Story 117 - A Girl And A Step-mother

AT a certain time, at a village there was a certain Gamarala. There was a daughter of the Gamarala’s. The daughter’s mother died. After she died, for the Gamarala they brought another [woman in] marriage. Of the previous diga (marriage) of that woman there is a girl. The woman and the girl are not good to the Gamarala’s daughter.

At the time when the Gamarala is not [there], she tells the two girls to clean cotton. She told that step-mother’s daughter to remain at the corner of the house, and clean the cotton. She told the daughter of the Gamarala’s previous marriage to clean cotton in the lower part of the garden, under the lime tree.

Having told her to clean it, the step-mother says,

“Should a roll of cotton go away through the wind I will split thy head,”

she said.

When with fear on account of it, the [Gamarala’s] girl is cleaning the cotton, a great wind having struck her, all the small quantity of cotton went away owing to the wind.

The step-mother saw that the cotton is going. Having seen it, she went and said to the girl,

“Why did’st thou send away the cotton in the wind ? Thou canst not remain here. Thou having gone near the female Bear, [after] begging for the golden spindle (ran idda), the golden bow for cleaning cotton (ran rodda), the golden spindle (ran wawnna), the golden spinning-wheel (ran yantare), feed the seven mouths of the Seven-mouthed Prince and get a living. Unless [thou dost] that, thou canst not obtain a living here.”

Having said [this], she beat her.

The girl, hearing the word which her step-mother said, went near the female Bear, and asking for [and obtaining] the female Bear’s golden spindle, golden cotton-bow, golden spindle, golden spinning-wheel, went to the place where the Seven-mouthed Prince is. The Seven-mouthed Prince is a human-flesh-eating man; there are seven mouths for that man.

At the time when the girl was arriving there, the Sevenmouthed Prince had not come back since he went^[1] to eat human flesh. This girl having hastened, having cooked seven quarts of rice and seven curries, and covered those things and placed [them ready], remained hidden when the Seven-mouthed Prince was coming.

The Seven-mouthed Prince having come, when he looked some rice and curry had been cooked.

The Seven-mouthed Prince asks,

“Who has cooked these ?”

The girl does not speak about it. After that, the Seven-mouthed Prince having prepared himself, ate the whole of the cooked rice and curry. Having eaten, and having been sleeping, on the following day, in the morning, he went for human-flesh food.

Having waited until the time when he goes, the girl that day having cooked six quarts of rice, and having cooked six curries, cleaned and swept the house, and that day also got hid. That day also, having come, he asked in that manner [who had done it]. That day, also, she did not speak. That day he obliterated one mouth.

In this order, until the time when it became one quart, she cooked and gave him to eat. Out of the seven mouths he obliterated six; one remained over. On that day, having cooked in the day a half [quart] of rice, and cooked two curries, and having warmed and placed water for the Sevenmouthed Prince to bathe, and taken another sort of cloth [for him], she placed those things [ready] for him. Having expressed oil, she placed it [ready for him].

That day the Seven-mouthed Prince having come, says,

“Come down, person, who is assisting me.”

Having said it, he called her. After that, the girl came. After she came, he asked,

“What is the reason of your assisting me in this way ?”

Then the girl tells him. The girl says,

“I have no mother; father has brought a step-mother. That stepmother having beaten me said, ' Thou canst not be here and obtain a living. Thou having gone near the female Bear, [after] begging for the female Bear’s golden spindle, golden cotton bow, golden spinning-wheel, golden spindle, go near the Seven-mouthed Prince, and feeding the seven mouths obtain a living. Except that, thou canst not get a living here,’ she said. Owing to that I came,”

she said.

Afterwards he became much pleased about it. Having become pleased he told her to stay [as his wife]. Afterwards having called the Prince, and caused him to bathe in warm water, and caused him to put on good cloths, and rubbed oil [on his hair], and combed hish head, that day the two sitting down ate cooked rice.

From that time, the party became rich there to a good degree. The girl’s father, and step-mother, and stepmother's girl, having gone to the place where she is, obtained a subsistence from there.

North-western Province.

 

Note:

Messrs. H. B. Andris and Co., of Kandy, have been good enough to inform me that the wawnna is a kind of spindle or yam-holder, two and a half feet long, on which the thread is wound after spinning. It is narrow in the middle part and wider at each end. The rodda is eighteen inches long.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

¹ Giya hae(iye awe nae.