Campbell, J. F., Popular Tales of the West Highlands. Edinburgh, 1860-62, No. XLIII. Vol. ii, 286 ff. (Told b John Dewar, labourer, Cowal.)
"THE SHARP(HORNED) GREY SHEEP."
ABSTRACT
Ill-treated heroine (by step-mother)--Menial heroine (minds sheep)--Helpful animal--Henwife, consulted by step-mother, sends own daughter to spy on heroine, who sends her to Sled) by hair-dressing. Eye in back of spy's head sees sheep bring meat-- Slaying of helpful animal--Revivified bones--Henwife's daughter tells of prince's love for heroine; step-sister sent in her place to herd sheep. Heroine secretly receives gold shoes and rendezvous from prince--Meeting-place (sermon)--Threefold flight-- Lost shoe--Shoe marriage test--Mutilated foot--False bride-- Animal witness (bird)--Happy marriage.
TABULATION
(1) Queen dies and king remarries.-- (2) Stepmother ill-treats heroine, and sets her to herd sheep without sufficient food.-- (3) Heroine is fed by sheep.-- (4) Stepmother wonders thereat, and consults henwife.-- (5) Henwife sends her own daughter with heroine.-- (6) Who sends her to sleep by dressing her head, but the eye in the back of her head remains open, and sees the sheep coming with meat.-- (7) Report thereof is made and sheep is killed.-- (8) But beforehand it advises heroine to gather bones in skin.-- (9) Which heroine does, and sheep comes alive again, but halts, the heroine having forgotten the hooves.-- (10) A prince passes and falls in love with heroine.--(11) Which is revealed by henwife's daughter.-- (12) Stepmother thereupon sends her own daughter to herd the sheep.-- (13) But heroine slips out and receives golden shoes from prince and rendezvous at sermon.-- (14) Which she attends after the others, as she is not allowed to leave the house.-- (15) The third time this happens the prince runs after her and she loses a shoe in the mud.-- (16) Fitting incident follows, and stepmother by henwife's advice Cuts off her daughter's toes.-- (17) Wedding-day is fixed.-- (18) But a bird betrays the secret thrice.-- (19) The third time the prince returns and finds the true bride, and wedding follows.
