Village Folk-tales of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), vol. 1-3

by Henry Parker | 1910 | 406,533 words

This folk-tale entitled “the story of the vira tree fish-owls” is gathered from oral sources sources, tracing its origin to ancient Ceylon (Sri Lanka). These tales are often found to contain similarities from stories from Buddhism and Hinduism. This is the story nr. 182 from the collection “stories of the cultivating caste”.

Story 182 - The Story of the Vira Tree Fish-Owls

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^[1]

THERE was a certain Bakarawata City. At the same city seven Fish-Owls who were friends dwelt at one place. Out of them the name of one was Rawana-Face; [the names of the others were] Great-Fisher, Long-Boned-One, Dumb-One, Trap-Setter, Noisy-Drummer, Big-Fool.^[2]

While they are in friendship in this way, without a marriage, one day, having called the others, [one of them] said thus:—“The whole of us are beings possessing much dignity. Because of it, let us summon a woman [as wife] for the whole seven of us.”

Having [thus] talked, for the purpose of asking for the daughter of King Motanis [in marriage] the two called Noisy-Drummer and Trap-Setter having gone to Kurupiti City, and perched on the portico (torana) near the palace of King Motanis, cried with the sound,

“Um, Um.”^[3]

At that time the King having come out, and perceiving, because he knows the Fish-Owl language, the matter for which they called out [to him], the King asks them,

“What is the business that ye do ? Your livelihood being of a different sort, how is it ?”

he asked Noisy-Drummer.

Thereupon he says,

“O King, Your Majesty, it is I indeed whom in Bakarawata City they call Noisy-Drummer. In the same city the Minister of King Kuru am I.”

Then the Fish-Owl called Trap-Setter says,

“I am the son of King Motaba, who is near the same city,”

he said.

Thereupon the King says,

“Unless King Motaba will give marriage to you, we are unable [to do] so.”

Having said,

“Ye are. of the lower animals”

(tirisannu), he abused them, and drove them away.

After that Noisy-Drummer and Trap-Setter came to Bakarawata City, [and told the others of the failure of their mission]. While they were there, to Noisy-Drummer the other five say,

“Ye fools ! When ye asked for marriage in that way will they give it ?”

Having said [this], they quarrelled [with them]. What was that for ? Because King Motaba is not an overlord of lineage,^[4] if they had asked for the marriage from an overlord of lineage it would be good. Having said [this], they five quarrelled with them.

After that, the two Fish-Owls called Great-Fisher and Long-Bones went to Sulambawati City in order to ask for [marriage with] the Nadakara Kumari,^[5] the daughter of King Attapala.

While they were there, sitting upon the porch of the palace of King Attapala, Long-Bones called out,

“King Attapala !”

After that the King having come, when he asked,

“What is it ?”

as they were sitting upon the porch Long-Bones spoke to the King,

“We came to ask for a marriage.”

At that time, King Attapala asks Great-Fisher,

“Is this one thy brother, or thy friend ?”

Thereupon Great-Fisher says,

“O Lord, this is our Long-Bones ; he is my eldest brother. He is a person of the royal race. Just now, as we got cold in the head many days ago, our faces have become heavy [looking],”

he said.

After that, when the King asked them,

“How do you get a living ?”

they say,

“ Aniccan dukkhan !^[6] When Your Majesty is ruling you obtain all things, and get a subsistence [in that way]. We are not thus. For us seven brothers, at one place there are rice-fields [extending] over sixty yalas.^[7] At yet [another] place there are nine amunas. The others indeed I am unable to mention separately. The whole [of the cultivators] of these rice-fields having come near us, after having asked [permission from] us work [in them], and bring and give the paddy at our very house.”

He wove and told a great many [such] lies.

. Having said,

“It is good; I will give my Princess to thee. Come thou into the palace to look if she is beautiful,”

the King went inside the palace. At that time they also went.

When he was threatening them,—“Now then, I will give ye a good marriage now !” becoming afraid, and having said,

“There is no need of this marriage for us,”

they sprang off; and having gone even to Bakarawata City, they say to the others,

“The King of that city is an extremely wicked one (wasa napurek). He abused and disgraced us in many ways,”

they said.

Thereupon, Big-Fool says,

“Ye are fools ! If you went to a place where there is [good] lineage, and asked for a marriage, they will give it. By asking for a marriage from persons without lineage, will they give it ?”

Having said this, these two called Rawana-Face and Dumb-One also went for the purpose of finding the marriage. While they were journeying thus, they arrived near the Sun, the Divine King. While they were there, having seen the Sun they say thus,

“O Lord, we came to ask to take in marriage for us Your Majesty’s daughter, that is, Paduma Kumari,”

they said.

Thereupon the Sun asked,

“Of what lineage are ye, Fish-Owls ?”

“We are of Brahmana race,” they said.

Thereupon the Sun, the Divine King, having become angry, scolded them and drove them away.

Then, having turned back and come to their own house, they say falsely in this way to the others, that is,

“There is indeed a marriage. Because [our] country is far away he says he cannot give it,”

they said.

After that, Big-Fool says,

“No one of you is able to bring a [bride in] marriage. I must go.”

Tying up a package of cooked rice, and having gone quite alone to Totagamu City, and seen the King of the city, he got hid; and firstly having gone near the Fish-Owls of that city, he inquired,

“How many daughters of the King are there ?”

Having looked, he ascertained that there are seven.

Thereafter having gone near their palace, he cried out for the King to hear,

“Will you give the youngest_< of the seven, Princess Sunumalli ?”

Princess Sunumalli having heard the voice, came outside and looked. Thereupon desire for the Fish-Owl having stirred her mind, secretly calling him near her they conversed; and he having been there many days, and thereafter having got hid, these two went to Bakarawata City.

While there, this Princess was [the wife] in common for the whole seven; but because they were of the lower animals no children were born to her. To get medical treatment for it one of them went away, and when he asked the Vedarala (doctor) of Kukkapitiya, the Vedarala said,

“Taking Black Cummin seed and White Cummin seed at the rate of four lahas (one-tenth of an amuna, of about six bushels), and having ground it, [you are] to give it to her to drink with human urine,”

he said.

He having come home, in that manner the whole seven together made the medicine in the very way the Veda said, and gave it to her to drink. Thereupon, through the [quantity of the] four lahas, she burst open and died.

After that, these seven having become very sorrowful, Long-Bones being unconscious, and Rawana-Face splitting his head, and Great-Fisher having jumped into the well, and Noisy-Drummer having jumped into the sea, and Dumb-One having cut his throat (neck), and Big-Fool having fallen from the top of a tree, [all these] died, Trap-Setter alone being left over. He, taking afresh a female Fish-Owl [as his wife], lived.

North-western Province.

Note:

This story is an evident satire, making fun of people who go about endeavouring to contract unsuitable marriages with the members of families much higher than their own in descent or position. The village medical practitioner is also parodied.