II

IIMINGRELIAN TALESMINGRELIAN TALES1IThe Three PreceptsThere was, there was, there was, there was, and nothing there was.2In a certain country, a certain realm, a certain region, a certain village, there was an orphan so poor, so poor, that ’tween heaven and earth nought could be found that was his. Being in such a plight to-day, to-morrow, the day after to-morrow, this week, next week, this month, next month, sad and thoughtful he became; he thought, he thought, he thought, and at last made up his mind: ‘I will arise and try my luck,’ quoth he. He rose betimes in the morning, called on the name of God, turned himself to the right hand,3and set forth from the house.He went, he went, he went, beyond the sky, across the earth, across the forest, across the field, across the plain,over the mountains, he went as far as he could, and when he looked he saw a man of graceful mien coming towards him. The youth quickened his step and they met. ‘I wish thee victory, good youth!’4said the stranger, ‘whither goest thou?’ ‘May God send thee victory, my master,’ answered the young man, ‘I go to seek a livelihood.’ ‘Be my servant for three years, and I shall teach thee three things that will afterwards be helpful,’ said this clever man to the youth. The youth agreed, and went away with him.At the end of a year’s service, the clever man said to the youth: ‘Whatever thou seest outside thy yard, throw it into the yard.’ When the second year had passed, he again spoke to the youth, and said: ‘Lend nothing to anybody unless thou art much pressed to do so.’ The third year came to an end, and it was time for the young man to depart; the clever man called him and said: ‘Tell not thy secret to a woman.’ Then he bade him farewell, blessed him, and sent him home. The youth set out: he went, he went, he went by day, he went by night, over land, over water, and when he reached home he began to establish himself, he made a fence round his yard and, as he had been instructed, threw into the yard all he found outside the yard.One morning he went out and found on the road a red snake; he remembered the instruction of the clever man and threw the snake into the yard. A week later, the young man noticed that on the place where he had thrown the snake, it had laid a multitude of precious stones.5It is nowonder that the youth was greatly pleased at this. He gathered up the snake and the precious stones in the skirt of his garment, and put the snake in a nest in his own house. Every day the snake laid him a precious stone. The youth became wealthy: he built himself a fine house, took a wife, and lived like a lord. Still the snake went on laying precious stones, the youth became richer and richer, and gave himself up to gladness. One day his wife said to him: ‘Young man! who has made thee so fabulously rich, for thou wast formerly poorer than any one on earth.’ ‘Who? God gave me wealth,’ said the husband, following the clever man’s advice, not revealing his secret. But the woman gave him no peace; day and night she always asked the same thing: ‘How didst thou become wealthy?—thou must tell me, thou must.’ The youth had no way of escape, she wearied him out, and at last made him tell her all about the snake. Since there was nothing else to be done, the young man took his wife and showed her the snake that laid precious stones. After this, it happened that the snake ceased to lay precious stones; the young man’s wealth began to diminish, and nothing was added to it.When he was in this state, a certain man came and asked him for the loan of a knife. Of course, being utterly cast down with grief and sorrow, he remembered not the words the clever man had spoken to him, and lent the knife. May it happen to thine enemy as it happened to him! It happened that this wretched man was a thief. When he had got the knife he went and broke into a house to steal; there he thrust the knife into the belly of a sleeping man, slew him, and left the knife in the dead man’s body, then pillaged the house. Afterwards an enquiry was made into the matter. They found the knife in the man who had beenkilled and robbed, and it turned out to be the knife of the young man. Of course he was taken and bound, all his goods were seized, and he was treated as a thief ought to be treated. Thus did it happen to the wretched youth who disobeyed the instructions of the clever man.Yester eve I was there,This evening I am here....Three apples,6three pomegranates,May God send thee,Ripe in thy hands.The tale, the tale is ended....Thou hast eaten maize-bread with ashes,7Thou hast drunk bad, stale wine,And eaten a rotten walnut.81Mingrelskie etyudy. Pervyi vypusk. Mingrelskie teksty s perevodom i obyasneniyami, sobr. i izd. Al. Tsagareli. S. Pbg. 1880.2TheMingrelian Talesusually begin thus; sometimes the formula used is: ‘there was, there was, there was, and nothing there was, but nevertheless there was.’3When a Mingrelian undertakes a journey, he turns to the right several times before his door and then sets out. This is held to be a favourable omen.4The usual salutation in Georgia.5The wordKhvithoin Mingrelian signifies a precious stone laid by a snake or a fowl, which turns into gold or precious stones whatever it touches.6Cf. Carnoy et Nicolaïdes:Traditions de l’Asie Mineure, p. 42.7Chkidi, bread made of Indian corn, is generally used in Mingrelia. It is cooked on the ashes, and the latter are often found sticking to it.8These verses form the concluding formula of Mingrelian folk-tales. The second couplet is not so frequently used as the first.IIKazha-ndiiThere was once a king who had three sons and three daughters. When the day of his death was come, he called all his children, and said to his sons: ‘Hearken to my will, and see that ye fulfil it. When I die, let each of you watch my tomb for one week, give these maidens to the suitors who ask for their hands.’ After he had said farewell, the king died.He was buried, and on the first night the eldest brother went to guard the grave. But in a short time somethingbegan to approach with a mighty noise, and when it came near, it was so strong that it drove the prince out of the enclosure. From a distance, the prince saw how the being that had come with noise went to the king’s grave, dug up the corpse, and wept over it till morning; when morning came, it buried the corpse in the earth again, and went away. When the prince reached home, he was ashamed to say anything about what had happened.At that time, both the elder brothers set out for the chase; the youngest brother was left at home, he heard a voice and looked round. It turned out to be a suitor for the hand of his sister. He took and gave him the eldest sister. Soon after, he again heard a voice. The prince looked round—another suitor had come. The absence of his brothers somewhat disturbed him, but, according to his father’s will, he married his second sister also. A little later, a third voice was heard, and to him he gave his third sister.In the evening, when the two elder brothers came home, they did not see their sisters; they asked the youngest, and he told them what had happened. They were not pleased, and sent him out to feed the sheep. That night the middle brother went to guard the king’s grave; the same thing happened to him as to his elder brother, but he too was silent on the subject. When he reached home, the youngest brother began to entreat his elder brothers, saying: ‘Be just, let me also watch my father’s grave.’ But they were angry, and answered: ‘Get thee gone, how couldst thou guard the grave when we are not able to do it!’ But afterwards they said one to the other: ‘Let us allow him to go.’So the youth went, came to the tomb of his father, lighted a candle, and, as soon as he sat down, an uproarbegan, but he was not affrighted. At the approach of the monster an earthquake began, but the youth was not afraid, he swung his sword round his head, and cleft the monster in twain, but the monster’s blood put out the candle. Looking round, the youth saw, some way off, the blaze of a fire. He arose and went thither. On his way he said to the cock: ‘Crow not, so that dawn break not till I come back again, or I shall slay thee.’ When he came near, he met with a vast river like a sea. When he had swum over and reached the other side, the youth saw that the fire was burning among thedemis,1who were sitting round it—so he stopped and bethought himself seriously; but, at last, he took a leap, jumped into the middle of them, seized a burning brand, and ran away.The burning cinders and ashes were showered over thedemis, but they did not see the youth. The youth went back, but as he crossed the river the burning log went out. He was angry at this, but what could he do? He went back again, and when he threw himself upon the fire thedemiscaught him, and asked what he wanted. He told them. Thedemissaid to him: ‘In yonder castle there dwell three maidens unseen by the sun,2thou must bring them to us or we will not let thee go.’ The youth askedthem: ‘Is there a ladder up to the castle?’ They answered: ‘Yes.’ ‘Then let us go,’ said he.He took all thedemiswith him, and said: ‘I shall climb up first, then you must come one by one.’ They agreed. The youth went up, onedemicame after him. As soon as the firstdemireached the top, the youth brandished his sword, slew him, and laid down his body. When the second came up, he did likewise unto him. Thus he slew them all, one by one, and left their bodies there.Then he went in, saluted the maidens, and gave each of them a ring—to the youngest for himself, to the others for his brothers. The youth went out, thrust his sword into a stone, and left it there, took fire with him, and went back. When he had crossed the river, he cried to the cock: ‘Now crow!’ Then he went to his father’s grave. Till dawn he stayed there, and then he went home.The beautiful maidens told the king what had happened. The king ordered all his subjects to be summoned, and asked: ‘Who is able to draw this sword out of the stone?’ But nobody could draw it out. Then the king made a proclamation: ‘To him that can draw out this sword I will give my daughter.’ The princes, as soon as they heard of this, decided to go thither. When they were making ready for the journey, the youngest asked his brothers to take him too. At last they consented to take him. When they arrived, they found a great uproar: people from all parts of the world were, in turn, laying hold of the sword, but could not draw it out. Last of all, the youngest brother came up, pulled out his sword, put it in the scabbard, and said to the king: ‘All three daughters are ours now, for I have two brothers.’ He called his brothers, and they took the three maidens to wife. Great merry-making began.The king gave to the wife of the youngest prince a flying carpet, which carried away any one who sat on it. The princess sat on it, and followed her suite. The groomsmen and youths set out with them. When they had gone half way, a monster swooped down on the princess and carried her off. A sad uproar began, but what was to be done? The young prince said to his brothers: ‘Farewell! I must perish with her,’ and went away.He went, he went, he went, he went as far as he could, and in a field he found a spring, beside which he lay down. There came a boy with a water jug. The prince asked: ‘Whose village is this?’ The boy replied: ‘Here dwell three brotherdemis, all married to daughters of one king.’When the youth heard this he was glad, for it turned out that his sisters dwelt here. When he came near, the sisters went out to meet him. It is easy to imagine how glad they were to see him. When it was dark, the threedemisreturned. One of the sisters went out to meet them, and said: ‘My brother is come.’ Thedemisanswered: ‘If the elder brothers are come, we can make roast meat of them, if it be the youngest, we shall know how to do him honour.’ Thedemiswent in, and kissed the youth for joy at meeting him.As they were all sitting round the hearth, thedemisbegan to sigh deeply. The youth asked them: ‘Why do you sigh?’ ‘Why?—we are sorry for that poor damsel! Kazha-Ndii-Kerkun (i.e.the swift, flint-likedemi) was carrying through the air a golden-haired woman; we pursued, but only succeeded in pulling off a lock of the woman’s hair.’ They showed the hair to the youth. As soon as he saw it he fainted, crying: ‘Ah! woe is me! woe is me!’ Thedemisasked him what was wrong. He told them all.As soon as day dawned, the youth arose, and made ready to depart. Thedemiswere very sorry at this, but what could they do? They gave him a horse and a little dog.The youth set out, and came to the house of Kazha-Ndii; but Kazha-Ndii was not at home. He dismounted, and went in to the princess; when they saw each other, their joy was so great that they fell to the ground. The princess said to him: ‘O youth, why hast thou sought thy doom? Against Kazha-Ndii thou canst do nothing.’ But the young man would not hearken, and lifted her on to his horse.As soon as they reached the gate, it creaked so loudly that a star fell from heaven. The door cried: ‘Kazha-Ndii-Kerkun, where art thou? they have carried off thy wife.’ Kazha-Ndii heard this, and pursued them. When he was overtaking them, Kazha-Ndii’s horse neighed so loudly that it stopped the princess’s horse. The princess said to him: ‘O youth, did I not tell thee how it would be? Save thyself at least.’ Then Kazha-Ndii rode up, cut the youth into pieces, and carried his wife back. The little dog came up, gathered the scattered fragments of the young man’s body, put them in a bag, tied it to the saddle, mounted the horse, and took the body to thedemis.When thedemissaw it they wept greatly, but their youngest brother blew the soul back into the pieces, and raised the youth to life. The prince arose, and again made ready to depart; the youngestdemisaid to him: ‘Here is my three-legged horse,3take him with thee; if he do not help thee there is no help to hope for.’ The youth mounted the horse, came again to his princess, took her and put her on the horse. When he was riding out of the gate it creaked more loudly than before. Kazha-Ndii heard it and pursuedthem. As he was overtaking them, Kazha-Ndii’s horse neighed, and the youth’s horse slackened its speed. The young prince said to his horse: ‘Why doest thou this?’ ‘What can I do? If I had a fourth leg I might be victorious.’ When Kazha-Ndii came near, the three-legged horse neighed so loudly that it stopped Kazha-Ndii’s horse. Then the youth came up to him, brandished his sword, cut Kazha-Ndii into halves, put the princess on his horse, and they rode merrily away. They visited thedemisand then went home.1demi,dii,ndiiin Mingrelian,devi,mdeviin Georgian (connected with Pers.div), a representative of the principle of evil, but with certain limitations, neither incorporeal nor immortal, but half demon half man,i.e.an unclean spirit in the form of a giant. He is subject to death, even a man can kill, cheat, terrify him; he can marry a woman, etc.2This phrase is continually applied to beautiful girls in Georgian poetry. It has three meanings: (1) A girl strictly kept, and not seen out of doors; (2) One who is not sunburnt, fair complexioned; (3) A maiden such as the sun has never seen the like of for beauty. The last meaning is the most frequent.3Cf. No. III. ‘Geria’s faithful dog and three-legged horse.’IIIThe Story of Geria, the Poor Man’s SonThere was once a poor married man who had only one son; but this son was very handsome and strong, and his name was Geria.1Once the youth went out to hunt, and when he was coming home in the evening he met a woman with a jar going to the spring for water; he aimed an arrow at her, and broke the jar. The woman turned to him and said: ‘If thou art so warlike, instead of breaking my pot why dost thou not go and fetch the only sister of the twelvedemisthat dwell beyond the twelve mountains?’ When he heard this, the youth’s heart began to beat wildly for eagerness to see the maiden.He went home and said to his parents: ‘Get ready food to last me a year, and if I do not come back in that time set out to seek for me.’ His parents would not consent,but said: ‘We have no child but thee, wilt thou go away from us and perish?’ They wept with one accord, but Geria heeded them not. So they got him provisions. They bade him farewell with sobs. Such wailing was there that the parting was known throughout the country side, yea, even to sun and moon, to heaven and earth, to the sea and the sands thereof. At last they blessed their son and let him go. He took with him a little dog, whose name was Mathicochi.2When they took leave one of another, they embraced, they kissed, and the youth sped on his way.He went, he went, he went, he went as much as he could—week and week, week and fortnight, a year and three months,3—he went over six mountains. When he had crossed these six mountains everything round about him began to reel: trees and stones fell down and clattered into the valleys, but Geria was not hurt by them. Then, from beneath, there came to him a voice, saying: ‘What kind of man art thou to stand thus against me. Who can resist me but Geria, the poor man’s son.’ ‘’Tis I—Geria, the poor man’s son.’When she heard this, the Rokapi4went out to meet him, bowed herself, did great honour to him, and said: ‘Whither wilt thou go?’ The youth told her all. The Rokapi was moved with sorrow. Geria asked her: ‘Whydost thou grieve?’—‘For that I have seen many go thither, but I have seen none come back.’ But Geria heeded her not, and went on his way.He went, he went, he went more than he could, and when he had crossed the other six mountains a still greater earthquake began. It turned out that this region belonged to the eldest sister of the Rokapis; but Geria showed no sign of fear. The Rokapi cried to him: ‘What manner of man art thou to resist my witchcraft? Art thou Geria, the poor man’s son?’ He cried out to her: ‘I am he.’ The Rokapi at once went out to meet him, bowed herself, treated him with respect, and asked him: ‘Whither art thou going?’ Geria told her his plan, and this Rokapi too was distressed. Geria asked her why she grieved. She answered: ‘Because I have seen many on their way thither, but I have never seen one come back; albeit, I will do thee one service, I give thee my three-legged horse.’ She called the horse, and said to him: ‘As long as Geria lives serve him faithfully.’ Geria bade her farewell, mounted the horse, and rode away with his little dog Mathicochi.He rode out into a great meadow, and came near the abode of thedemis. When he looked upon the mead his heart was glad, and his eyes filled with tears, he bethought him of his home and its beautiful fields, he uttered a blessing to God the merciful. Then he urged his horse onward, at such speed that clouds of dust rose behind him. The youth said to himself: ‘Lo, I am now in the unknown land!’ Up he rode to thedemis’gate, leaped from his horse, and tied it there.He walked away a little, and then cried: ‘Methinks I have not fastened my horse securely!’ Back he went, tore up an oak by the roots, planted it with its branches downwardsin the earth, and firmly tied his horse to it. Then the horse said: ‘If thou hadst not done this I should have fled home, but now do as I tell thee, and all will be well. Thedemisare indoors; go to the meadow, there thou wilt find a kettle, overturn it. Then betake thyself to the damsel, and get her to plight her troth to thee.’Geria went, kicked the kettle, turned it over three times, and left it upside down, then he went to the maiden, broke all the locks, and came to the room where she was. She was astonished, but the youth’s bravery pleased her, and, to make a long story short, she promised to marry him. The youth went out merrily to the place where he had left his horse. There he quietly spent the night, and next morning the horse said: ‘Thedemishave now gone out to the meadow; when they saw the kettle turned over they marvelled, for it usually takes all the twelvedemisto turn over that kettle, and they said one to another: “Whatever we are commanded by him that turned over the kettle that must we do,”—now it is time for thee to go thither.’ Geria went to the meadow.As soon as thedemissaw him, they all arose hastily, went to meet him, bowed themselves, and said: ‘What dost thou ask of us?’ He answered: ‘You must give me your sister to wife.’ Thedemissaid: ‘We give her to thee, but the Black King will not let thee take her.’ Geria answered: ‘I fear no man,’ so (not to lengthen unduly a long story) they made ready a banquet.While the feast was still going on, in the morning, Geria looked out of the door, and saw a host of men in black apparel, who had been sent by the Black King. Geria mounted his horse, dashed into the midst and defeated them all; three only did he save alive, as messengers, andsent them to say to the Black King: ‘’Tis I that have done this, Geria, the poor man’s son.’The King was very wroth, and sent almost all his army against him. When Geria saw them, he bethought himself a little, but the horse said to him: ‘Youth! this is nothing, look for still worse.’ Geria struck the horse with his whip, attacked the host, and slew all but one; him he sent to bear the news. Upon this, the king went out of himself with rage: he summoned his devoted and loyal slave to whom he was wont to apply in all his difficulties, by name Qvamuritz Khami;5to him he committed all that was left of the army, and sent him out.Geria arose and saw a sight, such a sight as I wish thine enemy may see. It pleased him not to see Qvamuritz Khami; but what could be done? The horse said to him: ‘Youth! yonder is he of whom I spake.’ Geria crossed himself, gave thanks to God, bade his wife farewell, for he thought to die, and went out. First of all he slew the army, and then he began a single combat with Qvamuritz Khami.Mounted they fought with maces, but the battle was not to the strong, for Qvamuritz Khami’s soul was safe in other hands—how could he be killed? Qvamuritz Khami cried: ‘O young man! thus shouldst thou shoot!’ and slew him. When Geria was dead, the victor slaughtered all thedemis, took Geria’s wife, put her on her husband’s horse, and carried her off to his master.But she said to the king: ‘I am the widow of such a man that I will not belong to a man like thee; either do battle with me, and let the conqueror have his will, or give me leave to wear mourning for three months.’ The king feared to fight with her, for she was of thedemirace, so hegave her a respite of three months. When Geria was killed, his head rolled one way and his body another; his faithful dog Mathicochi went and put the two pieces together, and lay down to guard them.While all these things had been happening, a year had passed, and when Geria’s parents saw that he did not return, they set out to seek him. When they came to a narrow road, they saw that several snakes had met and were fighting, and all fell dead; then two great snakes crawled out, threw themselves into the river, swam out again and began to crawl over the dead snakes in various directions. They were all restored to life. Geria’s parents wondered at the sight, and said one to the other: ‘Let us take a little of this water.’ They took a thimblefull of it.When they approached, the little dog, Mathicochi, saw them, and ran to meet them; sadly he took them to the dead body. When the unhappy parents saw Geria dead, they both fell to the ground and sobbed bitterly; then they remembered that the mother of the unfortunate youth had the wonderful water with her. As soon as they sprinkled Geria with it he came to life, and said: ‘Woe is me! what a long time I have slept!’ When he saw his parents, he was glad, but, remembering all that had befallen him, he again grew sad, and bade his parents farewell once more. They wept much, but, putting their trust in God, armed themselves with patience.Geria set out for the land of the Black King, and when he came near, went into a great forest; as he entered, he heard a very great noise. He stopped, and there, on the road, he saw some one coming along, destroying all the forest as he went, tree fell on tree; he looked steadily, and saw a great boar rushing straight towards him; he threw himselfon it, lifted it, and cast it three shoulders’ lengths6away from him; but they wrestled again, they wrestled, they wrestled, three whole days they wrestled. At last the youth was victorious, and tore the wild boar into halves. From the lacerated boar there leaped out a wild goat. When the youth killed the wild goat, there fell from it a little box; when he broke the box, three swallows flew from it,—two of them he killed, the third he caught and kept.At that time Qvamuritz Khami fell ill, the agony of death came upon him, for it turned out that this swallow was his soul. Geria killed the swallow, and Qvamuritz Khami died.7After this, Geria went into the king’s palace, and slew all therein excepting his wife. Her he took to his parents, whose patience and grief were exchanged for great joy. They all went home together.1Geria means little wolf. In Mingrelia there are many such nicknames,—e.g.Joghoria, little dog; Lomikia, little lion; Tholiorko, golden-eyed, etc.2Meaning: ‘I also am a human being.’3Three years, three months, and three weeks are the usual measures of time in Mingrelian tales.4Rokapi in Georgian tales is an old woman of a demoniacal character, possessing enchanted castles and domains; sometimes the word simply means witch, and in ordinary conversation it is applied to an ugly, ill-natured, toothless old hag.5i.e.he that has a star in his brow.6Theorgia,i.e.shoulder, is a measure of length equal to the space from finger-tips to finger-tips of the hands when extended horizontally.7Cf. with this the end of ‘Master and Pupil’ on p. 5.IVThe Prince who befriended the BeastsThere was a king, and he had three sons. Once he fell ill, and became blind in both eyes. He sent his sons for a surgeon. All the surgeons agreed that there was a fish of a rare kind by the help of which the king might be cured.1They made a sketch of the fish, and left it with the sick monarch.The king commanded his eldest son to go and catch that fish in the sea. A hundred men with their nets were lost in the sea, but nought could they find like the fish they sought. The eldest son came home to his father and said: ‘I have found nothing.’ This displeased the king, but what could he do? Then the second son set out, taking with him a hundred men also, but all his men were lost too, and he brought back nothing.After this, the youngest brother went. He had recourse to cunning; he took with him a hundred kilas2of flour and one man. He came to the sea, and every day he strewed flour in the water, near the shore, until all the flour was used up; the fishes grew fat on the flour, and said: ‘Let us do a service to this youth since he has enabled us to grow fat’; so, as soon as the youth threw a net into the sea, he at once drew out the rare fish he sought. He wrapped it up in the skirt of his robe, and went his way.As he rode along, some distance from his companion, he heard a voice that said: ‘O youth, I am dying!’ But on looking round he saw no man, and continued his journey. After a short time, he again heard the same words. He looked round more carefully, but saw nothing. Then he glanced at the skirt of his robe, and saw that the fish had its mouth open, and was dying. The youth said to it: ‘What dost thou want?’ The fish answered: ‘It will be better for thee if thou wilt let me go, some day I shall be of use to thee.’ The youth took it and threw it into the water, saying to his comrade: ‘I hope thou wilt not betray me.’When he reached home, he told his father that he had been unsuccessful. Some time passed. Once the prince quarrelled with his comrade, and the latter ran off and toldthe king how his son had deceived him. When the king heard this, he ordered his son to be taken away and killed. He was taken out, but when they were about to kill him, the youth entreated them, saying: ‘What doth it profit you if you slay me? If you let me go, ’twill be a good deed, and I shall flee to foreign lands.’ The executioners took pity on him, and set him free; he thanked them, and departed.He went, he went, he went, he went farther than anybody ever went—he came to a great forest. As he went through the forest, he saw a deer running, in a great state of alarm. The youth stopped, and fixed his gaze on it; then the deer came up and fell on its face before him. The youth asked: ‘What ails thee?’ ‘The prince pursues me, and on thee depends my safety.’ The youth took the deer with him and went on. A huntsman met him, and asked: ‘Whither art thou leading the deer?’ The youth replied: ‘One king has sent it as a gift to another king, and, lo! I am taking it.’ The youth thus saved the deer from death, and the deer said: ‘A time will come when I shall save thy life.’The youth went on his way: he went, he went, he went, so far he went, good sir, that the ‘three day colt’ (of fable) could not go so far. He looked, and, lo! a frightened eagle perched on his shoulder, and said: ‘Youth, on thee depends my safety!’ The youth protected it also from its pursuer. Then the eagle said to him: ‘Some day I shall do thee a service.’The youth went on: he went through the forest, he went, he went, he went, he went farther than he could, he went a week, two weeks, a year and three months. Then he heard some fearful rumbling, roaring, thunder and lightning—something was coming through the forest, breaking downall the trees. A great jackal appeared, and ran up to the youth, saying: ‘If thou wilt thou canst protect me; the prince is pursuing me with all his army.’ The youth saved the jackal, as he had saved the other animals. Then the jackal said: ‘Some day I shall help thee.’The youth went on his way, and, when he was out of the wood, came to a town. In this town he found a castle of crystal, in the courtyard of which he saw a great number of young men, some dying and some dead. He asked the meaning of this, and was told: ‘The king of this land has a daughter, a maiden queen; she has made a proclamation that she will wed him that can hide himself from her; but no man can hide himself from her, and all these men has she slain, for he that cannot hide himself from her is cast down from the top of the castle.’When the youth heard this, he at once arose, and went to the maiden. They bowed themselves each to the other. The maiden asked him: ‘Wherefore art thou come hither?’ The youth answered: ‘I come for that which others have come for.’ She immediately called her viziers together, and they wrote out the usual contract.The youth went out from the castle, came to the seashore, sat down, and was soon buried in thought. Just then, something made a great splash in the sea, came and swallowed the youth, carried him into the Red Sea, there they were hidden in the depths of the sea, near the shore. The youth remained there all that night.When the maiden arose next morning she brought her mirror and looked in it, but she found nothing in the sky, she looked on the dry land, and found nothing there, she looked at the sea—and then she saw the youth in the belly of the fish, which was hiding in the deep waters. After ashort time, the fish threw up the youth on the place where it had found him. He went merrily to the maiden. She asked: ‘Well, then, didst thou hide thyself?’ ‘Yes, I hid myself.’ But the maiden told him where he had been, and how he got there, and added: ‘This time I forgive thee, for the cleverness thou hast shown.’The youth set out again, and sat down in a field. Then something fell upon him, and took him up into the air, lifted him up into the sky, and covered him with its wing. When the maiden arose next morning, she looked in her mirror, she gazed at the mountain, she gazed at the earth, but she found nothing, she looked at the sky, and there she saw how the eagle was covering the youth. The eagle carried the youth down, and put him on the ground. He was joyful, thinking that the maiden could not have seen him; but when he came to her she told him all.Then he fell into deep melancholy, but the maiden, being struck with wonder at his cunning in hiding himself, told him that she again forgave him. He went out again, and, as he was walking in the field, the deer came to him and said: ‘Mount on my back.’ He mounted, and the deer carried him away, away, away over all the mountains that were there, and put him in a lair. When the maiden arose next morning, she found him, and when he came back to her she said: ‘Young man, it seems that thou hast many friends, but thou canst not hide thyself from me; yet this day also I forgive thee.’ The youth went sadly away; he had lost confidence.When he sat down in the field, an earthquake began, the town shook, lightning flashed, thunder rolled, and when a thunderbolt had fallen, there leapt out from it his friendthe gigantic jackal, and said to him: ‘Fear not, O youth!’ The jackal had recourse to its wonted cunning, it began to scrape at the earth: it dug, it dug, it dug, and burrowed right up to the place where the maiden dwelt, and then it said to the youth: ‘Stay thou here, she will look at the sky, the mountain, the sea, and when she cannot find thee she will break her mirror; when thou hearest this, then strike thy head through the ground and come out.’This advice, of course, pleased the youth. When the maiden arose in the morning, she looked at the sea, she found him not, she looked at the mountain, she looked at the sky, and still she could not see him, so she broke her mirror. Then the youth pushed his head through the floor, bowed, and said to the maiden: ‘Thou art mine and I am thine!’ They summoned the viziers, sent the news to the king, and a great feast began.1Cf. the beginning of ‘Gulambara and Sulambara’ on p. 42; also the Biblical story of Tobit and the Angel.2Kila, a measure of flour = about 36 to 40 pounds.VThe Cunning Old Man and theDemiThere was once an old man. He might have worked but he was lazy. His children went out to the fields, but this old man sat by the fire, and if they did not show him great respect, he kept them out of the house. His daughters-in-law quarrelled with him, and ended by turning him out of the house. He begged of his eldest daughter-in-law, saying: ‘Give me a jar of flour, an egg,1and an awl, then I shall go away.’ She gave him these things.The old man went on day and night, and came to thebank of a stream; he looked over, and saw on the other side ademi, to whom he cried: ‘Carry me across this river.’ Thedemianswered: ‘I shall not carry thee, but thou shalt carry me across, or I shall turn thee into dust.’ Thedemiseized a stone, struck it on the rocky bank, and turned the great stone into powder. The old man also took his jar of flour, struck it on the rock, and dust arose. Thedemiwas astonished, and said: ‘How has he turned this stone into powder?’ Thedemitook another stone, squeezed it in his hand, and said: ‘I shall crush thee like this stone.’ Then the old man took out the egg, squeezed it, and when the moisture began to ooze out, thedemiwas alarmed: he came over the stream, took the old man on his shoulder, and carried him across.In the middle of the stream, thedemisaid to the old man: ‘How light thou art!’ The old man answered: ‘I am holding on to the sky with one hand, if I let go, thou wouldst fall under my weight.’ Thedemisaid: ‘Just leave go for a moment.’ The old man took out the awl, and stuck it in thedemi’sneck. Thedemicried: ‘Lay hold of the sky again!’ The old man put the awl in his pocket.When they had reached the other side, thedemisaid to the old man: ‘I shall drive in game, and thou canst meet it here.’ So thedemiwent and drove in the game. The old man was afraid of wild beasts, and hid himself in the forest, where he found a dead red-breast.2When thedemireturned, he asked: ‘What hast thou done with the game?’ The old man replied: ‘Thou didst not drive the game properly, or how could any beast that walks on earth escape from me, that could catch this bird on the wing?’Thedemiwent and killed two deer, two wild goats, two boars, two hares; some he boiled, some he roasted, he made ready two measures (kilasof 36 to 40 pounds) of millet, twococas(acoca=25 bottles) of wine, and said: ‘Let us sit down and eat.’ The old man said: ‘Make me a bridge over this river, there will I sup.’ Thedemibuilt him a little bridge, on which he seated himself. Thedemigave him one deer, one wild goat, one boar, one hare, onekilaof millet, onecocaof wine, and then sat down near him in the field. Thedemiate, but the old man threw the food into the river. Thedemithought the old man was eating everything, and was afraid, thinking: ‘It would seem that he can eat more than I can.’ Lower down the stream, wolves caught and ate the meat the old man threw away. The old man asked for another deer. Thedemibrought it, and the old man threw it in the water. Thedemidid not know this. The old man said: ‘I have had a snack this evening.’Next day, thedemiinvited the old man to his house. They went there. Thedemiwent out alone to hunt. He met a wolf and a jackal, and said to them: ‘Come and hunt with me. To my house there has come a guest who can eat ten deer and wild goats; yesterday evening we had two deer, but they were a mere snack to him.’ The wolf and the jackal said to thedemi: ‘Thy guest did not eat one of them, he threw everything into the river, we caught it and ate it, the old man ate nothing.’ Thedemisaid to the wolf and the jackal: ‘Then let us go and expose this old man’s fraud.’There went with thedeminine wolves and jackals, to give evidence against the old man. The old man looked out, and saw thedemicoming along in front, with the wolvesand jackals behind him. The old man cried to thedemi: ‘Dost thou not owe me more than ten wolves and jackals?’ The wolves and jackals exchanged glances, and said: ‘It would seem that thisdemihas betrayed us.’ They threw themselves on thedemiand turned him into dust.31A variant substitutesa cheesefor an egg.2? Finch.3Another Mingrelian version of this story tells that thedemitook the old man home, and left him his house, wife and children. As he was going away, the jackal met him, and asked whither he was going. Thedemireplied that the old man had almost killed him, and he was going to hide himself. The jackal told him to go home, and have no fear of the old man, for it would choke him. Thedemitied the jackal to himself, with a stout rope, and went back. The old man met them with the following words: ‘This is splendid, my jackal—thou wast to bring me ninedemis, thou hast brought eight already, and this will make the ninth.’ Thedemiwas alarmed, he rushed off, dragging after him the jackal, whom he knocked against twenty trees, and disappeared. The old man stayed in thedemi’shouse all the days of his life.Cf. also ‘The Strong Man and the Dwarf,’ p. 147; Sir John Malcolm’sSketches of Persia, ch. xvi. ‘The Story of Ameen Beg of Ispahan,’ and ‘The Goat and the Lion’ in thePanchatantra.VISanartiaThere was once a king who reached old age without having a son. When he was very old, his wife at last bore him a son. The child was called Sanartia (i.e.desired, longed for); he grew up, and became very good and very clever, so that he understood everything that took place among earthly beings, wherever they were; but he did not obey his mother. She therefore hated him, and said to theking, her husband: ‘Since this boy will not obey his mother in anything, take him and throw him into the great deep sea.’The king was much distressed, but he did as his wife asked. The youth guessed what his parents were talking about, but he showed no resistance. After this, his father said: ‘Let us go and look at the town.’ Then the youth said: ‘Papa, give me a little money.’ His father gave him money, and they went to see the town. When they arrived, the boy bought a little axe, knives, needle, thread, flint and tinder.When they were on their way home, they came near the sea; the boy pulled up an oak tree, and carried it on his shoulder. The father was the first to see the sea, and when they were on the shore he said to his son: ‘Come hither, and see what a big fish I shall show thee.’ When the son came up to look, his father cast him into the great sea, together with the tree he carried. A fish swallowed the youth; his father turned and went home.In the sea, the youth kindled a fire in the fish’s belly, cut caviar out of it, roasted and ate it. On the caviar from this fish the youth lived thirty years, in the belly of that fish. Then, his firewood, flint and tinder being well-nigh exhausted, he made a very big fire. When the fish felt the heat, it leaped up and fell on the dry land. The youth said: ‘I will cut open the fish’s belly, and see—if it is in the water, I shall sew it up again, if it is ashore, I shall make a hole and get out.’ He cut a little, and saw that it was on land. Then he cut a large opening, came out of the fish, made a fire, cut flesh from the fish, roasted it, and ate it.Just then, there passed a prince, on his way to marry a maiden, and he saw the other prince coming out of the fish. The prince who was going to seek his bride, sent a man tothe youth to ask him to make way, for he was sitting in the road, and there was no other road for horsemen. But Sanartia would not move. Then the prince himself rode up, and asked: ‘Who art thou?’ Sanartia told him the name of the king, his father. Then the prince invited him, saying: ‘I go to marry a wife; ride with me.’ Sanartia agreed, and they went together to the appointed place.When they came near, they sent on a man to the king, who was master of the country, asking him to give his daughter in marriage to the prince. The king agreed, and sent to say: ‘If the prince succeeds in performing two exploits, I shall fulfil his wish; but to do these deeds is both hard and perilous: the princess throws a great lump of lead as far as a gun will carry a bullet, the suitor must throw it back again to the place where the princess is standing.’ The suitor for the maiden’s hand sent and said: ‘I will do this.’He went and stood in the place the maiden pointed out to him. She threw a piece of lead which fell at the place where the prince stood; he was not only unable to throw the lead, but could not even lift it from the ground; then his comrade, the other prince, Sanartia, took up the lead and threw it for him. The piece of lead went much farther than the maiden had thrown it.This exploit having been performed, the prince had another to do: mistaking Sanartia for the suitor, they took him to a wilderness where there was a castle, and in it dwelt Ocho-Kochi.1They opened the door of the castle, and letin the prince, saying: ‘This Ocho-Kochi will kill the young man.’ He spent that night in the castle.When he was preparing to sleep, Ocho-Kochi came to him and wished to kill him, but Sanartia was very strong, he seized Ocho-Kochi, threw him on the ground, and beat him with all his might. When he had thrashed him soundly, he said to him: ‘Go and stand at the gate as watchman.’ So he went and watched till dawn.In the morning, the king, the maiden’s father, sent his vizier, saying: ‘Find out what the prince and Ocho-Kochi are doing.’ When the vizier came to the door, Ocho-Kochi called out from the inside: ‘Master sleeps, wake him not, or he will beat me.’ The vizier made no reply to Ocho-Kochi, but went back and told the king what he had heard.The king was amazed, he set out for the castle, and said to Ocho-Kochi: ‘Open the door to me.’ But Ocho-Kochi replied: ‘Master will kill me.’ Just then, Sanartia awoke, and said to Ocho-Kochi: ‘Open the door for him.’ He immediately opened the door, and let in the king. Then the king and Sanartia went away together. The king wished to marry him to his daughter, but Sanartia went away secretly; he dressed the prince, his companion, in his clothes, and sent him in his place to the king; as soon as he arrived he was wedded to the princess. Afterwards Sanartia visited him as a friend.If they had known that Sanartia had performed these exploits they would not have given the princess to the other prince. But a handmaiden at the court found out the secret somehow, that Sanartia had done the deeds, and the princess’s husband had done nothing. One evening the handmaiden told the princess how Sanartia had cheatedher and married her to another man; she was angry, and that same night, after Sanartia had lain down to sleep, she went and cut off his leg at the knee.Sanartia did not die of the wound, but went away to another land, and became friendly with a one-handed man, and they lived together in the house of the latter. Afterwards they built a house in common, and moved into it. Sanartia took a maiden, and kept her with him as nurse.2The two friends went out to hunt, and stayed in the forest all night. At home there was nobody but the maiden.Meantime there came ademi, who sucked the maiden’s breast and then went away. When Sanartia and his friend came home, the girl told them what had happened. Sanartia left his friend and the girl at home, and said to them: ‘If thedemicomes, take him and keep him till I come back.’ Thedemicame, but the man was afraid to lay hold of him; and thedemiwent away again. As soon as Sanartia came in, he asked his friend and his nurse: ‘What did you do?’ They answered: ‘Thedemicame, but we could not take him, and he went away again.’Next day Sanartia stayed at home, and sent his friend to hunt. Thedemicame that night also, but as soon as Sanartia saw him he met him at the door, and when thedemicame in, Sanartia seized him and threw him to the ground, then he told the nurse to bring a rope, with which he bound him tightly. He took out his dagger, and was about to cut him in pieces, but thedemientreated him,saying: ‘Slay me not, and I will heal thee of all infirmities.’ Sanartia hearkened to thedemi’sprayers, and said: ‘If thou wilt restore my leg which was cut off I will let thee go, otherwise I slay thee.’Thedemipledged his word to heal him, and led him to a great river, saying: ‘Put thy leg therein and it will be sound.’ But Sanartia did not yet believe thedemi, so he ordered him to bring a dry stick, and said: ‘Put this stick in the water, and if it becomes green and bears leaves then will I put in my leg, otherwise I will not.’ The stick was put in the water, but it came out as dry as before.Then Sanartia was angry, and wished to kill thedemi, but again he entreated, saying: ‘There is still another healing stream.’ So he took him to the other stream, and as soon as Sanartia put in his leg it was made whole and sound like the other leg. After this, he did not kill thedemi, but let him go free; he made thedemiheal his one-handed friend, whom he wedded to his nurse. He left them there, and set out for his father’s house.But when he reached it, nobody knew him. Next day he secretly mounted his father’s horse, and went to the place where he had married the prince to the princess. On the road he saw a swineherd; when he approached, he recognised in him his old friend the prince. When he questioned him, the swineherd replied: ‘As soon as thou hadst gone hence they made me a swineherd.’ Sanartia drew out his sword, gave it to him, and said: ‘Kill all the swine but three, and wound those three; then drive the three home, I shall be there, ready to punish anybody who is angry with thee.’ The swineherd did as Sanartia told him, and in the evening drove the three swine into the king’s courtyard.Sanartia came to the palace earlier, but they did notrecognise him. When the swineherd drove in his swine, his wife was about to beat him, saying: ‘Why hast thou lost the swine.’ But at that moment Sanartia appeared before the princess, was angry with her, and said: ‘If thou wert a good woman thou wouldst not make thy husband feed swine.’... They knew at once that it was Sanartia, and were much amazed, saying: ‘His leg was cut off at the knee, how has he replaced his leg?’ Sanartia ordered them to bring the princess’s husband: he made her wash him well with her own hands, bring clothes, and dress him in noble apparel. When Sanartia was leaving for home, he called the princess and her parents, and said to them: ‘If you do not treat the prince as becomes his rank, I shall come at once, and it will fare ill with you.’ He took leave of them all and went home.1Ocho-Kochi, literally, ‘the goat-man,’ occupies an important place in Mingrelian mythology. He is a satyr, a wild man of the woods, represented as an old man with a long beard, his body covered with hair.2The word translated ‘nurse’ isdzidze, which means not only a nurse but any woman, married or single, who has been adopted into relationship by the ceremony of a man taking her breast between his teeth. This creates a degree of kinship inferior only to that between mother and son. The custom still exists in Mingrelia.VIIThe Shepherd JudgeIn a certain land, there was once a king who had four viziers to judge the people. Once these judges uttered a remarkable sentence. At that time there came to the king a certain shepherd, who spoke in a manner that pleased the king, so he commanded the viziers: ‘Show this shepherd the sentence you pronounced.’ When the shepherd had examined the decree of the viziers, it did not please him; he took it and altered it from beginning to end.When the king saw this, he said to the shepherd: ‘Since thou art so skilled in judging, be thou a judge.’ The shepherd refused, and said: ‘As long as I have eyes I cannotjudge, if you put out both my eyes then I will be a judge.’ Finally he persuaded them to put out his eyes. They built him a great, fine house, they gave him scribes, furnished him with everything befitting his office, and made the shepherd supreme judge.He began to do justice in such an upright manner that people flocked to him from every side. Everybody went to him for justice: great and small, master and servant, old and young, clergy and laity, friend and enemy—in a word, all who had suits with anybody came to him, every one praised and blessed his decisions.Once there came to him a man and a woman. The man said to the judge: ‘I came to this woman’s house on a mule; a calf accompanied my mule. When I tied up the mule, the calf began to suck its breast. The woman, seeing this, ran out, seized the calf, and began to grumble at me, saying it was her calf, and asking how it came to be with my mule. I withstood her with all my might, but it was of no avail. She wished to drag away the calf, but I would not allow it, I would not give up my property to her; we quarrelled, and now we have come before thee—in God’s name judge between us!’ Thus he spoke in person to the judge, but secretly he sent him a large bribe and a message, saying: ‘Take this money, and put me not to shame before this woman.’But the judge would not tamper with the scales of justice, and sent to tell the man: ‘How can I take the calf from the woman by force, if justice do not demand it?’ The judge asked the woman: ‘What sayest thou?’ The woman replied: ‘My lord, this man rode up to my house on a mule; I had nothing in the world but one calf and its mother, which I loved; my calf went up to this man’smule, caressed it, and took hold of it with its snout, as if it were going to suck its breast. The man, seeing this, thought: ‘I shall certainly take away this calf with me.’ He dragged it home, but, of course, I could not allow this—all extol thine equity, I too am come to thy door, and trust thou wilt not suffer me to be trampled down by injustice.’When the judge had heard both sides, he pronounced the following decision: ‘Since a mule never bore offspring and never will, it is still less possible that a mule should bring forth a calf. Let the calf therefore be taken from the man, and given to the woman who owns the cow, the mother of the calf.’ This judgment pleased everybody in the highest degree. And God was merciful to this good judge: by means of the kerchief of that woman his eyes were made whole, and he saw. After this he saw with both eyes, but till the day of his death he judged uprightly; when he died he went to heaven.VIIIThe Priest’s youngest SonThere was once a priest who had three sons. On the day of his death, the priest said to his sons: ‘When I die, let each of you read the psalter over me for one night.’ But the elder sons did not do as their father had bidden them, only the youngest read the psalter over him. That night his father appeared, and gave him a horse. Next night he again read the psalter over his father in his brothers’ place. His father again appeared, and gave him another horse, which he resolved to give to his youngerbrother. On the third night he again read the psalter. His father brought him a third horse, gave the young man his blessing, and departed.At that time, a princess was to be married to any man whose horse could jump up to the castle, so that its rider could kiss that maiden-queen. Many princes came to woo, but none of their horses could leap up to the castle. Then the priest’s youngest son mounted the horse his father had given him, and rode up to the royal palace; he struck the horse with his switch, and made it jump, but it could only go one third of the way up to the castle. Next day he mounted another horse, and made it jump, it went two thirds of the height of the castle. The third day he came on the third horse, and made it jump; it jumped right up to the top of the castle; the youth kissed the princess, and they married him to her. After this the priest’s son went home.At this time the queen, his mother-in-law, fell ill; she sent for her son-in-law, and said to him: ‘Between the white sea and the black sea there feeds a doe, they tell me that its milk will do me good; if thou canst get it for me I shall recover, if not, I must die.’ Then the youth mounted his horse and went forth. He rode between the seas, milked the doe, brought its milk to his mother-in-law, gave it to her to drink, and healed her.Mingrelian Proverbs1. Turn to the right, or turn to the left,’Twill all be one in the end.12. The rat that came from outside,Drove out the house-born rat.3. Fight for the outlying village,If thou wantest the one nearer home.4. Wish thy neighbour to have an ox,And God will send it to thee.5. The wolf was abused as wolfish,While the jackal ate up the flock.6. The hen scratched and scratched till she dug up a knife,With which her own throat was afterwards cut.7. The road runs where an old road ran,The river flows in the bed of a former river.8. ‘Give me room to stand,’ quoth the bull, ‘and IShall make myself enough room to lie.’9. If the bear overcome thee—then call him Papa.210. The dog took fright at a wolf,And barked all the year round at a stump.11. Who ever heard of a fish being prizedAs long as it stayed in the stream?12. They shot at the ripe—but the green fruit fell.13. Leave a good deed on a stone by the way,Thou’lt find it again after many a day (i.e.Cast thy bread on the waters).14. I say it—but whether it happen or no’Tis nothing to do with me.15. Eat and drink up whatever is thine,But cross thyself over all that’s mine.16. Who slew me?—My brother.Who brought me back to life?—My brother.17. The well-doer receives not good in return.18. The truthful man is always duped.19. My father I love, my mother I love—But myself I prefer before all.20. A heart-kiss is better than a lip-kiss.21. If thou hast not eaten pepper, why does thy mouth burn?22. A disease that one sees, will not kill;’Tis hidden sores do the most ill.23. Our granny has no teeth, so sheLikes not others’ teeth to see.24. He has forgotten the soul of his father, so he swears by the soul of his grandsire.25. Gold is good, but if thou have it not, of what use is it to thee?26. Better is copper of thine own than gold that is another’s.27. Of what use is light to him that is blind?28. If thou art brave, do not bewailThe bluntness of thy sword.1Cf. note 3 on p. 109.2Cf. The Talmud (Polano’sSelections, p. 287). ‘If the fox is king bow before him.’

IIMINGRELIAN TALESMINGRELIAN TALES1IThe Three PreceptsThere was, there was, there was, there was, and nothing there was.2In a certain country, a certain realm, a certain region, a certain village, there was an orphan so poor, so poor, that ’tween heaven and earth nought could be found that was his. Being in such a plight to-day, to-morrow, the day after to-morrow, this week, next week, this month, next month, sad and thoughtful he became; he thought, he thought, he thought, and at last made up his mind: ‘I will arise and try my luck,’ quoth he. He rose betimes in the morning, called on the name of God, turned himself to the right hand,3and set forth from the house.He went, he went, he went, beyond the sky, across the earth, across the forest, across the field, across the plain,over the mountains, he went as far as he could, and when he looked he saw a man of graceful mien coming towards him. The youth quickened his step and they met. ‘I wish thee victory, good youth!’4said the stranger, ‘whither goest thou?’ ‘May God send thee victory, my master,’ answered the young man, ‘I go to seek a livelihood.’ ‘Be my servant for three years, and I shall teach thee three things that will afterwards be helpful,’ said this clever man to the youth. The youth agreed, and went away with him.At the end of a year’s service, the clever man said to the youth: ‘Whatever thou seest outside thy yard, throw it into the yard.’ When the second year had passed, he again spoke to the youth, and said: ‘Lend nothing to anybody unless thou art much pressed to do so.’ The third year came to an end, and it was time for the young man to depart; the clever man called him and said: ‘Tell not thy secret to a woman.’ Then he bade him farewell, blessed him, and sent him home. The youth set out: he went, he went, he went by day, he went by night, over land, over water, and when he reached home he began to establish himself, he made a fence round his yard and, as he had been instructed, threw into the yard all he found outside the yard.One morning he went out and found on the road a red snake; he remembered the instruction of the clever man and threw the snake into the yard. A week later, the young man noticed that on the place where he had thrown the snake, it had laid a multitude of precious stones.5It is nowonder that the youth was greatly pleased at this. He gathered up the snake and the precious stones in the skirt of his garment, and put the snake in a nest in his own house. Every day the snake laid him a precious stone. The youth became wealthy: he built himself a fine house, took a wife, and lived like a lord. Still the snake went on laying precious stones, the youth became richer and richer, and gave himself up to gladness. One day his wife said to him: ‘Young man! who has made thee so fabulously rich, for thou wast formerly poorer than any one on earth.’ ‘Who? God gave me wealth,’ said the husband, following the clever man’s advice, not revealing his secret. But the woman gave him no peace; day and night she always asked the same thing: ‘How didst thou become wealthy?—thou must tell me, thou must.’ The youth had no way of escape, she wearied him out, and at last made him tell her all about the snake. Since there was nothing else to be done, the young man took his wife and showed her the snake that laid precious stones. After this, it happened that the snake ceased to lay precious stones; the young man’s wealth began to diminish, and nothing was added to it.When he was in this state, a certain man came and asked him for the loan of a knife. Of course, being utterly cast down with grief and sorrow, he remembered not the words the clever man had spoken to him, and lent the knife. May it happen to thine enemy as it happened to him! It happened that this wretched man was a thief. When he had got the knife he went and broke into a house to steal; there he thrust the knife into the belly of a sleeping man, slew him, and left the knife in the dead man’s body, then pillaged the house. Afterwards an enquiry was made into the matter. They found the knife in the man who had beenkilled and robbed, and it turned out to be the knife of the young man. Of course he was taken and bound, all his goods were seized, and he was treated as a thief ought to be treated. Thus did it happen to the wretched youth who disobeyed the instructions of the clever man.Yester eve I was there,This evening I am here....Three apples,6three pomegranates,May God send thee,Ripe in thy hands.The tale, the tale is ended....Thou hast eaten maize-bread with ashes,7Thou hast drunk bad, stale wine,And eaten a rotten walnut.81Mingrelskie etyudy. Pervyi vypusk. Mingrelskie teksty s perevodom i obyasneniyami, sobr. i izd. Al. Tsagareli. S. Pbg. 1880.2TheMingrelian Talesusually begin thus; sometimes the formula used is: ‘there was, there was, there was, and nothing there was, but nevertheless there was.’3When a Mingrelian undertakes a journey, he turns to the right several times before his door and then sets out. This is held to be a favourable omen.4The usual salutation in Georgia.5The wordKhvithoin Mingrelian signifies a precious stone laid by a snake or a fowl, which turns into gold or precious stones whatever it touches.6Cf. Carnoy et Nicolaïdes:Traditions de l’Asie Mineure, p. 42.7Chkidi, bread made of Indian corn, is generally used in Mingrelia. It is cooked on the ashes, and the latter are often found sticking to it.8These verses form the concluding formula of Mingrelian folk-tales. The second couplet is not so frequently used as the first.IIKazha-ndiiThere was once a king who had three sons and three daughters. When the day of his death was come, he called all his children, and said to his sons: ‘Hearken to my will, and see that ye fulfil it. When I die, let each of you watch my tomb for one week, give these maidens to the suitors who ask for their hands.’ After he had said farewell, the king died.He was buried, and on the first night the eldest brother went to guard the grave. But in a short time somethingbegan to approach with a mighty noise, and when it came near, it was so strong that it drove the prince out of the enclosure. From a distance, the prince saw how the being that had come with noise went to the king’s grave, dug up the corpse, and wept over it till morning; when morning came, it buried the corpse in the earth again, and went away. When the prince reached home, he was ashamed to say anything about what had happened.At that time, both the elder brothers set out for the chase; the youngest brother was left at home, he heard a voice and looked round. It turned out to be a suitor for the hand of his sister. He took and gave him the eldest sister. Soon after, he again heard a voice. The prince looked round—another suitor had come. The absence of his brothers somewhat disturbed him, but, according to his father’s will, he married his second sister also. A little later, a third voice was heard, and to him he gave his third sister.In the evening, when the two elder brothers came home, they did not see their sisters; they asked the youngest, and he told them what had happened. They were not pleased, and sent him out to feed the sheep. That night the middle brother went to guard the king’s grave; the same thing happened to him as to his elder brother, but he too was silent on the subject. When he reached home, the youngest brother began to entreat his elder brothers, saying: ‘Be just, let me also watch my father’s grave.’ But they were angry, and answered: ‘Get thee gone, how couldst thou guard the grave when we are not able to do it!’ But afterwards they said one to the other: ‘Let us allow him to go.’So the youth went, came to the tomb of his father, lighted a candle, and, as soon as he sat down, an uproarbegan, but he was not affrighted. At the approach of the monster an earthquake began, but the youth was not afraid, he swung his sword round his head, and cleft the monster in twain, but the monster’s blood put out the candle. Looking round, the youth saw, some way off, the blaze of a fire. He arose and went thither. On his way he said to the cock: ‘Crow not, so that dawn break not till I come back again, or I shall slay thee.’ When he came near, he met with a vast river like a sea. When he had swum over and reached the other side, the youth saw that the fire was burning among thedemis,1who were sitting round it—so he stopped and bethought himself seriously; but, at last, he took a leap, jumped into the middle of them, seized a burning brand, and ran away.The burning cinders and ashes were showered over thedemis, but they did not see the youth. The youth went back, but as he crossed the river the burning log went out. He was angry at this, but what could he do? He went back again, and when he threw himself upon the fire thedemiscaught him, and asked what he wanted. He told them. Thedemissaid to him: ‘In yonder castle there dwell three maidens unseen by the sun,2thou must bring them to us or we will not let thee go.’ The youth askedthem: ‘Is there a ladder up to the castle?’ They answered: ‘Yes.’ ‘Then let us go,’ said he.He took all thedemiswith him, and said: ‘I shall climb up first, then you must come one by one.’ They agreed. The youth went up, onedemicame after him. As soon as the firstdemireached the top, the youth brandished his sword, slew him, and laid down his body. When the second came up, he did likewise unto him. Thus he slew them all, one by one, and left their bodies there.Then he went in, saluted the maidens, and gave each of them a ring—to the youngest for himself, to the others for his brothers. The youth went out, thrust his sword into a stone, and left it there, took fire with him, and went back. When he had crossed the river, he cried to the cock: ‘Now crow!’ Then he went to his father’s grave. Till dawn he stayed there, and then he went home.The beautiful maidens told the king what had happened. The king ordered all his subjects to be summoned, and asked: ‘Who is able to draw this sword out of the stone?’ But nobody could draw it out. Then the king made a proclamation: ‘To him that can draw out this sword I will give my daughter.’ The princes, as soon as they heard of this, decided to go thither. When they were making ready for the journey, the youngest asked his brothers to take him too. At last they consented to take him. When they arrived, they found a great uproar: people from all parts of the world were, in turn, laying hold of the sword, but could not draw it out. Last of all, the youngest brother came up, pulled out his sword, put it in the scabbard, and said to the king: ‘All three daughters are ours now, for I have two brothers.’ He called his brothers, and they took the three maidens to wife. Great merry-making began.The king gave to the wife of the youngest prince a flying carpet, which carried away any one who sat on it. The princess sat on it, and followed her suite. The groomsmen and youths set out with them. When they had gone half way, a monster swooped down on the princess and carried her off. A sad uproar began, but what was to be done? The young prince said to his brothers: ‘Farewell! I must perish with her,’ and went away.He went, he went, he went, he went as far as he could, and in a field he found a spring, beside which he lay down. There came a boy with a water jug. The prince asked: ‘Whose village is this?’ The boy replied: ‘Here dwell three brotherdemis, all married to daughters of one king.’When the youth heard this he was glad, for it turned out that his sisters dwelt here. When he came near, the sisters went out to meet him. It is easy to imagine how glad they were to see him. When it was dark, the threedemisreturned. One of the sisters went out to meet them, and said: ‘My brother is come.’ Thedemisanswered: ‘If the elder brothers are come, we can make roast meat of them, if it be the youngest, we shall know how to do him honour.’ Thedemiswent in, and kissed the youth for joy at meeting him.As they were all sitting round the hearth, thedemisbegan to sigh deeply. The youth asked them: ‘Why do you sigh?’ ‘Why?—we are sorry for that poor damsel! Kazha-Ndii-Kerkun (i.e.the swift, flint-likedemi) was carrying through the air a golden-haired woman; we pursued, but only succeeded in pulling off a lock of the woman’s hair.’ They showed the hair to the youth. As soon as he saw it he fainted, crying: ‘Ah! woe is me! woe is me!’ Thedemisasked him what was wrong. He told them all.As soon as day dawned, the youth arose, and made ready to depart. Thedemiswere very sorry at this, but what could they do? They gave him a horse and a little dog.The youth set out, and came to the house of Kazha-Ndii; but Kazha-Ndii was not at home. He dismounted, and went in to the princess; when they saw each other, their joy was so great that they fell to the ground. The princess said to him: ‘O youth, why hast thou sought thy doom? Against Kazha-Ndii thou canst do nothing.’ But the young man would not hearken, and lifted her on to his horse.As soon as they reached the gate, it creaked so loudly that a star fell from heaven. The door cried: ‘Kazha-Ndii-Kerkun, where art thou? they have carried off thy wife.’ Kazha-Ndii heard this, and pursued them. When he was overtaking them, Kazha-Ndii’s horse neighed so loudly that it stopped the princess’s horse. The princess said to him: ‘O youth, did I not tell thee how it would be? Save thyself at least.’ Then Kazha-Ndii rode up, cut the youth into pieces, and carried his wife back. The little dog came up, gathered the scattered fragments of the young man’s body, put them in a bag, tied it to the saddle, mounted the horse, and took the body to thedemis.When thedemissaw it they wept greatly, but their youngest brother blew the soul back into the pieces, and raised the youth to life. The prince arose, and again made ready to depart; the youngestdemisaid to him: ‘Here is my three-legged horse,3take him with thee; if he do not help thee there is no help to hope for.’ The youth mounted the horse, came again to his princess, took her and put her on the horse. When he was riding out of the gate it creaked more loudly than before. Kazha-Ndii heard it and pursuedthem. As he was overtaking them, Kazha-Ndii’s horse neighed, and the youth’s horse slackened its speed. The young prince said to his horse: ‘Why doest thou this?’ ‘What can I do? If I had a fourth leg I might be victorious.’ When Kazha-Ndii came near, the three-legged horse neighed so loudly that it stopped Kazha-Ndii’s horse. Then the youth came up to him, brandished his sword, cut Kazha-Ndii into halves, put the princess on his horse, and they rode merrily away. They visited thedemisand then went home.1demi,dii,ndiiin Mingrelian,devi,mdeviin Georgian (connected with Pers.div), a representative of the principle of evil, but with certain limitations, neither incorporeal nor immortal, but half demon half man,i.e.an unclean spirit in the form of a giant. He is subject to death, even a man can kill, cheat, terrify him; he can marry a woman, etc.2This phrase is continually applied to beautiful girls in Georgian poetry. It has three meanings: (1) A girl strictly kept, and not seen out of doors; (2) One who is not sunburnt, fair complexioned; (3) A maiden such as the sun has never seen the like of for beauty. The last meaning is the most frequent.3Cf. No. III. ‘Geria’s faithful dog and three-legged horse.’IIIThe Story of Geria, the Poor Man’s SonThere was once a poor married man who had only one son; but this son was very handsome and strong, and his name was Geria.1Once the youth went out to hunt, and when he was coming home in the evening he met a woman with a jar going to the spring for water; he aimed an arrow at her, and broke the jar. The woman turned to him and said: ‘If thou art so warlike, instead of breaking my pot why dost thou not go and fetch the only sister of the twelvedemisthat dwell beyond the twelve mountains?’ When he heard this, the youth’s heart began to beat wildly for eagerness to see the maiden.He went home and said to his parents: ‘Get ready food to last me a year, and if I do not come back in that time set out to seek for me.’ His parents would not consent,but said: ‘We have no child but thee, wilt thou go away from us and perish?’ They wept with one accord, but Geria heeded them not. So they got him provisions. They bade him farewell with sobs. Such wailing was there that the parting was known throughout the country side, yea, even to sun and moon, to heaven and earth, to the sea and the sands thereof. At last they blessed their son and let him go. He took with him a little dog, whose name was Mathicochi.2When they took leave one of another, they embraced, they kissed, and the youth sped on his way.He went, he went, he went, he went as much as he could—week and week, week and fortnight, a year and three months,3—he went over six mountains. When he had crossed these six mountains everything round about him began to reel: trees and stones fell down and clattered into the valleys, but Geria was not hurt by them. Then, from beneath, there came to him a voice, saying: ‘What kind of man art thou to stand thus against me. Who can resist me but Geria, the poor man’s son.’ ‘’Tis I—Geria, the poor man’s son.’When she heard this, the Rokapi4went out to meet him, bowed herself, did great honour to him, and said: ‘Whither wilt thou go?’ The youth told her all. The Rokapi was moved with sorrow. Geria asked her: ‘Whydost thou grieve?’—‘For that I have seen many go thither, but I have seen none come back.’ But Geria heeded her not, and went on his way.He went, he went, he went more than he could, and when he had crossed the other six mountains a still greater earthquake began. It turned out that this region belonged to the eldest sister of the Rokapis; but Geria showed no sign of fear. The Rokapi cried to him: ‘What manner of man art thou to resist my witchcraft? Art thou Geria, the poor man’s son?’ He cried out to her: ‘I am he.’ The Rokapi at once went out to meet him, bowed herself, treated him with respect, and asked him: ‘Whither art thou going?’ Geria told her his plan, and this Rokapi too was distressed. Geria asked her why she grieved. She answered: ‘Because I have seen many on their way thither, but I have never seen one come back; albeit, I will do thee one service, I give thee my three-legged horse.’ She called the horse, and said to him: ‘As long as Geria lives serve him faithfully.’ Geria bade her farewell, mounted the horse, and rode away with his little dog Mathicochi.He rode out into a great meadow, and came near the abode of thedemis. When he looked upon the mead his heart was glad, and his eyes filled with tears, he bethought him of his home and its beautiful fields, he uttered a blessing to God the merciful. Then he urged his horse onward, at such speed that clouds of dust rose behind him. The youth said to himself: ‘Lo, I am now in the unknown land!’ Up he rode to thedemis’gate, leaped from his horse, and tied it there.He walked away a little, and then cried: ‘Methinks I have not fastened my horse securely!’ Back he went, tore up an oak by the roots, planted it with its branches downwardsin the earth, and firmly tied his horse to it. Then the horse said: ‘If thou hadst not done this I should have fled home, but now do as I tell thee, and all will be well. Thedemisare indoors; go to the meadow, there thou wilt find a kettle, overturn it. Then betake thyself to the damsel, and get her to plight her troth to thee.’Geria went, kicked the kettle, turned it over three times, and left it upside down, then he went to the maiden, broke all the locks, and came to the room where she was. She was astonished, but the youth’s bravery pleased her, and, to make a long story short, she promised to marry him. The youth went out merrily to the place where he had left his horse. There he quietly spent the night, and next morning the horse said: ‘Thedemishave now gone out to the meadow; when they saw the kettle turned over they marvelled, for it usually takes all the twelvedemisto turn over that kettle, and they said one to another: “Whatever we are commanded by him that turned over the kettle that must we do,”—now it is time for thee to go thither.’ Geria went to the meadow.As soon as thedemissaw him, they all arose hastily, went to meet him, bowed themselves, and said: ‘What dost thou ask of us?’ He answered: ‘You must give me your sister to wife.’ Thedemissaid: ‘We give her to thee, but the Black King will not let thee take her.’ Geria answered: ‘I fear no man,’ so (not to lengthen unduly a long story) they made ready a banquet.While the feast was still going on, in the morning, Geria looked out of the door, and saw a host of men in black apparel, who had been sent by the Black King. Geria mounted his horse, dashed into the midst and defeated them all; three only did he save alive, as messengers, andsent them to say to the Black King: ‘’Tis I that have done this, Geria, the poor man’s son.’The King was very wroth, and sent almost all his army against him. When Geria saw them, he bethought himself a little, but the horse said to him: ‘Youth! this is nothing, look for still worse.’ Geria struck the horse with his whip, attacked the host, and slew all but one; him he sent to bear the news. Upon this, the king went out of himself with rage: he summoned his devoted and loyal slave to whom he was wont to apply in all his difficulties, by name Qvamuritz Khami;5to him he committed all that was left of the army, and sent him out.Geria arose and saw a sight, such a sight as I wish thine enemy may see. It pleased him not to see Qvamuritz Khami; but what could be done? The horse said to him: ‘Youth! yonder is he of whom I spake.’ Geria crossed himself, gave thanks to God, bade his wife farewell, for he thought to die, and went out. First of all he slew the army, and then he began a single combat with Qvamuritz Khami.Mounted they fought with maces, but the battle was not to the strong, for Qvamuritz Khami’s soul was safe in other hands—how could he be killed? Qvamuritz Khami cried: ‘O young man! thus shouldst thou shoot!’ and slew him. When Geria was dead, the victor slaughtered all thedemis, took Geria’s wife, put her on her husband’s horse, and carried her off to his master.But she said to the king: ‘I am the widow of such a man that I will not belong to a man like thee; either do battle with me, and let the conqueror have his will, or give me leave to wear mourning for three months.’ The king feared to fight with her, for she was of thedemirace, so hegave her a respite of three months. When Geria was killed, his head rolled one way and his body another; his faithful dog Mathicochi went and put the two pieces together, and lay down to guard them.While all these things had been happening, a year had passed, and when Geria’s parents saw that he did not return, they set out to seek him. When they came to a narrow road, they saw that several snakes had met and were fighting, and all fell dead; then two great snakes crawled out, threw themselves into the river, swam out again and began to crawl over the dead snakes in various directions. They were all restored to life. Geria’s parents wondered at the sight, and said one to the other: ‘Let us take a little of this water.’ They took a thimblefull of it.When they approached, the little dog, Mathicochi, saw them, and ran to meet them; sadly he took them to the dead body. When the unhappy parents saw Geria dead, they both fell to the ground and sobbed bitterly; then they remembered that the mother of the unfortunate youth had the wonderful water with her. As soon as they sprinkled Geria with it he came to life, and said: ‘Woe is me! what a long time I have slept!’ When he saw his parents, he was glad, but, remembering all that had befallen him, he again grew sad, and bade his parents farewell once more. They wept much, but, putting their trust in God, armed themselves with patience.Geria set out for the land of the Black King, and when he came near, went into a great forest; as he entered, he heard a very great noise. He stopped, and there, on the road, he saw some one coming along, destroying all the forest as he went, tree fell on tree; he looked steadily, and saw a great boar rushing straight towards him; he threw himselfon it, lifted it, and cast it three shoulders’ lengths6away from him; but they wrestled again, they wrestled, they wrestled, three whole days they wrestled. At last the youth was victorious, and tore the wild boar into halves. From the lacerated boar there leaped out a wild goat. When the youth killed the wild goat, there fell from it a little box; when he broke the box, three swallows flew from it,—two of them he killed, the third he caught and kept.At that time Qvamuritz Khami fell ill, the agony of death came upon him, for it turned out that this swallow was his soul. Geria killed the swallow, and Qvamuritz Khami died.7After this, Geria went into the king’s palace, and slew all therein excepting his wife. Her he took to his parents, whose patience and grief were exchanged for great joy. They all went home together.1Geria means little wolf. In Mingrelia there are many such nicknames,—e.g.Joghoria, little dog; Lomikia, little lion; Tholiorko, golden-eyed, etc.2Meaning: ‘I also am a human being.’3Three years, three months, and three weeks are the usual measures of time in Mingrelian tales.4Rokapi in Georgian tales is an old woman of a demoniacal character, possessing enchanted castles and domains; sometimes the word simply means witch, and in ordinary conversation it is applied to an ugly, ill-natured, toothless old hag.5i.e.he that has a star in his brow.6Theorgia,i.e.shoulder, is a measure of length equal to the space from finger-tips to finger-tips of the hands when extended horizontally.7Cf. with this the end of ‘Master and Pupil’ on p. 5.IVThe Prince who befriended the BeastsThere was a king, and he had three sons. Once he fell ill, and became blind in both eyes. He sent his sons for a surgeon. All the surgeons agreed that there was a fish of a rare kind by the help of which the king might be cured.1They made a sketch of the fish, and left it with the sick monarch.The king commanded his eldest son to go and catch that fish in the sea. A hundred men with their nets were lost in the sea, but nought could they find like the fish they sought. The eldest son came home to his father and said: ‘I have found nothing.’ This displeased the king, but what could he do? Then the second son set out, taking with him a hundred men also, but all his men were lost too, and he brought back nothing.After this, the youngest brother went. He had recourse to cunning; he took with him a hundred kilas2of flour and one man. He came to the sea, and every day he strewed flour in the water, near the shore, until all the flour was used up; the fishes grew fat on the flour, and said: ‘Let us do a service to this youth since he has enabled us to grow fat’; so, as soon as the youth threw a net into the sea, he at once drew out the rare fish he sought. He wrapped it up in the skirt of his robe, and went his way.As he rode along, some distance from his companion, he heard a voice that said: ‘O youth, I am dying!’ But on looking round he saw no man, and continued his journey. After a short time, he again heard the same words. He looked round more carefully, but saw nothing. Then he glanced at the skirt of his robe, and saw that the fish had its mouth open, and was dying. The youth said to it: ‘What dost thou want?’ The fish answered: ‘It will be better for thee if thou wilt let me go, some day I shall be of use to thee.’ The youth took it and threw it into the water, saying to his comrade: ‘I hope thou wilt not betray me.’When he reached home, he told his father that he had been unsuccessful. Some time passed. Once the prince quarrelled with his comrade, and the latter ran off and toldthe king how his son had deceived him. When the king heard this, he ordered his son to be taken away and killed. He was taken out, but when they were about to kill him, the youth entreated them, saying: ‘What doth it profit you if you slay me? If you let me go, ’twill be a good deed, and I shall flee to foreign lands.’ The executioners took pity on him, and set him free; he thanked them, and departed.He went, he went, he went, he went farther than anybody ever went—he came to a great forest. As he went through the forest, he saw a deer running, in a great state of alarm. The youth stopped, and fixed his gaze on it; then the deer came up and fell on its face before him. The youth asked: ‘What ails thee?’ ‘The prince pursues me, and on thee depends my safety.’ The youth took the deer with him and went on. A huntsman met him, and asked: ‘Whither art thou leading the deer?’ The youth replied: ‘One king has sent it as a gift to another king, and, lo! I am taking it.’ The youth thus saved the deer from death, and the deer said: ‘A time will come when I shall save thy life.’The youth went on his way: he went, he went, he went, so far he went, good sir, that the ‘three day colt’ (of fable) could not go so far. He looked, and, lo! a frightened eagle perched on his shoulder, and said: ‘Youth, on thee depends my safety!’ The youth protected it also from its pursuer. Then the eagle said to him: ‘Some day I shall do thee a service.’The youth went on: he went through the forest, he went, he went, he went, he went farther than he could, he went a week, two weeks, a year and three months. Then he heard some fearful rumbling, roaring, thunder and lightning—something was coming through the forest, breaking downall the trees. A great jackal appeared, and ran up to the youth, saying: ‘If thou wilt thou canst protect me; the prince is pursuing me with all his army.’ The youth saved the jackal, as he had saved the other animals. Then the jackal said: ‘Some day I shall help thee.’The youth went on his way, and, when he was out of the wood, came to a town. In this town he found a castle of crystal, in the courtyard of which he saw a great number of young men, some dying and some dead. He asked the meaning of this, and was told: ‘The king of this land has a daughter, a maiden queen; she has made a proclamation that she will wed him that can hide himself from her; but no man can hide himself from her, and all these men has she slain, for he that cannot hide himself from her is cast down from the top of the castle.’When the youth heard this, he at once arose, and went to the maiden. They bowed themselves each to the other. The maiden asked him: ‘Wherefore art thou come hither?’ The youth answered: ‘I come for that which others have come for.’ She immediately called her viziers together, and they wrote out the usual contract.The youth went out from the castle, came to the seashore, sat down, and was soon buried in thought. Just then, something made a great splash in the sea, came and swallowed the youth, carried him into the Red Sea, there they were hidden in the depths of the sea, near the shore. The youth remained there all that night.When the maiden arose next morning she brought her mirror and looked in it, but she found nothing in the sky, she looked on the dry land, and found nothing there, she looked at the sea—and then she saw the youth in the belly of the fish, which was hiding in the deep waters. After ashort time, the fish threw up the youth on the place where it had found him. He went merrily to the maiden. She asked: ‘Well, then, didst thou hide thyself?’ ‘Yes, I hid myself.’ But the maiden told him where he had been, and how he got there, and added: ‘This time I forgive thee, for the cleverness thou hast shown.’The youth set out again, and sat down in a field. Then something fell upon him, and took him up into the air, lifted him up into the sky, and covered him with its wing. When the maiden arose next morning, she looked in her mirror, she gazed at the mountain, she gazed at the earth, but she found nothing, she looked at the sky, and there she saw how the eagle was covering the youth. The eagle carried the youth down, and put him on the ground. He was joyful, thinking that the maiden could not have seen him; but when he came to her she told him all.Then he fell into deep melancholy, but the maiden, being struck with wonder at his cunning in hiding himself, told him that she again forgave him. He went out again, and, as he was walking in the field, the deer came to him and said: ‘Mount on my back.’ He mounted, and the deer carried him away, away, away over all the mountains that were there, and put him in a lair. When the maiden arose next morning, she found him, and when he came back to her she said: ‘Young man, it seems that thou hast many friends, but thou canst not hide thyself from me; yet this day also I forgive thee.’ The youth went sadly away; he had lost confidence.When he sat down in the field, an earthquake began, the town shook, lightning flashed, thunder rolled, and when a thunderbolt had fallen, there leapt out from it his friendthe gigantic jackal, and said to him: ‘Fear not, O youth!’ The jackal had recourse to its wonted cunning, it began to scrape at the earth: it dug, it dug, it dug, and burrowed right up to the place where the maiden dwelt, and then it said to the youth: ‘Stay thou here, she will look at the sky, the mountain, the sea, and when she cannot find thee she will break her mirror; when thou hearest this, then strike thy head through the ground and come out.’This advice, of course, pleased the youth. When the maiden arose in the morning, she looked at the sea, she found him not, she looked at the mountain, she looked at the sky, and still she could not see him, so she broke her mirror. Then the youth pushed his head through the floor, bowed, and said to the maiden: ‘Thou art mine and I am thine!’ They summoned the viziers, sent the news to the king, and a great feast began.1Cf. the beginning of ‘Gulambara and Sulambara’ on p. 42; also the Biblical story of Tobit and the Angel.2Kila, a measure of flour = about 36 to 40 pounds.VThe Cunning Old Man and theDemiThere was once an old man. He might have worked but he was lazy. His children went out to the fields, but this old man sat by the fire, and if they did not show him great respect, he kept them out of the house. His daughters-in-law quarrelled with him, and ended by turning him out of the house. He begged of his eldest daughter-in-law, saying: ‘Give me a jar of flour, an egg,1and an awl, then I shall go away.’ She gave him these things.The old man went on day and night, and came to thebank of a stream; he looked over, and saw on the other side ademi, to whom he cried: ‘Carry me across this river.’ Thedemianswered: ‘I shall not carry thee, but thou shalt carry me across, or I shall turn thee into dust.’ Thedemiseized a stone, struck it on the rocky bank, and turned the great stone into powder. The old man also took his jar of flour, struck it on the rock, and dust arose. Thedemiwas astonished, and said: ‘How has he turned this stone into powder?’ Thedemitook another stone, squeezed it in his hand, and said: ‘I shall crush thee like this stone.’ Then the old man took out the egg, squeezed it, and when the moisture began to ooze out, thedemiwas alarmed: he came over the stream, took the old man on his shoulder, and carried him across.In the middle of the stream, thedemisaid to the old man: ‘How light thou art!’ The old man answered: ‘I am holding on to the sky with one hand, if I let go, thou wouldst fall under my weight.’ Thedemisaid: ‘Just leave go for a moment.’ The old man took out the awl, and stuck it in thedemi’sneck. Thedemicried: ‘Lay hold of the sky again!’ The old man put the awl in his pocket.When they had reached the other side, thedemisaid to the old man: ‘I shall drive in game, and thou canst meet it here.’ So thedemiwent and drove in the game. The old man was afraid of wild beasts, and hid himself in the forest, where he found a dead red-breast.2When thedemireturned, he asked: ‘What hast thou done with the game?’ The old man replied: ‘Thou didst not drive the game properly, or how could any beast that walks on earth escape from me, that could catch this bird on the wing?’Thedemiwent and killed two deer, two wild goats, two boars, two hares; some he boiled, some he roasted, he made ready two measures (kilasof 36 to 40 pounds) of millet, twococas(acoca=25 bottles) of wine, and said: ‘Let us sit down and eat.’ The old man said: ‘Make me a bridge over this river, there will I sup.’ Thedemibuilt him a little bridge, on which he seated himself. Thedemigave him one deer, one wild goat, one boar, one hare, onekilaof millet, onecocaof wine, and then sat down near him in the field. Thedemiate, but the old man threw the food into the river. Thedemithought the old man was eating everything, and was afraid, thinking: ‘It would seem that he can eat more than I can.’ Lower down the stream, wolves caught and ate the meat the old man threw away. The old man asked for another deer. Thedemibrought it, and the old man threw it in the water. Thedemidid not know this. The old man said: ‘I have had a snack this evening.’Next day, thedemiinvited the old man to his house. They went there. Thedemiwent out alone to hunt. He met a wolf and a jackal, and said to them: ‘Come and hunt with me. To my house there has come a guest who can eat ten deer and wild goats; yesterday evening we had two deer, but they were a mere snack to him.’ The wolf and the jackal said to thedemi: ‘Thy guest did not eat one of them, he threw everything into the river, we caught it and ate it, the old man ate nothing.’ Thedemisaid to the wolf and the jackal: ‘Then let us go and expose this old man’s fraud.’There went with thedeminine wolves and jackals, to give evidence against the old man. The old man looked out, and saw thedemicoming along in front, with the wolvesand jackals behind him. The old man cried to thedemi: ‘Dost thou not owe me more than ten wolves and jackals?’ The wolves and jackals exchanged glances, and said: ‘It would seem that thisdemihas betrayed us.’ They threw themselves on thedemiand turned him into dust.31A variant substitutesa cheesefor an egg.2? Finch.3Another Mingrelian version of this story tells that thedemitook the old man home, and left him his house, wife and children. As he was going away, the jackal met him, and asked whither he was going. Thedemireplied that the old man had almost killed him, and he was going to hide himself. The jackal told him to go home, and have no fear of the old man, for it would choke him. Thedemitied the jackal to himself, with a stout rope, and went back. The old man met them with the following words: ‘This is splendid, my jackal—thou wast to bring me ninedemis, thou hast brought eight already, and this will make the ninth.’ Thedemiwas alarmed, he rushed off, dragging after him the jackal, whom he knocked against twenty trees, and disappeared. The old man stayed in thedemi’shouse all the days of his life.Cf. also ‘The Strong Man and the Dwarf,’ p. 147; Sir John Malcolm’sSketches of Persia, ch. xvi. ‘The Story of Ameen Beg of Ispahan,’ and ‘The Goat and the Lion’ in thePanchatantra.VISanartiaThere was once a king who reached old age without having a son. When he was very old, his wife at last bore him a son. The child was called Sanartia (i.e.desired, longed for); he grew up, and became very good and very clever, so that he understood everything that took place among earthly beings, wherever they were; but he did not obey his mother. She therefore hated him, and said to theking, her husband: ‘Since this boy will not obey his mother in anything, take him and throw him into the great deep sea.’The king was much distressed, but he did as his wife asked. The youth guessed what his parents were talking about, but he showed no resistance. After this, his father said: ‘Let us go and look at the town.’ Then the youth said: ‘Papa, give me a little money.’ His father gave him money, and they went to see the town. When they arrived, the boy bought a little axe, knives, needle, thread, flint and tinder.When they were on their way home, they came near the sea; the boy pulled up an oak tree, and carried it on his shoulder. The father was the first to see the sea, and when they were on the shore he said to his son: ‘Come hither, and see what a big fish I shall show thee.’ When the son came up to look, his father cast him into the great sea, together with the tree he carried. A fish swallowed the youth; his father turned and went home.In the sea, the youth kindled a fire in the fish’s belly, cut caviar out of it, roasted and ate it. On the caviar from this fish the youth lived thirty years, in the belly of that fish. Then, his firewood, flint and tinder being well-nigh exhausted, he made a very big fire. When the fish felt the heat, it leaped up and fell on the dry land. The youth said: ‘I will cut open the fish’s belly, and see—if it is in the water, I shall sew it up again, if it is ashore, I shall make a hole and get out.’ He cut a little, and saw that it was on land. Then he cut a large opening, came out of the fish, made a fire, cut flesh from the fish, roasted it, and ate it.Just then, there passed a prince, on his way to marry a maiden, and he saw the other prince coming out of the fish. The prince who was going to seek his bride, sent a man tothe youth to ask him to make way, for he was sitting in the road, and there was no other road for horsemen. But Sanartia would not move. Then the prince himself rode up, and asked: ‘Who art thou?’ Sanartia told him the name of the king, his father. Then the prince invited him, saying: ‘I go to marry a wife; ride with me.’ Sanartia agreed, and they went together to the appointed place.When they came near, they sent on a man to the king, who was master of the country, asking him to give his daughter in marriage to the prince. The king agreed, and sent to say: ‘If the prince succeeds in performing two exploits, I shall fulfil his wish; but to do these deeds is both hard and perilous: the princess throws a great lump of lead as far as a gun will carry a bullet, the suitor must throw it back again to the place where the princess is standing.’ The suitor for the maiden’s hand sent and said: ‘I will do this.’He went and stood in the place the maiden pointed out to him. She threw a piece of lead which fell at the place where the prince stood; he was not only unable to throw the lead, but could not even lift it from the ground; then his comrade, the other prince, Sanartia, took up the lead and threw it for him. The piece of lead went much farther than the maiden had thrown it.This exploit having been performed, the prince had another to do: mistaking Sanartia for the suitor, they took him to a wilderness where there was a castle, and in it dwelt Ocho-Kochi.1They opened the door of the castle, and letin the prince, saying: ‘This Ocho-Kochi will kill the young man.’ He spent that night in the castle.When he was preparing to sleep, Ocho-Kochi came to him and wished to kill him, but Sanartia was very strong, he seized Ocho-Kochi, threw him on the ground, and beat him with all his might. When he had thrashed him soundly, he said to him: ‘Go and stand at the gate as watchman.’ So he went and watched till dawn.In the morning, the king, the maiden’s father, sent his vizier, saying: ‘Find out what the prince and Ocho-Kochi are doing.’ When the vizier came to the door, Ocho-Kochi called out from the inside: ‘Master sleeps, wake him not, or he will beat me.’ The vizier made no reply to Ocho-Kochi, but went back and told the king what he had heard.The king was amazed, he set out for the castle, and said to Ocho-Kochi: ‘Open the door to me.’ But Ocho-Kochi replied: ‘Master will kill me.’ Just then, Sanartia awoke, and said to Ocho-Kochi: ‘Open the door for him.’ He immediately opened the door, and let in the king. Then the king and Sanartia went away together. The king wished to marry him to his daughter, but Sanartia went away secretly; he dressed the prince, his companion, in his clothes, and sent him in his place to the king; as soon as he arrived he was wedded to the princess. Afterwards Sanartia visited him as a friend.If they had known that Sanartia had performed these exploits they would not have given the princess to the other prince. But a handmaiden at the court found out the secret somehow, that Sanartia had done the deeds, and the princess’s husband had done nothing. One evening the handmaiden told the princess how Sanartia had cheatedher and married her to another man; she was angry, and that same night, after Sanartia had lain down to sleep, she went and cut off his leg at the knee.Sanartia did not die of the wound, but went away to another land, and became friendly with a one-handed man, and they lived together in the house of the latter. Afterwards they built a house in common, and moved into it. Sanartia took a maiden, and kept her with him as nurse.2The two friends went out to hunt, and stayed in the forest all night. At home there was nobody but the maiden.Meantime there came ademi, who sucked the maiden’s breast and then went away. When Sanartia and his friend came home, the girl told them what had happened. Sanartia left his friend and the girl at home, and said to them: ‘If thedemicomes, take him and keep him till I come back.’ Thedemicame, but the man was afraid to lay hold of him; and thedemiwent away again. As soon as Sanartia came in, he asked his friend and his nurse: ‘What did you do?’ They answered: ‘Thedemicame, but we could not take him, and he went away again.’Next day Sanartia stayed at home, and sent his friend to hunt. Thedemicame that night also, but as soon as Sanartia saw him he met him at the door, and when thedemicame in, Sanartia seized him and threw him to the ground, then he told the nurse to bring a rope, with which he bound him tightly. He took out his dagger, and was about to cut him in pieces, but thedemientreated him,saying: ‘Slay me not, and I will heal thee of all infirmities.’ Sanartia hearkened to thedemi’sprayers, and said: ‘If thou wilt restore my leg which was cut off I will let thee go, otherwise I slay thee.’Thedemipledged his word to heal him, and led him to a great river, saying: ‘Put thy leg therein and it will be sound.’ But Sanartia did not yet believe thedemi, so he ordered him to bring a dry stick, and said: ‘Put this stick in the water, and if it becomes green and bears leaves then will I put in my leg, otherwise I will not.’ The stick was put in the water, but it came out as dry as before.Then Sanartia was angry, and wished to kill thedemi, but again he entreated, saying: ‘There is still another healing stream.’ So he took him to the other stream, and as soon as Sanartia put in his leg it was made whole and sound like the other leg. After this, he did not kill thedemi, but let him go free; he made thedemiheal his one-handed friend, whom he wedded to his nurse. He left them there, and set out for his father’s house.But when he reached it, nobody knew him. Next day he secretly mounted his father’s horse, and went to the place where he had married the prince to the princess. On the road he saw a swineherd; when he approached, he recognised in him his old friend the prince. When he questioned him, the swineherd replied: ‘As soon as thou hadst gone hence they made me a swineherd.’ Sanartia drew out his sword, gave it to him, and said: ‘Kill all the swine but three, and wound those three; then drive the three home, I shall be there, ready to punish anybody who is angry with thee.’ The swineherd did as Sanartia told him, and in the evening drove the three swine into the king’s courtyard.Sanartia came to the palace earlier, but they did notrecognise him. When the swineherd drove in his swine, his wife was about to beat him, saying: ‘Why hast thou lost the swine.’ But at that moment Sanartia appeared before the princess, was angry with her, and said: ‘If thou wert a good woman thou wouldst not make thy husband feed swine.’... They knew at once that it was Sanartia, and were much amazed, saying: ‘His leg was cut off at the knee, how has he replaced his leg?’ Sanartia ordered them to bring the princess’s husband: he made her wash him well with her own hands, bring clothes, and dress him in noble apparel. When Sanartia was leaving for home, he called the princess and her parents, and said to them: ‘If you do not treat the prince as becomes his rank, I shall come at once, and it will fare ill with you.’ He took leave of them all and went home.1Ocho-Kochi, literally, ‘the goat-man,’ occupies an important place in Mingrelian mythology. He is a satyr, a wild man of the woods, represented as an old man with a long beard, his body covered with hair.2The word translated ‘nurse’ isdzidze, which means not only a nurse but any woman, married or single, who has been adopted into relationship by the ceremony of a man taking her breast between his teeth. This creates a degree of kinship inferior only to that between mother and son. The custom still exists in Mingrelia.VIIThe Shepherd JudgeIn a certain land, there was once a king who had four viziers to judge the people. Once these judges uttered a remarkable sentence. At that time there came to the king a certain shepherd, who spoke in a manner that pleased the king, so he commanded the viziers: ‘Show this shepherd the sentence you pronounced.’ When the shepherd had examined the decree of the viziers, it did not please him; he took it and altered it from beginning to end.When the king saw this, he said to the shepherd: ‘Since thou art so skilled in judging, be thou a judge.’ The shepherd refused, and said: ‘As long as I have eyes I cannotjudge, if you put out both my eyes then I will be a judge.’ Finally he persuaded them to put out his eyes. They built him a great, fine house, they gave him scribes, furnished him with everything befitting his office, and made the shepherd supreme judge.He began to do justice in such an upright manner that people flocked to him from every side. Everybody went to him for justice: great and small, master and servant, old and young, clergy and laity, friend and enemy—in a word, all who had suits with anybody came to him, every one praised and blessed his decisions.Once there came to him a man and a woman. The man said to the judge: ‘I came to this woman’s house on a mule; a calf accompanied my mule. When I tied up the mule, the calf began to suck its breast. The woman, seeing this, ran out, seized the calf, and began to grumble at me, saying it was her calf, and asking how it came to be with my mule. I withstood her with all my might, but it was of no avail. She wished to drag away the calf, but I would not allow it, I would not give up my property to her; we quarrelled, and now we have come before thee—in God’s name judge between us!’ Thus he spoke in person to the judge, but secretly he sent him a large bribe and a message, saying: ‘Take this money, and put me not to shame before this woman.’But the judge would not tamper with the scales of justice, and sent to tell the man: ‘How can I take the calf from the woman by force, if justice do not demand it?’ The judge asked the woman: ‘What sayest thou?’ The woman replied: ‘My lord, this man rode up to my house on a mule; I had nothing in the world but one calf and its mother, which I loved; my calf went up to this man’smule, caressed it, and took hold of it with its snout, as if it were going to suck its breast. The man, seeing this, thought: ‘I shall certainly take away this calf with me.’ He dragged it home, but, of course, I could not allow this—all extol thine equity, I too am come to thy door, and trust thou wilt not suffer me to be trampled down by injustice.’When the judge had heard both sides, he pronounced the following decision: ‘Since a mule never bore offspring and never will, it is still less possible that a mule should bring forth a calf. Let the calf therefore be taken from the man, and given to the woman who owns the cow, the mother of the calf.’ This judgment pleased everybody in the highest degree. And God was merciful to this good judge: by means of the kerchief of that woman his eyes were made whole, and he saw. After this he saw with both eyes, but till the day of his death he judged uprightly; when he died he went to heaven.VIIIThe Priest’s youngest SonThere was once a priest who had three sons. On the day of his death, the priest said to his sons: ‘When I die, let each of you read the psalter over me for one night.’ But the elder sons did not do as their father had bidden them, only the youngest read the psalter over him. That night his father appeared, and gave him a horse. Next night he again read the psalter over his father in his brothers’ place. His father again appeared, and gave him another horse, which he resolved to give to his youngerbrother. On the third night he again read the psalter. His father brought him a third horse, gave the young man his blessing, and departed.At that time, a princess was to be married to any man whose horse could jump up to the castle, so that its rider could kiss that maiden-queen. Many princes came to woo, but none of their horses could leap up to the castle. Then the priest’s youngest son mounted the horse his father had given him, and rode up to the royal palace; he struck the horse with his switch, and made it jump, but it could only go one third of the way up to the castle. Next day he mounted another horse, and made it jump, it went two thirds of the height of the castle. The third day he came on the third horse, and made it jump; it jumped right up to the top of the castle; the youth kissed the princess, and they married him to her. After this the priest’s son went home.At this time the queen, his mother-in-law, fell ill; she sent for her son-in-law, and said to him: ‘Between the white sea and the black sea there feeds a doe, they tell me that its milk will do me good; if thou canst get it for me I shall recover, if not, I must die.’ Then the youth mounted his horse and went forth. He rode between the seas, milked the doe, brought its milk to his mother-in-law, gave it to her to drink, and healed her.Mingrelian Proverbs1. Turn to the right, or turn to the left,’Twill all be one in the end.12. The rat that came from outside,Drove out the house-born rat.3. Fight for the outlying village,If thou wantest the one nearer home.4. Wish thy neighbour to have an ox,And God will send it to thee.5. The wolf was abused as wolfish,While the jackal ate up the flock.6. The hen scratched and scratched till she dug up a knife,With which her own throat was afterwards cut.7. The road runs where an old road ran,The river flows in the bed of a former river.8. ‘Give me room to stand,’ quoth the bull, ‘and IShall make myself enough room to lie.’9. If the bear overcome thee—then call him Papa.210. The dog took fright at a wolf,And barked all the year round at a stump.11. Who ever heard of a fish being prizedAs long as it stayed in the stream?12. They shot at the ripe—but the green fruit fell.13. Leave a good deed on a stone by the way,Thou’lt find it again after many a day (i.e.Cast thy bread on the waters).14. I say it—but whether it happen or no’Tis nothing to do with me.15. Eat and drink up whatever is thine,But cross thyself over all that’s mine.16. Who slew me?—My brother.Who brought me back to life?—My brother.17. The well-doer receives not good in return.18. The truthful man is always duped.19. My father I love, my mother I love—But myself I prefer before all.20. A heart-kiss is better than a lip-kiss.21. If thou hast not eaten pepper, why does thy mouth burn?22. A disease that one sees, will not kill;’Tis hidden sores do the most ill.23. Our granny has no teeth, so sheLikes not others’ teeth to see.24. He has forgotten the soul of his father, so he swears by the soul of his grandsire.25. Gold is good, but if thou have it not, of what use is it to thee?26. Better is copper of thine own than gold that is another’s.27. Of what use is light to him that is blind?28. If thou art brave, do not bewailThe bluntness of thy sword.1Cf. note 3 on p. 109.2Cf. The Talmud (Polano’sSelections, p. 287). ‘If the fox is king bow before him.’

MINGRELIAN TALES1IThe Three PreceptsThere was, there was, there was, there was, and nothing there was.2In a certain country, a certain realm, a certain region, a certain village, there was an orphan so poor, so poor, that ’tween heaven and earth nought could be found that was his. Being in such a plight to-day, to-morrow, the day after to-morrow, this week, next week, this month, next month, sad and thoughtful he became; he thought, he thought, he thought, and at last made up his mind: ‘I will arise and try my luck,’ quoth he. He rose betimes in the morning, called on the name of God, turned himself to the right hand,3and set forth from the house.He went, he went, he went, beyond the sky, across the earth, across the forest, across the field, across the plain,over the mountains, he went as far as he could, and when he looked he saw a man of graceful mien coming towards him. The youth quickened his step and they met. ‘I wish thee victory, good youth!’4said the stranger, ‘whither goest thou?’ ‘May God send thee victory, my master,’ answered the young man, ‘I go to seek a livelihood.’ ‘Be my servant for three years, and I shall teach thee three things that will afterwards be helpful,’ said this clever man to the youth. The youth agreed, and went away with him.At the end of a year’s service, the clever man said to the youth: ‘Whatever thou seest outside thy yard, throw it into the yard.’ When the second year had passed, he again spoke to the youth, and said: ‘Lend nothing to anybody unless thou art much pressed to do so.’ The third year came to an end, and it was time for the young man to depart; the clever man called him and said: ‘Tell not thy secret to a woman.’ Then he bade him farewell, blessed him, and sent him home. The youth set out: he went, he went, he went by day, he went by night, over land, over water, and when he reached home he began to establish himself, he made a fence round his yard and, as he had been instructed, threw into the yard all he found outside the yard.One morning he went out and found on the road a red snake; he remembered the instruction of the clever man and threw the snake into the yard. A week later, the young man noticed that on the place where he had thrown the snake, it had laid a multitude of precious stones.5It is nowonder that the youth was greatly pleased at this. He gathered up the snake and the precious stones in the skirt of his garment, and put the snake in a nest in his own house. Every day the snake laid him a precious stone. The youth became wealthy: he built himself a fine house, took a wife, and lived like a lord. Still the snake went on laying precious stones, the youth became richer and richer, and gave himself up to gladness. One day his wife said to him: ‘Young man! who has made thee so fabulously rich, for thou wast formerly poorer than any one on earth.’ ‘Who? God gave me wealth,’ said the husband, following the clever man’s advice, not revealing his secret. But the woman gave him no peace; day and night she always asked the same thing: ‘How didst thou become wealthy?—thou must tell me, thou must.’ The youth had no way of escape, she wearied him out, and at last made him tell her all about the snake. Since there was nothing else to be done, the young man took his wife and showed her the snake that laid precious stones. After this, it happened that the snake ceased to lay precious stones; the young man’s wealth began to diminish, and nothing was added to it.When he was in this state, a certain man came and asked him for the loan of a knife. Of course, being utterly cast down with grief and sorrow, he remembered not the words the clever man had spoken to him, and lent the knife. May it happen to thine enemy as it happened to him! It happened that this wretched man was a thief. When he had got the knife he went and broke into a house to steal; there he thrust the knife into the belly of a sleeping man, slew him, and left the knife in the dead man’s body, then pillaged the house. Afterwards an enquiry was made into the matter. They found the knife in the man who had beenkilled and robbed, and it turned out to be the knife of the young man. Of course he was taken and bound, all his goods were seized, and he was treated as a thief ought to be treated. Thus did it happen to the wretched youth who disobeyed the instructions of the clever man.Yester eve I was there,This evening I am here....Three apples,6three pomegranates,May God send thee,Ripe in thy hands.The tale, the tale is ended....Thou hast eaten maize-bread with ashes,7Thou hast drunk bad, stale wine,And eaten a rotten walnut.81Mingrelskie etyudy. Pervyi vypusk. Mingrelskie teksty s perevodom i obyasneniyami, sobr. i izd. Al. Tsagareli. S. Pbg. 1880.2TheMingrelian Talesusually begin thus; sometimes the formula used is: ‘there was, there was, there was, and nothing there was, but nevertheless there was.’3When a Mingrelian undertakes a journey, he turns to the right several times before his door and then sets out. This is held to be a favourable omen.4The usual salutation in Georgia.5The wordKhvithoin Mingrelian signifies a precious stone laid by a snake or a fowl, which turns into gold or precious stones whatever it touches.6Cf. Carnoy et Nicolaïdes:Traditions de l’Asie Mineure, p. 42.7Chkidi, bread made of Indian corn, is generally used in Mingrelia. It is cooked on the ashes, and the latter are often found sticking to it.8These verses form the concluding formula of Mingrelian folk-tales. The second couplet is not so frequently used as the first.

MINGRELIAN TALES1IThe Three Precepts

There was, there was, there was, there was, and nothing there was.2In a certain country, a certain realm, a certain region, a certain village, there was an orphan so poor, so poor, that ’tween heaven and earth nought could be found that was his. Being in such a plight to-day, to-morrow, the day after to-morrow, this week, next week, this month, next month, sad and thoughtful he became; he thought, he thought, he thought, and at last made up his mind: ‘I will arise and try my luck,’ quoth he. He rose betimes in the morning, called on the name of God, turned himself to the right hand,3and set forth from the house.He went, he went, he went, beyond the sky, across the earth, across the forest, across the field, across the plain,over the mountains, he went as far as he could, and when he looked he saw a man of graceful mien coming towards him. The youth quickened his step and they met. ‘I wish thee victory, good youth!’4said the stranger, ‘whither goest thou?’ ‘May God send thee victory, my master,’ answered the young man, ‘I go to seek a livelihood.’ ‘Be my servant for three years, and I shall teach thee three things that will afterwards be helpful,’ said this clever man to the youth. The youth agreed, and went away with him.At the end of a year’s service, the clever man said to the youth: ‘Whatever thou seest outside thy yard, throw it into the yard.’ When the second year had passed, he again spoke to the youth, and said: ‘Lend nothing to anybody unless thou art much pressed to do so.’ The third year came to an end, and it was time for the young man to depart; the clever man called him and said: ‘Tell not thy secret to a woman.’ Then he bade him farewell, blessed him, and sent him home. The youth set out: he went, he went, he went by day, he went by night, over land, over water, and when he reached home he began to establish himself, he made a fence round his yard and, as he had been instructed, threw into the yard all he found outside the yard.One morning he went out and found on the road a red snake; he remembered the instruction of the clever man and threw the snake into the yard. A week later, the young man noticed that on the place where he had thrown the snake, it had laid a multitude of precious stones.5It is nowonder that the youth was greatly pleased at this. He gathered up the snake and the precious stones in the skirt of his garment, and put the snake in a nest in his own house. Every day the snake laid him a precious stone. The youth became wealthy: he built himself a fine house, took a wife, and lived like a lord. Still the snake went on laying precious stones, the youth became richer and richer, and gave himself up to gladness. One day his wife said to him: ‘Young man! who has made thee so fabulously rich, for thou wast formerly poorer than any one on earth.’ ‘Who? God gave me wealth,’ said the husband, following the clever man’s advice, not revealing his secret. But the woman gave him no peace; day and night she always asked the same thing: ‘How didst thou become wealthy?—thou must tell me, thou must.’ The youth had no way of escape, she wearied him out, and at last made him tell her all about the snake. Since there was nothing else to be done, the young man took his wife and showed her the snake that laid precious stones. After this, it happened that the snake ceased to lay precious stones; the young man’s wealth began to diminish, and nothing was added to it.When he was in this state, a certain man came and asked him for the loan of a knife. Of course, being utterly cast down with grief and sorrow, he remembered not the words the clever man had spoken to him, and lent the knife. May it happen to thine enemy as it happened to him! It happened that this wretched man was a thief. When he had got the knife he went and broke into a house to steal; there he thrust the knife into the belly of a sleeping man, slew him, and left the knife in the dead man’s body, then pillaged the house. Afterwards an enquiry was made into the matter. They found the knife in the man who had beenkilled and robbed, and it turned out to be the knife of the young man. Of course he was taken and bound, all his goods were seized, and he was treated as a thief ought to be treated. Thus did it happen to the wretched youth who disobeyed the instructions of the clever man.Yester eve I was there,This evening I am here....Three apples,6three pomegranates,May God send thee,Ripe in thy hands.The tale, the tale is ended....Thou hast eaten maize-bread with ashes,7Thou hast drunk bad, stale wine,And eaten a rotten walnut.8

There was, there was, there was, there was, and nothing there was.2In a certain country, a certain realm, a certain region, a certain village, there was an orphan so poor, so poor, that ’tween heaven and earth nought could be found that was his. Being in such a plight to-day, to-morrow, the day after to-morrow, this week, next week, this month, next month, sad and thoughtful he became; he thought, he thought, he thought, and at last made up his mind: ‘I will arise and try my luck,’ quoth he. He rose betimes in the morning, called on the name of God, turned himself to the right hand,3and set forth from the house.

He went, he went, he went, beyond the sky, across the earth, across the forest, across the field, across the plain,over the mountains, he went as far as he could, and when he looked he saw a man of graceful mien coming towards him. The youth quickened his step and they met. ‘I wish thee victory, good youth!’4said the stranger, ‘whither goest thou?’ ‘May God send thee victory, my master,’ answered the young man, ‘I go to seek a livelihood.’ ‘Be my servant for three years, and I shall teach thee three things that will afterwards be helpful,’ said this clever man to the youth. The youth agreed, and went away with him.

At the end of a year’s service, the clever man said to the youth: ‘Whatever thou seest outside thy yard, throw it into the yard.’ When the second year had passed, he again spoke to the youth, and said: ‘Lend nothing to anybody unless thou art much pressed to do so.’ The third year came to an end, and it was time for the young man to depart; the clever man called him and said: ‘Tell not thy secret to a woman.’ Then he bade him farewell, blessed him, and sent him home. The youth set out: he went, he went, he went by day, he went by night, over land, over water, and when he reached home he began to establish himself, he made a fence round his yard and, as he had been instructed, threw into the yard all he found outside the yard.

One morning he went out and found on the road a red snake; he remembered the instruction of the clever man and threw the snake into the yard. A week later, the young man noticed that on the place where he had thrown the snake, it had laid a multitude of precious stones.5It is nowonder that the youth was greatly pleased at this. He gathered up the snake and the precious stones in the skirt of his garment, and put the snake in a nest in his own house. Every day the snake laid him a precious stone. The youth became wealthy: he built himself a fine house, took a wife, and lived like a lord. Still the snake went on laying precious stones, the youth became richer and richer, and gave himself up to gladness. One day his wife said to him: ‘Young man! who has made thee so fabulously rich, for thou wast formerly poorer than any one on earth.’ ‘Who? God gave me wealth,’ said the husband, following the clever man’s advice, not revealing his secret. But the woman gave him no peace; day and night she always asked the same thing: ‘How didst thou become wealthy?—thou must tell me, thou must.’ The youth had no way of escape, she wearied him out, and at last made him tell her all about the snake. Since there was nothing else to be done, the young man took his wife and showed her the snake that laid precious stones. After this, it happened that the snake ceased to lay precious stones; the young man’s wealth began to diminish, and nothing was added to it.

When he was in this state, a certain man came and asked him for the loan of a knife. Of course, being utterly cast down with grief and sorrow, he remembered not the words the clever man had spoken to him, and lent the knife. May it happen to thine enemy as it happened to him! It happened that this wretched man was a thief. When he had got the knife he went and broke into a house to steal; there he thrust the knife into the belly of a sleeping man, slew him, and left the knife in the dead man’s body, then pillaged the house. Afterwards an enquiry was made into the matter. They found the knife in the man who had beenkilled and robbed, and it turned out to be the knife of the young man. Of course he was taken and bound, all his goods were seized, and he was treated as a thief ought to be treated. Thus did it happen to the wretched youth who disobeyed the instructions of the clever man.

Yester eve I was there,This evening I am here....Three apples,6three pomegranates,May God send thee,Ripe in thy hands.The tale, the tale is ended....Thou hast eaten maize-bread with ashes,7Thou hast drunk bad, stale wine,And eaten a rotten walnut.8

Yester eve I was there,This evening I am here....Three apples,6three pomegranates,May God send thee,Ripe in thy hands.

Yester eve I was there,

This evening I am here....

Three apples,6three pomegranates,

May God send thee,

Ripe in thy hands.

The tale, the tale is ended....Thou hast eaten maize-bread with ashes,7Thou hast drunk bad, stale wine,And eaten a rotten walnut.8

The tale, the tale is ended....

Thou hast eaten maize-bread with ashes,7

Thou hast drunk bad, stale wine,

And eaten a rotten walnut.8

1Mingrelskie etyudy. Pervyi vypusk. Mingrelskie teksty s perevodom i obyasneniyami, sobr. i izd. Al. Tsagareli. S. Pbg. 1880.2TheMingrelian Talesusually begin thus; sometimes the formula used is: ‘there was, there was, there was, and nothing there was, but nevertheless there was.’3When a Mingrelian undertakes a journey, he turns to the right several times before his door and then sets out. This is held to be a favourable omen.4The usual salutation in Georgia.5The wordKhvithoin Mingrelian signifies a precious stone laid by a snake or a fowl, which turns into gold or precious stones whatever it touches.6Cf. Carnoy et Nicolaïdes:Traditions de l’Asie Mineure, p. 42.7Chkidi, bread made of Indian corn, is generally used in Mingrelia. It is cooked on the ashes, and the latter are often found sticking to it.8These verses form the concluding formula of Mingrelian folk-tales. The second couplet is not so frequently used as the first.

1Mingrelskie etyudy. Pervyi vypusk. Mingrelskie teksty s perevodom i obyasneniyami, sobr. i izd. Al. Tsagareli. S. Pbg. 1880.

2TheMingrelian Talesusually begin thus; sometimes the formula used is: ‘there was, there was, there was, and nothing there was, but nevertheless there was.’

3When a Mingrelian undertakes a journey, he turns to the right several times before his door and then sets out. This is held to be a favourable omen.

4The usual salutation in Georgia.

5The wordKhvithoin Mingrelian signifies a precious stone laid by a snake or a fowl, which turns into gold or precious stones whatever it touches.

6Cf. Carnoy et Nicolaïdes:Traditions de l’Asie Mineure, p. 42.

7Chkidi, bread made of Indian corn, is generally used in Mingrelia. It is cooked on the ashes, and the latter are often found sticking to it.

8These verses form the concluding formula of Mingrelian folk-tales. The second couplet is not so frequently used as the first.

IIKazha-ndiiThere was once a king who had three sons and three daughters. When the day of his death was come, he called all his children, and said to his sons: ‘Hearken to my will, and see that ye fulfil it. When I die, let each of you watch my tomb for one week, give these maidens to the suitors who ask for their hands.’ After he had said farewell, the king died.He was buried, and on the first night the eldest brother went to guard the grave. But in a short time somethingbegan to approach with a mighty noise, and when it came near, it was so strong that it drove the prince out of the enclosure. From a distance, the prince saw how the being that had come with noise went to the king’s grave, dug up the corpse, and wept over it till morning; when morning came, it buried the corpse in the earth again, and went away. When the prince reached home, he was ashamed to say anything about what had happened.At that time, both the elder brothers set out for the chase; the youngest brother was left at home, he heard a voice and looked round. It turned out to be a suitor for the hand of his sister. He took and gave him the eldest sister. Soon after, he again heard a voice. The prince looked round—another suitor had come. The absence of his brothers somewhat disturbed him, but, according to his father’s will, he married his second sister also. A little later, a third voice was heard, and to him he gave his third sister.In the evening, when the two elder brothers came home, they did not see their sisters; they asked the youngest, and he told them what had happened. They were not pleased, and sent him out to feed the sheep. That night the middle brother went to guard the king’s grave; the same thing happened to him as to his elder brother, but he too was silent on the subject. When he reached home, the youngest brother began to entreat his elder brothers, saying: ‘Be just, let me also watch my father’s grave.’ But they were angry, and answered: ‘Get thee gone, how couldst thou guard the grave when we are not able to do it!’ But afterwards they said one to the other: ‘Let us allow him to go.’So the youth went, came to the tomb of his father, lighted a candle, and, as soon as he sat down, an uproarbegan, but he was not affrighted. At the approach of the monster an earthquake began, but the youth was not afraid, he swung his sword round his head, and cleft the monster in twain, but the monster’s blood put out the candle. Looking round, the youth saw, some way off, the blaze of a fire. He arose and went thither. On his way he said to the cock: ‘Crow not, so that dawn break not till I come back again, or I shall slay thee.’ When he came near, he met with a vast river like a sea. When he had swum over and reached the other side, the youth saw that the fire was burning among thedemis,1who were sitting round it—so he stopped and bethought himself seriously; but, at last, he took a leap, jumped into the middle of them, seized a burning brand, and ran away.The burning cinders and ashes were showered over thedemis, but they did not see the youth. The youth went back, but as he crossed the river the burning log went out. He was angry at this, but what could he do? He went back again, and when he threw himself upon the fire thedemiscaught him, and asked what he wanted. He told them. Thedemissaid to him: ‘In yonder castle there dwell three maidens unseen by the sun,2thou must bring them to us or we will not let thee go.’ The youth askedthem: ‘Is there a ladder up to the castle?’ They answered: ‘Yes.’ ‘Then let us go,’ said he.He took all thedemiswith him, and said: ‘I shall climb up first, then you must come one by one.’ They agreed. The youth went up, onedemicame after him. As soon as the firstdemireached the top, the youth brandished his sword, slew him, and laid down his body. When the second came up, he did likewise unto him. Thus he slew them all, one by one, and left their bodies there.Then he went in, saluted the maidens, and gave each of them a ring—to the youngest for himself, to the others for his brothers. The youth went out, thrust his sword into a stone, and left it there, took fire with him, and went back. When he had crossed the river, he cried to the cock: ‘Now crow!’ Then he went to his father’s grave. Till dawn he stayed there, and then he went home.The beautiful maidens told the king what had happened. The king ordered all his subjects to be summoned, and asked: ‘Who is able to draw this sword out of the stone?’ But nobody could draw it out. Then the king made a proclamation: ‘To him that can draw out this sword I will give my daughter.’ The princes, as soon as they heard of this, decided to go thither. When they were making ready for the journey, the youngest asked his brothers to take him too. At last they consented to take him. When they arrived, they found a great uproar: people from all parts of the world were, in turn, laying hold of the sword, but could not draw it out. Last of all, the youngest brother came up, pulled out his sword, put it in the scabbard, and said to the king: ‘All three daughters are ours now, for I have two brothers.’ He called his brothers, and they took the three maidens to wife. Great merry-making began.The king gave to the wife of the youngest prince a flying carpet, which carried away any one who sat on it. The princess sat on it, and followed her suite. The groomsmen and youths set out with them. When they had gone half way, a monster swooped down on the princess and carried her off. A sad uproar began, but what was to be done? The young prince said to his brothers: ‘Farewell! I must perish with her,’ and went away.He went, he went, he went, he went as far as he could, and in a field he found a spring, beside which he lay down. There came a boy with a water jug. The prince asked: ‘Whose village is this?’ The boy replied: ‘Here dwell three brotherdemis, all married to daughters of one king.’When the youth heard this he was glad, for it turned out that his sisters dwelt here. When he came near, the sisters went out to meet him. It is easy to imagine how glad they were to see him. When it was dark, the threedemisreturned. One of the sisters went out to meet them, and said: ‘My brother is come.’ Thedemisanswered: ‘If the elder brothers are come, we can make roast meat of them, if it be the youngest, we shall know how to do him honour.’ Thedemiswent in, and kissed the youth for joy at meeting him.As they were all sitting round the hearth, thedemisbegan to sigh deeply. The youth asked them: ‘Why do you sigh?’ ‘Why?—we are sorry for that poor damsel! Kazha-Ndii-Kerkun (i.e.the swift, flint-likedemi) was carrying through the air a golden-haired woman; we pursued, but only succeeded in pulling off a lock of the woman’s hair.’ They showed the hair to the youth. As soon as he saw it he fainted, crying: ‘Ah! woe is me! woe is me!’ Thedemisasked him what was wrong. He told them all.As soon as day dawned, the youth arose, and made ready to depart. Thedemiswere very sorry at this, but what could they do? They gave him a horse and a little dog.The youth set out, and came to the house of Kazha-Ndii; but Kazha-Ndii was not at home. He dismounted, and went in to the princess; when they saw each other, their joy was so great that they fell to the ground. The princess said to him: ‘O youth, why hast thou sought thy doom? Against Kazha-Ndii thou canst do nothing.’ But the young man would not hearken, and lifted her on to his horse.As soon as they reached the gate, it creaked so loudly that a star fell from heaven. The door cried: ‘Kazha-Ndii-Kerkun, where art thou? they have carried off thy wife.’ Kazha-Ndii heard this, and pursued them. When he was overtaking them, Kazha-Ndii’s horse neighed so loudly that it stopped the princess’s horse. The princess said to him: ‘O youth, did I not tell thee how it would be? Save thyself at least.’ Then Kazha-Ndii rode up, cut the youth into pieces, and carried his wife back. The little dog came up, gathered the scattered fragments of the young man’s body, put them in a bag, tied it to the saddle, mounted the horse, and took the body to thedemis.When thedemissaw it they wept greatly, but their youngest brother blew the soul back into the pieces, and raised the youth to life. The prince arose, and again made ready to depart; the youngestdemisaid to him: ‘Here is my three-legged horse,3take him with thee; if he do not help thee there is no help to hope for.’ The youth mounted the horse, came again to his princess, took her and put her on the horse. When he was riding out of the gate it creaked more loudly than before. Kazha-Ndii heard it and pursuedthem. As he was overtaking them, Kazha-Ndii’s horse neighed, and the youth’s horse slackened its speed. The young prince said to his horse: ‘Why doest thou this?’ ‘What can I do? If I had a fourth leg I might be victorious.’ When Kazha-Ndii came near, the three-legged horse neighed so loudly that it stopped Kazha-Ndii’s horse. Then the youth came up to him, brandished his sword, cut Kazha-Ndii into halves, put the princess on his horse, and they rode merrily away. They visited thedemisand then went home.1demi,dii,ndiiin Mingrelian,devi,mdeviin Georgian (connected with Pers.div), a representative of the principle of evil, but with certain limitations, neither incorporeal nor immortal, but half demon half man,i.e.an unclean spirit in the form of a giant. He is subject to death, even a man can kill, cheat, terrify him; he can marry a woman, etc.2This phrase is continually applied to beautiful girls in Georgian poetry. It has three meanings: (1) A girl strictly kept, and not seen out of doors; (2) One who is not sunburnt, fair complexioned; (3) A maiden such as the sun has never seen the like of for beauty. The last meaning is the most frequent.3Cf. No. III. ‘Geria’s faithful dog and three-legged horse.’

IIKazha-ndii

There was once a king who had three sons and three daughters. When the day of his death was come, he called all his children, and said to his sons: ‘Hearken to my will, and see that ye fulfil it. When I die, let each of you watch my tomb for one week, give these maidens to the suitors who ask for their hands.’ After he had said farewell, the king died.He was buried, and on the first night the eldest brother went to guard the grave. But in a short time somethingbegan to approach with a mighty noise, and when it came near, it was so strong that it drove the prince out of the enclosure. From a distance, the prince saw how the being that had come with noise went to the king’s grave, dug up the corpse, and wept over it till morning; when morning came, it buried the corpse in the earth again, and went away. When the prince reached home, he was ashamed to say anything about what had happened.At that time, both the elder brothers set out for the chase; the youngest brother was left at home, he heard a voice and looked round. It turned out to be a suitor for the hand of his sister. He took and gave him the eldest sister. Soon after, he again heard a voice. The prince looked round—another suitor had come. The absence of his brothers somewhat disturbed him, but, according to his father’s will, he married his second sister also. A little later, a third voice was heard, and to him he gave his third sister.In the evening, when the two elder brothers came home, they did not see their sisters; they asked the youngest, and he told them what had happened. They were not pleased, and sent him out to feed the sheep. That night the middle brother went to guard the king’s grave; the same thing happened to him as to his elder brother, but he too was silent on the subject. When he reached home, the youngest brother began to entreat his elder brothers, saying: ‘Be just, let me also watch my father’s grave.’ But they were angry, and answered: ‘Get thee gone, how couldst thou guard the grave when we are not able to do it!’ But afterwards they said one to the other: ‘Let us allow him to go.’So the youth went, came to the tomb of his father, lighted a candle, and, as soon as he sat down, an uproarbegan, but he was not affrighted. At the approach of the monster an earthquake began, but the youth was not afraid, he swung his sword round his head, and cleft the monster in twain, but the monster’s blood put out the candle. Looking round, the youth saw, some way off, the blaze of a fire. He arose and went thither. On his way he said to the cock: ‘Crow not, so that dawn break not till I come back again, or I shall slay thee.’ When he came near, he met with a vast river like a sea. When he had swum over and reached the other side, the youth saw that the fire was burning among thedemis,1who were sitting round it—so he stopped and bethought himself seriously; but, at last, he took a leap, jumped into the middle of them, seized a burning brand, and ran away.The burning cinders and ashes were showered over thedemis, but they did not see the youth. The youth went back, but as he crossed the river the burning log went out. He was angry at this, but what could he do? He went back again, and when he threw himself upon the fire thedemiscaught him, and asked what he wanted. He told them. Thedemissaid to him: ‘In yonder castle there dwell three maidens unseen by the sun,2thou must bring them to us or we will not let thee go.’ The youth askedthem: ‘Is there a ladder up to the castle?’ They answered: ‘Yes.’ ‘Then let us go,’ said he.He took all thedemiswith him, and said: ‘I shall climb up first, then you must come one by one.’ They agreed. The youth went up, onedemicame after him. As soon as the firstdemireached the top, the youth brandished his sword, slew him, and laid down his body. When the second came up, he did likewise unto him. Thus he slew them all, one by one, and left their bodies there.Then he went in, saluted the maidens, and gave each of them a ring—to the youngest for himself, to the others for his brothers. The youth went out, thrust his sword into a stone, and left it there, took fire with him, and went back. When he had crossed the river, he cried to the cock: ‘Now crow!’ Then he went to his father’s grave. Till dawn he stayed there, and then he went home.The beautiful maidens told the king what had happened. The king ordered all his subjects to be summoned, and asked: ‘Who is able to draw this sword out of the stone?’ But nobody could draw it out. Then the king made a proclamation: ‘To him that can draw out this sword I will give my daughter.’ The princes, as soon as they heard of this, decided to go thither. When they were making ready for the journey, the youngest asked his brothers to take him too. At last they consented to take him. When they arrived, they found a great uproar: people from all parts of the world were, in turn, laying hold of the sword, but could not draw it out. Last of all, the youngest brother came up, pulled out his sword, put it in the scabbard, and said to the king: ‘All three daughters are ours now, for I have two brothers.’ He called his brothers, and they took the three maidens to wife. Great merry-making began.The king gave to the wife of the youngest prince a flying carpet, which carried away any one who sat on it. The princess sat on it, and followed her suite. The groomsmen and youths set out with them. When they had gone half way, a monster swooped down on the princess and carried her off. A sad uproar began, but what was to be done? The young prince said to his brothers: ‘Farewell! I must perish with her,’ and went away.He went, he went, he went, he went as far as he could, and in a field he found a spring, beside which he lay down. There came a boy with a water jug. The prince asked: ‘Whose village is this?’ The boy replied: ‘Here dwell three brotherdemis, all married to daughters of one king.’When the youth heard this he was glad, for it turned out that his sisters dwelt here. When he came near, the sisters went out to meet him. It is easy to imagine how glad they were to see him. When it was dark, the threedemisreturned. One of the sisters went out to meet them, and said: ‘My brother is come.’ Thedemisanswered: ‘If the elder brothers are come, we can make roast meat of them, if it be the youngest, we shall know how to do him honour.’ Thedemiswent in, and kissed the youth for joy at meeting him.As they were all sitting round the hearth, thedemisbegan to sigh deeply. The youth asked them: ‘Why do you sigh?’ ‘Why?—we are sorry for that poor damsel! Kazha-Ndii-Kerkun (i.e.the swift, flint-likedemi) was carrying through the air a golden-haired woman; we pursued, but only succeeded in pulling off a lock of the woman’s hair.’ They showed the hair to the youth. As soon as he saw it he fainted, crying: ‘Ah! woe is me! woe is me!’ Thedemisasked him what was wrong. He told them all.As soon as day dawned, the youth arose, and made ready to depart. Thedemiswere very sorry at this, but what could they do? They gave him a horse and a little dog.The youth set out, and came to the house of Kazha-Ndii; but Kazha-Ndii was not at home. He dismounted, and went in to the princess; when they saw each other, their joy was so great that they fell to the ground. The princess said to him: ‘O youth, why hast thou sought thy doom? Against Kazha-Ndii thou canst do nothing.’ But the young man would not hearken, and lifted her on to his horse.As soon as they reached the gate, it creaked so loudly that a star fell from heaven. The door cried: ‘Kazha-Ndii-Kerkun, where art thou? they have carried off thy wife.’ Kazha-Ndii heard this, and pursued them. When he was overtaking them, Kazha-Ndii’s horse neighed so loudly that it stopped the princess’s horse. The princess said to him: ‘O youth, did I not tell thee how it would be? Save thyself at least.’ Then Kazha-Ndii rode up, cut the youth into pieces, and carried his wife back. The little dog came up, gathered the scattered fragments of the young man’s body, put them in a bag, tied it to the saddle, mounted the horse, and took the body to thedemis.When thedemissaw it they wept greatly, but their youngest brother blew the soul back into the pieces, and raised the youth to life. The prince arose, and again made ready to depart; the youngestdemisaid to him: ‘Here is my three-legged horse,3take him with thee; if he do not help thee there is no help to hope for.’ The youth mounted the horse, came again to his princess, took her and put her on the horse. When he was riding out of the gate it creaked more loudly than before. Kazha-Ndii heard it and pursuedthem. As he was overtaking them, Kazha-Ndii’s horse neighed, and the youth’s horse slackened its speed. The young prince said to his horse: ‘Why doest thou this?’ ‘What can I do? If I had a fourth leg I might be victorious.’ When Kazha-Ndii came near, the three-legged horse neighed so loudly that it stopped Kazha-Ndii’s horse. Then the youth came up to him, brandished his sword, cut Kazha-Ndii into halves, put the princess on his horse, and they rode merrily away. They visited thedemisand then went home.

There was once a king who had three sons and three daughters. When the day of his death was come, he called all his children, and said to his sons: ‘Hearken to my will, and see that ye fulfil it. When I die, let each of you watch my tomb for one week, give these maidens to the suitors who ask for their hands.’ After he had said farewell, the king died.

He was buried, and on the first night the eldest brother went to guard the grave. But in a short time somethingbegan to approach with a mighty noise, and when it came near, it was so strong that it drove the prince out of the enclosure. From a distance, the prince saw how the being that had come with noise went to the king’s grave, dug up the corpse, and wept over it till morning; when morning came, it buried the corpse in the earth again, and went away. When the prince reached home, he was ashamed to say anything about what had happened.

At that time, both the elder brothers set out for the chase; the youngest brother was left at home, he heard a voice and looked round. It turned out to be a suitor for the hand of his sister. He took and gave him the eldest sister. Soon after, he again heard a voice. The prince looked round—another suitor had come. The absence of his brothers somewhat disturbed him, but, according to his father’s will, he married his second sister also. A little later, a third voice was heard, and to him he gave his third sister.

In the evening, when the two elder brothers came home, they did not see their sisters; they asked the youngest, and he told them what had happened. They were not pleased, and sent him out to feed the sheep. That night the middle brother went to guard the king’s grave; the same thing happened to him as to his elder brother, but he too was silent on the subject. When he reached home, the youngest brother began to entreat his elder brothers, saying: ‘Be just, let me also watch my father’s grave.’ But they were angry, and answered: ‘Get thee gone, how couldst thou guard the grave when we are not able to do it!’ But afterwards they said one to the other: ‘Let us allow him to go.’

So the youth went, came to the tomb of his father, lighted a candle, and, as soon as he sat down, an uproarbegan, but he was not affrighted. At the approach of the monster an earthquake began, but the youth was not afraid, he swung his sword round his head, and cleft the monster in twain, but the monster’s blood put out the candle. Looking round, the youth saw, some way off, the blaze of a fire. He arose and went thither. On his way he said to the cock: ‘Crow not, so that dawn break not till I come back again, or I shall slay thee.’ When he came near, he met with a vast river like a sea. When he had swum over and reached the other side, the youth saw that the fire was burning among thedemis,1who were sitting round it—so he stopped and bethought himself seriously; but, at last, he took a leap, jumped into the middle of them, seized a burning brand, and ran away.

The burning cinders and ashes were showered over thedemis, but they did not see the youth. The youth went back, but as he crossed the river the burning log went out. He was angry at this, but what could he do? He went back again, and when he threw himself upon the fire thedemiscaught him, and asked what he wanted. He told them. Thedemissaid to him: ‘In yonder castle there dwell three maidens unseen by the sun,2thou must bring them to us or we will not let thee go.’ The youth askedthem: ‘Is there a ladder up to the castle?’ They answered: ‘Yes.’ ‘Then let us go,’ said he.

He took all thedemiswith him, and said: ‘I shall climb up first, then you must come one by one.’ They agreed. The youth went up, onedemicame after him. As soon as the firstdemireached the top, the youth brandished his sword, slew him, and laid down his body. When the second came up, he did likewise unto him. Thus he slew them all, one by one, and left their bodies there.

Then he went in, saluted the maidens, and gave each of them a ring—to the youngest for himself, to the others for his brothers. The youth went out, thrust his sword into a stone, and left it there, took fire with him, and went back. When he had crossed the river, he cried to the cock: ‘Now crow!’ Then he went to his father’s grave. Till dawn he stayed there, and then he went home.

The beautiful maidens told the king what had happened. The king ordered all his subjects to be summoned, and asked: ‘Who is able to draw this sword out of the stone?’ But nobody could draw it out. Then the king made a proclamation: ‘To him that can draw out this sword I will give my daughter.’ The princes, as soon as they heard of this, decided to go thither. When they were making ready for the journey, the youngest asked his brothers to take him too. At last they consented to take him. When they arrived, they found a great uproar: people from all parts of the world were, in turn, laying hold of the sword, but could not draw it out. Last of all, the youngest brother came up, pulled out his sword, put it in the scabbard, and said to the king: ‘All three daughters are ours now, for I have two brothers.’ He called his brothers, and they took the three maidens to wife. Great merry-making began.

The king gave to the wife of the youngest prince a flying carpet, which carried away any one who sat on it. The princess sat on it, and followed her suite. The groomsmen and youths set out with them. When they had gone half way, a monster swooped down on the princess and carried her off. A sad uproar began, but what was to be done? The young prince said to his brothers: ‘Farewell! I must perish with her,’ and went away.

He went, he went, he went, he went as far as he could, and in a field he found a spring, beside which he lay down. There came a boy with a water jug. The prince asked: ‘Whose village is this?’ The boy replied: ‘Here dwell three brotherdemis, all married to daughters of one king.’

When the youth heard this he was glad, for it turned out that his sisters dwelt here. When he came near, the sisters went out to meet him. It is easy to imagine how glad they were to see him. When it was dark, the threedemisreturned. One of the sisters went out to meet them, and said: ‘My brother is come.’ Thedemisanswered: ‘If the elder brothers are come, we can make roast meat of them, if it be the youngest, we shall know how to do him honour.’ Thedemiswent in, and kissed the youth for joy at meeting him.

As they were all sitting round the hearth, thedemisbegan to sigh deeply. The youth asked them: ‘Why do you sigh?’ ‘Why?—we are sorry for that poor damsel! Kazha-Ndii-Kerkun (i.e.the swift, flint-likedemi) was carrying through the air a golden-haired woman; we pursued, but only succeeded in pulling off a lock of the woman’s hair.’ They showed the hair to the youth. As soon as he saw it he fainted, crying: ‘Ah! woe is me! woe is me!’ Thedemisasked him what was wrong. He told them all.As soon as day dawned, the youth arose, and made ready to depart. Thedemiswere very sorry at this, but what could they do? They gave him a horse and a little dog.

The youth set out, and came to the house of Kazha-Ndii; but Kazha-Ndii was not at home. He dismounted, and went in to the princess; when they saw each other, their joy was so great that they fell to the ground. The princess said to him: ‘O youth, why hast thou sought thy doom? Against Kazha-Ndii thou canst do nothing.’ But the young man would not hearken, and lifted her on to his horse.

As soon as they reached the gate, it creaked so loudly that a star fell from heaven. The door cried: ‘Kazha-Ndii-Kerkun, where art thou? they have carried off thy wife.’ Kazha-Ndii heard this, and pursued them. When he was overtaking them, Kazha-Ndii’s horse neighed so loudly that it stopped the princess’s horse. The princess said to him: ‘O youth, did I not tell thee how it would be? Save thyself at least.’ Then Kazha-Ndii rode up, cut the youth into pieces, and carried his wife back. The little dog came up, gathered the scattered fragments of the young man’s body, put them in a bag, tied it to the saddle, mounted the horse, and took the body to thedemis.

When thedemissaw it they wept greatly, but their youngest brother blew the soul back into the pieces, and raised the youth to life. The prince arose, and again made ready to depart; the youngestdemisaid to him: ‘Here is my three-legged horse,3take him with thee; if he do not help thee there is no help to hope for.’ The youth mounted the horse, came again to his princess, took her and put her on the horse. When he was riding out of the gate it creaked more loudly than before. Kazha-Ndii heard it and pursuedthem. As he was overtaking them, Kazha-Ndii’s horse neighed, and the youth’s horse slackened its speed. The young prince said to his horse: ‘Why doest thou this?’ ‘What can I do? If I had a fourth leg I might be victorious.’ When Kazha-Ndii came near, the three-legged horse neighed so loudly that it stopped Kazha-Ndii’s horse. Then the youth came up to him, brandished his sword, cut Kazha-Ndii into halves, put the princess on his horse, and they rode merrily away. They visited thedemisand then went home.

1demi,dii,ndiiin Mingrelian,devi,mdeviin Georgian (connected with Pers.div), a representative of the principle of evil, but with certain limitations, neither incorporeal nor immortal, but half demon half man,i.e.an unclean spirit in the form of a giant. He is subject to death, even a man can kill, cheat, terrify him; he can marry a woman, etc.2This phrase is continually applied to beautiful girls in Georgian poetry. It has three meanings: (1) A girl strictly kept, and not seen out of doors; (2) One who is not sunburnt, fair complexioned; (3) A maiden such as the sun has never seen the like of for beauty. The last meaning is the most frequent.3Cf. No. III. ‘Geria’s faithful dog and three-legged horse.’

1demi,dii,ndiiin Mingrelian,devi,mdeviin Georgian (connected with Pers.div), a representative of the principle of evil, but with certain limitations, neither incorporeal nor immortal, but half demon half man,i.e.an unclean spirit in the form of a giant. He is subject to death, even a man can kill, cheat, terrify him; he can marry a woman, etc.

2This phrase is continually applied to beautiful girls in Georgian poetry. It has three meanings: (1) A girl strictly kept, and not seen out of doors; (2) One who is not sunburnt, fair complexioned; (3) A maiden such as the sun has never seen the like of for beauty. The last meaning is the most frequent.

3Cf. No. III. ‘Geria’s faithful dog and three-legged horse.’

IIIThe Story of Geria, the Poor Man’s SonThere was once a poor married man who had only one son; but this son was very handsome and strong, and his name was Geria.1Once the youth went out to hunt, and when he was coming home in the evening he met a woman with a jar going to the spring for water; he aimed an arrow at her, and broke the jar. The woman turned to him and said: ‘If thou art so warlike, instead of breaking my pot why dost thou not go and fetch the only sister of the twelvedemisthat dwell beyond the twelve mountains?’ When he heard this, the youth’s heart began to beat wildly for eagerness to see the maiden.He went home and said to his parents: ‘Get ready food to last me a year, and if I do not come back in that time set out to seek for me.’ His parents would not consent,but said: ‘We have no child but thee, wilt thou go away from us and perish?’ They wept with one accord, but Geria heeded them not. So they got him provisions. They bade him farewell with sobs. Such wailing was there that the parting was known throughout the country side, yea, even to sun and moon, to heaven and earth, to the sea and the sands thereof. At last they blessed their son and let him go. He took with him a little dog, whose name was Mathicochi.2When they took leave one of another, they embraced, they kissed, and the youth sped on his way.He went, he went, he went, he went as much as he could—week and week, week and fortnight, a year and three months,3—he went over six mountains. When he had crossed these six mountains everything round about him began to reel: trees and stones fell down and clattered into the valleys, but Geria was not hurt by them. Then, from beneath, there came to him a voice, saying: ‘What kind of man art thou to stand thus against me. Who can resist me but Geria, the poor man’s son.’ ‘’Tis I—Geria, the poor man’s son.’When she heard this, the Rokapi4went out to meet him, bowed herself, did great honour to him, and said: ‘Whither wilt thou go?’ The youth told her all. The Rokapi was moved with sorrow. Geria asked her: ‘Whydost thou grieve?’—‘For that I have seen many go thither, but I have seen none come back.’ But Geria heeded her not, and went on his way.He went, he went, he went more than he could, and when he had crossed the other six mountains a still greater earthquake began. It turned out that this region belonged to the eldest sister of the Rokapis; but Geria showed no sign of fear. The Rokapi cried to him: ‘What manner of man art thou to resist my witchcraft? Art thou Geria, the poor man’s son?’ He cried out to her: ‘I am he.’ The Rokapi at once went out to meet him, bowed herself, treated him with respect, and asked him: ‘Whither art thou going?’ Geria told her his plan, and this Rokapi too was distressed. Geria asked her why she grieved. She answered: ‘Because I have seen many on their way thither, but I have never seen one come back; albeit, I will do thee one service, I give thee my three-legged horse.’ She called the horse, and said to him: ‘As long as Geria lives serve him faithfully.’ Geria bade her farewell, mounted the horse, and rode away with his little dog Mathicochi.He rode out into a great meadow, and came near the abode of thedemis. When he looked upon the mead his heart was glad, and his eyes filled with tears, he bethought him of his home and its beautiful fields, he uttered a blessing to God the merciful. Then he urged his horse onward, at such speed that clouds of dust rose behind him. The youth said to himself: ‘Lo, I am now in the unknown land!’ Up he rode to thedemis’gate, leaped from his horse, and tied it there.He walked away a little, and then cried: ‘Methinks I have not fastened my horse securely!’ Back he went, tore up an oak by the roots, planted it with its branches downwardsin the earth, and firmly tied his horse to it. Then the horse said: ‘If thou hadst not done this I should have fled home, but now do as I tell thee, and all will be well. Thedemisare indoors; go to the meadow, there thou wilt find a kettle, overturn it. Then betake thyself to the damsel, and get her to plight her troth to thee.’Geria went, kicked the kettle, turned it over three times, and left it upside down, then he went to the maiden, broke all the locks, and came to the room where she was. She was astonished, but the youth’s bravery pleased her, and, to make a long story short, she promised to marry him. The youth went out merrily to the place where he had left his horse. There he quietly spent the night, and next morning the horse said: ‘Thedemishave now gone out to the meadow; when they saw the kettle turned over they marvelled, for it usually takes all the twelvedemisto turn over that kettle, and they said one to another: “Whatever we are commanded by him that turned over the kettle that must we do,”—now it is time for thee to go thither.’ Geria went to the meadow.As soon as thedemissaw him, they all arose hastily, went to meet him, bowed themselves, and said: ‘What dost thou ask of us?’ He answered: ‘You must give me your sister to wife.’ Thedemissaid: ‘We give her to thee, but the Black King will not let thee take her.’ Geria answered: ‘I fear no man,’ so (not to lengthen unduly a long story) they made ready a banquet.While the feast was still going on, in the morning, Geria looked out of the door, and saw a host of men in black apparel, who had been sent by the Black King. Geria mounted his horse, dashed into the midst and defeated them all; three only did he save alive, as messengers, andsent them to say to the Black King: ‘’Tis I that have done this, Geria, the poor man’s son.’The King was very wroth, and sent almost all his army against him. When Geria saw them, he bethought himself a little, but the horse said to him: ‘Youth! this is nothing, look for still worse.’ Geria struck the horse with his whip, attacked the host, and slew all but one; him he sent to bear the news. Upon this, the king went out of himself with rage: he summoned his devoted and loyal slave to whom he was wont to apply in all his difficulties, by name Qvamuritz Khami;5to him he committed all that was left of the army, and sent him out.Geria arose and saw a sight, such a sight as I wish thine enemy may see. It pleased him not to see Qvamuritz Khami; but what could be done? The horse said to him: ‘Youth! yonder is he of whom I spake.’ Geria crossed himself, gave thanks to God, bade his wife farewell, for he thought to die, and went out. First of all he slew the army, and then he began a single combat with Qvamuritz Khami.Mounted they fought with maces, but the battle was not to the strong, for Qvamuritz Khami’s soul was safe in other hands—how could he be killed? Qvamuritz Khami cried: ‘O young man! thus shouldst thou shoot!’ and slew him. When Geria was dead, the victor slaughtered all thedemis, took Geria’s wife, put her on her husband’s horse, and carried her off to his master.But she said to the king: ‘I am the widow of such a man that I will not belong to a man like thee; either do battle with me, and let the conqueror have his will, or give me leave to wear mourning for three months.’ The king feared to fight with her, for she was of thedemirace, so hegave her a respite of three months. When Geria was killed, his head rolled one way and his body another; his faithful dog Mathicochi went and put the two pieces together, and lay down to guard them.While all these things had been happening, a year had passed, and when Geria’s parents saw that he did not return, they set out to seek him. When they came to a narrow road, they saw that several snakes had met and were fighting, and all fell dead; then two great snakes crawled out, threw themselves into the river, swam out again and began to crawl over the dead snakes in various directions. They were all restored to life. Geria’s parents wondered at the sight, and said one to the other: ‘Let us take a little of this water.’ They took a thimblefull of it.When they approached, the little dog, Mathicochi, saw them, and ran to meet them; sadly he took them to the dead body. When the unhappy parents saw Geria dead, they both fell to the ground and sobbed bitterly; then they remembered that the mother of the unfortunate youth had the wonderful water with her. As soon as they sprinkled Geria with it he came to life, and said: ‘Woe is me! what a long time I have slept!’ When he saw his parents, he was glad, but, remembering all that had befallen him, he again grew sad, and bade his parents farewell once more. They wept much, but, putting their trust in God, armed themselves with patience.Geria set out for the land of the Black King, and when he came near, went into a great forest; as he entered, he heard a very great noise. He stopped, and there, on the road, he saw some one coming along, destroying all the forest as he went, tree fell on tree; he looked steadily, and saw a great boar rushing straight towards him; he threw himselfon it, lifted it, and cast it three shoulders’ lengths6away from him; but they wrestled again, they wrestled, they wrestled, three whole days they wrestled. At last the youth was victorious, and tore the wild boar into halves. From the lacerated boar there leaped out a wild goat. When the youth killed the wild goat, there fell from it a little box; when he broke the box, three swallows flew from it,—two of them he killed, the third he caught and kept.At that time Qvamuritz Khami fell ill, the agony of death came upon him, for it turned out that this swallow was his soul. Geria killed the swallow, and Qvamuritz Khami died.7After this, Geria went into the king’s palace, and slew all therein excepting his wife. Her he took to his parents, whose patience and grief were exchanged for great joy. They all went home together.1Geria means little wolf. In Mingrelia there are many such nicknames,—e.g.Joghoria, little dog; Lomikia, little lion; Tholiorko, golden-eyed, etc.2Meaning: ‘I also am a human being.’3Three years, three months, and three weeks are the usual measures of time in Mingrelian tales.4Rokapi in Georgian tales is an old woman of a demoniacal character, possessing enchanted castles and domains; sometimes the word simply means witch, and in ordinary conversation it is applied to an ugly, ill-natured, toothless old hag.5i.e.he that has a star in his brow.6Theorgia,i.e.shoulder, is a measure of length equal to the space from finger-tips to finger-tips of the hands when extended horizontally.7Cf. with this the end of ‘Master and Pupil’ on p. 5.

IIIThe Story of Geria, the Poor Man’s Son

There was once a poor married man who had only one son; but this son was very handsome and strong, and his name was Geria.1Once the youth went out to hunt, and when he was coming home in the evening he met a woman with a jar going to the spring for water; he aimed an arrow at her, and broke the jar. The woman turned to him and said: ‘If thou art so warlike, instead of breaking my pot why dost thou not go and fetch the only sister of the twelvedemisthat dwell beyond the twelve mountains?’ When he heard this, the youth’s heart began to beat wildly for eagerness to see the maiden.He went home and said to his parents: ‘Get ready food to last me a year, and if I do not come back in that time set out to seek for me.’ His parents would not consent,but said: ‘We have no child but thee, wilt thou go away from us and perish?’ They wept with one accord, but Geria heeded them not. So they got him provisions. They bade him farewell with sobs. Such wailing was there that the parting was known throughout the country side, yea, even to sun and moon, to heaven and earth, to the sea and the sands thereof. At last they blessed their son and let him go. He took with him a little dog, whose name was Mathicochi.2When they took leave one of another, they embraced, they kissed, and the youth sped on his way.He went, he went, he went, he went as much as he could—week and week, week and fortnight, a year and three months,3—he went over six mountains. When he had crossed these six mountains everything round about him began to reel: trees and stones fell down and clattered into the valleys, but Geria was not hurt by them. Then, from beneath, there came to him a voice, saying: ‘What kind of man art thou to stand thus against me. Who can resist me but Geria, the poor man’s son.’ ‘’Tis I—Geria, the poor man’s son.’When she heard this, the Rokapi4went out to meet him, bowed herself, did great honour to him, and said: ‘Whither wilt thou go?’ The youth told her all. The Rokapi was moved with sorrow. Geria asked her: ‘Whydost thou grieve?’—‘For that I have seen many go thither, but I have seen none come back.’ But Geria heeded her not, and went on his way.He went, he went, he went more than he could, and when he had crossed the other six mountains a still greater earthquake began. It turned out that this region belonged to the eldest sister of the Rokapis; but Geria showed no sign of fear. The Rokapi cried to him: ‘What manner of man art thou to resist my witchcraft? Art thou Geria, the poor man’s son?’ He cried out to her: ‘I am he.’ The Rokapi at once went out to meet him, bowed herself, treated him with respect, and asked him: ‘Whither art thou going?’ Geria told her his plan, and this Rokapi too was distressed. Geria asked her why she grieved. She answered: ‘Because I have seen many on their way thither, but I have never seen one come back; albeit, I will do thee one service, I give thee my three-legged horse.’ She called the horse, and said to him: ‘As long as Geria lives serve him faithfully.’ Geria bade her farewell, mounted the horse, and rode away with his little dog Mathicochi.He rode out into a great meadow, and came near the abode of thedemis. When he looked upon the mead his heart was glad, and his eyes filled with tears, he bethought him of his home and its beautiful fields, he uttered a blessing to God the merciful. Then he urged his horse onward, at such speed that clouds of dust rose behind him. The youth said to himself: ‘Lo, I am now in the unknown land!’ Up he rode to thedemis’gate, leaped from his horse, and tied it there.He walked away a little, and then cried: ‘Methinks I have not fastened my horse securely!’ Back he went, tore up an oak by the roots, planted it with its branches downwardsin the earth, and firmly tied his horse to it. Then the horse said: ‘If thou hadst not done this I should have fled home, but now do as I tell thee, and all will be well. Thedemisare indoors; go to the meadow, there thou wilt find a kettle, overturn it. Then betake thyself to the damsel, and get her to plight her troth to thee.’Geria went, kicked the kettle, turned it over three times, and left it upside down, then he went to the maiden, broke all the locks, and came to the room where she was. She was astonished, but the youth’s bravery pleased her, and, to make a long story short, she promised to marry him. The youth went out merrily to the place where he had left his horse. There he quietly spent the night, and next morning the horse said: ‘Thedemishave now gone out to the meadow; when they saw the kettle turned over they marvelled, for it usually takes all the twelvedemisto turn over that kettle, and they said one to another: “Whatever we are commanded by him that turned over the kettle that must we do,”—now it is time for thee to go thither.’ Geria went to the meadow.As soon as thedemissaw him, they all arose hastily, went to meet him, bowed themselves, and said: ‘What dost thou ask of us?’ He answered: ‘You must give me your sister to wife.’ Thedemissaid: ‘We give her to thee, but the Black King will not let thee take her.’ Geria answered: ‘I fear no man,’ so (not to lengthen unduly a long story) they made ready a banquet.While the feast was still going on, in the morning, Geria looked out of the door, and saw a host of men in black apparel, who had been sent by the Black King. Geria mounted his horse, dashed into the midst and defeated them all; three only did he save alive, as messengers, andsent them to say to the Black King: ‘’Tis I that have done this, Geria, the poor man’s son.’The King was very wroth, and sent almost all his army against him. When Geria saw them, he bethought himself a little, but the horse said to him: ‘Youth! this is nothing, look for still worse.’ Geria struck the horse with his whip, attacked the host, and slew all but one; him he sent to bear the news. Upon this, the king went out of himself with rage: he summoned his devoted and loyal slave to whom he was wont to apply in all his difficulties, by name Qvamuritz Khami;5to him he committed all that was left of the army, and sent him out.Geria arose and saw a sight, such a sight as I wish thine enemy may see. It pleased him not to see Qvamuritz Khami; but what could be done? The horse said to him: ‘Youth! yonder is he of whom I spake.’ Geria crossed himself, gave thanks to God, bade his wife farewell, for he thought to die, and went out. First of all he slew the army, and then he began a single combat with Qvamuritz Khami.Mounted they fought with maces, but the battle was not to the strong, for Qvamuritz Khami’s soul was safe in other hands—how could he be killed? Qvamuritz Khami cried: ‘O young man! thus shouldst thou shoot!’ and slew him. When Geria was dead, the victor slaughtered all thedemis, took Geria’s wife, put her on her husband’s horse, and carried her off to his master.But she said to the king: ‘I am the widow of such a man that I will not belong to a man like thee; either do battle with me, and let the conqueror have his will, or give me leave to wear mourning for three months.’ The king feared to fight with her, for she was of thedemirace, so hegave her a respite of three months. When Geria was killed, his head rolled one way and his body another; his faithful dog Mathicochi went and put the two pieces together, and lay down to guard them.While all these things had been happening, a year had passed, and when Geria’s parents saw that he did not return, they set out to seek him. When they came to a narrow road, they saw that several snakes had met and were fighting, and all fell dead; then two great snakes crawled out, threw themselves into the river, swam out again and began to crawl over the dead snakes in various directions. They were all restored to life. Geria’s parents wondered at the sight, and said one to the other: ‘Let us take a little of this water.’ They took a thimblefull of it.When they approached, the little dog, Mathicochi, saw them, and ran to meet them; sadly he took them to the dead body. When the unhappy parents saw Geria dead, they both fell to the ground and sobbed bitterly; then they remembered that the mother of the unfortunate youth had the wonderful water with her. As soon as they sprinkled Geria with it he came to life, and said: ‘Woe is me! what a long time I have slept!’ When he saw his parents, he was glad, but, remembering all that had befallen him, he again grew sad, and bade his parents farewell once more. They wept much, but, putting their trust in God, armed themselves with patience.Geria set out for the land of the Black King, and when he came near, went into a great forest; as he entered, he heard a very great noise. He stopped, and there, on the road, he saw some one coming along, destroying all the forest as he went, tree fell on tree; he looked steadily, and saw a great boar rushing straight towards him; he threw himselfon it, lifted it, and cast it three shoulders’ lengths6away from him; but they wrestled again, they wrestled, they wrestled, three whole days they wrestled. At last the youth was victorious, and tore the wild boar into halves. From the lacerated boar there leaped out a wild goat. When the youth killed the wild goat, there fell from it a little box; when he broke the box, three swallows flew from it,—two of them he killed, the third he caught and kept.At that time Qvamuritz Khami fell ill, the agony of death came upon him, for it turned out that this swallow was his soul. Geria killed the swallow, and Qvamuritz Khami died.7After this, Geria went into the king’s palace, and slew all therein excepting his wife. Her he took to his parents, whose patience and grief were exchanged for great joy. They all went home together.

There was once a poor married man who had only one son; but this son was very handsome and strong, and his name was Geria.1Once the youth went out to hunt, and when he was coming home in the evening he met a woman with a jar going to the spring for water; he aimed an arrow at her, and broke the jar. The woman turned to him and said: ‘If thou art so warlike, instead of breaking my pot why dost thou not go and fetch the only sister of the twelvedemisthat dwell beyond the twelve mountains?’ When he heard this, the youth’s heart began to beat wildly for eagerness to see the maiden.

He went home and said to his parents: ‘Get ready food to last me a year, and if I do not come back in that time set out to seek for me.’ His parents would not consent,but said: ‘We have no child but thee, wilt thou go away from us and perish?’ They wept with one accord, but Geria heeded them not. So they got him provisions. They bade him farewell with sobs. Such wailing was there that the parting was known throughout the country side, yea, even to sun and moon, to heaven and earth, to the sea and the sands thereof. At last they blessed their son and let him go. He took with him a little dog, whose name was Mathicochi.2When they took leave one of another, they embraced, they kissed, and the youth sped on his way.

He went, he went, he went, he went as much as he could—week and week, week and fortnight, a year and three months,3—he went over six mountains. When he had crossed these six mountains everything round about him began to reel: trees and stones fell down and clattered into the valleys, but Geria was not hurt by them. Then, from beneath, there came to him a voice, saying: ‘What kind of man art thou to stand thus against me. Who can resist me but Geria, the poor man’s son.’ ‘’Tis I—Geria, the poor man’s son.’

When she heard this, the Rokapi4went out to meet him, bowed herself, did great honour to him, and said: ‘Whither wilt thou go?’ The youth told her all. The Rokapi was moved with sorrow. Geria asked her: ‘Whydost thou grieve?’—‘For that I have seen many go thither, but I have seen none come back.’ But Geria heeded her not, and went on his way.

He went, he went, he went more than he could, and when he had crossed the other six mountains a still greater earthquake began. It turned out that this region belonged to the eldest sister of the Rokapis; but Geria showed no sign of fear. The Rokapi cried to him: ‘What manner of man art thou to resist my witchcraft? Art thou Geria, the poor man’s son?’ He cried out to her: ‘I am he.’ The Rokapi at once went out to meet him, bowed herself, treated him with respect, and asked him: ‘Whither art thou going?’ Geria told her his plan, and this Rokapi too was distressed. Geria asked her why she grieved. She answered: ‘Because I have seen many on their way thither, but I have never seen one come back; albeit, I will do thee one service, I give thee my three-legged horse.’ She called the horse, and said to him: ‘As long as Geria lives serve him faithfully.’ Geria bade her farewell, mounted the horse, and rode away with his little dog Mathicochi.

He rode out into a great meadow, and came near the abode of thedemis. When he looked upon the mead his heart was glad, and his eyes filled with tears, he bethought him of his home and its beautiful fields, he uttered a blessing to God the merciful. Then he urged his horse onward, at such speed that clouds of dust rose behind him. The youth said to himself: ‘Lo, I am now in the unknown land!’ Up he rode to thedemis’gate, leaped from his horse, and tied it there.

He walked away a little, and then cried: ‘Methinks I have not fastened my horse securely!’ Back he went, tore up an oak by the roots, planted it with its branches downwardsin the earth, and firmly tied his horse to it. Then the horse said: ‘If thou hadst not done this I should have fled home, but now do as I tell thee, and all will be well. Thedemisare indoors; go to the meadow, there thou wilt find a kettle, overturn it. Then betake thyself to the damsel, and get her to plight her troth to thee.’

Geria went, kicked the kettle, turned it over three times, and left it upside down, then he went to the maiden, broke all the locks, and came to the room where she was. She was astonished, but the youth’s bravery pleased her, and, to make a long story short, she promised to marry him. The youth went out merrily to the place where he had left his horse. There he quietly spent the night, and next morning the horse said: ‘Thedemishave now gone out to the meadow; when they saw the kettle turned over they marvelled, for it usually takes all the twelvedemisto turn over that kettle, and they said one to another: “Whatever we are commanded by him that turned over the kettle that must we do,”—now it is time for thee to go thither.’ Geria went to the meadow.

As soon as thedemissaw him, they all arose hastily, went to meet him, bowed themselves, and said: ‘What dost thou ask of us?’ He answered: ‘You must give me your sister to wife.’ Thedemissaid: ‘We give her to thee, but the Black King will not let thee take her.’ Geria answered: ‘I fear no man,’ so (not to lengthen unduly a long story) they made ready a banquet.

While the feast was still going on, in the morning, Geria looked out of the door, and saw a host of men in black apparel, who had been sent by the Black King. Geria mounted his horse, dashed into the midst and defeated them all; three only did he save alive, as messengers, andsent them to say to the Black King: ‘’Tis I that have done this, Geria, the poor man’s son.’

The King was very wroth, and sent almost all his army against him. When Geria saw them, he bethought himself a little, but the horse said to him: ‘Youth! this is nothing, look for still worse.’ Geria struck the horse with his whip, attacked the host, and slew all but one; him he sent to bear the news. Upon this, the king went out of himself with rage: he summoned his devoted and loyal slave to whom he was wont to apply in all his difficulties, by name Qvamuritz Khami;5to him he committed all that was left of the army, and sent him out.

Geria arose and saw a sight, such a sight as I wish thine enemy may see. It pleased him not to see Qvamuritz Khami; but what could be done? The horse said to him: ‘Youth! yonder is he of whom I spake.’ Geria crossed himself, gave thanks to God, bade his wife farewell, for he thought to die, and went out. First of all he slew the army, and then he began a single combat with Qvamuritz Khami.

Mounted they fought with maces, but the battle was not to the strong, for Qvamuritz Khami’s soul was safe in other hands—how could he be killed? Qvamuritz Khami cried: ‘O young man! thus shouldst thou shoot!’ and slew him. When Geria was dead, the victor slaughtered all thedemis, took Geria’s wife, put her on her husband’s horse, and carried her off to his master.

But she said to the king: ‘I am the widow of such a man that I will not belong to a man like thee; either do battle with me, and let the conqueror have his will, or give me leave to wear mourning for three months.’ The king feared to fight with her, for she was of thedemirace, so hegave her a respite of three months. When Geria was killed, his head rolled one way and his body another; his faithful dog Mathicochi went and put the two pieces together, and lay down to guard them.

While all these things had been happening, a year had passed, and when Geria’s parents saw that he did not return, they set out to seek him. When they came to a narrow road, they saw that several snakes had met and were fighting, and all fell dead; then two great snakes crawled out, threw themselves into the river, swam out again and began to crawl over the dead snakes in various directions. They were all restored to life. Geria’s parents wondered at the sight, and said one to the other: ‘Let us take a little of this water.’ They took a thimblefull of it.

When they approached, the little dog, Mathicochi, saw them, and ran to meet them; sadly he took them to the dead body. When the unhappy parents saw Geria dead, they both fell to the ground and sobbed bitterly; then they remembered that the mother of the unfortunate youth had the wonderful water with her. As soon as they sprinkled Geria with it he came to life, and said: ‘Woe is me! what a long time I have slept!’ When he saw his parents, he was glad, but, remembering all that had befallen him, he again grew sad, and bade his parents farewell once more. They wept much, but, putting their trust in God, armed themselves with patience.

Geria set out for the land of the Black King, and when he came near, went into a great forest; as he entered, he heard a very great noise. He stopped, and there, on the road, he saw some one coming along, destroying all the forest as he went, tree fell on tree; he looked steadily, and saw a great boar rushing straight towards him; he threw himselfon it, lifted it, and cast it three shoulders’ lengths6away from him; but they wrestled again, they wrestled, they wrestled, three whole days they wrestled. At last the youth was victorious, and tore the wild boar into halves. From the lacerated boar there leaped out a wild goat. When the youth killed the wild goat, there fell from it a little box; when he broke the box, three swallows flew from it,—two of them he killed, the third he caught and kept.

At that time Qvamuritz Khami fell ill, the agony of death came upon him, for it turned out that this swallow was his soul. Geria killed the swallow, and Qvamuritz Khami died.7

After this, Geria went into the king’s palace, and slew all therein excepting his wife. Her he took to his parents, whose patience and grief were exchanged for great joy. They all went home together.

1Geria means little wolf. In Mingrelia there are many such nicknames,—e.g.Joghoria, little dog; Lomikia, little lion; Tholiorko, golden-eyed, etc.2Meaning: ‘I also am a human being.’3Three years, three months, and three weeks are the usual measures of time in Mingrelian tales.4Rokapi in Georgian tales is an old woman of a demoniacal character, possessing enchanted castles and domains; sometimes the word simply means witch, and in ordinary conversation it is applied to an ugly, ill-natured, toothless old hag.5i.e.he that has a star in his brow.6Theorgia,i.e.shoulder, is a measure of length equal to the space from finger-tips to finger-tips of the hands when extended horizontally.7Cf. with this the end of ‘Master and Pupil’ on p. 5.

1Geria means little wolf. In Mingrelia there are many such nicknames,—e.g.Joghoria, little dog; Lomikia, little lion; Tholiorko, golden-eyed, etc.

2Meaning: ‘I also am a human being.’

3Three years, three months, and three weeks are the usual measures of time in Mingrelian tales.

4Rokapi in Georgian tales is an old woman of a demoniacal character, possessing enchanted castles and domains; sometimes the word simply means witch, and in ordinary conversation it is applied to an ugly, ill-natured, toothless old hag.

5i.e.he that has a star in his brow.

6Theorgia,i.e.shoulder, is a measure of length equal to the space from finger-tips to finger-tips of the hands when extended horizontally.

7Cf. with this the end of ‘Master and Pupil’ on p. 5.

IVThe Prince who befriended the BeastsThere was a king, and he had three sons. Once he fell ill, and became blind in both eyes. He sent his sons for a surgeon. All the surgeons agreed that there was a fish of a rare kind by the help of which the king might be cured.1They made a sketch of the fish, and left it with the sick monarch.The king commanded his eldest son to go and catch that fish in the sea. A hundred men with their nets were lost in the sea, but nought could they find like the fish they sought. The eldest son came home to his father and said: ‘I have found nothing.’ This displeased the king, but what could he do? Then the second son set out, taking with him a hundred men also, but all his men were lost too, and he brought back nothing.After this, the youngest brother went. He had recourse to cunning; he took with him a hundred kilas2of flour and one man. He came to the sea, and every day he strewed flour in the water, near the shore, until all the flour was used up; the fishes grew fat on the flour, and said: ‘Let us do a service to this youth since he has enabled us to grow fat’; so, as soon as the youth threw a net into the sea, he at once drew out the rare fish he sought. He wrapped it up in the skirt of his robe, and went his way.As he rode along, some distance from his companion, he heard a voice that said: ‘O youth, I am dying!’ But on looking round he saw no man, and continued his journey. After a short time, he again heard the same words. He looked round more carefully, but saw nothing. Then he glanced at the skirt of his robe, and saw that the fish had its mouth open, and was dying. The youth said to it: ‘What dost thou want?’ The fish answered: ‘It will be better for thee if thou wilt let me go, some day I shall be of use to thee.’ The youth took it and threw it into the water, saying to his comrade: ‘I hope thou wilt not betray me.’When he reached home, he told his father that he had been unsuccessful. Some time passed. Once the prince quarrelled with his comrade, and the latter ran off and toldthe king how his son had deceived him. When the king heard this, he ordered his son to be taken away and killed. He was taken out, but when they were about to kill him, the youth entreated them, saying: ‘What doth it profit you if you slay me? If you let me go, ’twill be a good deed, and I shall flee to foreign lands.’ The executioners took pity on him, and set him free; he thanked them, and departed.He went, he went, he went, he went farther than anybody ever went—he came to a great forest. As he went through the forest, he saw a deer running, in a great state of alarm. The youth stopped, and fixed his gaze on it; then the deer came up and fell on its face before him. The youth asked: ‘What ails thee?’ ‘The prince pursues me, and on thee depends my safety.’ The youth took the deer with him and went on. A huntsman met him, and asked: ‘Whither art thou leading the deer?’ The youth replied: ‘One king has sent it as a gift to another king, and, lo! I am taking it.’ The youth thus saved the deer from death, and the deer said: ‘A time will come when I shall save thy life.’The youth went on his way: he went, he went, he went, so far he went, good sir, that the ‘three day colt’ (of fable) could not go so far. He looked, and, lo! a frightened eagle perched on his shoulder, and said: ‘Youth, on thee depends my safety!’ The youth protected it also from its pursuer. Then the eagle said to him: ‘Some day I shall do thee a service.’The youth went on: he went through the forest, he went, he went, he went, he went farther than he could, he went a week, two weeks, a year and three months. Then he heard some fearful rumbling, roaring, thunder and lightning—something was coming through the forest, breaking downall the trees. A great jackal appeared, and ran up to the youth, saying: ‘If thou wilt thou canst protect me; the prince is pursuing me with all his army.’ The youth saved the jackal, as he had saved the other animals. Then the jackal said: ‘Some day I shall help thee.’The youth went on his way, and, when he was out of the wood, came to a town. In this town he found a castle of crystal, in the courtyard of which he saw a great number of young men, some dying and some dead. He asked the meaning of this, and was told: ‘The king of this land has a daughter, a maiden queen; she has made a proclamation that she will wed him that can hide himself from her; but no man can hide himself from her, and all these men has she slain, for he that cannot hide himself from her is cast down from the top of the castle.’When the youth heard this, he at once arose, and went to the maiden. They bowed themselves each to the other. The maiden asked him: ‘Wherefore art thou come hither?’ The youth answered: ‘I come for that which others have come for.’ She immediately called her viziers together, and they wrote out the usual contract.The youth went out from the castle, came to the seashore, sat down, and was soon buried in thought. Just then, something made a great splash in the sea, came and swallowed the youth, carried him into the Red Sea, there they were hidden in the depths of the sea, near the shore. The youth remained there all that night.When the maiden arose next morning she brought her mirror and looked in it, but she found nothing in the sky, she looked on the dry land, and found nothing there, she looked at the sea—and then she saw the youth in the belly of the fish, which was hiding in the deep waters. After ashort time, the fish threw up the youth on the place where it had found him. He went merrily to the maiden. She asked: ‘Well, then, didst thou hide thyself?’ ‘Yes, I hid myself.’ But the maiden told him where he had been, and how he got there, and added: ‘This time I forgive thee, for the cleverness thou hast shown.’The youth set out again, and sat down in a field. Then something fell upon him, and took him up into the air, lifted him up into the sky, and covered him with its wing. When the maiden arose next morning, she looked in her mirror, she gazed at the mountain, she gazed at the earth, but she found nothing, she looked at the sky, and there she saw how the eagle was covering the youth. The eagle carried the youth down, and put him on the ground. He was joyful, thinking that the maiden could not have seen him; but when he came to her she told him all.Then he fell into deep melancholy, but the maiden, being struck with wonder at his cunning in hiding himself, told him that she again forgave him. He went out again, and, as he was walking in the field, the deer came to him and said: ‘Mount on my back.’ He mounted, and the deer carried him away, away, away over all the mountains that were there, and put him in a lair. When the maiden arose next morning, she found him, and when he came back to her she said: ‘Young man, it seems that thou hast many friends, but thou canst not hide thyself from me; yet this day also I forgive thee.’ The youth went sadly away; he had lost confidence.When he sat down in the field, an earthquake began, the town shook, lightning flashed, thunder rolled, and when a thunderbolt had fallen, there leapt out from it his friendthe gigantic jackal, and said to him: ‘Fear not, O youth!’ The jackal had recourse to its wonted cunning, it began to scrape at the earth: it dug, it dug, it dug, and burrowed right up to the place where the maiden dwelt, and then it said to the youth: ‘Stay thou here, she will look at the sky, the mountain, the sea, and when she cannot find thee she will break her mirror; when thou hearest this, then strike thy head through the ground and come out.’This advice, of course, pleased the youth. When the maiden arose in the morning, she looked at the sea, she found him not, she looked at the mountain, she looked at the sky, and still she could not see him, so she broke her mirror. Then the youth pushed his head through the floor, bowed, and said to the maiden: ‘Thou art mine and I am thine!’ They summoned the viziers, sent the news to the king, and a great feast began.1Cf. the beginning of ‘Gulambara and Sulambara’ on p. 42; also the Biblical story of Tobit and the Angel.2Kila, a measure of flour = about 36 to 40 pounds.

IVThe Prince who befriended the Beasts

There was a king, and he had three sons. Once he fell ill, and became blind in both eyes. He sent his sons for a surgeon. All the surgeons agreed that there was a fish of a rare kind by the help of which the king might be cured.1They made a sketch of the fish, and left it with the sick monarch.The king commanded his eldest son to go and catch that fish in the sea. A hundred men with their nets were lost in the sea, but nought could they find like the fish they sought. The eldest son came home to his father and said: ‘I have found nothing.’ This displeased the king, but what could he do? Then the second son set out, taking with him a hundred men also, but all his men were lost too, and he brought back nothing.After this, the youngest brother went. He had recourse to cunning; he took with him a hundred kilas2of flour and one man. He came to the sea, and every day he strewed flour in the water, near the shore, until all the flour was used up; the fishes grew fat on the flour, and said: ‘Let us do a service to this youth since he has enabled us to grow fat’; so, as soon as the youth threw a net into the sea, he at once drew out the rare fish he sought. He wrapped it up in the skirt of his robe, and went his way.As he rode along, some distance from his companion, he heard a voice that said: ‘O youth, I am dying!’ But on looking round he saw no man, and continued his journey. After a short time, he again heard the same words. He looked round more carefully, but saw nothing. Then he glanced at the skirt of his robe, and saw that the fish had its mouth open, and was dying. The youth said to it: ‘What dost thou want?’ The fish answered: ‘It will be better for thee if thou wilt let me go, some day I shall be of use to thee.’ The youth took it and threw it into the water, saying to his comrade: ‘I hope thou wilt not betray me.’When he reached home, he told his father that he had been unsuccessful. Some time passed. Once the prince quarrelled with his comrade, and the latter ran off and toldthe king how his son had deceived him. When the king heard this, he ordered his son to be taken away and killed. He was taken out, but when they were about to kill him, the youth entreated them, saying: ‘What doth it profit you if you slay me? If you let me go, ’twill be a good deed, and I shall flee to foreign lands.’ The executioners took pity on him, and set him free; he thanked them, and departed.He went, he went, he went, he went farther than anybody ever went—he came to a great forest. As he went through the forest, he saw a deer running, in a great state of alarm. The youth stopped, and fixed his gaze on it; then the deer came up and fell on its face before him. The youth asked: ‘What ails thee?’ ‘The prince pursues me, and on thee depends my safety.’ The youth took the deer with him and went on. A huntsman met him, and asked: ‘Whither art thou leading the deer?’ The youth replied: ‘One king has sent it as a gift to another king, and, lo! I am taking it.’ The youth thus saved the deer from death, and the deer said: ‘A time will come when I shall save thy life.’The youth went on his way: he went, he went, he went, so far he went, good sir, that the ‘three day colt’ (of fable) could not go so far. He looked, and, lo! a frightened eagle perched on his shoulder, and said: ‘Youth, on thee depends my safety!’ The youth protected it also from its pursuer. Then the eagle said to him: ‘Some day I shall do thee a service.’The youth went on: he went through the forest, he went, he went, he went, he went farther than he could, he went a week, two weeks, a year and three months. Then he heard some fearful rumbling, roaring, thunder and lightning—something was coming through the forest, breaking downall the trees. A great jackal appeared, and ran up to the youth, saying: ‘If thou wilt thou canst protect me; the prince is pursuing me with all his army.’ The youth saved the jackal, as he had saved the other animals. Then the jackal said: ‘Some day I shall help thee.’The youth went on his way, and, when he was out of the wood, came to a town. In this town he found a castle of crystal, in the courtyard of which he saw a great number of young men, some dying and some dead. He asked the meaning of this, and was told: ‘The king of this land has a daughter, a maiden queen; she has made a proclamation that she will wed him that can hide himself from her; but no man can hide himself from her, and all these men has she slain, for he that cannot hide himself from her is cast down from the top of the castle.’When the youth heard this, he at once arose, and went to the maiden. They bowed themselves each to the other. The maiden asked him: ‘Wherefore art thou come hither?’ The youth answered: ‘I come for that which others have come for.’ She immediately called her viziers together, and they wrote out the usual contract.The youth went out from the castle, came to the seashore, sat down, and was soon buried in thought. Just then, something made a great splash in the sea, came and swallowed the youth, carried him into the Red Sea, there they were hidden in the depths of the sea, near the shore. The youth remained there all that night.When the maiden arose next morning she brought her mirror and looked in it, but she found nothing in the sky, she looked on the dry land, and found nothing there, she looked at the sea—and then she saw the youth in the belly of the fish, which was hiding in the deep waters. After ashort time, the fish threw up the youth on the place where it had found him. He went merrily to the maiden. She asked: ‘Well, then, didst thou hide thyself?’ ‘Yes, I hid myself.’ But the maiden told him where he had been, and how he got there, and added: ‘This time I forgive thee, for the cleverness thou hast shown.’The youth set out again, and sat down in a field. Then something fell upon him, and took him up into the air, lifted him up into the sky, and covered him with its wing. When the maiden arose next morning, she looked in her mirror, she gazed at the mountain, she gazed at the earth, but she found nothing, she looked at the sky, and there she saw how the eagle was covering the youth. The eagle carried the youth down, and put him on the ground. He was joyful, thinking that the maiden could not have seen him; but when he came to her she told him all.Then he fell into deep melancholy, but the maiden, being struck with wonder at his cunning in hiding himself, told him that she again forgave him. He went out again, and, as he was walking in the field, the deer came to him and said: ‘Mount on my back.’ He mounted, and the deer carried him away, away, away over all the mountains that were there, and put him in a lair. When the maiden arose next morning, she found him, and when he came back to her she said: ‘Young man, it seems that thou hast many friends, but thou canst not hide thyself from me; yet this day also I forgive thee.’ The youth went sadly away; he had lost confidence.When he sat down in the field, an earthquake began, the town shook, lightning flashed, thunder rolled, and when a thunderbolt had fallen, there leapt out from it his friendthe gigantic jackal, and said to him: ‘Fear not, O youth!’ The jackal had recourse to its wonted cunning, it began to scrape at the earth: it dug, it dug, it dug, and burrowed right up to the place where the maiden dwelt, and then it said to the youth: ‘Stay thou here, she will look at the sky, the mountain, the sea, and when she cannot find thee she will break her mirror; when thou hearest this, then strike thy head through the ground and come out.’This advice, of course, pleased the youth. When the maiden arose in the morning, she looked at the sea, she found him not, she looked at the mountain, she looked at the sky, and still she could not see him, so she broke her mirror. Then the youth pushed his head through the floor, bowed, and said to the maiden: ‘Thou art mine and I am thine!’ They summoned the viziers, sent the news to the king, and a great feast began.

There was a king, and he had three sons. Once he fell ill, and became blind in both eyes. He sent his sons for a surgeon. All the surgeons agreed that there was a fish of a rare kind by the help of which the king might be cured.1They made a sketch of the fish, and left it with the sick monarch.

The king commanded his eldest son to go and catch that fish in the sea. A hundred men with their nets were lost in the sea, but nought could they find like the fish they sought. The eldest son came home to his father and said: ‘I have found nothing.’ This displeased the king, but what could he do? Then the second son set out, taking with him a hundred men also, but all his men were lost too, and he brought back nothing.

After this, the youngest brother went. He had recourse to cunning; he took with him a hundred kilas2of flour and one man. He came to the sea, and every day he strewed flour in the water, near the shore, until all the flour was used up; the fishes grew fat on the flour, and said: ‘Let us do a service to this youth since he has enabled us to grow fat’; so, as soon as the youth threw a net into the sea, he at once drew out the rare fish he sought. He wrapped it up in the skirt of his robe, and went his way.

As he rode along, some distance from his companion, he heard a voice that said: ‘O youth, I am dying!’ But on looking round he saw no man, and continued his journey. After a short time, he again heard the same words. He looked round more carefully, but saw nothing. Then he glanced at the skirt of his robe, and saw that the fish had its mouth open, and was dying. The youth said to it: ‘What dost thou want?’ The fish answered: ‘It will be better for thee if thou wilt let me go, some day I shall be of use to thee.’ The youth took it and threw it into the water, saying to his comrade: ‘I hope thou wilt not betray me.’

When he reached home, he told his father that he had been unsuccessful. Some time passed. Once the prince quarrelled with his comrade, and the latter ran off and toldthe king how his son had deceived him. When the king heard this, he ordered his son to be taken away and killed. He was taken out, but when they were about to kill him, the youth entreated them, saying: ‘What doth it profit you if you slay me? If you let me go, ’twill be a good deed, and I shall flee to foreign lands.’ The executioners took pity on him, and set him free; he thanked them, and departed.

He went, he went, he went, he went farther than anybody ever went—he came to a great forest. As he went through the forest, he saw a deer running, in a great state of alarm. The youth stopped, and fixed his gaze on it; then the deer came up and fell on its face before him. The youth asked: ‘What ails thee?’ ‘The prince pursues me, and on thee depends my safety.’ The youth took the deer with him and went on. A huntsman met him, and asked: ‘Whither art thou leading the deer?’ The youth replied: ‘One king has sent it as a gift to another king, and, lo! I am taking it.’ The youth thus saved the deer from death, and the deer said: ‘A time will come when I shall save thy life.’

The youth went on his way: he went, he went, he went, so far he went, good sir, that the ‘three day colt’ (of fable) could not go so far. He looked, and, lo! a frightened eagle perched on his shoulder, and said: ‘Youth, on thee depends my safety!’ The youth protected it also from its pursuer. Then the eagle said to him: ‘Some day I shall do thee a service.’

The youth went on: he went through the forest, he went, he went, he went, he went farther than he could, he went a week, two weeks, a year and three months. Then he heard some fearful rumbling, roaring, thunder and lightning—something was coming through the forest, breaking downall the trees. A great jackal appeared, and ran up to the youth, saying: ‘If thou wilt thou canst protect me; the prince is pursuing me with all his army.’ The youth saved the jackal, as he had saved the other animals. Then the jackal said: ‘Some day I shall help thee.’

The youth went on his way, and, when he was out of the wood, came to a town. In this town he found a castle of crystal, in the courtyard of which he saw a great number of young men, some dying and some dead. He asked the meaning of this, and was told: ‘The king of this land has a daughter, a maiden queen; she has made a proclamation that she will wed him that can hide himself from her; but no man can hide himself from her, and all these men has she slain, for he that cannot hide himself from her is cast down from the top of the castle.’

When the youth heard this, he at once arose, and went to the maiden. They bowed themselves each to the other. The maiden asked him: ‘Wherefore art thou come hither?’ The youth answered: ‘I come for that which others have come for.’ She immediately called her viziers together, and they wrote out the usual contract.

The youth went out from the castle, came to the seashore, sat down, and was soon buried in thought. Just then, something made a great splash in the sea, came and swallowed the youth, carried him into the Red Sea, there they were hidden in the depths of the sea, near the shore. The youth remained there all that night.

When the maiden arose next morning she brought her mirror and looked in it, but she found nothing in the sky, she looked on the dry land, and found nothing there, she looked at the sea—and then she saw the youth in the belly of the fish, which was hiding in the deep waters. After ashort time, the fish threw up the youth on the place where it had found him. He went merrily to the maiden. She asked: ‘Well, then, didst thou hide thyself?’ ‘Yes, I hid myself.’ But the maiden told him where he had been, and how he got there, and added: ‘This time I forgive thee, for the cleverness thou hast shown.’

The youth set out again, and sat down in a field. Then something fell upon him, and took him up into the air, lifted him up into the sky, and covered him with its wing. When the maiden arose next morning, she looked in her mirror, she gazed at the mountain, she gazed at the earth, but she found nothing, she looked at the sky, and there she saw how the eagle was covering the youth. The eagle carried the youth down, and put him on the ground. He was joyful, thinking that the maiden could not have seen him; but when he came to her she told him all.

Then he fell into deep melancholy, but the maiden, being struck with wonder at his cunning in hiding himself, told him that she again forgave him. He went out again, and, as he was walking in the field, the deer came to him and said: ‘Mount on my back.’ He mounted, and the deer carried him away, away, away over all the mountains that were there, and put him in a lair. When the maiden arose next morning, she found him, and when he came back to her she said: ‘Young man, it seems that thou hast many friends, but thou canst not hide thyself from me; yet this day also I forgive thee.’ The youth went sadly away; he had lost confidence.

When he sat down in the field, an earthquake began, the town shook, lightning flashed, thunder rolled, and when a thunderbolt had fallen, there leapt out from it his friendthe gigantic jackal, and said to him: ‘Fear not, O youth!’ The jackal had recourse to its wonted cunning, it began to scrape at the earth: it dug, it dug, it dug, and burrowed right up to the place where the maiden dwelt, and then it said to the youth: ‘Stay thou here, she will look at the sky, the mountain, the sea, and when she cannot find thee she will break her mirror; when thou hearest this, then strike thy head through the ground and come out.’

This advice, of course, pleased the youth. When the maiden arose in the morning, she looked at the sea, she found him not, she looked at the mountain, she looked at the sky, and still she could not see him, so she broke her mirror. Then the youth pushed his head through the floor, bowed, and said to the maiden: ‘Thou art mine and I am thine!’ They summoned the viziers, sent the news to the king, and a great feast began.

1Cf. the beginning of ‘Gulambara and Sulambara’ on p. 42; also the Biblical story of Tobit and the Angel.2Kila, a measure of flour = about 36 to 40 pounds.

1Cf. the beginning of ‘Gulambara and Sulambara’ on p. 42; also the Biblical story of Tobit and the Angel.

2Kila, a measure of flour = about 36 to 40 pounds.

VThe Cunning Old Man and theDemiThere was once an old man. He might have worked but he was lazy. His children went out to the fields, but this old man sat by the fire, and if they did not show him great respect, he kept them out of the house. His daughters-in-law quarrelled with him, and ended by turning him out of the house. He begged of his eldest daughter-in-law, saying: ‘Give me a jar of flour, an egg,1and an awl, then I shall go away.’ She gave him these things.The old man went on day and night, and came to thebank of a stream; he looked over, and saw on the other side ademi, to whom he cried: ‘Carry me across this river.’ Thedemianswered: ‘I shall not carry thee, but thou shalt carry me across, or I shall turn thee into dust.’ Thedemiseized a stone, struck it on the rocky bank, and turned the great stone into powder. The old man also took his jar of flour, struck it on the rock, and dust arose. Thedemiwas astonished, and said: ‘How has he turned this stone into powder?’ Thedemitook another stone, squeezed it in his hand, and said: ‘I shall crush thee like this stone.’ Then the old man took out the egg, squeezed it, and when the moisture began to ooze out, thedemiwas alarmed: he came over the stream, took the old man on his shoulder, and carried him across.In the middle of the stream, thedemisaid to the old man: ‘How light thou art!’ The old man answered: ‘I am holding on to the sky with one hand, if I let go, thou wouldst fall under my weight.’ Thedemisaid: ‘Just leave go for a moment.’ The old man took out the awl, and stuck it in thedemi’sneck. Thedemicried: ‘Lay hold of the sky again!’ The old man put the awl in his pocket.When they had reached the other side, thedemisaid to the old man: ‘I shall drive in game, and thou canst meet it here.’ So thedemiwent and drove in the game. The old man was afraid of wild beasts, and hid himself in the forest, where he found a dead red-breast.2When thedemireturned, he asked: ‘What hast thou done with the game?’ The old man replied: ‘Thou didst not drive the game properly, or how could any beast that walks on earth escape from me, that could catch this bird on the wing?’Thedemiwent and killed two deer, two wild goats, two boars, two hares; some he boiled, some he roasted, he made ready two measures (kilasof 36 to 40 pounds) of millet, twococas(acoca=25 bottles) of wine, and said: ‘Let us sit down and eat.’ The old man said: ‘Make me a bridge over this river, there will I sup.’ Thedemibuilt him a little bridge, on which he seated himself. Thedemigave him one deer, one wild goat, one boar, one hare, onekilaof millet, onecocaof wine, and then sat down near him in the field. Thedemiate, but the old man threw the food into the river. Thedemithought the old man was eating everything, and was afraid, thinking: ‘It would seem that he can eat more than I can.’ Lower down the stream, wolves caught and ate the meat the old man threw away. The old man asked for another deer. Thedemibrought it, and the old man threw it in the water. Thedemidid not know this. The old man said: ‘I have had a snack this evening.’Next day, thedemiinvited the old man to his house. They went there. Thedemiwent out alone to hunt. He met a wolf and a jackal, and said to them: ‘Come and hunt with me. To my house there has come a guest who can eat ten deer and wild goats; yesterday evening we had two deer, but they were a mere snack to him.’ The wolf and the jackal said to thedemi: ‘Thy guest did not eat one of them, he threw everything into the river, we caught it and ate it, the old man ate nothing.’ Thedemisaid to the wolf and the jackal: ‘Then let us go and expose this old man’s fraud.’There went with thedeminine wolves and jackals, to give evidence against the old man. The old man looked out, and saw thedemicoming along in front, with the wolvesand jackals behind him. The old man cried to thedemi: ‘Dost thou not owe me more than ten wolves and jackals?’ The wolves and jackals exchanged glances, and said: ‘It would seem that thisdemihas betrayed us.’ They threw themselves on thedemiand turned him into dust.31A variant substitutesa cheesefor an egg.2? Finch.3Another Mingrelian version of this story tells that thedemitook the old man home, and left him his house, wife and children. As he was going away, the jackal met him, and asked whither he was going. Thedemireplied that the old man had almost killed him, and he was going to hide himself. The jackal told him to go home, and have no fear of the old man, for it would choke him. Thedemitied the jackal to himself, with a stout rope, and went back. The old man met them with the following words: ‘This is splendid, my jackal—thou wast to bring me ninedemis, thou hast brought eight already, and this will make the ninth.’ Thedemiwas alarmed, he rushed off, dragging after him the jackal, whom he knocked against twenty trees, and disappeared. The old man stayed in thedemi’shouse all the days of his life.Cf. also ‘The Strong Man and the Dwarf,’ p. 147; Sir John Malcolm’sSketches of Persia, ch. xvi. ‘The Story of Ameen Beg of Ispahan,’ and ‘The Goat and the Lion’ in thePanchatantra.

VThe Cunning Old Man and theDemi

There was once an old man. He might have worked but he was lazy. His children went out to the fields, but this old man sat by the fire, and if they did not show him great respect, he kept them out of the house. His daughters-in-law quarrelled with him, and ended by turning him out of the house. He begged of his eldest daughter-in-law, saying: ‘Give me a jar of flour, an egg,1and an awl, then I shall go away.’ She gave him these things.The old man went on day and night, and came to thebank of a stream; he looked over, and saw on the other side ademi, to whom he cried: ‘Carry me across this river.’ Thedemianswered: ‘I shall not carry thee, but thou shalt carry me across, or I shall turn thee into dust.’ Thedemiseized a stone, struck it on the rocky bank, and turned the great stone into powder. The old man also took his jar of flour, struck it on the rock, and dust arose. Thedemiwas astonished, and said: ‘How has he turned this stone into powder?’ Thedemitook another stone, squeezed it in his hand, and said: ‘I shall crush thee like this stone.’ Then the old man took out the egg, squeezed it, and when the moisture began to ooze out, thedemiwas alarmed: he came over the stream, took the old man on his shoulder, and carried him across.In the middle of the stream, thedemisaid to the old man: ‘How light thou art!’ The old man answered: ‘I am holding on to the sky with one hand, if I let go, thou wouldst fall under my weight.’ Thedemisaid: ‘Just leave go for a moment.’ The old man took out the awl, and stuck it in thedemi’sneck. Thedemicried: ‘Lay hold of the sky again!’ The old man put the awl in his pocket.When they had reached the other side, thedemisaid to the old man: ‘I shall drive in game, and thou canst meet it here.’ So thedemiwent and drove in the game. The old man was afraid of wild beasts, and hid himself in the forest, where he found a dead red-breast.2When thedemireturned, he asked: ‘What hast thou done with the game?’ The old man replied: ‘Thou didst not drive the game properly, or how could any beast that walks on earth escape from me, that could catch this bird on the wing?’Thedemiwent and killed two deer, two wild goats, two boars, two hares; some he boiled, some he roasted, he made ready two measures (kilasof 36 to 40 pounds) of millet, twococas(acoca=25 bottles) of wine, and said: ‘Let us sit down and eat.’ The old man said: ‘Make me a bridge over this river, there will I sup.’ Thedemibuilt him a little bridge, on which he seated himself. Thedemigave him one deer, one wild goat, one boar, one hare, onekilaof millet, onecocaof wine, and then sat down near him in the field. Thedemiate, but the old man threw the food into the river. Thedemithought the old man was eating everything, and was afraid, thinking: ‘It would seem that he can eat more than I can.’ Lower down the stream, wolves caught and ate the meat the old man threw away. The old man asked for another deer. Thedemibrought it, and the old man threw it in the water. Thedemidid not know this. The old man said: ‘I have had a snack this evening.’Next day, thedemiinvited the old man to his house. They went there. Thedemiwent out alone to hunt. He met a wolf and a jackal, and said to them: ‘Come and hunt with me. To my house there has come a guest who can eat ten deer and wild goats; yesterday evening we had two deer, but they were a mere snack to him.’ The wolf and the jackal said to thedemi: ‘Thy guest did not eat one of them, he threw everything into the river, we caught it and ate it, the old man ate nothing.’ Thedemisaid to the wolf and the jackal: ‘Then let us go and expose this old man’s fraud.’There went with thedeminine wolves and jackals, to give evidence against the old man. The old man looked out, and saw thedemicoming along in front, with the wolvesand jackals behind him. The old man cried to thedemi: ‘Dost thou not owe me more than ten wolves and jackals?’ The wolves and jackals exchanged glances, and said: ‘It would seem that thisdemihas betrayed us.’ They threw themselves on thedemiand turned him into dust.3

There was once an old man. He might have worked but he was lazy. His children went out to the fields, but this old man sat by the fire, and if they did not show him great respect, he kept them out of the house. His daughters-in-law quarrelled with him, and ended by turning him out of the house. He begged of his eldest daughter-in-law, saying: ‘Give me a jar of flour, an egg,1and an awl, then I shall go away.’ She gave him these things.

The old man went on day and night, and came to thebank of a stream; he looked over, and saw on the other side ademi, to whom he cried: ‘Carry me across this river.’ Thedemianswered: ‘I shall not carry thee, but thou shalt carry me across, or I shall turn thee into dust.’ Thedemiseized a stone, struck it on the rocky bank, and turned the great stone into powder. The old man also took his jar of flour, struck it on the rock, and dust arose. Thedemiwas astonished, and said: ‘How has he turned this stone into powder?’ Thedemitook another stone, squeezed it in his hand, and said: ‘I shall crush thee like this stone.’ Then the old man took out the egg, squeezed it, and when the moisture began to ooze out, thedemiwas alarmed: he came over the stream, took the old man on his shoulder, and carried him across.

In the middle of the stream, thedemisaid to the old man: ‘How light thou art!’ The old man answered: ‘I am holding on to the sky with one hand, if I let go, thou wouldst fall under my weight.’ Thedemisaid: ‘Just leave go for a moment.’ The old man took out the awl, and stuck it in thedemi’sneck. Thedemicried: ‘Lay hold of the sky again!’ The old man put the awl in his pocket.

When they had reached the other side, thedemisaid to the old man: ‘I shall drive in game, and thou canst meet it here.’ So thedemiwent and drove in the game. The old man was afraid of wild beasts, and hid himself in the forest, where he found a dead red-breast.2When thedemireturned, he asked: ‘What hast thou done with the game?’ The old man replied: ‘Thou didst not drive the game properly, or how could any beast that walks on earth escape from me, that could catch this bird on the wing?’

Thedemiwent and killed two deer, two wild goats, two boars, two hares; some he boiled, some he roasted, he made ready two measures (kilasof 36 to 40 pounds) of millet, twococas(acoca=25 bottles) of wine, and said: ‘Let us sit down and eat.’ The old man said: ‘Make me a bridge over this river, there will I sup.’ Thedemibuilt him a little bridge, on which he seated himself. Thedemigave him one deer, one wild goat, one boar, one hare, onekilaof millet, onecocaof wine, and then sat down near him in the field. Thedemiate, but the old man threw the food into the river. Thedemithought the old man was eating everything, and was afraid, thinking: ‘It would seem that he can eat more than I can.’ Lower down the stream, wolves caught and ate the meat the old man threw away. The old man asked for another deer. Thedemibrought it, and the old man threw it in the water. Thedemidid not know this. The old man said: ‘I have had a snack this evening.’

Next day, thedemiinvited the old man to his house. They went there. Thedemiwent out alone to hunt. He met a wolf and a jackal, and said to them: ‘Come and hunt with me. To my house there has come a guest who can eat ten deer and wild goats; yesterday evening we had two deer, but they were a mere snack to him.’ The wolf and the jackal said to thedemi: ‘Thy guest did not eat one of them, he threw everything into the river, we caught it and ate it, the old man ate nothing.’ Thedemisaid to the wolf and the jackal: ‘Then let us go and expose this old man’s fraud.’

There went with thedeminine wolves and jackals, to give evidence against the old man. The old man looked out, and saw thedemicoming along in front, with the wolvesand jackals behind him. The old man cried to thedemi: ‘Dost thou not owe me more than ten wolves and jackals?’ The wolves and jackals exchanged glances, and said: ‘It would seem that thisdemihas betrayed us.’ They threw themselves on thedemiand turned him into dust.3

1A variant substitutesa cheesefor an egg.2? Finch.3Another Mingrelian version of this story tells that thedemitook the old man home, and left him his house, wife and children. As he was going away, the jackal met him, and asked whither he was going. Thedemireplied that the old man had almost killed him, and he was going to hide himself. The jackal told him to go home, and have no fear of the old man, for it would choke him. Thedemitied the jackal to himself, with a stout rope, and went back. The old man met them with the following words: ‘This is splendid, my jackal—thou wast to bring me ninedemis, thou hast brought eight already, and this will make the ninth.’ Thedemiwas alarmed, he rushed off, dragging after him the jackal, whom he knocked against twenty trees, and disappeared. The old man stayed in thedemi’shouse all the days of his life.Cf. also ‘The Strong Man and the Dwarf,’ p. 147; Sir John Malcolm’sSketches of Persia, ch. xvi. ‘The Story of Ameen Beg of Ispahan,’ and ‘The Goat and the Lion’ in thePanchatantra.

1A variant substitutesa cheesefor an egg.

2? Finch.

3Another Mingrelian version of this story tells that thedemitook the old man home, and left him his house, wife and children. As he was going away, the jackal met him, and asked whither he was going. Thedemireplied that the old man had almost killed him, and he was going to hide himself. The jackal told him to go home, and have no fear of the old man, for it would choke him. Thedemitied the jackal to himself, with a stout rope, and went back. The old man met them with the following words: ‘This is splendid, my jackal—thou wast to bring me ninedemis, thou hast brought eight already, and this will make the ninth.’ Thedemiwas alarmed, he rushed off, dragging after him the jackal, whom he knocked against twenty trees, and disappeared. The old man stayed in thedemi’shouse all the days of his life.

Cf. also ‘The Strong Man and the Dwarf,’ p. 147; Sir John Malcolm’sSketches of Persia, ch. xvi. ‘The Story of Ameen Beg of Ispahan,’ and ‘The Goat and the Lion’ in thePanchatantra.

VISanartiaThere was once a king who reached old age without having a son. When he was very old, his wife at last bore him a son. The child was called Sanartia (i.e.desired, longed for); he grew up, and became very good and very clever, so that he understood everything that took place among earthly beings, wherever they were; but he did not obey his mother. She therefore hated him, and said to theking, her husband: ‘Since this boy will not obey his mother in anything, take him and throw him into the great deep sea.’The king was much distressed, but he did as his wife asked. The youth guessed what his parents were talking about, but he showed no resistance. After this, his father said: ‘Let us go and look at the town.’ Then the youth said: ‘Papa, give me a little money.’ His father gave him money, and they went to see the town. When they arrived, the boy bought a little axe, knives, needle, thread, flint and tinder.When they were on their way home, they came near the sea; the boy pulled up an oak tree, and carried it on his shoulder. The father was the first to see the sea, and when they were on the shore he said to his son: ‘Come hither, and see what a big fish I shall show thee.’ When the son came up to look, his father cast him into the great sea, together with the tree he carried. A fish swallowed the youth; his father turned and went home.In the sea, the youth kindled a fire in the fish’s belly, cut caviar out of it, roasted and ate it. On the caviar from this fish the youth lived thirty years, in the belly of that fish. Then, his firewood, flint and tinder being well-nigh exhausted, he made a very big fire. When the fish felt the heat, it leaped up and fell on the dry land. The youth said: ‘I will cut open the fish’s belly, and see—if it is in the water, I shall sew it up again, if it is ashore, I shall make a hole and get out.’ He cut a little, and saw that it was on land. Then he cut a large opening, came out of the fish, made a fire, cut flesh from the fish, roasted it, and ate it.Just then, there passed a prince, on his way to marry a maiden, and he saw the other prince coming out of the fish. The prince who was going to seek his bride, sent a man tothe youth to ask him to make way, for he was sitting in the road, and there was no other road for horsemen. But Sanartia would not move. Then the prince himself rode up, and asked: ‘Who art thou?’ Sanartia told him the name of the king, his father. Then the prince invited him, saying: ‘I go to marry a wife; ride with me.’ Sanartia agreed, and they went together to the appointed place.When they came near, they sent on a man to the king, who was master of the country, asking him to give his daughter in marriage to the prince. The king agreed, and sent to say: ‘If the prince succeeds in performing two exploits, I shall fulfil his wish; but to do these deeds is both hard and perilous: the princess throws a great lump of lead as far as a gun will carry a bullet, the suitor must throw it back again to the place where the princess is standing.’ The suitor for the maiden’s hand sent and said: ‘I will do this.’He went and stood in the place the maiden pointed out to him. She threw a piece of lead which fell at the place where the prince stood; he was not only unable to throw the lead, but could not even lift it from the ground; then his comrade, the other prince, Sanartia, took up the lead and threw it for him. The piece of lead went much farther than the maiden had thrown it.This exploit having been performed, the prince had another to do: mistaking Sanartia for the suitor, they took him to a wilderness where there was a castle, and in it dwelt Ocho-Kochi.1They opened the door of the castle, and letin the prince, saying: ‘This Ocho-Kochi will kill the young man.’ He spent that night in the castle.When he was preparing to sleep, Ocho-Kochi came to him and wished to kill him, but Sanartia was very strong, he seized Ocho-Kochi, threw him on the ground, and beat him with all his might. When he had thrashed him soundly, he said to him: ‘Go and stand at the gate as watchman.’ So he went and watched till dawn.In the morning, the king, the maiden’s father, sent his vizier, saying: ‘Find out what the prince and Ocho-Kochi are doing.’ When the vizier came to the door, Ocho-Kochi called out from the inside: ‘Master sleeps, wake him not, or he will beat me.’ The vizier made no reply to Ocho-Kochi, but went back and told the king what he had heard.The king was amazed, he set out for the castle, and said to Ocho-Kochi: ‘Open the door to me.’ But Ocho-Kochi replied: ‘Master will kill me.’ Just then, Sanartia awoke, and said to Ocho-Kochi: ‘Open the door for him.’ He immediately opened the door, and let in the king. Then the king and Sanartia went away together. The king wished to marry him to his daughter, but Sanartia went away secretly; he dressed the prince, his companion, in his clothes, and sent him in his place to the king; as soon as he arrived he was wedded to the princess. Afterwards Sanartia visited him as a friend.If they had known that Sanartia had performed these exploits they would not have given the princess to the other prince. But a handmaiden at the court found out the secret somehow, that Sanartia had done the deeds, and the princess’s husband had done nothing. One evening the handmaiden told the princess how Sanartia had cheatedher and married her to another man; she was angry, and that same night, after Sanartia had lain down to sleep, she went and cut off his leg at the knee.Sanartia did not die of the wound, but went away to another land, and became friendly with a one-handed man, and they lived together in the house of the latter. Afterwards they built a house in common, and moved into it. Sanartia took a maiden, and kept her with him as nurse.2The two friends went out to hunt, and stayed in the forest all night. At home there was nobody but the maiden.Meantime there came ademi, who sucked the maiden’s breast and then went away. When Sanartia and his friend came home, the girl told them what had happened. Sanartia left his friend and the girl at home, and said to them: ‘If thedemicomes, take him and keep him till I come back.’ Thedemicame, but the man was afraid to lay hold of him; and thedemiwent away again. As soon as Sanartia came in, he asked his friend and his nurse: ‘What did you do?’ They answered: ‘Thedemicame, but we could not take him, and he went away again.’Next day Sanartia stayed at home, and sent his friend to hunt. Thedemicame that night also, but as soon as Sanartia saw him he met him at the door, and when thedemicame in, Sanartia seized him and threw him to the ground, then he told the nurse to bring a rope, with which he bound him tightly. He took out his dagger, and was about to cut him in pieces, but thedemientreated him,saying: ‘Slay me not, and I will heal thee of all infirmities.’ Sanartia hearkened to thedemi’sprayers, and said: ‘If thou wilt restore my leg which was cut off I will let thee go, otherwise I slay thee.’Thedemipledged his word to heal him, and led him to a great river, saying: ‘Put thy leg therein and it will be sound.’ But Sanartia did not yet believe thedemi, so he ordered him to bring a dry stick, and said: ‘Put this stick in the water, and if it becomes green and bears leaves then will I put in my leg, otherwise I will not.’ The stick was put in the water, but it came out as dry as before.Then Sanartia was angry, and wished to kill thedemi, but again he entreated, saying: ‘There is still another healing stream.’ So he took him to the other stream, and as soon as Sanartia put in his leg it was made whole and sound like the other leg. After this, he did not kill thedemi, but let him go free; he made thedemiheal his one-handed friend, whom he wedded to his nurse. He left them there, and set out for his father’s house.But when he reached it, nobody knew him. Next day he secretly mounted his father’s horse, and went to the place where he had married the prince to the princess. On the road he saw a swineherd; when he approached, he recognised in him his old friend the prince. When he questioned him, the swineherd replied: ‘As soon as thou hadst gone hence they made me a swineherd.’ Sanartia drew out his sword, gave it to him, and said: ‘Kill all the swine but three, and wound those three; then drive the three home, I shall be there, ready to punish anybody who is angry with thee.’ The swineherd did as Sanartia told him, and in the evening drove the three swine into the king’s courtyard.Sanartia came to the palace earlier, but they did notrecognise him. When the swineherd drove in his swine, his wife was about to beat him, saying: ‘Why hast thou lost the swine.’ But at that moment Sanartia appeared before the princess, was angry with her, and said: ‘If thou wert a good woman thou wouldst not make thy husband feed swine.’... They knew at once that it was Sanartia, and were much amazed, saying: ‘His leg was cut off at the knee, how has he replaced his leg?’ Sanartia ordered them to bring the princess’s husband: he made her wash him well with her own hands, bring clothes, and dress him in noble apparel. When Sanartia was leaving for home, he called the princess and her parents, and said to them: ‘If you do not treat the prince as becomes his rank, I shall come at once, and it will fare ill with you.’ He took leave of them all and went home.1Ocho-Kochi, literally, ‘the goat-man,’ occupies an important place in Mingrelian mythology. He is a satyr, a wild man of the woods, represented as an old man with a long beard, his body covered with hair.2The word translated ‘nurse’ isdzidze, which means not only a nurse but any woman, married or single, who has been adopted into relationship by the ceremony of a man taking her breast between his teeth. This creates a degree of kinship inferior only to that between mother and son. The custom still exists in Mingrelia.

VISanartia

There was once a king who reached old age without having a son. When he was very old, his wife at last bore him a son. The child was called Sanartia (i.e.desired, longed for); he grew up, and became very good and very clever, so that he understood everything that took place among earthly beings, wherever they were; but he did not obey his mother. She therefore hated him, and said to theking, her husband: ‘Since this boy will not obey his mother in anything, take him and throw him into the great deep sea.’The king was much distressed, but he did as his wife asked. The youth guessed what his parents were talking about, but he showed no resistance. After this, his father said: ‘Let us go and look at the town.’ Then the youth said: ‘Papa, give me a little money.’ His father gave him money, and they went to see the town. When they arrived, the boy bought a little axe, knives, needle, thread, flint and tinder.When they were on their way home, they came near the sea; the boy pulled up an oak tree, and carried it on his shoulder. The father was the first to see the sea, and when they were on the shore he said to his son: ‘Come hither, and see what a big fish I shall show thee.’ When the son came up to look, his father cast him into the great sea, together with the tree he carried. A fish swallowed the youth; his father turned and went home.In the sea, the youth kindled a fire in the fish’s belly, cut caviar out of it, roasted and ate it. On the caviar from this fish the youth lived thirty years, in the belly of that fish. Then, his firewood, flint and tinder being well-nigh exhausted, he made a very big fire. When the fish felt the heat, it leaped up and fell on the dry land. The youth said: ‘I will cut open the fish’s belly, and see—if it is in the water, I shall sew it up again, if it is ashore, I shall make a hole and get out.’ He cut a little, and saw that it was on land. Then he cut a large opening, came out of the fish, made a fire, cut flesh from the fish, roasted it, and ate it.Just then, there passed a prince, on his way to marry a maiden, and he saw the other prince coming out of the fish. The prince who was going to seek his bride, sent a man tothe youth to ask him to make way, for he was sitting in the road, and there was no other road for horsemen. But Sanartia would not move. Then the prince himself rode up, and asked: ‘Who art thou?’ Sanartia told him the name of the king, his father. Then the prince invited him, saying: ‘I go to marry a wife; ride with me.’ Sanartia agreed, and they went together to the appointed place.When they came near, they sent on a man to the king, who was master of the country, asking him to give his daughter in marriage to the prince. The king agreed, and sent to say: ‘If the prince succeeds in performing two exploits, I shall fulfil his wish; but to do these deeds is both hard and perilous: the princess throws a great lump of lead as far as a gun will carry a bullet, the suitor must throw it back again to the place where the princess is standing.’ The suitor for the maiden’s hand sent and said: ‘I will do this.’He went and stood in the place the maiden pointed out to him. She threw a piece of lead which fell at the place where the prince stood; he was not only unable to throw the lead, but could not even lift it from the ground; then his comrade, the other prince, Sanartia, took up the lead and threw it for him. The piece of lead went much farther than the maiden had thrown it.This exploit having been performed, the prince had another to do: mistaking Sanartia for the suitor, they took him to a wilderness where there was a castle, and in it dwelt Ocho-Kochi.1They opened the door of the castle, and letin the prince, saying: ‘This Ocho-Kochi will kill the young man.’ He spent that night in the castle.When he was preparing to sleep, Ocho-Kochi came to him and wished to kill him, but Sanartia was very strong, he seized Ocho-Kochi, threw him on the ground, and beat him with all his might. When he had thrashed him soundly, he said to him: ‘Go and stand at the gate as watchman.’ So he went and watched till dawn.In the morning, the king, the maiden’s father, sent his vizier, saying: ‘Find out what the prince and Ocho-Kochi are doing.’ When the vizier came to the door, Ocho-Kochi called out from the inside: ‘Master sleeps, wake him not, or he will beat me.’ The vizier made no reply to Ocho-Kochi, but went back and told the king what he had heard.The king was amazed, he set out for the castle, and said to Ocho-Kochi: ‘Open the door to me.’ But Ocho-Kochi replied: ‘Master will kill me.’ Just then, Sanartia awoke, and said to Ocho-Kochi: ‘Open the door for him.’ He immediately opened the door, and let in the king. Then the king and Sanartia went away together. The king wished to marry him to his daughter, but Sanartia went away secretly; he dressed the prince, his companion, in his clothes, and sent him in his place to the king; as soon as he arrived he was wedded to the princess. Afterwards Sanartia visited him as a friend.If they had known that Sanartia had performed these exploits they would not have given the princess to the other prince. But a handmaiden at the court found out the secret somehow, that Sanartia had done the deeds, and the princess’s husband had done nothing. One evening the handmaiden told the princess how Sanartia had cheatedher and married her to another man; she was angry, and that same night, after Sanartia had lain down to sleep, she went and cut off his leg at the knee.Sanartia did not die of the wound, but went away to another land, and became friendly with a one-handed man, and they lived together in the house of the latter. Afterwards they built a house in common, and moved into it. Sanartia took a maiden, and kept her with him as nurse.2The two friends went out to hunt, and stayed in the forest all night. At home there was nobody but the maiden.Meantime there came ademi, who sucked the maiden’s breast and then went away. When Sanartia and his friend came home, the girl told them what had happened. Sanartia left his friend and the girl at home, and said to them: ‘If thedemicomes, take him and keep him till I come back.’ Thedemicame, but the man was afraid to lay hold of him; and thedemiwent away again. As soon as Sanartia came in, he asked his friend and his nurse: ‘What did you do?’ They answered: ‘Thedemicame, but we could not take him, and he went away again.’Next day Sanartia stayed at home, and sent his friend to hunt. Thedemicame that night also, but as soon as Sanartia saw him he met him at the door, and when thedemicame in, Sanartia seized him and threw him to the ground, then he told the nurse to bring a rope, with which he bound him tightly. He took out his dagger, and was about to cut him in pieces, but thedemientreated him,saying: ‘Slay me not, and I will heal thee of all infirmities.’ Sanartia hearkened to thedemi’sprayers, and said: ‘If thou wilt restore my leg which was cut off I will let thee go, otherwise I slay thee.’Thedemipledged his word to heal him, and led him to a great river, saying: ‘Put thy leg therein and it will be sound.’ But Sanartia did not yet believe thedemi, so he ordered him to bring a dry stick, and said: ‘Put this stick in the water, and if it becomes green and bears leaves then will I put in my leg, otherwise I will not.’ The stick was put in the water, but it came out as dry as before.Then Sanartia was angry, and wished to kill thedemi, but again he entreated, saying: ‘There is still another healing stream.’ So he took him to the other stream, and as soon as Sanartia put in his leg it was made whole and sound like the other leg. After this, he did not kill thedemi, but let him go free; he made thedemiheal his one-handed friend, whom he wedded to his nurse. He left them there, and set out for his father’s house.But when he reached it, nobody knew him. Next day he secretly mounted his father’s horse, and went to the place where he had married the prince to the princess. On the road he saw a swineherd; when he approached, he recognised in him his old friend the prince. When he questioned him, the swineherd replied: ‘As soon as thou hadst gone hence they made me a swineherd.’ Sanartia drew out his sword, gave it to him, and said: ‘Kill all the swine but three, and wound those three; then drive the three home, I shall be there, ready to punish anybody who is angry with thee.’ The swineherd did as Sanartia told him, and in the evening drove the three swine into the king’s courtyard.Sanartia came to the palace earlier, but they did notrecognise him. When the swineherd drove in his swine, his wife was about to beat him, saying: ‘Why hast thou lost the swine.’ But at that moment Sanartia appeared before the princess, was angry with her, and said: ‘If thou wert a good woman thou wouldst not make thy husband feed swine.’... They knew at once that it was Sanartia, and were much amazed, saying: ‘His leg was cut off at the knee, how has he replaced his leg?’ Sanartia ordered them to bring the princess’s husband: he made her wash him well with her own hands, bring clothes, and dress him in noble apparel. When Sanartia was leaving for home, he called the princess and her parents, and said to them: ‘If you do not treat the prince as becomes his rank, I shall come at once, and it will fare ill with you.’ He took leave of them all and went home.

There was once a king who reached old age without having a son. When he was very old, his wife at last bore him a son. The child was called Sanartia (i.e.desired, longed for); he grew up, and became very good and very clever, so that he understood everything that took place among earthly beings, wherever they were; but he did not obey his mother. She therefore hated him, and said to theking, her husband: ‘Since this boy will not obey his mother in anything, take him and throw him into the great deep sea.’

The king was much distressed, but he did as his wife asked. The youth guessed what his parents were talking about, but he showed no resistance. After this, his father said: ‘Let us go and look at the town.’ Then the youth said: ‘Papa, give me a little money.’ His father gave him money, and they went to see the town. When they arrived, the boy bought a little axe, knives, needle, thread, flint and tinder.

When they were on their way home, they came near the sea; the boy pulled up an oak tree, and carried it on his shoulder. The father was the first to see the sea, and when they were on the shore he said to his son: ‘Come hither, and see what a big fish I shall show thee.’ When the son came up to look, his father cast him into the great sea, together with the tree he carried. A fish swallowed the youth; his father turned and went home.

In the sea, the youth kindled a fire in the fish’s belly, cut caviar out of it, roasted and ate it. On the caviar from this fish the youth lived thirty years, in the belly of that fish. Then, his firewood, flint and tinder being well-nigh exhausted, he made a very big fire. When the fish felt the heat, it leaped up and fell on the dry land. The youth said: ‘I will cut open the fish’s belly, and see—if it is in the water, I shall sew it up again, if it is ashore, I shall make a hole and get out.’ He cut a little, and saw that it was on land. Then he cut a large opening, came out of the fish, made a fire, cut flesh from the fish, roasted it, and ate it.

Just then, there passed a prince, on his way to marry a maiden, and he saw the other prince coming out of the fish. The prince who was going to seek his bride, sent a man tothe youth to ask him to make way, for he was sitting in the road, and there was no other road for horsemen. But Sanartia would not move. Then the prince himself rode up, and asked: ‘Who art thou?’ Sanartia told him the name of the king, his father. Then the prince invited him, saying: ‘I go to marry a wife; ride with me.’ Sanartia agreed, and they went together to the appointed place.

When they came near, they sent on a man to the king, who was master of the country, asking him to give his daughter in marriage to the prince. The king agreed, and sent to say: ‘If the prince succeeds in performing two exploits, I shall fulfil his wish; but to do these deeds is both hard and perilous: the princess throws a great lump of lead as far as a gun will carry a bullet, the suitor must throw it back again to the place where the princess is standing.’ The suitor for the maiden’s hand sent and said: ‘I will do this.’

He went and stood in the place the maiden pointed out to him. She threw a piece of lead which fell at the place where the prince stood; he was not only unable to throw the lead, but could not even lift it from the ground; then his comrade, the other prince, Sanartia, took up the lead and threw it for him. The piece of lead went much farther than the maiden had thrown it.

This exploit having been performed, the prince had another to do: mistaking Sanartia for the suitor, they took him to a wilderness where there was a castle, and in it dwelt Ocho-Kochi.1They opened the door of the castle, and letin the prince, saying: ‘This Ocho-Kochi will kill the young man.’ He spent that night in the castle.

When he was preparing to sleep, Ocho-Kochi came to him and wished to kill him, but Sanartia was very strong, he seized Ocho-Kochi, threw him on the ground, and beat him with all his might. When he had thrashed him soundly, he said to him: ‘Go and stand at the gate as watchman.’ So he went and watched till dawn.

In the morning, the king, the maiden’s father, sent his vizier, saying: ‘Find out what the prince and Ocho-Kochi are doing.’ When the vizier came to the door, Ocho-Kochi called out from the inside: ‘Master sleeps, wake him not, or he will beat me.’ The vizier made no reply to Ocho-Kochi, but went back and told the king what he had heard.

The king was amazed, he set out for the castle, and said to Ocho-Kochi: ‘Open the door to me.’ But Ocho-Kochi replied: ‘Master will kill me.’ Just then, Sanartia awoke, and said to Ocho-Kochi: ‘Open the door for him.’ He immediately opened the door, and let in the king. Then the king and Sanartia went away together. The king wished to marry him to his daughter, but Sanartia went away secretly; he dressed the prince, his companion, in his clothes, and sent him in his place to the king; as soon as he arrived he was wedded to the princess. Afterwards Sanartia visited him as a friend.

If they had known that Sanartia had performed these exploits they would not have given the princess to the other prince. But a handmaiden at the court found out the secret somehow, that Sanartia had done the deeds, and the princess’s husband had done nothing. One evening the handmaiden told the princess how Sanartia had cheatedher and married her to another man; she was angry, and that same night, after Sanartia had lain down to sleep, she went and cut off his leg at the knee.

Sanartia did not die of the wound, but went away to another land, and became friendly with a one-handed man, and they lived together in the house of the latter. Afterwards they built a house in common, and moved into it. Sanartia took a maiden, and kept her with him as nurse.2The two friends went out to hunt, and stayed in the forest all night. At home there was nobody but the maiden.

Meantime there came ademi, who sucked the maiden’s breast and then went away. When Sanartia and his friend came home, the girl told them what had happened. Sanartia left his friend and the girl at home, and said to them: ‘If thedemicomes, take him and keep him till I come back.’ Thedemicame, but the man was afraid to lay hold of him; and thedemiwent away again. As soon as Sanartia came in, he asked his friend and his nurse: ‘What did you do?’ They answered: ‘Thedemicame, but we could not take him, and he went away again.’

Next day Sanartia stayed at home, and sent his friend to hunt. Thedemicame that night also, but as soon as Sanartia saw him he met him at the door, and when thedemicame in, Sanartia seized him and threw him to the ground, then he told the nurse to bring a rope, with which he bound him tightly. He took out his dagger, and was about to cut him in pieces, but thedemientreated him,saying: ‘Slay me not, and I will heal thee of all infirmities.’ Sanartia hearkened to thedemi’sprayers, and said: ‘If thou wilt restore my leg which was cut off I will let thee go, otherwise I slay thee.’

Thedemipledged his word to heal him, and led him to a great river, saying: ‘Put thy leg therein and it will be sound.’ But Sanartia did not yet believe thedemi, so he ordered him to bring a dry stick, and said: ‘Put this stick in the water, and if it becomes green and bears leaves then will I put in my leg, otherwise I will not.’ The stick was put in the water, but it came out as dry as before.

Then Sanartia was angry, and wished to kill thedemi, but again he entreated, saying: ‘There is still another healing stream.’ So he took him to the other stream, and as soon as Sanartia put in his leg it was made whole and sound like the other leg. After this, he did not kill thedemi, but let him go free; he made thedemiheal his one-handed friend, whom he wedded to his nurse. He left them there, and set out for his father’s house.

But when he reached it, nobody knew him. Next day he secretly mounted his father’s horse, and went to the place where he had married the prince to the princess. On the road he saw a swineherd; when he approached, he recognised in him his old friend the prince. When he questioned him, the swineherd replied: ‘As soon as thou hadst gone hence they made me a swineherd.’ Sanartia drew out his sword, gave it to him, and said: ‘Kill all the swine but three, and wound those three; then drive the three home, I shall be there, ready to punish anybody who is angry with thee.’ The swineherd did as Sanartia told him, and in the evening drove the three swine into the king’s courtyard.

Sanartia came to the palace earlier, but they did notrecognise him. When the swineherd drove in his swine, his wife was about to beat him, saying: ‘Why hast thou lost the swine.’ But at that moment Sanartia appeared before the princess, was angry with her, and said: ‘If thou wert a good woman thou wouldst not make thy husband feed swine.’... They knew at once that it was Sanartia, and were much amazed, saying: ‘His leg was cut off at the knee, how has he replaced his leg?’ Sanartia ordered them to bring the princess’s husband: he made her wash him well with her own hands, bring clothes, and dress him in noble apparel. When Sanartia was leaving for home, he called the princess and her parents, and said to them: ‘If you do not treat the prince as becomes his rank, I shall come at once, and it will fare ill with you.’ He took leave of them all and went home.

1Ocho-Kochi, literally, ‘the goat-man,’ occupies an important place in Mingrelian mythology. He is a satyr, a wild man of the woods, represented as an old man with a long beard, his body covered with hair.2The word translated ‘nurse’ isdzidze, which means not only a nurse but any woman, married or single, who has been adopted into relationship by the ceremony of a man taking her breast between his teeth. This creates a degree of kinship inferior only to that between mother and son. The custom still exists in Mingrelia.

1Ocho-Kochi, literally, ‘the goat-man,’ occupies an important place in Mingrelian mythology. He is a satyr, a wild man of the woods, represented as an old man with a long beard, his body covered with hair.

2The word translated ‘nurse’ isdzidze, which means not only a nurse but any woman, married or single, who has been adopted into relationship by the ceremony of a man taking her breast between his teeth. This creates a degree of kinship inferior only to that between mother and son. The custom still exists in Mingrelia.

VIIThe Shepherd JudgeIn a certain land, there was once a king who had four viziers to judge the people. Once these judges uttered a remarkable sentence. At that time there came to the king a certain shepherd, who spoke in a manner that pleased the king, so he commanded the viziers: ‘Show this shepherd the sentence you pronounced.’ When the shepherd had examined the decree of the viziers, it did not please him; he took it and altered it from beginning to end.When the king saw this, he said to the shepherd: ‘Since thou art so skilled in judging, be thou a judge.’ The shepherd refused, and said: ‘As long as I have eyes I cannotjudge, if you put out both my eyes then I will be a judge.’ Finally he persuaded them to put out his eyes. They built him a great, fine house, they gave him scribes, furnished him with everything befitting his office, and made the shepherd supreme judge.He began to do justice in such an upright manner that people flocked to him from every side. Everybody went to him for justice: great and small, master and servant, old and young, clergy and laity, friend and enemy—in a word, all who had suits with anybody came to him, every one praised and blessed his decisions.Once there came to him a man and a woman. The man said to the judge: ‘I came to this woman’s house on a mule; a calf accompanied my mule. When I tied up the mule, the calf began to suck its breast. The woman, seeing this, ran out, seized the calf, and began to grumble at me, saying it was her calf, and asking how it came to be with my mule. I withstood her with all my might, but it was of no avail. She wished to drag away the calf, but I would not allow it, I would not give up my property to her; we quarrelled, and now we have come before thee—in God’s name judge between us!’ Thus he spoke in person to the judge, but secretly he sent him a large bribe and a message, saying: ‘Take this money, and put me not to shame before this woman.’But the judge would not tamper with the scales of justice, and sent to tell the man: ‘How can I take the calf from the woman by force, if justice do not demand it?’ The judge asked the woman: ‘What sayest thou?’ The woman replied: ‘My lord, this man rode up to my house on a mule; I had nothing in the world but one calf and its mother, which I loved; my calf went up to this man’smule, caressed it, and took hold of it with its snout, as if it were going to suck its breast. The man, seeing this, thought: ‘I shall certainly take away this calf with me.’ He dragged it home, but, of course, I could not allow this—all extol thine equity, I too am come to thy door, and trust thou wilt not suffer me to be trampled down by injustice.’When the judge had heard both sides, he pronounced the following decision: ‘Since a mule never bore offspring and never will, it is still less possible that a mule should bring forth a calf. Let the calf therefore be taken from the man, and given to the woman who owns the cow, the mother of the calf.’ This judgment pleased everybody in the highest degree. And God was merciful to this good judge: by means of the kerchief of that woman his eyes were made whole, and he saw. After this he saw with both eyes, but till the day of his death he judged uprightly; when he died he went to heaven.

VIIThe Shepherd Judge

In a certain land, there was once a king who had four viziers to judge the people. Once these judges uttered a remarkable sentence. At that time there came to the king a certain shepherd, who spoke in a manner that pleased the king, so he commanded the viziers: ‘Show this shepherd the sentence you pronounced.’ When the shepherd had examined the decree of the viziers, it did not please him; he took it and altered it from beginning to end.When the king saw this, he said to the shepherd: ‘Since thou art so skilled in judging, be thou a judge.’ The shepherd refused, and said: ‘As long as I have eyes I cannotjudge, if you put out both my eyes then I will be a judge.’ Finally he persuaded them to put out his eyes. They built him a great, fine house, they gave him scribes, furnished him with everything befitting his office, and made the shepherd supreme judge.He began to do justice in such an upright manner that people flocked to him from every side. Everybody went to him for justice: great and small, master and servant, old and young, clergy and laity, friend and enemy—in a word, all who had suits with anybody came to him, every one praised and blessed his decisions.Once there came to him a man and a woman. The man said to the judge: ‘I came to this woman’s house on a mule; a calf accompanied my mule. When I tied up the mule, the calf began to suck its breast. The woman, seeing this, ran out, seized the calf, and began to grumble at me, saying it was her calf, and asking how it came to be with my mule. I withstood her with all my might, but it was of no avail. She wished to drag away the calf, but I would not allow it, I would not give up my property to her; we quarrelled, and now we have come before thee—in God’s name judge between us!’ Thus he spoke in person to the judge, but secretly he sent him a large bribe and a message, saying: ‘Take this money, and put me not to shame before this woman.’But the judge would not tamper with the scales of justice, and sent to tell the man: ‘How can I take the calf from the woman by force, if justice do not demand it?’ The judge asked the woman: ‘What sayest thou?’ The woman replied: ‘My lord, this man rode up to my house on a mule; I had nothing in the world but one calf and its mother, which I loved; my calf went up to this man’smule, caressed it, and took hold of it with its snout, as if it were going to suck its breast. The man, seeing this, thought: ‘I shall certainly take away this calf with me.’ He dragged it home, but, of course, I could not allow this—all extol thine equity, I too am come to thy door, and trust thou wilt not suffer me to be trampled down by injustice.’When the judge had heard both sides, he pronounced the following decision: ‘Since a mule never bore offspring and never will, it is still less possible that a mule should bring forth a calf. Let the calf therefore be taken from the man, and given to the woman who owns the cow, the mother of the calf.’ This judgment pleased everybody in the highest degree. And God was merciful to this good judge: by means of the kerchief of that woman his eyes were made whole, and he saw. After this he saw with both eyes, but till the day of his death he judged uprightly; when he died he went to heaven.

In a certain land, there was once a king who had four viziers to judge the people. Once these judges uttered a remarkable sentence. At that time there came to the king a certain shepherd, who spoke in a manner that pleased the king, so he commanded the viziers: ‘Show this shepherd the sentence you pronounced.’ When the shepherd had examined the decree of the viziers, it did not please him; he took it and altered it from beginning to end.

When the king saw this, he said to the shepherd: ‘Since thou art so skilled in judging, be thou a judge.’ The shepherd refused, and said: ‘As long as I have eyes I cannotjudge, if you put out both my eyes then I will be a judge.’ Finally he persuaded them to put out his eyes. They built him a great, fine house, they gave him scribes, furnished him with everything befitting his office, and made the shepherd supreme judge.

He began to do justice in such an upright manner that people flocked to him from every side. Everybody went to him for justice: great and small, master and servant, old and young, clergy and laity, friend and enemy—in a word, all who had suits with anybody came to him, every one praised and blessed his decisions.

Once there came to him a man and a woman. The man said to the judge: ‘I came to this woman’s house on a mule; a calf accompanied my mule. When I tied up the mule, the calf began to suck its breast. The woman, seeing this, ran out, seized the calf, and began to grumble at me, saying it was her calf, and asking how it came to be with my mule. I withstood her with all my might, but it was of no avail. She wished to drag away the calf, but I would not allow it, I would not give up my property to her; we quarrelled, and now we have come before thee—in God’s name judge between us!’ Thus he spoke in person to the judge, but secretly he sent him a large bribe and a message, saying: ‘Take this money, and put me not to shame before this woman.’

But the judge would not tamper with the scales of justice, and sent to tell the man: ‘How can I take the calf from the woman by force, if justice do not demand it?’ The judge asked the woman: ‘What sayest thou?’ The woman replied: ‘My lord, this man rode up to my house on a mule; I had nothing in the world but one calf and its mother, which I loved; my calf went up to this man’smule, caressed it, and took hold of it with its snout, as if it were going to suck its breast. The man, seeing this, thought: ‘I shall certainly take away this calf with me.’ He dragged it home, but, of course, I could not allow this—all extol thine equity, I too am come to thy door, and trust thou wilt not suffer me to be trampled down by injustice.’

When the judge had heard both sides, he pronounced the following decision: ‘Since a mule never bore offspring and never will, it is still less possible that a mule should bring forth a calf. Let the calf therefore be taken from the man, and given to the woman who owns the cow, the mother of the calf.’ This judgment pleased everybody in the highest degree. And God was merciful to this good judge: by means of the kerchief of that woman his eyes were made whole, and he saw. After this he saw with both eyes, but till the day of his death he judged uprightly; when he died he went to heaven.

VIIIThe Priest’s youngest SonThere was once a priest who had three sons. On the day of his death, the priest said to his sons: ‘When I die, let each of you read the psalter over me for one night.’ But the elder sons did not do as their father had bidden them, only the youngest read the psalter over him. That night his father appeared, and gave him a horse. Next night he again read the psalter over his father in his brothers’ place. His father again appeared, and gave him another horse, which he resolved to give to his youngerbrother. On the third night he again read the psalter. His father brought him a third horse, gave the young man his blessing, and departed.At that time, a princess was to be married to any man whose horse could jump up to the castle, so that its rider could kiss that maiden-queen. Many princes came to woo, but none of their horses could leap up to the castle. Then the priest’s youngest son mounted the horse his father had given him, and rode up to the royal palace; he struck the horse with his switch, and made it jump, but it could only go one third of the way up to the castle. Next day he mounted another horse, and made it jump, it went two thirds of the height of the castle. The third day he came on the third horse, and made it jump; it jumped right up to the top of the castle; the youth kissed the princess, and they married him to her. After this the priest’s son went home.At this time the queen, his mother-in-law, fell ill; she sent for her son-in-law, and said to him: ‘Between the white sea and the black sea there feeds a doe, they tell me that its milk will do me good; if thou canst get it for me I shall recover, if not, I must die.’ Then the youth mounted his horse and went forth. He rode between the seas, milked the doe, brought its milk to his mother-in-law, gave it to her to drink, and healed her.

VIIIThe Priest’s youngest Son

There was once a priest who had three sons. On the day of his death, the priest said to his sons: ‘When I die, let each of you read the psalter over me for one night.’ But the elder sons did not do as their father had bidden them, only the youngest read the psalter over him. That night his father appeared, and gave him a horse. Next night he again read the psalter over his father in his brothers’ place. His father again appeared, and gave him another horse, which he resolved to give to his youngerbrother. On the third night he again read the psalter. His father brought him a third horse, gave the young man his blessing, and departed.At that time, a princess was to be married to any man whose horse could jump up to the castle, so that its rider could kiss that maiden-queen. Many princes came to woo, but none of their horses could leap up to the castle. Then the priest’s youngest son mounted the horse his father had given him, and rode up to the royal palace; he struck the horse with his switch, and made it jump, but it could only go one third of the way up to the castle. Next day he mounted another horse, and made it jump, it went two thirds of the height of the castle. The third day he came on the third horse, and made it jump; it jumped right up to the top of the castle; the youth kissed the princess, and they married him to her. After this the priest’s son went home.At this time the queen, his mother-in-law, fell ill; she sent for her son-in-law, and said to him: ‘Between the white sea and the black sea there feeds a doe, they tell me that its milk will do me good; if thou canst get it for me I shall recover, if not, I must die.’ Then the youth mounted his horse and went forth. He rode between the seas, milked the doe, brought its milk to his mother-in-law, gave it to her to drink, and healed her.

There was once a priest who had three sons. On the day of his death, the priest said to his sons: ‘When I die, let each of you read the psalter over me for one night.’ But the elder sons did not do as their father had bidden them, only the youngest read the psalter over him. That night his father appeared, and gave him a horse. Next night he again read the psalter over his father in his brothers’ place. His father again appeared, and gave him another horse, which he resolved to give to his youngerbrother. On the third night he again read the psalter. His father brought him a third horse, gave the young man his blessing, and departed.

At that time, a princess was to be married to any man whose horse could jump up to the castle, so that its rider could kiss that maiden-queen. Many princes came to woo, but none of their horses could leap up to the castle. Then the priest’s youngest son mounted the horse his father had given him, and rode up to the royal palace; he struck the horse with his switch, and made it jump, but it could only go one third of the way up to the castle. Next day he mounted another horse, and made it jump, it went two thirds of the height of the castle. The third day he came on the third horse, and made it jump; it jumped right up to the top of the castle; the youth kissed the princess, and they married him to her. After this the priest’s son went home.

At this time the queen, his mother-in-law, fell ill; she sent for her son-in-law, and said to him: ‘Between the white sea and the black sea there feeds a doe, they tell me that its milk will do me good; if thou canst get it for me I shall recover, if not, I must die.’ Then the youth mounted his horse and went forth. He rode between the seas, milked the doe, brought its milk to his mother-in-law, gave it to her to drink, and healed her.

Mingrelian Proverbs1. Turn to the right, or turn to the left,’Twill all be one in the end.12. The rat that came from outside,Drove out the house-born rat.3. Fight for the outlying village,If thou wantest the one nearer home.4. Wish thy neighbour to have an ox,And God will send it to thee.5. The wolf was abused as wolfish,While the jackal ate up the flock.6. The hen scratched and scratched till she dug up a knife,With which her own throat was afterwards cut.7. The road runs where an old road ran,The river flows in the bed of a former river.8. ‘Give me room to stand,’ quoth the bull, ‘and IShall make myself enough room to lie.’9. If the bear overcome thee—then call him Papa.210. The dog took fright at a wolf,And barked all the year round at a stump.11. Who ever heard of a fish being prizedAs long as it stayed in the stream?12. They shot at the ripe—but the green fruit fell.13. Leave a good deed on a stone by the way,Thou’lt find it again after many a day (i.e.Cast thy bread on the waters).14. I say it—but whether it happen or no’Tis nothing to do with me.15. Eat and drink up whatever is thine,But cross thyself over all that’s mine.16. Who slew me?—My brother.Who brought me back to life?—My brother.17. The well-doer receives not good in return.18. The truthful man is always duped.19. My father I love, my mother I love—But myself I prefer before all.20. A heart-kiss is better than a lip-kiss.21. If thou hast not eaten pepper, why does thy mouth burn?22. A disease that one sees, will not kill;’Tis hidden sores do the most ill.23. Our granny has no teeth, so sheLikes not others’ teeth to see.24. He has forgotten the soul of his father, so he swears by the soul of his grandsire.25. Gold is good, but if thou have it not, of what use is it to thee?26. Better is copper of thine own than gold that is another’s.27. Of what use is light to him that is blind?28. If thou art brave, do not bewailThe bluntness of thy sword.1Cf. note 3 on p. 109.2Cf. The Talmud (Polano’sSelections, p. 287). ‘If the fox is king bow before him.’

Mingrelian Proverbs

1. Turn to the right, or turn to the left,’Twill all be one in the end.12. The rat that came from outside,Drove out the house-born rat.3. Fight for the outlying village,If thou wantest the one nearer home.4. Wish thy neighbour to have an ox,And God will send it to thee.5. The wolf was abused as wolfish,While the jackal ate up the flock.6. The hen scratched and scratched till she dug up a knife,With which her own throat was afterwards cut.7. The road runs where an old road ran,The river flows in the bed of a former river.8. ‘Give me room to stand,’ quoth the bull, ‘and IShall make myself enough room to lie.’9. If the bear overcome thee—then call him Papa.210. The dog took fright at a wolf,And barked all the year round at a stump.11. Who ever heard of a fish being prizedAs long as it stayed in the stream?12. They shot at the ripe—but the green fruit fell.13. Leave a good deed on a stone by the way,Thou’lt find it again after many a day (i.e.Cast thy bread on the waters).14. I say it—but whether it happen or no’Tis nothing to do with me.15. Eat and drink up whatever is thine,But cross thyself over all that’s mine.16. Who slew me?—My brother.Who brought me back to life?—My brother.17. The well-doer receives not good in return.18. The truthful man is always duped.19. My father I love, my mother I love—But myself I prefer before all.20. A heart-kiss is better than a lip-kiss.21. If thou hast not eaten pepper, why does thy mouth burn?22. A disease that one sees, will not kill;’Tis hidden sores do the most ill.23. Our granny has no teeth, so sheLikes not others’ teeth to see.24. He has forgotten the soul of his father, so he swears by the soul of his grandsire.25. Gold is good, but if thou have it not, of what use is it to thee?26. Better is copper of thine own than gold that is another’s.27. Of what use is light to him that is blind?28. If thou art brave, do not bewailThe bluntness of thy sword.

1. Turn to the right, or turn to the left,’Twill all be one in the end.1

2. The rat that came from outside,Drove out the house-born rat.

3. Fight for the outlying village,If thou wantest the one nearer home.

4. Wish thy neighbour to have an ox,And God will send it to thee.

5. The wolf was abused as wolfish,While the jackal ate up the flock.

6. The hen scratched and scratched till she dug up a knife,With which her own throat was afterwards cut.

7. The road runs where an old road ran,The river flows in the bed of a former river.

8. ‘Give me room to stand,’ quoth the bull, ‘and IShall make myself enough room to lie.’

9. If the bear overcome thee—then call him Papa.2

10. The dog took fright at a wolf,And barked all the year round at a stump.

11. Who ever heard of a fish being prizedAs long as it stayed in the stream?

12. They shot at the ripe—but the green fruit fell.

13. Leave a good deed on a stone by the way,Thou’lt find it again after many a day (i.e.Cast thy bread on the waters).

14. I say it—but whether it happen or no’Tis nothing to do with me.

15. Eat and drink up whatever is thine,But cross thyself over all that’s mine.

16. Who slew me?—My brother.Who brought me back to life?—My brother.

17. The well-doer receives not good in return.

18. The truthful man is always duped.

19. My father I love, my mother I love—But myself I prefer before all.

20. A heart-kiss is better than a lip-kiss.

21. If thou hast not eaten pepper, why does thy mouth burn?

22. A disease that one sees, will not kill;’Tis hidden sores do the most ill.

23. Our granny has no teeth, so sheLikes not others’ teeth to see.

24. He has forgotten the soul of his father, so he swears by the soul of his grandsire.

25. Gold is good, but if thou have it not, of what use is it to thee?

26. Better is copper of thine own than gold that is another’s.

27. Of what use is light to him that is blind?

28. If thou art brave, do not bewailThe bluntness of thy sword.

1Cf. note 3 on p. 109.2Cf. The Talmud (Polano’sSelections, p. 287). ‘If the fox is king bow before him.’

1Cf. note 3 on p. 109.

2Cf. The Talmud (Polano’sSelections, p. 287). ‘If the fox is king bow before him.’

Back to IndexNext