er, this class of stories turns on a riddle
proposed by the suitor himself, and which the bride is unable to solve.

The following story, which illustrates the latter version, is from
Istria (Ive, 1877, p. 13), and is entitled:

XIV. BIERDE.

Once upon a time there was a mother who had a son, who went to school.
One day he came home and said to his mother: "Mother, I want to go and
seek my fortune." She replied: "Ah, my son, are you mad? Where do you
want to seek it?" "I want to wander about the world until I find it."
Now he had a dog whose name was Bierde. He said: "To-morrow morning bake
me some bread, put it into a bag, give me a pair of iron shoes, and I
and Bierde will go and seek our fortune." His mother said: "No, my son,
don't go, for I shall not see you again!" And she wept him as dead.
After she was quieted she said to him: "Well, if you will go, to-morrow
I will bake you some bread, and I will make you a bread-cake." She made
the bread-cake, and put some poison in it; she put the bread and the
bread-cake in the bag, and he went away. He walked and walked and walked
until he felt hungry, and said to the dog: "Ah, poor Bierde, how tired
you are, and how hungry, too! Wait until we have gone a little farther,
and then we will eat." He went on, tired as he was, and at last seated
himself under a tree, with the dog near him. He said: "Oh, here we are;
now we will eat. Wait, Bierde; I will give you a piece of the bread-cake
so that you, too, can eat." He broke off a piece of the cake, and gave
it to him to eat. The dog was so hungry that he ate it greedily. After
he had eaten it he took two or three turns, and fell dead on the ground,
with his tongue sticking out. "Ah, poor Bierde!" said his master. "You
have been poisoned! My mother has done it! The wretch! She has put
poison in the cake in order to kill me!" He kept weeping and saying:
"Poor Bierde, you are dead, but you have saved my life!" While he was
weeping three crows passed, alighted, and pecked at the tongue of the
dog, and all three died. Then he said: "Well, well! _Bierde dead has
killed three crows!_ I will take them with me." So he took them and
continued his journey. He saw at a distance a large fire; he approached
and heard talking and singing, and beheld seven highwaymen, who had
eaten a great many birds, and who had a great deal of meat still left.
He said to himself: "Poor me! Now I shall have to die; there is no
escape; they will certainly t