MtheGM: "Rolling of the Stones is, of course, one of most fascinating bits of fragmentation of a big ballad, Two Brothers [Child #49] - sometimes down to only 3 or 4 quatrains, so that the story turns into a sort of mystic incantation"

Yeah, fragments can be so captivating somehow, so many open spaces for the imagination to animate (or imbue with anima/Soul). On a bit of a tangent, but fragments of say Sappho for example can have the most profoundly evocative impact. In any event, yes indeed, the incantatory nature of the repeated phrases in conjunction with (and counterpointed with) the necromantic verses, is genuinely enchanting.

And with token reference to the thread topic, I'll have to take a proper look at Two Brothers now.