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

[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