Story 196 - The Story of the Gamarala’s Son

IN a certain country there is a Gamarala; the Gamarala had no wives. While he was thus, at one time (eka parama) he brought seven wives; all the seven had no children. Again he brought yet a woman; that woman also had no children.

After that, when the man was going in order to escort the woman [on returning her to her parents], they met with a Sannyasi.

The Sannyasi asked,

“What is it ? Where are you going ?”

The man said,

“I brought seven wives; all seven had no children. After that, I brought this woman. Because the woman also had no children I am going in order to escort her [to her parents again].”

Then the Sannyasi says,

“I will perform a protective spell (arakshawa) for children to be born, if you will give me the lad who is born first of all.”

The Gamarala promised,

“I will give him.”

Afterwards the Gamarala having come back, when a little time had gone she bore a boy. After the boy became somewhat big he planted a flower tree. The Gamarala having _ told the Sannyasi to come gave him the boy; the Sannyasi having taken him went away.

The lad says to the Gamarala,

“Should I die the flowers on the flower tree will fade.”

Younger than this lad [the Gamarala’s wife] bore yet a boy.

When the Sannyasi was taking the lad he met with a man. This man said to the lad,

“Lad, the Sannyasi will give you a thread. Tie it to a tree, and having got out of the way remain [there].”

The Sannyasi having gone with the lad near a hidden treasure, gave a thread into the boy’s hand, saying,

“Remain holding this.”

The lad tied the thread to a tree; having hidden himself he remained [there].

The Sannyasi put “life” into it.^[1] Then the Yaka [who guarded the treasure] having come, asked from the Sannyasi,

“Where is the demon offering (billa) ?”

Thereupon the Sannyasi said,

“There (am) he is, [at the end of the thread].”

Then when the Yaka looked there was no one. Well then, the Yaka broke the Sannyasi’s neck and drank his blood.

After the Yaka went away the hidden treasure burst open. That lad having come and taken the things of the hidden treasure (nin̆dane kalamana), again went to a Gamarala’s^[2] house. Having gone, and taken lodgings at the house, while he is there they are preparing (tanawa) to give that Gamarala’s girl in diga (marriage). They will give her for the manner in which the Cinnamon-peeler’s cloth is worn, and to a person who wore the cloth [most correctly]: Well, anyone of those who were there was unable to do it. This youth wore it. After that, the Gamarala gave the girl to the lad.

When the lad was bathing one day the girl saw the beauty of the lad’s figure. After that, the girl having said,

“This man’s figure is too beautiful!^[3] I don’t want him,”

prepared a contrivance to kill him. Having got a false illness she lay down.

Afterwards the lad said,

“What is the difficulty for you ?”

Then the girl [said],

“You must bring and give me the milk of the wild Elephant that is in the jungle; if not, I shall die.”

After that, the lad having taken the coconut water-veasel,^[4] and having gone into the jungle, went near the Elephant calves. Then the Elephant calves [asked],

“What have you come for ?”

This lad said,

“Ane ! I came to take a little milk from the Elephant for medicine for me.”

The Elephant calves said,

“If so, you remain hidden there; we will take and give it to you.”

The Elephant calves having gone near the female Elephant, one Elephant calf stayed near the Elephant’s trunk; the other one drinks a little milk, and puts a little into the coconut water-vessel. Having done thus, and collected milk for that coconut water-vessel, it brought and gave it to this lad. The lad having brought it,^[5] gave it to the woman, and told her to drink it. Afterwards the woman drank it.

In still a little time, again having said that she had an illness, she lay down. That lad asked,

“What are you again lying down for ?”

The girl says,

“Bring the milk of the female Bear (walasdena) in the jungle. Should I drink it this illness of mine will be cured.”

Afterwards, this lad, having taken the coconut water-vessel, and gone to the jungle and gone near a Bear cub, said,

“Ane ! You must take and give to me a little Bear’s milk for medicine.”

Afterwards, the Bear cub having said,

“If so, you remain hidden there until the time when I bring it,”

took the coconut water-vessel, and having gone near the female Bear, drinks a little milk, and again pours a little into the coconut water-vessel. In that way having collected it, it brought and gave it to that lad. The lad brought the Bear’s milk home, and gave it to the woman to drink.

The girl having drunk it, in still a few days again lay down. The lad asked,

“What are you again lying down for (budi)?”

Then the girl [said],

“ Having brought for me the milk of the Giju-lihini^[6] which is in the jungle, should I drink it this illness will be cured.”

Afterwards the lad, having taken the coconut water-vessel and gone, went near the young ones of the Giju-lihini, and said,

“Ane ! I must take a little milk of the Giju-lihini for medicine.”

Afterwards, those Giju-lihini young ones having told the lad to remain hidden, in the very same manner as before brought and gave the milk. The lad brought and gave it to the girl to drink. The girl having drunk it said that the illness was cured.

Well then, these two persons have a boy (son). Still having said that she had illness, this girl lay down. The lad asked her [about it] in the same manner as before.

The girl said,

“Having wrestled^[7] with the Yaksani who is in the jungle, should you come back after conquering, indeed, my illness will be cured.”

After the lad went into the jungle he met with the Yaksani. Having met with her, the Yaksani said,

“We two must wrestle to-day; having wrestled, the fallen person (waeiicci kena) will lose.”

This lad said,

“It is good,”

and having wrestled the lad fell, and the Yaksani killed the lad.

Then at that place [where he planted it] the flower also faded. Well then, the Gamarala sent the other younger youth on horseback to look [for him]. When the youth was coming he met with the Yaksani who killed that lad. Having met with her the youth said,

“Give me (dila) my elder brother,”

he asked.

The Yaksani said,

“I don’t know [about that].”

Then the youth [said],

“Don’t say ‘No’; you must give him quickly.”

The Yaksani said,

“Let you and me wrestle. Having wrestled, should you fall I shall not give him; should I fall I will give you your elder brother.”

Both having agreed to it, they wrestled. Having wrestled, the Yaksani lost.

After that, the Yaksani having caused that killed lad to come to life,^[8] gave him to that youth. Well then, the elder brother and younger brother, both of them, having mounted on the back of the horse went to the very city where the elder brother stayed. The younger brother again came [home], having caused the elder brother to remain at that very place.

Well then, that elder brother’s boy having said,

“Father, there is no stopping here for us; let us go to another country,”

the two started, and at the time when they were going they met with a tank.

The boy asked,

“Father, how far (koccara taeri) can you swim in this tank ?”

The boy’s father said “Let us see,” and having swum a little space (tikak taen) being unable [to swim further] came back.

The boy said,

“Father, if you cannot swim, clasping my hand let us go,”

he said. The man was held by the boy’s hand.

While swimming, the boy when he was going to the far bank caught a shark also. Having taken it also and gone to the far bank, he cut up the shark and divided it into three. Having divided it, and eaten two heaps of it, and taken the other heap,^[9] they go away to another country.

Having gone there they arrived (eli-baessa) at the palace (vimane) of a Rakshasa. When they went two Rakshasa lads were [there]. The Rakshasa and Rakshasi went to eat human flesh. The two Rakshasa lads said,

“Ane ! What have you come to this place for ? Should our mother and father come they will eat you up (kala damayi).”

Then these two having said,

“Ane! Don’t say so; today you must somehow or other (kohomawat) save us and send us away,”

those two Rakshasa lads hid them.

The Rakshasa and Rakshasi came. Having come there,

“What is this smell of dead bodies ?”

they asked.

The Rakshasa lads [said],

“Having come after eating men’s flesh, what do you say ‘smell of dead bodies’ for ?”

Well then, the Rakshasi and Rakshasa swore,

“We will not eat; son, tell us.”

At that place these two Rakshasa lads showed those two, father and son, to these two. Although this Rakshasi and Rakshasa could not bear not to eat those two, because they had sworn that day they were forbearing.

On the next day the two persons went away to another country. Having gone there they arrived near a tank. Both having descended at the bank, swam. When they were going to the middle of the tank both of them being soaked with the water died.

Tom-tom Beater. North-western Province.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Jivan keruwa, made magical “life” or power in it, by means of spells.

[2]:

Gamarala kenekunne ; this plural form is often used for the singular. Afew lines further on we have, redda aendapu kenekundayi.

[3]:

Probably said sarcastically; he may have had a bad figure. This kind of sarcastic talk is very common in the villages.

[4]:

A coconut shell slung from cords, for use as a water-vessel (mungawe).

[5]:

Lit., “them,” kiri, milk, being a plural noun.

[6]:

Compare the similar account on p. 296, vol. i. In Clough’s Dictionary, Giju-lihiniya (lit., Vulture-glider or hawk) is termed Golden Eagle, a bird which is not found in India or Ceylon. Apparently the word is a synonym of Rukh (the iEt-kanda Lihiniya), which in the second note, p. 300, vol. i, is said to be “of the nature of vultures.” In Man, vol. xiii, p. 73, Captain W. E. H. Barrett published an A’Kikuyu (East African) story in which when a man took refuge inside a dead elephant the animal was carried off by a huge vulture to a tree in the midst of a great lake. The man escaped by grasping one of the bird’s tail feathers when it flew away, and being thus carried by it to land, without its knowledge.

[7]:

Ottu-wela, having pushed against.

[8]:

Lit, to be (re-)born.

[9]:

The narrator, belonging to a village in the far interior, evidently thought a shark is a small fish, little larger than those caught in the tanks. Compare also No. 214, in which a Queen carries a shark home to eat.