Note 56 — The Story of Búgan and Kin͠ggáuan, or the Marriage of a Goddess with a Man53

The paternal permission having been obtained, she made ready the necessary provisions—consisting of a vessel of cooked rice and a clout (or bahág). In this fashion she proceeded to Kin͠ggáuan’s hut and entered it, saying: “Who is the owner of this hut?” “I,” answered Kin͠ggáuan, “but I am ashamed to approach thee, because thou art a woman and I am naked.” To which she replied: “Never mind! because here I have a clout for thee.” But he did not approach for shame; and so she threw him the clout from afar, in order that he might cover himself. The surprised man expressed to her his astonishment, saying: “Why dost thou approach here, knowing that the appearance of a woman, when men are engaged in such an occupation, is of evil omen for the hunt?”56 And she replied to him: “By no means shall it come to pass as thou thinkest, but, on the contrary, thou shalt be extremely lucky in it. For the present let us eat together, and let us sleep this night in thy hut. To-morrow thou shalt see how lucky we are in the hunt.” The following day, upon going to visit the pits, they actually found them full. Kin͠ggáuan killed the quarry and spent the rest of the day in carrying the carcasses to his hut. He kept alive only two little pigs, a male and a female, which he delivered to Búgan that she might tie them in the dwelling-place while he was bringing in the rest of the dead game. On the second day Búgan asked the solitary one: “Why dost thou dwell in such evil places?” Kin͠ggáuan answered her: “Because my parents are so parsimonious in giving me what I need.” Then said Búgan to him: “Let us go to Kián͠gan,” and he consented. Leaving, then, the dead game in the hut, they carried with them only the two live “piglets.” Kin͠ggáuan carried the male one, and Búgan the female one—arriving at the above-mentioned place on the nightfall of the second day.