Twa Knights, The [Child 268]

DESCRIPTION: A squire bets a knight that, if the knight leaves home for a time, he can seduce the knight's wife. He traps the wife into offering to come to his bed, but she sends her neice instead. When the truth is revealed, the niece weds the squire
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1828 (Buchan)
LONG DESCRIPTION: A squire bets a knight that, if the knight leaves home for a time, he can seduce the knight's wife. He traps the wife into offering to come to his bed, but she sends her neice instead. He cuts off the ring and finger to prove his victory. The knight's wife demonstrates that she still has her finger. The niece is offered the right to either kill the squire or marry him for his abuse. After much hesitation, the niece weds the squire
KEYWORDS: gambling trick abuse injury infidelity family marriage wager
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Child 268, "The Twa Knights" (1 text)
Roud #303
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Boy and the Mantle" [Child 29] (theme)
cf. "The Hog's Heart" (theme)
cf. "The Fiddler's Bitch" (plot)
cf. "Redesdale and Wise William" [Child 246] (plot)
NOTES [71 words]: The notion of wagering over a woman's fidelity is common in folklore; in the Child canon, cf. e.g. "The Boy and the Mantle" [Child 29]. The substitute in bed idea is extremely ancient, going back to the story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel in Genesis 29.
Roud and others have linked this with the tale of "The Hog's Heart," but the links are entirely thematic (and far from complete); I agree with Ben Schwartz in splitting them. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.8
File: C268

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