’ Kent, xviii; takes witch and her money, 59; mentioned, xv, xvii, 54, 112, 116
Devon, ix, xiii, xvii, 26, 38, 44, 69, 94
Dickens, Charles, 81
Diffusion, doctrine of: opposed to survival origin of folklore, vii
Dog: becomes handsome man, 5; helpful, rescues merchant, 3; howls in presence of witch, 58; split in two, 146; yeth hounds of Devil, 53–54
Donkey: protected from evil, 51; saved by giant, 72; talking, 45–46
Dorson, Richard M. (American folklorist), 6, 59, 64, 89, 99, 100, 109, 113, 120, 124, 127, 133, 134, 136, 137, 138, 139, 144, 146, 147, 148
Downes, Celia (informant), 144
Drake, Sir Francis, xiii, xiv; as wizard, 94–95
Drunkenness: drunk man crawls home, 125
Duke of Monmouth. See Monmouth
Dunk. See Donkey
Dutchmen: find buried jewelry in Fens, 84
Edinburgh, 113
Edward VII, 121
Eels: eat people lured by sea-morgan, 55
Elder trees: in mysterious field, 46
Elephant: plays book-ends, 142
Ellis, D. (informant), 113
