Machwerk
R.W. Aristoquakes
Teil 31 - 38
- Im Elysium -
Nach Hebe, Hera,
das war klar,
Wieder an der
Reihe war.
Sie erzählte von
Mainu
Eine asiatische
Legende,
In welcher Mainu
ein Froschfilou,
Der Held der
Story blieb am Ende.
Mainu the Frog
oder
The Son of
Kim-ana-u-eze and
the Daughter of Sun and Moon
the Daughter of Sun and Moon
(Ovimbundu)
The Son of Kim-ana-u-eze and
the Daughter of Sun and Moon
the Daughter of Sun and Moon
I
often tell of Kim-ana-u-eze, who begat a male
child. The child grew up, and he came to the age of marrying. His father said,
"Marry."
He said, "I will not marry a woman of the
earth."
His father asked, "Then whom will you
marry?"
He answered, "I! If it must be, I shall
marry the daughter of Lord Sun and Lady Moon."
But the people asked, "Who can go to the
sky where the daughter of Lord Sun and Lady Moon lives?"
He simply said, "I, indeed; I want her. If
it is anyone on earth, I will not marry her."
Thereupon he wrote a letter of marriage and
gave it to Deer. But Deer said, "I cannot go to the sky."
Then he gave it to Antelope. Antelope also
said, "I cannot go to the sky."
He gave the letter to Hawk. Hawk, too, said,
"I cannot go to the sky."
He gave it to Vulture, but Vulture also said,
"I can go halfway to the sky; however, all the way I cannot go."
Finally the young man said, "How shall I
do it?" He put his letter in his box and was quiet.
The people of Lord Sun and Lady Moon used to
come to get water on earth, and one day Frog came and sought out the son of
Kim-ana-u-eze and spoke to him.
"Young master," he said, "give
me the letter that I may take it."
The young master, however, said, "Begone!
If people of life, who have wings, gave it up, how can you say, "I will go
there? How can you get there?"
Frog said, "Young master, I am equal to
it."
So Kim-ana-u-eze gave Frog the letter, saying,
"If you cannot get there and you return with it, I shall give you a
thrashing."
Frog started out and went to the well where the
people of Lord Sun and Lady Moon were wont to come to get water. He put the
letter in his mouth and got into the well and kept very still. In a little
while, the people of Lord Sun and Lady Moon came to get water. They put a jug
into the well, and Frog got into the jug. After they got the water, they lifted
it up, not knowing that Frog had entered the jug. They arrived in the sky, set
down the jug in its place, and departed.
Then Frog got out of the jug. In the room where
they kept the jugs of water, there was also a table. Frog spat out the letter
and placed it on top of the table. Then he hid in the corner of the room.
After a while, Lord Sun himself came into the
room where the water was; he looked at the table and saw the letter on it. He took
it and asked his people, "Whence comes this letter?"
They answered, "Lord we do not know."
He opened it and read it. It ran thus: "I, the son of Na Kim-ana-u-eze
Kia-Tumb Ndala, a man of earth, want to marry the daughter of Lord Sun and Lady
Moon." Lord Sun thought to him self in his heart: "Na Kim-ana- u-eze
lives on earth; I am a man who lives in the sky. He who came with the letter,
who is he?" He put the letter away into his box and said nothing.
When Lord Sun finished reading the letter, Frog
got into the jug again. After the water had been emptied out of the jugs, the
water girls lifted them and went down to earth. They again arrived at the well
and put the jugs in the water. Frog then got out and went under the water and
hid himself. After the girls had finished the filling of the jugs they left.
The Frog came out of the water and went to his
village. There he kept quiet and said nothing. When many days had passed, the
son of Kim-ana-u-eze asked Frog, "O fellow, where did you take the letter,
and how?"
Frog answered, "Master, I delivered the
letter, but they have not yet returned an answer."
The son of Kim-ana-u-eze said, "O man, you
are telling a lie; you did not go there."
Frog said, "Master, that same place where
I went, that you shall see."
After six days, the son of Kim-ana-u-eze again
wrote a letter to ask about the former letter, saying: "I wrote to you,
Lord Sun and Lady Moon. My letter was delivered but you returned no answer whatsoever
to me, saying neither "We accept you" nor "We refuse you. Having
finished his letter, he sealed it. Then he called Frog and gave it to him. Frog
started and soon arrived at the well. He took the letter into his mouth, got
into the water, and squatted on the bottom of the well."
After a while, the water carriers came down and
arrived at the well. They put the jugs into the water, and Frog got into a jug.
When they had finished filling them, they lifted them up. They went up to the
sky by means of a cobweb which Spider had woven. Soon they arrived there, and
entered a house. There they set down the jugs and departed. Frog came out of
the jug, spat out the letter, and laid it on the table. Then he hid in the
corner.
After a while, Lord Sun passed through the room
where the water was. He looked at the table and saw the letter on it. He opened
and read it. The letter said: "I, son of Na Kim-ana-u-eze Kia-Tumb"
Ndala, I ask you, Lord Sun, about my letter that went before. You did not
return me an answer at all."
Lord Sun said, "Girls, you who always go
to fetch water, are you carrying letters?"
The girls said, "We, master? "
Then doubt possessed Lord Sun. He laid the
letter in the box and wrote to the son of Kim-ana-u-eze, saying: "You who
are sending me letters about marrying my daughter: I agree, on condition that
you in person, the man, come with your first present, so that I may know
you." When he finished writing, he folded the letter and laid it on the
table and went away. Frog now came out of the corner and took the letter. He
put it in his mouth and entered the jug. Then he remained very quiet.
After a while, the water was emptied from the jugs,
and the girls came and lifted them up. Then they went to the cord of Spider and
descended to earth. They arrived at the well and put the jugs into the water.
Frog got out of the jug and went to the bottom of the well. When the girls had
completed the filling of the jugs, they returned to the sky. Frog then left the
well and soon arrived in his village. He kept very quiet.
When evening came, he said, "Now I will
take the letter." He spat it out and arrived at the house of the son of
Kim-ana- u-eze. He knocked at the door, and the son of Kim-ana-u-eze asked, "Who
is it?"
Frog answered, "I, Mainu, the frog."
The son of Kim-ana-u-eze got up from his bed
where he was reclining and said, "Come in."
So Frog went in and delivered the letter. Then
he departed. The son of Kim-ana-u-eze opened the letter and read it. What Lord
Sun announced pleased him. He said to himself: "Why, it was the truth Frog
told me when he said, "You shall see where I went." Then he went to sleep.
The next morning, he took forty macutas
(coins) and wrote a letter, saying: "You, Lord Sun and Moon, here is the
first present, I remain on earth to seek for the wooing present. You up there,
you tell me the amount of the wooing present." He finished the letter and
called Frog. When he came, he gave him the letter and the money, saying,
"Take this."
So Frog started. Soon he arrived at the well.
He went to the bottom of the well and remained very quiet. After a while, the
girls came down and put the jugs in the water, and Frog entered one of them.
When the girls had finished filling them, they took them up. Again they went up
to the sky by means of a cobweb. Soon they arrived in the room for the water.
They set down the jugs and went away.
Then Frog got out of the jug and put the letter
on the table, together with the money. Then he hid in the corner. Some time
later, Lord Sun came into the room and found the letter on the table. He took
it with the money and read the letter. Then he told his wife the news that had
come from the prospective son-in-law. His wife assented.
Lord Sun said, "Who is coming with these
letters? I do not know. How shall his food be cooked?"
His wife, however, answered, "No matter,
we shall cook it anyhow and put it on the table where the letters have been
found."
Lord Sun replied, "Very well."
So they killed a mother hen and cooked it. When
evening came, they cooked mush. They set these eatables on the table and shut
the door. Frog came to the table and ate the victuals. Then he went to the
corner and kept quiet.
Lord Sun now wrote another letter saying:
"You, son-in-law of mine, the first present which you have sent me I have
received. For the amount of the wooing present, you shall give me a sack of money."
When he had finished the letter, he laid it on the table and left the room.
Then Frog came out of the corner and took the letter. Shortly afterward, he
entered the jug and went to sleep.
In the morning the girls took the jugs and went
down to the earth. They arrived at the well and put the jugs into the water.
Frog then got out of the jug. When the girls had finished filling the jugs,
they again went up to the sky.
Frog now got out of the water and soon arrived
at his village. He entered his own house but waited quietly until sundown. When
evening had come, he said, "Now I will take the letter." He started
out and soon arrived at the house of the son of Kim-ana- u-eze. He knocked at
the door and the son of Kim-ana-u-eze asked, "Who is it?"
Then Frog answered, "I, Mainu, the
frog."
"Come in," he replied.
Frog went in; he gave him the letter and
departed. The son of Kim-ana-u-eze opened the letter, read it, and then put it
aside.
Six days passed; then he was ready with the
sack of money. He called Frog, and when Frog had come, the son of Kim-ana-u-eze
wrote the following letter: "You, my parents-in-law, the wooing present is
enclosed. Soon I myself, I shall find a day to bring my wife home." He
gave the letter to Frog, together with the money.
Frog then started and soon arrived at the well.
Again he went in under the water and hid. After a while, the water carriers
came down and arrived at the well. They put the jugs, as usual, in the water;
Frog, as usual, entered a jug. When they had finished filling the jugs, they
took them up, going up by means of Spider cobweb. Soon they arrived in the sky.
There they set down the jugs in the regular room and departed. Frog then got
out of the jug and laid the letter down on the table, together with the money.
Then he went into a corner and hid.
Soon Lord Sun came into the room and found the
letter and the money. He took both and showed the money to his wife, Lady Moon.
Lady Moon thereupon said, "It is
good."
Then they took a young hog and killed it. When
they had cooked the food, they set it down on the table and shut the door. Frog
came in then and ate it. When he had finished, he entered the jug and went to
sleep.
The next morning the water carriers took the
jugs and again went down to earth. They soon arrived at the well and dipped the
jugs in the water. Frog then got out of the jug and hid. When they had finished
filling the jugs, they again returned to the sky. Then Frog left the well and
soon arrived at his village. He entered his house and went to sleep.
The next morning, he said to the son of
Kim-ana-u-eze, "Young master, I gave them the wooing present, and they
accepted it. They cooked me a young hog, and I ate it. Now, you yourself shall
choose the day to fetch the bride home."
The son of Kim-ana-u-eze said, "Very
well." Then twelve days elapsed.
Now the son of Kim-ana-u-eze spoke to Frog:
"I need people to fetch the bride for me, but I cannot find them. All
those to whom I speak say, "We cannot go to the sky. Now, what shall I do,
Frog?"
Frog said, "My young master, be at ease; I
shall find a way to go and bring her home for you."
But the son of Kim-ana-u-eze said, "You
cannot do that. You could indeed carry the letters, but bring the bride home that
you are unable to do."
But Frog again said, "Young master, be at
ease; be not troubled for naught. I indeed will be able to go and bring her
home. Do not despise me."
The son of Kim-ana-u-eze said, "Well, I
will try you."
Then he took some victuals and gave them to
Frog.
Frog thereupon started. Soon he arrived at the
well. Again he got into the well and hid. After a while, the water carriers
came down and arrived at the well. They dipped the jugs in the water. Frog
entered one of them. When they had filled them, they went back. Arriving at the
proper room, they set down the jugs and departed. Then Frog got out of the jug
and hid in a corner. When the sun had set and it was evening, Frog left the
room of the water jugs and went to seek the room where the daughter of Lord Sun
slept. He found it and saw her asleep there. First he took out one of her eyes
and then the other. These he tied up in a handkerchief and went back to the
room where the jugs were. He hid in a corner and slept.
In the morning, all the people got up, but not
the daughter of Lord Sun. So they asked her, "Why do you not get up?"
And she answered, "My eyes are closed; I
cannot see."
Her father and mother said, "What may be
the cause of this? Yesterday she did not complain."
So Lord Sun called for two messengers and said
to them, "Go to Ngombo to divine about my child who is sick, whose eyes
are sick." They started immediately and soon arrived at the Ngombo-manâ."
They gave him presents and Ngombo took our his paraphernalia. Now the people
who came did not let him know anything about the disease; they simply said,
"We have come to be divined."
Ngombo looked into his paraphernalia and said,
"Disease has brought you. The one who is sick is a woman. The sickness
that ails her concerns her eyes. You have come, being sent, you have not come
of your own will. I have spoken."
The people said, "True. Now tell us what
caused the ailment." Ngombo looked again, and said, "She, the woman
who is sick, is not yet married. She is only chosen. Her master, who bespoke her,
has sent a spell saying, "My wife, let her come; if she does not come, she
shall die. You, who came to divine, go, bring her to her husband that she may
escape death. I have spoken."
The messengers agreed and got up. They went to
Lord Sun and reported to him the words of Ngombo.
Lord Sun said, "All right. Let us sleep. Tomorrow
they shall take her down to earth."
Frog, being in his corner, heard all that they
were saying. Then all slept.
The next morning, Frog got into the jug. Again
the water carriers came. Again they took up the jugs. Then they descended to
the earth and soon arrived at the well. They put the jugs in the water, and
Frog came out of one of them. He hid under the well. When the jugs were filled,
the water carriers went up to the sky.
Then Lord Sun told Spider, "Weave a large
cobweb, down to earth, for this is the day when my daughter will be taken down
to the earth." Spider wove and finished the web. Thus time passed.
Frog now got out of the well and went to his
village. He found the son of Kim-ana-u-eze and said to him, "O young
master! Thy bride, today she comes."
The son of Kim-ana-u-eze said, "Begone,
man, you are a liar."
Frog answered, "Master, this is the truth
itself. This evening I will bring her to you."
Frog then returned to the well and got into the
water and was silent.
Now the sun had set, and the daughter of Lord
Sun was taken down to the earth. They left her at the well and then went back.
Frog now got out of the well and spoke to the
young woman, saying, "I myself will be your guide. Let us go immediately
so that I can bring you to your master." Then Frog returned her eyes to
her and they started. Soon they entered the house of the son of Kim-ana-u-eze.
Frog exclaimed:
"O young master! Your bride is here."
The son of Kim-ana-u-eze said, "Welcome,
Mainu the frog."
And so the son of Kim-ana-u-eze married the
daughter of Lord Sun and Lady Moon, and they lived
on.
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