This is one of the simplest forms in which the story appears. It is
generally found compounded with some other similar tale; but the main
facts are that a man buries a corpse found on the sea-shore from
philanthropic motives. "Later he is met by the ghost of the dead man,
who in many cases promises him help on condition of receiving, in
return, half of whatever he gets. The hero obtains a wife (or some other
reward), and, when called upon, is ready to fulfil his bargain as to
sharing his possessions,"[89] not excepting the wife. Some of the
characteristics of the tale are to be found in the story of Pelops and
Cillas, related above, which Mr. Gerould does not mention.

Pausanias[90] has a story of one of Ulysses' crew. Ulysses' ship was
driven about by the winds from one city to another in Sicily and Italy,
and in the course of these wanderings it touched at Tecmessa. Here one
of the sailors got drunk and ravished a maiden, and was stoned to death
in consequence by the indignant people of the town. Ulysses did not
trouble about what had occurred, and sailed away. Soon, however, the
ghost of the murdered man became a source of serious annoyance to the
people of the place, killing the inhabitants of the town, regardless of
age and sex. Finally, matters came to such a pass that the town was
abandoned. But the Pythian priestess bade the people return to Tecmessa
and appease the hero by building him a temple and precinct of his own,
and giving him every year the fairest maiden of the town to wife. They
took this advice, and there was no more trouble from the ghost. It
chanced, however, that Euthymus came to Tecmessa just when the people
were paying the dead sailor the annual honours. Learning how matters
stood, he asked to be allowed to go into the temple and see the maiden.
At their meeting he was first touched with pity, and then immediately
fell desperately in love with her. The girl swore to be his, if he would