Yu.E. Berezkin, E.N. Duvakin

Thematic classification and distribution of folklore and mythological motifs by area

Analytical catalogue

Introduction
Bibliography
Ethnicities and habitats

L44B. The blind man saw the light, ran lame.

.11.-.13.21.22.26.38.

The

blind and the deaf (lame) began to live together, helping each other. After being fatally frightened or in a fight, both got rid of their shortcomings.

Nyanja, Tonga, Devoin, Malgash, Bhutan, Khmer, Himachali Pahari, Marathi, Oraons, Tamils, Lisu, Taunyo, Japanese.

Bantu-speaking Africa. Nyanja [two lions are ravaging the country, promising to leave people alone if the chief gives them two daughters to eat; blind and humpback go from another area to this village on the way they pick up a turtle, a porcupine needle, a gun, an elephant's tusk; they come to the girls' hut; a lion throws his louse to frighten people, a blind man throws a turtle back as if he had lice; the same hair - needle; tooth - fang; roar - shot; both lions are killed, the leader gives his daughters and shells to the saviors; the humpback gets confused to take more shells, the blind man beats him, straightening him, the humpback beats the blind man, he sees the light ]: Werner 1933:308-311; Tonga [humpback and blind picked up the stubble of a porcupine, a turtle, a gun; stopped at an old woman with whom two young women; at night the lion eats those who come to the village; at night, the lion looked into the hut, asked them to show the hair of those who came (showed stubble), a piece of leather (they gave a turtle), give a voice (they shot a lion in the ear with a gun); in the morning they began to quarrel about who would take the old woman, and some are two young; the humpback's hump disappeared from the blows, and the blind man saw the light; both married young people]: Zhukov, Kotlyar 1986, No. 117:283-285.

West Africa. Devin [blind and lame begging together; a lame man sent a blind man to a tree to steal a jar of oil left there; the blind man fell with the vessel, the oil spilled; they decided to drown themselves; lame threw a stone into the river as if he had jumped; but the blind man realized that there was no second splash; they began to fight; the water spirit looked at it, laughed, restored the blind's sight, the lame had healthy legs; both remained friends, made a plentiful sacrifice on the riverbank]: Pinney 1973:124-126.

Sudan - East Africa. Malgashi (sakalava) [parents leave their two sons, the Blind and the Lame, in the forest; the Lame carries the Blind Man; they find a coin, buy food; then they find a cow horn, a fan for the trend, a piece of iron; they come to the ogre Ndrimobe's house; show him a horn instead of a tooth, a fan instead of an ear, let him touch a hot iron; N. believes that the Blind is stronger than him, runs away; brothers share his treasures, come back home; The Lame gives the Blind only a third, he hits him with a stick, correcting his lameness; he gives the Blind a crack, the Blind saw the light]: Haring 1982, No. 3.2.327f: 383-384.

Tibet is the Northeast of India. Bhutan [the childless king and queen finally have a daughter, but with three breasts; the soothsayer tells us to get rid of the girl, otherwise disasters are imminent; the king promises half of his wealth to someone who marries a princess and immediately leaves the state with her; only the blind and lame agree; they take the princess away; once a lame man decided that she preferred the blind and decided him poison by slipping snake meat; but he accidentally poured water into a hot frying pan, burned his face and saw the light; when he saw a snake in the pan, he threw the princess at the humpback; they both fell, after which the princess the third breast has disappeared, and the humpback has disappeared]: Choden 1994:69-71.

Burma - Indochina. The Khmers [blind and lame run away from their owners in the boat; they row all night, facing each other; in the morning the owners see their boat at the shore; the lame puts the blind man on his back, they run away by land; they are told that a tiger tiger is rampant in the country; the blind man says that they are not afraid of the tiger, much less afraid of the local tiger; the tiger hears and understands that it is somewhere nearby there is a terrible Tiger; blind and lame went into the barn and began to take the bulls out; the tiger also climbed there; the blind mistook the tiger for a bull, throws a rope through his nostrils, the tiger runs away in horror; the blind and He is haunted by a lame man; a honey collector gives them manure instead of honey; a blind man hears a knock, thinks it is a collector, but a woodpecker is on a tree; people are forced to give princess yakka (cannibal giant); blind and lame Yakka comes to the house; the yakk comes, demands that the visitor show his liver, heart, hair; the blind man throws the basket, the turtle, the ropes, the yakk runs away in horror; at night the Yakka wife enters, the blind man cuts her off head with a sword; sharing jewelry, friends fight; from blows, the blind saw the light, straightened up lame; the blind man gets the princess and the kingdom, makes the former lame chief adviser]: Gorgoniev 1973:78-88.

South Asia. Himachali plowmen [two beggars: blind and humpback; the humpback offered to live together, hoping to profit at the expense of the blind man; put pieces of snake on him instead of fish; after eating such food, the blind man saw the light; became beat a humpback, and his hump disappeared as a result; the companions separated but remained friends]: Seethalakshmi 1960, No. 30:91-92; Marathi [blind and deaf live together; one is afraid of lightning, the other is afraid of lightning, the other thunder; they come to Rakshasa's houses while not; Rakshas comes, the blind man is not afraid of him; says that he himself is bakshas and bakshas is the father of Rakshasa; Rakshas asks to show his face, the blind man sticks through the door donkey's face; torso - laundress's cauldron rolls on the floor; voice - lets ants into the donkey's ears, he yells; Rakshas leaves, blind and deaf load treasures on the donkey, go home; Rakshas leads six others, blind and deaf, climb a tree, the Rakshasa stand on top of each other to reach them; the blind man falls, clings to the ears of the upper Rakshasa, thinking it is a branch; all the Rakshasas fall; the deaf shouts to hold tight; the Rakshasa run away; at home, the deaf tries to deceive the blind by taking most of the treasures; both fight, the blind saw the light from the blows, the deaf found hearing; they became friends]: Frere 1868, No. 18 : 228-237.

South Asia. Oraons [the blind and the crippled lived together: the blind man helped the cripple get on the horse, and the cripple guided where to go; the princess has three breasts; the soothsayer to the king: if you don't kill her, you will die yourself; the king feels sorry for him told the blind and crippled man to take her to the forest; the blind man began to fan the fire, smoke in his eyes, he rubbed them, saw the light; decided to take everything, kill the cripple; beat him so much that he got back on his feet; the princess cried and beat herself in the chest, her third breast is gone; the king passed her off as a former cripple, gave another wife to the blind, left them all at the palace]: Hahn 1906, No. 18:35-36; Tamils [going out for a walk, deaf and blind they took a donkey, a tub of laundry, put ants in a snuffbox; hid from the thunderstorm in the palace of an evil spirit; the spirit began to knock on the door; they slammed their tub, put ants in the donkey's ear, and he screamed; the spirit went away, and friends took the jewels and left; the spirit called for help from six other spirits, they followed; the deaf saw them; the blind man told them to throw the jewels and climb the tree; the spirits climbed on each other's shoulders friend; the blind man fell to the upper one, thought it was a branch, pulled his ears; the spirits ran away; sharing the prey, the friends fought; from the blows, the deaf began to hear, and the blind saw the light; divided everything equally]: Kudinova, Kudinov 1995:230-232.

China - Korea. A fox (the border between Yunnan and Burma) [a blind man came across a lame man, they began to live together: a blind man carries a lame man and he shows the way; a blind man climbed a tree for fruit; a lame man: you did not grab a branch, but behind a snake; out of fear, the blind man saw a snake, it fell at the lame man's feet, he ran]: Dessaint, Ngw√¢ma 1994:499-500; taunyo [The blind and the Hunchback began to live together; lay under a tree at night feet to each other; the tiger thought that the creature was about two heads; all the animals gathered, the hare talked about the monster, everyone ran away; the turtle remained, the Blind took it with him; then the Hunchback hung the Blind there was also a harrow around his neck; they came to the village, when they saw them, their people ran away in horror; the Hunchback hung another drum around the Blind Man's neck; they came to the land of giant cannibals, replied that they were nats (spirits); they beat the drum is a voice, they show the turtle is a louse, the harrow is a comb; the giants ran away, the hunchback collected gold and silver, they began to fight; from the blows the Blind saw the light, and the Hunchback straightened up]: Zapadova 1977 : 286-289.

Japan. The Japanese (6 versions: Tohoku, West Honshu, Kyushu and North Ryukyu) [on the way, blind and deaf find a cauldron and a horse; stay in an empty house in the mountains; an ogre comes; the blind man replies that he is his uncle; the cannibal wants to feel his uncle's head, the blind and deaf slip the cauldron; in the morning, after taking the ogre's treasures, they ride a horse; other cannibals chase them, they climb a tree, cannibals stand alone on the other, the blind man accidentally grabs the upper one by the ears, the cannibals are frightened, run away; sharing the treasure, the blind and the deaf got into a fight, hit each other's eyes and ears, one saw the light, the other began to hear , parted as friends]: Ikeda 1971, No. 1152:228-229.