Speak bird speak again, p.39
Speak, Bird, Speak Again, page 39
In his synopsis of this type, Thompson observes that the heroine of this tale assumes a “peculiar disguise” (Folktale: 128). This observation holds true for all the Arabic versions as well. In this respect our version is the closest to Grimm 65, “Allerleirauh” (literally, “of different kinds of fur”), with even the assumed name of the heroine (Roughskin) corresponding. In the Iraqi version the dress the heroine uses for disguise is made of iron; in al-Shahi and Moore 21 it is made of wood; and in all the other Sudanese versions it is an old man’s skin. Herein lies a major difference between the Arabic versions and the European ones: whereas in the former the disguise implies a change of gender, in the latter that is not necessarily the case. Correspondingly, the disguise of the hero as a woman (Motif K1321.1) is missing from the European versions. Regarding disguises, the contests that close the Sudanese tales take better advantage of the initial change of gender than our tale does, because the power implied in the (apparent) change is followed through to the end.
See al-Shahi and Moore: 50–53, where they discuss the significance of this tale in terms of the perceived tension in the society between endogamy (which, taken to an extreme, leads to incest) and marrying outside the family. See also el-Shamy (p. 197) and his observation that one woman narrator refused to tell a stranger the story of “the man who wanted to marry his daughter” because it was “disruptive of good relations and defamatory.” “Is there a man,” she asked, “who would marry his own daughter?” Margaret Mills touches on the question of gender change in her article “A Cinderella Variant in the Context of a Muslim Women’s Ritual,” in Dundes (1982): 80–92.
15. ŠAHĪN. Šāfiʿ (see Tale 5).
Type 879 (Parts III, IV)—The Basil Maiden (The Sugar Puppet, Viola).
Parallels: Palestine—Bauer: 190–196 “ʿAlī Zēbaq and the Merchant’s Daughter”; Littmann (1905) 18 “Maryam the Bedouin Woman from Ḥijāz”; TM III 9:114–117 “Iš-šēx i-Nṭaf.” Syria—Ramaḍān: 212–217 (two versions) “Daughter of the Fava Bean Seller.” Egypt—Artin Pacha 15 “Les trois filles du marchand de fèves.” Sudan—Hurreiz 13 “The Daughter of the Bean Grower.” Tunisia—Contes de Tunisie: 169–170 “Le fils du sultan et la fille du boulanger.” Algeria—Galley: 152–174 “La fille du marchand de pois chiches” (other parallels, p. 180).
Salient Motifs: F562 People of unusual residence; F721.1 Underground passages; H1556.4 Fidelity in love tested; J1251.1 Humiliated lover in repartee with disdainful mistress; J1794 Statue mistaken for living original; K1214.1.1 Importunate lover is induced to undergo series of humiliations; K1836 Disguise of man in women’s dress; K1837 Disguise of woman in man’s clothes; P251 Brothers; T15 Love at first sight; T55 Girl as wooer. Forthputting woman; T61 Betrothal; T131.0.1.1 Father promises that girl may wed only man of her choice; T131.1.2 Father’s consent to son’s (daughter’s) marriage necessary; T160 Consummation of marriage; X52 Ridiculous nakedness or exposure; Z71.12 Formulistic number: forty.
Although there are some differences in Part III of the analysis for this tale (“Tricks and Countertricks”), all the versions cited have enough details in common to be considered close parallels, the closest to ours being the variant in TM. The versions in Bauer and Littmann share details not found in ours, whereas the Egyptian and Algerian versions share a number of details not found in any Palestinian version—viz., the imposed task of arriving walking-riding or laughing-crying. The Algerian and Tunisian versions are the only ones embodying Part II of the analysis for the Type (“Questions and Counterquestions”); all versions share Part IV (“The Sugar Puppet”). In the Bauer version the theme of the tale is expressed directly at the end, when ʿAlī, newly married but not victorious, says to his bride, “Believe me, you are the man and I am the bride.”
16. THE BRAVE LAD (Iš-šabb iš-šujāʿ). Narrated by a ninety-five-year-old woman from the village of Rammūn, district or Ramallah.
Type 461 (Parts II, IV)—Three Hairs from the Devil’s Beard.
Parallels: Egypt—el-Shamy: 274 “Saint of the Forty.
Salient Motifs: G84 Fee-fi-fo-fum. Cannibal returning home smells human flesh and makes exclamation; G334 Ogre keeps human prisoners; G500 Ogre defeated; G530.1 Help from ogre’s wife; G532 Hero hidden and ogre deceived by his wife when he says he smells human blood; H1273.2 Quest for three hairs from the devil’s beard; L101 Unpromising hero (male Cinderella); L161 Lowly hero marries princess; Q53 Reward for rescue; R11.1 Princess (maiden) abducted by monster (ogre); T68.1 Princess offered as prize to rescuer.
El-Shamy observes (p. 274) that this tale type has been adapted in the Arab Islamic tradition to accommodate the cycle of tales embodying etiological beliefs around the theme “Moses converses with God.” In these stories, Prophet Moses, on his way to converse with God, meets different people who want to have their questions answered—viz., the hermit will never enter Paradise because he hid the extra piece of bread Allah had sent him to share with Moses, whereas the forty robbers will enter Paradise because they did share their food with the Prophet. See The Folktale: 140.
17. GAZELLE (Ġazāle). Narrated by Im Nabīl, sixty-five, from the village of Turmusʿayya, district of Ramallah (also Tales 19, 28, 30, 39; see Introduction, “The Tellers”).
Types 552 (Parts II, III); 300 (Parts II, III); 302 (Parts I, II, III)—The Girls Who Married Animals; The Dragon Slayer; The Ogre’s (Devil’s) Heart in the Egg.
Parallels: Palestine—Bauer: 182–186 “Two Brothers”; al-Sārīsī (1985): 195–201 “Ninety-nine Heads.” Egypt—el-Shamy: 3–14 “The Trip to Wag-el-Wag.” Sudan—Hurreiz 41 “Karajōk”; al-Shahi and Moore 30 “Muhammad the Clever.” Tunisia—al-ʿIrwī IV: 35–58 “Magic Ring.” General Arabic—A. Shah (1969): 1–12 “The Sultan and the Four Strange Brothers-in-Law.” General Arabic—Nowak, Type 82. Other (not always close) parallels are cited in Nowak: 408 for all the AT types outlined above. Cf. Kunos: 112–133 “The Wind Demon”; Dawkins 23 “Magic Brothers-in-Law”; Megas 34 “Navel of Earth.”
Salient Motifs: B11.2.3.1 Seven-headed dragon; B11.7.1 Dragon controls water supply; B11.10 Sacrifice of human being to dragon; B11.11 Fight with dragon; B314 Helpful [animal] brothers-in-law; B450 Helpful birds; B873.2 Giant scorpion; C611 Forbidden chamber; D832 Magic objects acquired by acting as umpire for fighting heirs; D1254 Magic staff; D1421.0.3 Magic hair when thrown into fire summons supernatural helper; D1581 Tasks performed by use of magic object; E712.4 Soul hidden in box; E715 Separable soul kept in animal; E715.1 Separable soul kept in bird; G510.4 Hero overcomes devastating animal; G512.5 Ogre killed by burning [crushing] external soul; H945 Tasks voluntarily undertaken; H1101 Task: removing mountain (mound) in one night; H1161.6 Task: killing devastating tiger; K956 Murder by destroying external soul; K975.2 Secret of external soul learned by deception; Q53 Reward for rescue; R111.1.3 Rescue of princess (maiden) from dragon; S262 Periodic sacrifices to a monster; S263.3 Person sacrificed to water spirit to secure water supply.
Apparently, the “Animal Brothers-in-Law” tale lends itself comfortably to combination with other types. As Thompson observes (Folktale: 56), AT 552 is frequently combined with AT 300 or AT 302—or with both, as in our version. Judging from the Arabic tradition, it is easy to see why these three types are combined here, for they are all adventure tales with a generic hero whose name is usually “Clever Ḥasan” or “Clever Mḥammad.” Although Thompson acknowledges the existence of the tale, or the combination, in Palestine (without, unfortunately, citing a reference), the combination of types that we find here is not common in the Arabic tradition. Thus the version in Bauer incorporates AT 300 with AT 301 (see Tale 3, above); that in Hurreiz combines AT 552A with AT 560 and AT 401; and that in al-Shahi and Moore belongs to AT 300 (note generic name of hero), and that in Nowak to AT 302. The Tunisian version combines AT 552 with AT 560. The version in A. Shah is an elaborate form of AT 552 alone, and the Turkish version is a sophisticated combination of AT 552 and AT 302. Curiously, the only version cited above that comes closest as a parallel to ours is the Greek tale recorded by Dawkins, who provides a set of other Greek parallels and a helpful discussion with further references (pp. 12–123).
18. LŌLABE. Almāza (see Tale 14).
Types 408; 310 (Part II); 313 (Part III)—The Three Oranges; Rapunzel; The Girl as Helper in the Hero’s Flight.
Parallels: Palestine—al-Sārīsī (1980) 6, (1985): 133–136 “Daughters of the Citron.” Lebanon—al-Bustānī: 140–148 “Turayya, Daughter of the Ghoul.” Syria—Ramaḍān: 162–166 “Daughter of the Ghoul.” Iraq—Jamālī: 107–110 “Lilwa and Ḥusēn”; Qaṣīr 8 “Prince Nūr al-Zamān and Princess Fatīt al-Rummān.” Egypt—el-Shamy 8 “Louliyya, Daughter of Morgān.” Tunisia—Contes de Tunisie: 33–36 “Le petit pigeon.” Ct. Lorimer 22 “The Orange and Citron Princess”; A. Shah (1975): 13–18 “Girl Who Had Seven Dīvs for Brothers”; Kunos: 12–29 “Three Orange-Peris”; Walker and Uysal: 64–71 “Young Lord and Cucumber Girl”; Dawkins 1 “The Three Oranges”; Calvino 107 “Love of Three Pomegranates.”
Salient Motifs: D150 Transformation: man to bird; D253 Transformation: man to needle; D475.4.5 Tears become jewels; D610 Repeated transformation; D672 Obstacle flight; D765.1.2 Disenchantment by removal of enchanting pin; D1611 Magic objects answer for fugitive; F848.1 Girl’s long hair as ladder into tower; G84 Fee-fi-fo-fum; G263.1.5 Witch transforms man to bird; G275.3 Witch burned; H31.7.1 Recognition by ability to shed pearls for tears; J1791.6.1 Ugly woman sees beautiful woman reflected in water and thinks it herself; K1911.1.3 False bride takes true bride’s place at fountain; K1911.3 Reinstatement of true bride; K2251.1 Treacherous slave-girl; M301.2.1 Enraged old woman prophesies for youth; N711.2 Hero finds maiden in (magic) castle; Q414 Punishment: burning alive.
The Arabic tradition in folk narrative obviously finds congenial some combination of episodes from the three types enumerated, for the majority of parallels cited take portions from one or more of these types and combine them much as was done in our tale. The only exceptions are the other Palestinian version and the Tunisian one, both of which belong to Type 408 alone. Thus, the Iraqi and Lebanese versions combine episodes from AT 310 and AT 313 with the opening episode from AT 408, and the Egyptian version combines them with initial and final episodes from AT 408. The proliferation reflected in the typology here can perhaps be blamed on Aarne-Thompson’s The Types of the Folktale, which endows the tale of Rapunzel as found in Grimm (on which the analysis for Type 310 is based) with a separate type number. In his study of this tale, however, Lüthi (1976: 109–119) demonstrates, through comparison of Grimm with other European versions, that episode III of “The Girl as Helper in the Hero’s Flight” (Type 313), which is not part of the Grimm “Rapunzel,” is actually part of the Rapunzel type (310). Hence, the combination of these two types in the Arabic tradition should not be surprising, for they belong together even in the European tradition outside Grimm.
None of the Arabic versions belonging primarily to the Rapunzel type (Lebanese, Iraqi, and Egyptian) open in the same manner as Type 310, with the parents promising the child away before it is born. The fact that the opening episode of Type 408 serves to open these versions as well is understandable in view of the Arab cultural emphasis on having children, and of folk beliefs concerning vows and curses. As we see from other tales in this collection (e.g., Tales 1, 8, 40). parents, particularly mothers, will pray to have children regardless of the consequences. And when, as here, the child does come and it is a boy, his birth is interpreted as a consequence of the vow. Therefore, failure to fulfill the conditions of the vow incurs the anger of the supernatural forces, who, through the mechanism of the old woman’s curse, send the spoiled son on a dangerous journey. In this manner the son’s journey seems properly motivated, arising out of causes that are inherent in the tale’s dramatic situation.
See el-Shamy’s extensive notes on this tale (pp. 251–254), where many other parallels and references are cited. (A word of caution, however, concerning Schmidt and Kahle I 27, which he cites as a parallel but which does not belong to any of the types discussed here.)
19. THE OLD WOMAN GHOULEH. (Il-ġūle l-ʿajūz). Im Nabīl (see Tale 17).
Type—Motif D821: Magic object received from old woman.
Parallels: Palestine—TM I 3: 124–128 (no name).
Salient Motifs: D821 (see above, under Type); D981 Magic fruit; D1071.1 Magic beads; D1074 Magic bracelet; D1420.4 Helper summoned by calling his name; G302.3.3 Demon in form of old woman; G303.4.5 The devil’s feet and legs; G312 Cannibal ogre; G420 Capture by ogre; G512 Ogre killed; K800 Killing or maiming by deception; N810 Supernatural helpers; R151 Husband rescues wife.
This tale forms part of a cycle revolving around the ghouleh figure (cf. Tales 29, 30), in which the ogress obtains what she wants through trickery and is finally overcome by the family or community. It is not surprising, in view of common assumptions concerning women’s tricks, that the ghouleh should gain her ends through trickery, whereas ghouls, in tales where they play a significant part (e.g., Tales 16, 20, 28), are relatively free of deceit, relying instead on brute force to gain their ends (Tale 16). Both ghouls and ghoulehs, however, do exhibit kindness, the former adopting outcast heroines (Tales 20, 28) and the latter adopting and assisting heroes in their quests (Tales 10, 22).
With reference to our discussion of endogamy in the Introduction, it is interesting to note that in the parallel cited, the role of the ghouleh is assumed by the bridegroom’s seven cousins, whom he had passed over in choosing his mate.
20. LADY TATAR (Is-sit Tatar). See Tale 3.
Type 898—The Daughter of the Sun.
Parallels: Palestine—ʿAbd al-Hādī 64 “Daughter of the Elephant”; al-Khalīlī (1979) 8 “Her Mother the Sun, Her Father the Moon.” Syria—Oestrup 3 “Fille du demon”; Lewin 4 “Tochter des Nims.” Arabian Peninsula—al-Juhaymān III 14 “Daughter of the Ghoul.” Egypt—Spitta-Bey (1880) 9 (no name). Cf. Calvino 74 “Daughter of the Sun.”
Salient Motifs: D1030.1 Food supplied by magic; D1472.1.34 Part of human body furnishes food; D1601.9 Household articles act at command; F402.6.3 Demons live in well; G84 Fee-fi-fo-fum; H323 Suitor test: learning girl’s name; J2411.3 Unsuccessful imitation of magic production of food; K2212 Treacherous sisters; L162 Lowly heroine marries prince; N774.2 Adventures from seeking (lost) domestic beast [hen]; N812 Giant or ogre as helper; T11.4.1 Love through sight of hair of unknown princess; W181 Jealousy; W195 Envy.
With Parts I (“The Virgin in the Tower”) and II (“Rescued Child”) of the analysis missing, each of the Arabic versions opens in its own way, but, except for the version in Lewin, they all end more or less alike, with the groom having to learn either what the bride’s name is (al-Juhaymān) or how to address her (all others). All involve a ghoul as well, who acts as father figure to the girl, giving her instructions on how to deal with her husband. As for the opening episode, it does not in our version prepare the way for the ending or explain why Lady Tatar (also the name of the heroine in al-Juhaymān) should have the moon for a father and the sun for a mother. (We note in passing that the sun in Arabic is feminine in gender.) The version supplied by al-Khalīlī in synopsis form explains this matter clearly. There, a childless wife is always praying to become pregnant (an opening favored by Palestinian tellers). One day her husband brings home some milk, which she sets on the windowsill. At night the light of the moon shines on the milk, and in the morning the rays of the sun fall on it. When the woman drinks it, she becomes pregnant and gives birth to a daughter who is endowed with the magical abilities described in the tale.
21. ŠŌQAK BŌQAK! Narrated by Im Darwīš, sixty-five, from the village of ʿArrābe, Galilee (also Tale 45; see Introduction, “The Tellers”).
Type—Motif T311.1: Flight of maiden (bridegroom) to escape marriage.
Parallels: Palestine—ʿAbd al-Hādī 17 “My Uncle the Gypsy” (very close parallel). Lebanon—al-Bustānī: 164–171 “O Servant, O Barbarian!” Iraq—Stevens 37 “Prince, and Daughter of Thorn-Seller.” Egypt—Spitta-Bey (1880) 9 (no title).
Salient Motifs: D1273 Magic formula (charm); F721.1 Underground passages; H113 Identification by handkerchief; H1381.3.1.1 Quest for bride for king (prince); K2110 Slanders; L162 Lowly heroine marries prince; N711.3 Hero finds maiden in (magic) garden; T56.4 Beautiful woman enticed by wonderful flowers; T311.1 Flight of maiden (bridegroom) to escape marriage; W181 Jealousy; Z65.1 Red as blood, white as snow.
The Egyptian parallel cited is actually an elaborate tale combining several types (cf. Tales 20, 26); it incorporates major details from our tale but without the poetry. In that tale the maiden (who is not yet married to the prince) comes into his garden, but his gardener stands in her way. She puts a spell on him, using the same formula as in ours—“Šōqak bōqak! That which is below you / May it rise to the top!”—and he turns upside down. The prince comes later and finds his garden in disarray, sees the girl, falls in love with her, and marries her.
The striking image of the blood on the snow (Motif Z65.1) also occurs in “The Juniper Tree” (Grimm 90). When the wife cuts her finger, with the blood running on the snow, she wishes for a child “as red as blood and as white as snow.” The image is adapted in our tale to convey a feeling of beauty and sexual arousal. For an extended discussion of this image, see Cosquin: 218–246.
