‘Drink a glass of brandy.’ [[128]]
She drank out of his glass, and flung the half of the ring into the glass, and gave it to him. When he drank, he got it into his mouth, and he took it in his hand and looked at it, and he took his half and fitted the two together. ‘Hah! this is my wife; this one saved me from death.’
And he quashed that marriage, and took his first wife and lived with her.
There are several obvious lacunæ in this story, one that the poppy-seed must have been mixed with some other seed, else the task would have been far too easy. The Polish-Gypsy story of ‘The Witch’ (No. 50), corresponds pretty closely; and for the roasted maize task compare the Roumanian-Gypsy story of ‘The Snake who became the King’s Son-in-law’ (No. 7). For a multitude of non-Gypsy variants see Ralston’s ‘The Water-King and Vasilissa the Wise’ (pp. 120–133), especially the Indian story at the end. Cf. also Cosquin, ii. 9, and i. 103, 106, 139, 141. The ring episode recurs in the Bohemian-Gypsy story, ‘The Three Dragons’ (No. 44, p. 154). The fiery whip in the Gypsy story is, to the best of my knowledge, unique.
No. 35.—The Lying Story
Before I was born, my mother had a fancy for roast starlings. And there was no one to go, so I went alone to the forest. And I found roast starlings in the hollow of a tree. I put in my hand, and could not draw it out. I took and got right in, and the hole closed up. I set out and went to my godfather to borrow the axe.
My godfather said, ‘The servant with the axe is not at home, but,’ said my godfather, ‘I will give you the hatchet, and the hatchet is expecting little hatchets.’
‘Never fear, godfather.’
And he gave me the hatchet, and I went and cut my way out of the tree, and I flung down the hatchet. Whilst it was falling a bird built its nest in the handle, and laid eggs, and hatched them, and brought forth young ones; and when the hatchet had fallen down, it gave birth to twelve little hatchets. And I put them in my wallet, and carried them to my godfather. My godfather rejoiced. He gave me one of the hatchets, and I stuck it in my belt at my back, and went home. I was thirsty and went to the well. The well was deep. I cut off my brainpan, and drank water out of it. I laid my brainpan by the well, and went home. [[129]]And I felt something biting me on the head; and when I put up my hand to my head there came forth worms. I returned to my brainpan, and a wild-duck had laid eggs in my brainpan, and hatched them, and brought forth ducklings. And I took the hatchet, and flung it, and killed the wild-duck, but the ducklings flew away. Behind the well was a fire, and the hatchet fell into the fire. I hunted for the hatchet, and found the handle, but the blade of the hatchet was burnt. And I took the handle, and stuck it in my belt at my back, and went home, and found our mare, and got up on her. And the handle cut the mare in half, and I went riding on two of her legs, and the two hind ones were eating grass. And I went back, and cut a willow withy, and trimmed it, and sewed the mare together. Out of her grew a willow-tree up to heaven. And I remembered that God is owing me a treeful of eggs and a pailful of sour milk. And I climbed up the willow, and went to God, and went to God’s thrashing-floor. There twelve men were thrashing oats.