Research source

To the Hansa is ascribed the fabulous power of being able to separate milk from water after the two have been…

Date of account: Second edition published 1896
Source: The Popular Religion and Folk-Lore of Northern India, Vol. 2 (of 2)
Reference: The Popular Religion and Folk-Lore of Northern India, Vol. 2 (of 2) · selected passage 125
Rights: public_domain
Language: English
Record updated: 2026-08-25

Record summary

To the Hansa is ascribed the fabulous power of being able to separate milk from water after the two have been mixed together

Published source text

Read the available text below. Archive transcriptions may contain OCR errors; later context is labelled separately. A recorded claim is not a finding that it happened.

Source passage

Source text · mention only

To the Hansa is ascribed the fabulous power of being able to separate milk from water after the two have been mixed together. [673] In England the goose is supposed to have some uncanny way of predicting weather. [674] In Welsh belief the wild goose is a witch, especially if first seen on the first Thursday night of the lunar month. [675] The ancient Greeks ascribed to the swan the gift of prophecy and song; the sacred geese of the capital were respected at Rome, and the ancient Germans considered it a prophetic bird. The goose was a favourite Buddhist emblem, and a flock of them is depicted on the Lion Pillar at Betiya in Tirhût. [676]

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

This material belongs to a folklore tradition. Story type, collector, community, transmission and literary editing matter when comparing it with other sources.

Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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