The story which serves for the basis of the following legend will be
easily recognised in the neighbourhood where the transactions are said
to have occurred, though probably not known beyond its immediate
locality.
The accessories are gathered from a number of sources: and the great
difficulty the author has had to encounter in getting at what he
conceives the real state and character of the time, together with the
history of contemporary individuals and events, so as to give a natural
picture of the manners and customs of that remote era, can be known by
those only who have entered into pursuits of this nature. In this and in
the succeeding legends he has attempted to illustrate and portray the
customs of that particular epoch to which they relate, as well as to
detail the events on which they are founded.
It may be interesting to notice that a similar exploit is recorded in
the Scandinavian Legends, and may be traced, under many variations of
circumstances and events, in the Icelandic, Danish, and Norwegian
poetry, affording another intimation of the source from whence our
popular mythology is derived.
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