Folklore of the Santal Parganas - Cecil Henry Bompas (paper ebook reader .TXT) 📗

starve. Night came on and the girl stayed in the tree:

it so happened that that day the six brothers were returning home

and being benighted stopped to sleep under that very tree. The girl

thought that they were dacoits and stayed still. She could not help

crying in her despair and a warm tear fell on the face of one the

brothers sleeping below and woke him up. He looked, up and recognized

his sister. The brothers soon rescued her and when they heard of the

cruelty of their wives they went home and put them all to death.

 

 

 

 

(13)--The False Rani.

 

Once upon a time a Raja who had just married was returning with his

bride to his kingdom. It was hot weather and a long journey and as they

passed through a jungle the Raja and all his men went down to a stream

to drink leaving the bride sitting in her _palki_. As the bride thus

sat all alone she was frightened at seeing a she-bear come up. The

bear asked the bride who she was and where she was going. When she

heard, she thought that she would like to share so agreeable a fate,

so by threats she made the Rani get out of her _palki_ and give her

all her fine clothes and jewellery and go away into the jungle. The

bear dressing herself in the Rani's clothes, got into the _palki_,

and when the men came back they took up the _palki_ and went on their

way without noticing any change, nor did the Raja detect the fraud:

he took the bear to his palace and installed her as his wife. Meanwhile

the real bride had picked up the walking stick of the Raja and a cloth

which he had left on the road when he went to the stream, and ran into

the jungle. She made her way to the house of a Ghasi woman who lived

by the Raja's palace with her daughters. The daughters earned a living

by selling flowers and one day one daughter, as she sold the Raja a

garland, told him that his real bride was living in their house. The

Raja was very distressed and at once went to see his bride and was

satisfied of her identity when she produced his stick and cloth. The

real Rani refused to go to his palace until the she bear had been put

to death. Thereupon the Raja gave instructions to his followers and

sent word to the palace that he was dead. The officers and servants

at the palace then prepared a big pit and lit a large fire in it:

they then sent for the she bear and told her that she must perform

the funeral ceremonies of her husband. They made her take off her

fine clothes and told her to kneel down by the burning pit and make

salaam to it. As she was doing so they pushed her into the pit and

she was burned to death. Then the Raja brought home his real bride in

triumph. But from that time bears attack men when they get the chance.

 

 

 

 

(14)--The Jackal and the Kite.

 

Once upon a time a jackal and a kite agreed to join forces and get

their food together. In pursuance of their plan they sent word to a

prosperous village that a Raja with his army was marching that way and

intended the next day to loot the village. The next morning the jackal

took an empty _kalsi_ and marched towards the village drumming on the

_kalsi_ with all his might, and the kite flew along overhead screaming

as loud as he could. The villagers thought that the Raja's army was

approaching and fled into the jungle. The jackal and the kite began to

feast on all the good things that had been left in the houses. There

was however one old woman who was too infirm to run away with the

other inhabitants: and had hid herself inside her house. When she saw

that no army came but only a jackal and a kite she crawled away into

the jungle and told her friends. They came back, and surrounding the

village, caught the jackal: they began to beat the jackal with sticks

to kill it: the jackal uttered no sound and pretended that it did not

mind being beaten: after a time it began to jeer at its captors and

told them that they could never kill it by beating. The asked how it

could be killed and it said by burning. So they tied a bunch of old

cloths on to its tail and poured oil over them and set them on fire:

the jackal ran off with the burning bundle at the end of its tail

and jumping on to the nearest house set fire to the thatch: the fire

spread and the whole village was burnt down. The jackal then ran to

a tank and jumping into the water extinguished its blazing tail. But

if you look you will see that all jackals have a burnt tip to their

tail to this day.

 

 

 

 

(15)--The Sons of the Raban Raja.

 

There was a Raja who used to bathe daily at a certain tank. In the

tank was a great fish: as the Raja washed his mouth this fish used

daily to swallow the rinsings of his mouth. In consequence of this

the fish after a time gave birth to two human children. As the two

boys grew up they used to go into the village near the tank and play

with the other children. One day however, a man beat them and drove

them away from the other children jeering at them because they had

no father. Much disturbed at this they went to the fish and asked

whether it was true that they had no father. The fish told them

that their father was the Raban Raja. The two boys resolved to go in

search of the Raban Raja: they set out and after a time met a man and

asked him if he knew the Raban Raja. The man asked why they wished to

know. They said that they were his sons. Then the man at once killed

them because the Raban Raja was an enemy of his country. From the

place where the bodies of the dead boys lay, two large bamboos grew

When the bamboos had grown very big, a Jogi came by that way and

cut them down, making from them two flutes. These flutes produced such

beautiful music that every one was charmed and the fame of the Jogi

spread far and wide: so when in his wanderings the Jogi reached the

kingdom of the Raban Raja the Raja sent for him and the Jogi came to

the palace with his two bamboo flutes. When the flutes were brought

into the presence of the Raja they burst open and from them appeared

the two boys. When the Raja heard their history he recognized them

as his sons, and sent the Jogi away with large rewards.

 

 

 

 

(16)--The Potter's Son.

 

Once upon a time there was a Kumhar whose wife was about to have a

child. As they were very poor the pair resolved that if the child

should prove to be a boy they would abandon it, but if it were a girl

they would bring it up. When the child was born it was found to be a

son, so the Kumhar took it into the jungle and left it there. There

it was found by a tiger and tigress whose cubs had just died and who

determined to bring up the man-child as their own. They accordingly

fed it and looked after it; the boy grew up strong and healthy. When

he got big, the tiger went to a blacksmith and had made for him a bow

and arrows of iron with which he used to hunt. When the boy became a

young man the tiger decided that his marriage must be arranged for. So

he went to the capital of a neighbouring Raja, and when the Raja's

daughter came to a tank to bathe, the tiger seized her and carried her

off into the jungle, where she was married to the Kumhar's son. The

princess was very pleased with her new husband, but found the life

with the tigers in the jungle very irksome. She constantly begged her

husband to run away, until at last he agreed. One day when the tigers

were at a distance they started off and soon arrived at the palace

of the princess' father. Leaving her husband by the palace tank, the

princess went ahead to see how matters stood and to prepare a welcome

for her husband. He being left alone decided to bathe in the tank. Now

a dhoba was there washing the palace clothes, and seeing a stranger he

concluded that it was a thief come to steal the clothes. He accordingly

killed him and then in fear threw the body into the water. When the

princess returned she was distressed to find no sign of her husband

but his iron bow and arrows. Search was made everywhere and the tank

was netted but no trace could be discovered of her missing spouse.

 

Shortly afterwards a Ghasi girl came to catch _chingris_ in the tank,

and while doing so suddenly laid hold of a large fish. In great delight

she took it home. When she came to cut it up she found inside the belly

of the fish a living child. Pleased with its appearance she decided

to adopt it. She put it in a basket, and tying the basket under her

cloth pretended to be pregnant, and shortly afterwards announced that

she had given birth to a child. The boy grew with marvellous rapidity.

 

Meanwhile the father of the widowed princess insisted that she should

marry again. But she was faithful to the memory of her husband and

declared that she would only marry the man who could draw the iron

bow. Many suitors came but they all failed to draw the bow. At length

the reputed son of the Ghasi woman came and pulling the bow with ease

announced himself as the true husband of the princess with whom he

lived happily ever after.

 

 

 

 

(17)--The Wonderful Cowherd.

 

Once upon a time there was a Raja who had seven daughters. The seven

princesses used to bathe daily in a tank and when they bathed they used

to put the scrapings from their bodies in a hole in the ground. From

this hole there grew a tree, and the eldest princess announced that

she would marry the man who could tell her what had caused the tree to

grow; many suitors came and made guesses but none divined the truth;

heir father was anxious that she should be married, and insisted

on every one in the kingdom being questioned. At last a miserable,

poverty stricken and sickly cowherd was asked; he had always grazed

his cattle on the banks of the tank and had often seen the princesses

bathing so he knew from what the tree had spring. The princess being

bound by her oath had to marry the miserable cowherd and go and live

with him in his hut.

 

All day long the cowherd used to be groaning in sickness and misery;

but at night he used to come out of his skin and appear as a beautiful

and shining man; in this form he used to go and play and dance in

the moonlight in the court yard of the Raja's palace. One night the

princess's maid-servant saw her master return and creep into his ugly

skin; she told her mistress who resolved to keep watch the next night;

when she saw her husband assume his shining form and go out of the

house leaving his ugly skin lying on the ground, she took the skin

and burnt it in the fire. Immediately her husband came rushing back

declaring that he was suffering the agonies of burning; but the skin

was burnt and the former cowherd retained his glorious and shining

appearance; and on the application of oil the pain of the burning

ceased. The princess then began to live with pleasure in the company

of so glorious a husband, who however only went out of the house at

night as his body was too bright for ordinary eyes to look upon.

 

It began however to be whispered about among the neighbours that a

shining being was to be seen at the princess's house and the rumour

eventually reached the ears of the Raja. The Raja sent a messenger

to see who the being was, but when the messenger saw the shining man

he was blinded and driven out of his senses and returned to the Raja

in a state of madness. Two or three other messengers successively

met the same fate. At length the