Story 214 - The Horikadaya Story

IN a certain country there are seven Queens, it is said. For the whole seven Queens there are no children.

In the King’s garden one Jak fruit grew^[1]; after the Jak fruit ripened he cut it; in it there was one section containing a seed (madula).

Afterwards the King said,

“Can a Queen eat this Jak section and bear a child ?”

Six Queens said they cannot;, one Queen ate it.

She having eaten it, ten months were fulfilled (lit., filled) for bearing a child. Then the King happened to go for a war. Afterwards pains seized that Queen; she bore a Chank shell. Then when the six Queens made an Asura figure,^[2] having taken that Chank shell they buried it in the dunghill. Well then, having waited until the time when the King came, the six persons showed him the Asura figure. Afterwards the King having struck blows at the Queen who was confined, drove her away.

A bull having come to the place where that Chank shell was buried, and dug it with its horns, saw the Chank shell and swallowed it. The bull having gone to the sea evacuated the Chank shell; there also the shark having seen it swallowed it. From there, having killed the shark, fishermen (kewulo) took it to the city; when taking it along the street to sell, the Queen who bore that Chank shell met with them.

Having seen the shark the Queen asked,

“For how much are you selling this shark ?”

The fishermen said,

“We are selling it for four tuttu (three half-pence).”

Afterwards the Queen having given four tuttu, took the shark. Having brought it to her lodgings and cut it, when she looked there was a Chank shell in its stomach. Having put the Chank shell away, [after] cooking the shark meat she ate.

When she was [there after] putting away the Chank shell, one day she looked at it. Then having seen that inside the Chank shell a Prince is drinking milk that is in his hand,^[3] she took the Prince out. At that time (e para) the Queen got to know that it was the Chank shell that she bore. She gave the Prince a jacket. At the time when she put it on^[4] there was a cutaneous eruption (hori) on his body. Afterwards the Queen said he was Horikadaya (the one with the bit of hori).

After the Prince became big he went to the smithy; having gone and brought a bow, and an arrow-stem, and an arrowhead,^[5] he went to shoot animals, and shot a deer. Having come [after] shooting it, he gave it to his nearest uncle.^[6] Thus, in that manner, shooting and shooting deer he eats.

When he was thus, one day when going to shoot he met with an Egret (kokka); when he caught it alive (amuwen), taking it [home] he reared it. [After] rearing it, the Egret and Horikadaya every day go to the chena jungle for hunting-meat,^[7] to shoot deer for themselves.

One day when they were going thus they saw that there were a horse, and a Prince, and a Minister; afterwards the two went there.

Having gone, at that Prince’s hand,

“What [are you doing here] ?”

Horikadaya asked.

“Because our father the King tried to kill us, on account of it we came and sprang into the chena jungle,” the Prince said. Afterwards the five live in one place.

While there, Horikadaya said to the Prince,

“Let us go to seek a marriage.”

Afterwards the whole five having gone very near a city to seek the marriage, the Prince and the Minister having gone inside the city, and having tied the horse in the open space (midula) of the city, Horikadaya and tne Egret remained among the branches [in the jungle].

The Prince asked the city Princess fin marriage]. The Princess said,

“To the Prince I cannot go; I will go indeed to Horikadaya.”

Afterwards Horikadaya and the Princess contracted (lit., tied) the marriage.

When the whole six having collected together are coming to the village, the horse and the Prince and the Minister say,

“We can’t give that Princess to that Horikadaya; owing to it let us kill Horikadaya.”

Afterwards, when the three, summoning Horikadaya, were going to the forest they met with a well. They made Horikadaya descend into the well; having made him descend and thrown down stones, they trampled [them down]. There Horikadaya died.

Afterwards the three, calling the Princess, came away (enda awa) to the village. The Egret being without Horikadaya went away (giya yanda).

Tom-tom Beater. North-western Province.

 

Notes:

In Cinq Cents Contes et Apologues (Chavannes), vol. i, p. 82, a girl who was married to a King bore one hundred eggs, out of which eventually issued one hundred Princes. The Queen and concubines, being jealous of her, showed the King a piece of plantain fruit trimmed so as to represent a demon, and stated that she had given birth to it. They placed the eggs in a pot (cruche) and set it afloat in a river, whence a King of a country lower down obtained it.

In the same work, vol. i, p. 305, Shakra gave a Queen of Pancala a fruit, telling her that after eating it she would have a son.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Pala-gatta.

[2]:

Danu rukadayak.

[3]:

Ate kiri bonawa, usually meaning sucking the thumb.

[4]:

Damapu para.

[5]:

Dunnakwyi, igahakuyi, italayakuyi.

[6]:

Ewaessa mama, mother’s brother.

[7]:

Dadayan para.