irst time, and knew
that the few years that he appeared to have been absent had comprised
the greater part of his life, for he had entered the mermaid's house as
a vigorous youth, and had returned as a spectre-like old man. There he
had felt nothing of the course of time or of the wasting of his body,
and he could not comprehend how the burden of old age had fallen upon
him so suddenly, like the passing of a bird's wing. What could he do
now, when he was a grey stranger among strangers?

He wandered about on the beach for a few days, from one farm to another,
and good people gave him a piece of bread out of charity. He chanced to
meet with a friendly young fellow, to whom he related all the adventures
of his life, but the same night he disappeared. A few days afterwards
the waves cast up his body on the shore. It is not known whether he
threw himself into the sea, or was drowned by accident.

After this the behaviour of the mermaid towards mankind entirely
changed. She sometimes appears to children only, most often in another
form, but she does not permit grown-up people to approach her, but shuns
them like fire.

* * * * *

Other stories relative to the Water-Mother, mermaids, and other beings
of the water will be found in a later section.

[Footnote 29: Schiefner considers the name of this story (_Naeki Neitsi_)
to indicate a Swedish origin; but this seems to be very doubtful
evidence, and the incidental allusion to the Swedes in the course of the
narrative seems opposed to such an idea.]

[Footnote 30: George.]

[Footnote 31: Compare the story of the "Twelve Daughters."]

HOW THE SEA BECAME SALT.

(JANNSEN.)

This is an interesting variant of a story known from Iceland to Finland.

There were two brothers, one rich and one poor. One Christmas the rich
brother gave the other a ham, on condition that he should go to Porgu.
On his way, he met an old man who told him that ham was a rarity there,
but he must not sell it for money, but only for what was behind the
door, which proved to be a wishing-mill. The rich brother bought it for
a high price, and set it to grind herrings and milk-soup; but he was
soon forced to give his brother another great sum to induce him to take
it back, and to save him and his wife, and indeed the whole village,
from being overwhelmed by the torrents of herrings and soup. Afterwards
it was sold to a sea-captain, who set it to grind salt, and i