October 3. Story of the Day: Story of the Ant

This story comes from Folktales from India by M. N. Venkataswami; I have only included the English here (original here).

This is classified as ATU 2022 The Death of the Little Hen.

The author provides a note about arsailu (arisela), but no help for Paidarallu Peddamma at the end of the story. I know that Peddamma is a name for the Goddess in south India, but I do not know what to make of Paidarallu Peddamma.

(paramparamithai.com)

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

THE STORY OF THE ANT

Once upon a time a peahen reared an ant, which became so attached to her that every day she would precede here foster-mother from the fields, whither the peahen had gone to fetch the ant her daily food.

One day said the ant, "Mother dear, I am going to make some arsailu for you tomorrow morning."

"Don't make it, don't make it, darling," said the peahen. "You will fall into the pan."

But the ant paid no attention and made the arsailu, and began drawing them out of the pan: one, two, three, four, but at the fifth draw there was an accident and she fell into the pan of boiling oil.

In due time, the peahen returned as usual, but for a long while she searched in vain in every nook and corner for the ant. At least she found the poor litlte ant quite dead in the burning oil and set up a great lamentation. In her sorrow she sat down under a banyan-tree lamenting, and this made the tree say, "O peahen, peahen, you have always been joyous; what is the matter today?"

"O banyan-tree, banyan-tree, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps."

The banyan-tree began at once to weep at every pore, and a crow that always used to perch on one of its branches began to enquire, "O banyan-tree, O banyan-tree, you were always hearty; what is the matter today?"

"O crow, crow, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps,
The crow has lost a leg."

Immediately one of the crow's legs fell off and it began hopping on one leg miserably. An elephant saw it and said, "O crow, crow, you were always perky; what is the matter today?"

"O elephant, elephant, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps,
The crow has lost a leg,
The elephant has lost all."

Immediately all power went out of the elephant's legs and he began to crawl cumbrously here and there. In this plight a deer saw him and said, "O elephant, elephant, you were always strong; what is the matter today?"

"O deer, deer, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps,
The crow has lost a leg,
The elephant has lost all,
The deer broke her knees."

Instantly the deer fell on its knees by the river-side in great pain. Said the river, "O deer, deer, you were always blithe; what is the matter today?"

"O river, river, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps,
The crow has lost a leg,
The elephant has lost all,
The deer broke her knees,
The river bubbles."

When the river began bubbling, said the millet-field alongside, "O river, river, you were always smooth; what is the matter today?"

"O millet-field, millet-field, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps,
The crow has lost a leg,
The elephant has lost all,
The deer broke her knees,
The river bubbles,
The millet-field is blighted."

A great blight at once settled on the millet-field and the king who was there said, "O millet-field, O millet-field, you were always full of corn; what is the matter today?"

"O king, king, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps,
The crow has lost a leg,
The elephant has lost all,
The deer broke her knees,
The river bubbles,
The millet-field is blighted,
The king has gone lame."

The king began at once to go dot-and-go-one and when the queen saw him, she said, "O king, king, you were always sturdy; what is the matter today?"

"O queen, queen, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps,
The crow has lost a leg,
The elephant has lost all,
The deer broke her knees,
The river bubbles,
The millet-field is blighted,
The king has gone lame,
The queen stuck to her seat."

And sure enough the queen had at once to carry her seat about with her, and Paidarellu Peddamma seeing her in such a plight said, "O queen, queen, you were always sprightly, what is the matter today?"

"O Paidarellu Peddamma, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps,
The crow has lost a leg,
The elephant has lost all,
The deer broke her knees,
The river bubbles,
The millet-field is blighted,
The king has gone lame,
The queen stuck to her seat,
And the basket has stuck to Paidarallu Peddamma."


NOTES

To make arsailu. Pound some rice to a coarse powder, mix into a cake with boiled molasses while still liquid place the cake in a pan of boiling oil, when cooked fish up with an iron ladle and serve the cake as arsailu. Arsailus are used on commercial occasions, such as betrothals, marriages, and so on.

August 5: Story of the Day: The Fly Who Forgot Her Name

This story comes from Folktales from India by M. N. Venkataswami.

This is classified as TMI Z25. Fly forgets her name; it does not have an ATU number, presumably because there are not examples from other countries. But as the Z series shows, it is definitely a type of chain tale. It would be a fun one to retell about any kind of forgetting with any kind of chain of characters!

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

THE FLY WHO FORGOT HER NAME

(hoverfly)

A fly having plastered her house with cow-dung forgot her name. 

Seeing a wood-cutter pass with an axe in his hand she addressed him thus, ‘O wood-cutter, wood-cutter, what is my name?’ 

‘I do not know your name. Ask the axe which is in my hand.’

‘O axe, axe, what is my name?’ 

‘I do not know your name. Ask the tree which comes to be felled down by the axe.’ 

‘O tree, tree, what is my name?’ 

‘I do not know your name. Ask the bird which perches on the tree.’

‘O bird, bird, what is my name?’ 

‘I do not know your name. Ask the water which the bird drinks.’

‘O water, water, what is my name?’ 

‘I do not know your name. Ask the moss which is in the water.’

'O moss, moss, what is my name?’ 

‘I do not know your name. Ask the fish which eats the moss.’

 O fish, fish, what is my name?’ 

‘I do not know your name. Ask the fisherman who catches the fish.’

'O fisherman, fisherman, what is my. name?’ 

‘I do not know your name. Ask the fishwoman.’ 

‘O fishwoman, fishwoman, what is my name?’ 

‘I do not know your name. Ask the cook who buys the fish.’

‘O cook, cook, what is my name?’ 

‘I do not know your name. Ask the maid who prepares the dishes.’

‘O maid, maid, what is my name?’

‘I do not know your name. Ask the master who eats the dishes.’

‘O master, master, what is my name?’

‘I do not know your name. Ask the mare which I ride.’

‘O mare, mare, what is my name?’

‘I do not know your name. Ask the foal which is in my belly.’

‘O foal, foal, what is my name?’

‘Is not your name a fly?’ said the foal in the mare’s belly.

In surprise the fly put her finger on her nose and went her way.

Venkataswami. The Crow and its Ninety Eggs

From Folktales from India by M. N. Venkataswami.

I don't have a tale type for this story, but there are other stories that offer a chain of blame.

THE CROW AND ITS NINETY EGGS

Thpjre lived a crow who laid ninety eggs. All of them had dried up except one. The crow asked the egg, ‘Oh egg, how is it that all the eggs have dried but you?’

‘The grass obstructed me by its shadow’ was the reply.

Hearing this the crow went to the grass and asked, ‘Oh grass, why didst thou obstruct?’

‘Because the horse did not browse.’

‘Oh horse, why didst thou not browse?’

‘Because the boy did not tether me.’

‘Oh boy, why didst thou not tether the horse?’

‘Because the girl did not give me conjee.'

(kanji / pez by Helene Dsouza)

‘Oh girl, why didst thou not give the boy conjee?’

‘Because the ant bit me.’

‘Oh ant, why didst thou bite the girl?’

‘How could I keep quiet when one puts his finger in my golden hole?’

Venkataswami. The Princess and the Ponna Flowers

From Folktales from India by M. N. Venkataswami.

This TMI Z39.7. Girl left in tree by sisters.

THE PRINCESS AND THE PONNA FLOWERS

(ponna flowers)

There was a king who had seven daughters. These one day went to a forest to gather Ponna flowers.

The sisters had a grudge against their youngest sister because their father and mother loved her more than them, she being the last and hence darling child.

So they persuaded her to climb a Ponna flower tree telling her that they would thus get fresh flowers and soon be able to fill their baskets and return home; and then when she was plucking flowers they ran away leaving her alone. Thus the poor thing was left high on the tree.

In the meantime a monkey passed. To it she spoke: ‘Oh monkey, monkey, pray set me down or else bite me.’ 

‘I neither know how to set you down nor to bite,’ replied the monkey.

Then an ape passed to which she said, ‘Oh ape, ape, pray set me down or else bite me.’

‘I know not how to set you down or how to bite you,’ replied the ape.

Then a bear passed to which she said, ‘Oh bear, bear, pray set me down or else devour me.’ 

‘I neither know how to set you down or how to devour you,’ said the bear.

Then a tiger passed, to which she said,  ‘Oh tiger, tiger, pray set me down or else devour me.’ 

‘I neither know how to set you down or how to devour you,’ said the tiger.

Then a panther passed, to which she addressed thus, ‘Oh panther, panther, pray set me down or else devour me.’

‘I do not know how to set you down, but I know how to devour you.’ 

So saying it brought her down and devoured her.

What else? It is done.