The One-Handed Girl

Last updated

The One-Handed Girl is a Swahili fairy tale, collected by Edward Steere in Swahili Tales. Andrew Lang included it in The Lilac Fairy Book . [1]

Contents

It is Aarne-Thompson type 706. Other variants of this tale include The Girl Without Hands , The Armless Maiden , Penta of the Chopped-off Hands and Biancabella and the Snake . [2]

Synopsis

A dying man asked his children which they would have: his property or his blessing. His son wanted his property, and his daughter his blessing. He died. Soon after, his wife died as well, and again, the son wanted her property and the daughter her blessing. She died. The brother left his sister only a pot and a vessel, but people borrowed her pot and gave her corn for it, so the sister survived. One day, she had a pumpkin seed and planted it, and then had pumpkins as well. Her brother, envious, stole her pot and mortar, but she was able to replace them by selling her pumpkins. Her brother's wife sent a slave to buy one, and the sister gave her one for free, though there were few left, so the wife sent another slave, and this one the sister had to send away, because there were none left. The wife wept and told the brother that his sister would sell pumpkins to other people but not to her. Enraged, the brother went to cut the sister's pumpkin patch down. His sister told him that if he did, he would cut off her hand with it, but putting her hand on it did her no good: he cut it off while chopping down the vines. Then he sold the house she lived in.

The sister wandered about, sleeping every night in trees. One day, a king's son rested under the tree where she rested, and was woken by her tears. He married her. She had a baby, in bed. Her brother had lost all his wealth, and came by that city. Hearing of the woman who had lost one hand but married the prince, he knew she was his sister. He persuaded her husband's parents that she was a witch whose hand had been cut off in punishment. They would not kill her, but put her out with her child. She left with only an earthen pot to cook in. In the woods, a snake asked her to hide it in the pot from a larger snake. When she did, it told her to bathe in a certain pond. She did, and lost her baby in the waters. The snake told her to feel for him with both hands; she found him again, and her lost hand was restored. Then it took her home to its parents, who were grateful to her for saving it. Meanwhile, her brother rose high in the king's favor.

The prince had fallen ill on his journey, so that his parents did not know him when he returned until he spoke. Then they were glad, but told him that his wife and child were dead.

One day, the sister said that she had to go see her husband. At the snake's suggestions, she asked its father for a ring, and its mother for a casket. They told her that the ring would give her food, clothing, and shelter, and the casket would protect her from harm. Near the town where her husband and his father lived, she used the ring to make herself a house to live. The king heard of it and brought his son and ministers, including the brother, to see who lived there. She told them her story. Her husband recognized her and took her back, and her brother was thrown out of town.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Singing, Springing Lark</span> German fairy tale

"The Singing, Springing Lark", "The Singing, Soaring Lark", "The Lady and the Lion" or "Lily and the Lion" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, appearing as tale no. 88.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shita-kiri Suzume</span> Traditional Japanese fable

Shita-kiri Suzume, translated literally into "Tongue-Cut Sparrow", is a traditional Japanese fable telling of a kind old man, his avaricious wife and an injured sparrow. The story explores the effects of greed, friendship and jealousy on the characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushy Bride</span>

Bushy Bride is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Asbjørnsen and Moe. It is Aarne-Thompson type 403. It is included in Andrew Lang's Red Fairy Book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Battle of the Birds</span> Scottish fairy tale

The Battle of the Birds is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in his Popular Tales of the West Highlands. He recorded it in 1859 from a fisherman near Inverary, John Mackenzie and was, at the time, building dykes on the Ardkinglas estate. Joseph Jacobs took it from there for his Celtic Fairy Tales and added some additional elements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Girl Without Hands</span> German fairy tale

"The Girl Without Hands" or "The helpless Maiden" or "The Armless Maiden" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. It is tale number 31 and was first published in the 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales. The story was revised by the Grimm brothers over the years, and the final version was published in the 7th edition of Children's and Household Tales in 1857. It is Aarne-Thompson type 706.

The Armless Maiden is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki.

The Enchanted Wreath is a Scandinavian fairy tale, collected in Benjamin Thorpe in his Yule-Tide Stories: A Collection of Scandinavian and North German Popular Tales and Traditions. Andrew Lang adapted a variant of it for The Orange Fairy Book. It is Aarne-Thompson type 403B, the black and the white bride, and includes an episode of type 480, the kind and the unkind girls.

Molly Whuppie is an English language fairy tale set in Scotland. It was first published in 'Three Folk-Tales from Old Meldrum, Aberdeenshire' in "Folklore" (6.2.1884). Rev. Walter Gregor said that the tales had been 'communicated to me by Mr. Moir, Rector of the Grammar School, Aberdeen. He had them from his mother, who kindly wrote out " Mally Whuppie " and " The Red Calf" at my request.' Anglicising the name to "Molly" from "Mally" Joseph Jacobs used this source of the story in his English Fairy Tales. A Highland version, Maol a Chliobain, was collected by John Francis Campbell in Popular Tales of the West Highlands. Jacobs noted the relationship between the two tales, and an Irish variant, "Smallhead," and concluded that the tale was Celtic in origin.

Fortunée or Felicia and the Pot of Pinks is a French literary fairy tale, written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in The Blue Fairy Book.

The Green Knight is a Danish fairy tale, collected by Svend Grundtvig (1824-1883) in Danish Fairy Tales (18??) and by Evald Tang Kristensen (1843-1929) in Eventyr fra Jylland (1881). Andrew Lang included a translation of Kristensen's version in The Olive Fairy Book (1907).

The Daughter of the Skies is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in Popular Tales of the West Highlands, listing his informant as James MacLauchlan, a servant from Islay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What Came of Picking Flowers</span> Portuguese fairy tale

What came of picking Flowers is a Portuguese fairy tale first collected by Teophilo Braga with the name Cravo, Rosa e Jasmin. Andrew Lang included it in The Grey Fairy Book.

Biancabella and the Snake is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giovanni Francesco Straparola in The Facetious Nights of Straparola.

Penta of the Chopped-off Hands or The Girl With the Maimed Hands is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the Pentamerone.

The King of Love is an Italian fairy tale from Sicily collected by Giuseppe Pitre and translated into English by Thomas Frederick Crane in Italian Popular Tales.

The Young Slave is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the Pentamerone.

Aurore and Aimée is a French literary fairy tale written by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont. Like her better known tale Beauty and the Beast, it is among the first fairy tales deliberately written for children.

Umamba, Umamba kaMakula or uMamba kaMaquba is a Zulu folktale about a youth born to a mother that hides him within a snakeskin. He marries a human woman who disenchants him.

Champavati is an Assamese folk tale. It was first collected in the compilation of Assamese folklore titled Burhi Aair Sadhu, by poet Lakshminath Bezbaroa. According to scholar Praphulladatta Goswami, the tale is "current in North Lakhimpur".

Trandafiru is a Romanian fairy tale collected by Arthur Carl Victor Schott and Albert Schott in the mid-19th century and sourced from Banat.

References

  1. ↑ Andrew Lang, The Daisy Fairy Book, "The One-Handed Girl" Archived 2013-11-29 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Heidi Anne Heiner, "Tales Similar to the Girl Without Hands" Archived 2007-02-05 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.