Post by Okwes on Apr 14, 2008 13:37:17 GMT -5
Grass-Blade Girl - Yukaghir / Kolyma
An old woman lived all alone. She had no children. One time she went for a
walk. She saw a patch of yellow grass. One blade was growing higher than any
of the others. She gathered that grass for her bedding, and kept this long
blade separately. She carried the grass home, put it under her mat and slept
over it. In the night time the long blade became warm from the heat of her
body. In the morning the old woman mounted to the roof to open the chimney
hole. Then she heard something crying in the house. It was the grass-blade
which had turned into a little girl. The old woman swathed her in thin
skins, fed her and nursed and caressed her. Thus Grass-Blade-Girl lived in
her house and grew up. When the time came for her to be married she was a
wonderful girl. When she wept her tears were costly pearls. When she smiled,
her smile was all precious stones. She would swing her right sleeve, and
sables and martens would drop from it. She would swing her left sleeve, and
red foxes would fall out of it. 1 She was also very pretty. The like of her
was not to be met. A strong young man heard about her, and went to pay suit
to her.
On his departure, he told his brothers, who had remained at home, to make
arrows and to feather them well, that he might shoot with them sables and
foxes for his future bride. He ordered them also to prepare bags for the
skins, and boxes for the precious stones and pearls.
He went to the old woman and saw the girl. She was all that people had
stated her to be. Pearls and precious stones dropped from her mouth, sables
and foxes fell from her sleeves. He offered his suit, and was accepted. Then
he married her and took her to his house. On the way, they passed the house
of Yaghishna. Just as they were right opposite it, the bride said, "Oh, my
dear! I am very thirsty. Bring me some water." He took the ice-pick and went
to a lake. He cut through the ice, but there was no water. The bottom was
dry. He tried another place, and still another. There was no water anywhere,
and at last he went so far toward the middle of the lake, that he
disappeared from the sight of the woman. In the meantime the dogs of the,
team scented the house of Yaghishna. So they rushed off with the sledge, and
she could not keep them back. They arrived at Yaghishna's door. The witch
came out, took the young woman by the hand, and led her into the house. She
made her take a place on a new reindeer skin, and went to prepare some food
and hot tea for her; but when she took the first cup of tea, the witch
unexpectedly pulled out the bedding from under her seat, and the young woman
fell into an underground cellar a hundred fathoms deep, a hundred fathoms
wide, and quite dark.
She prayed and prayed to be let out: "O grandmother! help me out! I will
give you anything you may ask of me."--"All right," said the witch, "take
off your clothes and give them to me, then I will help you out." The young
woman took off her clothes, saving only her undershirt, and made them into a
bundle. The witch dropped a long line into the cellar. The young woman tied
the bundle to the line. The witch pulled up the bundle, put on the clothes,
and all at once became exactly like the young bride. So she took her place
upon the sledge, and hurried back to the former place. After some time the
husband came. He brought some water, but the bride refused to take it. "I do
not want it. I did not ask you at all to fetch any water." They even had a
quarrel. "Why," said the young man, "you were so thirsty. Have I not cut the
ice maybe in twenty places to get water for you?"
After that they continued on their way. When they reached home all the
people gathered to look upon the bride; but she had neither pearls nor
sables. She coughed and spat, blew her nose; and only once a small glass
bead fell down, which, moreover, was pierced awry. In due time, however, she
bore a son. Her husband was an excellent hunter. He brought home geese and
swans, reindeer and elks. The house was full of meat and of all kinds of
skins. He passed most of his time in the open air, and paid no attention to
the ways of his wife with their little boy. One time, however, he came home,
and his wife prepared some dinner for him. While waiting for it, he took up
the boy, who began to cry. "There," said the man, "the boy is crying. It is
time to give him some food." The witch took the boy and turned her face
toward the wall. After that she began to take off her left boot. He looked
on with great wonder, and thought, "What is this? I wanted her to suckle the
boy, and she takes off her boots." The woman took off the boot, and instead
of the breast she gave the boy her left heel to suck. He was very angry.
"Why," said her husband, "is this the way you feed our boy? Truly, you have
grown up in the wild country, and you are of wild blood. You are good for
nothing. I took you for a treasure, and instead you are an unclean thing.
You suckle your boy in this unhallowed way. Tomorrow morning I shall take
you back to your mother. I do not want you any longer." They quarrelled all
night long, and did not sleep. The next morning he carried her back to her
mother. They arrived there, and lo, Grass-Blade-Girl was living with the old
woman again.
She had been left quite naked in the underground cellar of Yaghishna's
house. When groping about in the cellar, she found it full of dead bodies of
men and women. She heaped them up and mounted to the top. In this way she
succeeded in making her escape. The Witch, though living far away in the
house of the young man, became aware directly of the flight of her prisoner.
She sent some bears and wolves in pursuit, which overtook the fugitive. They
tore her to pieces, and the blood flowed all over the ground. A new thin
yellowish-green grass grew up from the blood. The old woman found the grass,
and gathered it; and so again she had in her house the same
Grass-Blade-Girl, as before.
The young man carried his wife back to her mother, and found there also this
Grass-Blade-Girl. He recognized her immediately as his former bride. They
had supper, and then lay down to sleep. The old woman said to
Grass-Blade-Girl, "Tell us a tale." So the girl began, "There lived an old
woman. She found a yellowish-green grass blade and took it home. She put it
under her bedding. The next morning she went out to open the chimney-hole,
and something was crying within the house. The grass-blade had turned into a
little girl. The girl grew up, and a young man came and married her. He took
her to his house. On the way she asked for a drink. The bridegroom went for
some water. Near the trail stood the house of Yaghishna. The dogs scented it
and rushed there."
As soon as she reached this place in the story, Yaghishna grew angry and
interrupted her. "Enough of your prattling! We want to sleep. No need of
your silly tales!"--"Not so fast," said the husband. He took Yaghishna and
with twelve new arrows he shot her dead in front of the house. Then he
carried Grass-Blade-Girl to his house. The end.
Told by Katherine Rumiantzev, a Russianized Yukaghir woman, in the village
of Pokhotsk, in the Kolyma country, summer of 1896.
Footnotes
52:1 These details belong to Old-Russian folklore, and, indeed, are met with
in the folk stories of various peoples of the Old World.--W. B.
Tales of Yukaghir, Lamut, and Russianized Natives of Eastern Siberia by
Waldemar Bogoras
[1918]
An old woman lived all alone. She had no children. One time she went for a
walk. She saw a patch of yellow grass. One blade was growing higher than any
of the others. She gathered that grass for her bedding, and kept this long
blade separately. She carried the grass home, put it under her mat and slept
over it. In the night time the long blade became warm from the heat of her
body. In the morning the old woman mounted to the roof to open the chimney
hole. Then she heard something crying in the house. It was the grass-blade
which had turned into a little girl. The old woman swathed her in thin
skins, fed her and nursed and caressed her. Thus Grass-Blade-Girl lived in
her house and grew up. When the time came for her to be married she was a
wonderful girl. When she wept her tears were costly pearls. When she smiled,
her smile was all precious stones. She would swing her right sleeve, and
sables and martens would drop from it. She would swing her left sleeve, and
red foxes would fall out of it. 1 She was also very pretty. The like of her
was not to be met. A strong young man heard about her, and went to pay suit
to her.
On his departure, he told his brothers, who had remained at home, to make
arrows and to feather them well, that he might shoot with them sables and
foxes for his future bride. He ordered them also to prepare bags for the
skins, and boxes for the precious stones and pearls.
He went to the old woman and saw the girl. She was all that people had
stated her to be. Pearls and precious stones dropped from her mouth, sables
and foxes fell from her sleeves. He offered his suit, and was accepted. Then
he married her and took her to his house. On the way, they passed the house
of Yaghishna. Just as they were right opposite it, the bride said, "Oh, my
dear! I am very thirsty. Bring me some water." He took the ice-pick and went
to a lake. He cut through the ice, but there was no water. The bottom was
dry. He tried another place, and still another. There was no water anywhere,
and at last he went so far toward the middle of the lake, that he
disappeared from the sight of the woman. In the meantime the dogs of the,
team scented the house of Yaghishna. So they rushed off with the sledge, and
she could not keep them back. They arrived at Yaghishna's door. The witch
came out, took the young woman by the hand, and led her into the house. She
made her take a place on a new reindeer skin, and went to prepare some food
and hot tea for her; but when she took the first cup of tea, the witch
unexpectedly pulled out the bedding from under her seat, and the young woman
fell into an underground cellar a hundred fathoms deep, a hundred fathoms
wide, and quite dark.
She prayed and prayed to be let out: "O grandmother! help me out! I will
give you anything you may ask of me."--"All right," said the witch, "take
off your clothes and give them to me, then I will help you out." The young
woman took off her clothes, saving only her undershirt, and made them into a
bundle. The witch dropped a long line into the cellar. The young woman tied
the bundle to the line. The witch pulled up the bundle, put on the clothes,
and all at once became exactly like the young bride. So she took her place
upon the sledge, and hurried back to the former place. After some time the
husband came. He brought some water, but the bride refused to take it. "I do
not want it. I did not ask you at all to fetch any water." They even had a
quarrel. "Why," said the young man, "you were so thirsty. Have I not cut the
ice maybe in twenty places to get water for you?"
After that they continued on their way. When they reached home all the
people gathered to look upon the bride; but she had neither pearls nor
sables. She coughed and spat, blew her nose; and only once a small glass
bead fell down, which, moreover, was pierced awry. In due time, however, she
bore a son. Her husband was an excellent hunter. He brought home geese and
swans, reindeer and elks. The house was full of meat and of all kinds of
skins. He passed most of his time in the open air, and paid no attention to
the ways of his wife with their little boy. One time, however, he came home,
and his wife prepared some dinner for him. While waiting for it, he took up
the boy, who began to cry. "There," said the man, "the boy is crying. It is
time to give him some food." The witch took the boy and turned her face
toward the wall. After that she began to take off her left boot. He looked
on with great wonder, and thought, "What is this? I wanted her to suckle the
boy, and she takes off her boots." The woman took off the boot, and instead
of the breast she gave the boy her left heel to suck. He was very angry.
"Why," said her husband, "is this the way you feed our boy? Truly, you have
grown up in the wild country, and you are of wild blood. You are good for
nothing. I took you for a treasure, and instead you are an unclean thing.
You suckle your boy in this unhallowed way. Tomorrow morning I shall take
you back to your mother. I do not want you any longer." They quarrelled all
night long, and did not sleep. The next morning he carried her back to her
mother. They arrived there, and lo, Grass-Blade-Girl was living with the old
woman again.
She had been left quite naked in the underground cellar of Yaghishna's
house. When groping about in the cellar, she found it full of dead bodies of
men and women. She heaped them up and mounted to the top. In this way she
succeeded in making her escape. The Witch, though living far away in the
house of the young man, became aware directly of the flight of her prisoner.
She sent some bears and wolves in pursuit, which overtook the fugitive. They
tore her to pieces, and the blood flowed all over the ground. A new thin
yellowish-green grass grew up from the blood. The old woman found the grass,
and gathered it; and so again she had in her house the same
Grass-Blade-Girl, as before.
The young man carried his wife back to her mother, and found there also this
Grass-Blade-Girl. He recognized her immediately as his former bride. They
had supper, and then lay down to sleep. The old woman said to
Grass-Blade-Girl, "Tell us a tale." So the girl began, "There lived an old
woman. She found a yellowish-green grass blade and took it home. She put it
under her bedding. The next morning she went out to open the chimney-hole,
and something was crying within the house. The grass-blade had turned into a
little girl. The girl grew up, and a young man came and married her. He took
her to his house. On the way she asked for a drink. The bridegroom went for
some water. Near the trail stood the house of Yaghishna. The dogs scented it
and rushed there."
As soon as she reached this place in the story, Yaghishna grew angry and
interrupted her. "Enough of your prattling! We want to sleep. No need of
your silly tales!"--"Not so fast," said the husband. He took Yaghishna and
with twelve new arrows he shot her dead in front of the house. Then he
carried Grass-Blade-Girl to his house. The end.
Told by Katherine Rumiantzev, a Russianized Yukaghir woman, in the village
of Pokhotsk, in the Kolyma country, summer of 1896.
Footnotes
52:1 These details belong to Old-Russian folklore, and, indeed, are met with
in the folk stories of various peoples of the Old World.--W. B.
Tales of Yukaghir, Lamut, and Russianized Natives of Eastern Siberia by
Waldemar Bogoras
[1918]