Hi,

TY Steve, Brune just reworked Child B slightly an obvious borrowing- not sure where he got his melody. The references you mentioned to the 1640 Swedish version are references where the Swedish version is mention but probably are not transcriptions.

TY Richard, I started putting Taylor's book on my site, but haven't finished. The "Where have you been?" and Mother/son dialogue are similarly found in Child 12.

TY Kevin, Phillips Barry in 1933 Bulliten reviewed Taylor's 1931 book and suggested that the breaking of the bush was a kenning: "Child A, C, and the American texts generally make the motive the breaking of a little bush: a kenning which Cecil Sharp said was interpreted by a singer to refer to a very young girl." This isn't about the murder of the sister but it's about incest being a motive. This motive was further developed in Coffin's The Murder Motive in "Edward" Western Folklore, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Oct., 1949), pp. 314-319.

Richie