Latest / Sandman Stories Presents / EP 313: India- The Weaver; The Dog Who Was A Rajah; The Fourth Wife Is The Wisest (Dracott)

Transcript

EP 313: India- The Weaver; The Dog Who Was A Rajah; The Fourth Wife Is The Wisest (Dracott) · Sandman Stories Presents

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  Welcome back listeners to Sandman Stories Presents, a
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  folklore podcast where I really do to sleep until the next
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  story. I'm your host, Dustin.
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  And a big shout out to my patrons.
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  I am up to earning. I think it's $11.00 a month.
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  It's a place where I put all the stories that are too spicy for
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  the main feed. And today we are back in the
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  book of Indian folklore written down by Alistair Cot.
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  In the first story we learned about a shape shifting Jackal,
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  in the second, an offhanded remark leads to hard labor.
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  And in the third story, a man eater helps a policeman find her
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  husband and father-in-law. Confused.
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  Let's begin. The Weaver There was a Weaver
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  who was unmarried, and all that he could earn in a day in
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  exchange for the cloth he wove only amounted to 2 lbs of grain.
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  One day he cooked some kitchery and placing it on a plate, left
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  it to cool and went out to sell his cloth.
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  While he was away Jackal came and ate up the kitchery, and on
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  his return he found the Jackal. So he tied it up and beat it
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  severely. Then he cooked some bread, which
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  he ate, and again beat the Jackal.
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  The poor creature thought, Now I will die if this man keeps on
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  beating me in this way. When the man next went out to
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  sell his cloth, the Jackal tied up by itself, felt very lonely,
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  especially as it could hear its companions howling in the
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  jungles. And so it began to howl too, and
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  hearing it, one of its friends came to see where it was, and
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  finding it said, Brother, what are you doing here?
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  The poor Jackal, bruised all over and swollen from the
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  beating it had received, replied, Friend, a man has
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  caught me and takes the greatest care of me.
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  See how fat I have grown with eating all the halwa puris he
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  gives me. If you will release me, I will
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  tie you here, and you will get a share of the good things.
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  So the two exchanged places, and the first Jackal rang gladly
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  back into the jungle. When the reaver returned, he, as
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  usual, began to beat the poor creature, who then spoke and
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  said, Why are you beating me? The Weaver, surprised, replied,
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  I never heard this Jackal speak before.
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  That one has gone, and he tied me up here in his place, and
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  told me I should get all sorts of good things to eat.
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  But if you will release me, I will arrange a marriage with the
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  King's daughter for you. What?
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  Said the man, I'm only a poor Weaver.
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  And can you really get me married to the King's daughter?
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  Yes, return the Jackal. So the Weaver released it, and
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  it turned itself into a Brahman, and it crossed the river and
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  presented itself with the court of the certain Raja, to whom it
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  said, O king, I have found a rich Weaver, cast Raja, who
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  wishes your daughter's hand in marriage.
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  La Raja, much pleased, consented, and the Brahmin, on
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  getting outside of the palace once more turned into a Jackal
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  and returned to the Weaver. Follow me, he said, and I will
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  take you to the King's daughter. So the Weaver took up his
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  blanket, which was all he owned. On their way they met Adobe or a
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  washerman carrying his bundle of clothes.
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  The Jackal gave him a gold coin and told him to spread all the
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  clinging clothes he possessed upon the trees around.
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  Further on, the Meta cotton beater, or a man who beats
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  cotton and prepares it to make into pillows and quilts to him
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  they also gave a gold coin, and asked in return for several
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  large balls of cotton. These they carried on a large
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  plate to the river, and the Jackal leaving the Weaver
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  returned as a Brahman to the Raja, who had seen the dobbies
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  close in the distance and thought that they were tents
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  pitched by her daughter's future husband.
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  The Jackal had told the Weaver to watch, and as soon as he saw
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  him enter the palace he was to take large lumps of cotton and
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  throw them 1 by 1 into the river, so that they might be
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  seen flowing downstream. The bridegroom explained, the
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  Brahmin has met with a terrible accident.
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  All his possessions and his followers are lost in the river,
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  and only he and I remain dressed in the clothes in which we
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  stand. Then the Roger ordered his
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  musicians and followers to come out and go with horses and great
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  pomp to the Weaver who was then married to the Princess.
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  After the marriage the Brahman said, This son-in-law of yours
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  has lost all he had. What is the use of his returning
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  to his country? Let him stay here with you.
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  To this the Raja, who loved his daughter gladly consented and
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  gave them a fine house and grounds.
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  Now the Weaver, who is not accustomed to good society or to
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  living with those above his station in life, made a Salam or
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  obedience, such as a poor man has won't to do to his wife
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  every morning, and she began to suspect that he had deceived her
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  and was not a real Raja. She asked him one day to tell
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  her the whole truth about himself, and so he did.
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  Well, she said, you have owned up to me, but do not let my
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  father or mother know for now that I'm married to you.
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  Things cannot be altered, and it is better that they should
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  remain in ignorance. But whatever my father may ask
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  of you to do, promise me that you will do it always answering.
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  Yes, I will to anything he suggests.
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  To this the Weaver agreed, and shortly afterwards the Roger
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  called him and inquired if he was willing to help him.
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  And as promised the man replied, Yes, I will.
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  Then he went to his wife and told her, and she commended him.
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  The next day the king told him that two brothers by the name of
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  Daria and Barjo threatened to fight and take his Kingdom from
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  him, and he desired his son-in-law to go to the stables
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  and select a horse to ride into battle.
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  In the stables was a horse that was standing on three legs.
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  This thought the Weaver will just suit me, for it seems lame
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  and has only three legs to go on, and making this as an
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  excuse, I'll lag behind all the rest and be well out of danger.
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  Now this horse used to eat a quarter pound of opium daily,
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  and could fly through the air. So when the Roger heard of this
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  selection he was very delighted, and said to himself what a
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  clever man this is, that he is able to discover which is the
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  best horse. The next day he mounted the
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  horse, but he was shivering and shaking so bad that he tied 2
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  millstones to his legs. As soon as the groom released
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  the horse, it flew up into the air, then down again, then up
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  through the branches of the trees, which broke off and clung
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  to the weaver's arms and body so that he made a strange
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  spectacle. He was terrified and kept crying
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  out. Oh, Daria, Barjo, for your
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  sakes, I have come to my death. The 2 Princess Daria and Barjo,
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  seeing this strange horse flying through the air and hearing
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  their names coming from such a strange object all covered with
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  branches, were very much alarmed and said there had better not be
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  another one of these. One is certainly bad enough.
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  So they wrote to the king and said we have senior warrior, you
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  stay in your country and we will stay in ours, we cannot fight.
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  And they sent him a peace offering.
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  The end. Story #2 The dog who was a Raja,
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  once a daughter, was born to a Brahmin and his wife, and from
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  the day of her birth, every day a dog came in and lay down in
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  the house. This made the mother say in
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  jest, when the child would not cease crying.
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  Stop or I will give you to the dog.
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  And the Brahmin added, I will give her to the dog when she has
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  grown up. When the girl grew up, he said
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  to the dog one day in a fit of temper, Here, take my daughter,
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  and do with her as you wish. The mother now regretted her
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  jest, which had given the idea to her husband, and said, Here,
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  my child, take this handful of seeds, and as you go throw them
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  along the road, so that I may know where to find you.
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  As the girl went along, she scattered the seeds, and at last
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  arrived in the field in which was a small bauli or well.
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  Here she sat down and told the dog that she was thirsty.
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  Go and drink from the well, said the dog.
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  As she approached, the dog followed her, and they saw a
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  ladder leading to the bottom of the well, so that they climbed
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  down and came to a fine house with lovely gardens and flowers,
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  and servants ready to receive them.
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  These belonged to the dog who was in reality a Raja and only
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  assumed the shape of a dog when he would left the well.
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  Sometime after this the Brahman expressed a wish to go and visit
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  his daughter, so his wife told him to follow the track of any
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  freshly sprung up little plants he might see.
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  He followed her directions and found the small trees leading to
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  the well, and as he felt thirsty he looked in and saw the ladder.
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  So he climbed down and found the dog had become a Raja.
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  Going around the grounds with his daughter, he noticed a house
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  made of gold. What is this?
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  He asked. It's for you, father.
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  So we went in and found out that everything was perfect, except
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  that in one of the walls was a great crack.
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  That crack, explained the Raja who had joined them, was caused
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  when you first drank water at the well.
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  And it will remain there until you undo the wrong you have done
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  and giving your daughter to a dog.
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  For you did not know then who he really was.
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  To undo the wrong, you must serve me as a herder for 12
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  years, after which time the crack in the wall will heal on
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  its own. The Brahman then went to his
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  wife and told her all that had happened, and they returned
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  together to the Raja, whose cows he tended for 12 years, after
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  which the crack in the golden wall came together by itself,
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  and thus the wrong was righted. The end.
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  OK and the final story. The 4th wife is the wisest.
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  There was a bunya who only had a son who had married 4 wives.
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  Of these, three were fools and only one was wise.
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  For some reason the Raja of that country got angry with the Bunya
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  and said that he and his family all had to go away for he would
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  not permit them to remain in the Kingdom any longer.
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  Also, they were not allowed to take away any of their jewels or
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  possessions with them, except for what they were wearing at
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  the time. Hearing this, the youngest of
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  the four wives asked that she might be allowed to bake some
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  bread to take with them to eat on the journey.
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  This was permitted, and in eating the flour she dropped
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  four very valuable and beautiful rubies into it.
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  And then having cooked the bread, she showed it to the
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  people as she left and said, See, I'm taking nothing with me
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  except this bread. They journeyed far away into
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  another country and were very poor.
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  Then the Bunia said to his youngest daughter-in-law,
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  Daughter, what are we to do to live?
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  We have no money or clothes. She was silent for a long time
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  and then said, We must sell our jewels, but in the meantime take
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  this giving him one of the rubies and sell it.
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  Now this Ruby was worth a very great deal of money, and the
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  Bunia took it gratefully, thinking what a wise girl his
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  daughter-in-law was to think of bringing it as she had.
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  He went to a rich merchant who was in all reality not a
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  merchant at all, but a clever thief, and who as soon as he set
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  his eyes on the Ruby, knew it to be valuable and needed to have
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  it go. He said to one of his servants.
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  And bring me a basket full of money, so that I can buy this
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  gem. And as the servant left, he
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  turned to the Bunia, offering him a chair, and said, Sit down,
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  friend. Now this chair was a specially
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  prepared one, says the trap for the unaware.
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  The seat was of raw cotton, under which a great hole which
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  anybody who sat in the chair would fall into.
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  It was carefully covered over with a piece of clean white
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  cloth, so that nothing was noticed.
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  The Por Bunia sat on it and as the soft cotton gave way under
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  him, he found himself in the hole over which the thief
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  carefully placed a great stone and left him while he quietly
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  pocketed the Ruby. Since the Bunia did not return
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  to his home for many days, his daughter-in-law called her
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  husband and gave him the second Ruby and said go to find your
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  father and if you find him bring me back this Ruby and buy food
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  and clothes with the one you will find with him.
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  The young man searched high and low for his father, but not
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  finding him, he decided to sell his Ruby and buy some bad luck.
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  He went to the same merchant, would rob the Bunia.
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  The thief treated him in exactly the same way, and after having
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  stolen the Ruby, trapped him in the same hole as his father.
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  Finding that neither husband nor father returned, the woman sold
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  her jewels and bought some clothes and food for the rest of
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  the family. But for herself, she secretly
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  bought the outfit of a policeman and resolved to work as one.
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  So she presented herself at the King's court, and he, taking a
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  fancy to the handsome face of the young man, for she was
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  disguised as such, gave her employment.
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  Living in the jungle near that place was a terrible Rakshasa,
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  or evil spirit, and that night while on duty, the new policeman
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  was startled by a roar like that of a tiger.
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  But as soon as the Rakshasa saw him, it assumed the form of a
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  woman, and coming up it said weeping.
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  Though Roger has hanged my husband and I wish to see him
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  once more, but I cannot reach because the gallows are so high.
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  Climb on my back, said the policeman.
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  The woman did so, but as soon as she got near enough she began to
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  eat her supposed husband. On this the young policeman,
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  drawing his sword, cut off the woman's head, and as it fell,
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  being enchanted, she disappeared, but a silver anklet
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  from one of her feet was left behind.
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  Next morning the policeman carried the anklet to the king
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  and told him what had happened and how the strange woman had
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  disappeared as he struck her with his sword.
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  The king was very much pleased at the youth's bravery, and also
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  with the silver anklet which was full of precious stones of great
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  value, and turning to the policeman, said.
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  Ask what you will, and I will give it to you even if you ask
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  for my daughter in marriage. The man replied, Oh, king, I
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  asked for nothing, but grant me, I pray for control over the
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  entire bazaar, that I may kill, banish, or hang, or release, and
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  do as I like with the people who dwell there.
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  The king granted this request, and having discovered the thief
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  and the supposed merchant, the policeman went to him, and Bully
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  demanded the release of his father and son, but the thief
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  denied all knowledge of the affair.
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  Then the young man entered the shop, and, lifting up a great
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  stone, beheld the two unfortunate men, who were nearly
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  starved to death. Having released them, he took
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  the thief to the king and told him what had happened.
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  After they had hung the wicked thief, the young policeman
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  changed his clothes and returned a woman.
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  The king was greatly surprised, but so pleased at all she had
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  done, that he called her his daughter, and gave her husband,
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  father, and other relatives money and goods, so that they
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  lived in contentment for the rest of their lives.
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  THE END. That first story was a lovely
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  version of Fake it until you make it.
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  It had echoes of Kara Mustafa and the Brave Little Tailor, and
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  the second was a good case of be careful what you ask for.
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  Although I did like that the Brahman wasn't too proud to go
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  and fix his wrongs. The third story was a lovely
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  recall to the Rakshasa stories and I always enjoy when the wife
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  is the smart one. There are plenty more stories
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  and so I will keep on recording them.
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  And the podcast Shout Out is to School me.
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  It's a show about the teaching profession.
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  I enjoy it and you might too. And the listener Shout Out is to
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  Kigali, Rwanda. If I get a chance to go there, I
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  would love to see the Green Mosque.
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  And so to my listener in Kigali, I say in Kinya, Rwanda, Murakozi
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  Kandi mugire Ijoro Riiza. Thank you.
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  Good night.