Three Times

[stoutfellow]

"What I say three times is true."

I've always associated that line with Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark. (Actually, I've always associated it with my one-time teacher Saunders MacLane, who used it as a mnemonic for one of the peculiar features of Heyting logic; but I'm pretty sure he got it from Carroll.) But I'm reading Jim Butcher's Summer Knight, which at one point suggests that it originates in a piece of fairy-lore, to the effect that if one of the fae says the same thing three times, it must either be telling the truth or do whatever it can to make it the truth. Does anyone know whether Butcher is making this up or quoting some actual legendry?

Comments

[kattsune.livejournal.com]

I took a course on Celtic stuffs taught here by Prof. Griffen (who I think has since retired, but may still be reachable if you're interested in pursuing this - his talks were fascinating, btw), and I remember that 3 was a very important number to the celts, with a three-headed (souled) cosmic god, and a triple-aspect goddess (1 soul, three forms: maiden, mother, crone). That particular rule wasn't mentioned, but the idea was that if something happened or was said three times, that made it *real*... (There was also mention of a fourth time, where if something was said a fourth time, it was CEMENTED as truth... or some such.)

Three as a significant number shows up in a lot of mythology, fairy tales, and religions. I bet there's probably a ton of scholarly research on it somewhere, if you know the right search terms. I don't. Google betrays me.

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

I might contact him. I know him; we worked together on university business a time or two, and once, when I had a question about linguistics, we exchanged a few messages. Thanks for mentioning him.

three

[(Anonymous)]

Three is a very important number in lots of stories. Three little pigs, three witches in shakespears play. Three wishes, three beds/bowls/chairs..etc. And I don't get the arm movements either. Donp