Village Folk-tales of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), vol. 1-3
by Henry Parker | 1910 | 406,533 words
This folk-tale entitled “how a woman ate cooked rice by stealth” 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. 122 from the collection “stories of the cultivating caste”.
Story 122 - How A Woman Ate Cooked Rice By Stealth
IN a certain country there are a woman and a man, it is said. There is also a little one of the woman’s; the little one cannot talk well yet.
Having waited until the time when the man goes to the watch-hut [at night], this woman every day while he is in the chena having cooked raw - rice[1] eats small beans (maekaral) [with it] in the house. Every day having cooked fry of them (the beans), and given to the little one, they eat it every day at night [without his knowledge].
One day, at the time when the man comes, the little one says,
“Father, having cooked maekittan fry, and having cooked raw-rice, let us eat her, eh ?”
Then that man says at the hand of the woman,
“What, Bolan, does this one say ?”
The woman says,
“I don’t know. He eats in dreams,[2] maybe. Cause thread to be charmed for it and come back."
Afterwards the man, causing the thread to be charmed, came and tied it on the arm of the little one.
North-western Province.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Rice from which the skin has been removed without first softening it in hot water. After the cooking the grains adhere together.
[2]:
This is considered to be a bad omen, hence the tying of the thread to put an end to such dreams; see vol. i, p. 15. I have been assured by those who have worn such threads that tying one on the arm has the desired effect in checking evil dreams. To dream of eating food is a prognostic of a future deficiency of food.