Village Folk-tales of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), vol. 1-3
by Henry Parker | 1910 | 406,533 words
This folk-tale entitled “the wimali story” 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. 52 from the collection “stories of the tom-tom beaters”.
Story 52 - The Wimali Story
AT a certain city there are a man and a woman, it is said. That woman was about to have a child. She cooked cakes to eat. While she was eating, a crow came, and stayed there looking on. “She will throw me a piece of cake, at least,” it thought. The woman did not give it even a bit of the cakes.
Afterwards the crow went to the house of the Rakshasa, and breaking off a mango fruit came to that house, and ate it in front of the woman who ate the cakes.
While the crow was eating, the woman thought,
“It will throw down a piece of it, at least.”
The crow did not give her any of it; it ate the whole and flew away.
After the man of the house came, the woman said,
“The crow brought a mango fruit, and turned it round and round, and ate the whole of it. [Somehow or other you must get me a mango.]”
After that, the man went to the house of the Rakshasa, and having ascended the mango tree, tried to pluck a mango fruit. As he was plucking it the Rakshasa came home.
Seeing the man in the tree, he asked,
“Who is that in the tree ?”
“Ane ! I am in the tree,”
said the man.
“What are you plucking mangoes for ?”
he asked.
“For our house-girl to eat. [She is about to have a child, and has asked for one,]”
he said.
“Well then, pluck one and descend,”
the Rakshasa said. So the man plucked one, and came down.
After he had descended the Rakshasa said,
“Should she bear a son he is for thee ; should she bear a daughter, she is for me.”
The man said “Ha,” and taking the mango fruit went home.
News afterwards reached the Rakshasa that she had borne a girl. On account of it the Rakshasa went to the house [and took the girl]. As he was returning carrying the girl, he saw two boys going to school, and said,
“Boys, boys, say a name for my daughter.”
The boys saying,
“Wimali, Wimali”
(pure or beautiful one), ran away.
So the Rakshasa took the girl to his house, and shared it with her.
Afterwards, when he had gone to eat human flesh, the Rakshasa heard the sound of tom-toms saying,
“Wimali,”
[and thought they were calling the girl].
So he came home, and asked Wimali,
“Have you been out ? ”
“No, I have not been out. I have just got up,”
Wimali said.
Next day he went again to eat human flesh. After he had gone he heard the sound of tom-toms saying,
“Wimali.”
The Rakshasa came home, and asked Wimali again,
“Have you been out ?”
“No, I have just put on my cloth,”
Wimali said.
The Rakshasa having gone to eat human flesh on the following day, again heard the sound of tom-toms saying,
“Wimali.”
He came home and asked Wimali,
“Have you been out ?”
“No, I have only just combed my hair,”
Wimali said.
After that, news reached the King that a girl called Wimali was at the Rakshasa's house. Having learnt this, the King came to take away Wimali. When he arrived there [the Rakshasa was out, so] he formed a figure of Wimali out of rice flour, and after placing that figure in the Rakshasa’s house, took Wimali to the city.
The Rakshasa came to the house and [finding that she was not there] said,
“Wimali will not stay at home.”
Then he tried to eat her figure, and ate a great part of the flour figure. After he had eaten this [his mouth was choked with the flour, so] he said,
“May a mouth be created on the top of my head.”
When he had said this [the mouth was created, and] the Rakshasa's head being split in two by it, he died.
Tom-tom Beater. North-western Province.