for me, many years ago, by an aged lady in Morayshire. I published it in
the 'Revue Celtique'; but it is probably new to story-comparers, in its
broad Scotch variant.



NICHT NOUGHT NOTHING.


There once lived a king and a queen. They were long married and had
no bairns; but at last the queen had a bairn, when the king was away
in far countries. The queen would not christen the bairn till the
king came back, and she said, 'We will just call him Nicht Nought
Nothing until his father comes home.' But it was long before he came
home, and the boy had grown a nice little laddie. At length the king
was on his way back; but he had a big river to cross, and there was a
spate, and he could not get over the water. But a giant came up to
him, and said, 'If you will give me Nicht Nought Nothing, I will carry
you over the water on my back.' The king had never heard that his son
was called Nicht Nought Nothing, and so he promised him. When the
king got home again, he was very happy to see his wife again, and his
young son. She told him that she had not given the child any name but
Nicht Nought Nothing, until he should come home again himself. The
poor king was in a terrible case. He said, 'What have I done? I
promised to give the giant who carried me over the river on his back,
Nicht Nought Nothing.' The king and the queen were sad and sorry, but
they said, 'When the giant comes we will give him the hen-wife's
bairn; he will never know the difference.' The next day the giant
came to claim the king's promise, and he sent for the hen-wife's
bairn; and the giant went away with the bairn on his back. He