Tales with pumpkin husband
Romanian folklorist Lazar Saineanu provided the summary of a Romanian tale collected by Petre Ispirescu with the title Dovleacul cel năzdrăvan ("The Enchanted Pumpkin"). In this tale, a childless couple find a pumpkin seed and plant it. A pumpkin sprouts and they uproot it. The vegetable begins to speak to them and asks the old man to go to the local emperor and ask for the princess's hand in marriage. The emperor agrees to a future marriage, so long as the suitor builds three bridges: an iron one, a silver one and the third made of gold. The pumpkin son fulfills the emperor's requests and marries the princess. On the wedding night, the pumpkin takes off its husk and becomes a human youth. Later, the princess burns the pumpkin husk in the fire and her hsband curses her not to give birth until he places his hand on her body, but she can only find him beyond Câmpu-frumosŭ, in the "Mânăstirea dintr'unŭ osŭ". He vanishes. The princess goes after him in iron shoes and with an iron cane, and passes by the houses of Sfinta Miercuri (Holy Wednesday), who gives her a self-moving golden spindle, Sfinta Vineri (Holy Friday), who gives her a golden hen with chicks, and Sfinta Duminecă (Holy Sunday), who gives her a self-serving table. Sfinta Duminecă also helps the princess to cross a fiery meadow, so she can reach the Mânăstirea dintr'unŭ osŭ, where she waits in front of the palace the golden objects. The princess trades the items she gained with the local lady of the palace for one night with her husband. She tries to wake him up on the first two nights, but fails, only managing to do it on the third night. [18]
Sandu Timoc collected another tale from a teller in Vidin, with the title Dovletele ("The Pumpkin"). In this tale, a poor couple, in their twilight years, want to have a son, so the man decides to bring whatever they can find as their child. The man finds a pumpkin seed, brings it home and plants it. After some time, a pumpkin sprouts in their garden, and the man kicks it. The pumpkin tells the man not to kick it, but to take it home and raise it as their son. Some time later, the pumpkin tells his parents he wants to marry the emperor's daughter. The old man goes to the emperor and makes a bid in for his daughter in his son's stead, and the emperor orders him to build a bridge between both their houses, with golden and silver trees along the path, and ripe apples on them. The pumpkin son fulfills the first task. To buy time, the emperor next orders for a shining palace to be built that can rival his own, and for the old man's son to come in a gem-encrusted golden carriage with golden wheels, pulled by splendid horses with golden horsehoes and diamond bridle. All tasks fulfilled, the pumpkin son marries the princess. They move out to the pumpkin's palace and, after he enters the bridal chambers, the pumpkin son becomes a golden-haired youth. He tells his wife a witch cureed him to become a pumpkin by day and a man named Fat-Frumos at night. Later, the princess tells her mother about her husband. The empress suggests her daughter takes the pumpkin husk and burn it in the oven. The princess follows her mother's suggestion and places the pumpkin in the fire. As the husk burns, the husband tells her that his curse would have been over in nine days, and now he curses his wife not to give birth to their child until he touches her again. He vanishes. The princess puts a large iron ring around her belly and begins her quest. She passes by Sinta Vineri (Holy Friday), who gives her a golden hen with six chicks and directs her to Sinta Simbata (Holy Saturday). The princess goes to Sinta Simbata, who gives her a golden spindle and guides her to Sinta Duminica (Holy Sunday). At last, she reaches Sinta Duminica, who is grinding grains by a mill, and tells the princess her husband is living with a new spouse in a nearby village in the valley. Sinta Duminica advises the princess to go to the village well, where the princess goes to fetch water, and use the golden gifts to draw her attention. Following the advice, the princess uses the three golden gifts to bribe for three nights with her husband. On the third night, the princess awakens her husband and he touches her. The princess gives birth to their child. The husband regains his memories and tells the second spouse about the whole journey. The second spouse understands it and lets them live in the village. [19]
Tales with snake husband
Romanian folklorist Dumitru Stăncescu [ ro ] collected a variant titled Şarpele moşului ("The Old Man's Serpent") from informant Ion Georgescu. In this tale, a poor old couple wants to have a son, so the man chooses to find any creature to adopt as a son. The man finds a serpent with a human face and adopts it as his son. After 15 years, the human-faced serpent begins to talk to his parents and explains he is an enchanted prince. Some time later, he wants to marry the local king's daughter. The king orders the serpent suitor to some pre-marriage tasks: to build an iron bridge, a silver bridge and a golden bridge between the old couple's hut and the palace. The serpent suitor advises her adoptive father on how to summon magical help from other snake servants to build the bridges. After fulfilling the tasks, the princess marries the serpent. On their wedding night, the serpent takes off his nine snakeskins and becomes human, but in the morning he wears them again. After a year, the king tells his daughter to burn the snakeskins in an oven. The serpent husband sees his wife preparing the oven and she tells him she will bake bread. That night, while husband is asleep, she takes the snakeskins into the oven. The husband wakes up and curses his wife not to give birth to their child, until she wears out iron garments, and three iron circles around her belly fall out. He disappears. The princess, pregnant, goes after him. On the way, she meets the incarnation of Saint Monday (Sfintei Luni), who gives her a golden hen with golden chicks, and tells her that down in a ravine a man lives with a fairy woman. She goes to the place at the ravine and tries to wake her husband up, but to no avail. She then meets the incarnation of Holy Friday (Sfânta Vineri), who gives her a golden boar to trade for her husband. Once again, she fails. Lastly, she goes to the incarnation of the Holy Saturday (Sfânta Sâmbătă), who gives her two golden pigeons. She gives the pigeons to the fairy woman and enters her husband's quarters to awaken him. He wakes up and touches her wife, and releases her from the iron circles around her belly. [20]
Writer and folklorist Cristea Sandu Timoc collected a Romanian variant from teller Lăpădat Maria and published it with the title Dinu Făt-Frumos . In this tale, a childless couple suffers for having no son. Out of desperation, they agree to take the first creature they find as their son. The old man finds a snake and brings it home. The couple raises the snake son until he grows up, and, one day, he tells them he wants to marry the princess. He asks his mother to go to the king's court and propose to her in his name. The king scoffs at the proposal and tells her that her son must perform some tasks first: to pave the way with gold and silver overnight and to build a place more splendid that the king's. The snake son does and he marries the princess. At night, the snake son takes off his snakeskin and becomes a man, to the princess's delight, but slithers back into the snakeskin at dawn. This goes on for some time, until, one night, the princess heats off the oven to burn her husband's snakeskin. He wakes up, scolds her and beats her nose, drawing three drops of blood. He then curses her: the three drops of blood shall remain so, and she cannot give birth to their child until he returns to her in nine years' time, and vanishes. Time passes, and her belly grows so large with each passing year, she attaches an iron ring around it, one for each year. She decides to go after him and asks the Sun and the Wind for directions. God takes pity on her and gives her three golden items: a golden hen with five golden chicks, a golden spinning wheel and a golden yarn. The Wind carries her to the palace of the Fairy Empress. The Fairy Empress sees the three golden objects and wants them, but the princess exchanges each one for one night with her husband. On the first two nights, the man does not wake up, but she insists and he wakes up. The man puts his hand on her belly and their child is born. [21]
In a tale from Siebenbürgen, published by author Franz Obert [ de ] in German language magazine Das Ausland with the title Von der Schlange, die ein Weib gebar ("About the Snake that a Woman gave birth to"), a couple that have been together for 20 years long for a child. One day, the woman passes by a garden and smells a flower. She becomes pregnant and gives birth to a snake, which she feeds with milk. After 10 years, the snake - the size of a balaur - asks his parents to ask for the hand of the emperor's daughter in marriage. The princess asks for her suitor to build a palace, with fruitful trees alongside a road between both palaces. The snake fulfills the task and marries the princess. On the wedding night, he takes off his snakeskin and becomes a prince. Time passes, and the princess takes off the snakeskin to burn it in the oven. The snakeskin is burnt, and her husband curses the princess not to give birth to their child until he places his hand on her again, then some iron rings involve her belly. The snake son (now human) disappears and works for another king as a cowherd. He takes the cows to graze in a forest that belongs to a Zmeu, which attacks him. The cowherd defests the zmeu and gains the king's favour and the hand of the king's daughter. At the same court, the princess (the Emperor's daughter), who has been searching for her husband for 20 years, recognizes him and goes to his room at night, to plead for him to touch her belly so she can give birth to their son. The man awakes and touches her. [22] [23]
Romanian folklorist Lazăr Șăineanu summarized another Transylvanian tale titled Ficiorul moşului or Feciorulǔ Moşului ("Old Man's Son"). In this tale, an old woman raises a snake child. When he is of age, he asks for the princess's hand in marriage. They marry. On the wedding night, the snake man takes off the snakeskin and becomes a human man. The princess takes the snakeskin and burns, but her husband curses her not to give birth to their child until he places his hand on her, and iron rings spring around her belly. She begins her long quest, and is helped by St. Miercuri (Holy Wednesday), who gives her a shirt made of cobwebs; by St. Veneri (Holy Friday), who gives her a fuse of golden threads, and by St. Dumineca (Holy Sunday), who gives her a bag of cobwebs. The princess, heavily pregnant, finds her husband as a servant, working under Muma Padurii, a witch that lives in the forest. The princess bribes Mama Padurii to talk to her husband, and manages to make him remember. [24] According to Romanian scholarship, the tale was printed in political publication ''Tribuna'' [ ro ], by one Oreste. [25] [26]
Saineanu summarized a third Transylvanian tale titled Uitatulă or Uitatul (German: "Das Vergessene"; English: "The Forgotten One"). In this tale, an Emperor goes to war, and asks his three daughters what gifts he can find for them. The elder asks for a pair of earrings, the middle one a ring, and the third a flower unlike any other seen between Heaven and Earth. The emperor wins the war and finds the presents for his elder daughters, but forgets the youngest's. He reaches a castle with an enchanted garden, where he finds the flower. However, a large dragon's head ("unŭ capŭ de balaurŭ") appears to him and demands the emperor gives up his youngest daughter to "Uitatul". The youngest daughter goes to Uitatulă and lives with him. She discovers he takes off his scales to becomes a handsome man. One day, she decides to burn the dragon scales. The human husband admonishes her that in three days time he would have been free from the curse, but now has to vanish, and curses his wife not to give birth to their child until he places his hands on her again. The princess ties iron rings around her belly and walks with an iron cane. She meets St. Luni (Holy Monday), who gives her golden tableware (two forks and a spoon); St. Miercuri (Holy Wednesday), who gives her two golden apples; and St. Vineri (Holy Friday), who gives her a golden chicken with 12 chicks. She also learns her husband is set to be married to another empress, and is advised to use the gifts the women gave her to lure the Empress. The princess uses the golden gifts to bribe the Empress for three nights with her husband, and manages to wake him on the third night. Her husband awakens and touches her belly, finally releasing her from her long pregnancy. [27]
In a Romanian tale from Transylvania published in "Gazeta de Transilvania" with the title Ginŭ Costanginŭ, an old couple have three sons and three daughters, but their children die, leaving only a daughter named Safta. The old woman blames God, but He gives her a snake for a son. The old couple name him Ginŭ Costanginŭ, and raise him in secret. In time, the snake son grows so large his parents have to move him out to a shed. The snake son falls in love with a local maiden named Mărgeluţa, daughter of the local rich lord Mihia. The snake declares he will marry only Mărgeluţa and no one else, and his father goes to Mihai's house with the proposition. Mihai refuses to marry his daughter to a snake, unless he builds an iron bridge between their houses. The snake son fulfills his request and marries Mărgeluţa. On the wedding night, Ginŭ Costanginŭ takes off the snakeskin and becomes a handsome youth at night, but in the morning he wears it again. For two whole years, Ginŭ Costanginŭ and Mărgeluţa live like this, and the girl keeps his secret, until one day Mărgeluţa's mother pays her a visit and tells her about her husband's transformation. Mărgeluţa's mother consults with a priest, who says she should take the snakeskin and burn it. The next time, while her husband is asleep, Mărgeluţa takes the snakeskin and throws it in the fire. Ginŭ Costanginŭ smells the burning and notices his snakeskin is not there, so he curses his wife not to give birth until he touches her belly again, then vanishes. Mărgeluţa blames her mother and the priest, but, after two years, places an iron ring around her swollen belly, and begins to search for her husband. She passes by the houses of Sfânta Mercurĭ (Holy Wednesday), who gives her a self-moving golden distaff, then of Sf. Vinerĭ (Holy Friday), who gives her two golden apples, and finally to the house of sf. Duminecă (Holy Sunday), who gives her a golden hen with chicks. Sf. Duminecă also tells the girl her husband is inside a house near the church, and she is to stay by the fountain with the golden objects to draw the attention of the maidservants. The maidservants report to the mistress of the house about the girl at the fountain with the golden objects. This entices the mistress's curiosity, who brings Mărgeluţa to the house. The girl trades the golden objects for one night with Ginŭ Costanginŭ: she fails on the first two nights, but he wakes up on the third night and places her hand on her belly, allowing her to give birth to their children, a boy and a girl with golden hair. The mistress of the house, however, takes the children and buries them in the garden, and the twins go through a cycle of reincarnations (trees, beds, lambs and humans again). Ginŭ Costanginŭ takes the golden-haired twins to his second spouse's house for a banquet and bids them tell a story. The mistress of the house runs away from the scene, and Ginŭ Costanginŭ finally lives with his wife and children. [28]
Other tales
In a tale from teller Purdi Mihály, a Romanian in Hungary, published with the title Tündérkirályfi (Romanian: Făt-Frumos; English: "Fairy Prince"), a girl lives with her grandmother in the woods. One day, when she goes out to fetch some food for the pigs, she finds a hurt large bird. She wants to bring it home to be cooked, but the bird pleads to be spared and nursed back to health. The girl brings the bird home and looks after it. After two years, the bird is fully healed, and, suddenly, shakes off its feathers to become a prince. He introduces himself as Tündérkirályfi ('Fairy Prince'), who offers to be her husband. The girl agrees and they spend the night together. The next day, he turns back into a bird, then, at night, becomes human again, and warns the girl not to tell anyone about him. Some days later, the girl ends up telling her grandmother about the prince, and the old woman suggests that, instead of burning the featherskin (since the smell would alert him), she could give it to the pigs to eat. That night, the girl follows her grandmother's advice, steals the Fairy Prince's featherskin and feeds it to the pigs. The Fairy Prince wakes up and admonishes the girl's grandmother for interfering with their lives, curses the girl not to give birth until he places his hand on her again, and departs to the wide world. Time passes, and the girl laments that her husband has disappeared. One night, however, she has a dream about a golden-haired boy asking her about his father; the girl answers he vanished, and the boy says that his father, the Fairy Prince, is in the east, in his palace. The girl wakes up and decides to journey to the east, but the quest is not an easy one: she flees from some hungry wolves, is almost drowned and swallowed by a giant fish, is almost swept away by a whirlwind and wades through a large muddy pool. She is rescued by two men on camels, who help her out of the pool and kill two snakes that menace them. After the danger passes, the girl says she is looking for the Fairy Prince's palace in the east, and one of the men says that Mother Mercy can help her. The girl then continues until she finds an illuminated hut in forest. She spends the night and dines with Mother Mercy, who gives her a bundle of golden harl, and sends her to her aunt. On the way, the girl avoids a wild goat and reaches the house of Mother Charity, where she also dines. Mother Charity gives her a golden hen with chicks she is to let graze at the front of the Fairy Prince's palace, before directing her to an even older aunt, Mother Loyalty. The girl finally arrives at Mother Loyalty's house, dines with her at night, and is given three golden apples and a dog as her companion. The girl also learns that her husband has married a witch's daughter in the meantime. With the help of the dog, and after three years, the girl, heavily pregnant, reaches the Fairy Prince's palace. The story then changes perspective to narrate about the Fairy Prince's own journey: his sojourn in the land of the giants, where he works for a giant couple and their cowherd for years and is given a magic gray horse. He rides the horse to his palace, where he is greeted by a witch and her daughter, who trick him into believing he has no one from his previous life. Back to the present, the witch's servant sees the girl with a golden fuse spinning on golden thread, and reports to her mistress, the witch. The witch's daughter wants to have the golden item and barters for it, but the girl makes an offer: one night in the Fairy Prince's bedside. The girl cries over the Fairy Prince, but he cannot wake up, for he was given a sleeping potion by the witch. This happens again on the second night. On the third one, after she traded the golden apples for a night with him, the Fairy Prince wakes up and places his hand on his true wife's body, allowing her to give birth to their son, a three-year-old, golden-haired child. The next morning, the witches bring them some poisoned tea, but the Fairy Prince's son warns them against drinking it, so they should let the witches sip it first. Of course, the witches refuse to drink the poisoned tea; Fairy Prince discovers the ruse and orders their execution. [29]
