No. 113
Hiṭihāmi the Giant
In the Wanni country, in the north-western quarter of the Island of Lan̥kā (Ceylon), there is a village called Andara-waewa. In that village a giant was born. His parents, cherishing him, reared the child.
While the child is at the age for playing seated, he eats about two quarts of cooked rice [daily]. At the walking age he eats about three quarts of cooked rice. While seven years of age he eats about four quarts of cooked rice.
Having gone with children who walked about for amusement, having caught hares and mouse-deer, and struck them on the ground, killing them, he brings them [home]. After he has brought them, his two parents ask, “Whence, son, are these?” Then the child says, “Mother, having gone running I seized them.”
Thus, having been living in that manner, at the age of about twelve years he said to his mother, “Mother, give me food [to enable me] to go to cut a chena.” So his mother gave him food.
The child having eaten the food, and gone to the jungle taking two bill-hooks, cut the chena that very day. Having cut it, and come home, he said to his mother, “Mother, I cut a chena. I don’t know the time for setting fire to it. Because of it, tell father to set fire to the chena.”
After that, his mother said, “Our son cut a chena. Set fire to it; son does not know the time for setting fire [to it].” After that, the man went and set fire to the chena.
This giant-child having gone, cut the fence [sticks] for the chena in one day; on the next day he went, and sowed it till he finished it. The sowing account was a pāela (a quarter of an amuṇa of 5.7 bushels) of millet.[1]
On the next day he said to his mother, “Mother, I cut a chena indeed; for the purpose of going and doing the work at a tāwalla[2] also, give me food.” Afterwards his mother gave him food. Having eaten the food, the child went to the tāwalla, and put up earthen ridges over the ground for [making a field large enough for sowing in it] one and a half amuṇas (8.55 bushels) of paddy.[3] Having put them up he came home.