Mari tuvo dos hijos de su relación con el genio Maju, uno bueno y otro malo. El bueno recibió el nombre de Atarrabi, y el malo el de Mikelats.
Atarrabi y su su hermano menor, Mikelats, estudiaron en una caverna del diablo, quien le enseñó una extensa cultura. Existía una condición de que, una vez concluidos sus estudios, uno de los hermanos debía quedarse para siempre en aquel lugar tenebroso.
Cuando llego el momento de decidir quién se quedaba, lo echaron a suertes, decidiendo esta que fuese Mikelats el que debería permanecer en la cueva. Pero como atarrabi poseía un gran corazón, decidió quedarse el como esclavo y que así su hermano pudiese salir libre de la cueva.
El diablo puso como tarea a Atarrabi pasar por un cedazo la harina que tenía en su inmensa despensa. Sabiendo que era una tarea imposible de cumpir, porque el cedazo tenía las mallas muy anchas y dejaba pasar a través de ellas la harina junto con el salvado.
Además el diablo quería tener bien controlado a su discípulo, para lo cuál le preguntaba constantemente:
"Atarrabi, non zaude?" -"Atarrabi, ¿dónde estás?"-.
A lo que Attarabi debía responder:
"Hemen nago" -"aquí estoy"-.
Atarrabi además de bueno era muy inteligente, así que consiguió enseñar al cedazo a responder por él. De esta forma cuando el diablo preguntaba, era el cedazo y no Atarrabi el que contestaba.
Mientras el hijo de Mari aprovechó para abandonar con sigilo la cueva, andando para atrás. Todo iba perfectamente, pero cuando ya estaba llegando a la puerta fue descubierto por el diablo. Éste se avalanzó sobre el fugitivo, pero Atarrabi consiguió alejarse a tiempo y se puso a salvo. Sin embargo su sombra a sombra no había salido todavía y fue atrapada por el diablo.
Atarrabi se ordenó cura después de aquello, y aunque no tenía sombra, ésta acudía a él cuando, celebrando misa, llegaba el momento de la consagración. Pero como sin sombra no podría alcanzar la salvación eterna, ya cuando ya era viejo, tuvo una idea para conseguirla. Le pidió al sacristán que lo asesinara en el momento de la consagración, cosa que apesadumbrado tuvo que aceptar el subordinado. No fue capaz de hacerlo el primer día, pues no se sentía con ánimo. Tampoco tuvo valor el segundo. Pero el tercero, descargándole un fuerte garrotazo, cumplió el deseo de Atarrabi, acabando con su vida. A continuación colocó el cadáver del sacerdote, tal y como éste le había ordenado, sobre una roca próxima a la iglesia. Tras lo que empezó a observar qué clase de aves se llevaban el cuerpo. Pues como Atarrabi le había dicho, si lo hacía una bandada de cuervos, su alma se condenaría. Sin embargo Si eran palomas los pájaros que acudían a él, se salvaría. Afortunadamente, para alegría del sacristán, fue una bandada de palomas la que levantó el cadáver del cura, lo que quería decir que éste había alcanzado su salvación.
miércoles 8 de diciembre de 2010
domingo 3 de octubre de 2010
How Coyote Stole Fire
Long ago, when man was newly come into the world, there were days when he was the happiest creature of all. Those were the days when spring brushed across the willow tails, or when his children ripened with the blueberries in the sun of summer, or when the goldenrod bloomed in the autumn haze.
But always the mists of autumn evenings grew more chill, and the sun's strokes grew shorter. Then man saw winter moving near, and he became fearful and unhappy. He was afraid for his children, and for the grandfathers and grandmothers who carried in their heads the sacred tales of the tribe. Many of these, young and old, would die in the long, ice-bitter months of winter.
Coyote, like the rest of the People, had no need for fire. So he seldom concerned himself with it, until one spring day when he was passing a human village. There the women were singing a song of mourning for the babies and the old ones who had died in the winter. Their voices moaned like the west wind through a buffalo skull, prickling the hairs on Coyote's neck.
"Feel how the sun is now warm on our backs," one of the men was saying. "Feel how it warms the earth and makes these stones hot to the touch. If only we could have had a small piece of the sun in our teepees during the winter."
Coyote, overhearing this, felt sorry for the men and women. He also felt that there was something he could do to help them. He knew of a faraway mountain-top where the three Fire Beings lived. These Beings kept fire to themselves, guarding it carefully for fear that man might somehow acquire it and become as strong as they. Coyote saw that he could do a good turn for man at the expense of these selfish Fire Beings.
So Coyote went to the mountain of the Fire Beings and crept to its top, to watch the way that the Beings guarded their fire. As he came near, the Beings leaped to their feet and gazed searchingly round their camp. Their eyes glinted like bloodstones, and their hands were clawed like the talons of the great black vulture.
"What's that? What's that I hear?" hissed one of the Beings.
"A thief, skulking in the bushes!" screeched another.
The third looked more closely, and saw Coyote. But he had gone to the mountain-top on all fours, so the Being thought she saw only an ordinary coyote slinking among the trees.
"It is no one, it is nothing!" she cried, and the other two looked where she pointed and also saw only a grey coyote. They sat down again by their fire and paid Coyote no more attention.
So he watched all day and night as the Fire Beings guarded their fire. He saw how they fed it pine cones and dry branches from the sycamore trees. He saw how they stamped furiously on runaway rivulets of flame that sometimes nibbled outwards on edges of dry grass. He saw also how, at night, the Beings took turns to sit by the fire. Two would sleep while one was on guard; and at certain times the Being by the fire would get up and go into their teepee, and another would come out to sit by the fire.
Coyote saw that the Beings were always jealously watchful of their fire except during one part of the day. That was in the earliest morning, when the first winds of dawn arose on the mountains. Then the Being by the fire would hurry, shivering, into the teepee calling, "Sister, sister, go out and watch the fire." But the next Being would always be slow to go out for her turn, her head spinning with sleep and the thin dreams of dawn.
Coyote, seeing all this, went down the mountain and spoke to some of his friends among the People. He told them of hairless man, fearing the cold and death of winter. And he told them of the Fire Beings, and the warmth and brightness of the flame. They all agreed that man should have fire, and they all promised to help Coyote's undertaking.
Then Coyote sped again to the mountain-top. Again the Fire Beings leaped up when he came close, and one cried out, "What's that? A thief, a thief!"
But again the others looked closely, and saw only a grey coyote hunting among the bushes. So they sat down again and paid him no more attention.
Coyote waited through the day, and watched as night fell and two of the Beings went off to the teepee to sleep. He watched as they changed over at certain times all the night long, until at last the dawn winds rose.
Then the Being on guard called, "Sister, sister, get up and watch the fire."
And the Being whose turn it was climbed slow and sleepy from her bed, saying, "Yes, yes, I am coming. Do not shout so."
But before she could come out of the teepee, Coyote lunged from the bushes, snatched up a glowing portion of fire, and sprang away down the mountainside.
Screaming, the Fire Beings flew after him. Swift as Coyote ran, they caught up with him, and one of them reached out a clutching hand. Her fingers touched only the tip of the tail, but the touch was enough to turn the hairs white, and coyote tail-tips are white still. Coyote shouted, and flung the fire away from him. But the others of the People had gathered at the mountain's foot, in case they were needed. Squirrel saw the fire falling, and caught it, putting it on her back and fleeing away through the tree-tops. The fire scorched her back so painfully that her tail curled up and back, as squirrels' tails still do today.
The Fire Beings then pursued Squirrel, who threw the fire to Chipmunk. Chattering with fear, Chipmunk stood still as if rooted until the Beings were almost upon her. Then, as she turned to run, one Being clawed at her, tearing down the length of her back and leaving three stripes that are to be seen on chipmunks' backs even today. Chipmunk threw the fire to Frog, and the Beings turned towards him. One of the Beings grasped his tail, but Frog gave a mighty leap and tore himself free, leaving his tail behind in the Being's hand---which is why frogs have had no tails ever since.
As the Beings came after him again, Frog flung the fire on to Wood. And Wood swallowed it.
The Fire Beings gathered round, but they did not know how to get the fire out of Wood. They promised it gifts, sang to it and shouted at it. They twisted it and struck it and tore it with their knives. But Wood did not give up the fire. In the end, defeated, the Beings went back to their mountain-top and left the People alone.
But Coyote knew how to get fire out of Wood. And he went to the village of men and showed them how. He showed them the trick of rubbing two dry sticks together, and the trick of spinning a sharpened stick in a hole made in another piece of wood. So man was from then on warm and safe through the killing cold of winter.
But always the mists of autumn evenings grew more chill, and the sun's strokes grew shorter. Then man saw winter moving near, and he became fearful and unhappy. He was afraid for his children, and for the grandfathers and grandmothers who carried in their heads the sacred tales of the tribe. Many of these, young and old, would die in the long, ice-bitter months of winter.
Coyote, like the rest of the People, had no need for fire. So he seldom concerned himself with it, until one spring day when he was passing a human village. There the women were singing a song of mourning for the babies and the old ones who had died in the winter. Their voices moaned like the west wind through a buffalo skull, prickling the hairs on Coyote's neck.
"Feel how the sun is now warm on our backs," one of the men was saying. "Feel how it warms the earth and makes these stones hot to the touch. If only we could have had a small piece of the sun in our teepees during the winter."
Coyote, overhearing this, felt sorry for the men and women. He also felt that there was something he could do to help them. He knew of a faraway mountain-top where the three Fire Beings lived. These Beings kept fire to themselves, guarding it carefully for fear that man might somehow acquire it and become as strong as they. Coyote saw that he could do a good turn for man at the expense of these selfish Fire Beings.
So Coyote went to the mountain of the Fire Beings and crept to its top, to watch the way that the Beings guarded their fire. As he came near, the Beings leaped to their feet and gazed searchingly round their camp. Their eyes glinted like bloodstones, and their hands were clawed like the talons of the great black vulture.
"What's that? What's that I hear?" hissed one of the Beings.
"A thief, skulking in the bushes!" screeched another.
The third looked more closely, and saw Coyote. But he had gone to the mountain-top on all fours, so the Being thought she saw only an ordinary coyote slinking among the trees.
"It is no one, it is nothing!" she cried, and the other two looked where she pointed and also saw only a grey coyote. They sat down again by their fire and paid Coyote no more attention.
So he watched all day and night as the Fire Beings guarded their fire. He saw how they fed it pine cones and dry branches from the sycamore trees. He saw how they stamped furiously on runaway rivulets of flame that sometimes nibbled outwards on edges of dry grass. He saw also how, at night, the Beings took turns to sit by the fire. Two would sleep while one was on guard; and at certain times the Being by the fire would get up and go into their teepee, and another would come out to sit by the fire.
Coyote saw that the Beings were always jealously watchful of their fire except during one part of the day. That was in the earliest morning, when the first winds of dawn arose on the mountains. Then the Being by the fire would hurry, shivering, into the teepee calling, "Sister, sister, go out and watch the fire." But the next Being would always be slow to go out for her turn, her head spinning with sleep and the thin dreams of dawn.
Coyote, seeing all this, went down the mountain and spoke to some of his friends among the People. He told them of hairless man, fearing the cold and death of winter. And he told them of the Fire Beings, and the warmth and brightness of the flame. They all agreed that man should have fire, and they all promised to help Coyote's undertaking.
Then Coyote sped again to the mountain-top. Again the Fire Beings leaped up when he came close, and one cried out, "What's that? A thief, a thief!"
But again the others looked closely, and saw only a grey coyote hunting among the bushes. So they sat down again and paid him no more attention.
Coyote waited through the day, and watched as night fell and two of the Beings went off to the teepee to sleep. He watched as they changed over at certain times all the night long, until at last the dawn winds rose.
Then the Being on guard called, "Sister, sister, get up and watch the fire."
And the Being whose turn it was climbed slow and sleepy from her bed, saying, "Yes, yes, I am coming. Do not shout so."
But before she could come out of the teepee, Coyote lunged from the bushes, snatched up a glowing portion of fire, and sprang away down the mountainside.
Screaming, the Fire Beings flew after him. Swift as Coyote ran, they caught up with him, and one of them reached out a clutching hand. Her fingers touched only the tip of the tail, but the touch was enough to turn the hairs white, and coyote tail-tips are white still. Coyote shouted, and flung the fire away from him. But the others of the People had gathered at the mountain's foot, in case they were needed. Squirrel saw the fire falling, and caught it, putting it on her back and fleeing away through the tree-tops. The fire scorched her back so painfully that her tail curled up and back, as squirrels' tails still do today.
The Fire Beings then pursued Squirrel, who threw the fire to Chipmunk. Chattering with fear, Chipmunk stood still as if rooted until the Beings were almost upon her. Then, as she turned to run, one Being clawed at her, tearing down the length of her back and leaving three stripes that are to be seen on chipmunks' backs even today. Chipmunk threw the fire to Frog, and the Beings turned towards him. One of the Beings grasped his tail, but Frog gave a mighty leap and tore himself free, leaving his tail behind in the Being's hand---which is why frogs have had no tails ever since.
As the Beings came after him again, Frog flung the fire on to Wood. And Wood swallowed it.
The Fire Beings gathered round, but they did not know how to get the fire out of Wood. They promised it gifts, sang to it and shouted at it. They twisted it and struck it and tore it with their knives. But Wood did not give up the fire. In the end, defeated, the Beings went back to their mountain-top and left the People alone.
But Coyote knew how to get fire out of Wood. And he went to the village of men and showed them how. He showed them the trick of rubbing two dry sticks together, and the trick of spinning a sharpened stick in a hole made in another piece of wood. So man was from then on warm and safe through the killing cold of winter.
domingo 12 de septiembre de 2010
The frog princess (2nd version)
In days gone by there was a King who had three sons. When his sons came of age the King called them to him and said, "My dear lads, I want you to get married so that I may see your little ones, my grand-children, before I die."
And his sons replied, "Very well, Father, give us your blessing. Who do you want us to marry?"
"Each of you must take an arrow, go out into the green meadow and shoot it. Where the arrows fall, there shall your destiny be."
So the sons bowed to their father, and each of them took an arrow and went out into the green meadow, where they drew their bows and let fly their arrows.
The arrow of the eldest son fell in the courtyard of a nobleman, and the nobleman's daughter picked it up. The arrow of the middle son fell in the yard of a merchant, and the merchant's daughter picked it up. But the arrow of the youngest son, Prince Ivan, flew up and away he knew not where. He walked on and on in search of it, and at last he came to a marsh, where what should he see but a frog sitting on a leaf with the arrow in its mouth. Prince Ivan said to it, "Frog, frog, give me back my arrow."
And the frog replied, "Marry me!"
"How can I marry a frog?"
"Marry me, for it is your destiny."
Prince Ivan was sadly disappointed, but what could he do? He picked up the frog and brought it home. The King celebrated three weddings: his eldest son was married to the nobleman's daughter, his middle son to the merchant's daughter, and poor Prince Ivan to the frog.
One day the King called his sons and said, "I want to see which of your wives is most skilled with her needle. Let them each sew me a shirt by tomorrow morning."
The sons bowed to their father and went out. Prince Ivan went home and sat in a corner, looking very sad. The frog hopped about on the floor and said to him, "Why are you so sad, Prince Ivan? Are you in trouble?"
"My father wants you to sew him a shirt by tomorrow morning."
Said the frog, "Don't be downhearted, Prince Ivan. Go to bed; night is the mother of counsel." So Prince Ivan went to bed, and the frog hopped out on to the doorstep, cast off her frog skin, and turned into Vasilisa the Wise, a maiden fair beyond compare. She clapped her hands and cried, "Maids and nurses, get ready, work steady! By tomorrow morning sew me a shirt like the one my own father used to wear!"
When Prince Ivan awoke the next morning, the frog was hopping about on the floor again, and on the table, wrapped up in a linen towel, the shirt lay. Prince Ivan was delighted. He picked up the shirt and took it to his father. He found the King receiving gifts from his other sons. When the eldest laid out his shirt, the King said, "This shirt will do for one of my servants." When the middle son laid out his shirt, the King said, "This one is good only for the bath-house." Prince Ivan laid out his shirt, handsomely embroidered in gold and silver. The King took one look at it and said, "Now this is a shirt indeed! I shall wear it on the best occasions."
The two elder brothers went home and said to each other, "It looks as though we had laughed at Prince Ivan's wife for nothing -- it seems she is not a frog, but a sorceress."
Again the King called his sons. "Let your wives bake me bread by tomorrow morning," he said. I want to know which one cooks the best."
Prince Ivan came home looking very sad again. The frog said to him, "Why are you so sad, Prince?"
"The King wants you to bake bread for him by tomorrow morning," replied her husband.
"Don't be downhearted, Prince Ivan. Go to bed; night is the mother of counsel."
Now those other daughters-in-law had made fun of the frog at first, but this time they sent an old henwife to see how the frog baked her bread. But the frog was cunning and guessed what they were about. She kneaded the dough, broke the top of the stove and emptied the dough-trough straight down the hole. The old henwife ran back to the other wives and told them what she had seen, and they did as the frog had done.
Then the frog hopped out onto the doorstep, turned into Vasilisa the Wise, and clapped her hands and cried, "Maids and nurses, get ready, work steady! By tomorrow morning bake me a soft white loaf like the ones I ate when I lived at home."
Prince Ivan woke up in the morning, and there on the table he saw a loaf of bread with all kinds of pretty designs on it. On the sides were quaint figures -- royal cities with walls and gates. Prince Ivan was ever so pleased. He wrapped the loaf up in a linen towel and took it to his father. Just then the King was receiving the loaves from his elder sons. Their wives had dropped the dough into the fire as the old henwife had told them, and it came out just a lump of charred dough. The King took the loaf from his eldest son, looked at it and sent it to the servants' hall. He took the loaf from his middle son and did the same with that. But when Prince Ivan handed him his loaf the King said, "Now that is what I call bread! It is fit to be eaten only on holidays."
And the King bade his sons come to his feast the next day and bring their wives with them. Prince Ivan came home grieving again. The frog hopped up and said, "Why are you so said, Prince Ivan? Has your father said anything unkind to you?"
"Froggy, my frog, how can I help being sad? Father wants me to bring you to his feast, but how can you appear before people as my wife?"
"Don't be downhearted, Prince Ivan," said the frog. "Go to the feast alone and I will come later. When you hear a knocking and a banging, do not be afraid. If you are asked, say it is only your Froggy riding in her box."
So Prince Ivan went by himself. His elder brothers drove up with their wives, rouged and powdered and dressed in fine clothes. They stood there and mocked Prince Ivan: "Why did you not bring your wife? You could have brought her in a handkerchief. Where, indeed, did you find such a beauty? You must have searched all the marshes for her!"
The King and his sons and daughters-in-law and all the guests sat down to feast at the oaken tables covered with handsome cloths. All at once there was a knocking and a banging that made the whole palace shake. The guests jumped up in fright, but Prince Ivan said, "Do not be afraid, good people, it is only my Froggy riding in her box."
Just then a gilded carriage drawn by six white horses dashed up to the palace door and out of it stepped Vasilisa the Wise in a dress of sky-blue silk strewn with stars and a shining moon upon her head -- a maiden as fair as the sky at dawn, the fairest maiden ever born. She took Prince Ivan by the hand and led him to the oaken tables with the handsome cloths on them.
The guests began to eat, drink and make merry. Vasilisa the Wise drank from her glass and emptied the dregs into her left sleeve. Then she ate some swan meat and put the bones in her right sleeve. The wives of the elder princes saw her do this and they did the same.
When the eating and drinking were over, the time came for dancing. Vasilisa the Wise took Prince Ivan and tripped off with him. She whirled and danced, and everybody watched and marveled. She waved her left sleeve, and lo! a lake appeared! She waved her right sleeve, and white swans began to swim on the lake. The King and his guests were struck with wonder.
Then the other daughters-in-law went to dance. They waved one sleeve, but only splashed wine over the guests; they waved the other, but only scattered bones, and one bone hit the King right in the forehead. The King flew into a rage and drove both daughters-in-law away.
Meanwhile, Prince Ivan slipped out and ran home. There he found the frog skin and threw it into the fire. When Vasilisa the Wise came home, she looked for the frog skin but could not find it. She sat down on a bench, sorely grieved, and said to Prince Ivan, "Ah, Prince Ivan, what have you done? Had you but waited three more days I would have been yours forever. But now, farewell. Seek me beyond the Thrice-Nine Lands, in the Thrice-Ten Kingdom, where Koshchei the Deathless dwells." So saying, Vasilisa the Wise turned herself into a gray cuckoo and flew out of the window. Prince Ivan wept long and hard, then bowed in all four directions and went forth he knew not where to seek his wife, Vasilisa the Wise. How long he walked is hard to say, but his boots wore down at the heels, his tunic wore out at the elbows, and his cap became battered by the rain. By and by he met a little man, as old as old can be.
"Good day, my lad," said the little old man. "Where are you going and what is your errand?"
Prince Ivan told him about his trouble.
"Ah, why did you burn the frog skin, Prince Ivan?" said the little old man. "It was not yours to keep or do away with. Vasilisa the Wise was born wiser than her father, and that made him so angry that he turned her into a frog for three years. Ah, well, it cannot be helped now. Take this ball of yarn and follow it without fear wherever it rolls."
Prince Ivan thanked the little old man and followed the ball of yarn. It rolled on and he came after. In an open field he met a bear. Prince Ivan took aim and was about to kill it, but the bear spoke in a human voice: "Do not kill me, Prince Ivan, for you may have need of me someday."
Prince Ivan spared the bear's life and went on farther. Suddenly he saw a drake flying overhead. He took aim with his bow, but the drake said in a human voice, "Do not kill me, Prince Ivan, for you may have need of me someday."
He spared the drake and went on. A hare came running by. Again Prince Ivan snatched his bow to shoot it, but the hare said in a human voice, "Do not kill me, Prince Ivan, for you may have need of me someday."
So he spared the hare and went on. He came to the blue sea and saw a pike lying on the sandy beach gasping for breath. "Ah, Prince Ivan," said the pike, "take pity on me and throw me back into the blue sea."
So he threw the pike into the sea and walked on along the shore. By and by the ball of yarn rolled into a forest, and there stood a little hut on hen's feet, turning round and round. "Little hut, little hut, turn your back to the trees and your face to me, please."
The hut turned its face to him and its back to the trees. Prince Ivan walked in, and there, sitting in the corner, was Baba-Yaga, the witch with a broom and a switch, a bony hag with a nose like a snag. When she saw him she said, "Ugh, ugh, Russian blood, never met by me before, now I smell it at my door. Who comes here? Where from? Where to?"
"You might give me meat and drink and a steam bath before asking questions," retorted Prince Ivan. So Baba-Yaga gave him a steam bath, gave him meat and drink, and put him to bed. Then Prince Ivan told her he was seeking his wife, Vasilisa the Wise.
"I know, I know," said Baba Yaga. "Your wife is now in the power of Koshchei the Deathless. It will be hard for you to get him back. Koshchei is more than a match for you. His death is at the point of a needle. The needle is in an egg; the egg is in a duck; the duck is in a hare; the hare is in a stone casket; the casket is at the top of a tall oak tree that Koshchei the Deathless guards as the apple of his eye."
Prince Ivan spent the night at Baba-Yaga's, and in the morning she showed him the way to the tall oak. How long he walked it is hard to say, but by and by he came to the tall oak tree with the stone casket at the top of it. But it was hard to reach.
Suddenly, up came the bear whose life he had spared, and pulled the tree out, roots and all. Down fell the casket and broke open. Out of the casket sprang a hare and scampered off as fast as it could. The other hare, whose life Prince Ivan had spared, gave chase, caught it and tore it to bits. Out of the dead hare flew a duck, and shot high into the sky. But in a twinkling, the drake, whose life Prince Ivan had spared, was at it. The duck dropped the egg, and down it fell into the blue sea.
At this Prince Ivan wept bitter tears. How could he find the egg in the sea? But all at once the pike, whose life Prince Ivan had spared, swam up with the egg in its mouth. Prince Ivan broke the egg, took the needle out, and set about breaking the point off. The more he bent it, the more Koshchei the Deathless writhed and screamed, but all in vain. Prince Ivan broke off the point of the needle and Koshchei fell down dead.
Prince Ivan went to Koshchei's white stone palace. Vasilisa the Wise came running out to meet him and kissed him deeply. And Prince Ivan and Vasilisa the Wise went back to their own home and lived in peace and happiness to a ripe old age.
And his sons replied, "Very well, Father, give us your blessing. Who do you want us to marry?"
"Each of you must take an arrow, go out into the green meadow and shoot it. Where the arrows fall, there shall your destiny be."
So the sons bowed to their father, and each of them took an arrow and went out into the green meadow, where they drew their bows and let fly their arrows.
The arrow of the eldest son fell in the courtyard of a nobleman, and the nobleman's daughter picked it up. The arrow of the middle son fell in the yard of a merchant, and the merchant's daughter picked it up. But the arrow of the youngest son, Prince Ivan, flew up and away he knew not where. He walked on and on in search of it, and at last he came to a marsh, where what should he see but a frog sitting on a leaf with the arrow in its mouth. Prince Ivan said to it, "Frog, frog, give me back my arrow."
And the frog replied, "Marry me!"
"How can I marry a frog?"
"Marry me, for it is your destiny."
Prince Ivan was sadly disappointed, but what could he do? He picked up the frog and brought it home. The King celebrated three weddings: his eldest son was married to the nobleman's daughter, his middle son to the merchant's daughter, and poor Prince Ivan to the frog.
One day the King called his sons and said, "I want to see which of your wives is most skilled with her needle. Let them each sew me a shirt by tomorrow morning."
The sons bowed to their father and went out. Prince Ivan went home and sat in a corner, looking very sad. The frog hopped about on the floor and said to him, "Why are you so sad, Prince Ivan? Are you in trouble?"
"My father wants you to sew him a shirt by tomorrow morning."
Said the frog, "Don't be downhearted, Prince Ivan. Go to bed; night is the mother of counsel." So Prince Ivan went to bed, and the frog hopped out on to the doorstep, cast off her frog skin, and turned into Vasilisa the Wise, a maiden fair beyond compare. She clapped her hands and cried, "Maids and nurses, get ready, work steady! By tomorrow morning sew me a shirt like the one my own father used to wear!"
When Prince Ivan awoke the next morning, the frog was hopping about on the floor again, and on the table, wrapped up in a linen towel, the shirt lay. Prince Ivan was delighted. He picked up the shirt and took it to his father. He found the King receiving gifts from his other sons. When the eldest laid out his shirt, the King said, "This shirt will do for one of my servants." When the middle son laid out his shirt, the King said, "This one is good only for the bath-house." Prince Ivan laid out his shirt, handsomely embroidered in gold and silver. The King took one look at it and said, "Now this is a shirt indeed! I shall wear it on the best occasions."
The two elder brothers went home and said to each other, "It looks as though we had laughed at Prince Ivan's wife for nothing -- it seems she is not a frog, but a sorceress."
Again the King called his sons. "Let your wives bake me bread by tomorrow morning," he said. I want to know which one cooks the best."
Prince Ivan came home looking very sad again. The frog said to him, "Why are you so sad, Prince?"
"The King wants you to bake bread for him by tomorrow morning," replied her husband.
"Don't be downhearted, Prince Ivan. Go to bed; night is the mother of counsel."
Now those other daughters-in-law had made fun of the frog at first, but this time they sent an old henwife to see how the frog baked her bread. But the frog was cunning and guessed what they were about. She kneaded the dough, broke the top of the stove and emptied the dough-trough straight down the hole. The old henwife ran back to the other wives and told them what she had seen, and they did as the frog had done.
Then the frog hopped out onto the doorstep, turned into Vasilisa the Wise, and clapped her hands and cried, "Maids and nurses, get ready, work steady! By tomorrow morning bake me a soft white loaf like the ones I ate when I lived at home."
Prince Ivan woke up in the morning, and there on the table he saw a loaf of bread with all kinds of pretty designs on it. On the sides were quaint figures -- royal cities with walls and gates. Prince Ivan was ever so pleased. He wrapped the loaf up in a linen towel and took it to his father. Just then the King was receiving the loaves from his elder sons. Their wives had dropped the dough into the fire as the old henwife had told them, and it came out just a lump of charred dough. The King took the loaf from his eldest son, looked at it and sent it to the servants' hall. He took the loaf from his middle son and did the same with that. But when Prince Ivan handed him his loaf the King said, "Now that is what I call bread! It is fit to be eaten only on holidays."
And the King bade his sons come to his feast the next day and bring their wives with them. Prince Ivan came home grieving again. The frog hopped up and said, "Why are you so said, Prince Ivan? Has your father said anything unkind to you?"
"Froggy, my frog, how can I help being sad? Father wants me to bring you to his feast, but how can you appear before people as my wife?"
"Don't be downhearted, Prince Ivan," said the frog. "Go to the feast alone and I will come later. When you hear a knocking and a banging, do not be afraid. If you are asked, say it is only your Froggy riding in her box."
So Prince Ivan went by himself. His elder brothers drove up with their wives, rouged and powdered and dressed in fine clothes. They stood there and mocked Prince Ivan: "Why did you not bring your wife? You could have brought her in a handkerchief. Where, indeed, did you find such a beauty? You must have searched all the marshes for her!"
The King and his sons and daughters-in-law and all the guests sat down to feast at the oaken tables covered with handsome cloths. All at once there was a knocking and a banging that made the whole palace shake. The guests jumped up in fright, but Prince Ivan said, "Do not be afraid, good people, it is only my Froggy riding in her box."
Just then a gilded carriage drawn by six white horses dashed up to the palace door and out of it stepped Vasilisa the Wise in a dress of sky-blue silk strewn with stars and a shining moon upon her head -- a maiden as fair as the sky at dawn, the fairest maiden ever born. She took Prince Ivan by the hand and led him to the oaken tables with the handsome cloths on them.
The guests began to eat, drink and make merry. Vasilisa the Wise drank from her glass and emptied the dregs into her left sleeve. Then she ate some swan meat and put the bones in her right sleeve. The wives of the elder princes saw her do this and they did the same.
When the eating and drinking were over, the time came for dancing. Vasilisa the Wise took Prince Ivan and tripped off with him. She whirled and danced, and everybody watched and marveled. She waved her left sleeve, and lo! a lake appeared! She waved her right sleeve, and white swans began to swim on the lake. The King and his guests were struck with wonder.
Then the other daughters-in-law went to dance. They waved one sleeve, but only splashed wine over the guests; they waved the other, but only scattered bones, and one bone hit the King right in the forehead. The King flew into a rage and drove both daughters-in-law away.
Meanwhile, Prince Ivan slipped out and ran home. There he found the frog skin and threw it into the fire. When Vasilisa the Wise came home, she looked for the frog skin but could not find it. She sat down on a bench, sorely grieved, and said to Prince Ivan, "Ah, Prince Ivan, what have you done? Had you but waited three more days I would have been yours forever. But now, farewell. Seek me beyond the Thrice-Nine Lands, in the Thrice-Ten Kingdom, where Koshchei the Deathless dwells." So saying, Vasilisa the Wise turned herself into a gray cuckoo and flew out of the window. Prince Ivan wept long and hard, then bowed in all four directions and went forth he knew not where to seek his wife, Vasilisa the Wise. How long he walked is hard to say, but his boots wore down at the heels, his tunic wore out at the elbows, and his cap became battered by the rain. By and by he met a little man, as old as old can be.
"Good day, my lad," said the little old man. "Where are you going and what is your errand?"
Prince Ivan told him about his trouble.
"Ah, why did you burn the frog skin, Prince Ivan?" said the little old man. "It was not yours to keep or do away with. Vasilisa the Wise was born wiser than her father, and that made him so angry that he turned her into a frog for three years. Ah, well, it cannot be helped now. Take this ball of yarn and follow it without fear wherever it rolls."
Prince Ivan thanked the little old man and followed the ball of yarn. It rolled on and he came after. In an open field he met a bear. Prince Ivan took aim and was about to kill it, but the bear spoke in a human voice: "Do not kill me, Prince Ivan, for you may have need of me someday."
Prince Ivan spared the bear's life and went on farther. Suddenly he saw a drake flying overhead. He took aim with his bow, but the drake said in a human voice, "Do not kill me, Prince Ivan, for you may have need of me someday."
He spared the drake and went on. A hare came running by. Again Prince Ivan snatched his bow to shoot it, but the hare said in a human voice, "Do not kill me, Prince Ivan, for you may have need of me someday."
So he spared the hare and went on. He came to the blue sea and saw a pike lying on the sandy beach gasping for breath. "Ah, Prince Ivan," said the pike, "take pity on me and throw me back into the blue sea."
So he threw the pike into the sea and walked on along the shore. By and by the ball of yarn rolled into a forest, and there stood a little hut on hen's feet, turning round and round. "Little hut, little hut, turn your back to the trees and your face to me, please."
The hut turned its face to him and its back to the trees. Prince Ivan walked in, and there, sitting in the corner, was Baba-Yaga, the witch with a broom and a switch, a bony hag with a nose like a snag. When she saw him she said, "Ugh, ugh, Russian blood, never met by me before, now I smell it at my door. Who comes here? Where from? Where to?"
"You might give me meat and drink and a steam bath before asking questions," retorted Prince Ivan. So Baba-Yaga gave him a steam bath, gave him meat and drink, and put him to bed. Then Prince Ivan told her he was seeking his wife, Vasilisa the Wise.
"I know, I know," said Baba Yaga. "Your wife is now in the power of Koshchei the Deathless. It will be hard for you to get him back. Koshchei is more than a match for you. His death is at the point of a needle. The needle is in an egg; the egg is in a duck; the duck is in a hare; the hare is in a stone casket; the casket is at the top of a tall oak tree that Koshchei the Deathless guards as the apple of his eye."
Prince Ivan spent the night at Baba-Yaga's, and in the morning she showed him the way to the tall oak. How long he walked it is hard to say, but by and by he came to the tall oak tree with the stone casket at the top of it. But it was hard to reach.
Suddenly, up came the bear whose life he had spared, and pulled the tree out, roots and all. Down fell the casket and broke open. Out of the casket sprang a hare and scampered off as fast as it could. The other hare, whose life Prince Ivan had spared, gave chase, caught it and tore it to bits. Out of the dead hare flew a duck, and shot high into the sky. But in a twinkling, the drake, whose life Prince Ivan had spared, was at it. The duck dropped the egg, and down it fell into the blue sea.
At this Prince Ivan wept bitter tears. How could he find the egg in the sea? But all at once the pike, whose life Prince Ivan had spared, swam up with the egg in its mouth. Prince Ivan broke the egg, took the needle out, and set about breaking the point off. The more he bent it, the more Koshchei the Deathless writhed and screamed, but all in vain. Prince Ivan broke off the point of the needle and Koshchei fell down dead.
Prince Ivan went to Koshchei's white stone palace. Vasilisa the Wise came running out to meet him and kissed him deeply. And Prince Ivan and Vasilisa the Wise went back to their own home and lived in peace and happiness to a ripe old age.
domingo 18 de julio de 2010
El lobo, el oso y el zorro
Estaban roturando la tierra un lobo, un oso y un zorro. Llegó el mediodía y el zorro fue a preparar la comida. La comida la hizo a base de un cuenco de cuajada que había robado en la cabaña de un pastor. Pero le pareció muy apetitosa, y no pudo evitar la tentación de probarla. Y así, primero comió un poquito y después otro poquito hasta comerse más de la mitad del cuenco.
Entonces se le ocurrió, sacar del cuenco el resto de la cuajada y poner en el fondo del recipiente boñiga de vaca que cubrió con lo que quedaba de la cuajada.
Vinieron a comer el lobo y el oso, y el zorro les preguntó por su preferencia: lo de arriba, lo del medio o lo del fondo.
El oso dijo: -Yo lo del fondo.
El lobo dijo: -Yo lo del medio.
El zorro entonces se apresuró a decir: -Pues yo prefiero lo de encima.
Se comió por tanto el zorro la cuajada que estaba encima, dejando la boñiga para los otros. Al reconocer el lobo y el oso el contenido del cuenco se enfadaron mucho y se lanzaron en persecución del zorro.
Finalmente el lobo consiguió agarrar al zorro por una pata y el zorro le dijo: -Suelta esa pata y cógeme de la otra.
Pero apenas el lobo le soltó la pata, el zorro huyó como un rayo.
Siguieron la persecución hasta llegar a un río que el zorro salvó de un salto a la vez que apostaba con sus perseguidores: -A ver quién suelta el pedo más sonoro durante el salto.
Ni que decir tiene que él ganó la apuesta.
Finalmente el zorro llegó a su madriguera, en la que se refugió.
El lobo y el oso idearon preparar una fogata en la boca de la madriguera con la intención de quemarlo vivo.
El zorro les gritó desde el fondo de su guarida: -Os agradezco mucho el calor que me estáis proporcionando.
Ante tal respuesta el oso y el lobo, cambiaron de táctica, y comenzaron a inundar la madriguera con la intención de ahogar al zorro.
El zorro se dirigió a ellos de nuevo y les dijo: -Si antes me habéis ofrecido calor ahora os tengo que agradecer lo bien que me estáis refrescando.
Tras este último intento, el lobo y el oso, fracasados, se marcharon definitivamente.
Entonces se le ocurrió, sacar del cuenco el resto de la cuajada y poner en el fondo del recipiente boñiga de vaca que cubrió con lo que quedaba de la cuajada.
Vinieron a comer el lobo y el oso, y el zorro les preguntó por su preferencia: lo de arriba, lo del medio o lo del fondo.
El oso dijo: -Yo lo del fondo.
El lobo dijo: -Yo lo del medio.
El zorro entonces se apresuró a decir: -Pues yo prefiero lo de encima.
Se comió por tanto el zorro la cuajada que estaba encima, dejando la boñiga para los otros. Al reconocer el lobo y el oso el contenido del cuenco se enfadaron mucho y se lanzaron en persecución del zorro.
Finalmente el lobo consiguió agarrar al zorro por una pata y el zorro le dijo: -Suelta esa pata y cógeme de la otra.
Pero apenas el lobo le soltó la pata, el zorro huyó como un rayo.
Siguieron la persecución hasta llegar a un río que el zorro salvó de un salto a la vez que apostaba con sus perseguidores: -A ver quién suelta el pedo más sonoro durante el salto.
Ni que decir tiene que él ganó la apuesta.
Finalmente el zorro llegó a su madriguera, en la que se refugió.
El lobo y el oso idearon preparar una fogata en la boca de la madriguera con la intención de quemarlo vivo.
El zorro les gritó desde el fondo de su guarida: -Os agradezco mucho el calor que me estáis proporcionando.
Ante tal respuesta el oso y el lobo, cambiaron de táctica, y comenzaron a inundar la madriguera con la intención de ahogar al zorro.
El zorro se dirigió a ellos de nuevo y les dijo: -Si antes me habéis ofrecido calor ahora os tengo que agradecer lo bien que me estáis refrescando.
Tras este último intento, el lobo y el oso, fracasados, se marcharon definitivamente.
domingo 27 de junio de 2010
Father of Indian Corn
In the long, long ago, a poor Ojibwa Indian lived with his wife and children in a remote part of the present state of Wisconsin. Because he was such a poor
hunter, he was not very expert in providing food and supplies for his family.
His children were too young to give him much help. But he was a good man with a kind and contented disposition. He always was thankful to Chief of the Sky
Spirits for everything he received to share with his family.
His good disposition was inherited by his eldest son, who had just reached the age when he wanted to pursue his Guardian Spirit Quest. Each young Indian boy
looked forward to the time of finding the secret Spirit that would be his guide through his life. Each boy sought to learn his spirit name and what special
power would be given him by his Guardian Spirit.
Eldest son had been obedient since early childhood. He seemed pensive, thoughtful of others, mild in manner, and always a joy to his family and to his tribe.
At the first indication of spring, tradition told him to build a hut somewhere in an isolated place. There, he would not be disturbed during his dream quest.
He prepared his hut and himself and went immediately to begin his fast for seven days.
For the first few days, he amused himself walking in the woods and over the mountain trails. He examined trees, plants, and flowers. This kind of physical
effort in the outdoors prepared him for a night of sound sleep. His observations of the day filled his mind with pleasant ideas and dreams.
More and more he desired to know how the trees, plants, flowers, and berries grew. Seemingly they grew wild without much help from the Indians. He wondered
why some species were good to eat, while others contained poisonous juices. These thoughts came back to him many times as he retreated to his lodge at night.
He secretly wished for a dream that would reveal what he could do to benefit his family and his tribe.
"I believe the Chief of Sky Spirits guides all things and it is to him I owe all things," he thought to himself. "I wonder if Chief Sky Spirit can make it
easier for all Indians to acquire enough food without hunting animals every day to eat."
"I must try to find a way in my dreams," he pondered. He stayed on his bed the third day of fasting, because he felt weak and faint. Sometimes he thought
that he was going to die. He dreamed that he saw a strong, handsome young man coming down from the sky, advancing toward him. He was richly dressed in green
and yellow colours. He wore a plume of waving feathers on his head. His every movement was graceful.
"I have been sent to you," said the sky-visitor. "The Sky Chief who made all things in the sky and upon the earth intends for me to be your Guardian Spirit
and I have come to test you.
"Sky Chief has observed all that you have done to prepare yourself for your Quest. He understands the kind and worthy secret wish of your heart. He knows
that you desire a way to benefit your family and your tribe. He is pleased that you do not seek strength to make war. I have come to show you how to obtain
your greatest wish. First, your spirit name shall be Wunzh."
The stranger then told Wunzh to arise and wrestle with him. This was the only way for him to achieve his sacred wish. As weak as he was from fasting, Wunzh
wondered how he could ever wrestle the stranger.
He rose to the challenge--determined in his heart to die in the effort if he must. The two wrestled. After some time when Wunzh felt nearly exhausted, the
Sky Stranger said, "It is enough for today. I will come in tomorrow to test you some more." Smiling, the visitor ascended in the same direction from which he
came.
Next day at the same time, the stranger appeared. Again the two wrestled. While Wunzh felt weaker than the day before, he set his mind and heart to his task.
His courage seemed to increase, however, in reverse proportion to his waning physical strength. The stranger stopped just in time before Wunzh dropped to the
ground.
"Tomorrow will be your last chance. I urge you to be strong, my friend, as this is the only way for you to achieve your heart's sacred wish," said the sky-
visitor.
Wunzh took to his bed with his last ounce of energy. He prayed to the Sky Chief for wisdom and enough strength to endure to the end of his Quest.
The third time they wrestled, Wunzh was so weak that his arms and legs felt like rubber. But his inner determination drove him forward with the kind of
endurance necessary to win. The same length of time passed as in the first two wrestling bouts. Suddenly the stranger stopped and declared himself conquered
by Wunzh!
Then the sky-visitor entered the lodge for the first time. He sat down beside Wunzh to instruct him in the way he should now proceed to achieve his secret
wish.
"Great Sky Chief has granted your desire. You have wrestled manfully. Tomorrow will be your seventh day of fasting. Your father will come to see you and
bring you food. As it is the last day of your fast, you will be able to succeed.
"Now I will tell you what you must do to achieve your final victory. Tomorrow we will wrestle once more. When you have prevailed over me for the last time,
then throw me down and strip off my clothes. You must clean the earth of roots and weeds and make the ground soft. Then bury me in that very spot, covering
me with my yellow and green clothes and then with earth.
"When you have done this, leave my body in the earth. Do not disturb it. Come occasionally to see if I have come to life. Be careful to see that no grass or
weeds cover my grave. Once a month, cover me with fresh earth. If you follow what I have told you, you will succeed in your Guardian Spirit Quest. You will
help your family and all the Indians by teaching them what I have now taught you," the Sky Stranger concluded as they shook hands and the visitor left.
On the seventh morning, Wunzh's father came with some food.
"My son, how do you feel? You have fasted long enough. It is seven days since you have eaten food. You must not sacrifice your life. The Great Spirit does
not require that of you."
"My father, thank you for coming and for the food. Let me stay here alone until the sun goes down. I have my own special reasons."
"Very well. I shall wait for you at home until the hour of the setting sun," replied the father as he departed.
The Sky Stranger returned at the same hour as before. The final wrestling match began. Wunzh had not eaten the food his father brought. But already he felt a
new inner power that had somehow been given to him. Was it Spirit Power from his Guardian Spirit?
Wunzh grasped his opponent with supernatural strength and threw him to the ground. Wunzh removed the beautiful clothes and the plume. Then he discovered his
friend was dead.
He remembered the instructions in every detail and buried his Guardian Spirit on the very spot where he had fallen. Wunzh followed every direction minutely,
believing his friend would come to life again.
Wunzh returned to his father's lodge at sundown. He ate sparingly of the meal his mother prepared for him. Never for a moment could he forget the grave of
his friend. Throughout the spring and into summer he visited the grave regularly. He carefully kept the area clean of grass and weeds. He carefully kept the
ground soft and pliable. Soon he saw the tops of green plumes emerging through the earth. He noticed that the more care he gave the plants, the faster the
green plumes seemed to grow.
Wunzh concealed his activity from his father. Days and weeks passed. Summer was drawing to a close. Then one day, Wunzh invited his father to follow him to
the site of his Quest. He showed his father the graceful-looking plants growing there. They were topped with yellow silken hair and waving green plumes. Gold
and green clusters of fruit adorned each side of the stalks.
"Father, these plants are from my dream friend," explained Wunzh. "He is my Guardian Spirit, a friend to all mankind, named Mon-daw-min, meaning 'corn for
all Indians.' This is the answer to my Quest, my secret heart's wish. No longer will we need to hunt animals every day for our food. As long as we take care
of our corn gift, the earth will give us good food for our living."
Wunzh pulled off the first ear of corn and give it to his father.
"See, my father. This corn is what I fasted for. The Chief of Sky Spirits has granted my Quest. He has sent us this wonderful new food of corn. From now on
our people need not depend entirely upon hunting and fishing to survive."
Wunzh talked with his father, giving him all of the instructions he had received from his Guardian Spirit. He showed his father how the corn husks should be
pulled off the stalks, and how the first seed must be saved for future plantings. He explained how the ears of corn should be held before the fire only long
enough for the outer leaves to turn brown, so that the inside kernels remained sweet and juicy.
The entire family gathered for Wunzh's feast of corn. The father led a prayer of thanksgiving for the bountiful and good gift from the Chief of Sky Spirits.
Wunzh felt happy that his Guardian Spirit Quest was successfully completed.
This is how Wunzh became known as the father of Indian corn by the Chippewa and Ojibwa Indian tribes.
hunter, he was not very expert in providing food and supplies for his family.
His children were too young to give him much help. But he was a good man with a kind and contented disposition. He always was thankful to Chief of the Sky
Spirits for everything he received to share with his family.
His good disposition was inherited by his eldest son, who had just reached the age when he wanted to pursue his Guardian Spirit Quest. Each young Indian boy
looked forward to the time of finding the secret Spirit that would be his guide through his life. Each boy sought to learn his spirit name and what special
power would be given him by his Guardian Spirit.
Eldest son had been obedient since early childhood. He seemed pensive, thoughtful of others, mild in manner, and always a joy to his family and to his tribe.
At the first indication of spring, tradition told him to build a hut somewhere in an isolated place. There, he would not be disturbed during his dream quest.
He prepared his hut and himself and went immediately to begin his fast for seven days.
For the first few days, he amused himself walking in the woods and over the mountain trails. He examined trees, plants, and flowers. This kind of physical
effort in the outdoors prepared him for a night of sound sleep. His observations of the day filled his mind with pleasant ideas and dreams.
More and more he desired to know how the trees, plants, flowers, and berries grew. Seemingly they grew wild without much help from the Indians. He wondered
why some species were good to eat, while others contained poisonous juices. These thoughts came back to him many times as he retreated to his lodge at night.
He secretly wished for a dream that would reveal what he could do to benefit his family and his tribe.
"I believe the Chief of Sky Spirits guides all things and it is to him I owe all things," he thought to himself. "I wonder if Chief Sky Spirit can make it
easier for all Indians to acquire enough food without hunting animals every day to eat."
"I must try to find a way in my dreams," he pondered. He stayed on his bed the third day of fasting, because he felt weak and faint. Sometimes he thought
that he was going to die. He dreamed that he saw a strong, handsome young man coming down from the sky, advancing toward him. He was richly dressed in green
and yellow colours. He wore a plume of waving feathers on his head. His every movement was graceful.
"I have been sent to you," said the sky-visitor. "The Sky Chief who made all things in the sky and upon the earth intends for me to be your Guardian Spirit
and I have come to test you.
"Sky Chief has observed all that you have done to prepare yourself for your Quest. He understands the kind and worthy secret wish of your heart. He knows
that you desire a way to benefit your family and your tribe. He is pleased that you do not seek strength to make war. I have come to show you how to obtain
your greatest wish. First, your spirit name shall be Wunzh."
The stranger then told Wunzh to arise and wrestle with him. This was the only way for him to achieve his sacred wish. As weak as he was from fasting, Wunzh
wondered how he could ever wrestle the stranger.
He rose to the challenge--determined in his heart to die in the effort if he must. The two wrestled. After some time when Wunzh felt nearly exhausted, the
Sky Stranger said, "It is enough for today. I will come in tomorrow to test you some more." Smiling, the visitor ascended in the same direction from which he
came.
Next day at the same time, the stranger appeared. Again the two wrestled. While Wunzh felt weaker than the day before, he set his mind and heart to his task.
His courage seemed to increase, however, in reverse proportion to his waning physical strength. The stranger stopped just in time before Wunzh dropped to the
ground.
"Tomorrow will be your last chance. I urge you to be strong, my friend, as this is the only way for you to achieve your heart's sacred wish," said the sky-
visitor.
Wunzh took to his bed with his last ounce of energy. He prayed to the Sky Chief for wisdom and enough strength to endure to the end of his Quest.
The third time they wrestled, Wunzh was so weak that his arms and legs felt like rubber. But his inner determination drove him forward with the kind of
endurance necessary to win. The same length of time passed as in the first two wrestling bouts. Suddenly the stranger stopped and declared himself conquered
by Wunzh!
Then the sky-visitor entered the lodge for the first time. He sat down beside Wunzh to instruct him in the way he should now proceed to achieve his secret
wish.
"Great Sky Chief has granted your desire. You have wrestled manfully. Tomorrow will be your seventh day of fasting. Your father will come to see you and
bring you food. As it is the last day of your fast, you will be able to succeed.
"Now I will tell you what you must do to achieve your final victory. Tomorrow we will wrestle once more. When you have prevailed over me for the last time,
then throw me down and strip off my clothes. You must clean the earth of roots and weeds and make the ground soft. Then bury me in that very spot, covering
me with my yellow and green clothes and then with earth.
"When you have done this, leave my body in the earth. Do not disturb it. Come occasionally to see if I have come to life. Be careful to see that no grass or
weeds cover my grave. Once a month, cover me with fresh earth. If you follow what I have told you, you will succeed in your Guardian Spirit Quest. You will
help your family and all the Indians by teaching them what I have now taught you," the Sky Stranger concluded as they shook hands and the visitor left.
On the seventh morning, Wunzh's father came with some food.
"My son, how do you feel? You have fasted long enough. It is seven days since you have eaten food. You must not sacrifice your life. The Great Spirit does
not require that of you."
"My father, thank you for coming and for the food. Let me stay here alone until the sun goes down. I have my own special reasons."
"Very well. I shall wait for you at home until the hour of the setting sun," replied the father as he departed.
The Sky Stranger returned at the same hour as before. The final wrestling match began. Wunzh had not eaten the food his father brought. But already he felt a
new inner power that had somehow been given to him. Was it Spirit Power from his Guardian Spirit?
Wunzh grasped his opponent with supernatural strength and threw him to the ground. Wunzh removed the beautiful clothes and the plume. Then he discovered his
friend was dead.
He remembered the instructions in every detail and buried his Guardian Spirit on the very spot where he had fallen. Wunzh followed every direction minutely,
believing his friend would come to life again.
Wunzh returned to his father's lodge at sundown. He ate sparingly of the meal his mother prepared for him. Never for a moment could he forget the grave of
his friend. Throughout the spring and into summer he visited the grave regularly. He carefully kept the area clean of grass and weeds. He carefully kept the
ground soft and pliable. Soon he saw the tops of green plumes emerging through the earth. He noticed that the more care he gave the plants, the faster the
green plumes seemed to grow.
Wunzh concealed his activity from his father. Days and weeks passed. Summer was drawing to a close. Then one day, Wunzh invited his father to follow him to
the site of his Quest. He showed his father the graceful-looking plants growing there. They were topped with yellow silken hair and waving green plumes. Gold
and green clusters of fruit adorned each side of the stalks.
"Father, these plants are from my dream friend," explained Wunzh. "He is my Guardian Spirit, a friend to all mankind, named Mon-daw-min, meaning 'corn for
all Indians.' This is the answer to my Quest, my secret heart's wish. No longer will we need to hunt animals every day for our food. As long as we take care
of our corn gift, the earth will give us good food for our living."
Wunzh pulled off the first ear of corn and give it to his father.
"See, my father. This corn is what I fasted for. The Chief of Sky Spirits has granted my Quest. He has sent us this wonderful new food of corn. From now on
our people need not depend entirely upon hunting and fishing to survive."
Wunzh talked with his father, giving him all of the instructions he had received from his Guardian Spirit. He showed his father how the corn husks should be
pulled off the stalks, and how the first seed must be saved for future plantings. He explained how the ears of corn should be held before the fire only long
enough for the outer leaves to turn brown, so that the inside kernels remained sweet and juicy.
The entire family gathered for Wunzh's feast of corn. The father led a prayer of thanksgiving for the bountiful and good gift from the Chief of Sky Spirits.
Wunzh felt happy that his Guardian Spirit Quest was successfully completed.
This is how Wunzh became known as the father of Indian corn by the Chippewa and Ojibwa Indian tribes.
domingo 20 de junio de 2010
The magic bowls
A man was poor, and his wife nagged him every day for being such a lazy good-for-nothing. The poor fellow would listen to all her abuse patiently, slip out of the house whenever he could, and stay out till it felt safe to come home.
One day, her anger boiled over. She scraped together whatever stale food remained in her pots, tied it up in a dirty cloth, thrust it into his hand, and sent him packing. "Go somewhere, anywhere, and earn something. And don't you come back till you do!" she said, as she slammed the door.
The man took his bundle of cold rice and trudged out of the village. He walked and walked for miles till he came to place where three roads crossed. A huge banyan tree had grown up there and had lent its shade to weary travelers for many years. The man was tired and his legs ached. He sat down under the tree. He tied his bundle of rice to one of its branches and soon he was fast asleep, his head pillowed on the roots of the banyan.
Now, there were forest spirits living in the banyan tree. They sighted the sleeping man below and the bundle of rice on the branch above him. They wanted to taste his dinner. No sooner did they think of it than it was done. What's more, they liked that cold rice very much. They had tasted nectar and all the dishes of heaven, but this was something new. They had never tasted stale rice before. It had a wonderful flavor of its own. What a change from their dull routine of ambrosia and fruit from heaven's trees!
The few handfuls of rice in the poor man's bundle were just enough for a round among the forest spirits. They were pleased and thought they should give their poor sleeping host something in return for the food they had taken away.
When the poor man woke up, he was hungry and looked for his bundle. When he found it, the food was gone. In its place, there were four oddlooking empty bowls. Raging with hunger, he banged the bowls on the ground. At once, several lovely women appeared before him with all sorts of divine dishes in their hands, ready to serve him. He was dumbstruck by the magic of it all, but he was too hungry to be frightened or ask questions. As he fell to, the lovely women served him gently, silently, attended to his slightest gesture, and treated him like a god. Soon he came to believe that he was indeed master of these nymphs. His marvelous dinner over, his heavenly servants disappeared without a trace, leaving the four empty bowls behind them.
Praying gratefully to all the gods, he picked up the empty bowls with great respect. He held them to his bosom and hastened home, big with his story. When she heard it, his wife nearly burst with joy. They placed the magic bowls at the feet of their household gods and looked at them again and again to make sure they were still there. They could not believe their own good fortune. They felt they should use their god-given gift worshipfully, only after offering public prayers to the gods and charity to their neighbors.
Even as the next day dawned, the man was out of the house. He went to every door and invited every family in the village, rich and poor alike. Everyone was skeptical. Some laughed outright. Some thought it was a practical joke, some that the man must be crazy. They quoted a proverb: "The guests of the poor come back home early."
The guests gathered by noon in the small hovel. Many of them had taken the precaution of eating well before they arrived. They came just to see what was happening, and were they surprised!
The poor man and his wife brought forth four odd-looking vessels and very respectfully requested them to bestow upon the guests their gracious gifts. And lo and behold! dozens of lovely women, each lovelier than the next, adorned to the fingertips, rose out of the bowls. In their hands were plates full of the daintiest dishes. Silver platters appeared from nowhere before the bewildered guests, and service began.
As the guests ate, new dishes arrived by the dozen and the heavenly women served them so readily that everyone felt that they forestalled one's slightest wishes. The guests were fed till they were ready to burst. They had trouble getting up and carrying themselves home.
The village buzzed with the news. Everyone talked about it. The poor man, no longer poor, was the rage for months.
Now, there was a rich man in the village who thought no end of himself. He grew envious of the sudden wealth and the growing popularity of his neighbor who till yesterday had been a penniless beggar. He paid a visit to his fellow villager one day and was treated to the miracle of the bowls and the lovely women who rose from them for the mere asking. He quickly made friends with their owner, gave him and his wife gifts, and soon wormed the secret out of them.
"It's so easy," he thought. "There's nothing to it." He hurried home and ordered his best cook to make the most sumptuous dishes at once. Next morning, he traveled in a palanquin, as fast as his bearers could take him, and arrived at the spot where three roads crossed. He carefully arranged a big basket full of the finest dishes that money could command, right under the banyan tree. Then he dismissed his servants till evening, and composed himself as if for sleep. Of course, he wasn't going to sleep. He was too curious to see the forest spirits and what they would do. He lay there for a long time till somehow sleep stole over him. When he woke up, all in a hurry, he saw beside him four odd-looking bowls. And his basket was empty.
He had succeeded. Of course, he had never once doubted he would. After all, he had brought for the spirits in the banyan tree the tastiest, the richest, the most royal of all human dishes. How could they help giving him what he wanted? Here they were, in full view, the magic bowls!
He hurried home, asking his palanquin bearers to go faster. He called his entire household and sent them running with the news and invitations to every family in the village.
People from all corners flocked to his dining hall. Their mouths watered at the memory of the recent banquet. Here was another, and a rich man's, too! Many starved themselves all day to do justice to his hospitality.
The rich man beamed at his guests and motioned them to their seats. Servants brought in the bowls with great ceremony and placed them on a pedestal. His head wrapped in a lace turban, wearing earrings and turquoises, their master stood before the bowls and loudly ordered them to bring forth a divine banquet for everyone assembled. Hardly had his voice stopped ringing when out came dozens of big burly men. They looked like wrestlers. They had rolls of muscle on their arms, and their looks would have scared the bravest of men. They came out of the bowls and went after the host and his hungry guests. They seized them one by one, whipped out gleaming razors, and with great gusto shaved every head in the hall, shaved them so close that every head was clean and shiny like a bronze bowl. Not a single guest escaped the barbers' banquet, not even the wives.
And as the terrified guests crawled out, a muscular fellow at the door held up a large mirror to their faces and forced them to take a good long look at themselves before they left the hall, never to return.
domingo 13 de junio de 2010
La Grulla Agradecida
Erase una vez un joven que vivía solo en una casita al lado del bosque. Regresaba a casa un día de invierno en el que había caído bastante nieve, cuando oyó un ruido extraño. Se encaminó hacia el lugar, un campo lejano, de donde procedía el sonido, y allí descubrió una grulla tumbada sobre la nieve llorando de dolor. tenía una flecha clavada en el ala. El joven se la quitó con mucho cuidado y la curó. El pájaro, ya libre, voló hacia el cielo y desapareció.
El hombre, que era muy pobre, volvió a casa. Su vida era muy solitaria, pues nadie le visitaba. Pero esa noche alguien llamó a la puerta.
- "¿Quién será a esta hora y con tanta nieve?", pensó él.
¡Qué sorpresa se llevo al abrir la puerta y ver a una mujer joven y muy bonita!. Ella le dijó que no podía encontrar su camino por la nieve, y le pidió que le dejara descansar en su casa. El muchacho no puso ninguna objeción. La joven permaneció en la casa esa noche y también el día siguiente.
La muchacha era tan dulce y humilde que el joven se enamoró y le pidió ser su esposa. Se casaron, y a pesar de su pobreza, se sentían felices. E incluso los vecinos se alegraban de verlos tan contentos. Pero el tiempo pasa rápido y volvió a llegar el invierno. Se quedaron sin dinero y comida, tan pobres como siempre.
Un día, para poder ayudar un poco, la mujer decidió tejer para lo cuál su marido le construyó un telar detrás de la casa. Antes de comenzar el trabajo ella le pidió a su marido que le prometiese que nunca entraría en el cuarto. El así se lo prometió. Durante tres días y tres noches trabajó sin parar y sin salir del cuarto. Cuando la mujer salió estaba desfallecida, pero le entrego a su marido un tejido hermosísimo. El fue al mercado, lo vendió y consiguió un buen precio.
El dinero les duró bastante tiempo pero no duró todo el invierno. Así que la mujer se dispuso a tejer de nuevo, y otra vez el marido le prometió no entrar en el cuarto. Esta vez tardo cuatro días en vez de tres, cuando salió del cuarto estaba incluso más cansada que la vez anterior, pero le dio a su marido un tejido tan bello y de tanta calidad que, al venderlo en el mercado, consiguieron dinero suficiente para pasara dos duros inviernos.
Aunque tenían el futuro seguro, el hombre se volvió avaro. Se atormentaba por el deseo de ser rico. Además creció en él la duda por las constantes preguntas de los los vecinos sobre cómo se podía tejer sin comprar hilo. El joven le pidió a su señora hacer otro tejido. Ella pensaba que ya tenían bastante dinero y que no había necesidad, pero el avaricioso no dejó de insistir. Al final la mujer accedió y tras recordarle a su marido la promesa, se metió en el cuarto del telar a trabajar.
La curiosidad que tenía el hombre no le dejaba tranquilo. Así, que ignorando su promesa, fue al cuarto donde trabajaba su esposa y abrió un poquito la puerta. La sorpresa de lo que vio hizo que se le escapara un grito. Manejando el telar vio a un hermoso pájaro en lugar de a su joven mujer. El pájaro se arrancaba las plumas de su cuerpo con gran dolor y de estas obtenía un tejido igualmente hermoso. Cuando el pájaro, oyó el grito, se dio cuenta de que alguien la miraba, dejó de trabajar y de repente se transformó en la mujer joven.
La mujer le explicó su historia a su marido, que ella era esa grulla a la cuál él ayudó y que, agradecida por su bondad, se convirtió a mujer, y que empezó a tejer para ayudarle y que dejara de ser pobre, esto a pesar del sacrificio que tejer con las plumas de su propio cuerpo le costaba. Pero, ahora que él conocía su secreto, tendría que abandonarle. Al oír esto, el prometió que la quería más que a todo el dinero del mundo, pero ya no había remedio. Cuando acabó de contar su historia, ella se convirtió en grulla y voló hacia el cielo.
El hombre, que era muy pobre, volvió a casa. Su vida era muy solitaria, pues nadie le visitaba. Pero esa noche alguien llamó a la puerta.
- "¿Quién será a esta hora y con tanta nieve?", pensó él.
¡Qué sorpresa se llevo al abrir la puerta y ver a una mujer joven y muy bonita!. Ella le dijó que no podía encontrar su camino por la nieve, y le pidió que le dejara descansar en su casa. El muchacho no puso ninguna objeción. La joven permaneció en la casa esa noche y también el día siguiente.
La muchacha era tan dulce y humilde que el joven se enamoró y le pidió ser su esposa. Se casaron, y a pesar de su pobreza, se sentían felices. E incluso los vecinos se alegraban de verlos tan contentos. Pero el tiempo pasa rápido y volvió a llegar el invierno. Se quedaron sin dinero y comida, tan pobres como siempre.
Un día, para poder ayudar un poco, la mujer decidió tejer para lo cuál su marido le construyó un telar detrás de la casa. Antes de comenzar el trabajo ella le pidió a su marido que le prometiese que nunca entraría en el cuarto. El así se lo prometió. Durante tres días y tres noches trabajó sin parar y sin salir del cuarto. Cuando la mujer salió estaba desfallecida, pero le entrego a su marido un tejido hermosísimo. El fue al mercado, lo vendió y consiguió un buen precio.
El dinero les duró bastante tiempo pero no duró todo el invierno. Así que la mujer se dispuso a tejer de nuevo, y otra vez el marido le prometió no entrar en el cuarto. Esta vez tardo cuatro días en vez de tres, cuando salió del cuarto estaba incluso más cansada que la vez anterior, pero le dio a su marido un tejido tan bello y de tanta calidad que, al venderlo en el mercado, consiguieron dinero suficiente para pasara dos duros inviernos.
Aunque tenían el futuro seguro, el hombre se volvió avaro. Se atormentaba por el deseo de ser rico. Además creció en él la duda por las constantes preguntas de los los vecinos sobre cómo se podía tejer sin comprar hilo. El joven le pidió a su señora hacer otro tejido. Ella pensaba que ya tenían bastante dinero y que no había necesidad, pero el avaricioso no dejó de insistir. Al final la mujer accedió y tras recordarle a su marido la promesa, se metió en el cuarto del telar a trabajar.
La curiosidad que tenía el hombre no le dejaba tranquilo. Así, que ignorando su promesa, fue al cuarto donde trabajaba su esposa y abrió un poquito la puerta. La sorpresa de lo que vio hizo que se le escapara un grito. Manejando el telar vio a un hermoso pájaro en lugar de a su joven mujer. El pájaro se arrancaba las plumas de su cuerpo con gran dolor y de estas obtenía un tejido igualmente hermoso. Cuando el pájaro, oyó el grito, se dio cuenta de que alguien la miraba, dejó de trabajar y de repente se transformó en la mujer joven.
La mujer le explicó su historia a su marido, que ella era esa grulla a la cuál él ayudó y que, agradecida por su bondad, se convirtió a mujer, y que empezó a tejer para ayudarle y que dejara de ser pobre, esto a pesar del sacrificio que tejer con las plumas de su propio cuerpo le costaba. Pero, ahora que él conocía su secreto, tendría que abandonarle. Al oír esto, el prometió que la quería más que a todo el dinero del mundo, pero ya no había remedio. Cuando acabó de contar su historia, ella se convirtió en grulla y voló hacia el cielo.
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