Cook, Arthur B.: Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 3,1): Zeus god of the dark sky (earthquake, clouds, wind, dew, rain, meteorits): Text and notes (Cambridge, 1940)

448 The holed vessel elsewhere

also haunts lakes and fountains, where she may be seen at noon
as a fair white lady1. In the Harz district it is believed that, between
eleven and twelve o'clock at night, she carries water in a vessel
without a bottom2. Or again, in the same locality she appears as a
black woman with two buckets that have no bottom to them3.

The motif of the holed bucket is worked into the German folk"
tale of 'Master Awl' (Meister Pfriem)*. This tells how a shoe-maker,
who grumbled at everything, once dreamt that he was knocking
loudly at the door of heaven. Saint Peter let him in, provided h
gave up his grumbling ways and found fault with nothing inside

He

'So he went in, and walked up and down the wide expanses of heaven-
looked around him, to the left and to the right, but sometimes shook his head, 01
muttered something to himself. Then he saw two angels who were carrying away

a beam. It was the beam which some one had had in his own eye whilst he waS

the

looking for the splinter in the eye of another. They did not, however, carry
beam lengthways, but obliquely. "Did any one ever see such a piece of stupidity'
thought Master Pfriem; but he said nothing, and seemed satisfied with it-

icflU

e

comes to the same thing after all, whichever way they carry the bean), straig ^

or crooked, if they only get along with it, and truly I do not see them k'D

against anything." Soon after this he saw two angels who were drawing w ^

out of a well into a bucket, but at the same time he observed that the buc

• 'They

was full of holes, and that the water was running out of it on every side- —
were watering the earth with rain. "Hang it6," he exclaimed ; but happily ieC ■;
lected himself, and thought, "Perhaps it is only a pastime. If it is an arnUeJ1)
ment, then it seems they can do useless things of this kind even here in hea ^
where people, as I have already noticed, do nothing but idle about." He % ,>
farther and saw a cart which had stuck fast in a deep hole. "It's no wo ^
said he to the man who stood by it; "who would load so unreasonably-
have you there?" "Good wishes," replied the man. "I could not go al°ftf,aVe
right way with it, but still I have pushed it safely up here, and they won
me sticking here." In fact an angel did come and harnessed two k°ises ^ it
"That's quite right," thought Pfriem, "but two horses won't get that c seS;
must at least have four to it." Another angel came and brought two moie ^
she [leg. he] did not, however, harness them in front of it, but behind.^-1 aJ.e
too much for Master Pfriem, " Clumsy creature," he burst out with, ^ in
you doing there? Has any one ever since the world began seen a cart ^jng
that way? But you, in your conceited arrogance, think that you know evel^e^ed
best." He was going to say more, but one of the inhabitants of heaven

1 J. Grimm op. cit. i. 268. oted W

- H. Profile Harzsagen, gesammelt auf dem Oberharz Leipzig 1854 P- 'S5 q
A. Kuhn Sagen, Gebrauche und Mcirchen aus Westfalen Leipzig 1859 i- '203'

3 H. Prohle op. cit. p. 135 quoted by A. Kuhn op. cit. i. 203. A"s2abe

4 Kinder und Hausmarchen gesammelt durch die Briider Grimm, ^f^.fcs traI,S'
Gdttingen 1850 ii. 414.fr. no. 178 ('Meister Pfriem'), Grimm's Household ' ^ [0.
M. Hunt London 1901 ii. 279 ff. no. 178 ('Master Pfriem') with the n°te

P- 457 £•)■

5 ' A lie Hagel!' pla/zte er heraus.