Aino Folk-Tales — IV.a. Miscellaneous Tales (33-37)

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.