To what extent Musaeus has enlarged his original material it is impossible to say; but it is well known that, like Hans Andersen in later times, he did “improve and add to such popular tales and traditions as he dealt with—­a circumstance which renders him by no means trustworthy for folk-lore purposes.

In Denmark our well-travelled little tale does duty in accounting for the building of a parish church, as we learn from Thorpe, in his “Northern Mythology,” vol. ii. p. 253: 

Many years ago there lived in Erritso, near Frederica, a very poor man who one day said, “If I had a large sum of money, I would build a church for the parish.”  The following night he dreamed that if he went to the south bridge at Veile he would make his fortune.  He followed the intimation and strolled backwards and forwards on the bridge until it grew late, but without seeing any sign of good fortune.  When just on the point of returning, he was accosted by an officer, who asked him why he had spent a whole day so on the bridge.  He told him his dream, on hearing which the officer related to him in return that he also on the preceding night had dreamed that in a barn in Erritso, belonging to a man whose name he mentioned, a treasure lay buried.  Now the name he mentioned was the man’s own, who prudently kept his own counsel, hastened home, and found the treasure in a barn.  The man was faithful to his word, and built the church.[FN#379]

Equally at home, as we have seen, in Sicily, Holland, Germany, and Denmark, the identical legend is also domiciled in Scotland and England.  Thus Robert Chambers, in his “Popular Rhymes of Scotland,” ed. 1826, p. 56, speaking of Dundonald Castle, in Ayrshire, the ancient seat of King Robert ii., relates the following local tradition: 

Donald, the builder, was originally a poor man, but had the faculty of dreaming lucky dreams.  Upon one occasion he dreamed thrice in one night that if he were to go to London Bridge he would make a fortune.  He went accordingly, and saw a man looking over the parapet of the bridge, whom he accosted courteously, and after a little conversation, intrusted him with the secret of the occasion of his visiting London Bridge.  The stranger told him that he had made a very foolish errand, for he had himself once had a similar vision, which directed him to go to a certain spot in Ayrshire, in Scotland, where he would find a vast treasure, and for his part he had never once thought of obeying the injunction.  From his description of the spot, however, the sly Scot at once perceived that the treasure in question must be concealed nowhere but in his own humble kail-yard at home, to which he immediately repaired, in full expectation of finding it.  Nor was he disappointed; for after destroying many good and promising cabbages, and completely cracking credit with his wife, who considered him as mad, he found a large potful of gold coin, with which he built a stout castle for himself, and became the founder of a flourishing family.