Folklore: Amphibian Transportation

Subject: Folklore: Amphibian Transportation
From: Severn
Date: 18 Apr 20 - 01:22 PM

Something I always wondered about since I was a kid

Since all the other animals in the song seem real species drawn to scale, when Froggy Went a'courting and he did ride, just what DID he ride?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Amphibian Transportation
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 18 Apr 20 - 02:19 PM

"Went a'courting and he did ride, just what DID he ride?"
A snail in one version
Mind you, you can't believe anything these Frenchmen say - that's why Britain left Europe - I'm told :-)
Jim Caaarroll

Subject: RE: Folklore: Amphibian Transportation
From: Mr Red
Date: 19 Apr 20 - 03:18 AM

We ain't left yet, and it is going to be quite a ride, even moreso with COVID on our backs!

Did he go a-courting with Tex Ritter or would a-whooing go with the Folk Process?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Amphibian Transportation
From: AKS
Date: 19 Apr 20 - 04:57 AM

He most probably rode his missus, like here ;-)

AKS

Subject: RE: Folklore: Amphibian Transportation
From: cnd
Date: 19 Apr 20 - 12:07 PM

Sorry, Severn, I didn't see much. Searching Fresno State's pretty thorough ballad index for "amphibian" turned up nothing for me.

If you want to do some digging, visit https://www.csufresno.edu/folklore/BalladSearch.html and search for "transformations" or "shape-changing."

Subject: RE: Folklore: Amphibian Transportation
From: Susan of DT
Date: 19 Apr 20 - 04:42 PM

I thought this was going to be tales about things riding on frogs across the pond, like the scorpion.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Amphibian Transportation
From: cnd
Date: 19 Apr 20 - 05:08 PM

Oh! I mis-read the title--oops!

Subject: RE: Folklore: Amphibian Transportation
From: Severn
Date: 20 Apr 20 - 08:24 PM

If he was still having relationships with an existing wife who would bead him numerous children, why involve himself in a biga-mouse relationship that would end up on the society pages of the local papers and would bear him a couple of mogs or frice at best.

Some animal mixed marriage offspring are tolerated because people hold some species of animals over their coarser relatives. Doves are thought to be romantic where's pigeons are uncool, probably from leaving their droppings on attempted human relationships and dampening then somewhat.

So what happens when your little turtle dove turns out to be merely a little pigeon toad?.....

Riding on a snail, indeed! While the band at the church keeps playing "Haste To The Wedding' over and over until Froggy finally arrives, no doubt.....

Subject: RE: Folklore: Amphibian Transportation
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Apr 20 - 02:04 PM

Sorry Mr Red, sadly we HAVE left !! it happened on January 29th !!.we should now be in serious discussions with Europe about our future relationship with the E.U.
Our great leader Boris seems determined to press on with the madness despite the consequences.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Amphibian Transportation
From: keberoxu
Date: 22 Apr 20 - 02:14 PM

? what is this to do with Froggy riding something?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Amphibian Transportation
From: Severn
Date: 25 Apr 20 - 11:37 AM

Damned if I know. I asked a simple question and someone found a snail, but nobody's found anything else, to scale or not.I'm not surprised that politics crept in. It always does. But it doesn't solve anything.