And then, as plain as plain could be, (Binnorie, oh Binnorie), There sits my sister wha drowned me! By the bonny milldams o’ Binnorie.

In this story the Russian of the words sung by the piper is also in Russian ballad metre.

“ Danílo the Unfortunate. ” This is a prose version of a ballad and contains a very full account of this legend. The old hag whom Danílo meets on the way is elsewhere called the Wise Woman of Kíev, an old witch with the ugly qualities generally assigned.

Death. Death is feminine in Russian and occurs all through the folklore as the visible figure of a skeleton whom they met by the way on the roadsides, and who may be cheated of her prey or dealt with like any other demon.