Village Folk-tales of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), vol. 1-3
by Henry Parker | 1910 | 406,533 words
This folk-tale entitled “the frog jacket” 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. 165 from the collection “stories of the cultivating caste”.
Story 165 - The Frog Jacket
IN a certain country, at a house there was a very wealthy nobleman (sifana), but he had no children. Having seen that the men of the country are giving their children in diga [marriage] he was much grieved.
While he is thus, one day at the time when he went to the rice field, having said,
“Father,”
a certain female Frog fell weeping at the edge of his foot; and the nobleman having brought this female Frog home, nourished it. .
One day, having started on a journey, and tied up a bundle of cooked rice, and in the midst of it having put several rings, at the time when he was going along the path taking the bundle of cooked rice it became night while [he was] near a house, and he went there for the resting-place.
At that house there was a young man. In the evening having unfastened the bundle of cooked rice, at the time when he was eating the rice he met with the rings, and having said,
“Ane ! My daughter’s rings have fallen into the bundle of cooked rice,”
he showed them to the house people.
Thereupon the house persons asked,
“Is there a daughter?”
“Yes, an only daughter of mine,”
he said.
“There is an only male child of mine, also. Will you give your daughter to him ?”
the house-wife asked.
The nobleman having said,
“It is good,”
[after] fixing a day came away.
On the appointed day, to look at the young woman the young man and his two parents came. At the time when they asked the nobleman,
“Where is the daughter ?”
he said,
“To-day she went with her grandfather.”
“If so, on such and such a day we will come to summon her to go,”
they went away.
On that day, at the time when the young man and his two parents came he showed them his female Frog. After that, the young man’s two parents were not satisfied, but the young man being satisfied, summoning the female Frog they went away.
After a little time went by, they were to go to a [wedding] festival house. While the young man was in sorrow thinking of it, this female Frog took off her frog jacket [and thereupon became a young woman]. After that they went to the festival house. During the time afterwards, these two according to the usual custom dwelt excellently [together].
Uva Province.