Notes.
Through its main incidents and situations, this story is connected with a number of tales, although, as in the case of the preceding narrative, I can point to no complete analogue for it. The introduction has some points of close resemblance to the introduction of the “Language of Animals” cycle, where the hero saves the life of a snake, usually from fire, and is consequently rewarded by the king of snakes with the gift of understanding the tongues of birds and beasts. This cycle has been fully discussed by Benfey (Orient und Occident, 2 : 133–171, “Ein Märchen von der Thiersprache, Quelle und Verbreitung”). Additional bibliographical details may be found in Bolte-Polívka, 1 : 132–133, note 1. The invitation of the rescued snake to its savior to visit the king of snakes, and its advice that he ask for one particular magic reward only, are found in many versions of the “Language of Animals” group, as well as in our story; but this is as far as the similarity between the two extends. From this point on, our story deviates altogether, except for the vaguest reminiscences.
Again, in the fact that Andres does not save the snake from an accidental death, but buys its life from a cruel person about to kill it, our story appears to be connected with the “Magic Ring” cycle. We have already discussed two variants of this cycle in [No. 10]; but, as has been pointed out in the notes to those stories, the most characteristic beginning is lacking there. In most of the members of the “Magic Ring” group, the kind-hearted hero spends all his money to ransom from death certain animals, including a snake which invites him to the home of its father, and then tells him what to ask for. But in our present story, only the snake is saved; the recompense is a magic wishing-cloth that can do only one thing, not a stone or ring that fulfils any command; and as in the case above of the “Language of Animals” cycle, so here, from this point on, our story is entirely different from the “Magic Ring” group, and attaches itself to still another family of tales. This, for want of a better title, may be called the “Knapsack, Hat, and Horn” cycle. I use this name merely because the most familiar member of that family (Grimm, No. 54) bears it.
In Grimm, No. 54, the youngest of three poverty-stricken brothers who set out to seek their fortunes finds a little table-cloth, which, when spread out and told to cover itself, instantly becomes covered with choice food. Not yet satisfied with his luck, he takes the cloth and continues his wandering. One night he meets a charcoal-burner who is about to make his meal off potatoes. The youth invites the man to eat with him. The charcoal-burner, thinking the cloth just what he needs in his solitude, offers to trade for it an old knapsack, from which, whenever it is tapped, out jump a corporal and six soldiers to do whatever they are ordered to do. The exchange is made. The youth travels on, taps the knapsack, and orders the soldiers to bring him the wishing-cloth that the charcoal-burner has. In this same way the youth acquires from two other charcoal-burners successively a magic hat which shoots off artillery and destroys the owner’s enemies, and a magic horn a blast from which throws down walls, fortifications, and houses. By means of these articles the hero finally wins the king’s daughter to wife, and becomes ruler. Further adventures follow when the wife tries, but without ultimate success, to steal his treasures from him.
The magic articles are not at all constant in this cycle, as may be seen from an examination of Bolte-Polívka’s variants (1 : 467–470), but most of the lists include the wishing-cloth and articles in the nature of weapons or soldiers for offensive purposes. A comparison of our story with this formula discloses an undoubted relationship between the two. The hero trades his wishing-cloth for two fighting stones, which he later sends back to fetch the cloth. He then acquires two magic canes (but not by trickery this time). Later, when he becomes an object of envy, and an attempt is made by a rich neighbor to steal his wealth (corresponding to the envy of the king), the magic stones and canes kill all his opponents. Compare the Tagalog variant in the [notes to the following tale] (No. 27).
The extraordinary articles are found as machinery in other Philippine stories, though not in the above sequence: a “table, spread yourself” and a magic cane occur in [No. 27]; a magic guitar, in [No. 28]; a magic buyo, cane, purse, and guitar, in [No. 35]. Compare also the magic articles in the various forms of [No. 12]. I know of no other occurrence in folk-tales of two fighting stones. This detail sounds very primitive. It might be compared with the magic “healing stones” in [No. 12 (b)], “Three Brothers of Fortune,” though the two objects are wholly dissimilar in power.
As a whole, while our story is reminiscent of at least three different cycles of tales, it nevertheless does not sound like a modern bit of patchwork, but appears to be old; how old, I am unable to say. The most unreasonable part of our narrative is the fact that the hero should find himself so many miles from home when going to buy five cents’ worth of rice. It must be supposed that the trip to the snake-cave occupied much more time than it appears in the story to have taken.