(The Louse-Skin Coat)
(The Louse-Skin Coat)
| Había un rey que tenía una hija. Un día en que estaba la reina peinando a la princes, le encontró un piojo en el cabello.
- Mira padre, - dijo la princesa, - el piojo que me ha encontrado mamá en el cabello. - ¡No lo mates! - exclamó el rey, - vamos a meterlo en un frasco. Tengo curiosidad de ver que tan grande puede crecer un piojo alimentado de sangre real. Metió el rey al piojo en un frasco, y de cuando en cuando lo dejaba alimentarse de la sangre real de la princesa, dejándolo en la cabeza de la niña algunas horas. Creció el piojo tan grande que el rey tuvo que meter en una barrica. Siguió alimentándolo la princesa y el piojo siguió creciendo hasta que el rey se vió obligado a sacarlo de la barrica y a meterlo en un tonel. Por fín cuando ya no cabía en el tonel, lo tuvo que matar. Mandó curtir la piel del piojo y ordenó al sastre real que le hiciera un saco del cuero. Cuando estuvo terminado el saco, el rey hacía la misma pregunta a toda la gente: - Adivínenme de qué animal es la piel de mi saco. Unos decían que de res, otros de venado, pero nadie podía atinar. Por fín, hizo pregonar el monarca por todo su reino, que el que advinara de qué animal provenía la piel de su saco, se casaría con la princesa. De muchas partes vinieron gentes a examinar el saco, pero nadie pudo acertar de qué animal era la piel del saco del rey. Un día llegó un pastor a la ciudad trayendo su rebaño para venderlo en el mercado. Decidió conocer la ciudad y se echó a caminar. Después de mucho andar llegó al palacio del rey. Cansado se reclinó en la pared del jardín. Torció un cigarrillo y mientras fumaba, oyó que alguién hablaba en el jardín. Era el rey que platicaba con la reina, y le decía: - Yo creo que nadie va a adivinar que mi saco esta hecho de piel de piojo. Tan pronto como oyó esto, el pastor se alejó, pensando, ahora si que me puedo casar con la princesa. Al día siguiente se fué el pastor al palacio y pidió audiencia para ver al rey. Cuando estuvo frente al monarca, le dijo: - Señor vengo a ver si adivino de qué piel está hecho su saco. - Adivina, - dijo el rey. - Señor, - contestó el pastor, - esta hecho de piel de piojo. - ¡Lo has adivinado! - gritó el rey. Y mandó que se celebraran las bodas del pastor y de la princesa lo más pronto posible. |
Once there was a king who had a daughter. One day when the queen was combing her daughter's hair, the mother found a louse.
"Look, Father," said the princess, "at the louse Mother found in my hair." "Don't kill it!" exclaimed the king. "Let us put it in a jar. I am curious to find how large a louse can grow when it feeds on royal blood." The king placed the louse in a jar and every day he would let the louse feed on the royal blood of the princess. He would let the louse suck on the skin of the girl for several hours. The louse grew so large that the king had to place it in a bigger jar. It kept on growing until finally the king placed it in a barrel. The princess kept on feeding it until it became so large that the king placed it in a tun. When the louse could not be kept in the tun, the king killed it. Then he had the louse skin tanned and ordered the royal tailor to make a coat from it. When the coat was made, the king put it on and asked everybody the same question: "Can you guess the name of the animal from which the skin of my coat was taken?" Some said it was from a steet, others from a deer, but none could guess rightly. Finally, the king proclaimed throughout his kingdom that any one solving the riddle of the coat would be wed to the princess. From everywhere people came to try to solve the riddle, but none could guess correctly. One day a pastor came with his flock to the city. He was going to market to ell his sheep, but decided that he might do well to go and see the sights. After walking a long while, he arrived at the outskirts of the king's palace. Being tired, the pastor rolled a cigarette and had just leaned against the wall of the king's garden to smoke when he heard voices. It was the king talking to his wife: "I don't think anybody is going to guess that my coat is made from a louse-skin." As soon as he heard this, the shepherd left, thinking, "Now I will be able to marry the princess." Next day, the pastor went to the palace and asked for an audience with the king. When he was before the king, the shepherd said, "Señor, I have come to see if I can solve the riddle of your coat." "Guess," said the king. "Señor," said the pastor, "the coat is made from a louse-skin." "You have guessed!" cried the king. So the king ordered that the marriage of the shepherd and the princess take place without delay. |
Notes for El Saco De Piojo
The story, "El Saco de Piojo," presented here, is a very simplified version of similar tales found in Europe and elsewhere. It seems that "El Saco de Piojo" is an original and complete tale since there is no evidence of its contamination with other motifs and types. "El Saco de Piojo" contains one incident alone: the riddle of what material the King's coat is made from.
That the basic story type is Oriental there is no doubt, proof being given in the fact that the reward is won through the answering of a riddle. In Europe, however, the tales similar to "El Saco de Piojo" have intermixed with motifs from "The Pursued Maiden" types, as well as from "The Marvelous Companions" or "Grateful Animals" themes.
A.M. Espinoza has presented three tales in his Cuentos Españoles which originally were similar to "El Saco de Piojo" (Tales 9, 10, II). These Spanish tales have, however, developed into complicated tales embracing elements from other types of magic tales.
Basile in his Pentamerone (I, 5) presents the story of the King of Altamont who breeds a louse the size of a goat. He kills the louse and then offers his daughter in marriage to the person who can guess from what animal the skin was taken. After this, all similarities to "El Saco de Piojo" end. Basile brings in "The Marvelous Companions" theme by providing a woman with seven sons. One is a wonderful hunter, another a wonderful hearer, etc. They succeed in rescuing the princess from the ogre who as solved the King's riddle and to whom the princess had been given in marriage by her father the King.
This tale from Il Pentamerone is undoubtedly one of the oldest in Europe. The story by Basile must be classified under "The Pursued Maiden" theme and/or that of the "Marvelous Companions." However, it must be kept in mind that other group types may be formed from the "Pursued Maiden" theme and "The Companions." In one grouping the companions rescue the maiden from the clutches of the devil, ogre, or wizard who has solved the riddle and thus forced the king to give the princess in marriage. The other category involves the aid given to the hero by the marvelous companions in either the solving of the riddle of the louse-skin or the completion of tasks assigned to the hero after his solution of a riddle.
No comparison of "El Saco de Piojo" to other tales is made since "El Saco de Piojo" is narrated in its purest form, and is the "Louse-Skin" type.
Comparative Classification:
Aarne-Thompson: Type 621.
Narrator:
Don Nicholás Martinez
Age 92
El Paso, Texas
