Mari Kelenn

Folklorist and poet François-Marie Luzel (1821–1895) recorded a version of the song, which he published (with facing-page translation) in volume 1 of his Gwerziou Breiz-Izel (1868).

The second, Version B, was recorded by Breton scholar and poet Gabriel Milin (1822–1895) and published in 1961, in the journal Gwerin; the manuscript is inaccessible, in private hands.

Luzel knew of its existence, since he makes reference to the version collected by Milin in his own text, noting a textual variation.

Afterward, she meets a young priest on the road, who listens to her full confession and says absolution will come only if she does penance by locking herself in a chest.

Constantine says version A is more sympathetic to Mari's situation, where B paints a "retributional picture of the penitential process", with its dramatic confrontation between children and mother and its more didactic tone.

The parallels are striking, and, according to O'Connor, connecting Breton and Irish material is important to an understanding of the widespread nature of such texts: O'Connor argues that the spread of "beliefs, legends and ballads about concerning child murder and the damnation of the child murderess" is due to the focus on sin and repentance during the Counter-Reformation.

[12] The gwerz's contents prove that the Breton world, more than that of the French, were part of the "Northern European sphere of influence", in the words of critic Antone Minard.