The Old Man's Perilous Journey: Creatures, Demons, and the Water Mill
Description
Once upon a time there was an elderly couple living in a remote area. They had a daughter for whom a marriage proposal came in, and she got married. Several years passed, and the couple did not hear from their daughter. After her marriage, she never visited her parents, nor did they go to visit her. As time passed, the mother became very anxious to know about her daughter's well-being. She asked her husband to go and check on their daughter, but he was initially reluctant because their in-laws lived very far away. Somehow, she convinced him, and he set out on the journey. On the way, he encountered several dangers: demons, evil spirits, and many ferocious animals. First, he met a dog who said: "Old man, should I eat you?" The old man replied: "No, let me meet my daughter first, then you can eat me." Moving forward, he encountered a bear who asked the same question, and the old man gave the same reply. Then he met a fairy who also wanted to eat him, but again, he asked for time to meet his daughter first. Continuing his journey, he met a sheep who asked: "Should I eat you?" The old man replied the same way. After overcoming all these obstacles, he finally reached his daughter's house. He stayed there for a month. After a month, the daughter said to her father: "It's been a long time; go back to mom, she must be worried." Upon hearing this, the father explained all the hardships he faced on his way. He said if he now went back those creatures would tear him apart. Hearing this, the daughter said she had a solution. She brought a large pot and put her father inside, then threw the pot downhill. As the pot rolled down, those creatures asked: "Did you see an old man?" From inside, the old man replied: "There is no old man or woman here." The bear and the dog asked the same, and he replied the same way. Eventually, when the pot encountered the sheep, he gave the same response. The sheep then struck the pot, causing it to break. The sheep, upon seeing the old man, whistled, and then the rest of them arrived too. Now, the old man cleverly suggested that they should find more prey because he alone wouldn't satisfy all of them. They agreed and left in search of other prey, leaving the old man and the sheep behind. The old man then suggested to the sheep: "Why stay here alone? You must be hungry. The others will arrange their meals and come back. You should go and eat some grass." The sheep agreed and left to graze. While grazing, the sheep forgot and wandered far away. The old man took this opportunity to hide in the basement of a nearby water mill (ranthak). When the other creatures returned, they couldn't find the old man and accused the sheep of eating him alone, threatening to eat the sheep in return. They killed the sheep and placed it in the water mill's cooking pot to cook. When the meat started to boil, some of the broth spilled through a hole onto the old man in the basement, causing him to scream in pain. Hearing this, the creatures thought a greater demon had arrived and fled in fear. Once they were gone, the old man calmly came out, packed all the meat in his bag, and returned home to his wife, who was very happy to see him. After 10 to 15 days, the wife again wanted him to go check on their daughter. The old man explained all the troubles he had faced previously and refused to go, and so he never went to visit their daughter's house again.
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Khadija Begum
Andreas Bürkert
Martin Wiehle
Eva Schlecht
Ellen Hoffmann
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Except where otherwised noted, this item's license is described as CC BY-NC-SA