J54A. Calf and tiger cub, ATU 131.
.11.-.14. (.22.) .23. (.30.) .34.
Two women, both or one of whom are animal characters, live together and have children. One of them kills and eats the other or is about to do so. The murderer's son kills the mother for this, remains the son's sister, or the murderer's and the victim's children run away together. Cf. motive J54B.
Lamba, Vai, Loma-Mende, Kassonke, Ashanti, Hausa, Vute, Banen, Zaghawa, Western Sahara Arabs, (Arakans), Gondas, Hindi, Bengalis, Gondas, Santals, (Kati), Mongols, (Oirats).
Bantu-speaking Africa. Lamba [The Lioness and the Cow live together; each gives birth to a human son; the Cow warns her son that the Lioness can kill her; this is what happened; the Lioness's son finds out about this, offers to kill her their mother; they order axes to the blacksmith, cut off the Lioness's head when she enters the house; they come to a village where there is no water; they give water to lake spirits for human sacrifices; it is the leader's son's turn; the Lioness's son cuts off the heads of the spirits, tells the leader's son to bring them to his father; he gives the daughter to the Lioness's son; the son of the Cow leaves the wife of the Lioness's son a pot of porridge; if the porridge dries, something has happened to him; leaves ; comes to the ends of the earth, where clouds touch her, puts a ladder, climbs into heaven, comes to God's daughter; God sends an army, the son of the Cow kills everyone; the same second time; on the third son of the Cow hears the howling of a dog eating cow's giblets; says that now he will die; tells his enemies to raise two sticks and dies immediately; the daughter-in-law sees that the porridge is dry; the Lioness's son comes to revive the Cow's son By hitting an animal's tail; a Cow's son gets a wife]: Doke 1927, No. 11:15-23.
West Africa. Vai [the husband drove his wife away because she was childless, but she gave birth to a boy in the forest; a lioness lived nearby, the boy and the lion cub became friends; the lioness saw the boy's mother and killed her; for this, a lion cub with a lioness was killed as a boy when she fell asleep; the boy grew up, went to town, got married; the wife saw him hug a lion, screamed, people ran, fatally wounded a lion; he died where he killed his mother; a young man went there, dug a grave, stabbed himself]: Creel 1966:64-68; loma mende [the chief wanted to marry a girl, but she already had a lover, she refused the chief, ran into the forest; began to live next to the lioness; she had son, lioness has a daughter; a young lioness tells the young man to tell his mother not to go to the river bank where her mother will hunt; she did not listen, the lioness killed her; the daughter refused to eat; the young man killed the lioness, became to live with her daughter; then went to live in the village; became a famous hunter because the lioness caught game for him; to marry the leader's daughter, he arranged for the lioness to kidnap her, and he seemed to take her back ; the wife suspects that her husband has a lover; sees him with a lioness, thinks he is a werewolf; people have killed a lioness, the husband committed suicide, and the wife then too; their souls are now wandering through the woods]: Pinney 1973:82-84; banen [the man has 21 wives, everyone became pregnant; he promised to drive away the one who would give birth to a boy; one gave birth, he drove her into the forest, she began to live under the roots of a large tree; on the other hand, a lioness lived with a lion cub; a lion cub and a boy Bambok became friends; one day a lioness noticed a woman by the river, killed her and brought her body; the lion cub told B. to steal a gun, shoot a lioness; the lion cub advised B. to return to people but not to live with his father, but in a hut on the edge of the forest, making two entrances; at night he comes to B. to eat; his father's wives were followed, the father and men came at dawn, fatally wounded a lion cub; B. shot his father, came to the dying lion cub and, when he died, shot himself]: Dugast 1975:398-406; Cassonka [the king was told that a son from his beloved wife would overthrow him; he expelled his wife; the Griots said that her son must become a powerful ruler; the king had to agree to get together with his wife again, and then he kicked her out again; she gave birth, the boy was taken away by a lioness, raised with a lion cub; when he noticed that a lioness can eat a boy, he killed his mother; the boy lived in an old man's village, but met a lion; he frightened the caravans, brought the young man their goods; brought two antelopes every day; then a lion promised to stage an attack on a girl that a young man wanted to take, but who was promised to another; the young man would pretend to boldly drive away a lion; so it happened; then the lion died; when he saw a friend's dead body, the young man also killed himself; the falcon revived them; said that the baobab was not fruit, but gold bars; the young man became king; the lion told him that the beggar on the street was his mother]: Paulme 1976:91-95; ashanti [woman fell behind her husband, gave birth under a tree, stayed in the forest; a lioness and a cub lived nearby; a boy and a lion cub became friends; one day a lioness came across a woman and killed her; a lion cub promised revenge on the young man; how only matured, killed his mother; married a young man; to do this, he pretended to kidnap the girl, and the young man pretended to save her; but the lion warned not to take a second wife; but one day a rich beauty came and persuaded her not to take a second wife the young man to take it; on Fridays, the lion came to his friend and he sent his second wife for that time; but one day she spied, told the hunter, and the hunter shot the lion; when he saw another's body, the young man pierced himself with an arrow; when she saw her husband dead, the first wife hanged herself; which of the three is nobler? answer: hanged wife]: Cardinall 1931:190-192; House: Lippert 1905, No. 9 [wife scolds a loser hunter; once he brought a hedgehog, gave it to his wife, the hedgehog ran away, the husband demanded that the hedgehog be returned; wife pregnant, went to the forest, gave birth to a boy; there the lioness gave birth to a lion cub; the lion cub and the boy became friends; the lioness killed the boy's mother, for which the lion cub killed the lioness; the lion cub and the boy stayed together]: 241- 242; Schön 1862, No. 8 [the hunter did not get anything, wrapped the grasshopper in a large bundle, brought it to his wife; she turned it around, said that the prey had run away; the hunter demanded that it be returned; the woman tried to catch it a grasshopper, went to the forest, gave birth to a son in the hollow; there lived a lioness, gave birth to a lion cub; the boy and the lion cub grew up; the lioness ate the woman; when the lion cub saw that his paw was the same size as his mother's paw, he killed a lioness; robbed the merchants, brought the young man clothes, axes, everything he needed; he went to live in the village, got married; the lion came to him at night; one day his wife came in, screamed; the lion left, saying that if a young man will hear him cry once, he died, if twice, he is alive; the young man heard sobbing, came to the forest, found a dead lion; stabbed himself; people buried them together]: 198-203; Ohotina 1961 [two wives of the same man widowed, each with a son; one decided to kill the other son so that she could get everything for her own; the magician tells her to lure the boy to a tree, dazzle her, leave him in the forest; her son has found a half-brother, went out, they built a city, became rulers; he killed his mother]: 285-286; vute [a lioness and a woman live together, one has a lion cub, the other has a son; a woman went to the stream to fish, her lioness killed; the boy told the lioness's son about it; he killed his mother]: Sieber 1921, No. 32:202-203.
Sudan - East Africa. Zaghawa [the husband caught the bird; his wife accidentally released it, followed it, came to the cave where the lioness lived with the lion cub, and gave birth to twins Tom and Timane; the lioness returned, killed and ate the woman and Tom, but Timane did not notice; the lion cub asks why he was crying; T.: the lioness ate her mother and brother; the lion cub promises to kill his mother; when the lioness lay down and fell asleep, the lion cub pierced her with a dagger; T. cries: I naked; lion cub brought clothes; M.: I want to marry; lion cub: I will pretend to kidnap a girl; her father will promise her to someone who will save her; you will come and pretend to beat her off me; having received a wife, T. asks she got up early and wake up the lion so that no one could see him; she overslept; another girl came to ask for fire, saw a lion, screamed; people ran and killed a lion; T.'s wife stabbed herself; after that T. also stabbed]: Tubiana, Tubiana 2004 (2), No. 27:30-34.
North Africa. The Arabs of Western Sahara [seven sisters, one pregnant, the others ran after the camel, the pregnant woman could not, was left alone, gave birth to a boy in the cave; there were two lion cubs; she replied that her they are called International; mother and son ate what the lioness brought to the lions; when she took their meat, they growled, the lioness asked what was going on, they answered "This is among themselves", the lioness did not intervene; lions they said that the lioness would not harm the woman and her son, told the lioness about them; once a lioness and a woman went hunting together, the lioness ate the woman, brought her breasts to the cave; the lion cub told the boy that he took revenge, killed his mother a lioness, went on a journey with the boy; the boy came to people; the lion cub told him to slaughter himself, he agreed, the lion cub immediately healed the wound as if it did not exist; said that the wound is being healed, but there is no grudge]: Aris, Cladellas 1991:84-86.
(Wed. Burma - Indochina. Arakan people [the cow became friends with the tigress; when they were drinking water from the lake, the tigress tasted cow's saliva; told the cow that she dreamed that she was eating it; the cow protested; the lion decided in favor of the tigress; the owl promised to help; flew to the lion and demanded his daughter as his wife; said that she had dreamed of her getting married to her; the lion was indignant; the owl: then the tigress did not have the right to eat a cow]: Kasevich, Osipov 1976, No. 67:205-207).
South Asia. India (translated from Hindi) [the tigress considers the cow to be her older sister, they live together, both have a son; by the river, the tigress gets foam from the cow's mouth, she likes the taste, she eats the cow; In the evening, a calf sees blood milk in her cup; his mother told him: this would mean that she was dead; the tigress confesses to what she had done, the tiger cub kills her; ties a bell around her calf's neck; if call, the tiger cub will come to the rescue; the butcher kills the calf; the tiger cub will fade the bell, comes running, kills the butcher, dies of grief on his brother's body]: Zograf 1964:78-81; Bengalis [pious, but a poor and stupid brahmana goes to the palace on the wrong road, goes to Rakshasi; she says that she is his first wife, gives him a generous gift, asks him to bring his second wife; seeing that the husband has returned rich, a woman walks with him; sees Rakshasi devouring raw material on an antelope; a woman feels that Rakshasi's jaws extend from the ground to the sky; she gives her son Champa Dal her milk - if he turns red, his father is dead , if she blushes even more, so does she; Rakshasi swallows both, BH jumps away; Sahasra Dal, Rakshasi's son from a brahman, saves his half-brother, kills his Rakshasi mother, joins the BH; they come to a city where residents leave a person in the temple every night to eat another rakshasi; they go instead of the victim; SD kills Rakshasi, gets the daughter of the king and half the kingdom; BH lives with him; the maid - Rakshasi in disguise; BH sees her eating food; to get rid of him, the maid complains that he is encroaching on her honor; the Queen Mother tells him to be driven away; he comes to a distant country; there Princess Keshavati sleeps, BH touches her with a golden stick, she comes to life; Rakshasi has eaten everyone; every morning Rakshasi touches the princess with a silver stick, she loses consciousness before she returns; K. finds out that Rakshasi's life in two bees at the bottom of the reservoir; BH kills them, all Rakshasi die; K. bathes, her swam hair finds SD; wants to find the owner; the Queen Mother sends a Rakshasi maid, she lures K. ship, takes away; BH comes, tells its story; SD orders to place the maid standing in a hole, covered with thorns, buried alive]: Day 1914, No. 4:64-92; gondas [the peasant's wife suggested slaughter a cow to put its liver on his forehead and get rid of the headache; the husband let the cow go into the forest, brought the goat's liver; the cow became friends with a tigress, each giving birth to a human boy; son the tigress decided that his mother could kill the cow and killed the tigress himself; the king of the city promises a daughter to whoever would kill Dana and bring his ears and tail; the young men killed Dana, the princess received the son of a cow; the young men killed fish, who ate those who came for water; after that, the tigress's son also got a wife; the young men found that cow, came with it to the village where its owners lived, and became landowners there]: Elwin 1944, No. 19.5:430-431; santals [a tigress and a cow lived together in the forest; a tigress gave birth to a female tiger cub and a cow to a calf; decided to marry them when they grew up; the tigress went to a watering hole upstream, and a cow lower; one day the cow went upstream; the cow's saliva got into the tigress's mouth, she liked the taste, she decided to eat the cow; she poured her milk into the jar, told the calf that if it turned red, the tigress killed her; her milk turned red; when she found out, the tigress's daughter promised never to drink her mother's milk; when she came, her daughter sent her to wash her mouth (it was covered in blood and flies); the tigress went to finish eating the cow and her daughter and calf had time to run away; otherwise the tigress would have eaten both]: Bompas 1909, No. 111:320-322.
(Wed. Iran - Central Asia. Kati (paruni) [fairy and ginny lived like sisters; both had a son; they agreed that if one of them died, the other would raise the orphaned boy as their own; the fairy died; the old woman advised Jeannie does not treat his adopter like his own; Ginny gave him ash bread; he cried to his mother's grave; she told from the ground which cow to go to; instead of manure, the cow spewed a piece of cheese; a young man he ate well; one day both young men were archery; the fairy's son did not tell Ginny's son to shoot anything whitish, but he shot; there were ashes of bread; so Jeannie's son found out what his mother was feeding him the son of a fairy; offered to switch seats when Ginny brought bread; after receiving bread from ash, Ginny's son hit his mother, but the fairy's son did not allow him to kill her; the old woman told Ginny about the cow and offered pretend to be sick, demanding beef; Jeannie's son: let my mother die of her illness; but the fairy's son went to slaughter a cow; she was not there and the young men followed her; the fairy's son found a cow and made peace with her, but she did not give her cheese anymore; sent the young man up the valley to his mother's seven sisters; the fairy's son lived with them for a couple of years and went to visit Jeannie's son; the fairies gave him a belt (camarband): if he turns red, then come back; and if the water in our cup turns red, we will come to the rescue ourselves; the fairy's son sees an old man carrying a girl; every year a giant demands a girl, otherwise he will ruin the village; young man volunteered to bring her to the lake himself, hit the giant with an arrow; the old man offered to shave his head and cut his neck himself; the fairies came and revived the young man; he hacked the old man and married his daughter {her old man and dragged him to a giant?} ; once a fairy's son saw smoke; wife: this is a place from which they do not return; there is an old woman: her legs are a tripod, her left hand is fire, her right hand is a spoon she used to stir in her stomach while cooking; the son of a fairy brought her a tripod, firewood, made a fire, gave her a wooden spoon; the old woman is grateful, promised to save him from her sons; taught her how to greet them; when she left in the morning, the old woman's sons did not tell the young man go to that wall and those shutters; the young man went and put his finger in the hole, which turned gold; the old woman bandaged her finger and told him to answer that the young man had cut him; the next day the young man put his whole hand in and then he replied that the wound was swollen; on the third he broke the shutters; outside the window there was a pond with a horse in it, the sun on his right shoulder, the moon on his left; the young man jumped on his horse and flew it to the sky; the old woman's sons saw the rising sun wanted to kill the young man; the horse ordered the sword to be taken out of his ear; the young man killed the old woman's sons; this is how the sun appeared; this is how Imra and Ashpegra did it all]: Edelberg 1972, No. 6A: 47-54).
Mongolia. Khalha Mongols: Bennigsen 1912 [a tiger cub became friends with a calf; a tigress killed a cow; a tiger cub ripped open his mother's stomach with scissors, began to live with a calf; hung a bell for help; When he heard the ringing, he rushed to the calf, but he simply drove away the flies; the next time he did not run, and the calf was killed and eaten by hunters; the tiger cub asked to kill him, bury his and calf bones together; at this point two trees grew; Altan-Hu (golden boy, incarnation of a tiger cub) and Mungung-Hoo (silver boy, embodiment of a calf) began to emerge from them; the shepherd saw, told Khan, and caught him on his orders boys, the khan began to raise them; while AH beats off enemies, MX went to marry Kharakchi-Khan's daughter; kind to the old man he met, he gives a stick; the other gives two bones, the third gives a coal; at the palace on MX The dogs Asar and Vasar rushed, but MX threw the dice at them; the princess immediately fell in love, ordered herself to be taken away; the army surrounded them, the princess waved the wreckage of that stick, the warriors fell dead; the same for the next morning (she threw the coal, he burned the army); MX and his wife found an empty house, settled in; his wife did not let her hair loose in front of him; he spied - she had a golden strand; she gave him one hair, warning him that they were waiting for them misfortunes; the wind vomited his hair, he swam down the stream to Damba-Darji Chutkur Khan; he sent an army; MX was tied up, but they could not kill; his wife ordered him to put his knife in the hearth, MX died; ordered the ropes to be cut and, leaving the house, she waved her hands; at this time AH captured the enemy khan; went to look for MX; the horse brought him to AH's body; in the door on the right there is an inscription: take the knife out of the hearth, MX will come to life; on the left the inscription: let MX be late in the evening he will ride in front of DD Palace on a bull covered with soot; he did so; the kidnapped khatun did not laugh for three years, but when she saw the man on the bull, she laughed; DD decided to smear himself with soot and sit down at the bull; at this time, MX's wife ran away with him; DD chases, but the brothers shot the arrow and all the DD warriors died; DD AH himself was killed with a raw aspen stake; the brothers began to rule his kingdom]: 33-42; Potanin 1883 [Sherisen Gan's son went to an old woman who has a lot of good things but only one cow (sarlyk, i.e. a female yak); this old woman was a shulmus; said that her cow had silver and gold in her manure; S. exchanged this a cow for 50 others, but there is no gold; the old woman said that the cow should be beaten with an iron pestle, but this only maimed her; S. sent warriors to kill the old woman; they saw that the old woman was cooking in a cauldron a whole cow and interferes with her copper nose; the khan and the people migrated, and the cow recovered and came to live with the tigress; she gave birth to a son Bamba Shita, and a cow to a son named Douldzuk; once the cow did not come; the tigress told her son that she was eaten by wolves; he went with her to this place, saw only tiger tracks and pushed her mother off a cliff; BS and D. went on a journey, BS hung a bell around D.'s neck; went to different sides of the mountain, the sound of the bell was gone; BS came, but the calf had already been killed and cut; B. died then too; two poplars grew up, gold and silver; Hara Nidun Taiji placed a bet there; the maid I saw two boys in a blue and yellow fur coat playing at the poplars in the morning, and then hiding in poplars; Taiji ordered the poplars to be torn out, the temple under them, and the boys there; he gave them to his wife; BS went to east, but D. stayed; he was not allowed to eat and he followed his brother; he came to the palace made of iron, cast iron and glass; there was a woman saying that men were lions and tigers; they ran away, the lion and the tiger were chasing; D. threw the wooden ball he had previously received from the llama, the ball became a rock to the sky; they stayed at the foot, D. called the woman mother; she did not tell her to come in when she combed her hair; he went in, her hair fell down; the woman locked it in an iron box, ordered them to be hidden; D. lowered the box down the river; Sharisyn Khan found it, realized that Tengri Khurmusten Khan's daughter lived in the upper reaches; decided to take her for his son ( text ends]: 237-241; (cf. Oirats (durbuts) [the tigress ate the cow and began to raise the calf; the calf and the tiger cub lived like brothers; so people did not die, the cattle did not fall; the fox had nothing to eat; said to the bull: the tiger wants you kill; look in the morning: if he doesn't stretch and bend his tail, I'm lying; the same to the tiger: if the bull lowers his head in the morning and his gaze changes, I'm lying; in the morning the brothers noticed that everyone behaves as the fox said; killed each other; after that, people and cattle began to die]: Potanin 1883, No. 90:353); Hodza 1954 [the tiger cub and the goby began to live together; the tiger cub hung a bell for the goby to call him, if something happened; twice the goby just shook his head; and when the hunters appeared, the tiger cub did not come running and killed the bull; died of anguish next to a friend's bones; the shepherd buried his bones, two of them grew wood and foliage two boys began to descend to the ground in the morning, and in the evening they returned back; the shepherd noticed that everything had reached the khan; he sent soldiers, one was captured; the other went out and tried to repel the first, but he was also captured; the khan told them to herd their herds, one was named Altai Gu, the other was Mungun Gu; the khan sent AG to war; a few months later, MG was sent to get Oyun, the tenth daughter of Hargert Khan, from her three golden hairs; on the way, MG consistently met and gave him gold to three old men; one gave him a staff, the other a lamb bone, the third a coal; a dog rushed to MG, he gave him a bone; MG took O., them Khan's warriors surrounded, MG threw a shepherd's stick, she killed everyone; next time the stick disappeared somewhere, MN threw the coal, the flame drove away the pursuers; MG picked up a stick and a coal, began to live with O.; asked for one of his golden hair; the wind carried him away, the Khan who sent MG saw; ordered the servant to get O.; the warriors attacked unexpectedly, O. decided that her husband would die and threw his sword into the fire; MG immediately died; in this time AG returned, found the MG yurt, accidentally took his sword out of the hearth, MG came to life; they went to take O.; a giant fish in the river threatens to swallow them, MG threw coal into the water, the fish cooked; the brothers killed 7- head mangus guard, returned O.]: 16-20.