Abstract
The chapter is a case study of motifs in the Faroese balladry and their relation to the Old Norse literary tradition. The main objective is to study motifs rather than storylines, and the initial hypothesis is that while storylines can remain relatively little changed through the centuries, specific use of motifs can show the devel-opment of the perception of the stories more distinctively.
The study of motifs connected to magic and myth illustrates how such motifs go far beyond being simple borrowings or remnants, how they became independent of their original Old Norse sources and continued to develop as a living part of the Faroese folk-lore tradition. The above-mentioned hypothesis proves true, as the present method of study reveals substantial differences between the ballad tradition and its Old Norse sources, even in cases when the storyline is clearly related.
On the other hand, the method emphasizes the consistency of the ballad tradition and the close relation of motifs and ideas in ballads whose storylines are otherwise unrelated.