The Imp of the Well
A woodcutter lived in poverty and had nothing but a critical and spiteful wife. All his money was taken be his wife. He saved his wages intending to buy a rope. When his wife found she began to scold him. She beat him.
The next morning, he decided he couldn't take this anymore and rode off on a donkey to the mountains. He told her not to follow him, but she did it anyway. However, the man knew she was behind but pretend not to notice. When he arrived in the mountains and set work on his woodcutting. The wife walked about examing him and only an old well escaped her eye. She was upon it before anyone could've stopped her.
The woodcutter shouted at his wife to mind the well but the woman paid no heed. However, she lost her balance and was at the bottom of the well. Her husband deciding she wasn't worth the trouble left her and went home.
Next day, he returned to his work in the mountains and thought to check on his wife. He looked down into the well but couldn't see her and felt guilty.
He took a rope and threw it down into the well. The man perceived the the tug on the rope meant it was his wife. He hauled her up. What he brought up was not his wife but a imp. The imp was grateful for the kindness and saving him from the old woman fell into the well and yelled. The imp gave the woodcutter three leaves and told him he will make the Sultan's daughter ill. The only way to heal her would be those three leaves, and he will be rewarded handsomely. The woodcutter considered this to be a great plan and thought no more of his wife in the well.
CONT.
The imp left and the woodcutter went to the palace where the Sultan's daughter was, indeed, ill. The monarch was grieving her pain. No one could cure her.
The woodcutter lived well without his wife and almost forgot about the imp and the leaves. He was reminded of them when the Padishan proclaimed his daughter was ill. If a man were to cure her that man would marry his daughter and be gifted many treasures. He went to the palace and moistened the leaves and pressed them to Princess's head cured her. Sultan's daughter was the woodcutter's bride.
When the neighboring kingdom's Padishah had a sick daughter, the Sultan told him of his good fortune with his daughter's new husband. Though he could do nothing, the man went to the neighbor Padishah palace and straight to the Princess. He went to the well for the imp's help.
The imp was resistant and wouldn't help. The woodcutter offered the imp to take his new wife from him and he would take the woman from the well who was his first wife.
The imp showed signs of unease. The wife had gone blind followed him. The imp freed the Sultan's daughter of her illness. The imp left out without waiting to learn if the woodcutter spoke the truth and was never heard from.
The Princess recovered and henceforth lived happily.
This was an entertaining story. I actually chuckled out loud when the man groaned about taking his first wife back. I would like to know if he truly went back to his first wife or his second, the Princess.
The Soothsayer
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There was once a forty and fifty man who looked be sixty and was skilled in various branches of industry. He provide for his and his wife's needs. One day to her way to the bath, his wife saw a great crowd of people who had come to bathe. The chief soothsayer's wife was coming to the establishment. While people spoke, the sound of song and music indicated the approach of the soothsayer's wife with her many escorts.
The industrial man's wife hoped to receive a valuable present and paid the lady great honor, respect, and begged her to choose her place. The poor woman took her bath and returned and returned home. Chafing at the sight, she sought out her husband and said he will become a soothsayer or she will leave him.
The man replied he had no time to study the soothsayer art. She didn't care and repeated her ultimatum. As his wife was beautiful, he didn't like the thought of losing her and considered it. He went to the coffeehouse and a friend came up spoke with him on the matter. Now the friend was also friends his wife and said he would help. The bath woman told him tomorrow he would post himself at the gate of the bath armed with paper, pen, and ink, and scribble away like a soothsayer.
Though he could neither read nor write, he went gathered his things and went to the bath gate where everyone who passed mistoo him for a hodja. The chief soothsayer's wife came to the bath. The attendants were occupied with her, they took a costly ring secrety from her finger and gave it to the bath-woman who hid it in mud. Then she told the man what had happened.
Soon the chief soothsayer's wife raised a great outcry over her lost ring. While the uproar happened, the bath woman said the hodja is skilled in revealing the missing articles. The hodja was "informed" of what was required. He said the ring will be found buried in the mud in the narrow part of the gutter. The place was quickly search, and the ring was found. Grateful, the soothsayer's wife gave him much baksheesh, and he went home satisfied.
A few days passed and it was reported the Sultana had lost her ring in the serai. It was believed one of the slaves had stolen it. People searched but couldn't find it. The chief soothsayer's wife mentioned the hodja could help. He went before the Sultana was told to find it before tomorrow morning or he will lose his head. Then he was led away where he cried on the floor.
The slave who had stolen the ring was suffering from fear her crime would come to light. She couldn't sleep and heard the hodja's cry. She confessed to the hodja and they came up with a plan to solve their problems.
The next morning, the hodja was brought before the Padishah and said the all the animals to be gathered in the garden. The Sultana ordered this to be done and the entire court followed the hodja to the garden. Surveying the assembled animals, the hodja espied a goose which limped. Pointing it out, he announced for the kill to the goose where the lost ring will be found inside. After the goose was killed, the ring was found inside the stomach.
He was promoted to be chief soothsayer and received several grand houses.
I enjoyed this story. This story reminds me of the brave little tailor except for the man in this story was after the position he set out for. I loved how the ring thief confessed and they worked out a solution. However, as I am a romantic I would've preferred if he hadn't had a wife so he may marry the ring thief.
Bibliography:
The Soothsayer written by Ignacz Kunos (1913).
The Imp of the Well and (Cont). written by Ignacz Kunos (1913).
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