“Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum,
    I smell the blood of an Englishman;
    Be he alive or be he dead,
    I’ll grind his bones to make my bread,”

is also referred to by Shakespeare in “King Lear,” in Act III., Scene 5, when Edgar sings:—­

    “Child Rowland to the dark Tower came;
    His word was still, fee, foh, and fum,
    I smell the blood of an Englishman.”

The English version of the story of “Jack the Giant Killer,” must, therefore, be older than the time of Elizabeth.  It is also a strange and significant fact that amongst the Zulus, and the inhabitants of the Fiji Islands, there are similar legends of the story of “Jack and the Beanstalk.”

The story of “Jack and the Beanstalk” is also to be found in old Hindoo tales, in which the beans denote abundance.  The Russians have a story in which a bean falls to the ground, and an old man, the Sun, climbs up by it to heaven.  “The ogre in the land above the skies,” observes Mr. Baring Gould, “who was once the all-father, possessed three treasures—­a harp, which played of itself enchanting music; bags of gold and diamonds; and a hen which daily laid a golden egg.  The harp is the wind, the bags of gold are the clouds dropping the sparkling rain, and the golden egg laid every day by the red hen is the producing sun.”  The same idea in “Jack and the Beanstalk” occurs in the fairy legends of the North and the East, as well as in Grecian stories.

In “Jack the Giant Killer,” the gifts given to Jack are found in Tartar, Hindoo, Scandinavian, and German legends.

Now let us note briefly the origin of “Red Riding Hood” and “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood.”  All the other fairy stories that we know of are to be found in other countries, and springing originally from Asia, where they were made ages and ages ago.

The Wolf in the story of “Red Riding Hood” has been likened to the days of our own “Bluff King Hal,” owing to the latter’s suppression of the monasteries, and Red Riding Hood herself, whom the Wolf subsequently eats, with her hood and habit, was supposed to be typical of the monastic orders.

The Hindoo’s version of the “Red Riding Hood” story is a pretty and fanciful one.  Their idea was that there was always a great Dragon endeavouring to devour Indra, the Sun god, and to prevent the Sun from shining upon the earth, Indra ultimately overcomes the Dragon.  Red Riding Hood, with her warm habit, is supposed to be the setting sun casting its red and glittering rays as it sinks to rest.  The old Grandmother is Mother Earth; and the Wolf, the Dragon; and when all is dark and still, the Wolf swallows the Grandmother, namely, the Earth; and afterwards, as Night has fallen, the Evening Sun.  The Huntsman denotes the Morning Sun, and he chases away all the dark clouds gathered during the night, and by doing so kills the Wolf; recovers the old Grandmother Earth, and brings to life again, Little Red Riding Hood.  Another version (observes Mr. T. Bunce) is that the Wolf is the dark, and dreary winter, that kills the Earth with frost, but when spring comes again it brings the Earth and the Sun back to life.