Nix Nought Nothing

Nix Nought Nothing is a fairy tale included in Joseph Jacobs's anthology, English Fairy Tales (1898), but is not in fact "English" in the strict sense, but rather his reworking of the Scottish tale "Nicht Nought Nothing," originally collected by Andrew Lang from an old woman in Morayshire, Scotland.

The story is of Aarne-Thompson folktale type 313, and has numerous cognates, very widely distributed. It also has close similarities to the Greek myth of Jason and Medea.

Lang transcribed the tale dictated by "Miss Margaret Craig of Darliston, Elgin" in the dialect of Morayshire, and published the tale, "Nicht Nought Nothing", in Revue Celtique III (1876-8) The tale was also reprinted later and incorporated in his essay "A Far-travelled Tale" (1885). Jacobs' version "Nix Nought Nothing" (1898) with the altered (Americanized?) title derives from Lang's Scottish tale.

(Jacobs' modified version, except where otherwise noted — L indicates Lang's text, and J Jacobs' version)

A queen gave birth to a son while the king was away, and not wanting to christen him until his father returned, decreed that he should be called Nix Nought Nothing (L: Nicht Nought Nothing) until that time. The king was gone for a long time, and Nix Nought Nothing grew into a boy. As the king journeyed home, a giant offered to help him over a river in return for "Nix Nought Nothing," and the king, not knowing that he had a son by this name, agreed. When he learned what he had done, the king tried to give the giant the 's son, and then the gardener's son, but both of the boys betrayed their origin, and the giant killed them. In the end the royal couple had to give the prince to the giant.

The giant had a daughter, and she and the prince grew very fond of each other. When the prince was grown and the giant sent him to clean the stables, she summoned animals to clean it for him. When the giant sent him to empty a lake (L: ), she summoned fish to drink it. When the giant commanded him to bring down a bird's nest from a tall tree without breaking any of the eggs, she cut off her fingers and toes to make a stairway, but during that adventure one egg broke. The prince and the giant's daughter decided to flee. The giant chased after them. The girl had Nix Nought Nothing throw down her comb, which became a brier, and then her hair dagger, which became a hedge of razors, and then she dashed a magic flask, which produced a wave that drowned the giant (L. lacks account of various means by which the daughter thwarted or drowned the giant; presumably the giant died by chance during pursuit. Jacobs' has woven in these details borrowing from other tales, acting upon Lang's suggestions.).

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