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diff --git a/29287.txt b/29287.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8714963 --- /dev/null +++ b/29287.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2754 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Aino Folk-Tales, by Basil Hall Chamberlain + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Aino Folk-Tales + +Author: Basil Hall Chamberlain + +Release Date: July 1, 2009 [EBook #29287] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AINO FOLK-TALES *** + + + + +Produced by Julie Barkley, Meredith Bach, and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + + [Transcriber's Note: + + The substitution [= ] have been used in this version of the text. When + used, it indicates that the vowel it surrounds is a long vowel with a + macron (dash) above it.] + + + + AINO FOLK-TALES. + + BY + BASIL HALL CHAMBERLAIN. + + WITH INTRODUCTION + BY + EDWARD B. TYLOR, D.C.L., F.R.S. + + Privately Printed + FOR + THE FOLK-LORE SOCIETY. + 1888. + XXII. + + + + + List of Officers of the Society. + 1887-1888. + + PRESIDENT. + + THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF STRAFFORD. + + VICE-PRESIDENTS. + + ANDREW LANG, M.A. + W. R. S. RALSTON, M.A. + EDWARD B. TYLOR, LL.D., F.R.S. + + DIRECTOR. + + G. L. GOMME, F.S.A., 1, Beverley Villas, Barnes Common, S.W. + + COUNCIL. + + A. MACHADO Y ALVAREZ. + THE EARL BEAUCHAMP, F.S.A. + EDWARD BRABROOK, F.S.A. + DR. D. G. BRINTON + JAMES BRITTEN, F.L.S. + LOYS BRUEYRE. + MISS C. S. BURNE. + EDWARD CLODD. + PROFESSOR D. COMPARETTI. + G. L. GOMME, F.S.A. + A. GRANGER HUTT, F.S.A. + SIR JOHN LUBBOCK, Bt., F.R.S. + SIR HENRY MAINE, K.C.S.I. + REV. DR. RICHARD MORRIS. + ALFRED NUTT. + EDWARD PEACOCK, F.S.A. + Z. D. PEDROSO. + PROFESSOR A. H. SAYCE, M.A. + CAPTAIN R. C. TEMPLE. + HENRY B. WHEATLEY, F.S.A. + + AUDITORS. + + G. L. APPERSON. + JOHN TOLHURST, F.S.A. + + LOCAL SECRETARIES. + + IRELAND: G. H. KINAHAN, R.I.A. + SOUTH SCOTLAND: WILLIAM GEORGE BLACK. + NORTH SCOTLAND: REV. WALTER GREGOR. + INDIA: CAPTAIN R. C. TEMPLE. + CHINA: J. STEWART LOCKHART. + + HONORARY SECRETARIES. + + A. GRANGER HUTT, F.S.A., 8, Oxford Road, Kilburn, N.W. + J. J. FOSTER, 36, Alma Square, St. John's Wood, N.W. + + + + +INTRODUCTION. + + +Twelve hundred years ago a Chinese historian stated that "on the eastern +frontier of the land of Japan there is a barrier of great mountains, +beyond which is the land of the Hairy Men." These were the Aino, so +named from the word in their own language signifying "man." Over most of +the country of these rude and helpless indigenes the Japanese have long +since spread, only a dwindling remnant of them still inhabiting the +island of Yezo. Since the early days when a couple of them were sent as +curiosities to the Emperor of China their uncouth looks and habits have +made them objects of interest to more civilised nations. Many European +writers have described them, but hardly any with such opportunities as +Mr. Basil Hall Chamberlain, Professor of Philology at the T[=o]ky[=o] +University, who has taken down from the Ainos the present collection of +their tales, and prefaced it with an account of their ways and state of +mind. It would hardly be for me to offer information on a subject so +excellently handled, but the request of the Editor of the _Folk-Lore +Journal_ that I would write an Introduction enables me to draw attention +to the views put forward by Professor Chamberlain in another +publication,[A] which, being printed in Japan, may be overlooked by many +English folk-lore students, even of those interested in the curious Aino +problem. + +As is well known, the hairiness of the Ainos marks them sharply off from +the smooth-faced Japanese. No one can look at photographs of Ainos +without admitting that the often-repeated comparison of them to bearded +Russian peasants is much to the purpose. The likeness is much +strengthened by the bold quasi-European features of the Ainos +contrasting extremely with the Japanese type of face. Of course all +this has suggested a theory of the Ainos belonging to the Aryan race; +and, although the idea comes to nothing when examined strictly, its +existence is an acknowledgment of the special Aino race-type. Mention +must also be made of an anatomical peculiarity of the Aino skeleton, +consisting of a remarkable flattening of the arm-and leg-bones. On the +whole it is evident that the Ainos are an ancient race in this part of +Asia, and so far isolated that anthropology has not yet the means of +settling their physical connection with other Asiatic tribes. Professor +Chamberlain's careful examination of the Aino language leads him to a +similar result. It is made not only from his own knowledge, but with the +advantage of working with the Rev. John Batchelor, who has lived as a +missionary among the Ainos for years, and written the Grammar printed as +a part of these Aino Studies. In structure the resemblances which the +Aino presents to Japanese are outweighed by the differences; and, though +it may ultimately prove to fall into a north-east Asiatic group of +languages, this is so far from being made out that it is safest for the +present to treat both race and language as isolated. Inasmuch as the +little civilisation now possessed by the Ainos has in great measure been +learnt from the Japanese, it is natural that their modern language +should have picked up numbers of Japanese words, from the name of kamui +which they give to their gods, down to the rice-beer or sake in which +they seek continual drunkenness, now their main source of enjoyment. One +purpose which their language serves is to prove how widely they once +spread over the country now Japan, where place-names alone remain to +indicate a former Aino population. Some of these are unmistakeably Aino, +as Yamashiro, which must have meant "land of chestnut trees," and +Shikyu, "place of rushes." Others, if interpreted as Japanese, have a +far-fetched sense, as, for instance, the villages of Mennai and Tonami, +which, if treated as Japanese, would signify "inside permission" and +"hares in a row"; whereas, if taken to be originally Aino they may bear +the reasonable sense of "bad stream" and "stream from the lake." The +inference from records and local names, worked out with great care by +Professor Chamberlain, is "that the Ainos were truly the predecessors of +the Japanese all over the Archipelago. The dawn of history shows them +to us living far to the south and west of their present haunts; and ever +since then, century by century, we see them retreating eastwards and +northwards, as steadily as the American Indian has retreated westwards +under the pressure of the colonists from Europe." + +As with their language, so with their folk-lore, which largely shows +itself adopted from the Japanese. In the present collection the stories +of the Salmon-king (xxxiv.), the Island of Women (xxxiii.), and others, +are based on episodes of Japanese tales, sometimes belonging to +world-wide cycles of myth, as in the theme of the mortal who eats the +deadly food of Hades (xxxv.), which has its typical example in the story +of Persephone. On reading the short but curious tale (xvi.), How it was +settled who should rule the World, one sees at once that the cunning +Fox-god has come in from the well-known fox mythology of Japan; and as +to the very clever mythic episode of looking for the sunrise in the +west, I find, on inquiry of a Japanese gentleman living in Oxford, Mr. +Tsneta Mori, that this belongs to the tale of the Wager of the +Phoenix, known to all Japanese children, and in which the Phoenix is +plainly derived from China. On the other hand, there is much genuine +Aino matter in the present collection. For instance, we learn from +Professor Chamberlain's above-mentioned treatise why it is that Panaumbe +("on the lower course of the river") does the clever things, while +Penaumbe ("on the upper course of the river") is the stupid imitator who +comes to grief. It is simply the expression of the dislike and contempt +of the coast Ainos, who tell the stories, for the hill Ainos further up +the rivers. It is needless to mention here the many touches of Aino +ideas, morals, and customs, which their stories disclose, for it is in +noticing these that much of the interest consists which the reader will +feel in perusing them. Their most important characteristic indeed is +insisted on by Professor Chamberlain, in remarks of which the value must +not be overlooked. Of all the difficulties felt by the student of +folk-lore the greatest is that of judging how far those who tell and +listen really believe their childish wonder-tales of talking beasts and +the like, or how far they make and take them as conscious fun. We +ourselves are at the latter sceptical end, and many peoples we can +examine are in a halfway state, not altogether disbelieving that big +stones may once have been giants, or that it is a proper incident in a +hero's career to be swallowed by a monster and get out again, but at the +same time admitting that after all these may be only old wives' tales. +Even savage tribes under contact with civilised men are mostly in this +intermediate state, and thus Professor Chamberlain's statement as to the +place of folk-lore in the Aino mind, made, as it has been, under his +personal scrutiny, is a document of real consequence. He satisfied +himself that his Ainos were not making believe, like Europeans with +nursery tales, but that the explanatory myths of natural phenomena are +to them theorems of physical science, and the wonder-tales are told +under the impression that they really happened. Those who maintain the +serious value of folk-lore, as embodying early but quite real stages of +philosophy among mankind, will be grateful for this collection, in spite +of its repulsive features, as furnishing the clearest evidence that the +basis of their argument is not only theoretical but actual. + + Edward B. Tylor. + + +[A] _The Language, Mythology, and Geographical Nomenclature of Japan, +viewed in the light of Aino Studies._ By Basil Hall Chamberlain. +Including an _Ainu Grammar_ by John Batchelor. (Memoirs of the +Literature College, Imperial University of Japan, No. 1.) T[=o]ky[=o]: +1887. + + + + +AINO FOLK-LORE. + +By Basil Hall Chamberlain. + + +_Prefatory Remarks._ + +I visited the island of Yezo for the third time in the summer of 1886, +in order to study the Aino language, with a view to elucidate by its +means the obscure problem of the geographical nomenclature of Japan. +But, as is apt to happen on such occasions, the chief object of my visit +soon ceased to be the only object. He who would learn a language must +try to lisp in it, and more especially must he try to induce the natives +to chatter in it in his presence. Now in Yezo, subjects of discourse are +few. The Ainos stand too low in the scale of humanity to have any notion +of the civilised art of "making conversation." When, therefore, the +fishing and the weather are exhausted, the European sojourner in one of +their dreary, filthy seaside hamlets will find himself,--at least I +found myself,--sadly at a loss for any further means of setting his +native companions' tongues in motion. It is then that fairy-tales come +to the rescue. The Ainos would not suggest the idea themselves. To +suggest ideas is not their habit. But they are delighted to follow it +when suggested. Simply to repeat something which they have known by +heart ever since the days of their childhood is not such an effort to +their easily-tired brains as is the keeping up of a conversation with +one who speaks their language imperfectly. Their tongues are at once +loosened. + +In my own case, I found myself, after a short time, listening to the +stories for their own sake,--not merely as linguistic exercises; and I +ventured to include a few of them in the "Memoir on the Ainos" which was +published a few months ago by the Imperial University of Japan. Some +remarks in a review of this "Memoir," contained in _Nature_ of the 12th +May, 1887, have encouraged me to believe that anthropologists and +comparative mythologists may be interested in having laid before them +something more than mere samples of the mental products of a people +which is interesting for three reasons,--interesting because its domain +once extended over the entire Japanese archipelago, interesting because +absolutely nothing certain is known as to its origin and affinities, +interesting because it is, so to speak, almost at its last gasp. I have, +therefore, now collected and classified all the tales that were +communicated to me by Ainos, in Aino, during my last stay in the island, +and more latterly in T[=o]ky[=o], when, by the kind assistance of the +President of the University, Mr. H. Watanabe, an exceptionally +intelligent Aino was procured from the North, and spent a month in my +house. These tales form the paper which I now have the honour to offer +for the acceptance of your learned Society. + +It would, no doubt, be possible to treat the subject of Aino folk-lore +in great detail. The gloss might easily be made longer than the text. +Each story might be analysed according to the method proposed by the +Folk-Lore Society; a "survey of incidents" might be appended to each, as +in Messrs. Steel and Temple's charming "Wide-Awake Stories," from the +Punjab and Cashmere. More interesting to the anthropologist than such +mechanical dissection of each tale considered as an independent entity +would be the attempt to unravel the affinities of these Aino tales. How +many of them, what parts of them, are original? How many of them are +borrowed, and whence? + +To carry out such an investigation with that completeness which would +alone give it serious value, would necessitate a greater expenditure of +time than my duties will allow of, perhaps also a fund of multifarious +knowledge which I do not possess. I would, therefore, merely suggest in +passing that the probabilities of the case are in favour of the Ainos +having borrowed from their only clever neighbours, the Japanese. (The +advent of the Russians is so recent that they need hardly be counted in +this connection.) The reasons for attributing to the Japanese, rather +than to the Ainos, the prior possession (which, by the way, by no means +implies the invention) of the tales common to both races, are partly +general, partly special. Thus it is _a priori_ likely that the stupid +and barbarous will be taught by the clever and educated, not the clever +and educated by the stupid and barbarous. On the other hand, as I have +elsewhere demonstrated, a comparative study of the languages of the two +peoples shows clearly that this _a priori_ view is fully borne out so +far as far as the linguistic domain is concerned. The same remark +applies to social customs. Even in religion, the most conservative of +all institutions, especially among barbarians, the Ainos have suffered +Japanese influence to intrude itself. It is Japanese rice-beer, under +its Japanese name of _sake_, which they offer in libations to their +gods. Their very word for "prayer" seems to be archaic Japanese. A +mediaeval Japanese hero, Yoshitsune, is generally allowed to be held in +religious reverence by them. The idea of earthquakes being caused by the +wriggling of a gigantic fish under the earth is shared by the Ainos with +the Japanese and with several other races. + +At the same time, the general tenour and tendency of the tales and +traditions of the Ainos wear a widely different aspect from that which +characterises the folk-lore of Japan. The Ainos, in their humble way, +are addicted to moralising and to speculating on the origin of things. A +perusal of the following tales will show that a surprisingly large +number of them are attempts to explain some natural phenomenon, or to +exemplify some simple precept. In fact they are science,--physical +science and moral science,--at a very early stage. The explanations +given in these tales completely satisfy the adult Aino mind of the +present day. The Aino fairy-tales are not, as ours are, survivals from +an earlier stage of thought. They spring out of the present state of +thought. Even if not invented of recent years they fit in with the +present Aino view of things,--so much so, that an Aino who recounts one +of his stories does so under the impression that he is narrating an +actual event. He does not "make believe" like the European nurse, even +like the European child, who has always, in some nook or corner of his +mind, a presentiment of the scepticism of his later years. + +So far as I can judge, that "disease of language" which we call +metaphor, and which is held by some great authorities to have been the +chief factor in the fabrication of Aryan myth, has no place in Aino +fairy-land; neither have the phenomena of the weather attracted more +attention than other things. But I speak subject to correction. Perhaps +it is not wise to invite controversy on such a point unless one is well +armed for the fight. + +Failing an elaborate analysis of the Aino fairy-tales, and a discussion +of their origin and affinities, what I venture to offer for your +Society's acceptance is the simple text of the tales themselves, +rendered into English. Nine of them have already been printed in the +Aino "Memoir" already referred to. One has been printed (but not quite +in its genuine form, which decency was supposed to forbid) at the end of +Mr. Batchelor's grammar included in the same "Memoir." All the others +are now given to the world for the first time, never having yet appeared +in any language, not even in Japanese. + +I would draw special attention to the character of the translation, as +being an absolutely literal one in the case of all those stories which I +originally wrote down in Aino from the dictation of native informants. +As time pressed, however, I sometimes had the story told me more +rapidly, and wrote it down afterwards in English only, but never more +than a few hours afterwards. In such cases, though every detail is +preserved, the rendering is of course not actually literal. This, and +the fact that there were several informants, will account for the +difference of style between the various stories. I have appended to each +story either the words "translated literally," or the words "written +down from memory," together with the date and the name of the informant, +in order that those who use the collection may know exactly what it is +that they are handling. In all such matters, absolute accuracy, absolute +literalness, wherever attainable, is surely the one thing necessary. Not +all the charm of diction, not all the ingenious theories in the world, +can for a moment be set in the balance against rigid exactness, even if +some of the concomitants of rigid exactness are such as to spoil the +subject for popular treatment. The truth, the stark naked truth, the +truth without so much as a loin-cloth on, should surely be the +investigator's sole aim when, having discovered a new set of facts, he +undertakes to present them to the consideration of the scientific world. + +Of course Aino tales, like other tales, may also be treated from a +literary point of view. Some of the tales of the present collection, +prettily illustrated with pictures by Japanese artists, and altered, +expurgated, and arranged _virginibus puerisque_, are at the present +moment being prepared by Messrs. Ticknor & Co., of Boston, who thought +with me that such a venture might please our little ones both in England +and in the United States. But such things have no scientific value. They +are not meant to have any. They are mere juvenile literature, whose +English dressing-up has as little relation to the barbarous original as +the Paris fashions have to the anatomy of the human frame. + +The present paper, on the contrary, is intended for the sole perusal of +the anthropologist and ethnologist, who would be deprived of one of the +best means of judging of the state of the Aino mind if the hideous +indecencies of the original were omitted, or its occasional ineptitude +furbished up. Aino mothers, lulling their babies to sleep, as they rock +them in the cradle hung over the kitchen fire, use words, touch on +subjects which we never mention; and that precisely is a noteworthy +characteristic. The innocent savage is not found in Aino-land, if indeed +he is to be found anywhere. The Aino's imagination is as prurient as +that of any Zola, and far more outspoken. Pray, therefore, put the blame +on him, if much of the language of the present collection is such as it +is not usual to see in print. Aino stories and Aino conversation are the +intellectual counterpart of the dirt, the lice, and the skin-diseases +which cover Aino bodies. + +For the four-fold classification of the stories, no importance is +claimed. It was necessary to arrange them somehow; and the division into +"Tales Accounting for the Origin of Phenomena," "Moral Tales," "Tales of +the Panaumbe and Penaumbe Cycle," and "Miscellaneous Tales," suggested +itself as a convenient working arrangement. The "Scraps of Folk-Lore," +which have been added at the end, may perhaps be considered out of +place in a collection of tales. But I thought it better to err on the +side of inclusion than on that of exclusion. For it may be presumed that +the object of any such investigation is rather to gain as minute an +acquaintance as possible with the mental products of the people studied, +than scrupulously to conform to any system. + +There must be a large number of Aino fairy-tales besides those here +given, as the chief tellers of stories, in Aino-land as in Europe, are +the women, and I had mine from men only, the Aino women being much too +shy of male foreigners for it to be possible to have much conversation +with them. Even of the tales I myself heard, several were lost through +the destruction of certain papers,--among others at least three of the +Panaumbe and Penaumbe Cycle, which I do not trust myself to reconstruct +from memory at this distance of time. Many precious hours were likewise +wasted, and much material rendered useless, by the national vice of +drunkenness. A whole month at Hakodate was spoilt in this way, and +nothing obtained from an Aino named Tomtare, who had been procured for +me by the kindness of H. E. the Governor of Hakodate. One can have +intercourse with men who smell badly, and who suffer, as almost all +Ainos do, from lice and from a variety of disgusting skin-diseases. It +is a mere question of endurance and of disinfectants. But it is +impossible to obtain information from a drunkard. A third reason for the +comparatively small number of tales which it is possible to collect +during a limited period of intercourse is the frequency of repetitions. +No doubt such repetitions have a confirmatory value, especially when the +repetition is of the nature of a variant. Still, one would willingly +spare them for the sake of new tales. + +The Aino names appended to the stories are those of the men by whom they +were told to me, viz. Penri, the aged chief of Piratori; Ishanashte of +Shumunkot; Kannariki of Poropet (Jap. Horobetsu); and Kuteashguru of +Sapporo. Tomtare of Y[=u]rap does not appear for the reason mentioned +above, which spoilt all his usefulness. The only mythological names +which appear are Okikurumi, whom the Ainos regard as having been their +civilizer in very ancient times, his sister-wife Turesh, or Tureshi[hi] +and his henchman Samayunguru. The "divine symbols," of which such +constant mention is made in the tales, are the inao or whittled sticks +frequently described in books of travels. + + Basil Hall Chamberlain. + Miyanoshita, Japan, + 20th July, 1887. + + + + +I.--TALES ACCOUNTING FOR THE ORIGIN OF PHENOMENA. + + +i.--_The Rat and the Owl._[B] + +An owl had put by for next day the remains of something dainty which he +had to eat. But a rat stole it, whereupon the owl was very angry, and +went off to the rat's house, and threatened to kill him. But the rat +apologised, saying: "I will give you this gimlet and tell you how you +can obtain from it pleasure far greater than the pleasure of eating the +food which I was so rude as to eat up. Look here! you must stick the +gimlet with the sharp point upwards in the ground at the foot of this +tree; then go to the top of the tree yourself, and slide down the +trunk." + +Then the rat went away, and the owl did as the rat had instructed him. +But, sliding down on to the sharp gimlet, his anus was transfixed, and +he suffered great pain, and, in his grief and rage, went off to kill the +rat. But again the rat met him with apologies, and, as a peace-offering, +gave him a cap for his head. + +These events account for the thick cap of erect feathers which the owl +wears to this day, and also for the enmity between the owl and the +rat.--(Written down from memory. Told by Ishanashte, 25th November, +1886.) + +[B] The Aino name here used (_ahunrashambe_) denotes a horned species. + + +ii.--_The Loves of the Thunder-Gods._ + +Two young thunder-gods, sons of the chief thunder-god, fell violently in +love with the same Aino woman. Said one of them to the other, in a +joking way: "I will become a flea, so as to be able to hop into her +bosom." Said the other: "I will become a louse, so as to be able to stay +always in her bosom." + +"Are those your wishes?" cried their father, the chief thunder-god. "You +shall be taken at your word"; and forthwith the one of them who had said +he would become a flea was turned into a flea, while he who said he +would become a louse was turned into a louse. Hence all the fleas and +lice that exist at the present day. + +This accounts for the fact that, whenever there is a thunder-storm, +fleas jump out of all sorts of places where there were none to be seen +before.--(Written down from memory. Told by Ishanashte, 27th November, +1886.) + + +iii.--_Why Dogs cannot speak._ + +Formerly dogs could speak. Now they cannot. The reason is that a dog, +belonging to a certain man a long time ago, inveigled his master into +the forest under the pretext of showing him game, and there caused him +to be devoured by a bear. Then the dog went home to his master's widow, +and lied to her, saying: "My master has been killed by a bear. But when +he was dying he commanded me to tell you to marry me in his stead." The +widow knew that the dog was lying. But he kept on urging her to marry +him. So at last, in her grief and rage, she threw a handful of dust into +his open mouth. This made him unable to speak any more, and therefore no +dogs can speak even to this very day.--(Written down from memory. Told +by Ishanashte, 29th November, 1886.) + + +iv.--_Why the Cock cannot fly._ + +When the Creator had finished creating the world, and had returned to +the sky, he sent down the cock to see whether the world was good or not, +with orders to come back at once. But the world was so beautiful, that +the cock, unable to tear himself away, kept lingering on from day to +day. At last, after a long time, he was on his way flying back up to the +sky. But God, angry with him for his disobedience, stretched forth his +hand, and beat him down to earth, saying: "You are not wanted in the sky +any more." + +That is why, to this very day, the cock cannot fly high.--(Written down +from memory. Told by Penri, 18th July, 1886.) + + +v.--_The Origin of the Hare._ + +Suddenly there was a large house on the top of a mountain, wherein were +six people beautifully arrayed, but constantly quarrelling. Whence they +came was unknown. Thereupon Okikurumi came and said: "Oh! you bad hares! +you wicked hares! who does not know your origin? The children in the sky +were pelting each other with snowballs, and the snowballs fell into the +world of men. As it would be a pity to waste anything that falls from +the sky, the snowballs were turned into hares, and those hares are you. +You, who dwell in this world, which belongs to me, should not quarrel. +What is it that you are making such a noise about?" + +With these words, Okikurumi seized a fire-brand, and beat each of the +six with it in turn. Thereupon all the hares ran away. This is the +origin of the hare[-god]; and for this reason the body of the hare is +white because made of snow, while its ears--which are the place where it +was charred by the fire-brand,--are black.--(Translated literally. Told +by Penri, 10th July, 1886.) + + +vi.--_The Position of the Private Parts._ + +At the beginning of the world it had been the Creator's intention to +place both men's and women's genitals on their foreheads so that they +might be able to procreate children easily. But the otter made a mistake +in conveying the message to that effect; and that is how the genitals +come to be in the inconvenient place they are now in.--(Written down +from memory. Told by Ishanashte, 11th July, 1886.) + + +vii.--_The Reason for there being no Fixed Time for Human Beings to +copulate._ + +Anciently the Creator summoned all the birds and beasts, the gods and +devils together, in order to instruct them on the subject of copulation. +So the birds and all the others of every sort assembled, and learnt from +the Creator when to copulate, and when to give birth to their young. + +Then the Creator said to the horse: "Oh! thou divine ancestor of horses! +It will be well for thee to copulate one spring, and to give birth to +thy young in the spring of the following year; and thou mayest eat any +of the grass that may grow in any land." At these words, the horse was +delighted, and forthwith trotted out. But, as he rose, he kicked God in +the forehead. So God was very angry, and pressed his hand to his head, +so much did it hurt him. + +Meanwhile, the ancestor of men came in, and asked saying: "How about me? +When shall I copulate?" To which God, being still angry, replied: +"Whenever you like!" For this reason, that race of creatures which is +called man copulate at all times.--(Translated literally. Told by +Ishanashte, 12th July, 1886). + + +viii.--_The Owl and the Tortoise._ + +The tortoise[-god] in the sea and the owl[-god] on land were very +intimate. The tortoise spoke thus: "Your child is a boy. My child is a +girl. So it will be good for us to unite them in marriage. If I send +into the river the fish that there are in the sea your son and my +daughter, being both of them enabled to eat fish, will possess the +world." Thus spoke the tortoise. The owl was greatly obliged. For this +reason, the child of the tortoise and the child of the owl became +husband and wife. For this reason, the owl, without the least +hesitation, eats every fish that comes into the river.--(Translated +literally. Told by Penri, 15th July, 1886.) + + +ix.--_How a Man got the better of two Foxes._ + +A man went into the mountains to get bark to make rope with, and found a +hole. To this hole there came a fox, who spoke as follows, though he was +a fox, in human language: "I know of something from which great profit +may be derived. Let us go to the place to-morrow!" To which the fox +inside the hole replied as follows: "What profitable thing do you +allude to? After hearing about it, I will go with you if it sounds +likely to be profitable; and if not, not." The fox outside spoke thus: +"The profitable thing to be done is this. I will come here to-morrow +about the time of the mid-day meal. You must be waiting for me then, and +we will go off together. If you take the shape of a horse, and we go off +together, I taking the shape of a man and riding on your back, we can go +down to the shore, where dwell human beings possessed of plenty of food +and all sorts of other things. As there is sure to be among the people +some one who wants a horse, I will sell you to him who thus wants a +horse. I can then buy a quantity of precious things and of food. Then I +shall run away; and you, having the appearance of a horse, will be led +out to eat grass, and be tied up somewhere on the hillside. Then, if I +come and help you to escape, and we divide the food and the precious +things equally between us, it will be profitable for both of us." Thus +spoke the fox outside the hole; and the fox inside the hole was very +glad, and said: "Come and fetch me early to-morrow, and we will go off +together." + +The man was hidden in the shade of the tree, and had been listening. +Then the fox who had been standing outside went away, and the man, too, +went home for the night. But he came back next day to the mouth of the +hole, and spoke thus, imitating the voice of the fox whom he had heard +speaking outside the hole the day before: "Here I am. Come out at once! +If you will turn into a horse, we will go down to the shore." The fox +came out. It was a big fox. The man said: "I have come already turned +into a man. If you turn into a horse, it will not matter even if we are +seen by other people." The fox shook itself, and became a large chestnut +[_lit._ red] horse. Then the two went off together, and came to a very +rich village, plentifully provided with everything. The man said: "I +will sell this horse to anybody who wants one." As the horse was a very +fine one, every one wanted to buy it. So the man bartered it for a +quantity of food and precious things, and then went away. + +Now the horse was such a peculiarly fine one that its new owner did not +like to leave it out-of-doors, but always kept it in the house. He shut +the door, and he shut the window, and cut grass to feed it with. But +though he fed it, it could not (being really a fox) eat grass at all. +All it wanted to eat was fish. After about four days it was like to die. +At last it made its escape through the window and ran home; and, +arriving at the place where the other fox lived, wanted to kill it. But +it discovered that the trick had been played, not by its companion fox, +but by the man. So both the foxes were very angry, and consulted about +going to find the man and kill him. + +But though the two foxes had decided thus, the man came and made humble +excuses, saying: "I came the other day, because I had overheard you two +foxes plotting; and then I cheated you. For this I humbly beg your +pardon. Even if you do kill me, it will do no good. So henceforward I +will brew rice-beer for you, and set up the divine symbols for you, and +worship you,--worship you for ever. In this way you will derive greater +profit than you would derive from killing me. Fish, too, whenever I make +a good catch, I will offer to you as an act of worship. This being so, +the creatures called men shall worship you for ever." + +The foxes, hearing this, said: "That is capital, we think. That will do +very well." Thus spake the foxes. Thus does it come about that all men, +both Japanese and Aino, worship the fox. So it is said.--(Translated +literally. Told by Ishanashte, 15th July, 1886.) + + +x.--_The Man who Married the Bear-Goddess._ + +There was a very populous village. It was a village having both plenty +of fish and plenty of venison. It was a place lacking no kind of food. +Nevertheless, once upon a time, a famine set in. There was no food, no +venison, no fish, nothing to eat at all; there was a famine. So in that +populous village all the people died. + +Now the village chief was a man who had two children, a boy and a girl. +After a time, only those two children remained alive. Now the girl was +the older of the two, and the boy was the younger. The girl spoke thus: +"As for me, it does not matter even if I do die, since I am a girl. But +you, being a boy, can, if you like, take up our father's inheritance. So +you should take these things with you, use them to buy food with, eat +it, and live." So spoke the girl, and took out a bag made of cloth, and +gave it to him. + +Then the boy went out on to the sand, and walked along the sea-shore. +When he had walked on the sand for a long time, he saw a pretty little +house a short way inland. Near it was lying the carcase of a large +whale. The boy went to the house, and after a time entered it. On +looking around, he saw a man of divine appearance. The man's wife, too, +looked like a goddess, and was dressed altogether in black raiment. The +man was dressed altogether in speckled raiment. The boy went in, and +stood by the door. The man said to him: "Welcome to you, whencesoever +you may have come." Afterwards a lot of the whale's flesh was boiled, +and the boy was feasted on it. But the woman never looked towards him. +Then the boy went out and fetched his parcel, which he had left outside. +He brought in the bag made of cloth which had been given to him by his +sister, and opened its mouth. On taking out and looking at the things +inside it, they were found to be very precious treasures. "I will give +you these treasures in payment for the food," said the boy, and gave +them to that divine-looking man-of-the-house. The god, having looked at +them, said: "They are very beautiful treasures." He said again: "You +need not have paid me for the food. But I will take these treasures of +yours, carry them to my [other] house, and bring you my own treasures in +exchange for them. As for this whale's flesh, you can eat as much of it +as you like, without payment." Having said this, he went off with the +lad's treasures. + +Then the lad and the woman remained together. After a time the woman +turned to the lad, and said: "You lad! listen to me when I speak. I am +the bear-goddess. This husband of mine is the dragon-god. There is no +one so jealous as he is. Therefore did I not look towards you, because I +knew that he would be jealous if I looked towards you. Those treasures +of yours are treasures which even the gods do not possess. It is because +he is delighted to get them that he has taken them with him to +counterfeit them and bring you mock treasures. So when he shall have +brought those treasures and shall display them, you must speak thus: 'We +need not exchange treasures. I wish to buy the woman!' If you speak +thus, he will go angrily away, because he is such a jealous man. Then +afterwards we can marry each other, which will be very pleasant. That is +how you must speak." That was what the woman said. + +Then, after a certain time, the man of divine appearance came back +grinning. He came bringing two sets of treasures, the treasures which +were treasures and his own other treasures. The god spoke thus: "You, +lad! As I have brought the treasures which are your treasures, it will +be well to exchange them for my treasures." The boy spoke thus: "Though +I should like to have treasures also, I want your wife even more than I +want the treasures; so please give me your wife instead of the +treasures." Thus spoke the lad. + +He had no sooner uttered the words than he was stunned by a clap of +thunder above the house. On looking around him, the house was gone, and +only he and the goddess were left together. He came to his senses. The +treasures were there also. Then the woman spoke thus: "What has happened +is that my dragon-husband has gone away in a rage, and has therefore +made this noise, because you and I wish to be together. Now we can live +together." Thus spoke the goddess. Afterwards they lived together. This +is why the bear is a creature half like a human being.--(Translated +literally. Told by Ishanashte, 9th November, 1886.) + + +xi.--_The two Foxes, the Mole, and the Crows._ + +Two brother foxes consulted together thus: "It would be fun for us to go +down among men, and assume human shape." So they made treasures and they +made garments out of the leaves of various trees, and they made various +things to eat and cakes out of the gum which comes out of trees. But the +mole[-god] saw them making all these preparations. So the mole made a +place like a human village, and placed himself in it under the disguise +of a very old man. The foxes came to that village; they came to the very +old man's house. And the mole himself made beautiful treasures and made +garments out of various herbs and leaves of trees; and, taking +mulberries and grapes from the tops of the trees, he made good food. On +the arrival of the foxes, the mole invited all the crows in the place +and all sorts of birds. He gave them human shape, and placed them as +owners in the houses of the village. Then the mole, as chief of the +village, was a very old man. + +Then the foxes came, having assumed the shape of men. They thought the +place was a human village. The old chief bought all the things which the +foxes had brought on their backs, all their treasures and all their +food. Then the old man displayed to them his own beautiful treasures. +The old man displayed all his beautiful things, his garments. The foxes +were much pleased. Then the old man spoke thus: "Oh you strangers! as +there is a dance in my village, it will be well for you to see it." Then +all the people in the village danced all sorts of dances. But at last, +owing to their being birds, they began to fly upwards, notwithstanding +their human shape. The foxes saw this, and were much amused. The foxes +ate both of the mulberries and of the grapes. They tasted very good. It +was great fun, too, to see the dancing. Afterwards they went home. + +The foxes, thought thus: "What is nicer even than treasures is the +delicious food which human beings have. As we do not know what it is, +let us go again and buy some more of it." So they again made treasures +out of herbs. Then they again went down to that village. The mole was in +a golden house--a large house. He was alone in it, having sent all the +crows and the rest away. As the foxes entered the house and looked about +them, they saw a very venerable god. The god spoke thus: "Oh! you foxes; +because you had assumed human shape, you made all sorts of counterfeit +treasures. I saw all that you did. It is by me, and because of this, +that you are brought here. You think this is a human village; but it is +the village of me, your master the mole. It seems you constantly do all +sorts of bad things. If you do so, it is very wrong; so do not assume +human shape any more. If you will cease to assume human shape, you may +henceforth eat your fill of these mulberries and grapes. You and your +companions the crows may eat together of the mulberries and of all +fruits at the top of the trees, which the crows cause to drop down. This +will be much more profitable for you than to assume human shape." Thus +spoke the mole. + +Owing to this, the foxes left off assuming human shape, and, from that +time forward, ate as they pleased of the mulberries and the grapes. When +the crows let any drop, they went underneath the trees and ate them. +They became very friendly together.--(Translated literally. Told by +Ishanashte, 11th November, 1886.) + + +xii.--_The Stolen Charm._ + +A very rich man kept a puppy and a fox-cub. Besides these he possessed a +tiny silver model of a ship,--a charm given to him by some god, what god +I know not. One day this charm was stolen, and could nowhere be found. +The rich man was so violently grieved at this, that he lay down and +refused all food, and was like to die. Meanwhile the puppy and the +fox-cub played about in his room. But when they saw, after some time, +that the man was really going to die, the fox-cub said to the puppy: "If +our master dies, we shall die of hunger too; so we had better search for +the charm." So they consulted as to the best way to search for it; and +at last the fox-cub was struck by the idea that the ogre who lived at +the top of the large mountain that stands at the end of the world might +have stolen the charm and put it into his box. The fox-cub seemed to see +that this had really happened. So the two little animals determined to +go and rescue the charm from the ogre. But they knew that they could not +accomplish this alone, and resolved to add the rat[-god] to their +number. So they invited the rat, and the three went off, dancing +merrily. + +Now the ogre was always looking steadily in the direction of the sick +rich man, hoping that he would die. So he did not notice the approach of +the fox-cub, the dog, and the rat. So when they reached the ogre's +house, the rat, with the help of the fox-cub, scooped out a passage +under and into the house, by which all three made their way in. They +then decided that it must be left to the rat to get hold of the charm by +nibbling a hole in the box in which it was kept. Meanwhile the fox-cub +assumed the shape of a little boy, and the puppy that of a little +girl,--two beautiful little creatures who danced and went through all +sorts of antics, much to the amusement of the ogre. The ogre was, +however, suspicious as to how they had come into the house, and whence +they had come, for the doors were not open. So he determined just to +divert himself awhile by watching their frolics, and then to kill them. +Meanwhile the rat had nibbled a hole in the box. Then getting into it, +he rescued the charm, and went out again through the passage in the +ground. The little boy and girl disappeared too; how, the ogre could not +tell. He made to pursue them through the door, when he saw them fleeing. +But on second thoughts he came to the conclusion that, having once been +taken in by a fox, there was no use in further endeavours. So he did not +follow the three animals as they fled away. + +They returned to the village; the puppy and the fox-cub to their +master's house, the rat to its own place. The puppy and the fox-cub took +home with them the charm, and placed it by their master's pillow, +playing about near him, and pulling his clothes a little with their +teeth. At length he lifted his head and saw the charm. Then he +worshipped it with great joy and gratitude. Afterwards the fox-cub and +the puppy caused him to see in a dream how the charm had been recovered +through the rat's assistance. So he worshipped the rat also. + +For this reason the Ainos do not think so very badly of the rat after +all. The fox, too, though often pursued by dogs, will sometimes make +friends with them; and even when a dog is pursuing a fox, it will not +bite the latter if it turns its face towards the pursuer.--(Written down +from memory. Told by Ishanashte, 21st November, 1886.) + + +xiii.--_The Fox, the Otter, and the Monkey._ + +In very ancient days, at the beginning of the world, there were a fox, +an otter, and a monkey, all three of whom lived on the most intimate +terms of friendship. + +One day the fox spoke to the other two as follows: "What do you say to +our going off somewhere, and stealing food and treasures from the +Japanese?" His two companions having consented, they all went together +to a distant place, and stole a bag of beans, a bag of salt, and a mat +from the house of a very rich man. When they had come home with their +plunder, the fox said: "Otter! you had better take the salt, for it will +be useful to you in salting the fish which you catch in the water when +you go fishing. Monkey! do you take the mat; it will be very useful for +you to make your children dance upon. As for myself, I will take the bag +of beans." + +After this, all three retired to their respective houses; and a little +later the otter went to the river to fish. But, as he took his bag of +salt with him when he made the plunge, all the salt was melted in a +moment, to his great disappointment. The monkey was equally unlucky; +for, having taken his mat and spread it on the top of a tree, and made +his children dance there, the children fell, and were dashed to pieces +on the ground below. + +The monkey and the otter, enraged by the misfortunes which the fox's +wiles had brought upon them, now joined together in order to fight the +fox. So the latter took a lot of beans out of his bag, chewed them to a +pulp, smeared all his body with the paste, and lay down pretending to be +very ill. And when the otter and the monkey came and made to kill him, +he said: "See to what a pitiful plight I am reduced! As a punishment for +having deceived you, my whole body is now covered with boils, and I am +on the point of death. There is no need for you to kill me. Go away! I +am dying fast enough." The monkey looked, and saw that the fox seemed to +be speaking the truth. So he went testily away, across the sea to Japan. +That is the reason why there are no monkeys in the land of the +Ainos.--(Written down from memory. Told by Ishanashte, 11th July, 1886.) + + +xiv.--_The Fox and the Tiger._--(No. I.) + +Said the tiger to the fox: "Let us run a race from the top of the world +to the bottom of the world, and he who wins it shall be lord of the +world!" The fox agreed, and off the tiger bounded, but without noticing +that the fox had caught hold of his tail so as to get pulled along by +him. Just as the tiger was about to reach the other end, he suddenly +whisked round, in order to jeer at the fox, whom he believed to be far +behind. But this motion exactly threw the fox safely on to the far end, +so that he was able to call out to the astonished tiger: "Here I am. +What are you so long about?" + +For this reason there are no tigers in Aino-land. + + +(No. II.) + +Said the tiger to the fox: "You are said to be the craftiest of all +creatures. Let us now enter into rivalry, and see which of us can roar +the loudest; for to him shall belong the chieftainship of the world." +The fox consented, and the two stood up alongside of each other. But as +it was for the tiger to roar first, he remained standing up, and did not +notice how the fox scraped a hole with his paws to hide his head in, so +that his ears might not be stunned by the tiger's roaring. + +Well, the tiger roared a roar which he thought must be heard from the +top of the world to the bottom of the world, and must certainly stun the +fox. But the fox, as soon as he knew the tiger's roar to be at an end, +jumped up out of the hole where he had been hiding his ears, and said: +"Why! I hardly heard you. You can surely roar louder than that. You had +better try again." + +The tiger was very angry at this; for he had expected that the fox would +be stunned to death. However he resolved to make another still more +tremendous effort. He did so, while the fox again hid his head in the +hole; and the tiger burst his inside in the attempt. + +For this reason there are no tigers in Aino-land. For this reason, also, +foxes are crafty and eloquent even at the present day.--(Written down +from memory. Told by Ishanashte, 27th November, 1886.) + + +xv.--_The Punishment of Curiosity._ + +In very ancient days, when the world had just been made, everything was +still unsettled and dangerous. The crust of the earth was thin, and all +was burning beneath. For this reason the people did not dare to venture +outside of their huts even to obtain food: for they would have scorched +their feet. So they were fed by the god Okikurumi, who used to fish for +them, and then send round his wife Turesh with what he had caught. But +he commanded the people to ask no questions, and never to attempt to +look at Turesh's face. But one day an Aino in one of the huts was not +content with being fed for nothing, and disobeyed Okikurumi's commands. +He wished to see who the woman was that came round every day with food. +So he waited till her hand was stretched in at the window, seized hold +of it, and pulled her in by main force. She screamed and struggled; and, +when she was inside the hut, she turned into a wriggling, writhing +dragon. The sky darkened, the thunder crashed, the dragon vanished, and +the hut was consumed by lightning. Okikurumi was very angry at what the +man had done. So he left off feeding the people, and went away, none, +knew whither. That is why the Ainos have been poor and miserable ever +since that time.--(Written down from memory. Told by Kuteashguru, July, +1886.) + + +xvi.--_How it was settled who should rule the World._ + +When the Creator had finished creating this world of men, the good and +the bad gods were all mixed together promiscuously, and began disputing +for the possession of the world. They disputed,--the bad gods wanting to +be at the head of the government of this world, and the good gods +likewise wanting to be at the head. So the following arrangement was +agreed to: Whoever, at the time of sunrise, should be the first to see +the luminary, should rule the world. If the bad gods should be the first +to see it rise, then they should rule; and if the good gods should be +the first, then they should rule. Thereupon both the bad Gods and the +brilliant gods looked towards the place where the luminary was to rise. +But the fox[-god] alone stood looking towards the west. After a little +time, the fox cried out: "I see the sunrise." On the gods, both bad and +good, turning round and gazing, they saw in truth the refulgence of the +luminary in the west. This is the cause for which the brilliant gods +rule the world.--(Translated literally. Told by Ishanashte, 10th July, +1886.) + + +xvii.--_The Man who lost his Wife._ + +A man had lost his wife, and was searching for her everywhere, over hill +and dale, forest and sea-shore. At last he came to a wide plain, on +which stood an oak-tree. Going up to it he found it to be not so much an +oak-tree as a house, in which dwelt a kind-looking old man. Said the old +man: "I am the god of the oak-tree. I know of your loss, and have seen +your faithful search. Rest here awhile, and refresh yourself by eating +and smoking. After that, if you hope to find your wife again, you must +obey my orders, which are as follows: Take this golden horse, get on his +back, fly up on him to the sky, and, when you get there, ride about the +streets, constantly singing." + +So the man mounted the horse, which was of pure gold. The saddle and all +the trappings were of gold also. As soon as he was in the saddle, the +horse flew up to the sky. There the man found a world like ours, but +more beautiful. There was an immense city in it; and up and down the +streets of that city, day after day, he rode, singing all the while. +Every one in the sky stared at him, and all the people put their hands +to their noses, saying: "How that creature from the lower world stinks!" +At last the stench became so intolerable to them that the chief god of +the sky came and told him that he should be made to find his wife if +only he would go away. Thereupon the man flew back to earth on his +golden horse. Alighting at the foot of the oak-tree, he said to the +oak-god: "Here am I. I did as you bade me. But I did not find my wife." +"Wait a moment," said the oak-god; "you do not know what a tumult has +been caused by your visit to the sky, neither have I yet told you that +it was a demon who stole your wife. This demon, looking up from hell +below, was so much astonished to see and hear you riding up and down the +streets of heaven singing, that his gaze is still fixed in that +direction. I will profit hereby to go round quietly, while his attention +is absorbed, and let your wife out of the box in which he keeps her shut +up." + +The oak-god did as he had promised. He brought back the woman, and +handed over both her and the gold horse to the man, saying: "Do not use +this horse to make any more journeys to the sky. Stay on earth, and +breed from it." The couple obeyed his commands, and became very rich. +The gold horse gave birth to two horses, and these two bred likewise, +till at last horses filled all the land of the Ainos.--(Written down +from memory. Told by Ishanashte, 21st July, 1886.) + + +xviii.--_The First Appearance of the Horse in Aino-land._ + +A very beautiful woman had a husband. He was a very skilful fellow. Once +he went to the mountains, and disappeared. But at night he returned, +bearing a deer on his back. After feasting on the deer, they went to +bed. But in the middle of the night, the woman wept and screamed, +saying: "This man is not my husband. Though with shame, I will declare +the fact as it is. His penis is so big, so big, so big, that it will not +get into my vagina; and if it did get in, I should die." + +Alarmed by her cries, the neighbours ran out, and came into her house; +and one strong fellow took a stick, and beat the husband, saying: "You +must be some sort of devil," whereupon the husband turned into a horse, +and ran away neighing. Afterwards he was beaten to death. + +The truth was that the husband had been killed and supplanted by the +horse. That was the first the Ainos saw of horses. In ancient days every +sort of creature could thus assume human shape. So it is +said.--(Translated literally. Told by Penri, 12th July, 1886.) + + +xix.--_Sunrise._ + +When the sun rises at the head of the world [_i.e._ in the east], a +devil tries to swallow it. But some one thrusts two or three crows or +foxes into the devil's mouth. Meanwhile the sun mounts on high. The +creatures, than which there are none more numerous in this world, are +the crows and the foxes. That is why things are thus. In return for this +service of theirs, the crows and foxes share in all man's eatables. It +is because of the above fact.--(Translated literally. Told by Penri, +13th July, 1886.) + + +xx.--_The Sex of the Two Luminaries._ + +Formerly it was the female luminary that came out at night. But she was +so greatly shocked at the immoralities which she saw going on out of +doors among the grass, that she exchanged with the male luminary, who, +being a man, did not care so much. So now the sun is a female deity, and +the moon is a male deity. But surely the sun must be often shocked at +what she sees going on even in the day-time, when the young people are +in the open among the grass.--(Written down from memory. Told by +Ishanashte, November, 1886.) + + + + +II.--MORAL TALES. + + +xxi.--_The Kind Giver and the Grudging Giver._ + +A certain man had laid his net across the river; having laid his net, he +killed a quantity of fish. Meanwhile there came a raven, and perched +beside him. It seemed to be greatly hungering after the fish. It was +much to be pitied. So the fisherman washed one of the fish, and threw it +to the raven. The raven ate the fish with great joy. Afterwards the +raven came again. Though it was a raven, it spoke thus, just like a +human being: "I am very grateful for having been fed on fish by you. If +you will come with me to my old father, he too will thank you. So you +had better come." + +The man went with the raven. Being a raven, it flew through the air. The +man followed it on foot. After they had gone a long way, they came to a +large house. When they got there, the raven went into the house. The man +went in also. When he looked, it appeared like a human being in form, +though it was a raven. There were also a divine old man and a divine old +woman besides the divine girl. This girl was she who had led the man +hither. The divine old man spoke thus: "I am very grateful to you. As I +am very grateful to you for feeding my daughter with good fish, I have +had you brought here in order to reward you." Thus spoke the divine old +man. + +Then there were a gold puppy and a silver puppy. Both these puppies were +given to the man. The divine old man spoke thus: "Though I should give +you treasures, it would be useless. But if I give you these puppies, you +will be greatly benefited. As for the excrements of these two puppies, +the gold puppy excretes gold and the silver puppy excretes silver. This +being so, you will be greatly enriched if you sell these excrements to +the officials. Understand this!" Then the man, with respectful +salutations, went away, carrying with him the two puppies, and came to +his own house. Then he gave the puppies a little food at a time. When +the gold puppy excreted, it excreted gold for him. When the silver puppy +excreted, it excreted silver for him. The man greatly enriched himself +by selling the metal. + +Thereupon another man, for the sake of imitation, set his net in the +river. He killed a quantity of fish. Then the raven came. The man +smeared a fish with mud, and then threw it to the raven. The raven flew +away with it. The man went after it, and at last, after going a long +way, reached a large house. He went in there. The divine old man was +very angry. He spoke thus: "You man are a man with a very bad heart. +When you gave my daughter a fish, you gave it smeared all over with mud. +I am very angry. Still, though I am angry, I will give you some puppies, +as you have come to my house. If you treat them properly, you will be +benefited." Thus spoke the divine old man, and gave a gold puppy and a +silver puppy to the man. With a bow, the man went home with them. + +The man thought thus: "If I feed the puppies plentifully, they will +excrete plenty of metal. It would be foolish to have them excreting only +a little at a time. So I will do that, and become very rich." Thinking +thus, he fed the puppies plentifully on anything, even on dirty things. +Then they excreted no metal for him. They only excreted dirty dung. The +man's house was full of nothing but dirty dung. As for the former man, +who had received puppies from the divine old man, he fed his on nothing +but good food, a little at a time. Gradually they excreted metal for +him. He was greatly enriched. + +Thus in ancient times, with regard to men who wished to grow rich, they +could grow rich if their hearts were as good as possible. As for +bad-hearted men, the gods became angry at all their various misdeeds. +It was for this reason that, on account of their anger, even a gold +puppy excreted nothing but dung. As for the house of that bad-hearted +man, it grew so full of dung as to be too dirty for other people to +enter. This being so, oh! men, do not be bad-hearted. That is the story +which I have heard.--(Translated literally. Told by Ishanashte, 20th +July, 1886.) + + +xxii.--_The Man who was changed into a Fox_. + +A certain man's conduct was as follows: he went to every place, making +it his business to do nothing but tell lies and extort things from +people. Then, after a time, when wanting to extort again, he went on to +another place. While walking along he used to think of what lies he +could tell. Afterwards he heard a voice. It was not human language. He +walked saying--"Pau! pau!"[C] When he looked at his own body, it was a +fox's. Then he thought that, whether he might return to his own village, +or go to another place, the dogs would kill him. So, with tears, he went +away from the road into the mountains. There he found a large, leafy +oak-tree. He lay down crying beneath it. + +Then he fell asleep. He dreamt that there was a large house. He was +outside of that house. A divine woman came out of it, and spoke thus: +"Oh! what a bad man! what a villain! You have become a bad god, a devil, +as a divine punishment for your misdeeds. Being thus made into a devil, +why do you come and stand near my house? I should like to leave you +alone. But as I am this tree, which is made the chief of trees by +heaven, and as it would defile me to have you die beside my house, I +will turn you into a man again and send you home. Do not misbehave +yourself henceforth!" Thus spoke the divine woman. + +Such was his dream. Meanwhile the branches at the top of the tree broke, +and came crashing down, and he was greatly frightened. But when he +started up, he was a man again. Then he worshipped the tree. Then he +returned home. Then afterwards he did not misbehave. So also must you +not misbehave, you men who live now!--(Translated literally. Told by +Penri, 19th July, 1886.) + +[C] An onomatopoeia for the bark of the fox. + + +xxiii.--_The Rat Boy._ + +In a certain village there lived a very rich couple; but they were +childless. They were very anxious for a child. But one day, as the wife +went to the mountains to fetch wood, she found a little boy crying +beside a tree. Rejoiced at this, she took him down with her to the +village. Thenceforth they kept the boy with them. It was a place where +there was plenty of deer and also of fish; it was a place provided with +all the things which people like to eat. But though they hunted the +deer, they could not catch them; though they angled for the fish, they +could not catch them. They were very hungry. Hearing that great +quantities both of fish and of deer were killed in the village next to +theirs, towards the mountains, the wife went off to buy food there, +taking the child with her. She went to the village next to theirs, +towards the mountains. She went to the house of the chief. + +The woman looked and saw fish hanging on poles, and flesh hanging on +poles. With tears she longed for some. She went in, she went in to the +chief's house. Then she stayed there. She was feasted on the best bits +of the fish and on the best bits of the flesh. After that, as she lay +down with her little boy, he rose quietly in the middle of the night. +Then there was the sound of a rat nibbling at the fish and flesh on the +poles. The woman thought it very strange. So at dawn the boy came +quietly back, lay down by the woman's side, and slept there till the day +was bright. The people of the house rose, and the chief went out and +mumbled thus to himself: "Never were there such rats as this. There have +been rats nibbling my good fish and my good flesh." + +So the woman bought a quantity of fish and flesh and went off with it. +She wanted the little boy to walk in front of her; but he disliked to do +so. He would only walk after her. Then there was the sound of a rat +nibbling at her load. When she looked back, the little boy was grinning. +So they went on; they went home. Then she put both the fish and the +flesh into the store-house. Then she whispered to her husband. Then her +husband went into the next room, and made a trap. Then the trap was set +in the store-house. Then they went to bed. The little boy lay between +the woman and her husband; but after awhile he quietly rose and went +out. He stayed away, without coming back. Daylight came. On the man of +the house going into the store-house, there was a large rat in the trap. +So he brought it down, beat it to death, and swept it on to the +dust-heap. That night he had a dream. A person of divine aspect spoke to +him thus; "You were childless, and wanting to have a child. The most +wicked of the rats, seeing this, took the shape of a little boy, and +dwelt in your house. For this reason, your village has been polluted. +But as you have now killed the rat, all will now be right. I am sorry +for you, so you shall have a child." Thus did he dream that the god +spoke to him. As it was true, they got a child, though they had been +childless. + +For this reason, whether it be on the shore or in the mountains or +anywhere else that one finds either a child or a puppy, one should not +let it dwell in one's house without knowing its origin.--(Translated +literally. Told by Penri, 20th July 1886.) + + +xxiv.--_Don't throw Useful Things away._ + +A certain man had a little boy. A divine little boy and a divine little +girl used to come and play with him every day. But the little boy alone +could see them. His parents could not see them, but believed their child +to be alone. + +Now one day he fell ill, and during his illness his two playmates did +not come to see him. Only at the very last did they come, when he seemed +to be on the point of death. Then they came, and the little girl said: +"We know the cause of your illness. Your grandfather possessed a +beautiful axe. I myself am a small tray which he fashioned with that +axe, and the little boy who comes with me is a pestle which was also +fashioned with it. So the axe was our chieftain, and we are its +children. But your father has been bad. He has thrown away the axe, +which is now rusting under the floor. For this are you ill, in order to +punish your father, because our chieftain the axe is angry. Therefore, +as we were your playmates, we have come to warn you that, if you wish to +live, you must tell your father to search for the axe, to polish it, to +make a new handle for it, and to set up the divine symbols in its +honour. Then may you be cured, and the axe too will pay you a visit in +human shape." + +So the boy told his father of this. The father thought that his son had +been instructed in a dream. He searched under the floor of the house, +and found the axe, and polished it, and made a new handle for it, and +set up the divine symbols in its honour. Then his son was immediately +healed. + +After that, the axe (who appeared as a very handsome man), the tray, and +the pestle all came, and became the little boy's brothers and sisters. +The axe, being a god, knew all that went on and the causes of +everything; and it and the tray and the pestle used always to tell the +boy everything. Thus, if any one was sick, he knew why the sickness had +come, and how it should be treated. He was looked upon as a great +soothsayer and wizard, who could turn death into life. This was because +other people only saw him. They did not see his divine informants, the +axe, the tray, and the pestle. + +For this reason never throw away anything that has belonged to your +ancestors. You will be punished by the gods if you do so. + +[In a variant of this tale, the death of child after child borne by a +certain woman was owing to the fact that the doll with which she herself +had played as a child (a piece of wood shaped like a bird) had been +thrown away in the grass, and had thus had its anger aroused. A +conversation on the subject between the spoon, the cup, and the iron +chain whereby the kettle is hung over the fire from a hook in the +ceiling, is overheard by a half-burnt piece of firewood, who warns the +woman's husband in a dream. The doll is then looked for; and, when +found, the divine symbols are set up in its honour. Thereupon the woman +bears again. This time the child survives, to the delight of both its +parents.]--(Written down from memory. Told by Ishanashte, 2nd December, +1886.) + + +xxv.--_The Wicked Wizard punished._ + +One day a wizard told a man whom he knew that, if any one were to climb +a certain mountain-peak and jump off on to the belt of clouds below, he +would be able to ride about on them as on a horse, and see the whole +world. Trusting in this, the man did as the wizard had told him, and in +very truth was enabled to ride about on the clouds. He visited the whole +world in this fashion, and brought back a map which he had drawn of the +whole world both of men and of gods. On arriving back at the +mountain-peak in Aino-land, he stepped off the cloud on to the mountain, +and, descending to the valley, told the wizard how successful and +delightful the journey had been, and thanked him for the opportunity +kindly granted him of seeing sights so numerous and so strange. + +The wizard was overcome with astonishment. For what he had told the +other man was a lie, a wicked lie invented with the sole intention of +causing his death; for he hated him. Nevertheless, seeing that what he +had simply meant for an idle tale was apparently an actual fact, he +decided to see the world himself in this easy fashion. So, ascending the +mountain-peak, and seeing a belt of clouds a short way below, he jumped +off on to it, but was instantly dashed to pieces in the valley below. + +That night the god of the mountain appeared to the good man in a dream, +and said: "The wizard has met with the death which his fraud and folly +deserve. You I kept from hurt, because you are a good man. So when, +obedient to the wizard's advice, you leapt off on to the cloud, I bore +you up, and showed you the world in order to make you a wiser man. Let +all men learn from this how wickedness leads to condign +punishment!"--(Written down from memory. Told by Ishanashte, 21st July, +1886.) + + +xxvi.--_The Angry Crow._ + +A man came to a certain village--whence was not known,--dressed only in +fine black robes. While he was there, some rice-beer was brewed. On +being given some of it to drink, he was very joyful, and then danced. +Then, as he went out-of-doors, he re-entered the house with a piece of +hard dung in his mouth, and put it in the alcove. As the master of the +house became angry and beat him, he, being a large crow, flew out of the +window, making the sound "K[=a]! k[=a]!" For this reason, even crows are +creatures to be dreaded. Be very careful!--(Translated literally. Told +by Penri, 11th July, 1886.) + +[In another version of this story, communicated to me by Mr John +Batchelor, the crow, enraged at not having received an invitation to a +feast given by some of the more handsome birds, flies high into the air +with a piece of hard dung in its mouth, and lets it drop into the middle +of the party, to the great confusion of the guests. Some of the smaller +birds take counsel together as to the advisability of interfering to +restore the harmony of the occasion, but finally decide that it is not +for them, who were also omitted from the list of invitations, to mix +themselves up with such a matter. _Moral_: If you give a feast, ask all +your friends to it. If any are left out, they are sure to feel hurt.] + + +xxvii.--_Okikurumi, Samayunguru, and the Shark._ + +Okikurumi and his henchman Samayunguru went out one day to sea, and +speared a large shark, which ran away, up and down the sea, with the +line and the boat. The two men grew very tired of pulling at him, and +could not prevent the boat from being pulled about in all directions. +Their hands were bloody and blistered both on the backs and on the +palms, till at last Samayunguru sank dead in the bottom of the boat. At +last Okikurumi could hold on no longer, and he cursed the shark, saying: +"You bad shark! I will cut the rope. But the tip of the harpoons, made +half of iron and half of bone, shall remain sticking in your flesh; and +you shall feel in your body the reverberation of the iron and the +scraping of the bone; and on your skin shall grow the _rasupa_-tree and +the _shiuri_-tree of which the spear-handle is made, and the _hai_-grass +by which the tip of the harpoon is tied to the body of it, and the +_nipesh_-tree of which the rope tying the harpoon itself is made, so +that, though you are such a mighty fish, you shall not be able to swim +in the water; and you shall die, and a last be washed ashore at the +river-mouth of Saru; and even the carrier-crows and the dogs and foxes +will not eat you, but will only void their foeces upon you, and you +shall at last rot away to earth." + +The shark laughed, thinking this was merely a human being telling a +falsehood. Okikurumi cut the rope, and, after a long time, managed to +reach the land. Then he revived Samayunguru, who had been dead. And +afterwards the shark died and was washed ashore at the river-mouth of +Saru; and the tip of the harpoon made half of iron and half of bone had +stuck in its flesh; and it had felt in its body the reverberation of the +hammering of the iron and the scraping of the bone; and in its skin were +growing the _rasupa_-tree and the _shiuri_-tree of which the +spear-handle used by Okikurumi was made, and the _hai_-grass by which +the tip of the harpoon was tied to the body of it, and the _nipesh_-tree +of which the rope tying the harpoon itself was made; and even the +carrion-crows and the dogs and foxes would not eat the bad shark, but +only voided their foeces upon him; and at last he rotted away to +earth. + +Therefore take warning, oh! sharks of the present day, lest you die as +this shark died!--(Written down from memory. Told by Ishanashte, 24th +November, 1886.) + + + + +III.--TALES OF THE PANAUMBE AND PENAUMBE CYCLE.[D] + + +xxviii.--_Panaumbe, Penaumbe, and the Weeping Foxes._ + +There were Panaumbe and Penaumbe. Panaumbe went down to the bank of a +river, and called out: "Oh! you fellows on the cliff behind yonder +cliff! Ferry me across!" They replied: "We must first scoop out a boat. +Wait for us!" After a little while Panaumbe called out again. "We have +no poles," said they; "we are going to make some poles. Wait for us!" +After a little longer, he called out a third time. They replied thus: +"We are coming for you, Wait for us!" Then the boat started,--a big boat +all full of foxes. + +So Panaumbe, having first seized hold of a good bludgeon, feigned dead. +Then the foxes arrived, and spoke thus: "Panaumbe! You are to be pitied. +Were you frozen to death, or were you starved to death?" With these +words, all the foxes came up close to him, and wept. Thereupon Panaumbe +brandished his bludgeon, struck all the foxes, and killed them. Only one +fox did he let go, after breaking one of its legs. As for the rest, +having killed them all, he carried them home to his house, and grew very +rich [by selling their flesh and their skins]. + +Then Penaumbe came down to him, and spoke thus: "Whereas you and I were +both equally poor, how did you kill such a number of foxes, and thereby +become rich?" Panaumbe replied: "If you will come and dine with me, I +will instruct you." But Penaumbe at once said: "I have heard all about +it before." With these words he pissed against the door-sill, and went +out. + +Descending to the bank of the river, he called, crying out as Panaumbe +had done. The reply was: "We are going to make a boat. Wait for us!" +After a little while, he called out again. They replied: "We are going +to make the poles. Wait for us!" After a little longer, they started,--a +whole boatful of foxes. So Penaumbe first feigned dead. Then the foxes +arrived, and said: "Penaumbe here is to be pitied. Did he die of cold? +or did he die from want of food?" With these words, they all came close +to Penaumbe and wept. But one fox among them, a fox who limped, spoke +thus: "I remember something which once happened. Weep at a greater +distance!" So all the foxes sat and wept ever further and further away. +Penaumbe was unable to kill any of those foxes; and, as he brandished +his bludgeon, they all ran away. He did not catch a single one, and he +himself died a miserable death.--(Literal translation. Told by +Ishanashte, 23rd July, 1886.) + +[D] Panaumbe means "the person on the lower course of the stream." +Penaumbe means "the person on the upper course of the stream." Conf. +Aino "Memoir," p. 28. + + +xxix.--_Panaumbe, Penaumbe, the Fishes, and the Insects._ + +There were Panaumbe and Penaumbe. Panaumbe went down to the sea-shore, +squatted on the sand, pulled up his clothes, and, turning his back to +the sea, opened his anus as widely as possible. Then all the whales and +the salmon and the other good fishes, both great and small, thought it +was a beautiful cavern in the rocks. They all swam towards it, and +crowded into it. Panaumbe was much pleased. When his inside was quite +full, he closed his anus and ran home. When he got to the house, he +closed the door and the window. Then he opened his anus again, and let +out all the whales and the salmon and the other good fishes, both great +and small, so that the whole house was full of them. They could not swim +away, because the door and window were shut. So Panaumbe caught them +all. Some he ate, and some he sold. So he became a very rich man. + +Then Penaumbe came down, and spoke thus: "You were poor before. Now you +are very rich. How have you managed to get so rich?" Panaumbe said: +"Come and dine with me. I can instruct you while we are eating." So, +when Panaumbe had told Penaumbe how he had become rich, Penaumbe said: +"I knew that before." With these words, he pissed against the threshold, +and went out,--down to the sea-shore. Then he did as Panaumbe had told +him, and opened his anus as wide as possible towards the sea. Then he +felt all the whales and salmon and the other fishes, both great and +small, crowding in. When his inside was quite full, he closed his anus, +and ran home very quickly. When he got to the house he closed the door +and the window, and stopped up even the smallest chinks. Then he opened +his anus again, and let out all the whales and salmon, and the other +good fishes, both great and small, so that the whole house was full of +them. But when they came out, what had felt like whales and salmon, and +all sorts of fishes, were really wasps and horse-flies and spiders and +centipedes, and other poisonous insects, which stung him terribly. They +could not get out, because Penaumbe had closed the window and the door, +and had stopped up even the smallest chinks. So Penaumbe was stung to +death by the wasps and centipedes and other poisonous insects which had +come home in his inside.--(Written down from memory. Told by Kannariki, +June, 1886.) + + +xxx.--_Panaumbe, Penaumbe, and the Sea-Lion._ + +There were Panaumbe and Penaumbe. Panaumbe went down to the sea-shore, +and walked up and down upon the sand. Then he saw a sea-lion in the +water. He wanted to catch that sea-lion, and eat its flesh. So he called +out to it: "Oh! Mr. Sea-Lion, if you will come here, I will pick the +lice out of your head." The sea-lion was very glad to have the lice +picked out of its head. So it swam to him. Then he pretended to pick the +lice out of its head. But in reality he picked the flesh off its head, +and the fat, and ate it. Then he said: "All the lice are picked off. You +may go." After the sea-lion had swum a short way, it put its paw up to +its head, in order to see whether the lice had really all been taken +off. Then it felt that its flesh and fat were all gone, and that only +the bones remained. So it was very angry, and swam back quickly towards +the shore, to catch Panaumbe and kill him. + +Panaumbe, when he saw the sea-lion pursuing him, ran inland towards the +mountains. After running some time, he reached a place where the path +divided. An old crow was perching on a tree there, and said: "Right or +left! right or left! I see a clever man." The road to the right was +broad, and the road to the left was narrow, because it was in a valley +which ended in a point. Panaumbe thought thus: "If I take the broad path +to the right, the sea-lion will overtake me, and kill me. But if I take +the narrow path to the left, he will run so fast that he will get stuck +at the end of the narrow valley, and I, being small, can slip out +between his legs, and beat in his head from behind, and kill him." So +Panaumbe ran along the narrow path to the left, and the sea-lion pursued +him. But the sea-lion ran so heedlessly and quickly that it got stuck at +the end of the narrow valley. Then Panaumbe slipped out between the +sea-lion's legs, and beat in his head from behind, and killed him, and +took home his flesh and his skin. Then Panaumbe became very rich. + +Afterwards Penaumbe came down to him, and said: "You and I were both +poor. How is it that you are now so rich?" Panaumbe said: "If you will +come and dine with me, I will instruct you." So they went together to +Panaumbe's house, where Panaumbe's mother, and his wife and children, +were eating the flesh of the sea-lion. But Penaumbe, when he had heard +what Panaumbe had done, said: "I knew that before." Then he stepped in +the dishes set before Panaumbe's mother and wife and children, and spilt +their food. Then he pissed on the threshold, and went away. + +Penaumbe went down to the sea-shore, and saw a sea-lion, as Panaumbe had +done. He called out to the sea-lion: "Oh! Mr. Sea-Lion, if you will come +here, I will pick the lice out of your head." So the sea-lion swam to +him. Then Penaumbe pretended to pick the lice out of its head. But in +reality he picked the flesh and the fat off its head, and left nothing +but the bones. The sea-lion felt a little pain, but thought that it was +owing to the lice being picked out. So, when Penaumbe had finished +picking and eating the flesh off its head, it swam away. But afterwards, +feeling the pain more sharply, the sea-lion put its paw up to its head, +and found that nothing but bone was left. So it was very angry, and swam +back quickly towards the shore, to catch Penaumbe and kill him. + +Penaumbe, when he saw the sea-lion pursuing him, ran inland towards the +mountains. After running some time, he reached the place where the path +divided. The old crow, which was perching on the tree, said: "Left or +right! left or right! I see a fool." Penaumbe took the broad road to the +right, in order to be able to run more easily. But the sea-lion ran more +quickly than he could, and caught him and ate him up. Then Penaumbe +died. But if he had listened to advice he might have become a rich man +like Panaumbe.--(Written down from memory. Told by Kannariki, June, +1886.) + + +xxxi.--_Panaumbe, Penaumbe, and the Lord of Matomai_.[E] + +Panaumbe wanted very much to become rich. For this reason, he stretched +his penis across to the town of Matomai. Then the lord of Matomai spoke +thus: "This is a pole sent by the gods; so it will be well to dry all +the clothes upon it." So all the clothes and beautiful garments were +dried. After a time Panaumbe drew back his penis, and all those clothes +and beautiful garments came sticking to it. His house was greatly +benefited. He became a very rich man. + +Afterwards Penaumbe came down and said: "My dear Panaumbe, what have you +done to become so rich?" Panaumbe said: "Come and eat, and I will tell +you." Afterwards Penaumbe said: "This is the thing I intended to do. +Abominable Panaumbe! bad Panaumbe! you have forestalled me." With these +words, he pissed on the threshold, and went out. Then he went down to +the sea-shore, and stretched his penis across the sea to Matomai. The +lord of Matomai said: "This is a pole sent by the gods. It will be well +to dry all the clothes and beautiful garments upon it." For this reason, +all the clothes and beautiful garments were brought down, and put upon +the divine pole. Penaumbe wanted to become rich quickly by drawing back +his penis. So he drew it back quickly. The divine pole moved, and the +lord of Matomai spoke thus: "It happened thus before. There was a pole +sent by the gods. For this reason the clothes and beautiful garments +were dried upon it. Then a thief stole the divine pole away. We all +became poor. Now again our clothes and beautiful garments have been +placed upon a pole. Now there seems to be a thief again. Quickly cut the +divine pole." For that reason the servants of the lord all drew their +swords. They cut the divine pole, and all the clothes and beautiful +garments were taken. Penaumbe was left with only half a penis. He drew +it in. Then he had nothing. Then he became very poor. If Penaumbe had +listened to Panaumbe's advice, he might have had food to eat, he might +have become rich. But he did not like to listen to advice. For this +reason he became poor.--(Translated literally. Original communicated by +Mr. John Batchelor, June, 1886; also printed in "Aino Memoir," p. 133, +but with the indecent expressions softened down.) + +[E] The Aino pronunciation of _Matsumae_. Matsumae is a town in the +south of Yezo. The lord or _Daimyo_ resident there was formerly the +chief Japanese authority in the country. + + +xxxii.--_Drinking the Sea dry._ + +There was the Chief of the Mouth of the River and the Chief of the Upper +Current of the River. The former was very vainglorious, and therefore +wished to put the latter to shame, or to kill him by engaging him in the +attempt to perform something impossible. So he sent for him, and said: +"The sea may be a useful thing, in so far as it is the original home of +the fish which come up the river. But it is very destructive in stormy +weather, when it beats wildly upon the beach. Do you now drink it dry, +so that there may be rivers and dry land only. If you cannot do so, then +forfeit all your possessions." The other (greatly to the vainglorious +man's surprise) said: "I accept the challenge." + +So, on their going down together to the beach, the Chief of the Upper +Current of the River took a cup, and scooped up a little of the +sea-water with it, drank a few drops, and said: "In the sea-water itself +there is no harm. It is some of the rivers flowing into it that are +poisonous. Do you therefore first close the mouths of all the rivers +both in Aino-land and in Japan, and prevent them from flowing into the +sea, and then I will undertake to drink the sea dry." Hereupon the Chief +of the Mouth of the River felt ashamed, acknowledged his error, and gave +all his treasures to his rival.--(Written down from memory. Told by +Ishanashte, 18th November, 1886.) + + + + +IV.--MISCELLANEOUS TALES. + + +xxxiii.--_The Island of Women._ + +In ancient days, an Aino chieftain of Iwanai went to sea in order to +catch sea-lions, taking with him his two sons. They speared a sea-lion, +which, however, swam off with the spear sticking in its body. Meanwhile +a gale began to blow down from the mountains. The men cut the rope which +was fast to the spear. Then their boat floated on. After some time, they +reached a beautiful land. When they had reached it, a number of women in +fine garments came down from the mountains to the shore. They came +bearing a beautiful woman in a litter. Then all the women who had come +to the shore returned to the mountains. Only the one in the litter came +close to the boat, and spoke thus: "This land is woman-land. It is a +land where no men live. It being now spring, and there being something +peculiar to this country of mine you shall be taken care of in my house +until the autumn; and in the winter you shall become our husbands. The +following spring I will send you home. So now do you bear me to my +house." + +Thereupon the Aino chief and his sons bore the woman in the litter to +the mountains. They saw that the country was all like moorland. Then the +chieftainess entered the house. There was a room there with a golden +netting, like a mosquito-net. The three men were placed inside it. The +chieftainess fed them herself. In the day-time numbers of women came in. +They sat beside the golden mosquito-net, looking at the men. At +nightfall they went home. So gradually it got to be autumn. Then the +chieftainess spoke as follows, "As the fall of the leaf has now come, +and as there are two vice-chieftainesses besides me, I will send your +two sons to them. You yourself shall be husband to me." Then two +beautiful women came in, and led off the two sons by the hand, while the +chieftainess kept the chief for herself. + +So the men dwelt there. When spring came, the chieftain's wife spoke +thus to him: "We women of this country differ from yours. At the same +time as the grass begins to sprout, teeth sprout in our vaginas. So our +husbands cannot stay with us. The east wind is our husband. When the +east wind blows, we all turn our buttocks towards it, and thus conceive +children. Sometimes we bear male children. But these male children are +killed and done away with when they become fit to lie with women. For +that reason, this is a land which has women only. It is called +woman-land. So when, brought by some bad god, you came to this land of +mine, there were teeth in my vagina because it was summer, for which +reason I did not marry you. But I married you when the teeth fell out. +Now, as the teeth are again sprouting in my vagina because spring has +come, it is now impossible for us to sleep together. I will send you +home to-morrow. So do you tell your sons to come here to-day in order to +be ready." + +The sons came. The chieftainess stayed in the house. Then, with tears +streaming down her face, she spoke thus; "Though it is dangerous, +to-night is our last night. Let us sleep together!" Then the man, being +much frightened, took a beautiful scabbard in a bag in his bosom, and +lay with the woman with this scabbard. The mark of the teeth remained on +the scabbard. The next day dawned. Then the man went to his boat, taking +his sons with him. The chieftainess wept and spoke thus: "As a fair wind +is blowing away from my country, you, if you set sail and sail straight +ahead, will be able to reach your home at Iwanai." So then the men +entered their boat, and went out to sea. A fair wind was blowing down +from the mountains, and they went along under sail. After a time they +saw land; they saw the mountains about Iwanai. Going on for a time, they +came to the shore of Iwanai. Their wives were wearing widows' caps. So +their husbands embraced them. So the story of woman-land was listened to +carefully. All the Ainos saw the beautiful scabbard which the chief had +used with that woman.--(Translated literally. Told by Penri, 17th July, +1886.) + + +xxxiv.--_The Worship of the Salmon, the Divine Fish._ + +A certain Aino went out in a boat to catch fish in the sea. While he was +there, a great wind arose, so that he drifted about for six nights. Just +as he was like to die, land came in sight. Being borne on to the beach +by the waves, he quietly stepped ashore, where he found a pleasant +rivulet. Having walked up the bank of this rivulet for some distance, he +saw a populous place. Near the place were crowds of people, both men and +women. Going on to it, and entering the house of the chief, he found an +old man of very divine aspect. That old man said to him: "Stay with us a +night, and we will send you home to your country to-morrow. Do you +consent?" + +So the Aino spent the night with the old chief. When next day came, the +old chief spoke thus: "Some of my people, both men and women, are going +to your country for purposes of trade. So, if you will be led by them, +you will be able to go home. When they take you with them in the boat, +you must lie down, and not look about you, but completely hide your +head. If you do that, you may return. If you look, my people will be +angry. Mind you do not look." Thus spoke the old chief. + +Well, there was a whole fleet of boats, inside of which crowds of +people, both men and women, took passage. There were as many as five +score boats, which all started off together. The Aino lay down inside +one of them and hid his head, while the others made the boats go to the +music of a pretty song. He liked this much. After awhile, they reached +the land. When they had done so, the Aino, peeping a little, saw that +there was a river, and that they were drawing water with dippers from +the mouth of the river, and sipping it. They said to each other: "How +good this water is!" Half the fleet went up the river. But the boat in +which the Aino was went on its voyage, and at last reached his native +place, whereupon the sailors threw the Aino into the water. He thought +he had been dreaming. Afterwards he came to himself. The boat and its +sailors had disappeared--whither he could not tell. But he went to his +house, and, falling asleep, dreamt a dream. He dreamt that the same old +chief appeared to him and said: "I am no human being. I am the chief of +the salmon, the divine fish. As you seemed in danger of dying in the +waves, I drew you to me and saved your life. You thought you only stayed +with me one night. But in truth that night was a whole year. When it was +ended, I sent you back to your native place. So I shall be truly +grateful if henceforth you will offer rice-beer to me, set up the divine +symbols in my honour, and worship me with the words 'I make a libation +to the chief of the salmon, the divine fish.' If you do not worship me, +you will become a poor man. Remember this well!" Such were the words +which the divine old man spoke to him in his dream.--(Translated +literally. Told by Ishanashte, 17th July, 1886.) + + +xxxv.--_The Hunter in Hades._ + +A handsome and brave young man, who was skilful in the chase, one day +pursued a large bear into the recesses of the mountains. On and on ran +the bear, and still the young fellow pursued it up heights and crags +more and more dangerous, but without ever being able to get near enough +to shoot it with his poisoned arrows. At last, on a bleak +mountain-summit, the bear disappeared down a hole in the ground. The +young man followed it in, and found himself in an immense cavern, at the +far end of which was a gleam of light. Towards this he groped his way, +and, on emerging, found himself in another world. Everything there was +as in the world of men, but more beautiful. There were trees, houses, +villages, human beings. With these, however, the young hunter had no +concern. What he wanted was his bear, which had totally disappeared. The +best plan seemed to be to seek it in the remoter mountain district of +this new world underground. So he followed up a valley; and, being tired +and hungry, picked the grapes and mulberries that were hanging to the +trees, and ate them as he trudged along. + +Happening suddenly, for some reason or other, to look down upon his own +body, what was not his horror to find himself transformed into a +serpent! His very cries and groans, on making the discovery, were turned +into serpent's hisses. What was he to do? To go back like this to his +native world, where snakes are hated, would be certain death. No plan +presented itself to his mind. But, unconsciously, he wandered, or rather +crept and glided, back to the entrance of the cavern that led home to +the world of men; and there, at the foot of a pine-tree of extraordinary +size and height, he fell asleep. + +To him then, in a dream, appeared the goddess of the pine-tree, and +said: "I am sorry to see you in this state. Why did you eat of the +poisonous fruits of Hades? The only thing you can do to recover your +proper shape is to climb to the top of this pine-tree, and fling +yourself down. Then you may, perhaps, become a human being again." + +On waking from this dream, the young man,--or rather snake, as he still +found himself to be,--was filled half with hope and half with fear. But +he resolved to follow the goddess' advice. So, gliding up the tall +pine-tree, he reached its topmost branch, and, after hesitating a few +moments, flung himself down. Crash he went. On coming to his senses, he +found himself standing at the foot of the tree; and close by was the +body of an immense serpent, ripped open so as to allow of his having +crawled out of it. After offering up thanks to the pine-tree, and +setting up the divine symbols in its honour, he hastened to retrace his +steps through the long, tunnel-like cavern, through which he had +originally entered Hades. After walking for a certain time, he emerged +into the world of men, to find himself on the mountain-top, whither he +had pursued the bear which he had never seen again. + +On reaching his home, he went to bed, and dreamt a second time. It was +the same goddess of the pine-tree, that appeared before him and said: "I +have come to tell you that you cannot stay long in the world of men +after once eating the grapes and mulberries of Hades. There is a goddess +in Hades who wishes to marry you. She it was who, assuming the form of a +bear, lured you into the cavern, and thence to the under-world. You must +make up your mind to come away." + +And so it fell out. The young man awoke; but a grave sickness +overpowered him. A few days later he went a second time to Hades, and +returned no more to the land of the living.--(Written down from memory. +Told by Ishanashte, 22nd July, 1886.) + + +xxxvi.--_An Inquisitive Man's Experience of Hades._ + +Three generations before my time there lived an Aino who wished to find +out whether the stories told about the existence of an under-world were +true. So one day he penetrated into an immense cavern (since washed away +by the waves) at the river-mouth of Sarubutsu. All was dark in front, +all was dark behind. But at last there was a glimmer of light a-head. +The man went on, and soon emerged into Hades. There were trees, and +villages, and rivers, and the sea, and large junks loading fish and +seaweed. Some of the people were Ainos, some were Japanese, just as in +the every-day world. Among the number were some whom he had known when +they were alive. But, though _he_ saw _them_, _they_,--strange to +say,--did not seem to see _him_. Indeed he was invisible to all, +excepting to the dogs; for dogs see everything, even spirits, and the +dogs of Hades barked at him fiercely. Hereupon the people of the place, +judging that some evil spirit had come among them, threw him dirty food, +such as evil spirits eat, in order, as they thought, to appease him. Of +course he was disgusted, and flung the filthy fish-bones and soiled rice +away But every time that he did so the stuff immediately returned to the +pocket in his bosom, so that he was greatly distressed. + +At last, entering a fine-looking house near the beach, he found his +father and mother,--not old, as they were when they died, but in the +heyday of youth and strength. He called to his mother, but she ran away +trembling. He clasped his father by the hand, and said: "Father! don't +you know me? can't you see me? I am your son." But his father fell +yelling to the ground. So he stood aloof again, and watched how his +parents and the other people in the house set up the divine symbols, and +prayed in order to make the evil spirit depart. + +In his despair at being unrecognized he did depart, with the unclean +offerings that had been made to him still sticking to his person, +notwithstanding his endeavours to get rid of them. It was only when, +after passing back through the cavern, he had emerged once more into the +world of men, that they left him free from their pollution. He returned +home, and never wished to visit Hades again. It is a foul +place.--(Written down from memory. Told by Ishanashte, 22nd July, 1886.) + + +xxxvii.--_The Child of a God._ + +There was a very beautiful woman, who was still without a husband. A man +had already been fixed upon to become her husband, but he had not yet +lain with her. Nevertheless the woman suddenly was with child. For this +reason she was greatly surprised. As for other people, they thought +thus: "She has probably become with child through lying with some other +man." That was what other people said. The man who was to be her husband +was very angry. But he could not know whence it was that she was with +child. + +Then she was delivered. She bore a little snake. She was greatly +ashamed. Her mother took the little snake, went out, and spoke thus, +with tears: "What god has deigned to beget a child in my daughter? +Though he should deign to beget one, it would at least be well if he +had begotten a human child. But this little snake we human beings cannot +keep. As it is the child of the god who begot it, he may as well keep +it." So saying, she threw it away. Then the old woman went in. + +This being so, afterwards there was the noise of a baby crying. The old +woman went out, and looked. It was a nice baby. Then the old woman +carried it in. The woman who had given birth to the child rejoiced with +tears. Then the baby was found to be a boy, and was kept. Gradually he +grew big. After a time he became a man. Then, being a very fine man, he +killed large numbers both of deer and of bears. + +The woman who had given birth to him was alone astonished. What had +happened was that, while she slept, the light of the sun had shone upon +her through the opening in the roof. Thus had she become with child. +Then she dreamt a dream, which said: "I, being a god, have given you a +child, because I love you. When you die, you shall truly become my wife. +Your and my son, when he gets a wife, shall have plenty of children." +The woman dreamt thus, and worshipped. Then that son of hers, when +pursued by the bears, could not be caught. He was a great hunter, a very +rich man. + +Then the woman died, without having had a human husband. Afterwards her +son, getting a wife, had children, and became rich. His descendants are +living to this day.--(Translated literally. Told by Penri, 21st July, +1886.) + + +xxxviii.--_Buying a Dream._ + +A certain thickly populated village was governed by six chiefs, the +oldest of whom lorded it over the other five. One day he made a feast, +brewed some rice-beer, and invited the other five chiefs, and feasted +them. When they were departing, he said: "To-morrow each of you must +tell me the dream which he shall have dreamt over-night; and if it is a +good dream I will buy it." + +So next day four of the chiefs came and told their dreams. But they were +all bad dreams, not worth buying. The fifth, however, did not come, +though he was waited for at first, and then sent for several times. At +last, when brought by force, he would not open his lips. So the senior +chief flew into a rage, and caused a hole to be dug in front of the door +of his own house, and had the man buried in it up to his chin, and left +there all that day and night. + +Now the truth was that the senior chief was a bad man, that the junior +chief was a good man, and that this junior chief had forgotten his +dream, but did not dare to say so. After dark, a kind god,--the God of +the Privy,--came and said: "You are a good man. I am sorry for you, and +will take you out of the hole." This he did; and, at that very moment, +the chief remembered how he had dreamt of having been led up the bank of +a stream through the woods to the house of a goddess who smiled +beautifully, and whose room was carpeted with skins; how she had +comforted him, fed him plenteously, and sent him home in gorgeous array, +and with instructions for deceiving and killing his enemy, the senior +chief. "I suppose you remember it all now," said the God of the Privy; +"it was I who caused you to forget it, and thus saved you from having it +bought by the wicked senior chief, because I am pleased with the way in +which you keep the privy clean, not even letting grass grow near it. And +now I will show you the reality of that of which before you saw only the +dream-image." + +So the man was led up the bank of a stream through the woods to the +house of the goddess, who smiled beautifully, and whose room was +carpeted with skins. She was the badger-goddess. She comforted him, fed +him plenteously, and said: "You must deceive the senior chief, saying +that the god of door-posts, pleased at your being buried near him, took +you out, and gave you these beautiful clothes. He will then wish to have +the same thing happen to him." So the man went back to the village, and +appeared in all his splendid raiment before the senior chief, who had +fancied him to be still in the hole,--a punishment which would be +successful if it made him confess his dream, and also if it killed him. + +Then the good junior chief told him the lies in which the badger-goddess +had instructed him. Thereupon the senior chief caused himself to be +buried in like fashion up to the neck, but soon died of the effects. +Afterwards the badger-goddess came down to the village, and married the +good man, who became the senior of all the chiefs.--(Written down from +memory. Told by Ishanashte, 16th November, 1886.) + + +xxxix.--_The Baby in the Box._ + +There was once a woman who was tenderly loved by her husband. At last, +after some years, she bore him a son. Then the father loved this son +even more than he loved his wife. She therefore thought thus: "How +pleasant it used to be formerly, when my husband loved me alone! But +now, since I have borne him this nasty child, he loves it more than he +does me. It will be well for me to make away with it." + +Thus thinking, she waited till her husband had gone off bear-hunting in +the mountains, and then put the baby into a box, which she took to the +river and allowed to float away. Then she returned home. Later on, her +husband came back; and she, with feigned tears, told him that the baby +had disappeared--stolen or strayed,--and that she had vainly searched +all round about the house and in the woods. The man lay down, like to +die of grief, and refused all food. Only at length, when he saw that his +wife, too, went without her food, did he begin to eat a little, fearing, +in his affection for her, that she too might die of hunger. However, it +was only when he was present that she fasted. She ate her fill behind +his back. + +At last, one day, not knowing what to do to rouse him, she said to him: +"Look here! I will divert you with a story." Then she told him the whole +story exactly as it had happened, being herself, all the while, under +the delusion that she was telling him an ancient fairy-tale. Then he +flew into a rage, took his bludgeon, beat her to death, and then threw +her corpse out-of-doors. This was the way in which the gods chose to +punish her. + +Then the husband, knowing now that his search must be made down the +stream, started off. At last, after seeking for a long time, he came to +a lonely house, where he found a very venerable-looking old man, an old +woman, and their middle-aged daughter, and also a boy. He said to the +old man: "I come to ask whether you know anything of my little boy, who +was placed in a box and set to float down the stream." The old man +replied: "One day, when my daughter here went to draw water from the +river, she found a box with a little boy in it. We knew not whether the +child was a human creature, a god, or a devil. So doubtless he is yours. +We have kept the box too. Here it is. You can judge by looking at it." + +It turned out to be the same box, and the same boy. So the father +rejoiced. Then the old man said: "Remain here. I will give to you for +wife this daughter of mine, my only child. Live with us as long as my +old wife and I remain alive. Feed us, and then you shall inherit from +me." The man did so. When the old people died, he inherited all their +possessions; and then, with his new wife and his beloved son, returned +to his own village. So you see that, even among us Ainos, there are +wicked women.--(Written down from memory. Told by Ishanashte, 17th +November, 1886.) + + +xl.--_The Bride Bewitched._ + +There was once a very beautiful girl who had many suitors. But, as soon +as she was married to one, and he lay down beside her and then stretched +out his hand towards her vagina, a voice came from it, warning him to +desist. This so much alarmed the bridegroom that he fled. This happened +nine or ten times, till at last the girl was in despair; for none would +now wed her, and her old father was put to shame. They plunged her into +the water of the river, but it had no effect. So at last, in her grief, +she ran to the mountains, and threw herself down at the foot of a +magnolia-tree. + +When, after some difficulty, she fell asleep, she dreamt that the tree +was a house, outside of which she was lying, and from the window of +which a lovely goddess popped out her head and said: "What has happened +is in no way your fault. Your beauty has caused a wicked fox to fall in +love with you. It is he who has got into your vagina, and who speaks out +of it, in order to prevent the approach of any ordinary mortal husband. +He, too, it is who has lured you out here, to carry you away altogether. +But do not allow yourself to become subject to his influence. I will +give you some beautiful clothes, and cause you to reach your house in +safety. You must tell your father all about me." Then the girl awoke and +went home. Her father exorcised the fox at last by carving an exact +likeness of his daughter, and offering it to the fox with respectful +worship. Then she married, and gave birth to children, and was happy all +her life.--(Written down from memory. Told by Ishanashte, 17th November, +1886.) + + +xli.--_The Wicked Stepmother._ + +In ancient days, when men were allowed to have several wives, a certain +man had two--one about his own age, the other quite young,--and he loved +them both with equal tenderness. But when the younger of the two bore +him a daughter, his love for his daughter made him also perhaps a little +fonder of the mother of the child than of his other wife, to the +latter's great rage. She revolved in her mind what to do, and at last +feigned a grave illness, pretending not to be able even to eat, though +she did eat when everybody's back was turned. At last, being to all +appearance on the point of death, she declared that one thing alone +could cure her. She must have the heart of her little step-child to eat. + +On hearing this, the man felt very sad, and knew not what to do; for he +loved this wicked wife of his and his little daughter equally dearly. +But at last he decided that he might more easily get another daughter +than another wife whom he would love as much as he did this one. So he +commanded two of his servants to carry off the child to the forest while +her mother was not looking, to slay her there, and bring back her heart. +So they took her. But, being merciful men, they slew, instead of her, a +dog that came by that way, and brought the child back secretly to her +mother, who was much frightened to hear what had happened, and who fled +with the child. Meanwhile the dog's heart was brought to the +step-mother, who was so overjoyed at the sight of it, that she declared +she required no more. So, without even eating it, she left off +pretending to be sick. + +For some time after this, she lived alone with her husband. But at last +he was told of what had happened, and he grew very sullen. She, seeing +this, wished for a livelier husband. So one day, when her husband was +out hunting, a young man, beautifully dressed all in black, came and +courted her, and she flirted with him, and showed him her breasts. Then +they fled together, and came to a beautiful house with gold mats, where +they slept together. But when she woke in the morning it was not a house +at all, but a rubble of leaves and branches in the midst of the forest; +and her new husband was nothing but a carrion-crow perching overhead, +and her own body, too, was turned into a crow's, and she had to eat +dung. + +But the former husband was warned in a dream to take back his younger +wife and his child, and the three lived happily together ever after. +From that time forward most men have left off the bad habit of having +more than one wife.--(Written down from memory. Told by Ishanashte, +November, 1886.) + + +xlii.--_The Clever Deceiver._ + +A long, long time ago there was a rascal, who went to the mountains to +fetch wood. As he did not know how to amuse himself, he climbed to the +top of a very thick pine-tree. Having munched some rice he stuck it +about the branches of the tree, so as to make it look like birds' dung. +Then he went back to the village, to the house of the chief, and spoke +thus to him: "I have found a place where a beautiful peacock has its +nest. Let us go there together! Being such a poor man, I feel myself +unworthy of going too near the divine bird. You, being a rich man, +should take the peacock. It will be a great treasure for you. Let us +go!" + +So the chief went there with him. When the chief looked, there truly +were many traces of birds' dung near the top of the tall pine-tree. He +thought the peacock was there. So he said: "I do not know how to climb +trees. Though you are a poor man you do know how to do so. So go and get +the peacock, and I will reward you well. Go and get the divine peacock!" +So the poor man climbed the tree. When he was half way up it, he said: +"Oh! sir, your house seems to be on fire." The chief was much +frightened. Owing to his being frightened, he was about to run home. +Then the rascal spoke thus: "By this time your house is quite burnt +down. There is no use in your running there." The rich man thought he +would go anywhere to die; so he went towards the mountains. After he had +gone a short way, he thought thus: "You should go and see even the +traces of your burnt house." So he went down there. When he looked, he +found that his house was not burnt at all. He was very angry, and wanted +to kill that rascal. Then the rascal came down. The chief commanded his +servants, saying: "You fellows! this man is not only poor, but a very +badly behaved deceiver. Put him into a mat, and roll him up in it +without killing him. Then throw him into the river. Do this!" Thus spoke +the chief. + +The servants put the rascal into the mat, and tied it round tight. Then +two of them carried him between them on a pole to the river-bank. They +went to the river. The rascal spoke thus: "Though I am a very bad man, I +have some very precious treasures. Do you go and fetch them. If you do +so, it can be arranged about their being given to you. Afterwards you +can throw me into the river." Hearing this, the two servants went off to +the rascal's house. + +Meanwhile a blind old man came along from somewhere or other. His foot +struck against something wrapped up in a mat. Astonished at this, he +tapped it with his stick. Then the rascal said: "Blind man! If you will +do as I tell you, the gods will give you eyes, and you will be able to +see. So do so. If you will untie me and do as I tell you, I will pray to +the gods, and your eyes will be opened." The blind old man was very +glad. He untied the mat, and let the rascal out. Then the rascal saw +that, though the man was old and blind, he was dressed very much like a +god. The rascal said: "Take off your clothes and become naked, whereupon +your eyes will quickly be opened." This being so, the blind old man took +off his clothes. Then the rascal put him naked into the mat, and tied it +round tight. Then he went off with the clothes, and hid. + +Shortly afterwards, the two men came, and said: "You rascal! you are +truly a deceiver. So, though you possess no treasures, you possess +plenty of deceit. So now we shall fling you into the water." The blind +old man said: "I am a blind old man. I am not that rascal. Please do +not kill me!" But he was forthwith flung into the river. Afterwards the +two men went home to their master's house. + +Afterwards the rascal put on the blind old man's beautiful clothes. Then +he went to the chief's house and said: "My appearance of misbehaviour +was not real. The goddess who lives in the river was very much in love +with me. So she wanted to take and marry my spirit after I should have +been killed by being thrown into the river. So my misdeeds are all her +doing. Though I went to that goddess, I felt unworthy to become her +husband, because I am a poor man. I have arranged so that you, who are +the chief of the village, should go and have her, and I have come to +tell you so. That being so, I am in these beautiful clothes because I +come from the goddess." Thus he spoke. As the chief of the village saw +that the rascal was dressed in nothing but the best clothes, and thought +that he was speaking the truth, he said: "It will be well for me to be +tied up in a mat, and flung into the river." Therefore this was done, +just as had been done with the rascal, and he was drowned in the water. + +After that, the rascal became the chief, and dwelt in the drowned +chief's house. Thus very bad men lived in ancient times also. So it is +said.--(Translated literally. Told by Ishanashte, 18th July, 1886.) + + +xliii.--_Yoshitsune._ + + [It has been generally believed, both by Japanese and Europeans who + have written about the Ainos, that the latter worship Yoshitsune, a + Japanese hero of the twelfth century, who is said,--not, indeed, by + Japanese historians, but by Japanese tradition,--to have fled to + Yezo when the star of his fortune had set. The following details + concerning Yoshitsune bear so completely the stamp of the myth, that + they may, perhaps, be allowed a place in this collection. It should + be mentioned that Yoshitsune is known to the Ainos under the name of + _Hongai Sama_. _Sama_ is the Japanese for "Mr." or "Lord." _Hongai_ + is the form in which, according to a regular law of permutation + affecting words adopted into Aino from Japanese, the word _Hogwan_, + which was Yoshitsune's official title, appears! The name of _Hongai + Sama_ is, however, used only in worship, not in the recounting of + the myth. Mr. Batchelor, whose position as missionary to the Ainos + must give his opinion great weight in such matters, thinks that the + Ainos do _not_ worship Yoshitsune. But I can only exactly record + that which I was told myself.] + + +Okikurumi, accompanied by his younger sister Tureshi[hi], had taught the +Ainos all arts, such as hunting with the bow and arrow, netting and +spearing fish, and many more; and himself knew everything by means of +two charms or treasures. One of these was a piece of writing, the other +was an abacus; and they told him whence the wind would blow, how many +birds there were in the forest, and all sorts of other things. + +One day there came,--none knew whence,--a man of divine appearance, +whose name was unknown to all. He took up his abode with Okikurumi, and +assisted the latter in all his labour with wonderful ability. He taught +Okikurumi how to row with two oars instead of simply poling with one +pole, as had been usual before in Aino-land. Okikurumi was delighted to +obtain such a clever follower, and gave him his sister Tureshi[hi] in +marriage, and treated him like his own son. For this reason the stranger +got to know all about Okikurumi's affair, even the place where he kept +his two treasures. The result of this was that one day when Okikurumi +was out hunting in the mountains the stranger stole these treasures and +all that Okikurumi possessed, and then fled with his wife Tureshi in a +boat, of which they each pulled an oar. Okikurumi returned from the +mountains to his home by the seaside, and pursued them alone in a boat; +but could not come up to them, because he was only one against two. Then +Tureshi excreted some large foeces in the middle of the sea, which +became a large mountain in the sea, at whose base Okikurumi arrived. But +so high was it that Okikurumi could not climb over it. Moreover, even +had not the height prevented him, the fact of its being nothing but +filthy foeces would have done so. As for going round either side of +it, that would have taken him too much out of the way. So he went home +again, feeling quite spiritless and vanquished, because robbed of his +treasures. + +This is the reason why, ever since, we Ainos have not been able to +read.--(Written down from memory. Told by Ishanashte, 25th November, +1886.) + + + + +V.--SCRAPS OF FOLK-LORE. + + +xliv.--_The Good Old Times._ + +In ancient days, rivers were very conveniently arranged. The water +flowed down one bank, and up the other, so that you could go either way +without the least trouble. Those were the days of magic. People were +then able to fly six or seven miles, and to light on the trees like +birds, when they went out hunting. But now the world is decrepit, and +all good things are gone. In those days people used the fire-drill. +Also, if they planted anything in the morning, it grew up by mid-day. On +the other hand, those who ate of this quickly-produced grain were +transformed into horses.--(Written down from memory. Told by Ishanashte, +November, 1886.) + + +xlv.--_The Old Man of the Sea._ + +The Old Man of the Sea (_Atui koro ekashi_) is a monster able to swallow +ships and whales. In shape it resembles a bag, and the suction of its +mouth causes a frightfully rapid current. Once a boat was saved from +this monster by one of the two sailors in it flinging his loin-cloth +into the creature's open mouth. That was too nasty a morsel for even +this monster to swallow; so it let go its hold of the boat.--(Written +down from memory. Told by Ishanashte, July, 1886.) + + +xlvi.--_The Cuckoo._ + +The male cuckoo is called _kakkok_, the female _tutut_. Both are +beautiful birds, and live in the sky. But in spring they come down to +earth, to build their beautiful bottle-shaped white nests. Happy the man +who gets one of these nests, and lets no one else see it. He will become +rich and prosperous. Nevertheless, it is unlucky for a cuckoo to light +on the window-sill and look into the house; for disease will come there. +If it lights on the roof, the house will be burnt down.--(Written down +from memory. Told by Penri, 16th July, 1886.) + + +xlvii.--_The [Horned] Owl._ + +There are six owls,--brethren. The eldest of them is only a little +bigger than a sparrow. When perching on a tree, it balances itself +backwards, for which reason it is called "The Faller Backwards." The +youngest of the six has a very large body. It is a bird which brings +great luck. If anyone walks beneath this bird, and there comes the sound +of rain falling on him, it is a very lucky thing. Such a man will become +very rich. For this reason the youngest of the six owls is called "Mr. +Owl." + +[The rain here mentioned is supposed to be a rain of gold from the owl's +eyes.]--(Translated literally. Told by Penri, 16th July, 1886.) + + +xlviii.--_The Peacock in the Sky._ + +A cloudless sky has a peacock in it, whose servants are the eagles. The +peacock lives in the sky, and only descends to earth to give birth to +its young. When it has borne one, it flies back with it to the +sky.--(Written down from memory. Told by Penri, July, 1886, and by +Ishanashte, November, 1886.) + + +xlix.--_Trees turned into Bears._ + +The rotten branches or roots of trees sometimes turn into bears. Such +bears as these are termed _payep kamui_, _i.e._ "divine walking +creatures," and are not to be killed by human hand. Formerly they were +more numerous than they are now, but they are still sometimes to be +seen.--(Written down from memory. Told by Penri, July, 1886.) + + +l.--_Coition._ + +The Ainos think it very unlucky for the woman to move ever so slightly +during the act of coition. If she does so, she brings disasters upon her +husband, who is sure to become a poor man. For this reason, the woman +remains absolutely quiet, and the man alone moves.--(Written down from +memory. Told by Penri, July, 1886.) + + +li.--_Birth and Naming._ + +Before birth, clothes are got ready for the expected baby, who is washed +as soon as born.[F] The divine symbols are set up, and thanks are +offered to the gods. Only women are present on the occasion. Generally +in each village there are one or two old women who act as midwives. + +The child may be named at any time. Ishanashte said that it was usually +two or three months, Penri said that it was two or three years, after +birth. The name chosen is usually founded on some circumstance connected +with the child, but sometimes it is meaningless. The parent's name is +never given, for that would be unlucky. How, indeed, could a child +continue to be called by such a name when its father had become a dead +man, and consequently one not to be mentioned without tears?--(Written +down from memory. Told by Penri and Ishanashte, July, 1886.) + +[F] For the only time in its whole life! + + +lii.--_The Pre-eminence of the Oak, Pine-tree, and Mugwort._ + +At the beginning of the world the ground was very hot. The ground was so +hot that the creatures called men even got their feet burnt. For this +reason, no tree or herb could grow. The only herb that grew at that time +was the mugwort. Of trees, the only ones were the oak and the pine. For +this reason, these two trees are the oldest among trees. Among herbs, it +is the mugwort. This being so, these two trees are divine trees; they +are trees which human beings worship. Among herbs, the mugwort is +considered to be truly the oldest. + +Listen well to this, too, you younger folks!--(Translated literally. +Told by Penri, 19th July, 1886.) + + +liii.--_The Deer with the Golden Horn._--(A specimen of Aino history.) + +My very earliest ancestor kept a deer. He used to tie the divine symbols +to its horns. Then the deer would go to the mountains, and bring down +with it plenty of other deer. When they came outside the house my +ancestor would kill the deer which his deer had brought from the +mountains, and thus was greatly enriched. The name of the village in +which that deer was kept was Setarukot. + +There was a festival at a neighbouring village. So the man who kept the +deer went off thither to the festival with all his followers. Only his +wife was left behind with the deer. Then a man called Tun-uwo-ush +[_i.e._ "as tall as two men"], from the village of Shipichara, being +very bad-hearted, came in order to steal that deer. He found only the +deer and the woman at home. He stole both the woman and the deer, and +ran away with them. So the man who kept the deer, becoming angry, +pursued after him to fight him. Being three brothers in all, they went +off all three together. So Tun-uwo-ush invoked the aid of the whole +neighbourhood. He called together a great number of men. Then those +three brethren came together to fight him. As they were three of them, +the eldest, having killed three score men, was at last killed himself. +The second brother killed four score men, and was then killed himself. +Then the youngest brother, seeing how things were, thought it would be +useless to go on fighting alone. For this reason he ran away. Having run +away, he got home. Having got home, he came to his house. Then he +invoked the aid of all the neighbourhood. He invoked the aid even of +those Ainos who dwelt in the land of the Japanese. Then he went off with +plenty of men. Having gone off, he fought against Tun-uwo-ush. In the +war, he killed Tun-uwo-ush and all his followers. Then he got back both +the deer and the woman. That was the last of the Aino wars.--(Translated +literally. Told by Ishanashte, 8th November, 1886.) + + +liv.--_Dreams._ + +To dream of rice-beer, a river, swimming, or anything connected with +liquids, causes rainy weather. For instance, I dreamt last night that I +was drinking rice-beer, and accordingly it is raining to-day. + +To dream of eating meat brings disease. So does dreaming of eating sugar +or anything red. + +To dream of killing or knocking a man down is lucky. To dream of being +killed or knocked down is unlucky. + +To dream that a heavy load which one is carrying feels light is lucky. +The contrary dream prognosticates disease. + +To dream of a long rope which does not break, and in which there are no +knots even when it is wound up, is lucky, and prognosticates victory. + +To dream of flying like a bird, and perching on a tree, prognosticates +rain and bad weather. + +When a man is about to start off hunting, it is very lucky for him to +dream of meeting a god in the mountains, to whom he gives presents, and +to whom he makes obeisance. After such a dream, he is certain to kill a +bear. + +To dream of being pursued with a sharp weapon is unlucky. + +To dream that one is wounded, and bleeding freely, is a good omen for +the chase. + +To dream of the sun and moon is probably unlucky, especially if one +dreams of the waning moon. But it is not unlucky to dream of the new +moon. + +To dream of a bridge breaking is unlucky. But to dream of crossing a +bridge in safety is lucky. + +For a husband to dream of his absent wife as smiling, well-dressed, or +sleeping with himself, is unlucky.--(Written down from memory. Told by +Ishanashte, November, 1886.) + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Aino Folk-Tales, by Basil Hall Chamberlain + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AINO FOLK-TALES *** + +***** This file should be named 29287.txt or 29287.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/2/9/2/8/29287/ + +Produced by Julie Barkley, Meredith Bach, and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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