Beauty and the Beast

by Maria Tatar

  Mapunzikazi replied, “You ugly old hag. How dare you try to give me advice!”

  The girl kept on walking. She reached a place where she saw many trees, and they began laughing at her. She laughed back at them. She saw a bag filled with thick milk, and she took a sip. She met a man carrying his head under his arm, and she took water to drink from him.

  Mapunzikazi reached the river near the chief’s village. She saw a girl there dipping water out of the river. The girl said, “My sister, where are you going?”

  Mapunzikazi replied, “How dare you call me sister! I am going to be the wife of the chief.”

  The girl drawing the water was the sister of the chief. She said, “Wait! Let me give you some advice. Don’t enter the village from this side.”

  Mapunzikazi did not listen to her and kept on walking. She reached the chief’s village. The people asked her where she had come from and why she was there.

  She replied, “I have come to marry the chief.”

  They said, “This is the first time that a bride has arrived without a retinue.”

  Then they said, “The chief is not at home. You must start preparing a meal for him so that he will have something to eat when he returns home.”

  They gave her some millet to grind. She ground it very coarse, and then she made some bread that was not very tasty.

  In the evening, she could hear that the wind was blowing hard outside, and that meant that the chief was coming home. He was a huge snake with five heads and large eyes. Mapunzikazi was frightened when she saw him. He sat down right near the door and told her to bring him some food. She brought him the bread she had made. Makanda Mahlanu, also known as Five Heads, did not like the bread at all. He said, “You are not going to be a wife of mine.” And he struck her with his tail and killed her.

  Not much later, the sister of Mapunzikazi told her father, “I would like to become the wife of a chief.”

  Her father replied, “That is fine, my daughter. It is right that you would want to be a bride.”

  The man summoned his friends, and a great retinue prepared to accompany the bride. The girl’s name was Mapunzanyana.

  On the way, they met a mouse. The mouse said, “Do you want me to show you the road?”

  Mapunzanyana answered, “I would be very grateful for directions.”

  Then the mouse pointed the way to the village.

  The girl came to a valley, where she saw an old woman standing near a tree.

  The old woman said to her, “You are going to reach a place where two paths branch off from the main road. You must take the narrower one, because if you take the wider one, you will not have much luck.”

  Mapunzanyana replied, “I will take the narrow path, little mother.” And she went on her way.

  Then Mapunzanyana met a rabbit.

  The rabbit said, “The chief’s village is not far from here. You will meet a girl by the river, and you must speak politely to her. She will give you millet to grind. You must grind it as well as you can. When you see your husband, don’t be afraid.”

  Mapunzanyana said, “I will do as you say.”

  Near the river, she met the chief’s sister carrying water.

  The chief’s sister asked, “Where are you going?”

  Mapunzanyana replied, “I have reached the end of my journey.”

  The chief’s sister said, “Why have you come here?”

  Mapunzanyana replied, “I am with a bridal party.”

  The chief’s sister said, “I see. But won’t you be afraid when you see your husband?”

  Mapunzanyana replied, “I will not be afraid.”

  The chief’s sister pointed her in the direction of the hut where she would be staying. The bridal party was given food. The mother of the chief took some millet and gave it to the bride, saying, “You must prepare some food for your husband. He is not here now, but he will return in the evening.”

  That evening she heard the wind blowing hard, so hard that it made the hut shake. The poles of the tent collapsed, but she did not run away. Then she saw the chief Makanda Mahlanu walking toward her. He asked her for food. Mapunzanyana took the bread she had made and gave it to him. He was very pleased with the food and said, “You shall be my wife.” He gave her beautiful jewels and ornaments.

  Afterward Makanda Mahlanu turned into a man, and Mapunzanyana remained the wife he loved the best.

  THE GOLDEN CRAB

  Greece

  Andrew Lang included this story in his celebrated multivolume, color-coded series of fairy-tale anthologies. This Greek tale from The Yellow Fairy Book rounds up many different themes—a fisherman’s lucky catch, a groom test set by a king, a disobedient bride, and the transformation of brothers into birds. The prince’s double transformation into eagle and crab signals a blending of three domains—land, sea, and air—so that what seems like a punishment is also a territorial claim from a cursed figure destined to become a ruler.

  Once upon a time there lived a fisherman who had a wife and three children. Every morning he would go fishing, and any fish he caught were sold to the king. One day, among the fish in his net was a golden crab. When he returned home he put all the fish together into one big bowl, but he kept the crab separate because it was shining so brightly. He put the crab up on a high shelf in the cupboard. While his wife was cleaning the fish, she tucked up her dress so that her feet were visible. Suddenly she heard a voice, and it said:

  “Let down your dress, let it down.

  Everyone can see those feet peeping out.”

  The startled woman turned around and saw a little creature up there, the Golden Crab.

  “What! You can talk, can you, you ridiculous crab?” she said, for she was irritated by the crab’s remarks. Then she picked the crab up and placed him on a dish.

  The fisherman came home, and just as the two were sitting down to dinner, they heard the crab’s little voice saying, “Give me some of your supper.” They were taken by surprise, but they gave him something to eat. When the old man went to take the plate from which the crab had eaten, he discovered that it was covered with gold coins. The same thing happened every day, and he soon grew very fond of the crab.

  One day the crab said to the fisherman’s wife, “Go tell the king that I wish to marry his younger daughter.”

  The old woman went and put the matter before the king, who laughed at the notion of his daughter marrying a crab, but did not dismiss the idea out of hand. He was a wise monarch, and he knew that there was a good chance that the crab could be a prince in disguise. He told the fisherman’s wife, “Go tell the crab that I will give him my daughter if he can build a wall in front of my castle by tomorrow. It has to be much higher than the tower of my castle, and all the flowers on earth have to be growing around it, and in full blossom.”

  The fisherman’s wife went home and gave the crab the message from the king. The crab handed her a golden switch and said, “Go strike this switch three times on the ground, in the place the king showed you, and tomorrow morning the wall will be there.” And that’s what the woman did, and then she returned home.

  The next morning, when the king woke up, what do you think he saw? The wall was standing right before his eyes, exactly as he had described it.

  The old woman went back to the king and said, “Your Majesty’s orders have been carried out.”

  “That is all well and good,” the king said, “but I can’t give my daughter’s hand in marriage until three fountains are built in front of my palace. The first must spray gold; the second silver; and the third diamonds.”

  The old woman hit the ground with the switch three times, and the next morning the three fountains were there right in front of the palace. Now the king gave his consent, and the wedding was set for the very next day.

  The crab said to the old fisherman, “Take this switch and beat it against t
he side of the mountain over there. A dark man will come out and ask you what you want. Tell him this: ‘Your master, the king, has sent me to tell you that you must sew a garment that is as golden as the sun.’ Tell him also to give you royal robes of gold fit for a queen, with precious stones that look like flowers in a meadow. Bring those both to me, and don’t forget to bring back a golden cushion for good measure.”

  The old man hurried off to carry out the orders. Once he had brought back the precious robes, the crab put the golden garment on and then crawled on to the golden cushion. That’s how the fisherman carried him over to the castle, and there the crab presented the other garment to his bride. The ceremony took place, and when the two were finally alone together, the crab revealed his identity to his young wife. He told her how he was the son of the most powerful king in the world. He was under a spell, which meant that he was a crab in the daytime and a man at night. He could also change himself into an eagle whenever he wanted. No sooner had he said this than his body began to shake and he turned into a handsome young man. The next morning he had to creep back into the crab shell. The same thing happened every day.

  The royal family was perplexed by the princess’s affection for the crab and her attentive manner to the creature. They had a hunch that there was something they didn’t know, but no matter how hard they tried to snoop around, they could not figure out what was going on.

  A year went by, and the princess had a son, whom she called Benjamin. Her mother was mystified, and finally she told the king that he should ask his daughter whether she would like another husband instead of the crab. But when the daughter was asked, she replied:

  “I am married to a crab, and I want no one else.”

  Then the king said, “I am going to hold a tournament in your honor and invite every prince in the world to attend. If any one of them there pleases you, you shall marry him.”

  The princess told all of this to the crab, who said to her, “Take this switch and hit the garden gate with it. A dark man will come out and ask, ‘Why have you summoned me, and what do you want from me?’ Answer him this way: ‘Your master, the king, dispatched me to ask you for his golden armor, his steed, and the silver apple.’ Then bring them all to me.”

  The princess did as he told her, and she brought him what he had requested.

  The next evening the prince dressed for the tournament. Before he left, he said to his wife, “Just make sure you do not reveal who I am when you see me at the tournament. If you do, things will go badly. Watch it all from the castle window with your sisters. I’ll ride by and throw you the silver apple. Take it in your hand, but if your sisters ask who I am, just say that you don’t know.” He kissed her, repeated the words of warning, and left.

  The princess stood at the window with her sisters and watched the tournament. Her husband rode by and threw the apple up to her. She caught it and took it to her room. Her husband returned from the tournament. The princess’s father was surprised that she did not seem to care for any one of the princes. And so he decided to hold a second tournament.

  The crab gave his wife the same instructions as before, only this time the apple she received from the dark man was made of gold. Before the prince left for the tournament, he said to his wife, “I know that you are going to betray me today.”

  But she swore that she would not reveal who he was. He repeated the warning once more and then left.

  In the evening, while the princess was standing at the window with her mother and sisters, the prince galloped past on his steed and tossed the golden apple over to her.

  Then her mother threw a fit, boxed her ears, and shouted, “Don’t you feel anything at all, even for that prince, you fool?”

  The princess recovered from her shock and shot back, “That is the crab himself!”

  Her mother was now even angrier, for she had not been told sooner that he was at the tournament. She ran straight into her daughter’s room where the crab shell still was, grabbed it, and threw it into the fire. Then the poor princess wept bitter tears, but it did her no good. Her husband did not return.

  Now we must leave the princess and turn our attention to others in the story. One day an old man dipped a crust of bread he was going to eat into a stream. Suddenly a dog jumped out of the water, snatched the bread from his hand, and ran off. The old man ran after him, but the dog found a door, pushed it open, and ran in, the old man following him. The old man was not able to overtake the dog, but he found himself at the top of a staircase, which he walked down. He saw before him a stately palace, and, entering, he found in a large hall a table set for twelve people. He hid himself in the hall behind a picture so that he could see what was happening. At noon he heard a roar so loud that he was trembling with fear. When he finally had the courage to look out from behind the picture, he saw twelve eagles flying around outside. He grew even more fearful. The eagles flew right into the basin of a fountain and began to bathe in it. Suddenly they were changed into twelve handsome youths. Now they went into the hall and sat down at the table. One of them picked up a goblet filled with wine, and said, “To my father!” And another said, “To my mother!” and so the toasts continued. Then one of them said, “To my dearest wife! May she live long and well! But a curse on the cruel mother who burned my golden shell!”

  The young man began to weep as he spoke. Then the young men rose up from the table, went back to the great stone fountain, turned themselves into eagles again, and flew away.

  The old man left as well, waited for daylight, and went back home. Not much later he learned that the princess was ill and that the only thing that made her feel better was having stories told to her. He therefore went to the royal castle, obtained an audience with the princess, and told her about the strange things he had seen in the underground palace. No sooner had he finished than the princess asked him whether he could find the way back to that palace.

  “Yes,” he replied. “Of course I can.”

  She asked him to guide her over there at once. The old man did so, and when they came to the palace he showed her the hiding place behind the picture and advised her to keep quiet. He hid behind the picture as well. Before long, the eagles came flying and turned themselves into young men. Instantly the princess recognized her husband among the others and tried to emerge from her hiding place, but the old man held her back. The youths seated themselves at the table; and now the prince said again, after he had picked up a glass of wine, “Here’s to the health of my dear wife. May she live long and well. But a curse on the cruel mother who burned my golden shell!”

  The princess could restrain herself no longer. She ran out from behind the picture and threw her arms around her husband. He recognized her right away and said, “Do you remember how I told you that you were going to betray me? Now you can see that I spoke the truth. But those bad times are behind us. Now listen to me: I must remain in my enchanted state for three months. Will you stay here with me until that time is over?”

  The princess stayed with him and said to the old man, “Go back to the castle and tell my parents that I am staying here.” The princess’s parents were at first vexed when they heard the news from the old man. But it was not long before the three months of the enchantment were over, and the prince finally was no longer an eagle. He and his wife returned home together. And then they lived happily, and we who are listening to the story are happier still.

  THE GIRL WHO MARRIED A DOG

  Native American

  As often happens with Native American tales, our expectations are reversed; in this case with a father who runs off with his offspring. The Pleiades are usually referred to as a constellation of Seven Sisters, and, in this story, boy pups move into their role. Wearing out seven pairs of moccasins seems less arduous than the iron shoes found in stories like “The Parrot Prince.”

  A chief had a fine looking daughter. She had a great many admirers. At night she was visited by a young
man, but she did not know who he was. She worried about this and determined to discover him. She put red paint near her bed. When he crawled on her bed, she put her hand into the paint. When they embraced, she left red marks on his back.

  The next day she told her father to call all the young men to a dance in front of his tent. They all came, and the whole village turned out to see them. She watched all that came, looking for the red marks she had made. As she turned about, she caught sight of one of her father’s dogs with red marks on his back. This made her so unhappy and she went straight into her tent. This broke up the dance.

  The next day she went into the woods near the camp, taking the dog on a string. She hit him. He finally broke loose. She was very unhappy, and several months later she bore seven pups. She told her mother to kill them, but her mother was kind toward them and made a little shelter for them. They began to grow, and sometimes at night the old dog came to them. After a time, the woman began to take an interest in them and sometimes played with them. When they were big enough to run, the old dog came and took them away.

  When the woman went to see them in the morning, they were gone. She saw the large dog’s tracks, and several little ones, and followed them at a distance. She was sad and cried. She returned to her mother and said, “Mother, make me seven pairs of moccasins. I am going to follow the little ones, searching for them.” Her mother made seven pairs of moccasins, and the woman started out, tracking them all the way. Finally, in the distance, she saw a tent. The youngest one came to her and said, “Mother, father wants you to go back. We are going home. You cannot come.” She said, “No! Wherever you go, I go.” She took the little one and carried him to the tent. She entered and saw a young man, who took no notice of her. He gave her a little meat and drink, which did not grow less no matter how much she ate. She tied the little pup to her belt with a string. Next morning, she was left alone and the tent had vanished. She followed the tracks and again came upon them. Four times this happened in the same way. But the fourth time the tracks stopped.