August 17. Story of the Day: Right and Might

This is a story from Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India by Katherine Neville Fleeson.

It is another example of ATU 2042. Chain of Accidents.

Looking for more stories? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

RIGHT AND MIGHT

While a deer was eating wild fruit, he heard an owl call, “Haak, haak,” [spear] and a cricket cry, “Wat,” [surrounded] and, frightened, he fled.

(sambar deer)

In his flight he ran through the trees up into the mountains and into streams. In one of the streams the deer stepped upon a small fish and crushed it almost to death.

Then the fish complained to the court, and the deer, owl, cricket and fish had a lawsuit. In the trial came out this evidence:

As the deer fled, he ran into some dry grass, and the seed fell into the eye of a wild chicken, and the pain of the seed in the eye of the chicken caused it to fly up against a nest of red ants.

Alarmed, the red ants flew out to do battle, and in their haste, bit a mongoose.

The mongoose ran into a vine of wild fruit and shook several pieces of it on the head of a hermit, who sat thinking under a tree.

“Why didst thou, O fruit, fall on my head?” cried the hermit.

The fruit answered: “We did not wish to fall; a mongoose ran against our vine and threw us down.”

And the hermit asked, “O mongoose, why didst thou throw the fruit?”

The mongoose answered: “I did not wish to throw down the fruit, but the red ants bit me and I ran against the vine.”

The hermit asked, “O ants, why did ye bite the mongoose?”

The red ants replied: “The hen flew against our nest and angered us.”

The hermit asked, “O hen, why didst thou fly against the red ants’ nest?”

And the hen replied: “The seed fell into my eyes and hurt me.”

And the hermit asked, “O seed, why didst thou fall into the hen’s eyes?”

And the seed replied: “The deer shook me down.”

The hermit said unto the deer, “O deer, why didst thou shake down the seed?”

The deer answered: “I did not wish to do it, but the owl called, frightening me and I ran.”

“O owl,” asked the hermit, “why didst thou frighten the deer?”

The owl replied: “I called but as I am accustomed to call—the cricket, too, called.”

Having heard the evidence, the judge said, “The cricket must replace the crushed parts of the fish and make it well,” as he, the cricket, had called and frightened the deer.

The cricket was smaller and weaker than the owl or the deer, therefore had to bear the penalty.

June 27. Story of the Day: The Man in the Moon

This is from Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India by Katherine Neville Fleeson. You can find out more about Laos at Wikipedia.

This is an unusual form of ATU 2031. Stronger and Strongest; there's a similar story in Andrew Lang's Crimson Fairy Book (The Stonecutter), but I like this one even better.

Looking for more stories? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

THE MAN IN THE MOON

There was a blacksmith once who complained, “I am not well, and my work is too warm. I want to be a stone on the mountain. There it must be cool, for the wind blows and the trees give a shade.”

A wise man, who had power over all things, replied, “Go thou, be a stone.”

And he was a stone, high up on the mountain-side.

It happened a stone-cutter came that way for stone, and, when he saw the one that had been the blacksmith, he knew it was what he sought and he began to cut it.

The stone cried out: “This hurts. I no longer want to be a stone. A stone-cutter I want to be. That would be pleasant.”

The wise man, humoring him, said, “Be a cutter.”

Thus he became a stone-cutter and, as he went seeking suitable stone, he grew tired, and his feet were sore.

He whimpered, “I no longer want to cut stone. I would be the sun, that would be pleasant.”

The wise man commanded, “Be the sun.”

And he was the sun.

But the sun was warmer than the blacksmith, than a stone, than a stone-cutter, and he complained, “I do not like this. I would be the moon. It looks cool.”

The wise man spake yet again, “Be the moon.”

And he was the moon.

“This is warmer than being the sun,” murmured he, “for the light from the sun shines on me ever. I do not want to be the moon. I would be a smith again. That, verily, is the best life.”

But the wise man replied, “I am weary of your changing. You wanted to be the moon; the moon you are, and it you will remain.”

And in yon high heaven lives he to this day.

(moon)

Fleeson. Five Lazy, Wicked Men

From Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India by Katherine Neville Fleeson.

This is ATU 210 Rooster, Hen, Duck, Pin, and Needle, but it is an odd variation on the usual story. hat you have here is not the usual alliance of animals and inanimate objects, but instead a group of men who have those as their nicknames, and instead of being heroes, they are described as lazy, wicked men. Perhaps it was just a misunderstanding by the translator given that the man named Old-Fish does go into the water, etc.

FIVE LAZY, WICKED MEN

(evil banana)

Once upon a time there were five men so lazy and wicked that no one would speak to them nor have anything to do with them. No one of their native province would speak to them at all, and, to show their contempt for them, the people had christened them by odious names. One was called, Eyeless-Needle; one, Rotten-Egg; one, Rotten-Banana; one, Old-Fish, and the fifth, Broken-Pestle.

As there was neither shelter nor food for them in the village, they went to live in the woods, and one day they saw a cannibal building a fire. He had both a fine house and much goods, so one of the men said, “Let us go kill him, and take his goods.”

Eyeless-Needle said, “No, we must not kill him now. When he sleeps we will kill him. I have planned just how it shall be done. You, Rotten-Egg, go to the fireplace. You, Old-Fish, jump into the water jar. Rotten-Banana, lie down at the top of the stairs, and, you, Broken-Pestle, lie at the foot.”

As the eye of day had closed and the cannibal slept, Eyeless-Needle, from under the bed, pricked him. The cannibal thought insects were biting him, and, unable to sleep, he arose to build a fire.

When he stooped to blow the flame, Rotten-Egg broke and flew up into his face; when he sought the water jar to wash his face, Old-Fish jumped and broke the jar and all the water was lost.

Taking the dipper to go to the well for water, the cannibal slipped on Rotten-Banana and fell downstairs, where Broken-Pestle struck him on the head and killed him.

Then, taking much goods, Eyeless-Needle, Rotten-Banana, Rotten-Egg, Old-Fish, and Broken-Pestle fled, and to this day, has no one either seen or heard of them.

Fleeson. A Lazy Man’s Plot

The story comes from Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India by Katherine Neville Fleeson.

This is classified as ATU 1430 Air Castles.

A LAZY MAN'S PLOT

(pixabay)

Upon a day a beggar, who was too lazy to work, but ever lived on the bounty of the people, received a great quantity of rice.

He put it in a large jar and placed the jar at the foot of his bed, then he lay down on the bed and thus reasoned:

If there come a famine, I will sell the rice, and with the money, buy me a pair of cows, and when the cows have a calf, I’ll buy a pair of buffaloes.

Then, when they have a calf, I’ll sell them, and with that money, I’ll make a wedding and take me a wife.

And, when we have a child large enough to sit alone, I’ll take care of it, while my wife works the rice fields.

Should she say, ‘I will not work,’ I’ll kick her after this manner...

And he struck out his foot, knocking the jar over, and broke it. The rice ran through the slats of the floor, and the neighbors’ pigs ate it, leaving the lazy plotter but the broken jar.