The Horikaḍayā Story
Reading edition
In a certain country there are seven Queens, it is said. For the whole seven Queens there are no children.
A bull having come to the place where that Chank shell was buried, and dug it with its horns, saw the Chank shell and swallowed it. The bull having gone to the sea evacuated the Chank shell; there also the shark having seen it swallowed it. From there, having killed the shark, fishermen (kewulō) took it to the city; when taking it along the street to sell, the Queen who bore that Chank shell met with them. Having seen the shark the Queen asked, “For how much are you selling this shark?”
The fishermen said, “We are selling it for four tuṭṭu (three half-pence).”
Afterwards the Queen having given four tuṭṭu, took the shark. Having brought it to her lodgings and cut it, when she looked there was a Chank shell in its stomach. Having put the Chank shell away, [after] cooking the shark meat she ate.
One day when they were going thus they saw that there were a horse, and a Prince, and a Minister; afterwards the two went there. Having gone, at that Prince’s hand, “What [are you doing here]?” Horikaḍayā asked.
“Because our father the King tried to kill us, on account of it we came and sprang into the chena jungle,” the Prince said. Afterwards the five live in one place.
While there, Horikaḍayā said to the Prince, “Let us go to seek a marriage.”
Afterwards the whole five having gone very near a city to seek the marriage, the Prince and the Minister having gone inside the city, and having tied the horse in the open space (midula) of the city, Horikaḍayā and the Egret remained among the branches [in the jungle].
The Prince asked the city Princess [in marriage]. The Princess said, “To the Prince I cannot go; I will go indeed to Horikaḍayā.” Afterwards Horikaḍayā and the Princess contracted (lit., tied) the marriage.
When the whole six having collected together are coming to the village, the horse and the Prince and the Minister say, “We can’t give that Princess to that Horikaḍayā; owing to it let us kill Horikaḍayā.”
Afterwards, when the three, summoning Horikaḍayā, were going to the forest they met with a well. They made Horikaḍayā descend into the well; having made him descend and thrown down stones, they trampled [them down]. There Horikaḍayā died.
Afterwards the three, calling the Princess, came away (enḍa āwā) to the village. The Egret being without Horikaḍayā went away (giyā yanḍa).
Tom-tom Beater. North-western Province.
In Cinq Cents Contes et Apologues (Chavannes), vol. i, p. 82, a girl who was married to a King bore one hundred eggs, out of which eventually issued one hundred Princes. The Queen and concubines, being jealous of her, showed the King a piece of plantain fruit trimmed so as to represent a demon, and stated that she had given birth to it. They placed the eggs in a pot (cruche) and set it afloat in a river, whence a King of a country lower down obtained it.
In the same work, vol. i, p. 305, Śakra gave a Queen of Pañcāla a fruit, telling her that after eating it she would have a son.