The Caribbean Story Finder : A Guide to 438 Tales from 24 Nations and Territories, Listing Subjects and Sources [1 ed.] 9781476630014, 9781476663043

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The Caribbean Story Finder

AlSo by ShAron bArCAn ElSwiT And From mC FArlAnd The Latin American Story Finder: A Guide to 470 Tales from Mexico, Central America and South America, Listing Subjects and Sources (2015) The East Asian Story Finder: A Guide to 468 Tales from China, Japan and Korea, Listing Subjects and Sources (2009; softcover 2014) The Jewish Story Finder: A Guide to 668 Tales Listing Subjects and Sources, 2d ed. (2012)

The Caribbean Story Finder A Guide to 438 Tales from 24 Nations and Territories, Listing Subjects and Sources

ShAron bArCAn ElSwiT

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina

librAry oF CongrESS C ATAloguing-in-PubliCATion dATA

names: Elswit, Sharon, author. Title: The Caribbean story finder : a guide to 438 tales from 24 nations and territories, listing subjects and sources / Sharon barcan Elswit. description: Jefferson, north Carolina : mcFarland & Company, inc., Publishers, 2017. | includes bibliographical references and index. identifiers: lCCn 2017035298 | iSbn 9781476663043 (softcover : acid free paper) Subjects: lCSh: Tales—Caribbean Area—bibliography. | Folklore—Caribbean Area—bibliography. Classification: lCC Z5984.37.C37 E47 2017 gr120 | ddC 398.209729—dc23 lC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017035298 briTiSh librAry CATAloguing dATA ArE AvAilAblE

ISBN (print) 978-1-4766-6304-3 ISBN (ebook) 978-1-4766-3001-4 © 2017 Sharon barcan Elswit. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Front cover image © 2017 galyna_P/iStock Printed in the united States of America

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com

♾

Beyond mountains there are mountains. —haitian proverb

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Table of Contents

Preface

1

Introduction

3

I—musical Tales (Stories 1–18)

11

II—winning and losing with gods and Spirits (Stories 19–75)

25

III—Seeking Justice (Stories 76–116)

53

IV—be Careful: beautiful Shape-shifters, loup-garous, devils, Zombies, and other Supernatural dangers (Stories 117–174)

77

V—Tearful love and Playful Courtship (Stories 175–205)

109

Love 175; Courtship 193

VI—goodness: Kindness and Friendship (Stories 206–225)

129

VII—Powers That be in the Community: The weak and the Strong, yearnings, Teachers, Clever Thinkers, and Characters (Stories 226–310)

141

VIII—Tricksters: besting the bully and Schemes for Survival (Stories 311–362)

184

Anansi 311; Malice 337; Rabbit 345; More Tricksters 350

IX—Tricksters getting Tricked (Stories 363–385)

216

X—Fools: hopeful Expectations and Surprising Successes … Sometimes (Stories 386–409)

233

Juan Bobo 386; Bouki 398; More Fools 405

XI—magical rescues and Escapes (Stories 410–438)

vii

247

viii

Table of Contents

Appendix A. Geographic Lexicon: A Guide to Story Source References

267

Appendix B. Sources for Stories Told in Creole and Patois

269

Appendix C. Glossary and Cast of Characters

271

Bibliography

279

Story Title Index

291

Subject Index

298

Preface

From islands in the Caribbean Sea exuberant with sunshine comes a vibrant oral folklore. you might expect lyrical stories wondering how our world came to be, and there are a few remnants, like the origin of the colorful Colibrí hummingbird who kisses each red flower, searching for his lost love. however, with the arrival of white European colonizers, darkness clouded these islands, some for four hundred years. native Kalinago and Taíno People who first populated the islands were decimated by disease, brutality, and wars. needing labor then, the Spanish, English, French, and dutch wrenched black west Africans from their homelands to work as slaves on the sugar, cotton, and tobacco plantations. indentured servants arrived from india and worked there, penniless and also treated as inferior. businessmen and plantation owners with slaves came down from the new united States up north. And so fresh stories were created which mix inherited cultures and religions with encounters in the new world. They are rawer and rougher, with a beauty tied to resilience of spirit, for the land was not paradise for the many people who had never chosen to live there. in the Caribbean you find stories which begin “in the starving time” and then ironically crackle with humor. The clever tricksters in them are heroes, rattling the status quo. Anansi from Jamaica and Trinidad, and his counterparts Ti malice from haiti and rabbit (rabby, lapin) from Puerto rico, the bahamas, montserrat, and Saint lucia, get food and triumph over those much more powerful. They do what is forbidden. The Jamaican storyteller louise bennett wrote, “we were fascinated by Annancy because we could never, never, be like him.” To hide their subversiveness, stories were also shared in a composite language masters would not understand. These creoles mixed African and European languages with their own grammar and structure, specific to different communities. once considered “broken” English, French, or dutch, creoles are now recognized as official languages. Still, between the amorality and language, some islanders felt shame about letting the tales out for the negative image they might portray. As far back as 1899, the collector una Jeffrey-Smith (wona) eloquently rued the loss for Jamaicans of their own folktales, stories she felt should be celebrated as “national treasures.” it has only been more recently that cultural pride has been replacing reluctance to let others into the tales. 1

2

Preface

The Caribbean Story Finder is here to share 438 tales from 24 island countries and territories with the outside world and with the people they belong to. The majority of stories recorded in print and online, as text and performance, come from Jamaica, haiti, Cuba, Puerto rico, and Trinidad and Tobago. i thought it might be a much shorter Finder than any of the others i’ve written. many works, including those by the groundbreaker Pura belpré, in whose name the American library Association honors hispanic authors and illustrators each year, are out of print. many materials were inaccessible outside of the brilliant Schomburg Center collection in new york City and other major research libraries. many newer stories and publications are still hidden on the islands themselves, where tales remain within the oral tradition, meant to be dramatized, and works published and performed on the islands are rarely disseminated to markets and reviewers or collected by libraries outside. it was only when i discovered the fun of including those stories told in creole which an English-speaker might understand that the book took off. in fact, the rhythm and liveliness of creole tellings grew on me over English translations. A shiver of delicious anticipation builds in walter Jekyll’s “brother Annancy and brother death” as death watches Anansi help himself over and over to food from death’s pot, but “deat’ no ’peak.” The 1904 book this one is from, plus other older titles, even just in the past year, have been digitized, further opening access. i found fieldwork stories collected in The Journal of American Folklore readily available online. And then, spurred by a correspondence with Professor Karen Sands-o’Connor, i went hunting for storytelling performances on the web. A lot more needs to be done to put some beautiful books and recordings out there for latino and hispanic communities, and i believe that The Caribbean Story Finder is part of a growing challenge to give people back their heritage and to catch the stories before they disappear. what it does is identify their own cultural stories for adults and children within the largest minority in the united States and to acknowledge the magic and strength, adventure and song in their tales with the rest of the world. From canny tricksters to the seductive la diablesse and dangerous loup-garous, the next pages will let you know what those are.

introduction

when people own nothing but their voices, song, storytelling, and wordplay may be powerful tools to keep their spirits alive. So it is with stories from the Caribbean, where ancestors of the majority of people who now live there arrived as slaves, beginning in the mid–1600s. many were then ruled by a white European minority for the next two hundred years, with their positions in society so changed from what they may have been before. words matter in resistance. Anansi, the magical spider whose stories traveled with black people on the slave ships from west Africa, acquires all the stories as his own from Tiger by flattering Snake, who allows himself be tied up just to prove that he is longer than a bamboo tree is tall. with words and devious set-ups, Anansi successfully tricks bosses, his friends and family, and even death in the new world to acquire food. A symbol of triumph by the weak over the strong, Anansi became celebrated as a champion of hope and possibility and the cause of everything that happens. “Anancy mek it,” the Jamaicans say. They then shift the blame for his often amoral actions away from themselves, ending tales with “Jack mandora mi nuh choose none,” which the great storyteller louise bennett has translated as “i take no responsibility for the story i have told.” And yet, much of the power of the stories is in their telling. resilience is roused when listeners participate. Creole speech developed as a secret language, a way for members of the community to communicate to each other outside of the masters’ understanding.

Which 438 Tales Are Here? The Caribbean Story Finder selects from the strongest tales published and recorded in English and those creoles which may be readily obtained and understood by English speakers. The most visible stories for sharing with multicultural audiences of all ages come from Jamaica, haiti, Cuba, Puerto rico, and Trinidad and Tobago, in that order. depending on locale, races, cultures, and religions blended in different ways and sometimes remained distinct. in haiti, where outward practice of African culture was forbidden, a vodoun priest and Catholic god may show up together in tales told by African Americans. on Cuba and other Spanish-speaking islands those in power assimilated some immigrant heritage into their own. new stories were formed. 3

4

introduction

Shared themes rise. Conflicts over status, identity and human and spiritual power dominate one-quarter of the tales here, whether by animal tricksters, humans, or deities. Justice, injustice, racism, and inequity matter in another hundred stories. discontented turtles want to fly. A donkey thinks he will receive better treatment as a dog, and a dog wants to be emancipated from his slavery to man. rabbit goes to god for more wisdom and ends up with longer ears. in a dramatic confrontation, a young bull, raised in secret by his mother, challenges his father ol’ nelson godoń, who has killed all other males to hold exclusive control over the herd. Status is humorously challenged in “Tiger becomes a riding horse,” the story with more variations than any other here. how cocky rabbit maneuvers himself onto Tiger’s back, politely adding saddle, reins, and whip, and then humiliating the grand beast by riding him past his girlfriend has been told in barbados, Jamaica, nevis, Saint Thomas, haiti, Puerto rico, and Trinidad and Tobago. A popular Cuban chain tale features refusals by those ever higher in the hierarchy of power to help a rooster get the grass to clean his beak or, from montserrat, an owner try to get a stubborn goat to move. it is not until the sun threatens to dry up the water and on down the line until the stick threatens to beat the goat who threatens to eat the grass and the grass acts, so the protagonists can finally get on their way. Seeking status, haughty daughters ignore all the warnings and marry fancy strangers from outside their neighborhood, and those strangers turn out to be demons, boarhogs, or snakes. A turtle who is fed up with being belittled by the deer cleverly plants look-alike relatives along the racecourse to win, in a popular tale from six countries. A haitian father asks his sons how many times it will take before they stop something bad from happening again. only the youngest brother who has answered “one time” is able to take revenge. he provokes the king, who unfairly worked his brothers without food until they lost their tempers and their lives, into losing his own. by having each son represent a particular social character type and come up against the devil, the nobel-winning author derek wolcott turned a variant of this tale into a play-length parable about colonialism and the west indian fight for autonomy. where a great number of folktales from the African American and hispanic cultures slyly protest injustice, indian tales from Trinidad and Jamaica weave strong morality into magical fantasies. instead of devouring the haji’s son, a lion teaches him that the raja’s son’s demand that the boy lure a girl away from the lion for him, comes from the power of class, not true friendship. A young woman with golden hair does not know how to avert war for her father’s kingdom when she refuses to marry a prince she does not love. in despair, she sings to her family from a banyan tree, which takes her inside. banished by his mother, a boy seeks to ask god whether giving charity is so wrong. An unfaithful princess learns that a scar will remain when she cuts down her husband’s golden apple tree for the flute player, who now scorns her for having done it. mysterious forces swirl through Caribbean tales, where magic shows up with strong visual imagery. when all of the paths disappear on Cuba, isolating people for generations, hero twins are born who outwit the devil who has caused this tyranny. A village girl who gets lost in the city ends up cooking soup for two dogs who rule over a zombie servant. The beautiful la diablesse seduces young men with the sway of her walk and leads them to their doom in her elegant gown, under which hides one cloven hoof. The

Introduction

5

anaconda-like water spirit, maman dlo from Trinidad, draws a young woman doing wash forever into her realm. darkness may be forced on the world by a supernatural bird with seven heads or a djab which has snapped day into a purse in its stomach. nighttime itself brings dangers. A wife may take off her skin and disappear to suck the blood of children. A kindhearted man will regret stopping to pick up the baby abandoned by a silk cotton tree

Song and the Power of Words in the Tales Caribbean tales were, and still are, meant to be performed, told aloud, and shared in person. ordinary talk becomes “sings” when characters converse. Song is also central to the plot of many tales from different islands. with variations from Antigua, Jamaica, the bahamas, Cuba, grenada, and haiti, a villainous tiger gets the blacksmith to soften his voice so he can imitate the song a protective mother sings, which tells her daughter it is safe to unlock the door. Protagonists from tales told in five different countries escape when ogres, witches, giants, kings, cooks, grannies, saints, and even god himself are swept away dancing to music and get distracted from tasks they set out to do. music played by a mysterious cat unlocks tears of feeling in a miserly old man. Through song, baby herons identify their true parents. magic words in song get a tree to stand up straight so the hero does not fall into the clutches of demons; they cause an orange tree to grow tall and carry a cruel stepmother up so she cannot cause harm anymore. magic figs, peppers, roses, and bones all sing to reveal true stories about the guilty parties behind murderous deeds. Ah, the power of suggestion. in stories, you do not need money to build or acquire dreams with words. The other slaves feel proud to pay up for Tito’s freedom, when he wins a bet just by asking their miserly master how much ever-larger gold bars are worth. greedily, the master fawns over him, sure Tito has actually found such gold. A father, concerned about how his lazy sons will survive once he is gone, tells them that treasure is buried in the garden, so they will dig and, as he hoped, then begin to plant once the ground is turned. Thoughts of the money he will make growing yams seems so real, bouki chases his son all around the garden for pretending to ride “his” burro, the donkey bouki does not yet own. making up stories helps characters resist authority and gets them out of trouble. when cornered, a clever goat mother loudly tells her kids to stop crying, for she will soon find a lion for them to eat; the lion overhears and runs. when bouki wants money back for a horse he no longer needs to rent, Ti malice not only gets the down payment refunded but alarms the owner into paying more for canceling the agreement, just by measuring the horse and adding more and more passengers onto a verbal list of all who will be riding on it when bouki goes to market. Even though a young girl now tells the bullying monkey her lunch basket carries only rice and peas, the monkey leaves her alone. he hasn’t forgotten how one time she said the same thing, and a bulldog jumped out. ordered by the devil to get firewood, El bizarrón doesn’t actually have to do the work; he frightens the devil into thinking he has superhuman strength just by wrapping rope around many trees and telling him he plans to bring the entire forest in all at once.

6

introduction

Taking words literally gets Juan bobo of Puerto rican tales both into and out of delightful misadventure. Juan thinks he is caring for the pig as his mama instructed when he dresses the squealing pig up just like his mother and sends her off to join his mother at church. verbal misunderstandings are also used to laugh at those in authority, be they parsons, teachers, or kings. guessing the name of a more powerful person can help commoners acquire freedom or riches. And when witch boy calls, his dogs Cutthroat, Chawfine, and Suckblood arrive to do exactly what their names say to rescue him from twelve little men with cutlasses. words matter here. Cat and monkey both end up with more than they bargained for when they think trouble is the sweet syrup a woman has spilled and visit Papa god to ask for more. when the god obatalá challenges his helper orula to prepare the most perfect meal and the worst meal to test if he is wise enough to control the world, orula serves him beef tongue both times, for the tongue and the words which issue from it have the most power both to hurt and help people. god, le bon dieu, and Papa god still hold ultimate authority as they did in the old world, but are part of the family in the new. Cats, dogs, rabbits, and other animals come to visit and argue and discuss with them. Sometimes, the deities are moody or jealous. god complains when pintards eat rice from his fields; he takes away dog’s gift of speech for tipping off three bewildered farmers that god has been waiting for them to appreciate his grace. wonder about creation of the earth on a grand scale often takes a back seat to smaller explanations of appearance or behavior in cautionary tales. bredda ratta always runs to hide in rocks now, ashamed because his pants split when he was showing off as usual and danced too wildly one night. An eclipse happens when the moon passes in front of her restless brother, the Sun, to remind him to share the sky. Anansi’s head becomes bald after he plops a hat full of hot beans on it so he will not be caught sneaking food, when he is trying to win respect by demonstrating great sadness at his mother-in-law’s funeral. Frog’s call is his invitation for all to share the water from Papa god’s well, replacing lizard, who officiously kept everyone away when he was the guard.

Chapters and Challenges i was originally going to include tales from the Caribbean within The Latin American Story Finder, since many people arrived from the same places. but even with the presence of diverse cultures on different islands, Caribbean folktales have a distinct flavor and sound all their own. Song and music thread through almost every tale from every island, creating a natural first chapter here to gather those tales where music is central to the plot. i have referenced here variants of similar tales which appear in both books. The Caribbean Story Finder also contains almost twice as many trickster tales, so many that they have been divided into three chapters of their own: tricksters who succeed; those who are too arrogant and have the tables turned on them by watchful observers; and the ones who get fooled, like bouki, who may start a scheme only to greedily and gullibly fall prey to malice’s tricks. Perhaps life was much harsher and the fight for survival more desperate, for the resourceful tricksters who humorously best

Introduction

7

bullies and succeed, sometimes also selfishly take food from their own families and friends. deprivation and humor often show up in the same tale. And so, social and historical context can bring listeners to a fuller understanding and appreciation of the humor in Caribbean tales. Though told across ages in their own lands, the stories may speak to an older audience outside of the islands. There is curriculum from india out on the web for seventh graders to explore James berry’s “bro Tiger goes dead” from Spiderman Anancy. This humorous story involves Tiger playing dead to lure Anansi to get revenge for all the tricks Anansi has played on him in the past, and, of course, Tiger gets tricked again. it seems simple, but to understand the symbolism of who Tiger represents, the bully with power and might behind him, and who little Anansi is, always hungry, owning nothing, always looking to see what he can get, may require some background. in a social structure with haves and have-nots, the chapter Powers That be in the Community is filled with characters who jockey for a change in status. yearnings abound. Characters want to have what they do not and may toy with those who do. Pelican wants to catch more fish and keeps Frigate bird’s large beak, after they trade. in an indian tale from Trinidad, a poor boy grabs the tail of an elephant just to see if he is strong enough to stop it. The king, feeling threatened by the boy’s strength, tells his mother to stop feeding him the only two foods the boy eats, first roti and then, salt. Ticoumba shows his rear to the president of haiti, who, exasperated, has said he does not want to see Ticoumba’s face anymore. death, real and feigned, and murder, real and attempted, show up in well over eighty tales. Fifty stories involve revenge. Some of the local storytellers mention leaving out or retelling more earthy or violent actions in stories. in his intro to Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans, daryl dance speaks of being told a bawdy big boy tale by a young girl, with other kids trying to shush her. Eddie burke rejected some of the trickster tales for presenting islanders as tied to “slave consciousness.” This is where background can make a difference. The trickster stories are wildly popular in their own lands. laughter is their triumph and their guide. Teachers, librarians, and storytellers count on my guides to find the right story for the right time to use with others. in selecting for this guide, i focused on presenting stories with human universals which speak to people both within the island cultures and outside. Even if it is grisly, a person can enjoy the cleverness when Anansi lures victims into putting their hand into a hole from which he accidentally discovered mr. wheeler will fling them and places a sharp stick not too far away. Anansi will have dinner. however, the humor in the haitian tale where the fool, bouki or Jack, prepares a bath for his grandmother and misreads the grimace on her face for pleasure when he accidentally scalds her to death, just does not seem nourishing. i also rejected sexist versions of tales and those which disparage “Africans” or natural ethnic traits, such as the version of Cendrillon, where the young man turns the scullion’s kinky hair silky, so his mother will now find her pretty. many of the tales come from one hundred years ago, with language and phrases from that time. For sharing now, i also rejected versions where one group refers to another with an offensive term, such as “coolie.” however, “pickney” in the Caribbean, unlike its use in the American South, seemed to be used regularly by people to refer to their own children, and those tales are included.

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introduction

Featured Stories and Variants is it a good story? And, will i be able to find it and comprehend it? is this a story i will want to share? The collections, picture books, journal articles, videos, and audio sources included in this guide have been chosen for these criteria and their readability or listenability. many of those sources in turn, through their notes on the origins, history, significance, and folkloric archetypes of a particular story, will lead readers who desire to know more to primary source and scholarly material in reference books. They also introduce mores of storytelling on different islands, such as the lively haitian call and response Krick? Krack! when beginning a tale. Through library holdings and interloans, new and used booksellers, and what is accessible on the web, The Caribbean Story Finder culls the best stories from everything readily available in English on united States soil and in creoles, which may be understood by an English-speaker. There are definitely more entries from periodicals and online videos and audio, than have appeared in other titles in the Story Finder series and fewer picture books. Frustrating was not being able to get hold of some current elusive titles published on the islands themselves. A few have been included with hopes that these titles will be digitized one day. how could i leave out a living artist like Peter minshall, whose fanciful costumes and lyrical scripts for Carnival mas in Trinidad capture the imagination? But hear. It [dis little piece of Eart] have a story dat does hol a little piece of all de res. It tall an it short and it fat an ugly, an sometimes it long an windin. Sometimes again it so sweet to de heart. A story wid a laugh in he belly, yes! Yes. A story wid a laugh, an love an sadness too. Dis is de story of callaloo an de crab.

For those interested in more stories told in native language of the islands, Appendix b lists creole titles from which specific tales were chosen for this guide. Some of the anthropological collections date back to the late 19th century. The first caveat is that introductions to some of the older collections, such as Charles l. Edwards’ Bahama Songs and Stories from 1895, are condescending, but the actual story presentations themselves are not. more Caribbean authors are choosing now to speak totally in authentic creole as a matter of pride. in between, are the tales written with narratives in English and characters’ dialogue and songs in island creole. As a subject guide to stories, The Caribbean Story Finder describes each tale, robust enough to have been featured, with enough summary to give its flavor and send readers to the source to read or see or hear the entire story for themselves. That goes for keeping spelling and sometimes grammar as the reader will find them. variants of the entry story are listed below it, so that someone may find a similar version in a different collection closer at hand. major differences are described, and countries and territories noted, for the user to select the most appropriate tale from several offerings. Sometimes it was hard to choose which version to highlight among worthy narratives. Availability and personal appeal were definite factors. The stories listed below each featured story are of two types: reappearances, the very same story reprinted in a new collection, and retellings, the basic plot retold in a new version. reappearances may be found under “where Else This Story Appears” and include audio and video recordings as well as print. retellings, usually by other authors, appear under “how

Introduction

9

Else This Story is Told.” A story title from a collection is offered in standard roman type; a story title in italics indicates that the story is published as an individual, usually picture, book. when titles of stories appear in two languages, a slash (/) is used between the titles; when titles of books appear in two languages, an equal sign (=) is used between the titles. This follows library of Congress conventions. All stories, featured and variant, appear in the Story Title index, where they are listed alphabetically with references by main story number.

Using the Connections between the main tale and its variants are story connections, terms which catch characters, subjects and themes important to each entry group. They define the main thrust of a particular story and serve as guideposts to suggest all the possible applications for this tale. “how the rabbit lost its Tail,” for example, hits several themes. Jealous about rabbit’s friendship with dog, Anansi starts trouble by telling the two about a boat which is taking only animals with horns to a party. dog really wants them to go, so rabbit helps him fashion a pair of horns with sticks and leaves, but dog runs off, before helping rabbit make his. miffed, rabbit calls out to let the captain know that one of the passengers is a fake. dog jumps overboard and chases rabbit once he reaches land, biting off rabbit’s tail before rabbit manages to escape totally down his hole. As much as to explain why rabbits have little tails, this story may be used to explore betrayal; Friendship; identity; Jealousy; revenge; yearning and more. The connections section includes all themes explored in a story. These words and phrases are also listed in the Subject index, to identify other stories which follow any of these threads. in addition, in the Subject index, you will find a link to other stories from Antigua, haiti, Jamaica, Saint lucia, and Trinidad, all places where the party for horned animals has been told.

Using the Subject Index Each featured story and all its variants have been given one number. references in both the Subject index and the Story Title index are to that story number. The story number includes subject connections for all variants listed below the featured story, too. For example, if the subject index cites a particular entry number for agoutis, an agouti may not appear in the featured story under that number, but he will appear in at least one of the variants listed below. A descriptive note with the variant will let you know which tale you will find him in. The index also references indigenous tribes and geographic identities for stories by country or territory name. These labels come from the sources i consulted, but many times references were not specific enough, stating merely “The Caribbean” or “west indies.” To recognize which islands might be included under larger categories, i created Appendix A to serve as a geographical guide. Stories from Puerto rico, for example, will appear under Puerto rico in the Subject index, but might also have a lot in common

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introduction

with another tale listed under the Antilles. i suspect many more tales may be African American than the over half identified as such in the index, but again, i took origins from the sources and did not presume when they were not specified. many informants are of mixed ethnicities and refer to their island identity over race. i found no stories, for instance, specifically labeled as being mulatto. Spellings for character names, such as Anansi or bouki, varied from island to island, so library of Congress choices serve as an authority control when possible. Alternate spellings for words used to describe the same object or person appear alongside its main entry in Appendix C, the glossary. however, to transmit the souls of tales, i left spellings as the authors and retellers wrote them within the story descriptions themselves. Connections and the Subject Index gather variations under single terms with see references. Trails have a way of vanishing in some Caribbean stories, but here you will find the path to variant tellings of well-known tales, to laugh with the serendipitously lucky fool Juan bobo or gasp when martina the cockroach’s beloved Pérez falls into the soup. you will also travel to haunting tales of justice and hurt, with characters who may be hiding in just a few places, but catch hold and will not let go. An ominous black bird pushes a coffin all over Jamaica looking for mr. brown. The Taíno cacica yuisa argues with her tribe to trust Pablo, the former Spanish viceroy’s servant she loves. Three times, a slave outwits the devil his master promised him to in exchange for his wife’s health. The king of the duppy birds forces the boy who killed him to prepare him for a meal, asking over and over, “mea Simon Tutu / why ya shoota me for?” with imagination, musicality and verve, the strong tales which come from the Caribbean islands call to be shared.

I

Musical Tales

1. The Ibelles and The losT PaThs Pedro Pérez Sarduy. In Faustin Charles, Under the Storyteller’s Spell Cuba All of the paths and roads in Cuba disappear, isolating each village. Those who try to leave never return—caught and devoured by the devil ogre Okurri Boroku, the obeah men say. Twenty years later, twin boys are born to an old African couple, who have already lost many children to the bush. Taewo and Kainde glow with divine light. They carry the hope of the entire village with them when they leave. Perhaps, with help from the sky gods, they will be able to open the paths. One week later, they find the fearsome Okurri Boroku in a valley, surrounded by human bones. Taewo hides, while Kainde wakes the ogre and demands to pass. Surprised by the boy’s fearlessness, Okurri Boroku demands that Kainde play the guitar to make him dance until he falls. Kainde plays, and Taewo takes his place when Kainde receives permission to take a drink. They play on, trading places until the devil drops. With instructions from the ebony crosses they wear, the twins cut out and bury the ogre’s heart. Curse broken, the paths appear again. The twins climb a Royal Palm into the sky to ask the god Obatala to restore life to those whose bones lie in the valley. These hero twins hold a special place in the hearts of Cubans.

Connections Courage. Curses. Dancing, cannot stop. Devils. Escapes. Freedom. Gods and humans. Heroes and heroines. Hope. Ibelles. Identity. Journeys. Kaínde. Music, swept away by. Obatalá. Obeah men and women. Ogres. Outwitting supernatural beings. Palm trees. Patakí (Tales). Paths, lost. Perseverance. Restoring life. Sorcerers and sorceresses. Tawó. Tests. Trees and bushes. Tricksters. Twins. Unselfishness.

How Else This Story Is Told Cuban variations: Dance, Nana, Dance / Baila, Nana, baila—Joe Hayes, Dance, Nana, Dance = Baila, Nana Baila. Twin brothers take turns drumming and singing to outlast the dancing sorceress and bring back fire, without being turned into stone. In English and Spanish; and told in English at Storyteller Joe Hayes (Online performance). In English.

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The Caribbean Story Finder

The Roads of the Island / Los caminos de la isla—Elvia Pérez, From the Winds of Manguito = Desde los vientos de Manguito. Here the identical twins are called Tawó and Kaínde. In English and Spanish.

Caribbean variation, country unspecified: When the Paths Disappeared—Robert Hull, Caribbean Stories.

2. The KIngdom wIThouT day Philippe Thoby-Marcelin and Pierre Marcelin, The Singing Turtle and Other Tales from Haiti (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Emilien’s first adventure when he sneaks off from his father’s blacksmith’s shop is to free a turtledove from a trap. She rewards him with three magic feathers. Reaching a city darkened by an exiled magician, Emilien lays down the feathers for the bird to reassemble herself and help him figure out how to bring back the daylight. The king of the dark country, previously jealous of his daughter’s suitors, has offered the princess’s hand in marriage to the one who succeeds. The bird tells Emilien where the box containing daylight is buried, how to let the king know that he knows, and what song to sing when he opens the box. However, the king now tries to block Emilien from singing that day will break, by singing that it will not. The turtledove intervenes with a tiny dropping, enabling Emilien to sing and release the sun. The king dies, poisoned by his own evil, and Emilien happily rules the kingdom with Star of the Morning and their family.

Connections Animal helpers. Bird, fantasy. Captivity. Comeuppance. Darkness. Day. Devils. Doves. Fantasy. Feather, magic. Gods and humans. Hard-heartedness. Heroes and heroines. Jealousy. Jesus. Kindness to animals. Kings and queens. Rescues. Rewards. Song, magic. Sun. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Tasks, challenging.

How Else This Story Is Told Petit Bōdye/Son of God—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). Coming to the rescue of mankind, the Son of God cuts his way out of the Devil-made Creature which has also swallowed the sun. Told in Haitian Creole and English, accompanied by lyrics for the Son of God’s song that day will break. The Coming of Day and Night—Gyneth Johnson, How the Donkeys Came to Haiti and Other Tales. After Ti Fou cuts his way out of the djabbe’s stomach, he releases Day from the small purse he finds there. Shutting the purse brings Night.

3. The m agIc orange Tree Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Fearing her stepmother’s anger over three oranges which she has eaten, a hungry child runs to her mother’s grave and falls asleep. One pit falls into the earth the next

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morning and immediately begins to grow. As she sings to the plant, a tree grows, blossoms, and produces oranges. The girl sings for the branches to come lower and picks oranges to bring home. The stepmother eats them and forces the girl to take her to the place where the delicious oranges have come from. When they reach the tree, the girl sings for the tree to grow, lifting the oranges out of reach. The stepmother promises to treat the girl better if she will lower the tree. The girl does, but once the stepmother has climbed into the tree, she sings it up higher and higher into the sky. The girl sings for the tree to break. It crashes down, breaking the stepmother, too. The girl plants one orange pit and sings a new tree into existence with sweet oranges to sell. She scolds the narrator at the end for expecting an orange for free. With music and lyrics for the girl’s song in English and Haitian Creole.

Connections Anger. Comeuppance. Cruelty. Fantasy. Fear. Firewood. Hunger. Oranges. Origin tales, appearance. Revenge. Seed, magic. Song, magic. Stepparents and stepchildren. Supernatural events. Transformation. Tree, magic.

Where Else This Story Appears At Diane Wolkstein tells “The Magic Orange Tree” in Central Park (Online video performance). At Spirit of Trees (Online print). In Joanna Cole, Best-Loved Folktales of the World (Print and online). On The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folktales, Vol. 1 (CD audio).

How Else This Story Is Told The Legend of the Firewood—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). The stepmother and tree break into pieces when they fall, which explains the origin of firewood. In Haitian Creole and English. The Mean Stepmother and the Orange Tree—Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! Small Orange Tree—Bob Lapierre, Bouki and Malis. Cruelly threatened by his stepfather, Ti Morris receives his magic orange seed from a stranger. Zoranj / The Oranges—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). The little boy shares oranges with other children after his stepmother falls and then tells the tree to rise so high, others never see its slim stem. Told in Haitian Creole and English.

4. The FIg Tree / l a maTa de hIgo Joe Hayes, Dance, Nana, Dance = Baila, Nana Baila Cuba Nicolasa blames her stepdaughter Marcelita for the fig missing from her coveted tree, even though it was a blue bird with golden wings who ate it. She lures the girl into a hole to get three golden objects and then shuts her in with a heavy rock. One of Marcelita’s hairs has been left out, though. Overnight, the hair grows into a bush with one rose. Marcelita’s voice sings out when her brother Manolito tries to pick the rose.

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Manolito, frightened, brings his father to hear the song describe what Nicolasa did. Remorsefully, Nicolasa moves the rock and begs Marcelita to forgive her. Marcelita does, and they become a true family. A few weeks later, Nicolasa’s golden thimble, thread, and scissors transform into a little blue bird with golden wings, which flies away. In English and Spanish.

Connections Accusations. Bird, fantasy. Brothers and sisters. Burying alive. Bush, magic. Cautionary tales. Changes in attitude. Cruelty. Deceit. Fantasy. Figs. Flower, magic. Flowers. Hair, magic. Human flesh. Jealousy. Magic. Murder. Parents and children. Pepper, magic. Revenge. Rose bush, magic. Shifting blame. Song, magic. Stepparents and stepchildren. Storytelling. Supernatural events. Talking animals and objects. Transformation. Tree, magic. Truth. Virgin Mary. Voice, supernatural. Women and girls, resourceful.

Where Else This Story Appears The Fig Tree at Storyteller Joe Hayes (Online performance). In English.

How Else This Story Is Told Grenadian variation, African American People: The Pepper Tree—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part I (Print and online). When a picked pepper sings the truth about a mother burying the daughter who ate figs, the father digs the girl up and buries the mother there instead. Told in creole.

Puerto Rican variation: The Chili Plant—Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes (Print and online). The evil stepmother dies of remorse after a chili pepper sings the truth, and the father and brother dig up the girl, who has been protected by the Virgin.

Saint Vincentian variation, African American People: The Telltale Pepper Bush—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online). A jealous witch stepmother is buried alive when a singing pepper bush reveals that has done this to her stepdaughter.

Variation from St. Thomas: The Pepper Tree: She Eats Her comado—Florence O. Meade, “Folk Tales from the Virgin Islands,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). A mother kills the eldest daughter whom her sisters have framed and lies about it to the father. When a singing pepper reveals the truth, he pickles the mother, whose friend consumes her, unaware. The moral given for this very short tale concerns the uselessness and consequences of hate.

5. The sIngIng bone Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online) African American People. Haiti A man’s third wife kills the younger stepson, cooks the boy, and has the food delivered to his father, who throws the last bone under a tree. The bone sings to his older brother, their father, and the king that their stepmother killed him and that his father

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ate him. When the king asks to hear the song a second time while lighting a cookfire, the stepmother melts. The king rubs the singing bone with grease from the melted stepmother, and the missing son returns. The king then lectures the father, “Choose whom you want to marry, but if you choose a tree that has fruit, you must care for the fruit as much as for the tree.” With music and lyrics for the bone’s song in English and Haitian Creole.

Connections Accusations. Bamboo, magic. Bone, magic. Brothers and sisters. Cautionary tales. Competition. Deceit. Fantasy. Flowers. Flute, magic. Human flesh. Jealousy. Kings and queens. Murder. Music. Origin tales, appearance. Parents and children. Restoring life. Revenge. Song, magic. Stepparents and stepchildren. Storytelling. Supernatural events. Talking animals and objects. Truth. Voice, supernatural.

How Else This Story Is Told Haitian variations, African American People: La-Bèl-De-Nwi / The Night Beauty—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). Small singing bones reveal that Night Beauty’s eldest brother killed her and buried her in a cornfield, jealous of the roses she received from the King’s son. In Haitian Creole and English. The Legend of the Rose-Bush—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). Voila! A small singing bone reveals the murder of a younger brother when the elder brother hears that his father loves him more. The bone becomes the first rose-bush. In Haitian Creole and English.

Saint Vincentian variation, African American People: The Singing Bones—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online). A brother buries his sister, jealous of the flowers she has gathered to bring to their father, the king. A hollow bone the dog digs up sings what has happened, and the king burns his son.

Caribbean variation, Indian People, country unspecified: The Voice of the Flute—Kennth Vidia Parmasad, Salt and Roti: Indian Tales of the Caribbean. A bamboo flute by the pond sings the truth of the sister’s murder to her disconsolate younger brother and his resentful siblings (Print and online at NALIS: The Digital Library of Trinidad and Tobago).

6. The e arrIngs Pura Belpré, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales Puerto Rico Julia’s mother has warned her to stay away from the river, but Julia finds herself there one hot afternoon while her mother is away planting pineapples. She secures her earrings in a niche in the rock, undresses, and plays in the water. She is hurrying home, when she realizes she has forgotten her earrings and runs back. An old man is playing with them. As she reaches for the earrings, he pushes her into a sack. He performs from town to town, ordering his “magic” sack to sing or be stuck by his lance. From inside

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the sack, Julia sings about her earrings, and the townspeople give him money. In Julia’s own town, a young girl guesses that Julia who disappeared must be inside and frees her while the man is sleeping. They fill the sack with stones and mud, and leave. When the “magic” sack doesn’t sing, the man is ordered out of town.

Connections Brothers and sisters. Captivity. Disobedience. Earrings. Kidnapping. Parents and children. Rescues. Songs. Women and girls, resourceful.

Where Else This Story Appears In Lisa Sánchez-González, The Stories I Read to the Children.

How Else This Story Is Told Sing, Little Sack! A Folktale from Puerto Rico—Nina Jaffe (Print and online). It is Marisol’s mother who recognizes her daughter’s voice inside the sack and rescues her. The Singing Sack—Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes. White Flower is rescued by her brothers after her mother recognizes her voice inside the sack, which, afterwards, will not sing for the King.

7. we sIng lIKe ThIs / nosoTras canTamos a sí Joe Hayes, Dance, Nana, Dance = Baila, Nana Baila Cuba A strong wind blows two white herons far away from the three eggs they have been singing to in their treetop nest. The babies continue to grow on their own. Pecking their way out of the shells, though, they are disappointed not to see the mama and papa who sang to them. The babies fly off to find them, knowing only that they will recognize their parents by their song: Tin ganga o, tin gangao, you mama ganga reré. Many different birds, and even a woman washing clothes and a turtle, are ready to say they are the herons’ parents, but they cannot sing that song the babies sing to them. Flying back to their nest, the little herons hear two big white birds singing their song and know they are home. In English and Spanish.

Connections Birds. Herons. Identity. Journeys. Misfortune. Music. Quests. Parents and children. Perseverance. Reunion. Separation. Songs.

Where Else This Story Appears We Sing Like This at Storyteller Joe Hayes (Online performance). In English.

How Else This Story Is Told The Herons / Las garzas—Elvia Pérez, From the Winds of Manguito = Desde los vientos de Manguito. In English and Spanish, with lyrics and music for the heron parents’ song, plus the songs four others sang to the little herons.

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8. The sIngIng TorToIse Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore African American People. Haiti When the birds grab back the wings they have lent him, a slow tortoise is caught eating in the field. He amazes the farmer by singing about the tragedy of not having wings to fly away with. The President wants to hear this singing tortoise, but the tortoise tricks the President’s wife into letting him sing by the river, where he escapes. She substitutes a lizard in the box, and when it merely croaks the President is going to drown the farmer for pretending he has a singing tortoise. Just then, the tortoise sings from the water how it is a tragedy that the farmer has no wings to escape with. The President laughs and releases the farmer with money.

Connections Anansi. Animals and humans. Birds. Captivity. Cleverness. Dancing, cannot stop. Devil. Escapes. Farmers. Fish. Humorous tales. Kings and queens. Mudfish. Music, swept away by. Pigeons. Presidents. Songs. Turtles and tortoises. Watchmen.

Where Else This Story Appears In The Drum and the Hoe: Life and Lore of the Haitian People.

How Else This Story Is Told Haitian variations, African American People: Pierre Jean’s Tortoise—Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire and Other Haitian Tales (Print and online). The Singing Turtle—Philippe Thoby-Marcelin and Pierre Marcelin, The Singing Turtle (Print and online); and in Marcela Breton, Rhythm & Revolt: Tales of the Antilles. The Turtle That Could Sing—Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! An end note states the relevance of this story from Africa is still valid, “as people in power are still trying to get what the poor people have.”

Jamaican variations, African American People: Anancy and the Power of Music—Peter-Paul Zahl, Anancy Mek It: Bedtime Stories from Jamaica. Turtle gets captured after Pigeon takes back the feathers Anancy suggested he lend him, but then escapes when cook gets carried away dancing to his song. Told in patois. Anansi and Turtle and Pigeon—Robert E. McDowell and Edward Lavitt, Third World Voices for Children (Print and online). When caught, Turtle remembers Anansi’s advice not to protest, but to sing, when he is in a tough situation. Anansi and Turtle and Pigeon—Philip M. Sherlock, Anansi the Spider Man; and in The Illustrated Anansi. Turtle remembers what Anansi said about singing when he doesn’t know what else to do. Dancing to the River—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online). Mudfish enchants the singing Watchman who has captured him by saying he can also sing in ever larger amounts of water, until he finally wriggles away. Dancing to the River—Grace Hallworth, Sing Me a Story (Print and online). This version includes the lyrics and musical score for the song Turtle sings to the watchman, as she dances away, as well as suggestions for a participatory dance for young children.

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Turkle and Pigeon—Pamela Colman Smith, Chim-Chim. When Turtle sings and dances away, the Devil’s cook substitutes goat meat for the stew and sings Turtle’s song to the Devil and his friends, who keep dancing until they die. Told in patois. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “Tricky Turtle,” entry 117 (Mexico).

9. The boy, The m agIc drum & The dancIng wITch Patricia Glinton, An Evening in Guanima: A Treasury of Folktales from the Bahamas African American People. The Bahamas With his magic drum, a man can summon strong men from the ground to do all the field work and then make them disappear by playing the rhythm backwards. He warns his son that the drum’s purpose is not to make the family rich. Paul impatiently sneaks the drum from a locked room. He beats it by the bay, and a frightening, tall, black witch springs up from the mangrove roots and summons imps with musical instruments. In alternating male and female voices, she challenges Paul to kill her by playing longer than she can dance, or she will kill him. Paul beats the drum until he is aching, but Vashti never stops dancing, even when her feet bleed and even in the air. His father hears the drumbeats and takes Paul’s place. Now, the father controls the witch and her imps. He cuts off their heads when they fall and takes Vashti’s tiny shoes as a reminder for Paul to wait until he is ready. People still caution stubborn children, “Hard head bird don’t make good soup. Remember the white shoes.”

Connections Dancing, cannot stop. Disobedience. Drum, magic. Fiddle, magic. Impatience. Imps. Magic. Music, swept away by. Parents and children. Rescues. Tests. Threats. Witches.

How Else This Story Is Told Between the Fiddler and the Dancer—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online). A son gets into trouble with a dancing witch when he takes his father’s magic fiddle before his father thinks he is ready.

10. T HE DANCING GRANNY (PrInT and onlIne) Ashley Bryan African American People. Antigua Trying to trick up some dinner without working hard, Spider Ananse hides in a tree by old Granny Anika and drums and sings. He knows the old woman will not be able to resist dancing off her field. When she does, he takes her corn and plays the same trick on other days for the rest of her crops. Even though Granny Anika realizes that the singer is Ananse, she cannot keep from dancing when he sings. When he appears openly one day, Granny Anika grabs Ananse hard, pinches him to sing, and spins off with him in a wild dance, pictured in spirited line drawings.

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Connections Anansi. Comeuppance. Dancing, cannot stop. Drums. Flutes. Grandparents and grandchildren. Music, swept away by. Songs. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Antiguan variation, African American People: He Sings to Make the Old Woman Dance—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part II (Print and online). In the end, Bra Nancy helps his grandmother with the chores, before making her dance. In creole.

Jamaican variation, African American People: Annancy and the Old Lady’s Field—Walter Jekyll, Jamaican Song and Story (Print and online). Annancy acquires the old lady’s field, when she dances off a rock to his flute playing and dies.

Saint Thomasian variation: Dance, Granny, Dance—Pleasant DeSpain, Tales of Insects.

11. TUKAMA TOOTLES THE FLUTE Phillis Gershator African American People. Saint Thomas Tukama waves away his grandmother’s warning about a two-headed giant out by the rocks and continues to play his flute there. But one evening, he is grabbed by the giant, who orders him to keep playing. The giant lures the boy closer by challenging Tukama to play first on his toe and then on his chest. He stuffs Tukuma into a sack and brings him to the cave for his wife to fatten up. The next morning, Tukama offers to play his flute for the giant’s wife if she opens the sack, so he can get more air. He plays and sings and convinces her to keep opening the bag a little wider, so he can make her dance on her toes and then on her head, which is when Tukama runs away.

Connections Bravado. Captivity. Cleverness. Dancing, cannot stop. Escapes. Fear. Flutes. Giants. Grandparents and grandchildren. Humorous tales. Music, swept away by. Supernatural beings. Warnings.

How Else This Story Is Told Can’t Scare Me!—Ashley Bryan. This version is told in rhyme, accompanied by vivid, full-page watercolors.

12. TIger s oFTens hIs VoIce Georges Parkes. In Martha Warren Beckwith, Jamaica Anansi Stories (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica A mother moves her daughter into a locked house in the woods because Tiger has threatened to kill the girl if he cannot marry her. Her mother locks all one hundred

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doors and windows when she goes to work. When she returns, she sings a special song to her daughter, and the girl sings back. Her mother sings again, and this time the girl sings and opens the door. Tiger, who has been lurking about, tries to mimic the mother, but when he sings, the girl recognizes Tiger’s gruff voice. Tiger asks the blacksmith for help, but his voice sounds coarser after the blacksmith treats his throat with a hot iron. He tries again, but it is not until Tiger eats before the treatment that his voice resounds with her mother’s clarity. The daughter opens the door, and Tiger swallows her. The mother finds Tiger lying down in the open house. She runs for men who tie him up, cut him open, and lift her daughter out, barely alive. When the daughter revives, the woman takes her far away to another country… “which is why you always fin’ lot of old houses unoccupied that no one lives in.” There is a bit of patois throughout this telling.

Connections Anansi. Animal helpers. Blacksmiths. Bouki. Brothers and sisters. Changes in attitude. Deceit. Defense. Devil. Disguises. Fantasy. Fear. Identity. Kidnapping. Lion, fantasy. Murder. Music. Parents and children. Perseverance. Princes and princesses. Rescues. Secrets. Songs. Threats. Tiger, fantasy. Tricksters. Voice, disguised.

Where Else This Story Appears In George Shannon, A Knock at the Door.

How Else This Story Is Told Antiguan variation, African American People: Lion Makes His Voice Clear—John H. Johnson, “Folk-Lore from Antingua, British West Indies,” The Journal of American Folk-Lore (Print and online). Told in creole.

Bahamian variation, African American People: The Devil and the Daughter—Edith Knowles. In Zora Hurston, “Dance Songs and Tales from the Bahamas,” The Journal of American Folklore. After the devil takes off with the daughter, her mother’s tears cause the berries she had come back with to grow a bush around her, which the mother travels through. Her daughter recognizes her mother singing by the sea and runs to get her things from the devil, whose rooster tells her to wash her bloomers and sprinkle water over the grass to cover their tracks as they escape. In creole. Father Found—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folktales of Andros Island, Bahamas. It is the father who protects his daughter in this telling, but the king’s soldiers deceive her and bring her to marry the prince. This version, told in creole, includes musical score and lyrics for their song. (Print and online)

Cuban variation: The Hairy Old Devil Man / El diablo peludo—Joe Hayes, Dance, Nana, Dance = Baila, Nana Baila. The mother teaches their special song to the boatman who rescues the girl by drowning the devil man in his own wet hair. In English and Spanish.

Grenadian variation, African American People: Crocodile and the Devil—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. Mother learns to love scaly Crocodile when the Devil sings her song and makes off with her three beautiful daughters, Minnie, Minnie Po, and Minnie Matilda.

Haitian variations, African American People:

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Bouki Steals Marie Louiz—Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! In this humorous version, Bouki gets bones stuck in his throat, trying to sing the mother’s song in order to capture Marie Louiz for the prince. Marie Louiz reunites with her mother while crossing the bridge her mother lives under with her seven children and hears her singing their song. La Belle Venus—Gyneth Johnson, How the Donkeys Came to Haiti and Other Tales; and in George Shannon, A Knock at the Door. A wealthy father sends a man to learn the song the mother sings so her daughter will open the door in order to appease his spoiled son’s desire to marry the girl with the star shining from her forehead. The mother, a servant, rejoices that her daughter will now have a good life. Told in Haitian Creole. Mariwòz—Bob Lapierre, Bouki and Malis. The king wants Uncle Bouki to learn the mother’s song and bring him the girl, whose mother has hidden her from a werewolf. “One, My Darling, Come to Mama”—Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online). A devil tricks the three oldest girls by singing their mother’s song after a plumber works on his voice. He misses the mother’s least favorite, Philamandré, in the corner, but she leaves home and marries the prince. With music and lyrics for the mother’s song in English and Haitian Creole.

Jamaican variations, African American People: Anancy and Bredda Tiger—Wona, A Selection of Anancy Stories. When Tiger’s voice is too rough to get into the young ladies’ house, Anancy brings Sister Pecheree to sweetly sing their mother’s song. Tiger eats them when they open the door, and Anancy pretends to be sad. He shows their mother the tiger footprints and tells her “this is what comes from shutting up picknie like chicken, better for them to marry….” The dialogue is presented in patois. Leah and Tiger—Walter Jekyll, Jamaican Song and Story (Print and online). Told in patois, with musical score for the mother’s song.

Variation from Trinidad and Tobago, African American People: Quaka Raja—Grace Hallworth, Sing Me a Story (Print and online); and in Listen to This Story. The son who is out of favor is the one who begs his sisters not to open the door when the fearsome Zobolak tries to imitate their mother’s song. They do, and Quaka Raja wins the respect of his family, when he rescues them.

13. BOUKI DANCES THE KOKIOKO: A COMICAL TALE FROM H AITI Diane Wolkstein African American People. Haiti In his garden alone one night, the King of Haiti comes up with his own song and Samba dance, he calls the Kokioko. The King is so tickled by his creation that he offers a reward to anyone who can guess how to perform it. Some people come close, but no one can do the King’s Kokioko just right. Malice, the royal gardener, happens to see the King practicing his dance one evening. To avoid suspicion, he teaches it to his gullible friend Bouki, who surprises the King and wins the bag of gourdes. On their way home, Malice teaches Bouki another dance which involves closing his eyes and putting the sack of money on the ground, whereupon Madame Malice makes off with the reward. Musical score and lyrics for the King’s Kokioko are included in English and Haitian Creole.

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Connections Bouki. Competition. Dancing. Fools. Gullibility. Humorous tales. Kings and queens. Malice (Character). Mastery. Songs. Teachers and students. Tricksters.

Where Else This Story Appears Note: Some critics view the colorful picture book illustrations in the title above as caricaturish and others as appropriately playful. The listings below offer an alternative, with complete print, music, and lyrics and with either different or no illustration. In Helen East, The Singing Sack: 28 Song-Stories from Around the World. In Grace Hallworth, Sing Me a Story (Print and online). With simple illustrations and dance steps. In Diane Wolkstein’s, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online).

14. The legend oF The royal Palm María C. Fuentes in Pura Belpré, Once in Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Jealous of the power of Milomaki’s voice to sing the Taino people into happiness, the gods decide to act. People blame Milomaki for causing their fish to spoil in the sun by singing to the fisherman on their way home. The gods fan the flame of their anger. Milomaki sings as the Taino tie him to a log. The beauty of his voice makes the people forget their plans to burn him, and then a gentle rain reminds them. With horror, they rush to untie him, but Milomaki vanishes. In his place stands a tall palm tree, which becomes known on Boriquen island as the Royal Palm, where Milomaki’s voice sings with wind through the leaves.

Connections Accusations. Fantasy. Gods and humans. Jealousy. Native American People. Origin tales, appearance. Palm trees. Revenge. Shifting blame. Songs. Supernatural events. Talents. Transformation. Trees and bushes.

15. un, deux, TroIs , cInq, sIx Harold Courlander, The Drum and the Hoe: Life and Lore of the Haitian People Haiti Some djab children, devils, invite the hunchback boy Jean to join in their game of singing the numbers one to six, skipping the number four. He adds in the number seven, and they delightedly bring him home to sing it for their parents, who remove his hump and reward Jean with a bag of gold. Hearing this, spoiled, rich Jacques plans to fill three sacks with djab treasure. However, when Jacques hears their song, he insults the djab children by saying they do not know how to count. The adult djab take care of Jacques by giving him Jean’s hump and filling his empty sacks with rocks.

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Connections Appearance. Calendar. Cautionary tales. Counting. Devils. Disabilities. Fantasy. Gratitude. Greed. Humorous tales. Magic. Manners. Music. Punishment. Rewards. Songs. Supernatural beings. Unkindness.

How Else This Story Is Told Remi’s Magical Gift = Gade Yon Kado Remi Jwenn—Mireille B. Lauture. Magical woodland creatures appreciate one boy’s addition of “Thursday” to their song of days, but punish his friend’s addition of “Friday.” In Haitian Creole and English. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Two Little Elves,” entry 222 (Chile).

16. T HE B ANZA: A H AITIAN STORY (PrInT and onlIne) Diane Wolkstein Haiti Teegra the little tiger and Cabree the little goat become friends when they both seek shelter in a cave during a thunderstorm. Being together makes them feel strong, but Teegra goes home when his parents find him. He returns with a banza for Cabree, passing along his Auntie’s advice to play with it over her heart. Cabree does feel less lonely when she strums the banza. One day growling tigers confront Cabree when her banza is behind a bush. Quaking inside, she calmly picks it up and tells the tigers she will play the song she always sings before dinner. She sings about eating tigers raw. Now she has the tigers worried. Becoming one with the banza has made her strong.

Connections Banjo. Cleverness. Confidence. Courage. Education. Fear. Friendship, interspecies. Goats. Loneliness. Humorous tales. Mastery. Misunderstanding. Music. Prey. Sharing. Songs. Storytelling. Strength. Tigers.

17. T HE C AT’S PURR Ashley Bryan The West Indies, country unspecified Cat is happy to share what he has with Rat, until his uncle brings him a special family drum, which he says is only for Cat to play. Cat’s uncle has shown how the drum makes a pleasing “purrum” sound when he strokes it gently. Rat wants to try and is miffed when Cat says no. Now Rat wants to play that drum more than ever. He pretends to be sick, but picks up the drum as soon as Cat leaves him to rest. Rat finally discovers how to get the drum to purrum. Out in the field Cat hears the sound and runs home. He yells, but Rat feigns innocence. When Cat leaves again, Rat sings about fooling Cat and makes the drum purrum again. The third time this happens, a furious Cat sneaks back and catches Rat with the drum. Rat thrusts it into Cat’s open mouth and flees. Cat swallows the little drum, which only purrums when his belly is stroked kindly.

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Connections Accusations. Allegories and parables. Cats. Cautionary tales. Conflict, interspecies. Coveting. Deceit. Disobedience. Drums. Education. Kindness to animals. Mastery. Mice and rats. Music. Origin tales, behavior. Sharing. Sounds.

Where Else This Story Appears (Text) In Poems and Folktales (Audiobook). In Amy L. Cohn, From Sea to Shining Sea (Print and online). In Margaret Hodges, Pourquoi Tales (Print and online).

18. The elePhanT KIng’s drum Nina Jaffe, Patakin (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Brizé truly does not know where to go to find the great drum of the King of elephants, which his ailing father has requested for his burial. Beginning his journey, Brizé shares bread with a blind man, then a crippled beggar with one foot, and at last an old man. They are Merisier the houngan, who rewards Brizé’s kindness by sending his own spirit off to search for the elephant King’s drum. When the spirit returns, Merisier hands Brizé four wari nuts in case of danger and tells him where to go. The elephants charge when Brizé runs off with the giant drum. Three times, Brizé throws a magic nut over his shoulder to slow them down, calling, “Merisier is stronger than the elephants.” He makes it home to find his father now well. When the elephant King himself shows up and runs out with his drum, Brizé throws the last nut. The drum breaks into many small drums, and the elephant King breaks into many drummers to play them. This story is accompanied with notes on Haitian rhythms and notation for kongo music.

Connections Animals and humans. Chant, magic. Drum, magic. Elephant, fantasy. Fantasy. Escapes. Honoring parents. Houngans. Journeys. Kindness. Music. Old man, magical helper. Origin tales, appearance. Parents and children. Pursuit. Quests. Sharing. Supernatural events. Theft. Transformation. Walnut, magic.

How Else This Story Is Told Mérisier, Stronger Than the Elephants—Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire and Other Haitian Tales (Print and online); and as Mérisier in A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore.

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19. The creaTIon oF The world / l a creacIón del mundo Elvia Pérez, From the Winds of Manguito = Desde los vientos de Manguito African American People. Cuba In the beginning, the powerful god Olofi sends his daughter Yamayá to cool a fiery earth with her waters. Yamayá comes down as rain, which fills crevices with water. She creates animals and humans to live there and goes to sleep at the bottom of the ocean. Olofi sends his son Obatalá to give the humans heads, so they can think and build. With heads he shapes from clay, Obatalá enables the humans to solve problems on earth and respect their gods. The humans prepare to honor Obatalá and Olofi with a wemilere, a grand party. Forgotten and furious, Yamayá rises as a giant wave and starts to destroy everything. The humans cry out to Obatalá for help. Obatalá asks his sister to forgive him, and out of love for their father, Yamayá stops the water. She says that she will protect the humans, if they respect her in the future as their mother. In English and Spanish.

Connections Allegories and parables. Anger. Bargains. Brothers and sisters. Cautionary tales. Compassion. Conflict. Creation. Destruction. Disrespect. Floods. Forgiveness. Gods and humans. Gratitude. Human beings, creation. Obatalá. Olofi. Origin tales, behavior. Orishas. Parents and children. Patakí (Tales). Praise. Resentment. Respect. Revenge. Understanding. Water. Yemayá.

20. M AMA GOD, PAPA GOD: A C ARIBBEAN TALE (PrInT and onlIne) Richardo Keens-Douglas African American People. The Caribbean, country unspecified There is playfulness and togetherness when Papa God creates the world, beautiful and round for Mama God. Together they put plants and animals, fish, and weather on 25

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this world and set it spinning into day and night. Mama God asks him to make something that looks like him, like love. He makes a man, and she in turn makes a woman. They make more people, and then Mama God wants to leave things for people to do, too. Papa God hums music into nature on the earth and they bless all of nature and people with different colors and shapes. In each place, Papa God has people speak a different language, so “they can live their lives learning about each other.”

Connections Blessings. Coexistence. Creation. Education. Gods and humans. Gods and spirits. Language. Music. Origin tales, behavior. Understanding.

21. aFTer The Flood Robert Hull, Caribbean Stories The Caribbean, country unspecified Until the big flood, humans coexist in harmony with animals and birds, and all speak the same language. Man and Woman, however, are desperate for food once the waters subside. They debate about eating Gull’s egg, but then do. Having eaten BirdComing, Man thinks about eating Birds themselves and figures out how to catch them. Birds warn other animals to stay away from Man and Woman, who can no longer understand their talk and are now dangerous. Arawidi, the sun spirit, fears there will soon be no fish left in his favorite river. He thinks that a companion creature could help people hunt elsewhere. From their uncooked fish, Arawidi shapes a cheerful Dog. This Dog understands some of what people say, but no longer tries to tell them how they used to share the world with other creatures.

Connections Animals and humans. Coexistence. Dogs. Ecology. Floods. Food. Gods and humans. Human beings, status. Conflict, interspecies. Language. Origin tales, behavior. Understanding. Water.

How Else This Story Is Told The Big Flood—Vic Parker, Traditional Tales from the Caribbean.

22. HOW THE SEA BEGAN: A TAINO MYTH George Crespo Taíno People. Puerto Rico Yayael always brings home game when he hunts with a special bow his father has carved from tabonuco wood. One day, he does not return after a hurricane. His father Yaya finds only the bow and arrows, which, weeping, he and his wife Itiba hang with a gourd from the ceiling, in case Yayael’s spirit comes to visit. The hungry villagers have not been able to find meat, and Yaya thinks he will try hunting with his son’s bow and arrow. As Itiba lowers the gourd, fish spill out. Rejoicing, they share fish with the villagers,

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who assign four boys to guard the gourd when they leave to work in the fields. The curious boys tip the gourd and eat the fish that flop out, but then, afraid of being caught, rush to raise the gourd and break it. Salty water gushes out over the fields and covers the land with water and fish. From a mountaintop, villagers watch their land become an island, Boriquén. They thank the supreme god Yúcahu for the gift of fish in the sea that will now save them from hunger.

Connections Accidents. Blessings. Bone, magic. Disobedience. Fantasy. Fish. Floods. Gods and humans. Gourd, magic. Gratitude. Honoring parents. Hunger. Islands, creation. Mourning. Murder. Origin tales, appearance. Parents and children. Remorse. Respect. Supernatural events. Water.

How Else This Story Is Told How the Sea Was Born—Lulu Delacre, Golden Tales. Yayael’s father kills his son for showing disrespect and then hangs the gourd in remorse.

23. T HE GOLDEN FLOWER : A TAINO MYTH FROM PUERTO R ICO (PrInT and onlIne) Nina Jaffe Taíno People. Puerto Rico A child sows some blowing seeds on a bare mountaintop. Trees and plants begin to bloom there. Two men fight over the mysterious, golden ball which grows from one vine. They believe that possessing the shining ball will give them the power to control darkness and light. The ball, a pumpkin, rolls down the mountain and breaks open. Water filled with sea life from inside floods everything up to the forest. This is how the island of Puerto Rico was formed.

Connections Combat. Fantasy. Floods. Gourds. Islands, creation. Origin tales, appearance. Ownership. Power. Pumpkin, magic. Seed, magic.

24. PaPa g od’s well Margaret Read MacDonald, Earth Care (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Thirsty from drought, the animals call out to Papa God for help, since he is responsible for their being on earth. Papa God creates a deep well for them. He says the water in the well is for all, but it will need a guard to make sure the water remains clean. Lizard volunteers for the job, but he thinks only he can decide who drinks from the well, since he is in charge. He even challenges Papa God’s right to be there. Papa God repeats that the water belongs to everyone. The well needs a guard who knows how to share. This time Frog volunteers. He is still there, inviting all to drink from

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Papa God’s well. In Haiti, they say, “The well may belong to you, but the water belongs to God.”

Connections Allegories and parables. Drought. Coexistence. Frogs and toads. God. Gods and animals. Lizards. Origin tales, behavior. Ownership. Power, abuse of. Sharing. Thirst. Watchmen. Water. Wells.

How Else This Story Is Told Chief of the Well—Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire, and Other Haitian Tales. God punishes Lizard for his arrogance by making him wait to drink from rain puddles. The Chief of the Well—Sophia Lyon Fahs and Alice Cobb, Old Tales for a New Day. Frog, Chief of the Well—Harold Courlander, The Drum and the Hoe: Life and Lore of the Haitian People; and in A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore. God cuts off Frog’s tail when he becomes too officious about guarding the well.

25. The dIsTrIbuTIon oF The orIshas’ P owers Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore African American People. Cuba When the orishas are suffering because of a drought, they beg Obatala to speak with Olofin, Father of Heaven and Earth, for she is the only one who knows how to climb the mountain to him. Olofin tells Obatala he is too exhausted to continue. She brings this message to the other orishas. They ask her to tell him to turn over his powers, then so they will be able to fix things. Obatala lets Olofin know that the orishas want him to try to go on, but if he cannot, to share his powers with them. Olofin thinks that is reasonable. He tells Obatala to assemble everyone under the ceiba tree. Obatala cooks calming foods for the gathering. The orishas eat and argue and wait. When Olofin descends, he gives each one an appropriate power—a thunderbolt, lightning, the river, the sea. Olofin remains the Supreme Orisha, with Obatala in charge as his representative on earth. She also holds the power to help a sick person to recover.

Connections Allegories and parables. Drought. Healing. Leadership. Obatalá. Olofi. Origin tales, behavior. Orishas. Patakí (Tales). Powers. Sharing. Women and girls, resourceful.

26. The gIFT Joe Hayes, Dance, Nana, Dance = Baila, Nana Baila African American People. Cuba Obbara lives humbly, for which the other Holy Ones scorn him. He is the only one who is not disappointed when Olofi invites the Orishas to choose a gift among many pumpkins. Obbara collects all the pumpkins which the others have discarded and brings them home to cook. Cutting open the smallest pumpkin, Obbara’s wife finds gold, which Obbara uses to buy a black horse. He rides up in style to the next meeting Olofi calls.

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The other Orishas are ashamed that they have nothing to show. Olofi praises Obbara for recognizing the value of being offered a gift and now gives him the power to show people how to value the riches hidden within words and all of life. In English and Spanish.

Connections Allegories and parables. Changes in attitude. Expectation. Gifts. Gratitude. Humility. Obbara. Olofi. Orishas. Patakí (Tales). Perspective. Power. Pumpkin, magic. Rewards. Ridicule.

27. elegguá , The lord oF The roads / elegguá: dueno de los camInos

Elvia Pérez, From the Winds of Manguito = Desde los vientos de Manguito African American People. Cuba The prince Elegguá possesses great skill at finding new routes and paths through the land. At one crossroad, he picks up a curious coconut, an Obi, which is shining with light. Elegguá packs it into his saddlebag. The Obi’s light fades and grows dark, and Elegguá falls from his horse. He is brought home with a fever and dies. Pain and illness spread through the kingdom. Orula, the god of divination, sends word to the elders that Olofi, the supreme god, has taken Elegguá to teach him to better respect the gift he sent. To make amends, the people need to honor a stone idol with a face of shells, which they place behind doors to guard all homes and crossroads. Orula makes Elegguá god of the roads and crossroads. Told in English and Spanish.

Connections Allegories and parables. Coconut, magic. Gifts. Idols. Illness. Misunderstanding. Origin tales, behavior. Orishas. Patakí (Tales). Paths. Praise. Princes and princesses. Punishment. Respect. Supernatural events. Traditions.

28. The beeF Tongue oF orula Harold Courlander, Ride with the Sun African American People. Cuba Unsure whether his young helper Orula is wise enough to control the world, the god Obatalá challenges Orula to prepare the most perfect meal. Orula carefully considers everything in the market and chooses a piece of beef tongue. Cooked with herbs and spices, the tongue is truly delicious. When Obatalá asks Orula why he chose to prepare tongue, Orula praises the many good deeds for which the tongue is responsible. Obatalá is impressed with Orula’s choice and now asks him to prepare the worst meal. After careful consideration, Orula brings tongue again. He tells Obatalá all the ways the tongue can destroy and hurt people. Appreciating the young man’s deep knowledge of the world, Obatalá tells Orula he is now ready to turn it over to him.

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Connections Allegories and parables. Food. Humorous tales. Language. Leadership. Obatalá. Orishas. Orula. Patakí (Tales). Tests. Tongue (Food). Wisdom. Words, hurtful.

How Else This Story Is Told Obatalá and Orula—Salvador Bueno, Cuban Legends.

29. m ango and orange Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans African American People. Jamaica Adam and Eve name all the fruits in the garden, but two. So Adam goes to Christ and asks what these two fruits are called. Christ answers, “Man, go and arrange,” which is how we now have the mango and orange. Told in patois.

Connections Adam and Eve. Gods and humans. Humorous tales. Jesus. Fruit. Mangos. Misunderstanding. Oranges. Origin tales, name. Name, origin. Wordplay.

30. CHILD OF THE SUN: A CUBAN LEGEND Sandra Arnold Ciboney People. Cuba Before going to sleep, the Earth divides powers between her two children, so the Sun will bring warmth and light by day and then leave so the Moon can rule the oceans at night. Bored, the Sun creates a man Hamao from sand and clay. When Hamao weeps with loneliness one night, the Moon creates the woman Guanaroca to keep him company. The Sun becomes jealous that Hamao now only pays attention to Guanaroca and their new son Imao. He kidnaps Imao and imprisons Guanaroca with clouds. Hamao calls upon the animals to help him find his son. The flaming Sun keeps blue heron and refuses to leave the sky at night. The Wind rescues Imao. Sun’s anger wakes Earth, who orders Sun to stop the fight and Moon to block Sun’s rays. Sun is ashamed of how he scorched everything. Moon sometimes has to remind her restless brother to share the sky by passing in front of him; humans call this an eclipse.

Connections Animal helpers. Brothers and sisters. Conflict. Creation. Destruction. Earth (Character). Eclipses. Gods and humans. Human beings, creation. Jealousy. Kidnapping. Loneliness. Moon (Character). Native American People. Origin tales, behavior. Powers. Praise. Remorse. Restlessness. Sharing. Sun (Character). Taino People. Wind (Character).

How Else This Story Is Told Variation from Sint Maarten:

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Anana, the Maker—Petronella Breinburg, Stories from the Caribbean. Here, the Moon and the Sun are two fighting brothers.

31. híalI Douglas Taylor, “Tales and Legends of the Dominica Caribs,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) Kalinago People. Dominica Someone is sneaking in to make love to a girl, who does not know it is the Moon. Her mother rubs soot from her hands on his face to identify him, and the Moon remains a man with a dirty face. Perhaps the lover is her brother who became so ashamed, he rose into the sky. She gives birth to a child named Híali (He-has-become-bright), who founds the Carib nation. The iorótto flies the child up to the sky for his father to see and is rewarded with colorful feathers and a little head cap.

Connections Animal helpers. Gods and humans. Hummingbirds. Identity. Lovers. Moon (Character). Mysteries. Name, linked to fate. Origin tales, appearance. Parents and children. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events.

How Else This Story Is Told No title—Raymond Breton in P. Banks, “Island Carib Folk Tales,” Caribbean Quarterly.

32. how The moonFIsh came To be Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online) The Antilles, country unspecified In ancient times when the Sun and Moon are husband and wife, the Sun works only part of the day, whereas the Moon shines down from the sky all the time. Bored one night, the Moon drops down from the sky to play in the water, which frightens both fish and people. Le Bon Dieu orders the Moon to return to the sky. When she refuses, he calls upon the creatures of earth, sea, and sky who work together to block the Moon and capture her. The mother of all herons tears off a part of the Moon, and sharp sea creatures prick her. Fishermen bring the Moon to le Bon Dieu, who scolds her and then repairs her tatters. He says she will now live apart from the Sun, and they will never have children. However, Le Bon Dieu admits there was a beauty to the Moon’s light playing in the waves. He scatters dust from fragments of the Moon to glow with phosphorescence over the water. Then, Le Bon Dieu blows into a flattened ball which becomes the moonfish, a moon in the water with many children.

Connections Birds. Disobedience. Fantasy. Fish. God. Husbands and wives. Moon (Character). Moonfish. Origin tales, appearance. Punishment. Restlessness. Sun (Character).

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33. baKámu, VersIon b Douglas Taylor, “Tales and Legends of the Dominica Caribs,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) Kalinago People. Dominica A woman is bearing a strange child with a human head and a boa’s body that slithers off to eat grass and then returns to her womb. A magnetist advises her to spit into a big burgau shell when the child is away and then cross the river. She does this. Her spittle answers the boa child’s call with her voice, but his head gets stuck as he tries to curl up into the shell. He comes after her with the shell, and the river sweeps him away, just as the magnetist has predicted.

Connections Babies. Birth. Deceit. Gods and humans. Outwitting supernatural beings. Parents and children. Pregnancy. Shells. Sorcerers and sorceresses. Spittle, magic. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Voice, supernatural.

34. The s ong oF el coquí Nicholasa Mohr, The Song of El Coquí (Print and online) Puerto Rico In the beginning, the silence which follows a great storm Huracán himself created saddens and angers the god. Then a sound—coqui—sends him searching for the source. Stopping to rest by a mango tree, the god hears tiny frogs sing coqui followed by all the other voices of nature on the island, which cheers Huracán up again.

Connections Anger. Coquí. Frogs and toads. Gods and animals. Music. Sadness. Silence. Songs. Taíno People. Storms. Voices.

35. The orIgIn oF l amPs Philippe Thoby-Marcelin and Pierre Marcelin, The Singing Turtle and Other Tales from Haiti (Print and online) Haiti The sky is so close to the earth in ancient times that stars softly light the night. A woman taller than the mountains becomes annoyed by low clouds as she tries to sweep her courtyard. When the woman whacks them away with her broom, the whole sky grows frightened and lifts up into space, taking along clouds and God and all those who live in the sky. After that, people need lamps to find their way in the dark.

Connections Frustration. Gods and humans. Lamps. Origin tales, appearance. Origin tales, behavior. Sky. Status quo, resistance.

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36. nananbouclou and The PIece oF FIre Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire and Other Haitian Tales African American People. Haiti When the messenger Legba informs the other gods in ancient times that fire has fallen from the sky, they work together to capture a piece of it to bring back to their city. The god of the sea surrounds the fire with water to keep it from burning the earth. The god of lightning throws the fire into the city on a thunderbolt with the chain the god of ironwork has made. Their mother Nananbouclou admires the fire until they begin to quarrel over who should possess it. To bring back harmony, she throws it into the sky, where it becomes Baiacou, the evening star.

Connections Arguments. Cooperation. Fire. Gods and spirits. Legba. Loa. Origin tales, appearance. Ownership. Parents and children. Problem solvers. Stars. Women and girls, resourceful.

How Else This Story Is Told Nananbouclou and the Piece of Fire—Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore.

37. anansI and The mInd oF g od Geraldine McCaughrean, The Golden Hoard: Myths and Legends of the World (Print; online; and CD audio) African American People. The West Indies, country unspecified Anansi has been boasting how important he is to God, and now God wants Anansi to show his cleverness by bringing three things which are in God’s mind. Anansi does not know what they are. He secretly sews together feathers he has borrowed from every kind of bird so he can fly up to eavesdrop and learn what God wants. God does not recognize this many-colored bird as his creation. While telling his advisers why he cannot ask Anansi himself about the bird, God reveals the three things Anansi needs to get. Anansi overhears and also learns that God misses him. He brings total darkness, the moon, and finally, the sun to God in a sack, but as Anansi pulls out the bright sun, it burns some spots in God’s eyeball. The blind spots keep God from finding Anansi. Told in rhyming couplets.

Connections Accidents. Anansi. Braggarts. Cleverness. Darkness. Disguises. Fantasy. Feathers. God. Justice. Moon. Origin tales, behavior. Quests. Secrets. Status. Sun. Tests.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variation, African American People: Anansi and God—Enid F. D’Oyley, Animal Fables and Other Tales Retold. The python gives Anansi advice in rounding everything up, but first the earth grows too dark and then too light, so God divides them into day and night. Pleased, God makes Anansi the cleverest on earth, with a warning not to boast.

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38. oloFIn PunIshes babaluaye Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore African American People. Cuba When Olofin is handing out powers, he gives Babaluaye sexual strength, but Babaluaye is continually lying with women. So, Olofin sends a message for Babaluaye to control his sexual impulses until Good Friday. Babaluaye says the power is his to use as he wishes. He does not wait and dies of syphilis soon after. His lover Oshun objects to such a severe punishment, but Olofin refuses to restore Babaluaye to life. Olofin’s assistant Orumbila helps her by secretly dripping magic honey throughout Olofin’s house to give Olofin a pleasureable feeling. Orumbila only tells Olofin that a woman is responsible. After questioning everyone else, Olofin calls for Oshun. She negotiates, saying she will provide Olofin with the wonderful honey if he brings Babaluaye back to life. Olofin does, and Babaluaye continues to enjoy his sexual prowess as he did before.

Connections Allegories and parables. Babaluaye. Bargains. Disobedience. Happiness. Honey, magic. Justice. Olofi. Orishas. Orula. Patakí (Tales). Power, abuse of. Powers. Punishment. Restoring life. Sexuality. Tricksters. Women and girls, resourceful.

How Else This Story Is Told Oshún, the Keeper of Honey / Oshún, la dueña del oñí—Elvia Pérez, From the Winds of Manguito = Desde los vientos de Manguito. Olofin brings Babalú Ayé back to life, but punishes his disobedience by making him a sick old man, who wanders around the world begging. In English and Spanish.

39. FIRST PALM T REES: AN ANANCY SPIDERMAN STORY James Berry African American People. The West Indies, country unspecified Before there are any palm trees on earth, a priest tells the king that he has dreamt of trees with plumes on top that give wine. The king offers a reward to anyone who can make such trees grow on his land. Anancy Spiderman wants that reward. He offers to share the money with the Sun-Spirit for his help, but frets about diminished returns when the Sun-Spirit says he will need to involve Water-Spirit. Water-Spirit says he cannot work without Earth-Spirit, who cannot work without Air-Spirit. Anancy is forced to agree to split the money with them all. He waits impatiently for news, and then one morning his son Tukuma tells him the trees have arrived. The king says many people are claiming responsibility, but none can prove his work. The villagers all know Anancy interceded with the spirits to bring the palm trees, but it takes a long while before he gets the credit for doing so.

Connections Acclamation. Air (Character). Anansi. Competition. Disappointment. Dreams. Earth (Character).

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Evidence. Gods and animals. Gods and spirits. Kings and queens. Origin tales, appearance. Palm trees. Quests. Sun (Character). Trees and bushes. Water (Character).

40. The KIng and hIs seVen daughTers Lalita Chotkam. In Kumar Mahabir, Caribbean Indian Folktales Indian People. Trinidad Angry, a king banishes his youngest daughter who has answered that she lives by God’s grace, instead of by her father’s. Deep in the forest, she meets an old man, a beggar, who says he will marry her and take care of her and that God will help them both. She stays with him. After a while, God appears and questions how they live day to day. The daughter answers that she trusted God would come to help and asks for a palace. God grants them this and makes her husband young again. She welcomes her father who comes to see if it is true that his daughter now lives well. He says that she has been blessed by God and admits he was wrong to disparage the truth of her belief.

Connections Anger. Banishment. Beggars. Blessings. Changes in attitude. Faith. Forgiveness. God. Gods and humans. Kings and queens. Parents and children. Praise. Princes and princesses. Repentance. Reversals of fortune.

41. guaní Pura Belpré, Once in Puerto Rico Taíno People. Puerto Rico Soon after Guaní thanks his god Yukiyú for the beauty of the water before him, twelve goats appear in the valley below. The lonely boy cares for them, but when the goats turn to wood by the spring one day, he fears that he may have angered Yukiyú. A painted Taino man in Guaní’s dream tells him to follow a trail to reach him. Upon waking, Guaní fights his way through brush up a steep mountain path. He enters a dark cave, where he finds the Taino. The boy asks how he may bring his goats back to life, and the Spirit of the Cave hands him a wooden flute to break the spell which an evil toad in the spring cast over them. The Spirit teaches Guaní to softly blow what he feels in his heart and disappears. Guaní returns to the spring and plays the joy he felt with the goats. Then they are there, running to him, and Guaní plays a song of gratitude.

Connections Animals and humans. Charms and potions. Dreams. Education. Fantasy. Flute, magic. Goats. Gods and humans. Gratitude. Kindness to animals. Loneliness. Loss. Music. Praise. Restoring life. Separation. Spirits and ghosts. Transformation.

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42. The sharK KIller José Ramírez-Rivera, Puerto Rican Tales Puerto Rico Trying to impress the new Viceroy of New Spain before he travels on, the local magistrate of Aguada boasts that they have a young fisherman who fights sharks. The Viceroy would like to see this, but Rufino, of mixed European and Indian ancestry, refuses to do it without the scapulars of the Virgin, which he always wears around his neck when he goes fishing and which have been sent out for repair. Finally, still worried, he accepts the Viceroy’s offer of an ounce of Spanish gold. Rufino disappears underwater with his dagger as the crowd watches. After a terrible battle, the shark floats up lifeless, and Rufino is rescued. The Viceroy advises him never to do this again. Hailed as a hero, Rufino buys a boat and new nets with his reward money, but he never again fights sharks.

Connections Amulets. Colonists, Spanish. Combat. Courage. Doubt. Faith. Fishermen. Power. Requests. Rewards. Sharks.

How Else This Story Is Told Slayer of Sharks / El matador de tiburones—Genevieve Barlow, Stories from Latin America = Historias de Latinoamérica. Rufino finally agrees to fight the shark without his religious medallion in order to have money to marry his fiancée. In English and Spanish.

43. why d og losT hIs VoIce Bastien Rémy. In Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online) Haiti Three farmers think God is a traveler when he stops by with his Dog and asks them how they are. Each day, they answer that they work hard and expect to finish weeding. Each next day, however, they find the field they have cleared overgrown again. The farmers are beginning to lose heart when God sends Dog to ask them for water. Dog whispers to the farmers that they should greet the Traveler as Papa God and say their work will be done with his grace. They do, and this time, the field stays clear. Dog feels guilty, though, and is avoiding God’s gaze. God punishes Dog for giving him away by taking away his ability to speak and making him dependent on man.

Connections Animal helpers. Autonomy. Changes in attitude. Disobedience. Dogs. Faith. Farmers. God. Gods and animals. Gods and humans. Guilt. Language. Origin tales, behavior. Punishment. Reversals of fortune. Status. Tests. Voices.

How Else This Story Is Told If God Wills—Philippe Thoby-Marcelin and Pierre Marcelin, The Singing Turtle and Other Tales from Haiti (Print and online).

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44. The FIghT oVer lIFe Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World (Print and online) African American People. Guadeloupe Arguing about life and death, Cat insists that life ends when men die and that’s that. Dog argues that people can return from death. They decide to ask God the next day. They each want to get to God first. Dog has put butter along the road to distract Cat. Cat has set bones down to distract Dog. Cat skips the butter, but Dog just has to stop and gnaw on the bones. Cat arrives at God’s house first, alone, and humbly asks God if a man remains dead when he dies. God agrees with Cat’s description. Then Dog arrives and asks the same question. God chastises Dog for losing sight of the important question on the way over and answers that it will be as Cat said; people do not come back to life.

Connections Arguments. Cats. Death. Dogs. God. Gods and animals. Humorous tales. Questions. Restoring life. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Guadeloupean variation, African American People: Why People Do Not Live Again After Death—Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore.

Haitian variations, African American People: The Cat, the Dog, and Death—Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire and Other Haitian Tales Cat and Dog and the Return of the Dead—Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online). Dog wants to ask Papa God to bring dead people back so there will be more bones for him. Cat thinks the village is already too crowded.

45. PaPa g od and general deaTh Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online) Haiti General Death objects when he point to the small house which he will visit the next day and Papa God says that people prefer to have him visit because he gives, whereas General Death always takes. To show General Death, Papa God asks the man there for water. The man does not recognize Papa God and turns him down. He says it is not fair that Papa God makes him walk miles to fetch water every day, where others have more than they need. At that point Papa God tells the man who he is, but the man insists he would rather give a calabash of water to General Death, who treats everyone alike … and he does.

Connections Allegories and parables. Comparison. Death (Character). Deprivation. Generosity. God. Gods

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The Caribbean Story Finder and humans. Hospitality. Humorous tales. Hunger. Inequity. Justice. Luck. Poverty. Thirst. Wealth.

How Else This Story Is Told Puerto Rican variation: The Charcoal Peddler’s Chicken—John Bierhorst, Latin American Folktales (Print and online). The poor charcoal peddler will not share a chicken he is cooking with Luck, who only helps the rich, whereas Death takes all. “Luck may be a dog, but he isn’t faithful to his owner.” Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Hungry Peasant, God, and Death,” entry 186 (Mexico).

46. why The blacK m an Is blacK Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans African American People. Jamaica God has just created men from dust and tells them to wash off. The greedy white man uses up all the soap and water. The Black man has only enough to wash the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet.

Connections Allegories and parables. Appearance. Color. Deprivation. God. Gods and humans. Greed. Inequity. Origin tales, appearance. Power. Race, origin. Racism. Status.

47. g od comes To us lIKe JusT anoTher Person Jessie Castillo, Garifuna Folktales Garifuna People. Saint Vincent A woman is certain God will come to visit, for she goes to church each day and prays at home. She cleans and pretties herself and her house and waits for God to arrive. On the third day, she snaps at a boy who has come to borrow sugar for his mother. She sends away a girl whose mother is ill and an old man who is cold. The priest stops by. She tells him she is waiting for God, and he tells her that she just turned God away three times.

Connections Allegories and parables. Cautionary tales. God. Hard-heartedness. Humorous tales. Priests. Selfishness. Unkindness.

48. charles legoun and hIs FrIend Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire African American People. Haiti Farmer Charles Legoun annoys his neighbors by continually conversing with God as if Papa God were his friend. One night a man who identifies himself as Papa God

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knocks on the farmer’s door. The man says he is ready to do something for the friend who has been talking to him; he will take him because it is time. Quickly, the farmer responds that Charles Legoun is not there. The next day, he tells everyone to spread the word that he is a different Charles Legoun than Papa God’s friend.

Connections Changes in attitude. Death. Fear. Frustration. God. Humorous tales. Identity. Names. Pranks.

Where Else This Story Appears In A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore.

49. how The cleVer d ocTor TrIcKed deaTh Manuel J. Andrade. In Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online) Dominican Republic Death teaches a clever young man how to cure people with the understanding that the man will agree to let Death take a person whenever Death stands at the head of the bed. The man’s reputation as a doctor grows, and the King brings him to cure his ill daughter. The King threatens to behead the doctor if he fails. If he succeeds, he will marry the princess and receive half the kingdom. Death is standing at the head of the bed, and the doctor quickly pulls the bed around so Death is now at the foot. The King keeps his promise, but as the doctor leaves the palace, Death takes him to the sky where millions of little lamps are burning. Death tells him each lamp stands for one life, and his only has five minutes more left. The man begins to tell Death a story, and Death falls asleep. The doctor refills the oil in his lamp and is still alive to tell this story.

Connections Bargains. Death (Character). Doctors. Escapes. Healing. Life span. Storytelling. Tricksters. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “La Madrina Muerte / Godmother Death,” entry 86 (Mexico).

50. d on dInero and d oña ForTuna José Guzmán Ribera. In John Bierhorst, Latin American Folktales (Print and online) Dominican Republic Don Dinero says everything depends on having money, and Doña Fortuna claims that money alone will bring trouble without good fortune. To show Don Dinero, she fills a poor man’s pack with money and tells the man to let her know what happens. The poor man ends up leaving the knapsack behind when he runs from some wasps, who were actually thieves sent there by Doña Fortuna. Then a neighbor delivers a fruit basket from Doña Fortuna. His knapsack with the coins rest at the bottom. The poor

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man thanks Doña Fortuna and buys land, proving her point that money will not work without help from God and Doña Fortuna.

Connections Allegories and parables. Comparison. Gods and humans. Luck. Misfortune. Money. Poverty. Reversals of fortune. Tests.

51. The Three wIshes Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes (Print and online) Puerto Rico When a poor woman shares food with an old man who is lost, he grants her and her husband three wishes, saying God sent him to test her kindness. Right away, she wishes that her husband, a woodsman, were there. The woodsman appears and then gets angry at her for wasting one wish. He wishes for his wife to grow donkey ears and when they do and she cries, her husband is truly sorry. The old man tells them that the promise of riches has broken the peace between them. The woodsman says that for their last wish they truly want to regain the contentment they enjoyed with each other with God’s grace before. The donkey ears disappear, and they ask God for forgiveness. The old man then grants them “the greatest happiness a married couple can know.” A child, a son, is born to them, and the loving family continues on with happiness.

Connections Allegories and parables. Accusations. Appearance. Blessings. Cautionary tales. Fantasy. Gods and humans. Happiness. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Kindness. Old man, magical helper. Repentance. Reversals of fortune. Tests. Transformation. Wealth. Wish, magic.

How Else This Story Is Told The Three Petitions—Pura Belpré, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales.

52. a Very h aPPy d onKey Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online) Haiti Lazy Tiroro is taking Banda the donkey to market for the first time alone. He fills the two baskets with carrots, turnips, and cauliflower and reassures his mother that he has food for Banda, too. She sends him off with good wishes for Papa God to accompany him on the journey. Tiroro joins up with some other peasants along the way. When they all stop to rest, Banda keeps braying, and Tiroro keeps feeding her some of their vegetables to quiet her down. Finally, Tiroro sets both baskets before the donkey and takes a nap. When he wakes, no vegetables are left. Tiroro calls out to ask Papa God what to do, and God answers to feed his donkey grass next time.

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Connections Animals and humans. Donkeys and mules. Food. Fools. God. Gods and humans. Humorous tales. Journeys. Noise. Peasants. Questions.

53. PaPa g od sends TurTle d oVes Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online) Haiti An elderly couple deeply misses their three sons who have left to go find work in the city. The old woman gets angry, though, when her husband cages three turtle doves which fly in one at a time. He is certain that God has sent their sons back as birds. She wants her real sons and kills one bird, despite her husband’s warning not to hurt them. That son appears to the father and says his mama killed him. The father cannot eat this bird she has cooked and opens the cages so the other two can fly away. The two turtle doves gather up the bones of the third. Three birds circle now and call the old woman Mama. One asks her why she killed him and says they really are her sons. She dies as all three birds fall to the ground and become her human sons, who live on with their father.

Connections Accusations. Anger. Animals and humans. Bird, fantasy. Bone, magic. Captivity. Doubt. Doves. Gods and humans. Husbands and wives. Loss. Murder. Parents and children. Reprimand. Restoring life. Separation. Supernatural events. Transformation.

54. The lIzard’s bIg dance Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire and Other Haitian Tales African American People. Haiti The Vodoun priest tells Zandolite the tree lizard that his yams and potatoes are dying underground because his ancestors are angry with him for not holding a service to honor them, so he must throw a large feast to make amends. Relatives travel in for three days and nights of eating and dancing. The drumming is so loud that God sends Saint John to order the tree lizard to stop the festivities. Zandolite invites Saint John to eat and drink before he speaks, and the next thing that happens is that Saint John is up and dancing, too. The same thing happens when God sends Saint Peter, so God himself comes to the party. God says he is angry and refuses to join in until Zandolite invites him to pay respects to the tree lizard ancestors. God dances, too, then, until the festival ends. And after that, the tree lizard has no more trouble with his crops.

Connections Angels. Birds. Changes in attitude. Dancing, cannot stop. Deprivation. Disobedience. Drums. Feasts. Food. Frustration. God. Gods and animals. Gods and spirits. Honoring ancestors. Houngans. Humorous tales. Inhumanity. Lizards. Loa. Music, swept away by. Noise. Origin

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The Caribbean Story Finder tales, behavior. Peter, Saint. Pintards. Priests. Punishment. Rice. Saints. Slaves. Songs. Status. Supernatural events. Tasks, challenging. Theft. Thirst.

How Else This Story Is Told Haitian variations, African American People: God and the Pintards—Zora Neale Hurston, Tell My Horse (Print and online). The pintards charm the Angel Michael with their singing when God sends him with a gun to shoot them for eating his rice field. Gabriel and Peter are also beguiled, so God has Shango send the birds down to Guinea on a shaft of lightning, which is why the people there sing and dance so well. The Lizard Bocor—Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore. The tree lizard here is a houngan, who possesses Saint John, Saint Patrick, and then God to dance frenziedly to the ritual drumming with a loa in his head. Papa God and the Pintards—Margaret Read MacDonald, Celebrate the World. Based on Hurston’s version above.

Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands, African American People: The Slaves and the Waterhole—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. In a chilling devaluation of human life, the watertap man who has been sent to bring water for the slave gang, slaves, and the bomba all jump into the pit to dance with the ground-doves and are beaten when the overseer arrives.

55. sT. PeTer’s wIshes Clemente Sarría. In John Bierhorst, Latin American Folktales (Print and online) Cuba A friend walking with Saint Peter cannot understand why the saint tells two women who have graciously given him a drink of water that God should give each a bad husband….or why he then blesses an unkind woman with the wish for a good husband. St. Peter tells his friend that a good woman can set a bad husband straight and a good husband can do the same for woman who is mean.

Connections Allegories and parables. Blessings. Changes in attitude. Curses. Gods and humans. Husbands and wives. Justice. Misfortune. Peter, Saint. Questions. Understanding.

56. The d ogs Pay a VIsIT To god Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore African American People. Haiti En route to visit God with all the other dogs in the world, one dog strays off to eat some carrion before rejoining the group. God invites the dogs into his parlor. They are all conversing politely until God becomes aware of the stench of carrion and asks who defecated in his house. Upset, the dogs begin smelling each other’s rear ends and never

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do find the carrion on the end of the one dog’s nose. This explains why dogs still run around trying to discover something which never happened.

Connections Accusations. Dogs. Food. God. Gods and animals. Humorous tales. Origin tales, behavior. Smells.

57. The caT who TasTed Trouble Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! African American People. Haiti Daydreaming about all she will buy when she sells her calabash full of cane syrup, a woman trips on her way to market. The calabash falls from her head and breaks. She cries out about her trouble and Cat, who is lapping at the spilled syrup, thinks this trouble must be good and wants more. Saint Peter and Papa God both try to convince Cat that he does not want trouble, but Cat insists. Finally, Papa God instructs Saint Peter to give Cat a bag, which he is instructed to open once he returns to Earth. The bag holds a big, ravenous dog which chases Cat up a tree.

Connections Accidents. Cats. Dogs. Expectation. God. Gods and animals. Honey and syrup. Houngans. Humorous tales. Misery (Word). Misfortune. Misunderstanding. Monkeys. Peter, Saint. Pranks. Requests. Saints. Trouble (Word). Understanding. Words.

How Else This Story Is Told Guadeloupean variation, African American People: Oh, Misery!—Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore.

Haitian variations, African American People: A Little Piece of Misery—Bob Lapierre, Bouki and Malis The Monkey Who Asked for Misery—Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online). Sweet Misery—Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire and Other Haitian Tales (Print and online). Untitled story, in the chapter “So Spoke the Uncle”—Jean Price-Mars, So Spoke the Uncle. When a dog jumps out of the sack given him by Archangel Saint Michael, the monkey Macaque runs to the Hougan, whom he asks to help him get rid of all the dogs in the world. See also Trouble Make Monkey Eat Pepper, entry 405.

58. r abbIT g oes To asK The g ood lord our FaTher For a lITTle wIsdom / l aPIn allé ‘mandé PaPa bon dIeu un Pé’ l’esPuIT Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part I (Print and online) African American People. Trinidad

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When Rabbit goes to ask the Good Lord to give him a little wisdom, God sends him first to bring back a gourd full of Jack Spaniards. Rabbit is saying yes and then no out loud as he nears the nest and tricks the wasp chiefs to bring their whole family into a gourd so he can prove that they do indeed fit inside. Rabbit carries the stoppered gourd to God, who next sends him off to get some Tiger tears. Rabbit tricks the Tiger who cannot read with a note that says a storm is coming, at which point Tiger allows Rabbit to tie him up to keep him safe. But then, Tiger cries when rabbit beats him. Rabbit brings Tiger’s tears to God, who instructs him to go underneath a certain box for the wisdom. Instead, Rabbit hides somewhere else and is not harmed when God smashes the box with thunder. Rabbit laughs at the trick he played on God, who grabs his ears and throws him far … which is how Rabbit acquired long ears. Told in Trinidadian Creole and English.

Connections Anatomy. Appearance. Common sense. Discontent. Ears. Expectation. God. Gods and animals. Humorous tales. Origin tales, appearance. Rabbits. Requests. Size. Tasks, challenging. Traps. Tricksters. Wisdom.

How Else This Story Is Told Cuban variations: In these three from Cuba, God decides Rabbit would be too much trouble if he were any larger and merely pulls his ears long, without trying to trick him. Rabbit Wishes—Linda Shute. The Rabbit’s Ears—Salvador Bueno, Cuban Legends. Rabbit’s Long Ears—Ramon Guiraro. In Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online).

Grenadian variation, African American People: Rabbit Asks God to Give Him Sense—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, Part I (Print and online).

Guadeloupean variation: Rabbit Seeks Wisdom—Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore. God warns Rabbit to be careful, for too much cleverness can get him into trouble, but does not try to trick him.

Variation from Martinique, African American People: Rabbit Went to Ask God for a Little Bit of Wisdom—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part I (Print and online).

Saint Lucian variation, African American People: Give Me Some More Sense—Jacintha Annius-Lee, Compere Lapin Tales; and in Give Me Some More Sense. When Lapin accuses God of trying to fool him at the end, God answers, “But you did not die Compere, this means you do not need any more sense.”

Trinidadian variation, African American People: How Compere Lapin Asked for More Sense: A Folk-lore of Trinidad—M. Sellier,” West Indian

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Miscellany,” West Indian Review. In the end, Papa Bon Dié admits that Compere Lapin is smart, “after me, it is you Compere Lapin and after you is Man, and nobody else.” Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Rabbit’s Ears = Las orejas del conejo,” entry 62 (Mexico).

59. why The serPenT h as a cleFT Tongue & crawls on hIs belly Patricia Glinton, An Evening in Guanima: A Treasury of Folktales from the Bahamas African American People. The Bahamas Snake has looked around at other creatures and wants more features than the strong legs and speech he has been given. He convinces his cousins Caiman, Turtle and Lizard to come with him to the Creator to complain. The Creator decorates their backs with paint left over from the sky, but Snake hints that the Creator’s work may not yet be done—after all, others have fish scales and nostrils. The Creator gives them these, too, and fatigued, wants to rest. The next day, Snake and his cousins return and disrespectfully call him the Creator of Unfinished Creations. What about wings? Angry now, the Creator flashes lightning, which flattens Caiman’s head and cuts off Lizard’s tail. The cousins flee. The Creator makes ungrateful, envious Snake the most unfinished creation of all. He is forever taunted by having eyes which stay open, a split tongue which cannot speak, and having to crawl on his belly.

Connections Alligators and crocodiles. Anatomy. Arrogance. Comeuppance. Creation. Discontent. Disrespect. God. Gods and animals. Greed. Ingratitude. Language. Lizards. Origin tales, appearance. Origin tales, behavior. Punishment. Ridicule. Snakes.

60. PaPa b oIs Gérard A. Besson, Folklore & Legends of Trinidad and Tobago Taíno People. Trinidad A boy sets out in a corial and washes up on the island Iere, the Land of the Humming Bird. He calls himself I, living in harmony with the natural world around him. In one vivid dream, a large macajuel confesses that he forgot to give people the moon’s message that they will die and be reborn. Now they think they stay dead. I tells the snake that people believe the truth of what they see. When fire sends I plunging into the sea, he reminds himself that he is one with all of nature. With kindness, he forges a bond between people and the animals he protects. He becomes a giant tree, Papa Bois. The Humming Bird tells him Ti Marie is the most precious one on the island. As he searches for her La Diablesse steps out. He feels desire, and she tells him she brings pain. Her voice and shape begin to transform so he can see her cloven hoof and hear a chain. He tells her to return to where she comes from, and she tells him she is looking

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for a tree to climb. He feels wind in his branches, and she is there with him as gentle pink blossoms.

Connections Animal helpers. Bird, fantasy. Death. Ecology. Gods and spirits. Hummingbirds. Identity. Journeys. La Diablesse. Origin tales, appearance. Papa Bois. Shape-shifters. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Transformation. Trees and bushes. Yearning.

How Else This Story Is Told The Story of the Ancient One who Lived in the Heights—Jerry Besson, Tales of the Paria Main Road. A simpler, shorter version of the story above.

61. The sTory oF PITch l aKe M.A. Jagendorf and R.S. Boggs, The King of the Mountains (Print and online) Chaíma Speakers, Kalinago People. Trinidad The Chayma people know that hummingbirds in the valley of Iëre are the souls of people who have left for another world. The hummingbirds are protected by ancient laws, but one day the Carib warriors return from battle feeling omnipotent and shoot many birds for their feathers. The Great Spirit pulls the valley open to swallow everything there and fills it in with dark pitch. Later, a tree grows up out of the lake and sinks back down when it hears the sad songs of the slaves. Sometimes when people cut pitch from the lake, they dig up bones, which is how they know this story really happened.

Connections Animals and humans. Arrogance. Bird, fantasy. Cautionary tales. Cruelty to animals. Despair. Destruction. Ecology. Evidence. Feathers. Gods and humans. Greed. Hummingbirds. Identity. Murder. Pitch. Punishment. Slavery. Songs. Spirits and ghosts. Transformation. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Warriors.

62. PaPa boI saVes a deer M.P. Alladin, Folk Stories and Legends of Trinidad (Print and online) Trinidad Papa Bois, guardian of the animals, has trained them to get along with each other and blows his horn to signal them to hide when he hears gunshots. When a young deer appears limping, Papa Bois heads for barking he hears in the distance. Camouflaged by his horns, long hair and beard, feet with cloven hoofs, and deer-skin cover, Papa Bois creates a false trail to lead the hunter and his dog away. The hunter remains lost for three days and three nights and only later realizes that it was Papa Bois who led him astray.

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Connections Animals and humans. Cautionary tales. Cruelty to animals. Defense. Ecology. Gods and animals. Gods and humans. Hunters. Kindness to animals. Papa Bois.

63. how The hunTer P oIsoned The m ango Tree C.R. Ottley, Legends: True Stories and Old Sayings of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago The narrator, unafraid of snakes, is hunting in the forest when he gets bitten on the leg by a poisonous mapepire snake, which has been lying coiled in wait. He feels poison traveling up through his body and hugs the trunk of a mango tree and prays over and over for the Lord to save his heart from the poison. Now leaves begin to fall from the mango tree, and its branches dry up. The hunter prays until he feels the tree trunk grow hot, and he knows the poison has left him and moved into the tree.

Connections Animals and humans. Gods and humans. Hunters. Injury. Mango trees. Mapire snake. Poison. Prayer. Rescues. Snakes. Supernatural events. Tree, magic. Trees, destruction.

64. a moTher’s c urse John Bierhorst, Latin American Folktales (Print and online) Puerto Rico Angry with her young son for sticking his dirty hands into her clean washtub, a mother snaps at him to go to the Devil. Instantly, the sky darkens, and her son disappears in a whirlwind. The frightened mother cries out for her son, but the Devil has taken him away. She buries the stack of bones she finds in the woods. People say the bird she hears croaking on windy nights is her son asking her to forgive him.

Connections Anger. Cautionary tales. Curses. Devil. Disobedience. Forgiveness. Loss. Parents and children. Remorse. Requests.

65. deVIl’s brIdge Clement B.G. London, Caribbean Visions in Folktales Saint Lucia A French engineer assigned to build a bridge over the Choiseul River in the 1800s asks if the Devil will help him. The Devil agrees only if he can take the life of the first

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one to cross the finished bridge. The engineer’s dog takes off running across just before the opening ceremony. The tired engineer cannot catch him, and as he watches, the dog suddenly disappears as if sucked up into the air. The bridge was destroyed by Hurricane Debbie in 1994 and rebuilt, but the new bridge, too, is still called Devil’s Bridge.

Connections Animals and humans. Bargains. Bridges. Construction. Devil. Dogs. Engineers. Loss. Supernatural events. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Pulque Vendor Tricks the Devil,” entry 112 (Mexico).

66. PunIshmenT For annoyIng a loa George Eaton Simpson, “Loup Garou and Loa Tales from Northern Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) African American People. Haiti The loa Maitresse Mombu orders the woman who serves her to change her daughter’s name from her own. The mother does not, and one day seven-year-old Mombu disappears. Her father, a houngan, discovers Maitresse Mombu has taken their daughter underwater. Seven years later, a young woman who seems to be possessed by a spirit enters the yard. The mother welcomes her, but the young woman’s split tongue makes it difficult for her to speak. The mother does not recognize her daughter until the young woman tells her who she is.

Connections Disobedience. Gods and humans. Identity. Loa. Masters and mistresses. Name, linked to fate. Parents and children. Punishment. Servants. Spirits and ghosts. Supernatural beings. Transformation.

67. a z ange dIsguIses as a snaKe George Eaton Simpson, “Loup Garou and Loa Tales from Northern Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Fearful of the big snake which has been lying across his courtyard entrance, a peasant finally hits it with his cane. The snake disappears. The peasant dreams that soldiers come to arrest him and take him to the bottom of a pond and into Ville-au-Camp, underwater capital of the Zanges. An injured man in the courthouse accuses the peasant of striking him, saying he had merely come to visit. The peasant tells the judge that he did not know the frightening snake was a Zange. The judge then asks the Zange if he had meant to scare the man. When the Zange answers that he was just joking around, the judge imprisons him and sets the peasant free. Despite the judge’s apology, though, the peasant lives in fear.

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Connections Accusations. Animals and humans. Captivity. Disguises. Dreams. Fear. Gods and humans. Justice. Loa. Peasants. Pranks. Responsibility. Snake, supernatural. Zanges.

68. abandonIng a house To The r aInbow loa George Eaton Simpson, “Loup Garou and Loa Tales from Northern Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) African American People. Haiti To the peasant, the rainbow seems like the large snake Linglessou. This loa sucks the blood of the master and his family members one by one wherever the rainbow colors appear. Seeing a rainbow made by sunlight through the doorway or sparkling in a pail of water, a peasant will abandon his house rather than face this misfortune.

Connections Fear. Gods and humans. Loa. Misfortune. Rainbows. Snake, supernatural. Superstitions.

69. The eleVen Thousand VIrgIns Lulu Delacre, Golden Tales Puerto Rico In 1797, English warships with thousands of men suddenly show up to take over Puerto Rico. The governor of San Juan, Don Ramón de Castro blocks the walled island city as best he can. After a siege of twelve days, the people of San Juan are growing weary. The chancellor tells the Catholic bishop Trespalacios that a miracle is needed. Bishop Trespalacios organizes a public prayer to beseech Saint Catherine and Saint Ursula and the eleven thousand Virgins for mercy from Heaven. All night church bells ring as people walk through the city holding candles and hold a Mass in the cathedral at midnight. The English General Abercromby mistakes activity in the city as the arrival of reinforcements. His own men are sick, and he ends the siege of San Juan the next day.

Connections Colonists, Spanish. Combat. Defense. Gods and humans. Miracles. Misunderstanding. Prayer. Sieges. Soldiers, British. Ursula, Saint. Virgins, Eleven Thousand.

How Else This Story Is Told The Eleven Thousand Virgins—José Ramírez-Rivera, Puerto Rican Tales. The author here says “I believed this story for a long time. But when I learned that St. Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins were British, I began to think that if they had come at all to help, they would have rather helped their own.” Note: The story of this night of prayer and hope is taught to Puerto Rican schoolchildren and commemorated with four bronze statues, La Rogativa, which stand together near Old San Juan Gate.

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70. The brahman’s wIsh George Shannon, Still More Stories to Solve (Print and online) Indian People. Trinidad A very poor Brahman, who lives with his wife and old, blind mother, has prayed at the temple for the deity Siva daily to guide him for twelve years. Now, Siva stops the Brahman at the temple and says he may have whatever one thing he needs most. He asks to consult with his family at home. His mother wants to see again. His wife wants a son and argues that this son will outlast the time his mother has left to see. The Brahman does not want to disappoint either one. A sergeant asks why he looks so dejected and after listening to the problem, gives the Brahman advice which cheers him up. The story stops here, for the reader to guess what the Brahman will tell Siva, before giving the answer, which combines both wishes into one.

Connections Advice. Arguments. Choices. Coexistence. Faith. Gods and humans. Husbands and wives. Parents and children. Poverty. Prayer. Problem solvers. Siva. Wish, magic.

How Else This Story Is Told The Poor Brahmin—Daniel J. Crowley. In Richard M. Dorson, Folktales Told around the World. In this variation, the Brahmin’s mother starts beating her daughter-in-law with a broomstick after overhearing the young woman say she is too old to do much with her wish for eyesight anyway.

71. T wo sIsTers John Bierhorst, Latin American Folktales (Print and online) Puerto Rico The only way a poor woman can feed her three children is with washwater made by the dough left on her hands after baking bread for her rich sister each day. Learning this, her sister demands she feed that water to her nieces and nephews instead, leaving nothing for the woman’s own family. An old man she meets on the road the next night mysteriously tells her that she will be able to keep whatever she finds at home. There she discovers a ranch with cattle and chests of silver. The woman tells her rich sister that the money must have come from God. The rich sister wants to meet God, but when he arrives as a beggar, she sets her dogs on him, and all her riches vanish.

Connections Beggars. Brothers and sisters. Disguises. Employers. Gifts. God. Gods and humans. Greed. Identity. Inhumanity. Old man, magical helper. Poverty. Punishment. Selfishness.

72. A GIFT OF GRACIAS Julia Alvarez Dominican Republic

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Maria is sad as her father speaks of leaving the farm, as the olives are not thriving. He has returned from the city with a basket of oranges, fruit which she has never seen before. That night María dreams that she is planting orange seeds. She whispers gracias to each one, as the native helper Quisqueya suggests. In María’s dream, as the orange trees flourish, a lady with beautiful golden skin and a crown of stars appears in the grove and tells María her name is Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia, Our Lady of Thanks. The next morning, María shares her dream with Papá and Quisqueya, who plant the orange seeds. Oranges ripen in miraculous time. Papá thanks María for saving the farm. She asks him to bring a portrait of Our Lady of Altagracia back from the city market. He cannot find one, but on the way home Quisqueya sees the stars outline a lady’s face and then shoot down to earth. He races to catch the stars in his blanket, and the beautiful lady is painted there just as in María’s dream. They hang the blanket from an orange bough to harvest all the oranges by Altragracia’s light.

Connections Altagracia, our Lady of (Saint). Blessings. Dreams. Gods and humans. Gratitude. Miracles. Oranges. Parents and children. Reversals of fortune. Seed, magic. Star, magic. Supernatural events. Virgin Mary. Women and girls, resourceful. Note: A chapel was built to honor Our Lady of Altagracia in Maria’s orchard, which is now in the town of Higüey.

73. The one who would noT lIsTen To hIs own dream Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online) Haiti Two poor friends are traveling with the hope of making their lives better. When they stop to rest, one climbs up a hill to sleep under an orange tree. In his dream, a voice tells him that brewing tea with a leaf from this tree will cure the ill princess. Once awake, he brings an orange tree leaf to the palace. The king is skeptical, but for three days and nights, the man feeds the princess this special orange leaf tea, and she recovers. The man is rewarded with riches and marries the princess. He brings his poor friend a sack of gold. The friend wants to see if he can also become lucky by sleeping under the same orange tree. He ignores the dream voice which tells him to go away and is devoured by wild creatures and demons.

Connections Comparison. Dreams. Fantasy. Friendship. Gods and humans. Healing. Illness. Leaf, magic. Luck. Magic. Misfortune. Princes and princesses. Reversals of fortune. Status quo, acceptance. Supernatural events.

74. m amdlo’s gIFT Gérard A. Besson, Folklore & Legends of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad

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A girl leaves little gifts for Maman Dlo on the banks of Shark River, for she has seen the spirit’s face underwater there. One morning, a silver comb with golden tips lies on the shore for her. When the girl combs her long black hair now, soft music sighs, and she learns secrets about Maman Dlo and the forest. A stranger runs away when he sees shimmering colors radiate as the girl combs. Maman Dlo rises from the river and warns the girl not to follow the man, but she does. They marry and live happily together, though the comb no longer sings to her. She remembers Maman Dlo, though, when she is old and giant waves threaten to drown the passengers on a boat she is on. With all the strength of her frail voice, she sings to Maman Dlo, and the waters calm.

Connections Comb, magic. Fantasy. Gifts. Gods and humans. Husbands and wives. Magic. Maman Dlo. Rescues. Supernatural events. Warnings. Water spirits.

75. The anT In search oF her leg Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes Puerto Rico A chain of events begins when a little ant pulls off her foot which has gotten stuck in the snow and demands that the snow give it back. The Snow sends her to the stronger Sun, which can melt it. The Sun says the Cloud which can cover it is stronger. The Cloud sends her to the stronger Wind who sends her to the Wall who sends her to the gnawing Rat who sends her to the Cat who sends her to the Dog, and then to Stick to Fire to Water to Ox to Knife to Man to Death, and at last to God, the strongest of all. God sends the little ant home, promising she will have her leg.

Connections Accusations. Ants. Chain tales. Feet. God. Gods and animals. Journeys. Justice. Loss. Misfortune. Power. Requests. Responsibility. Shifting blame.

How Else This Story Is Told La Hormiguita—Pura Belpré, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales. Storyteller Joe Hayes: The Little Ant La Hormiguita—Joe Hayes (Online performance). In English. Stuck in the snow, the little ant gets advice from her mother. See also Why Mosquitoes Buzz Around Ears, entry 107. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “Little Tenca and the Snowflake,” entry 191 (Chile).

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76. The mIser who receIVed hIs due Ramón Guirao. In Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online) African American People. Cuba The slave Tito makes a bet with the other slaves that he will be sitting at their miserly master’s table in one month. If he can do this, the other slaves will add to the money Tito has already saved to buy his freedom. If he cannot, Tito says they can tell on him. The next day, Tito slyly asks the master how much a bar of gold the size of his finger is worth. The master believes that Tito has found such gold. He hovers near Tito, hoping to find out where. When Tito asks him about the value of a larger bar of gold, the miser instructs his family to treat Tito with respect and bring him extra food. When Tito next asks how much an even larger bar of gold is worth, the miser invites him to eat with his family. Burning with curiosity, the master finally asks Tito why he wants to know. Tito replies that this was just in case he ever found some gold. The master is furious, but not only will the other slaves not whip Tito, they proudly help to buy his freedom.

Connections Acclamation. Bets. Changes in attitude. Cleverness. Comeuppance. Conversations. Defiance. Expectation. Freedom. Fools. Gold. Humiliation. Humorous tales. Justice. Masters and mistresses. Misers. Misunderstanding. Questions. Racism. Respect. Revenge. Slaves. Status. Status quo, resistance. Words.

77. John and The deVIl Grace Hallworth, Cric Crac Trinidad With his wife growing weaker each day, the desperate master of the plantation cries that he will trade anything to save her. A young man with glowing eyes arrives who says he can help. The master accepts the price, his wife’s life in exchange for the 53

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life of John, his most clever slave. John senses danger. For two years, he cleverly manages to avoid the devil when his master assigns him tasks late on All Souls eve. The devil wants to collect John and is losing patience. The next year the master throws a redlined cloak over John for warmth and sends him to stay with an ill horse. Suspicious, John saves the horses and then sets fire to the stable. He throws the cloak back over the master to suffocate his flames and races off on a horse, calling out to the devil in a disguised voice to grab the man before he escapes a third time. Rushing over, the devil flies off with the cloak-wrapped master, not knowing whose body and soul he has taken.

Connections Bargains. Cleverness. Deceit. Devil. Disguises. Escapes. Freedom. Healing. Identity. Illness. Inhumanity. Injustice. Masters and mistresses. Power. Racism. Resistance. Revenge. Slaves. Tasks, challenging.

78. dry b ones Earl McKenzie. In Mervyn Morris, The Faber Book of Contemporary Caribbean Short Stories African American People. Jamaica An old plantation slave who has disappeared into the woods becomes so emaciated that people who chance to see him call him Dry Bones. Voices instruct him to begin to transform into a bird so he can fly home to Africa. A slave boy fells a huge white bird, which becomes impossibly heavy, moaning and poking him through the bag. He drops the bag and soon after tries unsuccessfully to keep his master from shooting the white bird which is back in a tree. The master, too, now feels the bird getting heavier and is gripped by bony limbs. Dry Bones demands to be taken to the master’s house and fed. The master tricks the overseer into carrying the bag. Now the overseer is gripped by those bony arms and legs. He carries the half-man, half-spirit jumbie home. His wife puts the old man in the sun each day and feeds him, but both she and the overseer are not comfortable with having Dry Bones there. An obeah man suggests the overseer return Dry Bones to the bush to complete his journey from this world. Before he can, though, a huge hawk with the eyes of his old slave master and then other evil characters attacks Dry Bones. He crawls, crying and bleeding, into the bush. Voices again coach him on how to come home, and Dry Bones dies quietly. A large white bird rises up and flies across the ocean. It returns sometimes to collect fragments of the old slave’s bones.

Connections Bird, fantasy. Bones. Death. Desperation. Dry Bones (Character). Escapes. Fantasy. Flight. Freedom. Deprivation. Gods and spirits. Hunger. Husbands and wives. Inhumanity. Journeys, to and from Africa. Jumbies. Masters and mistresses. Misfortune. Obeah men and women. Old age. Racism. Slaves. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Transformation. Voice, supernatural. Yearning.

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79. gang gang sarIe Flew oVer From aFrIca C.R. Ottley, Legends: True Stories and Old Sayings of Trinidad and Tobago African American People. Tobago It is believed that Gang Gang Sarie has flown over from Africa at the end of the 1700s to look for her family. She works as a house slave on Grandfather Peter’s estate in Les Coteaux and marries a man she knew as a child back in Africa. At the end of her life, Gang Gang Sarie falls out of a silk cotton tree trying to fly back to Africa and dies. Eating salt is what kept her from flying. Grandfather Peter inscribes her name with her husband’s on their graves, which are honored each Christmas by men from Tobago, who leave a gift of wine for her.

Connections Burials. Death. Flight. Gang Gang Sara. Journeys, to and from Africa. Masters and mistresses. Old age. Respect. Salt. Silk cotton trees. Slaves. Supernatural events. Traditions. Yearning.

80. The coquí and gabrIel Alfredo Arango Franco. In Faustin Charles, Under the Storyteller’s Spell Puerto Rico As a hurricane approaches, the coqui jumps into a building, which stinks, and into the cell of a manacled black man, who touches the little frog’s fingers. The coqui cannot understand the black man at first, but as the man keeps speaking, he transforms into another little green frog. The new frog, Gabriel, tells the coqui how he became a slave and will soon be executed for trying to escape. The coqui says that the magic from Africa that made Gabriel able to shrink will help him escape now, but Gabriel is too injured to travel. Together, they wait out the storm, hiding in cell corners. The coqui carries Gabriel safely past dangers into the drain pipes and, at last, out of the fortress. Gabriel says he must stay on the island to help other slaves. Before turning back into a man, Gabriel shares the most valuable thing he knows, which is to fight fiercely to keep from ever becoming enslaved. It is Gabriel’s story which the coquis sing, determined to stay in Puerto Rico or die.

Connections Animals and humans. Captivity. Compassion. Coquí. Courage. Escapes. Fantasy. Freedom. Friendship, interspecies. Frog, fantasy. Heroes and heroines. Inhumanity. Magic. Misfortune. Perseverance. Resistance. Slaves. Songs. Storms. Storytelling. Supernatural events. Talking animals and objects. Transformation. Unselfishness.

81. l a guInea , The sTowaway hen Nicholasa Mohr, The Song of El Coquí Puerto Rico

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La Guinea, the hen, ends up on a slave ship from West Africa when she falls asleep hiding under a basket as the shooting starts. She remains hidden until they land in Ponce, when, La Guinea starts running around, delighted to be on solid ground. People chase this strange bird they have never seen before. Frightened, La Guinea flies frantically here and there, finally jumping off in the yard of a mask-maker, who feeds her and takes her in, not afraid that she signifies anything evil. La Guinea is lonely, though, until the mask-maker brings home a guinea cock. They raise a family and inspire the artist to create animal masks, which become famous.

Connections Animals and humans. Artists. Birds. Conflict, interspecies. Distrust. Escapes. Friendship, interspecies. Guinea fowl. Journeys, to and from Africa. Masks. Pursuit. Misfortune. Rescues. Slavery. Stowaways. Tolerance.

82. l a mula , The cImarron mule Nicholasa Mohr, The Song of El Coquí Puerto Rico Whipped and overloaded as she is driven to a Spanish port, the mule La Mula is sold to traders, who sail her across the Atlantic to San Juan. There she becomes the property of Don Eduardo, who barely feeds her. La Mula works alongside human slaves, clearing and building roads. When Don Eduardo notices that the slave Otilio is sharing some of his water with the mule, Don Eduardo works them both harder. Otilio flees with La Mula, aiming to reach other runaway slaves, Los Cimarrones, in the hills. La Mula guides them safely along paths at night. When they reach the free slaves, Los Cimarrones celebrate the friendship between Otilio and La Mula.

Connections Animals and humans. Cruelty to animals. Deprivation. Donkeys and mules. Escapes. Freedom. Friendship, interspecies. Inhumanity. Injustice. Journeys. Kindness to animals. Maroon People. Masters and mistresses. Misfortune. Physical abuse. Resistance. Slaves. Status quo, resistance. Thirst.

83. PuTTu blubeard Florence O. Meade, “Folk Tales from the Virgin Islands,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) Saint Thomas The slave Puttu has to carry the master’s son from the plantation to school on his back. When the son skips school one time and blames Puttu, the master has Puttu whipped throughout the day and shut in a vertical box at night. Puttu manages to escape to the forest. He hides for five years until the bloodhounds find him. The master now keeps Puttu captive with iron rings. Puttu escapes to a neighboring plantation, whose

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owner buys his freedom. Puttu works as a mechanic for this man, who respects his work. He rescues his former master’s son when he sees him being dragged by a runaway horse. The former master begs his forgiveness. Puttu remains with the plantation owner who has been kind to him, but frequently visits with the other family, too.

Connections Accusations. Captivity. Changes in attitude. Escapes. Forgiveness. Friendship. Heroes and heroines. Inequity. Inhumanity. Injustice. Kindness. Lies. Masters and mistresses. Misfortune. Physical abuse. Punishment. Racism. Remorse. Rescues. Respect. Righting a wrong. Shifting blame. Slaves.

84. The Taboo on burIed Treasure blubeard Ethanie Smith. In Florence O. Meade, “Folk Tales from the Virgin Islands,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) Saint Thomas A brief summary tells how slave owners would kill a slave to guard over any money they buried. One spirit guard tells his friend in a dream where such gold is buried, but warns him not to tell anyone. The friend secretly digs up the money, but when he starts to spend it, his wife accuses him of theft. The man tells her about the gold then, and the buried chest disappears into the ground.

Connections Accusations. Buried treasure. Disobedience. Dreams. Husbands and wives. Inhumanity. Money. Murder. Racism. Secrets. Slaves. Spirits and ghosts. Supernatural events. Warnings. Watchmen.

85. ProVIdIng you neVer geT m ad Bob Lapierre, Bouki and Malis African American People. Haiti At the end of his life, a father says everything was stolen when Black people were enslaved. He asks his three sons how many times it will take before they keep something from happening again. Only the youngest son answers “one time,” which is what the father wants to hear. The eldest son goes to work for the king, who says whichever one of them gets mad first may be shot by the other. After three days of working in the fields and not being able to eat, that son finally gets angry and is shot. The second brother gets shot after two days of not eating. On his first day of work the youngest brother takes food without asking, chops down trees in the king’s garden, feeds fruit to the animals, and burns good produce. The king is furious, but keeps protesting that he is not angry. He asks his wife to transform into a screech owl, and the youngest brother shoots her. When the king objects, the brother first pretends not to believe that the owl could be the queen. He riles the king into thundering that he is angry. At that point, the youngest son shoots him, takes his pay, and leaves.

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Connections Allegories and parables. Anger. Bargains. Bird, fantasy. Brothers and sisters. Cleverness. Colonialism. Confidence. Comeuppance. Competition. Defiance. Deprivation. Devil. Dog, fantasy. Employers. Fantasy. Farming. Frustration. Humiliation. Hunger. Identity. Inequity. Jurga. Justice. Kings and queens. Misers. Owls. Outwitting supernatural beings. Papa Bois. Parents and children. Peasants. Playscripts. Power. Racism. Revenge. Shape-shifters. Status. Status quo, resistance. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Tasks, challenging. Transformation. Tricksters. Witches. Work.

How Else This Story Is Told Puerto Rican variations: The Jurga—Pura Belpré, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales. The youngest orphan brother angers a miserly farmer by shooting his witch wife, who transforms into a big black dog by day and a huge black bird at night to spy on workers. La Jurga—Judith Ortiz Cofer, Bilingual Review (Print and online). When the landowner loses his temper when his shape-shifting wife is shot, the youngest brother says he must whip him as payment for his day’s work and for showing no compassion to his brothers.

Trinidadian variation, Indian People: Sakchulee and the Rich Gentleman—Kenneth Vidia Parmasad, Salt and Roti: Indian Tales of the Caribbean (Print and online); and in E.A. Markham, The Penguin Book of Caribbean Short Stories (Print and online). Sakchulee exasperates the rich gentleman who has cut off his brother’s nose and ears for losing his temper and tricks him into pushing his own wife into the river thinking it is Sakchulee.

West Indian variation, African American People, country unspecified: Ti-Jean and His Brothers—Derek Walcott, Dream on Monkey Mountain, and Other Plays (Print and online). Using this folktale as a parable about colonialism and the West Indian fight for autonomy, a Nobel Prize–winning playwright and poet has the three sons of a poor widow bargain with the Devil to work and not get angry. After his older brothers are devoured, good-natured Ti-Jean bedevils the Devil, who first tests him as the forest guardian Papa Bois, then as a devil who desires to experience human feelings, and finally as a white plantation owner who keeps slaves. With symbolism and strong emotional content and language, the play speaks best to high schoolers and adults.

86. a duPPy Tale Ray Gordezky (teacher) and Kwesi Thomas (student). In Dan Yashinsky, Tales for an Unknown City African American People. Jamaica A mother warns her son not to shoot any birds in the graveyard, for bad things will happen if he shoots Simon Tutu, King of the Duppy Birds. He promises and runs off with the other boys. But then, he throws a rock at a big bird on a branch in the graveyard, and the bird falls down dead. The bird sings that it is Simon Tutu and asks why he did this. Terrified, the boy turns to run, but the bird commands that he pick it up. Then singing the stinging chant asking why the boy did this at each new command, the bird tells the boy he had better pluck him now, gut him now, roast him now, eat

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him now, chew him now, and swallow him now. The boy knows he will be punished, but he cannot disobey. Soon his stomach aches and swells, until it explodes open. Now the bird flies out whole again, right back to its branch in the graveyard, singing, “Mea Simon Tutu, Why ya shoota me for?”

Connections Animals and humans. Bird, fantasy. Cautionary tales. Commands. Cruelty to animals. Doves. Duppies. Ecology. Fantasy. Fear. Fish, fantasy. Fishermen. Hunters. Murder. Pigeons. Power. Promises. Restoring life. Revenge. Scary tales. Selfishness. Songs. Spirits and ghosts. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Talking animals and objects. Threats. Warnings. Water spirits.

How Else This Story Is Told Haitian variations, African American People: Kilinj / Kilingue—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). The bird says his race has been exterminated and punishes the hunter, who didn’t really need to shoot him. In Haitian Creole and English, with song lyrics and musical score. Tino / Tino—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). Tino catches the mait d’leau, master of the water, in his net with a charm from the diviner, and step by step, the giant fish sings instructions for Tino to prepare him as food or it will call Caroline to kill him. In the end a machete cuts off Tino’s head, and the mait d’leau works his way back to the water. Told in Haitian Creole and English, with song lyrics.

Jamaican variations, African American People: The Boy and the Barble Dove—David Brailsford, Duppy Stories. The boy who shoots the Barble Dove forgets to save some food for his Granny and bursts. The Barble Dove’s Duppy emerges from his belly and flies away singing: “’Im who shot dis bird, ’im DED.” Told in patois. Simon Tutu and the Scary Bird—Winston Nzinga. In The Storyteller (Online performance video).

Saint Vincentian variation, African American People: Don’t Shoot Me, Dyer, Don’t Shoot Me—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online). Dyer shoots so many pigeons that there is only one left in the world. Then he shoots that one too, even though it sings for Dyer not to. After Dyer eats the bird according to its instructions, it will not let him defecate anywhere he pulls his pants down.

87. KobI and mr . brown Evan Jones, Tales of the Caribbean: Witches and Duppies African American People. Jamaica Although details of his features vary according to the teller, everyone remembers seeing a large crow man in a black suit get off the plane from Miami, pushing an empty coffin on a trolley. All the way through town, Kobi the crow man keeps asking where Mr. Brown is. His voice is raspy, and anyone named Brown frets that the Duppy is coming for him. The contractor Jeremiah Brown feels especially guilty. He recently fired a man with a family to support, and the worker died. Jeremiah Brown heads east now to

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escape from Kobi. He reaches the end of the land. When he hears Kobi’s trolley coming, Jeremiah Brown dives into the sea. No one ever sees either one again, “but to this day, Jamaicans don’t like to put anybody out of a job.”

Connections Animals and humans. Bird, fantasy. Crows. Death, choosing. Duppies. Employers. Fantasy. Fear. Guilt. Hard-heartedness. Names. Power. Punishment. Pursuit. Scary tales. Status. Supernatural beings. Unkindness. Work.

88. baad sarah Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans African American People. Jamaica It’s already getting dark when Sarah goes to close the gate at the railroad station at six o’clock, the way she always does. This night a mass of duppy ghosts approach, singing and carrying a dead duppy in a coffin. Sarah slams the gate shut with a bang that sends the duppies running in all directions. It seems comical, and she laughs when the duppy in the coffin falls out. Sarah sees no duppies the next night, but suddenly her voice gets four times louder and her tongue grows very long. A bandaged duppy appears and says she is “ba-a-a-d Sarah.” Trembling, Sarah protests that she did not hurt him on purpose. Mr. Duppy says he will be merciful if she boils and scatters one pot of rice for him and his friends the next night. Sarah politely agrees. She hauls two pounds of cooked rice to the gate the next night. Her voice and tongue swell again. Sarah throws it on the ground when Mr. Duppy tells her to scatter the rice … and runs.

Connections Accidents. Apologies. Cautionary tales. Commands. Duppies. Fantasy. Fear. Funerals. Injury. Laughter, misplaced. Punishment. Reprimand. Rice. Scary tales. Size. Spirits and ghosts. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Tasks, challenging.

How Else This Story Is Told Duppy Ghost—Mary E. Lyons, Raw Head, Bloody Bones: African-American Tales of the Supernatural.

89. duměnJ / d oomeng Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) African American People. Haiti The little bird a boy finds in the crossroads won’t sing back to him, but it does whistle when he brings it home. The stepmother, who keeps the boy hungry, complains about the noise and having another mouth to feed. When she says she would eat the bird if it were any bigger, the bird stares at her eerily and circles, crying, “Doomeng, Doomeng, Doomeng!” Frightened, she sends the boy for a bag of rice, which the bird

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pecks open at once, consuming it all and growing bigger. He forbids her to leave the room and grows yet bigger with each new bag of rice. The stepmother whispers for the father to choke the bird. When Doomeng, who is now tremendous, thunders for more food and there is none, the stepmother tells him to eat the boy. Doomeng opens his mouth, and the stepmother and father fly in. The boy begs to have his father back. Doomeng asks if the boy will promise to put him back where he first found him. He cautions the boy to let lie whatever he finds on the road in the future and spits out the father. Doomeng becomes a little bird once again, and the boy carries him back. In Haitian Creole and English, with song lyrics and musical score.

Connections Animal helpers. Arguments. Bird, fantasy. Chant, magic. Commands. Comeuppance. Fantasy. Fear. Hard-heartedness. Hunger. Parents and children. Revenge. Scary tales. Size. Stepparents and stepchildren. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Talking animals and objects. Threats.

How Else This Story Is Told Doomeng—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti, Part II,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). A summary in English for the tale above. The Little Bird Grows—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online).

90. ayayay Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! African American People. Haiti A little orphan’s mean aunty threatens to beat him if he comes home without AyAyAy from the market. She will not tell him what AyAyAy is, only that everyone must know. No one seems to know, however, until an old woman brings the crying boy with her to the river and places crabs and long pine needles in his bag. She tells him to put all the rest of the shopping on top and let his aunty know she will find the AyAyAy by reaching down to the bottom of the bag. Back at home, the aunty shrieks as she reaches into the bag and gets bitten and pricked. Unsympathetic, the villagers scold her for mistreating the boy, and she stops.

Connections Aunts and uncles. Changes in attitude. Cleverness. Cruelty. Humorous tales. Kings and queens. Old woman, magical helper. Orphans. Physical abuse. Riddles. Shepherds. Suitors. Tasks, challenging. Threats. Wordplay.

How Else This Story Is Told Puerto Rican variation: The Shepherd and the Princess—Pura Belpré, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales. A shepherd wins the hand of the princess when he brings the picky king a glass filled from all the waters in the world, a mixed bouquet of all flowers, and a basket of Ay, Ay nuts.

See also Bouki Gets Whee-Ai, entry 398.

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91. mIss annIe Patricia Glinton, An Evening in Guanima: A Treasury of Folktales from the Bahamas The Bahamas Mr. Andrew of Port Howe dies, having promised his wife Annie that he would look after her forever and making her promise that she would never marry again. Many men want to court her, but Mr. Andrew’s dog and Annie’s own faithfulness chase them all away. One man, with an eye on the widow’s house, does away with the dog and sings to Annie. He persists in wooing her, despite the mournful ghost voice of the dog which warns him off. Once the man has won Annie over, though, he treats her harshly. Then, strange events start humiliating and frightening him; he is even accosted by the food he tries to eat. Furious, the man is about to slap Annie when an invisble arm throws him through the window. He is beaten and hears a carriage in the night. The harrassments suddenly cease. Annie smiles a secret smile. One night, a black carriage with no driver races off with the new husband inside. The next morning, he returns with white hair, considerate and kind.

Connections Changes in attitude. Cruelty. Defense. Dogs. Fear. Husbands and wives. Jealousy. Loyalty. Murder. Physical abuse. Promises. Punishment. Remarriage. Scary tales. Secrets. Spirits and ghosts. Suitors. Supernatural events. Talking animals and objects. Voice, supernatural. Warnings.

92. l ažIsTIs / JusTIce Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) African American People. Haiti To keep her two young daughters from squabbling while she goes to market, a mother assigns them separate chores to keep them apart. However, they begin to fight when the elder sister Cineise tires of washing clothes and tells her younger sister Cinea to take her place. The mother returns to a mess. She whips Cineise, who threatens to get even with her sister. The fight escalates at the river the next day. Cinea refuses to come out of the water, singing that Mother sent her and that the Almighty protects her. On the way home, they argue about who should go first. Cineise lets the iron gate bar fall behind her, which kills Cinea. Her mother sends her away. Cineise works in another land for five years and then, missing her country, returns home with money. Her mother is poor and welcomes the help. Cineise marries a wealthy man. People have forgotten what really happened. They remember Cinea as stubborn and wild, which is what caused her demise. Their sympathy lies with Cineise now. With song lyrics and musical score.

Connections Accidents. Arguments. Banishment. Brothers and sisters. Changes in attitude. Death. Injury.

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Memory. Parents and children. Perspective. Poverty. Shifting blame. Songs. Storytelling. Time. Truth.

93. de m an an’ de sIx P oach eggs Pamela Colman Smith, Annancy Stories (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica A hungry traveller eats six poached eggs at a Cook shop and then promises the owner that he will pay him back once he has money. Twelve years later, having made his fortune, the man returns ready to pay six pence for the eggs. Now, however, the owner wants sixty pounds for them, saying the eggs would have grown up to be hens to lay more eggs and grow more chickens. The man insists that six pence is fair, so they go to the Judge. A boy comes along with parch peas in his sack which he tells the Judge he is going to plant. When the Judge says cooked peas won’t grow, the boy says poached eggs won’t hatch. The case is dismissed. Grateful for his help, the man takes care of the boy for the rest of his life. Told in patois.

Connections Arguments. Beans. Beggars. Cleverness. Debts. Eggs. Food. Gratitude. Humorous tales. Judges. Justice. Money. Perspective. Promises. Reversals of fortune. Shopkeepers. Soldiers. Time. Value, monetary.

Where Else This Story Appears In “Two Negro Stories from Jamaica,” The Journal of American Folklore.

How Else This Story Is Told Haitian variation, African American People: The Case of the Uncooked Eggs—Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online).

94. The Pea ThaT m ade a ForTune Bish Denham, Anansi & Company African American People. Jamaica Poor Anansi plants the single pea he finds. When Goat eats the pea plant, Anansi demands reparations. Goat hands over one of his horns. When Brer River carries the horn away, Anansi demands something in return. The River gives Anansi a fish, which Anansi cooks for a hungry woman, who gives him her shirt in exchange. Anansi hands the shirt to a ragged boy, who gives him a whip, which Anansi gives to friend Tacoomah so he can drive his cattle, in exchange for a cow. From the cow, Anansi gets milk, from which he makes cheese to sell. With money from the cheese, he buys more cows and makes more cheese, and is no longer poor. It all started with one pea.

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Connections Anansi. Chain tales. Humorous tales. Justice. Peas. Reparations. Reversals of fortune. Trades. Tricksters. Tukuma.

95. counT crow and The PrIncess Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes Puerto Rico Fed up with his daughter’s taunting dismissal of all the noblemen who have come to seek her hand, the King marries the Princess to the next beggar who appears. In disguise, the beggar is actually the count she dubbed Count Crow because of his long nose. He does love the Princess, but leads her past Count Crow’s mansion to a humble cabin, where she fetches wood and clumsily tries to cook. The Princess is already feeling remorseful, when the Count sends her to sell pottery at the market and secretly sends soldiers on horseback to break it. When she returns in tears, he tells the Princess to bring leftovers home from a party at Count Crow’s palace, where she will be working. The Princess is totally humiliated when the hidden bag of leftovers falls out in the dining hall. The Count, now dressed as himself, follows her to the kitchen. She recognizes him as her husband the beggar, whom she has begun to love. He apologizes for causing her to suffer, but now she understands the need to be kind to others. She takes her place beside the Count in his palace.

Connections Appearance. Cautionary tales. Changes in attitude. Disguises. Hard-heartedness. Humiliation. Husbands and wives. Kings and queens. Name calling. Parents and children. Remorse. Reversals of fortune. Ridicule. Suitors. Unkindness. Words, hurtful.

96. a bad seed reTurns Lalita Chotkam. In Kumar Mahabir, Caribbean Indian Folktales Indian People. Trinidad Tired of taking care of her sick father-in-law, a wife nags her husband to carry him away. He does, dropping his father in the pond at night. When the son becomes old and his own son carries him to the pond, he realizes that his son is about to drown him as he drowned his father. As the man tells his son to go ahead, the son feels the horror of this and carries his father home, telling his wife, his father is the reason he exists and that he will take care of him from now on.

Connections Allegories and parables. Cautionary tales. Changes in attitude. Disrepect. Generations. Hardheartedness. Honoring parents. Husbands and wives. Inhumanity. Kindness. Murder. Old age. Parents and children. Righting a wrong. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “Half a Blanket,” entry 160 (Mexico).

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97. The noblewoman’s daughTer and The charcoal woman’s s on John Bierhorst, Latin American Folktales (Print and online) Cuba A pregnant noblewoman is horrified when the also-pregnant charcoal woman suggests that their children might marry one day. After her daughter is born, the noblewoman sends her servant to kill the charcoal woman’s baby if it is a boy and to bring her his little finger and tongue as proof. The servant sets the baby in a basket on the river and brings his mistress the baby’s finger along with a puppy’s tongue. She posts a sign on her gate which reads, “What God made, I destroyed.” The king and queen, who have been longing for a child, lovingly raise this boy as their own and have a little gold finger made for him. Once he has grown, they tell him how they found him. The prince sets out with their blessing to look for his parents, whom he thinks may need his help. He chances to meet the noblewoman’s daughter, and they fall in love. Seeing his gold finger, the family servant recognizes the prince as the charcoal woman’s son and quietly brings him to his mother. They keep their connection secret until after the wedding, when the charcoal woman lifts her veil and tells the noblewoman how God saved her son. The noblewoman dies of shock, and the rest live happily together.

Connections Adoption. Charcoal sellers. Compassion. Conflict, class. Cruelty. Deceit. Fate. Finger, gold. Identity. Love. Kings and queens. Masters and mistresses. Murder, attempted. Nobles. Prediction. Rescues. Reunion. Servants.

How Else This Story Is Told The Charcoal Seller’s Son—Saviour Pirotta, Around the World in 80 Tales. When the haughty contessa realizes that her plan to destroy the charcoal seller’s infant son has failed, she posts a new sign on her gate, “What I took, God returned.”

98. b orn To be P oor / el que nace Para Pobre Joe Hayes, Dance, Nana, Dance = Baila, Nana Baila Cuba Moved by the sad song a poor shoemaker is singing about his hardships, the king has a cake delivered to him with gold hidden inside. The shoemaker keeps working, indifferent to the beautiful cake which he is sure will make no difference in his life. He lets his friend take the cake home. The friend and his wife discover the gold coins inside and move away, worried that they will be accused of theft. The king sends for the shoemaker, who has not yet come to thank him for the gift. The shoemaker tells him that he gave the cake to his friend, at which point the king lets him know that he passed up the chance to change his life. The shoemaker leaves and continues to sing his unhappy song. Told in English and Spanish.

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Connections Allegories and parables. Cautionary tales. Compassion. Discontent. Gifts. Gold. Gratitude. Kings and queens. Luck. Perspective. Poverty. Reversals of fortune. Self-pity. Shoemakers. Songs. Status quo, acceptance.

99. zwezo / The bIrd Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) African American People. Haiti A king and his wife overprotect the son who is born when they are already old. One time, though, the prince walks through an open garden door to the river. He doesn’t see the hungry devil on the other side, but just as the devil is about to jump over, a big, black bird with blue wings swoops down and grabs the prince. The devil sings for the bird to give him the boy for a barrel of maize. The boy sings for the bird to save him for a barrel full of gold coins. Meanwhile, the palace is frantically searching for the boy. When the bird flies in with the prince, the boy tells his parents about the promise he made. The bird would rather have a room of his own than gold coins, which they gladly give him. One night, though, a guard shoots the big bird as it is flying in, mistaking it for a Haitian eagle. “Why did he want to leave his little nest in the hills?” In Haitian Creole and English, with song lyrics and musical score.

Connections Allegories and parables. Animal helpers. Bargains. Bird, fantasy. Cautionary tales. Death. Devil. Fantasy. Fate. Identity. Injustice. Kings and queens. Parents and children. Rescues. Rewards.

100. JanoT cooKs For The emPeror Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire African American People. Haiti The Emperor in the palace at San Souci gets angry when his cook contradicts him, and says it is not as cold at the top of the mountain as the Emperor says. The Emperor insists that without heat or clothing, a person would die up there at night. He challenges Janot to do it. Janot will get land if he lives through the night and be ridiculed if he dies. Janot is very cold, but pretends to the soldiers that he doesn’t mind. When they carry him down, he still argues that it wasn’t so cold because he watched the palace lights. The Emperor contends that those lights warmed him, so Janot has lost the bet. That night, when dinner does not arrive, the Emperor goes to the kitchen. He sees that the food pot is not sitting over the fire. Janot tells the Emperor that the pot is much closer to the fire than he was to the palace, and so it will certainly cook. Now the Emperor laughs and keeps his side of the bargain.

Connections Anger. Arguments. Bargains. Changes in attitude. Cleverness. Cold. Conversations. Cooks.

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Deprivation. Employers. Evidence. Heat. Humorous tales. Kings and queens. Masters and mistresses. Perseverance. Perspective. Resistance. Reversals of fortune. Servants. Status quo, resistance. Storytelling. Survival. Tests. Words. Note: Courlander writes that the emperor refers to Henry Christophe, a former slave who helped to fight for the independence of Haiti.

101. The FoolIsh KIng Kennth Vidia Parmasad, Salt and Roti: Indian Tales of the Caribbean (Print and online) Indian People. The Caribbean, country unspecified It seems impossible to bring the king the half-jar of bull’s milk he has called for, and a servant is very worried. Early the next morning, the servant’s daughter annoys the king by noisily washing dirty clothes in the river nearby. She explains that one of the king’s male servants gave birth in the night, and she has to clean his clothes. The king insists that this can’t happen, just as a bull cannot give milk. When her father overhears, he tells the king how wise he is, since he has been unable to find a bull to give milk. The king withdraws his foolish demand.

Connections Cleverness. Kings and queens. Parents and children. Problem solvers. Resistance. Servants. Tasks, challenging. Women and girls, resourceful.

102. leon / leõ Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Loving justice more than he loves his children, the King warns two of his three children not to touch the oranges on an orange-tree he has grafted. His son is away when the King places the tree in a pit he calls death, for the punishment is death to anyone who picks an orange. When the son arrives, he eats an orange without knowing this. The King finds one orange missing and orders his subjects to leap over the pit one by one. Only the one who is guilty will fall in. Subjects leap easily, and now it is the children’s turn. The eldest daughter weeps and tells her father it was Leon whom the King loves best who took the orange. The King brings Leon, but does not ask him to leap. When the subjects complain that the King is not being fair, Leon leaps before his father can decide. He falls into the pit, and people cover him with dirt. “This King was hard, very hard, but he was just!”

Connections Apples. Brothers and sisters. Burying alive. Cautionary tales. Death, choosing. Defiance.

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How Else This Story Is Told The Forbidden Apple—Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online). When the son sings that he is not sorry for eating the forbidden apple, his father throws him in the hole and covers him with dirt. The narrator says the father was cruel by nature, but Léon knew it and should not have touched his things.

103. TIger TrIes To cheaT Bob Hartman, The Lion Storyteller Bedtime Book Puerto Rico When an earthquake sends a boulder to block his cave entrance, Tiger cries out for help. Rabbit gets Elephant, Buffalo, and Crocodile to come help push the rock away, but Tiger then grabs Rabbit to eat him once he is free. Rabbit protests that this isn’t fair. They agree to ask wise Tortoise what is fair. Tortoise pretends to be confused about the problem and asks to see the situation acted out. The others roll the boulder back in front of the cave with Tiger inside and leave him there to solve the problem.

Connections Cleverness. Comeuppance. Conflict, interspecies. Friendship, interspecies. Justice. Prey. Problem solvers. Rabbits. Rescues. Tigers. Turtles and tortoises. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “Good Is Repaid with Evil,” entry 180 (Venezuela).

104. why mIsery remaIns In The world Rafael Ramírez de Arellano. In Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online) Puerto Rico Old Aunt Misery’s trouble with the neighborhood boys who steal pears from her tree ends when a pilgrim she has kindly given hospitality to grants her a wish. Aunt Misery wishes that those who climb into her pear tree be forced to stay there until she gives permission for them to come down. After the boys get stuck up there, they leave Aunt Misery alone, convinced she is a witch. When Death arrives for her, Aunt Misery politely asks him to pick some pears for her first and traps him in the tree. Aunt Misery is now content, but when no one can die, some of the older people grow unhappy. Doctors, priests and undertakers protest that she is ruining their business. Aunt Misery finally bargains with Death to allow him down if he lets her be. That is why the misery in this world never dies.

Connections Allegories and parables. Bargains. Cleverness. Death (Character). Defiance. Despair. Fruit.

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Hospitality. Misery (Character). Old age. Origin tales, appearance. Pears. Rewards. Status quo, resistance. Supernatural events. Theft. Trees and bushes. Tricksters. Wish, magic. Women and girls, resourceful.

How Else This Story Is Told Aunt Misery—Ramírez de Arellano. In John Bierhorst, Latin American Folktales (Print and online). Tía Miseria, Aunt Misery / La tía Miseria—Olga Loya, Momentos mágicos = Magic Moments (Print and online), told in English and Spanish; and abridged in Amy L.Cohn, From Sea to Shining Sea (Print and online). Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “Aunt Misery’s Pear Tree,” entry 196 (Brazil).

105. PhanTom (reVenanT ) Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! Haiti In the 1900s, French family members return to visit their family’s beautiful old mountainside house one hundred years after the Haitian war for independence. The house has acquired a reputation for being haunted. Noises and hymns in Latin are heard in the night. Caretakers have seen a ghostly priest. One summer, a young priest, who has come to help the poor of Haiti, actually meets the legendary revenant priest inside and asks why he is there. The ghost tells him he was slain before he could absolve the sins of the the last of many French colonists who took refuge in the house after Dessalines ordered all Frenchmen killed. The revenant priest turns the unfinished work over to this young Father and disappears. The Father convinces the French family to donate their house to the church, and it becomes a peaceful place.

Connections Colonists, French. Conflict. Forgiveness. Generations. Hauntings. Mysteries. Parents and children. Priests. Problem solvers. Spirits and ghosts. Supernatural beings. Unfinished business.

106. T HE BOSSY G ALLITO (PrInT and onlIne) Lucía M. González Cuba Tío Perico, a rooster all dressed up to go to the wedding of his uncle the parrot, is tempted by two kernels of corn near a mud puddle. He does not want to dirty his beak, his pico, but he cannot resist that corn. He eats and then peremptorily tells the grass to clean his pico so he can go to the wedding of his Tío Perico. When the grass refuses, he tells a goat to eat the grass, a stick to hit the goat, a fire to burn the stick, and a stream to quench the fire. One by one, they refuse to help as the rooster asks in rhyming refrain without a “please.” At last, his friend the sun, whom the rooster wakes each morning, agrees to dry up the water. Hearing this, the water suddenly agrees to quench the fire, and so on, until the little gallito’s pico is clean.

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Connections Anansi. Arrogance. Chain tales. Disobedience. Goats. Gratitude. Humorous tales. Justice. Manners. Monkeys. Origin tales, behavior. Pigs. Playscripts. Powers. Punishment. Refusals. Roosters. Stubbornness. Sun (Character). Temptation.

How Else This Story Is Told Cuban variations: El Gallo de Bodas: The Rooster on the Way to the Wedding—Lucía M. González. In Amy L. Cohn, From Sea to Shining Sea (Print and online). The Monkey and the Chick Pea—Salvador Bueno, Cuban Legends. Little monkey appeals to others to help her get back a chick pea which a friend has snatched. The Two Monkeys: A Cuban Folktale—Judy Sierra, Multicultural Folktales for the Feltboard and Readers’ Theater. Told as a play, a little monkey tries to get back a garbanzo bean which the big monkey has taken. The Rooster Who Went to His Uncle’s Wedding: A Latin American Folktale—Alma Flor Ada. Whimsical illustrations grace this variant. The Wedding Rooster / El gallo de bodas—Rueben Martínez, Once Upon a Time. The rooster crows to the sun ever afterward as a thank-you for its help. In Spanish and English.

Jamaican variations, African American People: In all of these, the protagonist appeals to to others for help in getting a pig to move. Anansi and the Pig Coming from Market—Moses Hendricks. In Martha Warren Beckwith, Jamaica Anansi Stories (Print and online). Told in patois. Anansi Takes Wee Pig Home—Bish Denham, Anansi & Company. Ole Lady an de Pig—Clarice Rowe. In Laura Tanna, Jamaican Folk Tales and Oral Histories. Told in patois.

Montserratian variations, African American People: Chain of Won’ts—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part II (Print and online); and in Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online). The refusals begin when a little stick will not beat a goat which has not done it any harm. This version is told in the first person, and the narrator doubts he will get home at all “the way things are going.” The Goat That Won’t Walk Fast—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part II (Print and online).

Saint Lucian variation, African American People: The Old Lady and Her Wee Wee Goat—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part I (Print and online). See also The Ant in Search of Her Leg, entry 75.

107. why mosquIToes buzz around e ars Jessie Castillo, Garifuna Folktales Garifuna People. Saint Vincent Mosquito and Wax were good friends until hard money times when Wax goes bankrupt and asks to borrow five dollars. Mosquito, of course, lends it to his friend,

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but each week Wax tells Mosquito he is still unable to repay the money. Now Wax is so embarrassed, he begins to avoid Mosquito. One day Wax jumps into an ear to hide, and Mosquito buzzes at him to pay up. Mosquito is still buzzing around ears, trying to get his money.

Connections Accusations. Agoutis. Anansi. Bargains. Birds. Braggarts. Chain tales. Debts. Earwax. Fireflies. Frustration. Gossip and rumors. Humiliation. Money. Mosquitoes. Name, guessing. Origin tales, appearance. Parents and children. Shifting blame. Squirrels. Unfinished business.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations: Anancy and Mosquito—Louise Bennett, Anancy Stories and Dialect Verse. The chain of accusations begin when Anancy objects to Mosquito’s tall tale about his yams and crow’s nest is knocked down. Miss Ophelia’s Daughter—Bish Denham, Anansi & Company. Miss Ophelia offers one hundred dollars to anyone who can guess her daughter’s name to stop the rumors that she is a witch and that her daughter is her spirit-helper. Anansi offers Mosquito some money to help him win the reward, but then refuses to turn over what he owes.

West Indian variation, country unspecified: Firefly’s Story—Philip M. Sherlock, The Iguana’s Tail. Annoyed when the Queen of Mosquitoes brags that her yams are bigger than Wild Pig’s, Squirrel initiates a chain of actions in which Agouti accidentally hurts Baby Crow.

108. KIng VleTouT Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! African American People. Haiti Greedy King Vletout, whose name in Creole means “wants everything,” desires to rule the beautiful village outside his kingdom where people live long lives. The King sends soldiers, who kill all of the wise elders, except for one grandma whose family has hidden her underground. When the King asks the villagers what day he should come to visit, she advises them to answer that he should arrive on a day without sunrise, sunset, or moonlight. King Vletout suspects only an old person would have known to give this clever answer. He comes up with another question, asking how they will carry all the water in the ocean to him. She laughs that they will gladly carry it in the twòkèt, a cloth cushion, of smoke, he provides. After that, the King leaves the villagers alone.

Connections Allegories and parables. Cleverness. Conflict. Greed. Humorous tales. Kings and queens. Murder. Name, linked to traits. Old age. Questions. Rescues. Women and girls, resourceful. Wordplay.

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109. “I’m TIPIngee , she’s TIPIngee , we’re TIPIngee , Too” Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Once Tipingee’s selfish stepmother calls out in the forest to see if anyone can carry the heavy firewood she has gathered. An old man appears who wants to know what she will give him if he helps her. She tells him she will send her stepdaughter Tipingee to be his servant girl. Tipingee returns from school in time to overhear her stepmother tell the man that he will recognize Tipingee by her red dress and by her name. The next day, she organizes all the girls in her class to wear red dresses. As they walk past the man, they all chant, “I’m Tipingee, She’s Tipingee, We’re Tipingee, Too.” The old man complains to the stepmother who promises that Tipingee will wear black the next day. Tipingee does, along with all of her friends, who also sing that they are Tipingee again. The old man threatens to take the stepmother as his servant instead if it happens again. It does, and the old man takes the stepmother away.

Connections Accusations. Bargains. Brothers and sisters. Clothing. Comeuppance. Cooperation. Deceit. Defense. Devil. Escapes. Evidence. Fantasy. Hard-heartedness. Heroes and heroines. Identity. Loyalty. Murder, intended, Names. Rescues. Revenge. Seed, magic. Selfishness. Songs. Stepparents and stepchildren. Supernatural events. Truth. Women and girls, resourceful.

Where Else This Story Appears In Kathleen Ragan, Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters. On The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folktales, Vol. 1. (Audio CD). As Diane Wolkstein Tells “The Magic Orange Tree” in Central Park June 5, 2010 (Online video performance).

How Else This Story Is Told Adelin / Adelina—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online), in Haitian Creole and English, with song lyrics and musical score; and as “Adelina” in English only and without musical score in “Creole Tales from Haiti, Part II,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). When Adelina sings her name and the devil takes her away, her three stepsisters frighten the devil off by muttering about him at the crossroads. Ma Bote / My Beauty—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online), in Haitian Creole and English, with song lyrics and musical score; and as “My Beauty” in English only and without musical score in “Creole Tales from Haiti, Part II,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). The little seed a dying mother places on each of her children’s foreheads disappears inside, leaving a small visible star, to help them three times. When the stepmother promises My Beauty to the devil and her little sisters and cousins confuse him, the devil waits for her outside their house at night. My Beauty touches her star and sings for her brothers to see The Thing, which is about to snatch her. They arrive from far to rescue her from the demon then, and three years later confront the deceitful stepmother and punish her.

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110. In a lIon’s mouTh Arnaud Subratie. In Kumar Mahabir, Caribbean Indian Folktales Indian People. Jamaica When a raja’s son sees a lion playing with a girl in the jungle, he challenges his friend, the haji’s son, to come up with a way for the girl to become his wife, if he is a true friend. The haji’s son is poor and must do as the raja’s son bids, despite his fear of being attacked by the lion. He waits until the lion falls asleep before approaching the girl. She leaves with the young man who says he needs to bring her to his friend who wants to marry her. The lion wakes and tracks them. He says the raja’s son must not be a true friend to put the haji’s son in such danger and offers to kill the raja’s son, if the haji’s son will say where to find him. The haji’s son does. When the lion returns, he tells a story in which the raja offers a reward for anyone who can destroy his son’s friendship with a commoner. This happens when a pretty woman pretends to whisper to the haji’s son, and the raja’s son does not believe she said nothing. In the lion’s story, the raja sends guards to kill the haji’s son for hurting his son.

Connections Animal helpers. Cautionary tales. Comeuppance. Conflict, class. Fantasy. Friendship, tests. Lion, fantasy. Princes and princesses. Rajas. Revenge. Selfishness. Storytelling. Suitors. Surrogates. Talking animals and objects. Tasks, challenging. Tests.

111. The ImPaTIenT Female Sankat Ram. In Kumar Mahabir, Caribbean Indian Folktales Indian People. Trinidad A mother sets a pet mongoose to watch over her young child who is playing in a basin of water while she works. When a male snake arrives to drink some water, the child slaps him, not knowing what a snake is. The male snake leaves. He tells the volatile female snake not to bite if the child hits her, but she does. The mongoose runs for medicine. The mother arrives. She sees her child turning blue and angrily stones the mongoose as it returns. A neighbor saves the child’s life with the medicinal leaf she has spied in the mongoose’s mouth. The mother is filled with remorse for misjudging the mongoose, but it is too late. “Proverb: When you are very angry, you may do rash things, which you cannot change, and which you greatly regret.”

Connections Allegories and parables. Anger. Animals and humans. Cautionary tales. Debts. Defense. Dogs. Fate. Healing. Injury. Injustice. Jumping to conclusions. Kings and queens. Misunderstanding. Mongooses. Remorse. Revenge. Snakes.

How Else This Story Is Told A Man and His Dog—Sankat Ram. In Kumar Mahabir, Caribbean Indian Folktales. When a pawned dog finds hidden treasure worth far more than what the king paid for him, the king

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112. The P oIsoned roTI Kennth Vidia Parmasad, Salt and Roti: Indian Tales of the Caribbean (Print and online) Indian People. The Caribbean, country unspecified The presence of the old beggar who comes in from the edge of town for food every day angers a village woman so much that one day she mixes poison into the roti dough when her husband and son will be away. The beggar thanks her and stores the bread in his bag for later. In the night, the exhausted father and son come to his door. They offer to pay the beggar for any food he might be able to spare. Grateful to be able to repay kindness shown to him, the beggar brings out the roti for them. In the morning, they are both dead. Horrified, the woman confesses her guilt.

Connections Allegories and parables. Beggars. Bread. Cautionary tales. Gratitude. Hard-heartedness. Hospitality. Kindness. Murder, attempted. Poison. Sharing.

113. EL MEDIO POLLITO / H ALF-A-CHICK Marigloria Palma. Translated by Doris M. Vazquez, “Puerto Rican Folktales,” Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute (Online print) Puerto Rico Despite being born with only one leg, one eye, and one wing, Half-a-chick imperiously decides that he needs to go to the capital to be with others he considers his equals. He not only dismisses Mother Hen’s protest that the chicken coop is loving and accepting, but blames her for his missing parts. His mother gives her blessing and advises Half-a-chick never to walk in front of a church and also to keep away from cooks. Along the way, Half-a-chick disparages a dry river which asks for help and also refuses to lift a weak wind or bring dry grass to a dying fire. When Half-a-chick gets to the big city, he even crows in front of a church to anger Saint Peter. He then sneaks in a side door of the palace, where he is snatched by cooks in tall white hats, whom he mistakes for the king and queen. Ignoring his pleas for mercy, Half-a-chick is scalded and burned by the water and fire he insulted on his way there. The wind blows him to the top of the cathedral steeple, where Saint Peter turns him into a weathercock, where Half-a-chick pays for his arrogance, by being ever blown around. Told in English and Spanish.

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Connections Allegories and parables. Accusations. Appearance. Arrogance. Cautionary tales. Chickens and hens. Comeuppance. Cooks. Discontent. Disabilities. Fire (Character). Hard-heartedness. Origin tales, appearance. Punishment. Saints. Selfishness. Superstitions. Transformation. Warnings. Water (Character). Weather vanes. Wind (Character).

How Else This Story Is Told Caribbean variation, country unspecified: The Half Chick—Saviour Pirotta, Around the World in 80 Tales. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “Mediopollito = Half-Chicken,” entry 227 (Mexico).

114. The Three FIgs Pura Belpré, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales Puerto Rico One day the peasant Fernando shows his wife three large figs growing on one twig. She wants him to bring them as a gift to the King. First one fig and then another roll out and get ruined as Fernando trips carrying them down a steep hill. He eats those two figs and tells the King what happened when he reaches the palace. The King admires the beautiful-looking fig which is left. He thanks him with a basket of gold coins. When Fernando returns home, Santiago, who grows figs with him, becomes jealous. He fills a cartload with figs and rudely shouts for the King to come see. Remembering Fernando’s gentle generosity, the King orders the guards to run Santiago off, and they pelt him with his own figs.

Connections Cautionary tales. Comparison. Figs. Gifts. Greed. Honesty. Jealousy. Kings and queens. Manners. Peasants. Punishment. Rewards.

Where Else This Story Appears In Lisa Sánchez-González, The Stories I Read to the Children.

115. The graTeFul sPIrIT Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk Tales of Andros Island, Bahamas (Print and online) The Bahamas En route to bringing coffee to sell in China, Cap’n John is pushed overboard by his first lieutenant. Someone the captain buried five years earlier rises up from the water to tell him that he will arrive in the port six months after the ship. Meanwhile, people grieve, thinking Cap’n John has died. Reaching port and unrecognizable, the captain is working at a restaurant washing dishes when his wife comes in to eat there. Cap’n John asks if he can make the chicken soup for her. They reunite when she recognizes the

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soup as her husband’s work. Without knowing the captain has returned, the first lieutenant recommends a grisly punishment for the person who threw Cap’n John overboard. That is exactly what the father-in-law has done to him. Told in Bahamian English.

Connections Fantasy. Justice. Murder, attempted. Punishment. Reunion. Sailors. Soup. Spirits and ghosts.

Supernatural events. Unfinished business.

Where Else This Story Appears In Heidi Anne Heiner, The Grateful Dead.

116. anancy and The m aKIng oF The bro TITle James Berry, Spiderman Anancy (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica No one has ever been called Bro until Anancy convinces a meeting of animals that they should work together as Brothers for greater harvests. Bro Jackass pulls a cart of animal musicians and dancers to spread the word. Anancy makes speeches, distributes gifts and receives some in return. Everyone is cheering and calling each other Bro, even Chiefman Tiger who says he is strong and doesn’t need the “Bro business.” Anancy brings all the gifts to his home and is helping himself to food and dancing, when Mrs. Anancy scolds that the gifts were never meant for Anancy alone. Bro Nancy makes a big show then of putting the rest of the food out in his yard to share. “From that time, leaders always try to cover up the lion-share of things they take for themselves.”

Connections Anansi. Cautionary tales. Cooperation. Gifts. Greed. Husbands and wives. Leadership. Names. Origin tales, appearance. Power, abuse of. Reprimand. Righting a wrong. Selfishness. Sharing. Status. Tigers. Tricksters.

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Be Careful Beautiful Shape-shifters, Loup-garous, Devils, Zombies, and Other Supernatural Dangers

117. l a guIablesse , IV Lafcadio Hearn, Two Years in the French West Indies (Print and online) African American People. Martinique The sway of a tall, dark-skinned young woman, wearing black robes with a tall white turban attracts the attention of the resting sugar cane workers. Entranced, Fafa steps away from his friend to follow her. The two speak softly as they walk on up the steep mountain, though she will not tell him her name. Fafa ignores the bell which calls laborers back to the fields. The woman begins to climb more quickly and suddenly disappears off a narrow forest path. As Fafa cries out, she reaches a cold hand back and guides him to the cliff. She asks Fafa if he loves her and tells him to kiss her. When he turns, however, her face and laugh are ugly and mocking. Fafa steps backwards and falls to his death.

Connections Appearance. Cautionary tales. Demons. Distrust. Fear. Identity. La Diablesse. Murder. Rescues, failed. Scary tales. Seduction. Shape-shifters. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Transformation.

How Else This Story Is Told Guadeloupan variation, African American People: The Woman in Black—Jean Popeau. In Faustin Charles, Under the Storyteller’s Spell. Paul dreamt that his friend walked off with a beautiful woman, who may be a zombie, but is unable to reach him in time.

Martinique variation, African American People: La Guiablesse—Robert D. San Souci, Even More Short and Shivery (Print; CD audio; online print).

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118. The young m an and The dIablesse M.P. Alladin, Folk Stories and Legends of Trinidad (Print and online) Trinidad A young married man goes to one Saturday night dance without his wife and becomes intrigued by the beautiful young lady in a long dress who arrives alone. She dances with many others, but shortly before midnight asks him to escort her home. It is only when she asks him to light her cigarette, that he sees that she is really old and ugly. He himself cannot move, as she walks away with a mocking laugh. The next day, he is rescued from brambles and promises his wife never to let La Diablesse fool him again.

Connections Appearance. Cautionary tales. Demons. Escapes. Fear. Identity. La Diablesse. Laughter, mocking. Rescues. Scary tales. Seduction. Shape-shifters. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Teeth, frightening. Transformation.

How Else This Story Is Told You Ever See Teeth Like These?—Clement B.G. London, Caribbean Visions in Folktales. A young man leaves the dance with a beguiling woman, who deflects his questions. Later, he has to fight his way out of razor-sharp grass, and she keeps popping up before him with fiery eyes and fierce teeth as he runs home.

119. The curse oF The l a dIablesse Gérard A. Besson, Folklore & Legends of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad A young man has come to explore the plantation house on Trinidad where his father used to live before the family moved to New Orleans. Inside a tin box, he discovers pages in French in different handwritings, amid mysterious objects, including a parchment written in Spanish. The pages interweave stories of multiple generations who inhabited that house from before the end of slavery in 1840 to the present time. The main story centers around an educated French daughter who is murdered by a band of slaves after she suddenly finds herself head of the plantation at age nineteen. There are unanswered mysteries. A toothless female ghost kills a former slave so she will not tell the visiting son of his father’s guilt in arranging for that daughter’s death. For over one hundred years, that same daughter has been seeking revenge and seducing men, with rustling petticoats, a cow hoof, an enticing animal smell, and a voice which sounds “like a cry of agony and the purr of a cat.”

Connections Appearance. Colonists, French. Demons. Generations. Hauntings. Hoof, cloven. La Diablesse.

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Masters and mistresses. Murder. Mysteries. Revenge. Seduction. Spirits and ghosts. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Truth, suppressing. Unfinished business.

120. l a dIablesse Lynn Joseph, The Mermaid’s Twin Sister (Print and online) African American People. Trinidad When the children hear strange noises outside, their aunt tells them about La Diablesse. In times past, a French captain began to run alongside Suki, a beautiful Arawak girl with shining black hair and black eyes. They became friends, but, right after telling Suki that he loved her, the captain was struck by lightning. Suki cut off her right foot to leave in his grave, so they could continue to run together. The other Frenchmen banished Suki from the island, as an evil woman who makes people disappear. They said the devil replaced her foot with a cow’s hoof. That, their aunt tells the children, makes the clopping sound they hear. The clanging is Suki ringing a bell after luring another man to his death.

Connections Banishment. Colonists, French. Conflict, cultural. Death. Demons. Gossip and rumors. Hauntings. Hoof, cloven. La Diablesse. Love, interracial. Native American People. Revenge. Racism. Sounds. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Taíno People. Transformation. Unfinished business.

121. L A DIABLESSE AND THE B ABY Richardo Keens-Douglas African American People. The Caribbean, country unspecified Granny is singing to a fretful baby one stormy night, when a woman knocks and asks to shelter on the verandah. Hesitant, Granny agrees. The woman then asks to come inside when the rain falls harder. Granny tells her to sit by the door. In comes a tall lady in a long dress, and now Granny holds the baby close, suspecting the woman is La Diablesse, who has no children of her own and is known to take the babies of others. She cannot see the woman’s face obscured by her elegant hat or see if she hides one cloven hoof under her dress, but Granny is not taking any chances. Three times the woman asks to hold the fussing baby, but she walks out as Granny continues to hug the child and sing. The next morning, there is one muddy hoofprint on the floor.

Connections Babies. Cautionary tales. Courage. Defense. Demons. Distrust. Evidence. Fear. Grandparents and grandchildren. Hoof, cloven. Identity. Kidnapping, attempt. La Diablesse. Outwitting supernatural beings. Requests. Scary tales. Shape-shifters. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events.

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122. The gaulIn wIFe Patricia Glinton, An Evening in Guanima: A Treasury of Folktales from the Bahamas African American People. The Bahamas Women flock to a certain handsome young man, who becomes conceited and treats them cruelly, much to his own granny’s dismay. He decides to marry a beautiful stranger, who has arrived mysteriously with her mother. It bothers him, though, that she leaves with her mother before dawn and is gone all day. From his wife’s hair strands and dress threads, the obeah woman determines that he has married B’er Gaulin, a bird which eats crabs. The obeah instructs him to pour salt on his wife, but he is too embarrassed to do it, once he sees his beautiful wife again. The next morning, though, he follows her to the lake shore. A flock of gaulins descend and pull off all the clothes his wife and her mother wear. The gaulins sing the obeah woman’s song in harsh voices. Screaming, his wife and her mother transform into birds bit by bit with elongated necks, feathers, and beaks. He screams, too, then, and the gaulins notice him. They fly at him and carry him off. Villagers assume he has gone to Paris with his fancy wife.

Connections Appearance. Arrogance. Bird, fantasy. Cautionary tales. Comeuppance. Disbelief. Distrust. Evidence. Gaulins. Herons. Identity. Obeah men and women. Revenge. Scary tales. Seduction. Shape-shifters. Song, magic. Stepparents and stepchildren. Supernatural events. Supernatural spouses. Transformation.

Where Else This Story Appears In Faustin Charles, Under the Storyteller’s Spell.

How Else This Story Is Told Bahamian variations, African American People: The Gaulin Wife—Portia Sands, Tell Me a Story (Online storytelling performance with video animation). The Woman Who Was a Bird—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-lore of Andros Island, Bahamas (Print and online); and in Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online). A disbelieving father sings the song which his son told him changes his new wife into a bird and shoots her when she actually does transform.

Caribbean variation, country unspecified: The Heron-Woman—Robert Hull, Caribbean Stories.

123. how The d onKeys came To h aITI Gyneth Johnson, How the Donkeys Came to Haiti and Other Tales African American People. Haiti A loa tells the boy that the beautiful woman his father, a widower, is thinking about marrying is really a donkey. He tries to tell his father this, but his father gets angry and

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doesn’t believe him. The boy begs his father to poke her and see if she kicks backward. When the lady invites many many relatives over to a party, the boy sneaks behind her with a stick and pokes her. When she kicks back, he knows it is true and begins hitting as many guests as he can. Each one turns into a donkey. A chaotic stampede of braying donkeys runs for the road, except one little donkey, from whom all donkeys in Haiti derive.

Connections Cautionary tales. Combat with supernatural beings. Demons. Disbelief. Distrust. Donkey, fantasy. Gods and humans. Identity. Loa. Origin tales, behavior. Outwitting supernatural beings. Parents and children. Prediction. Seduction. Shape-shifters. Supernatural events. Supernatural spouses. Tests. Transformation. Warnings.

124. The gIrl who m arrIed The sTranger Gyneth Johnson, How the Donkeys Came to Haiti and Other Tales African American People. Haiti A widow is beginning to worry that no husband seems good enough for her beautiful daughter. Célie herself has been holding out for a man wealthy enough to help her mother, too. After the widow dreams that a loa has seen her daughter with a donkey’s head beside a man with a snake’s head, the houngan gives her a secret potion so Célie will find a husband quickly. Célie marries Destin Grégore two weeks later. He brings her to a grand house and forbids her to leave her room one night each week when his friends are there. Curious, after a year of this, Célie sneaks out. Everyone around the table has the head of an animal, including Destin. His wolf ’s head asks why she is there. Célie flees, with the demons shouting that she must join them now or die. At her mother’s house, the loa protects Célie. And, her mother promises not to meddle in her life any more.

Connections Appearance. Arrogance. Cautionary tales. Charms and potions. Comeuppance. Defense. Demons. Devil. Dreams. Escapes. Gods and humans. Hoof, cloven. Houngans. Identity. Loa. Magic. Parents and children. Prediction. Scary tales. Secrets. Shape-shifters. Suitors. Supernatural events. Supernatural spouses. Teeth, golden. Tests. Transformation.

How Else This Story Is Told Puerto Rican variation: The Arrogant Princess—Doris M. Vazquez, “Puerto Rican Folktales,” Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute (Online print). It is not until after the wedding that the conceited young woman notices her new husband’s sharp golden teeth, pronged tail, horns, pointy ears, claws, and feet like hoofs. In the end she is rescued, but sickens and dies, “which always happens.”

Haitian variation, African American People: Demon Loango—Gyneth Johnson, How the Donkeys Came to Haiti and Other Tales. Selfish Antoinette lies when her mother asks her to prick Monsieur Loango to make sure no yellow fluid comes out. Once they have married, however, her lack of expertise in the kitchen angers her husband, and then she discovers him with the head of a beast and flees.

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125. snaKe Tales II Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, Creole Tales from Haiti, Part II (Print and online) African American People. Haiti A girl who has dismissed every other boy rushes to marry Snake, who looks human. She even cheats at the test to see whether he can bleed by pricking herself, instead. One day spying Snake in snake form, her brother stones him. A human in a mist threatens to whip the the boy if he mistreats any more animals. After that the brother follows the snake-man everywhere. On their wedding night, he hears his sister singing weakly that the snake is swallowing her up. The brother rips Snake open and removes the girl. The mother helps to revive her and then scolds the girl for having been so stubborn. The daughter, however, cradles Snake’s body, telling her mother to mind her own business. In Haitian Creole and English.

Connections Anansi. Appearance. Arrogance. Brothers and sisters. Cautionary tales. Combat with supernatural beings. Comeuppance. Defense. Demons. Disbelief. Distrust. Escapes. Heroes and heroines. Identity. Parents and children. Rescues. Scary tales. Seduction. Shape-shifters. Snake, fantasy. Suitors. Supernatural events. Supernatural spouses. Tests. Transformation.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations, African American People: Anancy an’ Yella Snake—Louise Bennett, Anancy Stories and Dialect Verse. Anancy is the one who saves the girl, just as she is being sucked up. Told in patois. De Sneake an’ de King’s Darter—Mary Pamela Milne-Home, Mamma’s Black Nurse Stories (Print and online). A snake fools the King when he dresses up to court his beautiful white daughter. She only sees his forked tongue after the wedding, and the King shoots him. “So dat why, when you see a Sneake in ar house, ebery one shoot it, because it a deceiving thing!” Told in patois. Man-Snake as Bridegroom (a.) The Rescue (2)—Matilda Hall. In Martha Warren Beckwith, Jamaica Anansi Stories (Print and online). Told in patois. Yellow Snake—Walter Jekyll, Jamaican Song and Story (Print and online). After her brothers rescue their fussy sister when she sings out that “Yalla Snake” will swallow her, she never does marry anyone else. The narrator cautions: “everybody that pick too much will come off the same way.” Told in patois.

126. a lITTle m aTTer oF m arrIage Patrick Chamoiseau, Creole Folktales African American People. Martinique Tétiyette’s family thinks her crippled youngest brother is crazy and treats him unkindly. This brother, though, worries that Tétiyette, who rejected all of her other suitors, has now accepted the marriage proposal from an elegant white gentleman, who brings exotic gifts. For her brother, Tétiyette agrees to prick the gentleman as a test.

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However, she tells no one when it isn’t blood that comes out. After they marry, Tétiyette sees her husband drink blood straight from hens. She discovers heads with women’s hair and jars of tears behind forbidden doors and realizes he is the Devil. A rooster explodes when Tétiyette cries out for her mother. The Devil roars that he will swallow her. Tétiyette screams for her little brother, who rides to her rescue and slices the Devil open. Tétiyette is forever grateful and kind to her brother in return.

Connections Appearance. Arrogance. Boarhog, fantasy. Brothers and sisters. Cautionary tales. Changes in attitude. Combat with supernatural beings. Comeuppance. Defense. Demons. Devil. Disabilities. Disbelief. Distrust. Escapes. Flutes. Godmothers, fairy. Heroes and heroines. Identity. Love. Magic. Music. Parents and children. Rescues. Scary tales. Shape-shifters. Seduction. Song, magic. Suitors. Supernatural events. Supernatural spouses. Sword, magic. Teeth, golden. Tests. Transformation. Wand, magic. Warnings. Witch Boy (Character).

How Else This Story Is Told Haitian variation, African American People: My Beauty—Philippe Thoby-Marcelin and Pierre Marcelin, The Singing Turtle (Print and online). Everyone thinks the deformed foundling who loves My Beauty is jealous when he tries to tell My Beauty’s parents that the red-bearded man she has fallen in love with bleeds pus and not blood. The foundling rescues her with the fairy godnother’s magic and changes his own appearance with a magic wand, once he sees that My Beauty truly loves him back.

Puerto Rican variations: Anita and Guasimindo Yacumbé—Pura Belpré. In Lisa Sánchez-González, The Stories I Read to the Children. Anita holds out to marry a man with golden teeth, but is rescued by the kind fisherman who truly loves her, with help from the devil’s mother. The Young Girl and the Devil—Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes. A girl’s father gives the prosperous-looking stranger with gold teeth a plowing job to test his diligence. The man accomplishes the work with a magic song, but her brother has seen him transform from a pig back into a man.

Saint Vincentian variation, African American People: A Boarhog for a Husband—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online); and in The Man-of-Words in the West Indies. Massa King’s son, Old Witch Boy, shows his father that the man his sister intends to marry is a boarhog by singing the song he has heard the boarhog sing to transform himself.

Variations from the U.S. Virgin Islands, African American People: Boar Hog—Florence O. Meade, “Folk Tales from the Virgin Islands,” The Journal of American Folklore. From St. Thomas, a brother plays the boar’s transformation tune on a tin flute at the wedding breakfast to show his sister that “all that glitters is not gold.” The Beautiful Girl and the Jigger Foot Man—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. A proud girl turns down a proposal from a man on an old donkey whose feet are covered with jiggers in order to marry a man dressed in golden clothes riding a golden horse. The wealthy man’s sad first wife warns the girl that the man is the Devil, who will eat her and twice helps her escape back home. Her mother says the girl must go with her husband. The third time the girl escapes, the Jigger Foot Man says he will save her if she cleans jiggers from his feet and marries him, which she does.

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127. TaTa d ohende Elwood Fairweather. In Faustin Charles, Under the Storyteller’s Spell Belize Louis’s favorite story is the one where the hairy creature Tata Dohende carries off the young schoolteacher, who gives birth to a girl. Three years later, villagers go to bring Rosalita and her daughter back from the jungle. Then they see that the child has one foot turned backwards and is hairy down one side and will not touch her. Tata Dohende’s rooster warns him of their presence. He runs. Rosalita follows, but drops the child in the confusion. Tata Dohende disappears into the jungle with the girl, while the men grab Rosalita, who fights them. Back in the village, she weeps all the time. Angry, Tata Dohende leaves the non-hairy half of the girl on the ground two months later. A neighbor wraps her in a blanket, and she is whole again and very human-looking, when the doctor unwraps her. Louis’s father ends with an old saying of appreciation about wonders in the past: “dis ya time no stan’ like befo’ time!”

Connections Captivity. Capture-bonding. Kidnapping. Loss. Parents and children. Rescues. Separation. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Supernatural spouses. Tata Duhende. Transformation.

128. Pedro m alITo / Pedro m alITo Joe Hayes, Dance, Nana, Dance = Baila, Nana Baila Cuba Now that their wedding presents have been consumed, Isabel tells lazy Pedro to start working again. The devil owns the only available field Pedro can find. He likes Pedro. The minute Pedro begins to dig, the devil roars from underground for his imps to help. The imps do all the work each time Pedro picks up a tool. Isabel does not know about the devil or the imps, but she is happy to see the corn grow. Pedro tells her to wait on picking an ear, but Isabel goes to the field while he is in the village. As she takes an ear of corn, the devil’s voice thunders. She tells him she is Pedro’s wife, and the devil orders the imps to help her. They pull off every ear of corn. Pedro finds Isabel in tears. He stomps, angry with her for coming to the field. The devil asks what is happening. When Pedro answers that he is yelling at his wife, the devil tells the imps to stomp their feet and holler at her, too. Isabel flees, and Pedro never tries to work again. Told in English and Spanish.

Connections Commands. Deceit. Devil. Giants. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Imps. Laziness. Literality. Loyalty. Misunderstanding. Pedro the Rogue. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Work.

Where Else This Story Appears Pedro Malito at Storyteller Joe Hayes (Online performance). In English.

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How Else This Story Is Told Haitian variation, African American People: Tonton Comblé and the Giants of Doco-Doco—F. Turenne Des Pres. In Phylon (Online). Tonton Comblé moves his family to the mountains rather than kill their hen who crows for food. There, they find rich land and a giant king who sends fifty and soon thousands of giants to do all the work … and, unfortunately, eat all the food. Thinking to help him, the giants kill Tonton Comblé’s son whom he is thrashing, help his wife to cry causing a flood which carries her away, and finally help Tonton Comblé scratch a mosquito bite, until no flesh is left on his bones.

129. The b oy who wanTed To see The world Gyneth Johnson, How the Donkeys Came to Haiti and Other Tales African American People. Haiti To know more besides the Enfants Perdus mountains, Ti Pierre follows his mother unseen as she sets out for the market in Port au Prince one day. He thinks he has chosen the fork that leads to the city, but it is deserted. As day is ending, Ti Pierre stops at a large house where a large woman invites him to stay. At bedtime, Ti Pierre notices that each child is wearing a little red cap. He sneaks one from another child’s head to put on his own. At midnight, when the father, a djab, demands more meat, his wife feels for the boy without a cap and cooks him in the stew. The next morning, horrified to see Ti Pierre, she asks him to stay another night. Again, he takes the cap from another son, and again she cuts up one of her own children. Now, the mother plans to kill Ti Pierre outright. At daybreak, she runs after him with a knife, but turns into a wolf forever once Ti Pierre runs safely into his own house.

Connections Changes in attitude. Cleverness. Devil. Escapes. Fear. Husbands and wives. Journeys. Lost. Malice (Character). Murder, attempted. Outwitting supernatural beings. Scary tales. Suitors. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Tasks, challenging. Transformation. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told How Malice Obtained Five Bags of Red Earth—François Marcel-Turenne des Prés, Children of Yayoute: Nonc Bouqui and Ti Malice (Print and online). Malice goes to the Devil to bring back five bags of terre-rouge which the king demands in order for him to marry the princess. He tricks the Devil into killing his own sons, by taking their red head-cloths at night. Once he gets the earth, however, Malice decides to keep his freedom rather than become a prince where he is not really wanted.

130. The Jíbaro and hIs Three s ons / el Jíbaro y sus Tres hIJos

Lisa Sánchez-González, Puerto Rican Folktales = Cuentos folclóricos puertorriqueños Puerto Rico

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A demon disguised as a woman flatters a jíbaro about his guitar playing so he will marry her. The jíbaro has already lost three wives from drinking too much. Zuzi manages his concerts. She plans to kill his three musician sons by his first wives at a fundraising competition, so her two demon children can create a demon village with his wealth. The jíbaro’s three sons play so beautifully that it makes the demon children writhe and humiliates the jíbaro, who has gotten drunk with his brothers. Zuzi presses the jíbaro to beat his sons and manipulates the police chief into arresting the boys for assault. Three illegitimate sons of the jíbaro play music outside the courthouse. The priest notices how the music’s sweetness causes Zuzi and her children extreme pain. He chants an exorcism. They show their demon forms and blow away in a demon wind, which also turns the jíbaro to dust. Now free, the six musician sons form a sextet and create a music school on the mountaintop, turning evil into good. Told in English and Spanish.

Connections Brothers and sisters. Cleverness. Combat. Deceit. Demons. Disguises. Distrust. Drunkenness. Exorcism. Identity. Murder, attempted. Music. Outwitting supernatural beings. Parents and children. Peasants. Priests. Rescues. Seduction. Shape-shifters. Supernatural events. Supernatural spouses. Transformation.

131. The blacK horseman Gyneth Johnson, How the Donkeys Came to Haiti and Other Tales Haiti When the horse returns to Isle Gonave alone after first one and then the other of his brothers has gone to buy a boat and never returned, Vitale, the youngest, rides off to find them. He ignores the first two riders in black who tell him to follow them, but does go with the third rider, who promises him a fortune. Vitale hopes this means De Merci will lead him to his brothers. The path becomes steep. Vitale dismounts and realizes they are at the edge of a ravine where his brothers must have plunged to their deaths. He finds their bodies amid the broken bones of others. Back up on top, Vitale discovers a cave filled with money and jewels from De Merci’s victims. He sets a trap with rope woven from palm leaves. That midnight, De Merci’s horse bolts away from the trap, right into the ravine, as Vitale planned. His cape is there, but the demon himself has vanished.

Connections Brothers and sisters. Cleverness. Courage. Demons. Escapes. Loyalty. Murder. Mysteries. Outwitting supernatural beings. Revenge. Scary tales. Supernatural beings.

132. The chIldren’s FrIend Vishnu Gosine. In Andrew Salkey, Caribbean Folktales and Legends Trinidad and Tobago

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Rumors fly that the woman Ma Coo-coo sucks children’s blood, leaving them sleepy and weak. Bobo insists she may be a soucouyant, and checks her house when he sees a small light rise above the village one night. That time she is sleeping, but the next time Bobo sees the dim light hovering above town, he discovers a stuffed dummy in her bed. Now Bobo surrounds the house with men. Some pour salt on the skin she left there. Ma Coo-coo quietly flies in and tries to slip into her skin. The salt burns her, and Ma Coo-coo begs the men to forgive her. They make her promise never to suck anyone’s blood again and banish her from Ouplay, where parents use her story to threaten their children to go to sleep.

Connections Aunts and uncles. Banishment. Cautionary tales. Combat with supernatural beings. Death. Defense. Distrust. Gossip and rumors. Loup-garous. Nieces and nephews. Repentance. Salt, on skin. Scary tales. Skin, removing. Soucouyants. Supernatural beings. Tukuma. Unfinished business. Werewolves.

How Else This Story Is Told Grenadian variation, African American People: Tig and the Soukouya or the Loupga Rou—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. At night, the loupga rou howls for the skin, which Compere Tig has thoroughly salted.

Trinidadian variations: The Soucouyant—M.P. Alladin, Folk Stories and Legends of Trinidad (Print and online). A farmer who finds his cow’s neck bleeding gathers his neighbors to keep watch over the village at night. They follow the ball of fire which descends to the house of a wicked old woman at the edge of town and salt her skin the next night. She sings that the skin must not know her, it burns so, but the men roll her in a barrel into the pond. A Soucouyant Dies—Lynn Joseph, A Wave in Her Pocket (Print and online). The children’s tantie tells them about how a soucouyant’s skin burned and kept sliding off because a boy had salted it. Desperately, the old woman cried, “Skin kin kin, you na no me?” Tantie tells the children a new soucouyant from their family takes her place every fifty years, who might be any one of them. To warn if a soucouyant might come to suck their blood, Tantie ties a red kerchief with bells that ring.

133. The wITch’s sKIn Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes Puerto Rico A beautiful woman, new to the village, marries one of the bravest men and, each night afterwards, slips a sleeping powder into his coffee. When her husband sleeps, she hangs her skin on a guava tree. Saying “Without God and without Saint Mary,” she flies off to join other witches and the Devil. It troubles her husband that she smells of sulphur and seems so tired in the morning. One night, he only pretends to drink his coffee. When she flies off, he sprinkles her skin with chili and other spices and hides. The peppery skin burns so when she tries to put it back on, that she starts ripping off pieces. The morning sun burns her to ashes.

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Connections Combat with supernatural beings. Death. Distrust. Identity. Loup-garous. Mysteries. Salt, on skin. Skin, removing. Supernatural events. Supernatural spouses. Transformation. Werewolves. Witches.

How Else This Story Is Told Haitian variation, African American People: A Loup Garou Had a Burning Skin—George Eaton Simpson, “Loup Garou and Loa Tales from Northern Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). After spicing her skin, this husband finds his wife skinless and dead in the morning.

134. a louP garou TrIes To Pay The annual debT For her P ower George Eaton Simpson, “Loup Garou and Loa Tales from Northern Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) African American People. Haiti The bocor who practices magic has demanded that each loup garou pay him one human victim annually or forfeit his own life. An older loup garou asks her daughter to sacrifice the life of the man who keeps her as his mistress. The daughter agrees as the man has not married her. The loup garou mother plans to transform into a bumblebee and fly into the man’s nose to kill him while he is in the bath. The man’s son, however, overhears and tells his father. The man waits with a cane in his bath that night and strikes the bee dead. His mistress accuses him of killing her mother. Their relationship ends.

Connections Bee, fantasy. Commands. Disguises. Combat with supernatural beings. Identity. Loup-garous. Murder, attempted. Parents and children. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Supernatural lovers. Transformation. Werewolves.

135. a louP garou dIsguIses as a beggar George Eaton Simpson, “Loup Garou and Loa Tales from Northern Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) African American People. Haiti One evening, when a woman merchant tells a poor, sick man who lives in Plaisance that she would like to return to Cape Hatian, he tells her that the night is dangerous for it belongs to the dead. He hands her a goblet to show any loup garous she meets that she has authorization to travel. Two different groups of strange men let her pass when they see the goblet. One man from a group of one hundred singing men, though, says he must take her to the chief. The kingly chief seems stern, but he, too, smiles once she shows the goblet. When she returns to Plaisance the next week, the poor man asks if she recognized him as the chief the other night.

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Connections Defense. Disguises. Escapes. Friendship, supernatural. Goblets. Identity. Journeys. Loup-garous. Magic. Shape-shifters. Supernatural beings. Werewolves.

136. The sIsTers and The d ogs Gyneth Johnson, How the Donkeys Came to Haiti and Other Tales African American People. Haiti When Gro Jo’s wife sends her husband away, exhausted from doing all the farmwork herself after his foot becomes infected, he starts a new plantation up in the mountains. His oldest daughter, Lolo, sets off to visit her father with the three dogs, which she and her middle sister care for well. On the way, a Loup Garou howls, asking who is there, and Lolo sings back the three dogs’ names. The Loup Garou is afraid of dogs. He jumps onto the roof of his house, and the dogs eat his food. Lola’s father welcomes her. He asks only that she return from a party in time to feed the dogs, and she does. She returns home, and the middle sister, Nonnon, now travels to her father, accompanied by the three dogs. The dogs again send the loup garou to the roof of his house, coming and going. The third sister, Ti Petite, however, has never shared her food with the dogs. When she goes to visit her father and forgets to return from partying in time to feed them, the hungry dogs go down to eat the Loup Garou’s food. When Ti Petite leaves her father the next day, the dogs are not there, and she is eaten by the hungry Loup Garou.

Connections Animals and humans. Brothers and sisters. Cruelty to animals. Death. Defense. Disobedience. Dogs. Fear. Human flesh. Hunger. Kindness to animals. Loup-garous. Outwitting supernatural beings. Parents and children. Revenge. Werewolves.

137. a louP garou dIsguIses as a PIg George Eaton Simpson, “Loup Garou and Loa Tales from Northern Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) African American People. Haiti One night a loup garou in the form of a pig carries off a farmer for judgment while he is irrigating his field. The chief loup garou chastises the pig, saying he made a mistake to seize this man while he was working. He orders the pig to carry the man back. The terrified farmer cannot speak at all the next day, until his family brings him to a houngan for medicine.

Connections Captivity. Disguises. Farmers. Fear. Healing. Houngans. Humorous tales. Justice. Loup-garous.

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138. s ore-FooT Christine Barrow, And I Remember Many Things… Grenada A boy who works in the Flying Horse Rumshop on St. George’s Street notices that after the owner leaves, a big dog appears and walks around. One night the boy hits the dog’s foot with a stone. The next morning the owner comes in with a sore foot. The owner has been transforming into a dog to keep an eye on any workers who might be stealing.

Connections Disguises. Distrust. Dog, fantasy. Evidence. Identity. Shape-shifters. Shopkeepers. Supernatural beings. Transformation.

139. The l agahoo M.P. Alladin, Folk Stories and Legends of Trinidad (Print and online) Trinidad Muscular Bo-Bo shows up at the village rumshop with dark spots on his arms and has a wild story to tell his friends. Awoken by the rattle of chains at 2 a.m., he says he was attacked by a black bull which turned into a white cow when he struck it. He kept fighting until dawn when the cow turned into a cock and disappeared. Bo-Bo is sure the creature is a lagahoo and will return that night. Bo-Bo is ready to battle the lagahoo again. A “science man” advises Bo-Bo to shoot the lagahoo in the belly with a silver sixcent piece. The next morning, police find a man who has been shot, and the lagahoo never returns.

Connections Bird, fantasy. Bravado. Bull, fantasy. Combat with supernatural beings. Cow, fantasy. Ligahoos. Rooster, fantasy. Shape-shifters. Supernatural events. Transformation.

140. lIgahoo Lynn Jospeh, A Wave in Her Pocket (Print and online) Trinidad Tantie tells her nieces and nephews about the Ligahoo, who causes the river to flood by spitting into the water, because he does not want people to see him when he

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turns into a fish for six months. She says the Ligahoo can take any form he wants. When he was young and people did not name him Carnival King, he got mad and shook the island with storms. When Tantie begins to speak in strange words and then tells them the Ligahoo is back in the river, the children run home until the end of the rainy season.

Connections Anger. Aunts and uncles. Fear. Fish, fantasy. Floods. Ligahoos. Magic. Nieces and nephews. Origin tales, behavior. Revenge. Shape-shifters. Spittle, magic. Storms. Storytelling. Supernatural beings.

141. The chIld oF K áruhù Douglas Taylor, “Tales and Legends of the Dominica Caribs,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) Kalinago People. Dominica While the group is walking to Roseau, one woman gets permission from her husband to stay behind and relieve herself. Afterwards, she cannot catch up with the others, because the trail keeps circling back to Buéri Lake. Tired, she climbs through the open window of a little house to eat some cassava and then lies down to rest. A little man enters with fish on a string. She reassures him that she is human. He does not answer, but cooks the fish and shyly shares it with her. She stays with him for some months and gives birth to a child. Her husband, however, has never stopped searching for her. He learns that his wife now lives with a zombi called Káruhù. To retrieve her, he is advised to go when Káruhù is out fishing, tie the child in place with silk cotton cord, spit in each room, take his wife, and go. The wife fears that her husband will blame her for getting lost, but he just wants for her to come home with him. He spits in each room, and they leave. Káruhù returns and gets frustrated when the woman’s voice answers him from each room, but she herself is not there. He blows into their child’s buttocks. It becomes a kingfisher and flies away.

Connections Bird, fantasy. Fantasy. Husbands and wives. Kingfishers. Loss. Lost. Love. Loyalty. Parents and children. Perseverance. Rescues. Separation. Silk cotton cord, magic. Spittle, magic. Supernatural events. Supernatural lovers. Transformation. Voice, supernatural. Zombies.

142. The case oF The T wo d ogs Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! African American People. Haiti Villerna, a village girl from Ville Bel Bonheur, arrives in the city of Port-au-Prince and realizes she has lost the address of her future employer. She asks around, but no one knows a Madame Victor. A woman invites her to work for her, instead. Villerna’s

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job is to bathe and feed the woman’s two pampered black dogs on a strict schedule. One month later, Villerna thinks the dogs say, “Soup,” and she has a disquieting dream. The next day, the mistress tells Villerna to cook a special soup with meat and vegetables by noon. However, when Villerna places the soup on the table, the woman becomes furious, since it was meant for the dogs. She dismisses Villerna. Back home, the nuns again tell Villerna where to find Madam Victor. She gets there this time, and Madam Victor tells Villerna that she must have been protected by the nuns’ prayers, because the dogs are the masters of all the zombie servants in that other house.

Connections Dog, fantasy. Dreams. Employers. Identity. Lost. Masters and mistresses. Mysteries. Prayer. Scary tales. Servants. Soup. Supernatural beings. Tasks, challenging. Voice, supernatural. Zombies.

143. The case oF The Key Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! African American People. Haiti When she is seven, Luiza is sent to stay with her wealthy godmother in Cap-Haïtien, where she will have better opportunities than with her poor village family. Her godmother gives Luiza much freedom, but forbids her to enter a locked room under the stairs. Frightening noises come from that room when her godmother goes in there at night. Curious, Luiza takes the key and opens the door one day. Dead people are inside. She recognizes some as their neighbors who have been turned into zombies. Horror compounds when Luiza drops the key into blood, which will not rub off. Now her godmother will know now what Luiza saw. Luiza flees. That night, she sleeps under a bridge and whacks the legs of a big, staring cat. When she reaches her village, Luiza hears that her godmother was found dead, with a key in her pocket and two broken legs.

Connections Cat, fantasy. Combat with supernatural beings. Curiosity. Disobedience. Escapes. Godparents and godchildren. Identity. Mysteries. Scary tales. Secrets. Shape-shifters. Sounds. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Transformation. Zombies.

144. yé and The PumPKIns Douglas Taylor, “Tales and Legends of the Dominica Caribs,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) Kalinago People. Dominica Because the old man’s pumpkin supper tastes so good, Yé presses the old man to take him to where the pumpkins grow. The old man warns that zombies guard that field and gives Yé special words to shout when he wants to leave. Yé forgets the words. He starts drumming on a partition there and brags to the mother zombie that he can

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do this well. The mother zombie brings him a tambourine. Her ten daughters begin to dance around him. Worried about how he will escape, Yé tells the mother he has to caca. The daughters beg him to defecate in their arms. They enjoy eating his caca and wonder aloud how his flesh will taste. Yé throws the tambourine at the mother zombie and runs. The next day he returns and hangs up his hammock. Yé’s dog runs the daughters off when they come near to eat him. Yé sets the house on fire when the daughters sleep. From the ashes, Yé gathers pumpkins and other plants used as charms.

Connections Ashes. Bravado. Charms and potions. Combat with supernatural beings. Drums. Escapes. Fantasy. Human flesh. Music. Pumpkins. Revenge. Supernatural beings. Warnings. Zombies.

145. greedy m arIanI Rémy Bastien. In Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani and Other Folktales of the Antilles (Print and online) Haiti Mariani steals valuables from any traveling stranger who seeks shelter at her hut. One rainy night, a traveler arrives with four sacks, which Mariani is sure are filled with silver from the way they clink. The man is ready to go an hour later, as the rain has stopped. Mariani wants more than the one sack he offers in payment, but he ignores her and calmly rides off with the other three sacks packed onto his mules. Yelling, Mariani chases after him all night, screaming threats. He just keeps singing for “Poor Mariani” to go back. She will not; she wants all the silver. When a rooster crows at dawn, the mules vanish, and the zombie becomes a skeleton and disappears. Mariani dies of shock.

Connections Comeuppance. Fantasy. Greed. Hospitality. Humorous tales. Identity. Journeys. Pursuit. Shapeshifters. Skeletons. Songs. Supernatural beings. Theft. Transformation. Zombies.

Where Else This Story Appears Greedy Mariani—Rémy Bastien. In Joanna Cole, Best-Loved Folktales of the World (Print and online).

146. The l asT zonbI In KonPè PIerre’s PlanTaTIon Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! African American People. Haiti Someone is stealing produce from Konpè Pierre’s field and has fed salted food to two of his three zombie helpers, who no longer obey him. He visits the mysterious Konpè Meleon, who learns that the thief is Konpè Pierre’s own son, Ti Pierre, working

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with two invisible zombie helpers. Konpè Meleon cannot tell his friend the truth; he just hints that trouble comes from inside Konpè Pierre’s own family. Konpè Meleon advises Konpè Pierre to turn his last zombie into a piket, a physical point which connects to the spirit. When the thief steps on the piket and bleeds, Konpè Pierre will learn who he is. That night, Ti Pierre comes to steal all of the fruit in his father’s fields to sell. The piket sticks him very deep, and the wound will not stop bleeding. Ti Pierre’s wife runs to her father-in-law for help, and Konpè Pierre follows a trail of blood to his son.

Connections Betrayal. Charms and potions. Evidence. Friendship. Identity. Mysteries. Parents and children. Problem solvers. Supernatural events. Tests. Theft. Transformation. Truth. Zombies.

147. InTroducTIon Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! Haitian Folktales African American People. Haiti In 1913, a city family arrives at a rich peasant’s home for the summer. The city mother wonders where the fish they have been served comes from. One day she hears the peasant’s daughter scold a big fish and poke its eyes with a stick. The girl accuses the fish of holding out, of refusing to transform from a zombie into a fish until her mother beat it. The girl continues to reproach the fish. She says her mother must feed the city folk, and the city woman is growing suspicious.

Connections Distrust. Fish. fantasy. Food. Peasants. Reprimand. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Transformation. Vacations. Zombies.

148. l aughTer oF mermaIds Gerald Hausman, Duppy Talk Jamaica The Jamaican bush doctor Mackie McDonnough is teaching his young apprentice Alec Thompson, son of a Canadian pharmacologist, about the healing power of different leaves and seeds. Mackie seems so comfortable in nature, that it makes Alec feel insecure. He asks Mackie about medicine for the mind, and Mackie responds that he will share more when Alec is ready. Mackie brings Alec to a spring which the Arawak people say is blessed. Alec hesitates to drink, but when he puts his face in the fresh water and opens his eyes, a mermaid is there with dark honey skin and little sharp teeth. She asks questions, but the minnows around her head all swim away when Alec answers that he eats fish, which causes her to threaten to kill him next time. The mermaid clarifies that he should answer that he only eats creatures from the salt sea. Her gaze rivets Alec, and when he lifts his face, he laughs, connected with the water now, “no longer a lost white boy afraid of the bush.”

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Connections Apprentices. Bush doctors. Changes in attitude. Ecology. Education. Enchantment. Fish, fantasy. Healing. Magic. Mermaids. Minnows. River Mumma. Self-esteem. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Teachers and students. Threats. Understanding. Water spirits.

149. rIVer mumma and The golden Table Amy Friedman, Tell Me a Story (Online print) Jamaica Some say Spanish conquistadors sank the Golden Table in the river before they left. It tends to rise on hot summer days, but anyone who tries to steal the Golden Table is pulled down to the very bottom of the river, for the River Mumma guards it. A brother and sister see the River Mumma by the river one day, and though Lora tries to pull Bastian away, the River Mumma catches his eye. He sees the Golden Table and becomes entranced with wanting it. Lora argues that her brother’s greed will be punished, but he argues that the plantation owners get away with greed, by not paying their worker parents sometimes. They argue until the table sinks at dusk, and their Papa’s boss overhears as they head home. The boss feels he has a right to the Golden Table. He dismisses warning stories by Bastian, now recovered, of those who were pulled under by their greed. Papa’s boss never returns. His son, though, takes over the farm and begins to pay the workers a fair wage.

Connections Arguments. Brothers and sisters. Cautionary tales. Disbelief. Employers. Enchantment. Fantasy. Gods and spirits. Greed. Justice. Masters and mistresses. Money. Mysteries. Ownership. Punishment. Rescues. Righting a wrong. River Mumma. Storytelling. Supernatural beings. Table, magic. Warnings. Water spirits. Women and girls, resourceful. Work. Yearning.

150. TI Jeanne’s l asT l aundry Gérard A. Besson, Folklore & Legends of Trinidad and Tobago African American People. Trinidad Ti Jeanne is singing as she wades into the water and starts beating the laundry against a rock. She is resting with her feet in the water when a voice hisses at her about singing and gazing at herself the water. Frightened, Ti Jeanne asks who is speaking. The face of an old African woman, with tattoos and wearing large earrings and beads, appears and sings her name, Maman Dlo. She rises from the water with the body of an anaconda and calls Ti Jeanne vain. Even more afraid, Ti Jeanne apologizes to Maman Dlo as the water spirit reaches seven feet tall. Ti Jeanne sways along with Maman Dlo and slowly enters the water. With the slaps of Maman Dlo’s tail, Ti Jeanne’s hair grows long and her chemise falls off, leaving her bare. She serves Maman Dlo ever after and is given a fishtail and works protecting the waters and pools. All the villagers find is the laundry Ti Jeanne left behind.

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Connections Captivity. Defense. Enchantment. Fantasy. Fear. Maman Dlo. Mermaids. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Transformation. Vanity. Water spirits.

151. The mermaId’s rocK Grace Hallworth, Sing Me a Story (Print and online) Jamaica There is a legend that the mermaid Dora, who combs her long, green-tinted hair on a rock by a pool at the foot of a cliff, can make a person’s deepest wishes come true. More than anything, Hazel, who seems to have everything else, desires to have flowing hair. One night she is drawn to humming at the rock. The mermaid slides underwater, leaving behind her comb with a few green hairs. Dora sings for Hazel to take the comb. Hazel does, and that night Dora appears to her in a dream and tells Hazel to comb her hair while gazing into the pool. Hazel runs immediately to the pool and combs. Her soft brown hair grows longer each time the comb passes through. It grows longer still and touches the water, then even longer, until the weight of it, wet and long, drags her, struggling, down under. Dora hums on her rock the next day, but women no longer go to that pool to wash their clothes. This telling includes words and music for Dora’s song.

Connections Comb, magic. Discontent. Dreams. Enchantment. Fantasy. Hair. Magic. Mermaids. Scary tales. Self-esteem. Songs. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Water spirits. Yearning.

How Else This Story Is Told The Mermaid’s Comb—Hartley Neita. In Velma Pollard, Anansesem. This telling is set where the Dornoch River pools near Stewart Town in Saint Ann.

152. rIVer muma sTory Louise Bennett. In Laura Tanna, Jamaican Folk Tales and Oral Histories Jamaica A little boy wants to see the River Muma, who is said to sit by the river early in the morning and comb her hair with a golden comb. If you happen to see her, and “if fe yer eye and er eye mek four, den sumpin gwain happen, yu know.” The boy gets the River Muma’s comb and in his sleep, he hears her singing for him to bring it back in exchange for gold. The boy does. He gathers gold which bubbles up, but no one believes his story, and no villager ever sees the River Muma again. Told in patois.

Connections Bargains. Gold. Comb, magic. Fantasy. River Mumma. Secrets. Songs. Storytelling. Supernatural beings. Truth. Warnings. Water spirits. Yearning.

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How Else This Story Is Told Caribbean variation, country unspecified: The Water-Mama—Vic Parker, Traditional Tales from the Caribbean. The woman with a silver fishtail brings Ralph her comb and the money he has asked for in his dream, but he cannot keep it secret. Filled with greed, people attack him and take the coins.

153. waTer In The gourd Eddie Burke, Water in the Gourd African American People. Jamaica Mas’ Eddy has a special gourd which he picked from a calabash tree near the sea. Each morning, he carries this gourd which his wife fills with water to work on their small farm. One Tuesday Mas’ Eddy hangs the gourd from a tree branch and begins clearing land and planting corn. When he stops to drink some water, though, he sees only the taut string that held the gourd. The water from inside is hanging in the air. Mas’ Eddy is sure duppies must be playing a trick on him. He is thirsty, but how will he drink the water? He might lose it all if he touches the water with his hands. Mas’ Eddy stands underneath and sucks the water until the string hangs loose. No one but his wife believes it really happened.

Connections Calabash, magic. Disbelief. Duppies. Fantasy. Farming. Husbands and wives. Mysteries. Problem solvers. Storytelling. Supernatural events. Thirst. Water.

154. PIcKwa and The duPPy Eddie Burke, Water in the Gourd African American People. Jamaica Pickwa is up in his favorite roseapple tree, about to bite into an especially large yellow-green fruit, when a fat, pale-white duppy at the bottom of the tree orders Pickwa to throw it down to him. Pickwa does not want to make the duppy mad, but he really doesn’t want to give up his big roseapple either. He tells the duppy he will send down a juicier apple, instead. Pickwa shakes down many other roseapples, and the duppy gobbles them all. The duppy is turning green and groans for a doctor. He no longer wants Pickwa’s fruit. Pickwa pretends to be going for a doctor and runs home with the roseapple, which his mother bakes into a pie. The duppy rolls into the river and sinks.

Connections Bravado. Cleverness. Commands. Duppies. Escapes. Fantasy. Fruit. Greed. Humorous tales. Outwitting supernatural beings. Tricksters.

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155. The chIldren oF The ForesT Evan Jones, Tales of the Caribbean: Witches and Duppies African American People. Trinidad and Tobago As a brother and sister cut through the forest to get to school, a lonely little boy in a wide-brimmed hat asks Clive to stay and play with him. Clive’s sister pulls him on, but Clive keeps thinking about the sad boy. At recess, Miss Matty, who cleans the school, gives Martha a piece of silk cotton thread and a chant to say for protection so the douen will not possess her. After school, Martha cannot find Clive and enters the forest. She follows a little girl in a wide-brimmed hat, who cries that she is lost, wanting to help her. Just as Martha notices that the little girl’s feet point backwards and that her eyes glow, a circle of douen surround Martha, laughing and ready to push her off a cliff. Martha says Miss Matty’s chant holding the silk thread. She blacks out and awakes with Clive, both unharmed, at the bottom of the cliff. They never do tell their mother what happened when they took the shortcut.

Connections Brothers and sisters. Charms and potions. Compassion. Defense. Disobedience. Douen. Enchantment. Escapes. Fantasy. Laughter, mocking. Lost. Magic. Outwitting supernatural beings. Rescues. Silk cotton cord, magic. Supernatural beings. Women and girls, resourceful.

How Else This Story Is Told The Boy and the Douens—M.P. Alladin, Folk Stories and Legends of Trinidad (Print and online). The sound of his parents’ voices pulls the lost boy away from the douen.

156. JumbIes and duennes Gérard A. Besson, Folklore & Legends of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad An eleven-year-old boy takes the death of his good friend Robbie hard. He remembers things they used to do and whistles their special code. A whistle back startles him then, and later at other times, too. The boy dreams about Robbie and wakes up thinking a little baby with cold feet is there. One day, when his grandmother is away, a little baby with feet turned backwards stands inside the gate, wearing a straw hat. The boy knows it is a duenne, but he does not know the duenne is Robbie, until his grandmother tells him that his whistling has summoned his friend. The boy’s grandmother says Robbie was never baptized. She waits with holy water and baptizes Robbie when he appears and tells him he must now go home.

Connections Baptism. Death. Douen. Dreams. Fantasy. Feet, backwards. Friendship. Grandparents and grandchildren. Loss. Problem solvers. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Unfinished business. Women and girls, resourceful.

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157. PuT mI bacK where yo’ FInd mI Grace Hallworth, Cric Crac Trinidad and Tobago The baby is alone under a silk-cotton tree. The man picks it up gently, figuring he and his wife will care for it. However, as he carries the child home, his pity turns to horror. Not only is the baby rapidly gaining weight, but its open eyes are all white. Then the heavy child begins to squeeze the life out of him with hairy arms and legs and long, talon-like nails. His wife cannot pull the strange child off. The priest’s holy prayers cannot stop the creature from choking him, until the priest says they must pray to be forgiven for their sins. As the man’s tears fall on the creature’s body, it rasps, “Don’t hallow mi, down’t down mi/ Just put mi back where you find me.” The creature’s grip loosens as they struggle back to the silk-cotton tree. So weak now, the man falls on the ground. The creature again repeats for them not to make him holy, just to put him back, but it is growing smaller and smaller. The man can breathe again, and his wife cries with relief. When they reach the silk-cotton tree, the creature looks like a sleeping baby. The man lays it gently down. The teller cautions not to go looking for trouble.

Connections Baby, fantasy. Cat, fantasy. Cautionary tales. Combat with supernatural beings. Commands. Fantasy. Husbands and wives. Jumbies. Kindness. Mysteries. Prayer. Priests. Scary tales. Silk cotton trees. Size. Supernatural events. Teeth, frightening. Transformation. Voice, supernatural. Weight.

How Else This Story Is Told Cuban variation: Look at My Teeth!—Margaret Read MacDonald, Three-Minute Tales. The small baby keeps asking the man to look at his teeth, which appear frighteningly larger each time.

Trinidadian variation: The Jumbie of the Big Silk Cotton Tree—Gérard A. Besson, Folklore & Legends of Trinidad and Tobago. As Lastique is pedaling the baby he found to the hospital, it keeps getting heavier, and in a man’s voice threatens him to take it back to the silk cotton tree.

Saint Vincentian variation: The Baby at the Side of the Road at Night—Clement B.G. London, Caribbean Visions in Folktales. The baby a man picks up converses with a loud voice in the forest, before it grows terrifyingly large and heavy and blocks his way when he tries to take it back.

Variation from Saint Thomas: “Carry Me Back Where You Found Me!”—Florence O. Meade, “Folk Tales from the Virgin Islands,” The Journal of American Folklore. It’s a kitten that grows gigantic and threatening in this very short telling.

158. JumbIes Christine Barrow, And I Remember Many Things… Saint Kitts and Nevis

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Willis Taylor is walking the long distance home to Westbury from seeing his woman in Cox’s Village when a jumbie puts one foot on each side of the road to block him at Five Turnings. He turns his hat and shirt inside out to scare the jumbie, as they say you should. When that doesn’t work, Willie wonders aloud just how he is going to reach a village that’s in the opposite direction from his home. The jumbie sets off for that village immediately, and Willie runs the other way. Later, he hears the jumbie’s chain rattling outside, as it looks for him, but Willie is safe.

Connections Cleverness. Escapes. Fantasy. Jumbies. Outwitting supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Superstitions. Tricksters.

159. barKIng head Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part II (Print and online) African American People. Montserrat Each time the jumbies arrive to take the old lady, her little dog Bobbie barks to chase them away. She thinks Bobbie is trying to keep people from coming to visit her and cuts off his head. The head continues to bark at people, so she puts it in a hole and then a deeper hole, covered with dirt. Six jumbies come along dancing and singing. When she sees their ugly faces, she hollers for Bobbie, but it is too late. They cook her and move into her house and dance the jumbie dance.

Connections Combat with supernatural beings. Defense. Dog, fantasy. Head, talking. Human flesh. Jumbies. Misunderstanding. Murder. Noise. Supernatural events. Voice, supernatural.

160. The graVeyard JumbIes Lynn Jospeh, A Wave in Her Pocket (Print and online) African American People. Trinidad Tantie’s grandnieces and nephews fear the jumbies around Tantie’s lonely house near the graveyard. When the lights go out, she lights a candle and tells the children that there used to be other houses on that road, but people cleared too many trees where the jumbies liked to play. The jumbies kept causing mischief in one house after another, until people moved away. Tantie tells the children not to worry, for she has planted trees, and the jumbies fool around, but will not hurt them.

Connections Aunts and uncles. Cautionary tales. Coexistence. Ecology. Jumbies. Nieces and nephews. Pranks. Supernatural beings. Trees, destruction of. Warnings.

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161. GRANNIE AND THE JUMBIE: A C ARIBBEAN TALE Margaret M. Hurst African American People. Saint Thomas Emanuel doesn’t like all of the superstitious rules his grannie makes to keep him safe from the Jumbie. One day he goes ahead and walks on cemetery graves and plays with his shadow. His grannie is sure the Jumbie will take him away. Emanuel doesn’t think the Jumbie is real. Annoyed, the Jumbie is about to grab Emanuel’s head that night in bed when a big white hand stops him. It is Mista Mocko Jumbie, who scolds the Jumbie, saying the “chile” still has more growing up to do. After that, Emanuel always listens to his grannie, for as Mista Mocko Jumbie say, “Old age and wisdom go hand in hand.” Told partially in creole.

Connections Cautionary tales. Combat with supernatural beings. Disobedience. Fantasy. Grandparents and grandchildren. Humorous tales. Jumbies. Old age. Reprimand. Rescues. Superstitions. Warnings. Wisdom.

162. T HE HOUSE IN THE SKY (PrInT and onlIne) Robert D. San Souci African American People. The Bahamas Rabby may be lazy, but he is clever enough to find food for his family. His greedy brother Boukee pesters to come along. At dawn, they reach a house that sits on a cloud up high and watch as it floats to the ground. A spirit family exits, all large and hairy, with clawed hands, feet on backwards, and with a red-eyed dog. The house rises, and Rabby sings it back down. Magic words unlock the door. They enter. The house rises, and Boukee eats everything he finds, while Rabby fills his sack from the cupboards. Boukee is still eating, so Rabby sings the house down and leaves alone. Boukee is there in the sky when the spirits sing the house down. He hides under the bed. The spirit parents bring food to their little daughter on top. The food smells so good that Boukee reaches his hand up and tells her to “Give me some” and then, some more. The girl first tells her mama the food is for me. When she clarifies that it is for me under the bed, the mama and papa spirits drag Boukee out. He is trying to convince them he is not a thief, when the butter he put under his hat starts dripping. The spirits chase him around the house with boiling water. The friendly spirit daughter tells him the words to unlock the door. When Boukee gets out, the spirits’ dog chases him off the cloud, and he lands in a tree. Once home, Boukee tells Rabby it wasn’t a good idea to steal from others, and they start growing their own food.

Connections Bouki. Brothers and sisters. Changes in attitude. Dog, fantasy. Fantasy. Food. Friendship, supernatural. Girl, fantasy. Gods and spirits. Greed. Humorous tales. Laziness. Magic. Misunderstanding. Parents and children. Pursuit. Rabbits. Song, magic. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Theft. Words, magic.

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How Else This Story Is Told Bouki & Rabbi: The Sperrit House—Patricia Glinton, An Evening in Guanima: A Treasury of Folktales from the Bahamas. The Password: In the Sky—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Tales of Andros Island, Bahamas (Print and online). Told in creole. The Sperrit House—Merle Woods. In Zora Hurston, “Dance Songs and Tales from the Bahamas,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). When Bookie is discovered, he gets beaten by the sperrit father and breaks his neck when he is thrown out of the house, as it begins to rise. The Sperrit House—Portia Sands, Tell Me a Story (Online storytelling performance with video animation)

163. The bIg worm Charles L. Edwards. In Mary E. Lyons, Raw Head, Bloody Bones: AfricanAmerican Tales of the Supernatural African American People. The Bahamas A man sends his oldest boy out to look for some fire, since they have been eating only raw food. The boy comes to a worm full of fire and rudely orders it to give him some. The worm lures him closer and swallows him. When the first son does not return, the second son goes to look for him. He, too, gets swallowed by the worm and meets his brother down inside. The father takes his lance to look for them both. When he demands fire, the worm tells him in African to come closer and then swallows him, too. The father cuts the worm open with his sharp lance. All the people who have been swallowed by the worm come out and begin a city there. Adapted with some creole.

Connections Arrogance. Combat with supernatural beings. Commands. Fantasy. Fire. Manners. Parents and children. Rescues. Supernatural beings. Worm, fantasy.

Where Else This Story Appears De Big Worrum—Charles L. Edwards, Bahama Songs and Stories (Print and online). In creole.

164. The legend oF gashanamI David Brailsford, Duppy Stories Jamaica Gashanami, an enormous bull with fiery eyes, and his calves have been slaughtering everyone in their path. Most villagers fear to leave their huts. One beautiful maiden brings her clothes to wash in the river. She is singing as she works and suddenly sees the bull reflected in the water. He impales her and tosses her body into a tree before she can escape. The chieftain’s son, Quoa, decides this must end. Alone, he goes to track the bull. From the fork of a giant Cotton Wood tree, he sings out, naming relative after relative that Gashanami has slain, always ending, “you can’t kill me!” Each time he sings, the bull grows larger and charges at the tree, until finally the trunk begins to

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lean over, groaning. Quoa sings for the tree to bear up. The tree’s roots dig in. They battle for two days and two nights. Finally Gashanami drops, exhausted, and Quoa kills the bull with his axe.

Connections Bullies. Bull, fantasy. Combat with supernatural beings. Courage. Duppies. Fantasy. Generations. Heroes and heroines. Magic. Names. Perseverance. Revenge. Ridicule. Rolling Calf. Silk cotton trees. Size. Song, magic. Transformation. Tree, magic.

165. r azwIT m aKaK Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, Creole Tales from Haiti, Part II (Print and online) Haiti A snake caught in the fisherman’s net tells him that he will be rich if he marries her and accepts her child, without ever saying its ugly name. As soon as the fisherman agrees, a beautiful lady and a little boy appear in his boat, and fish begin jumping into his net. Snake’s son begs to go fishing with him one day, but the boy begins taunting his father and throws a large fish back into the sea. The fisherman is so angry he yells his son’s forbidden name aloud. The son says he will tell his mother. The fisherman is too upset to take them home, but he finally returns the boat to port. Snake says she warned him that the name Razwit Makak contains something which is too strong. She and her son run into the water before the man can catch them. He lives in his boat staring down at a woman in chains with a little boy crying on the sea bottom.

Connections Anger. Bargains. Fantasy. Fishermen. Loss. Mysteries. Name, magic. Parents and children. Reversals of fortune. Ridicule. Separation. Shape-shifters. Snake, fantasy. Supernatural spouses. Supernatural events. Transformation. Warnings.

166. ToewI and Kroemoe Petronella Breinburg, Stories from the Caribbean Curaçao One of Lilieth’s jobs as bridesmaid for her sister is to look for the lucky sign of two crows flying past. They represent a native girl who was transformed into the Queen of Crows and her husband, King Kroemoe. Long ago, a mysterious young warrior appeared to listen to Toewi sing as she did her chores each day. The warrior, wearing a headdress like a chief ’s son, watched silently, until the day Toewi threw a stone at some crows flying very close to her head. Then the warrior shouted for her to stop and turned into a large crow. He grabbed Toewi’s braid and flew away with her. Toewi called down for the children throwing stones at them to stop and has lived happily with Kroemoe ever since.

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Connections Animals and humans. Bird, fantasy. Captivity. Cautionary tales. Coexistence. Crows. Cruelty to animals. Fantasy. Evidence. Luck. Native American People. Punishment. Shape-shifters. Songs. Supernatural events. Tasks, challenging. Transformation.

Where Else This Story Appears In Faustin Charles, Under the Storyteller’s Spell.

How Else This Story Is Told Queen of the Crows—Amy Friedman, Tell Me a Story (Online print).

167. chIcK chIcK Gerald Hausman, Duppy Talk Jamaica Flora of Castle Gordon accuses the powerful obeah man, Chick Chick, of sending an evil creature onto her roof to kill her because she did not pay him when his magic failed to get her a passport to go to the U.S. She threatens to go to the police, and Chick Chick predicts that the creature will get her before she can do that. That night, her holy candle goes out and the cloth Flora has stuffed in a crack blows down. A flash of lightning shows her that a bufo, a poison toad too poisonous to even touch, is hopping towards her. There’s a sulfurous smell, but the bufo does not stop when she throws water on him and grabs a mop. Its glowing eyes hypnotize her. Flora cannot move as the bufo comes closer, but she sings an ancient song against evil creatures. Flora’s power rises as she sings, and she wills her shadow to become a hen which stabs the bufo with its sharp beak. Then it is morning. Months later Flora hears that Chick Chick disappeared, and a white hen was found on his throne.

Connections Bufos. Combat with supernatural beings. Obeah men and women. Poison. Revenge. Scary tales. Songs. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Toad, fantasy. Transformation. Women and girls, resourceful.

168. The case oF The InVIsIble Passengers Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! Haiti The taxi driver is reluctant to drive an elegant woman from Bois Vernat to the cemetery and charges her a high fee. Once there, he nervously waits. She soon returns, and he senses that two new people are now in the back seat. When the woman requests a ride home, he says he drove one person out and is now returning with three. She hands him more money and asks him to keep this trip secret. He does talk about his ghostly passengers, but never reveals her name or where she lives.

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Connections Cemeteries. Drivers. Fantasy. Fear. Journeys. Mysteries. Passengers. Secrets. Spirits and ghosts. Supernatural beings.

169. angels oF darKness Gerald Hausman, Duppy Talk Jamaica It’s after midnight when Tall T stops his minibus to pick up two barefoot girls in old-fashioned white nightdresses. His motor sputters, but the bus finally starts. The girls point up the hill to Castle Garden when he asks where they live. Tall T chatters to chase away his unease with the fog outside and silent girls inside. Light is coming from a shack at the top of the hill. He opens the bus door, and the girls run out to the old lady in a white nightdress, without thanking him, which bothers him some. His brother Tall-y says no one has lived at the top of that hill since an old granny burned in her house with two girls long ago. Tall T decides they must have been angels, and not duppies, since his minibus always starts right away now.

Connections Drivers. Fantasy. Gratitude. Kindness. Mysteries. Passengers. Spirits and ghosts. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events.

170. duKe oF lucK Gerald Hausman, Duppy Talk Jamaica Before Lucky Duke bleeds to death, he asks Tony to take care of his daughter. Tony promises, but wonders how he is going to do this, since he has no money, and has always been unlucky in life, not like Lucky Duke who could find hundred dollar bills while beachcombing and pass the Common Entrance Exam for high school. Tony enters the salty water at night as Lucky Duke lies on the beach. The sand Tony scoops up turns into precious pearls. He recognizes the hands filling his bag with pearls as Lucky Duke’s hands, before they turn back into his own. Tony is convinced that Lucky Duke was a Myal man, who has the spiritual power to bring good to others

Connections Fantasy. Friendship. Hands, fantasy. Kindness. Luck. Misfortune. Pearls. Promises. Reversals of fortune. Supernatural events. Transformation.

171. when I was alIVe I used To Play guITar Clement B.G. London, Caribbean Visions in Folktales Grenada

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Each night, Leo has been traveling two miles to serenade the girl he loves. Returning late one night, he hears and then sees a little old man playing a guitar on the bridge in front of him. The hauntingly beautiful music draws Leo close enough to ask the man where he has learned to play. Quite offhandedly, the old man shrugs that he played the guitar when he was alive. Shocked, as the words sink in, Leo takes off running toward home, but the old man, now no longer little and inexplicably angry, blocks his path in every direction. Then shrinking down, the old man sternly warns Leo that he owns the night. Leo promises not to bother the man again and receives permission to continue to travel this way to see his love.

Connections Bargains. Fantasy. Guitars. Journeys. Music. Musician, supernatural. Ownership. Scary tales. Size. Spirits and ghosts. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Transformation.

172. TeeTh lIKe These Florence O. Meade, “Folk Tales from the Virgin Islands,” The Journal of American Folklore Saint Thomas A policeman who wants to nap asks a man what time it is. The man shows him frightening teeth, and the policeman runs. Two more men he stops to ask, also show him their teeth. Better to not ask strangers questions after dark.

Connections Anansi. Cautionary tales. Fear. Questions. Scary tales. Supernatural beings. Teeth, frightening.

How Else This Story Is Told Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands: Broo Nansi and the Monster—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. Nansi flees from a monster with flaming eyes and sharp, shiny teeth in a double row, only to have the old man in the house he runs to show him the same sword-like teeth. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Teeth,” entry 455 (Suriname).

173. TIcKy-PIcKy b oom-boom Judy Sierra and Robert Kaminski, Twice Upon a Time (Print and online) Jamaica Anansi tells Tiger he can keep whatever yams he digs up, thinking that will be an easy way to clear his garden for flowers. It seems to Tiger, though, that as he digs, the yams are burrowing deeper down into the ground. Frustrated, Tiger whacks one yam into pieces with his machete. As he leaves, all the pieces of that yam come stomping after him: Ticky-Picky Boom-Boom, Ticky-Picky Boom-Boom-Boom! Tiger runs to Brother Dog’s. Brother Dog tells Tiger to hide behind him. However, when the yams arrive, Tiger nervously gives himself away. The yams chase after Tiger again. He also

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cannot keep quiet when Sister Duck and Mr. Goat try to hide him. Mr. Goat butts the pieces into the river, and he and Tiger feast on yam, without Anansi.

Connections Anansi. Bargains. Chant, magic. Defense. Fantasy. Fear. Frustration. Goats. Pursuit. Rescues. Scary tales. Secrets. Sounds, giving self away. Supernatural events. Talking animals and objects. Tigers. Voice, supernatural. Yam, magic.

How Else This Story Is Told Anansi the Lazy Spider—Winston Nzinga. In The Storyteller (Online performance video). Ticky-Picky Boom-Boom—Philip M. Sherlock, Anansi the Spider Man. Ticky-Picky Boom-Boom—Pamela Colman Smith, Annancy Stories (Print and online); and in Chim-Chim. In the end, Tiger cooks Breda Goat, who helped save him, along with the yams, which shows “How some people ungrateful!” Told in patois.

174. ThIngs ThaT TalKed Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World (Print and online) African American People. Nevis A man tells himself he’s not going to dig up the nuts he has planted until October. However, famine sends him to the field for food before then. His hoe says it will not dig, his basket refuses to carry, and his dog just laughs. Upset, the man is going to hit the dog with the hoe, but the hoe warns him that the dog will bite it. The man leaves them all there and flees from his field. He stops a man carrying wood on his head to tell him what just happened. The man scoffs at the farmer for running away over nothing, until his bundle of wood speaks up, too.

Connections Accusations. Bravado. Cautionary tales. Clothing. Dog, fantasy. Fantasy. Farming. Fear. Firewood, magic. Hoe, magic. Hunger. Peanut, magic. Pumpkin, magic. Talking animals and objects. Voice, supernatural.

How Else This Story Is Told Grenadian variation, African American People: The Things That Talked—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part I (Print and online). A pumpkin complains that the woman has said she wouldn’t pick it until fall. Told in Haitian Creole.

Nevisian variation, African American People: The Things That Talked—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Tales of Andros Island, Bahamas (Print and online); and in Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folktales. Told in creole.

Caribbean variation, country unspecified: Run, Run, Run—Christine Barrow, And I Remember Many Things…. The man starts running

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when his dog chastises him for digging up the nuts. Then the hoe protests that he shouldn’t hit the dog, who is telling the truth. When the basket of clothes on a woman’s head scolds her for belittling him, she runs along, too. They are joined by a man with a hoe. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “Broken Pledge: All Things Talk,” entry 231 (Suriname).

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Love 175. The legend oF The hummIngbIrd Pura Belpré, Once in Puerto Rico Taíno People. Puerto Rico The Taíno chieftain’s daughter Alida is surprised at the Pomarosa Pool by a young man Taroo, from the warring Carib tribe. He returns to see her often, and they fall in love. Someone tells her father, who commands that Alida marry the man he will choose for her, instead. Alida, though, would rather die and calls out to the god Yukiyú, who transforms her into a beautiful red flower. Taroo does not know why Alida no longer visits the pool. When the moon explains, but cannot tell him which flower she is, Yukiyú takes pity on Taroo and changes him into the many-colored Colibrí, a tiny bird who kisses all the red flowers, continually searching for his lost love.

Connections Birds. Chieftains. Colibrí. Conflict, cultural. Death, choosing. Defiance. Fantasy. Flowers. Gods and humans. Hummingbirds. Loss. Love, cross-cultural. Love, forbidden. Love. Moon. Mourning. Origin tales, appearance. Origin tales, behavior. Parents and children. Transformation.

Where Else This Story Appears In Lisa Sánchez-González, The Stories I Read to the Children.

How Else This Story Is Told The Legend of the Hummingbird—Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, Shake-It, Morena! The Legend of the Hummingbird—Michael Rose Ramírez (Print and online). The Legend of the Hummingbird / La leyenda del colibrí—Lisa Sánchez-González, Puerto Rican Folktales = Cuentos folclóricos puertorriqueños. In a longer, lyrical version for older readers, the Taíno cacique’s daughter is followed by her cousin and accused of having an affair with the Carib Tarú. Alelí thinks she may be pregnant, but the moon answers that the cramps she feels are part of a natural monthly rhythm. It is the goddess Atabey who takes pity and transforms the lovers. In English and Spanish.

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176. guanIna Lulu Delacre, Golden Tales: Myths, Legends, and Folktales from Latin America Taíno People. Puerto Rico Guanina, the niece of the Taino chief who first welcomed the Spanish to Boriquén, falls in love with Don Cristóbal de Sotomayor, a Spanish conquistador. But now, having heard that other chiefs, less friendly to the invaders, have planned to kill him, Guanina beseeches Don Cristóbal to hide. Don Cristóbal does not believe that the conquered natives are as angry as Guanina and his interpreter tell him, even though they have been enslaved to mine for gold. Don Cristóbal insists he will not run. He lets Guanina’s hostile brother Guaybana know that he will be moving to Villa Caparra and tells the interpreter who fears an ambush that it shows he is not afraid. Don Cristóbal promises to return for Guanina when things settle down. However, three hundred warriors led by Guaybana follow his trail, and Don Cristóbal falls in the bloody battle which ensues. Sensing the fatal blow, Guanina runs to Don Cristóbal and weeps. Her brother says to leave her to her pain now for sacrifice the next day. However, in the morning, Guanina is found dead beside Don Cristóbal. The lovers are buried together beneath a ceiba tree, where “it is said that white lilies and wild red poppies grow … every year, as if nature itself honors their love.”

Connections Colonialism. Combat. Conflict, cultural. Conquistadors, Spanish. Death, choosing. Defiance. Flowers. Loss. Love, cross-cultural. Love. Nieces and nephews. Origin tales, appearance. Silk cotton trees. Warriors.

How Else This Story Is Told Guanina—José Ramírez-Rivera, Puerto Rican Tales.

177. yuIsa and Pedro meJías / yuIsa y Pedro meJías Lisa Sánchez-González, Puerto Rican Folktales = Cuentos folclóricos puertorriqueños Taino People. Puerto Rico When an angered Taíno cacique kills the officer Sotomayor and the Spanish retaliate with massacres, the respected cacica Yuisa moves her village to safety and keeps an eye on the Spanish. During one scouting expedition she becomes intrigued by the graceful, dark-skinned man she sees bathing and singing in Spanish and returns to watch him play his oud on other mornings. Sometimes, he cries when he sings. Yuisa reaches out to this man, and they fall in love. Pedro Mejías is a Spanish viceroy’s servant, working to buy his sister out of slavery. Yuisa passionately fights her own council to trust this man whose mother was enslaved. The council allows Pedro to stay and marry Yuisa. Over twenty years, they have six children, and Pedro becomes an asset to the

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community, which is growing. A troubling dream of Pedro’s mother causes Yuisa to worry that they have been neglecting patrols, with preparations for an upcoming celebration. Pedro, Yuisa and their eldest daughter scout and spy a large platoon ready to raid. Yuisa sends her daughter back to warn their camp, but no one wants to flee, with the party all arranged. Yuisa and Pedro fight to hold the Spanish soldiers back on their own, but they are outnumbered. Rather than be captured, they throw their bodies into the rushing Cayniabón River. In English and Spanish.

Connections Chieftains. Coexistence. Colonialism. Colonists, Spanish. Combat. Conflict, cultural. Conquistadors, Spanish. Death, choosing. Defiance. Heroes and heroines. Leadership. Love, crosscultural. Love. Revenge. Women and girls, resourceful.

178. loVers’ leaP Eddie Burke, Water in the Gourd African American People. Jamaica The slave Kunu John, once a prince in Africa, has been kept on the steep bluff at Pedro Point watching day and night for pirate or enemy ships in the waters off Saint Elizabeth parish. But now, the plantation owner Mister Josiah Yardley has decided to sell him, knowing that Kunu John will cause trouble working in the fields. Over many nights, the quadroon house slave Tansy has sneaked out to visit with Kunu John, and they have vowed never to be separated. Kunu John assures her he will jump off the cliff, rather than be sold again in the Slave Market, and have to leave her. He shares his people’s story of how the Great Earth Mother told a grumbling Moon that her work is to give hope to brave people seeking freedom. Tansy refuses to leave him. The next morning, neither Tansy nor Kunu John can be found. An old woman says she saw two figures jump from the cliff and get swept up in a golden net and next appear walking on the Moon. Pedro Point has been called Lovers’ Leap ever since.

Connections Colonialism. Colonists, British. Death, choosing. Defiance. Desperation. Escapes. Freedom. Love. Oppression. Racism. Separation. Slavery. Slaves.

179. sencIón, The IndIan gIrl Lulu Delacre, Golden Tales Cuba Ascenión’s older parents have moved the family near Sagua la Grande far away from a suitor they disapprove of. But, Sención continues to meet the young man secretly. Discovering them together near the lagoon, her mother expresses hurt and anger. The young man quickly leaves, but when Sención slaps her mother for humiliating her, her mother exclaims that God will punish her. Sención’s right hand sticks to her mother’s

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face. The only way the medicine man can separate them is by cutting Sención’s hand off. Sención shows no emotion during the procedure and disappears straight into the lagoon afterwards. The hand remains on Sención’s mother’s face for the rest of her life. It is said that on the first Friday of a full moon Sención rises from the lagoon at midnight with gauze on one of her upraised arms, as if she begs for forgiveness.

Connections Anger. Curses. Death, choosing. Defiance. Disrespect. Fantasy. Gods and humans. Hands, fantasy. Love. Love, forbidden. Medicine men. Parents and children. Punishment. Remorse. Spirits and ghosts. Suitors. Supernatural events.

180. Tayzanne Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Velina’s friendship with the silver-golden fish at the spring begins when Tayzanne returns the girl’s ring, which has slipped off and then fills her bucket with cold, clear water. Annoyed that their mother complains that the water he brings back is not as sweet, her brother follows Velina. He reports back how Velina sings to call the fish up. Their mother is sure the fish is evil. Tayzanne warns Velina if three drops of blood appear on her breast, she will know her mother has killed him. The family sends Velina off to the market, and all go to the spring. Her brother sings to raise Tayzanne; their father kills him with his machete; and their mother cooks the fish back at home. Velina sees three drops of blood on her blouse. She runs to the spring and sings, but Tayzanne does not appear. On a chair outside their home, Velina cries and sings, and her brother cries out as her chair begins to sink into the tear-soaked ground. By the time their mother comes outside, Velina is so far down in the earth, her mother can only grab her hair, but Velina is gone. With music and lyrics for Velina’s song in English and Haitian Creole.

Connections Betrayal. Brothers and sisters. Cautionary tales. Death, choosing. Deceit. Defiance. Fantasy. Fish, fantasy. Forgiveness. Journeys. Loss. Love, interspecies. Love, forbidden. Maman Dlo. Mermaids. Mourning. Murder. Origin tales, appearance. Parents and children. Secrets. Songs. Supernatural lovers. Supernatural events. Talking animals and objects. Transformation. Underwater realms.

How Else This Story Is Told Bahamian variation, African American People: De Girl an’ de Fish—Charles L. Edwards, Bahama Songs and Stories (Print and online). In creole, with music. The girl cries herself to death after Pa kills the fish.

Haitian variations, African American People: Amen and Bablassen—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, Creole Tales from Haiti, Part II (Print and online). Amen sinks into the ground and meets Bablassen under the sea. They become

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wealthy in Port-au-Prince and forgive her parents, who show up, begging. The story ends with this advice: “When someone is to marry, let him marry: if it is good, so much the better, if it is not good, he will remain with his bad lot.” Mr. Tezeng—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, Creole Tales from Haiti, Part II (Print and online). After the mother forbids the girl to meet Mr. Tezeng, the Mistress of the Water turns him into a fish so they can marry. He transforms into a man as her father slices him with his machete, and the girl dies of a broken heart. Taizan, My Dear Friend—Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! The father thinks there is no harm in his daughter’s love for a fish, but when the girl finds Taizan dead, she is transformed into the first mermaid. Tésin, My Good Friend—Philippe Thoby-Marcelin and Pierre Marcelin, The Singing Turtle and Other Tales from Haiti. After Roxane sinks into the earth in grief, she comes to a palace, where a young prince embraces her and tells her how he has been under a witch’s spell, which she broke by following him alive into the land of the dead. Tezen—Bob Lapierre, Bouki and Malis. Tezeng—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, Creole Tales from Haiti, Part II (Print and online). Naomi’s mother does not want her daughter to marry an animal and tells her husband that a witch has put a spell on their daughter to catch her soul.

Jamaican variation, African American People: The Girl and the Fish—George Webbe Dasent. In Mary Pamela Milne-Home, Mamma’s Black Nurse Stories (Print and online). The voice of the dead fish tells the girl to take his heart to the river. She does and sinks down to a beautiful place where she finds her lover and becomes the first mermaid.

Trinidadian variation: Lord of the Deep—Rita Cox. In Dan Yashinsky, Tales for an Unknown City. Violet’s tears carry her into the river, which still sings her lament about no longer being able to bring up clear water. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Swordfish,” entry 357 (Venezuela).

181. m addy glassKer Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Tales from Andros Island, Bahamas (Print and online) The Bahamas The yellow-tail is the first fish Jack has caught all day, and when it falls back into the water, he swims after it for hours until he comes to a little island. A voice guides him to enter the house there. Food appears when he wishes for dinner, and he stays for a week. Appearing in a dream, Jack’s mother tells him to see who has been making his life there so pleasant. He wakes at midnight to find a beautiful woman in his bed. “Maddy Glassker the glory of the world” is written in gold across her chest. His candle drips, and she disappears. Jack is sad to have lost both the fish and this lovely woman.

Connections Dreams. Fantasy. Fish, fantasy. Fishermen. Loss. Mysteries. Sadness. Supernatural lovers. Supernatural events. Voice, supernatural. Yellowtail fish.

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182. mermaId Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! African American People. Haiti One night at the beach, a mysterious lady with long hair suddenly appears out in the water. Unafraid, Zoulow walks straight into the sea towards her, leaving his five friends on shore. The woman seems to recede as he approaches, until deep water covers his head. The friends watch until both disappear under the water. Their feet become too heavy to move. Once they can reach the village, the men do not fish in that part of the sea for a long time. Zoulow reappears three months later. He tells them that the lady, a mermaid, called his name three times and brought him to her underwater home. They were happy, and he does not know why she sent him back.

Connections Enchantment. Fantasy. Journeys. Love, interspecies. Mermaids. Mysteries. Rejection. Seduction. Separation. Supernatural lovers. Supernatural events. Underwater realms. Water spirits.

183. caro Philippe Thoby-Marcelin and Pierre Marcelin, The Singing Turtle and Other Tales from Haiti (Print and online) Haiti Many women have died brokenhearted when they failed to break through the pensive sadness of the handsome ghost who sits near the spring at sundown. Now, Avélina tries to woo Caro. She cries, when he walks away, but brings rice pudding the next night. Caro looks at Avélina and sings with longing that as a ghost, he cannot eat. Avélina brings Caro other gifts, but he refuses them all. Weeping, she tells him that she wants to make him happy. The ghost sings that he loves her, too, but they cannot be together, for she is alive. Avélina asks if he would marry her if she died. Caro’s smile lights up his face. Avélina kisses him on the lips and dies. And Caro takes her to be his bride in the land of the dead.

Connections Death, choosing. Love, interspecies. Sacrifice. Seduction. Spirits and ghosts. Suitors. Supernatural lovers. Supernatural events.

184. bluebeard Florence O. Meade, “Folk Tales from the Virgin Islands,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) Saint Thomas

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The pirate Bluebeard gives his new wife, a Creole woman named Mercedita, the key to a casket, which he tells her only to open if he does not return in six months. Mercedita opens the casket right away, however, and discovers love letters to seven of her friends inside. Jealous, she obtains a potion from the obeah woman from Martinique and invites the women to tea at Bluebeard’s castle east of Charlotte Amalia. They all die going home, and Mercedita confesses. She is to be burned to death, to serve as an example to those who believe in sorcery, when Bluebeard’s ship arrives. He exchanges fire with the soldiers. However, there are no happy endings in this brief account. Some say, Bluebeard takes Mercedita to Havana, where she dies, heart-broken. Others say she dies in Bluebeard’s arms. The pirate himself is hanged by the British in Jamaica.

Connections Bluebeard. Charms and potions. Husbands and wives. Jealousy. Love. Murder. Obeah men and women. Pirates. Punishment. Revenge. Unfinished business.

185. The wIse FluTe Player Eden Khodra. In Kumar Mahabir, Caribbean Indian Folktales Indian People. Saint Lucia A boy who has moved to the city for work buys a baasuri, a bamboo flute, which he plays for pleasure. The princess is entranced by his beautiful music. She thinks she may love him as well, but marries another. However, hearing his music again after she is married, she tells the flute player that she loves him. He wants her to chop down her husband’s favorite golden apple tree as a true test of her love. When she does, he harshly counters that he cannot trust someone who would hurt someone else for him. She weeps with remorse, and the flute player tells her to hold the broken part of the tree to the trunk and chant a mantra over it. She is frightened that this may not work, but she chants the mantra. The tree revives, but the scar where it was cut never heals.

Connections Allegories and parables. Betrayal. Cautionary tales. Evidence. Flutes. Healing. Husbands and wives. Infidelity. Love. Music. Princes and princesses. Punishment. Remorse. Scars. Selfishness. Tests. Trust.

186. a g ood FrIend Arnaud Subratie. In Kumar Mahabir, Caribbean Indian Folktales Indian People. Jamaica The raja’s son asks his friend the haji’s son to accompany him to see his young wife, who still lives with her parents, as they were married when they were children. Once there, the raja’s son wants his friend to sleep in the same house with them. During her husband’s absence, she has fallen in love with the gardener. In the night, the haji’s son sees his friend’s wife leave and follows her to the gardener’s house. The gardener sends

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her away, saying she has come too late at night. The next night, her husband delays her even more, and the gardener says he will be leaving, for she must not really love him. The haji’s son laughs, thinking this is just what his friend’s unfaithful wife deserves.

Connections Betrayal. Friendship. Husbands and wives. Infidelity. Justice. Loyalty. Love. Rajas. Witnesses.

187. The Voyage below The waTer Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire and Other Haitian Tales African American People. Haiti Bordeau withdraws from his children and friends after his wife’s burial. Even holding the last mourning prayers seems meaningless without her. The Vodoun priest walks into the river with his sacred beaded rattle to try to speak with her underwater, where she now lives with the ancestors. Three days later, the priest emerges and reports that Bordeau’s wife requested that he tell Bordeau that she is touched by his mourning for her, but that he is alive and must start to live again. When the priest hands Bordeau the gold earring she has sent back for him, Bordeau accepts her message. He calls for the drummers to play, so the last prayers, the feast, and the dancing can now begin.

Connections Advice. Changes in attitude. Death. Despair. Evidence. Funerals. Houngans. Husbands and wives. Journeys. Life, acceptance of. Loss. Love. Mourning. Prayer. Separation. Supernatural events. Underwater realms.

Where Else This Story Appears Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore.

How Else This Story Is Told The Voyage Below the Water—Anita Stern, World Folktales.

188. The wIdow who VanIshed Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) Haiti A husband who has sheltered his wife from doing any work dies, and she is lost, trying to cope on her own. He always treated her like a princess, and she decides she needs him back. She sings and digs in the garden, blaming him for dying, wanting to find him. The hole she digs in the soft ground grows deeper until she enters it entirely. Told in Haitian Creole and English.

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Connections Accusations. Death, choosing. Husbands and wives. Loss. Love. Mourning. Quests. Songs. Supernatural events.

189. Pérez and m arTIna Pura Belpré Puerto Rico A pretty cockroach, proud of her Spanish heritage, buys face powder with the peseta she discovers while sweeping. As Martina sits on her balcony, a cat, a rooster, a duck, and other animals propose marriage one by one. She asks each to show how they will talk after they are married and rejects the raucous and harsh sounds of their voices. Then the mouse Pérez charms Martina with the sweetness of his singing. They marry and live happily together, until Martina leaves a pot bubbling on the stove, and Pérez, seduced by the tantalizing smell, leans too far over to fish out an almond and falls into the pot. Heartbroken after Pérez’s death, Martina put on her mantilla and sings ever afterward, like her husband used to do.

Connections Accidents. Cockroaches. Death. Healing. Husbands and wives. Loss. Love, interspecies. Mice and rats. Mourning. Music. Rescues. Songs. Soup. Suitors. Tests. Voices. Women and girls, resourceful.

Where Else This Story Appears In Lisa Sánchez-González, The Stories I Read to the Children.

How Else This Story Is Told Puerto Rican variations: Mousie Perez—J. Alden Mason and Aurelio M. Espinosa. In William Bernard McCarthy, Cinderella in America. After her beloved husband drowns, Martina marries another mouse just like Perez. Perez and Martina—Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes. Pérez and Martina / Perez y Martina—Lisa Sánchez-González, Puerto Rican Folktales = Cuentos folclóricos puertorriqueños. This telling adds descriptive details, such as Martina’s being shaped “with curves like the guitar she plays on late afternoons on her porch” plus a grisly depiction of how the smell of meat cooking leads her to find Pérez floating in the soup. In English and Spanish.

Caribbean variation, country unspecified: La Cucaracha Martina: A Caribbean Folktale—Daniel Moreton (Print and iconographic DVD).

Versions where Perez does not drown: Cuban variation: Martina, the Little Cockroach—Lucía M. González, Señor Cat’s Romance (Print and online). The king sends doctors to restore Ratocinto Pérez, after hearing Cucarachita Martina’s beautiful song about the story of their love.

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Cuban and Puerto Rican variation: Martina the Cockroach and Pérez the Mouse / La cucarachita Martina y el raton Pérez—Rueben Martínez, Once Upon a Time: Traditional Latin American Tales = Había una vez: cuentos tracicionales latinoamericanos. After their marriage, Martina dances through her days to the little mouse’s singing, and no one falls in the soup. In English and Spanish.

Puerto Rican variation: Little Cockroach Martina—Judy Sierra,The Flannel Board Storytelling Book (Print and online). This retelling for the very young cheerfully ends with the marriage of Martina and Perez and includes flannel board patterns.

Caribbean variation, country unspecified: Martina Martínez and Pérez the Mouse—Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, Tales Our Abuelitas Told. Martina’s aunt pulls Raton Pérez out of the soup in time. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Mouse and the Ant,” entry 322 (Mexico).

190. owl Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Owl is certain that the girl who visits him at night would not like him if she could see how ugly his face is by day. Her mother wants to meet this friend, and so she invites him to a dance at their house on Sunday afternoon. Insecure, Owl asks his cousin Rooster to come along, but then sends the elegantly dressed Rooster on ahead, with word that Owl has had an accident. Owl arrives after dark with a hat pulled down low to cover his face. He asks Rooster to crow at daybreak. Owl dances with the girl and dances well, but, worriedly keeps running off to check for light. Finally Rooster crows. The girl’s mother pulls off Owl’s hat to see his face, and Owl flees. The girl runs after him, intrigued by her friend’s fierce handsomeness, but Owl is gone. When he does not return, the girl waits and then marries Rooster, remembering Owl sometimes. With music and lyrics for Owl’s song in English and Haitian Creole.

Connections Appearance. Betrayal. Disguises. Identity. Love. Owls. Roosters. Self-esteem. Suitors.

Where Else This Story Appears In Amy L. Cohn, From Sea to Shining Sea (Print and online). On The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folktales, Vol. 1 (Audio CD).

How Else This Story Is Told Mr. Hibou in Love with Angeline—Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! Still insecure, Mr. Hibou fails to show up on the wedding day, and Mr. Rooster takes his place. Night Owl and the Rooster—Charles Reasoner. This one has a happier ending, and includes an afternote on the importance of drumming in Haitian culture. The owl’s rooster friend is ready to betray him to keep the lady swallow for himself, but she prefers her friendship with the night owl.

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Why Owl Comes Out at Night—Janet Palazzo-Craig. A simpler version of Reasoner’s title above, also illustrated by Reasoner.

191. The T wo d onKeys Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online) Haiti During one dry season, two affectionate donkeys, male and female, decide to become human and separate temporarily to have food for the next six months. The female donkey woman marries a farmer who has fallen in love with her. When she does not return with the rainy season, the man, who has changed back into a donkey, searches for her in each town. As soon as Anne, the female donkey woman, hears him call her name, her transformation back into a donkey begins right there in the house. The farmer is baffled when he hears crashing and sees a donkey take off for the mountains with another donkey. His wife is gone, and the dishes are smashed. The cautionary moral of this story stresses the importance of not rushing into marriage without a “proper” engagement where you also meet your future bride’s relatives.

Connections Cautionary tales. Donkey, fantasy. Fantasy. Farmers. Humorous tales. Hunger. Husbands and wives. Identity. Loss. Love. Quests. Separation. Transformation.

Where Else This Story Appears On The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folktales, Vol. 1 (Audio CD).

How Else This Story Is Told Two Loving Donkeys: Fido and Fifi—Clement B.G. London, Caribbean Visions in Folktales.

192. The FoolIsh FIsh Doolarie Jagan. In Kumar Mahabir, Caribbean Indian Folktales Indian People. Jamaica Heavy rainfall causes the river to flood, which washes away the home of the male fish Rina Machri and the female, Rini Machri. The Rina Machri tells his wife that they should turn back, for the water is too shallow where they are. She tells him that she will stay. The Rina Machri leaves without her. As the river dries up and other animals start to feed on her, the stranded and doomed Rini Machri regrets not listening to her husband’s advice.

Connections Allegories and parables. Arguments. Cautionary tales. Choices. Death. Fish. Floods. Husbands and wives. Misfortune. Prey. Remorse. Separation. Survival.

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Courtship 193. The gIrl m ade ouT oF buTTer Elsie Clews Parsons, “Folk Tales of Andros Island, Bahamas,” Memoirs of the American Folklore Society (Print and online) African American People. The Bahamas The boys who come courting do not know that the daughter they woo is made out of butter. Her mother usually keeps the boys from getting too close on the bench and keeps her daughter’s skin cool with water. This one day, however, she is involved with cooking and forgets. The girl sings a chant to remind her: “Momma, come wash my skin!/Move off, Tom! Move off, William!/Till my momma has washed my skin.” Her mother doesn’t come, and the girl starts melting from the head down. She keeps singing and melting. Suddenly her mother remembers and runs outside. The boys are gone, and only a pool of melted butter remains.

Connections Accidents. Anatomy. Butter. Destruction. Fantasy. Food. Girl, fantasy. Heat. Identity. Loss. Parents and children. Requests. Secrets. Songs. Suitors. Supernatural events.

Where Else This Story Appears In Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple, Mirror, Mirror: Forty Folktales for Mothers and Daughters to Share (Print and online).

How Else This Story Is Told The Girl Made of Butter—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online).

194. M ARTINA THE BEAUTIFUL COCKROACH Carmen Agra Deedy Cuba Now twenty-one days old, Martina Josefina Catalina Cucaracha is ready to marry, and Abuela, her grandmother, wants her to give prospective suitors the Coffee Test. Abuela says it will show Martina now, before she is married, how each one reacts when coffee is spilled on his shoes. Pretending it is an accident, Martina spills coffee on the shoes of the rooster, the pig, and the lizard, who become mean and angry in their own ways. Just as Martina is fretting that no one will pass the test, Abuela suggests she speak with the little garden mouse. Martina likes Pérez and doesn’t get angry when he spills coffee on her first. That is when Perez tells her, he, too, has a Cuban grandmother.

Connections Accidents. Accusations. Anger. Cockroaches. Coffee. Grandparents and grandchildren. Humorous tales. Mice and rats. Reactions. Suitors. Tests. Women and girls, resourceful.

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195. JacKass’ m arrIage Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi Jamaica Helen finds fault with every local village suitor. Broo Nansi dresses up to woo her, but he is beaten when her brother exposes Nansi’s identity. Jackass laughs at Nansi, so now Nansi wants to get back at them all. He flatters Jackass, praising him as a greater gentleman than himself. Jackass falls for it and dresses up to woo Helen. She marries him … only to be dismayed when he bites and kicks her, as Jackasses do. When Helen sings to her brother that Jackass has bitten her, Downiwar puts a rope around Jackass and leads him away. The narrator says this is what happens to girls who are too picky and to the jackasses they marry.

Connections Allegories and parables. Anansi. Animals and humans. Appearance. Arrogance. Brothers and sisters. Cautionary tales. Comeuppance. Disguises. Donkeys and mules. Flattery. Humorous tales. Identity. Laughter, mocking. Manners. Revenge. Suitors. Tricksters.

196. TIger becomes a rIdIng horse Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica Anansi boasts to a young lady whom he and Tiger are both courting that Tiger is just like his father’s old riding horse. Tiger storms over to ask Brer Anansi to tell the young lady that it is a lie. He finds Anansi moaning, pretending to be sick. Tiger wants Anansi to tell her that he is better than a riding horse. Anansi says perhaps he could go if Tiger helps him sit up, but then he pretends to be dizzy, so Tiger says he will carry Anansi on his back. The next thing, Anansi has Tiger wearing a saddle so he can hold on, and then tricks him into wearing the bridle, too, so Anansi doesn’t fall off. Anansi also has reasons for taking his horsewhip and spurs. This is how they ride to the lady’s house, with Anansi holding onto the reins and whipping Tiger. He calls out that he was telling the truth about Tiger being like an old riding horse. Tiger, totally mortified, runs off.

Connections Anansi. Appearance. Bouki. Cats. Competition. Evidence. Horses. Humiliation. Humorous tales. Illness, pretense. Lies. Lions. Passengers. Rabbits. Status. Suitors. Tigers. Tricksters. Truth. Tukuma. Tumblebugs. Turtles and tortoises. Witnesses.

How Else This Story Is Told Barbadian variation, African American People:

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Rabbit Makes Monkey His Riding Horse—Elsie Clews Parsons, “Barbados Folklore,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). Told with some creole.

Grenadian variation, Maroon People: Czien and Tigre—In Emory Cook, Grenada Stories and Songs (Online audio file). Told in English patois.

Haitian variation, African American People: How Malice Rode Bouqi as a Horse—François Marcel-Turenne des Prés, Children of Yayoute (Print and online). Malice embarrasses Bouqui in front of his girlfriend.

Jamaican variations, African American People: Anancy and Tiger—Joan Andrea Hutchinson, Anancy and Aunty Joan (CD audio and online at iHeart Radio and YouTube). Told in patois. Anancy and Tiger—Peter-Paul Zahl, Anancy Mek It. Told in patois. Annancy an’ Tiger Ridin’ Horse—Pamela Colman Smith, Annancy Stories (Print and online). In patois. Brer Nansi an Brer Tumble-Bug—David McLaughlin. In Laura Tanna, Jamaican Folk Tales and Oral Histories. Anyone who guesses both of the king’s daughters’ names will get to marry one, and Brer Anansi gets Bug out of the competition by proving that Bug is his riding horse. In patois. The Courting of Miss Annie—Grace Hallworth, Listen to This Story. The Last Laugh—Vic Parker, Traditional Tales from the Caribbean. Me Fada’s Bes Ridin Haws—Nehemiah Williams. In Laura Tanna, Jamaican Folk Tales and Oral Histories. Told in patois, with Bredda Nansi riding Bra Tiga. Rabbit’s Horse—Susan Kantor, An Illustrated Treasury of African American Read-Aloud Stories. Rabbit tricks Tiger into carrying him. The Story of Anansi and Tiger—Mary Pamela Milne-Home, Mamma’s Black Nurse Stories (Print and online). In patois. “Tacooma A Me Fadder Ole Ridin’ Harse”—Wona, A Selection of Anancy Stories. Anancy rides his friend Tacooma here to embarrass him before his fiancée. With patois in the dialogue.

Nevisian variation: Cat Races on Turtle’s Back—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part II (Print and online). Cat and Turtle both want to marry the same girl, but Cat wins the race.

Puerto Rican variations: Rabbit rides Tiger in all of these. Compae Rabbit’s Ride—Rafael Ramírez de Arellano. In Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online). The Rabbit and the Tiger—Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes (Print and online). A medley, in which Rabbit humiliates Tiger over and over. Rabbit’s Riding Horse—Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss, Through the Grapevine: World Tales Kids Can Read and Tell (Print and online). The Tiger and the Rabbit—Pura Belpré, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales. At the end of a medley where Rabbit keeps outwitting Tiger, Rabbit shows Fox that Tiger is not as intelligent as Fox thinks.

Variation from Los Bajos, Trinidad and Tobago: Lion as Monkey’s Best Riding Beast—Leslie Ottley. In J.D. Elder, Ma Rose Point.

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Variation from St. Thomas, African American People: Anancy Makes Tukoma His Riding Horse—Florence O. Meade, “Folk Tales from the Virgin Islands,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). Briefly told.

West Indian variation, country unspecified: Anansi’s Old Riding-Horse—Philip M. Sherlock, West Indian Folk-tales (Print and online). Tiger walks on two legs to show off, until Anansi humiliates him.

197. PuT ThaT m an To bed Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online) Haiti Each time Chofi tries to get water from the spring, a snake hisses at her. A man agrees to kill the snake for the “something else” Chofi says she will give him. She does not tell her mother when the man shows up that night singing for Chofi to give what she promised. Her mother instructs her to let him in the gate. He sings his way inside the house, into her bedroom, and into her bed. Her mother is sure he must be cold and yells for Chofi to warm him up. The man hugs Chofi, and she turns out the light, and all is quiet.

Connections Bargains. Bawdy tales. Compassion. Deceit. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Misunderstanding. Parents and children. Punishment. Requests. Seduction. Songs. Tasks, challenging. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Diyote—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). Mary realizes that the man who has chopped wood for her and her mother is faking his injured foot and making demands for care in order to steal from them. In Haitian Creole and English. Dominã / Dominan—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). When the handsome young man injures his foot cutting wood for her and keeps singing his complaints, Dominan does more and more for him, finally inviting him into her bed. The next day he is ready to leave, but she says that now he must stay on, as her husband. In Haitian Creole and English. Dede Agastin / Dayday Agastin—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). Concerned about thieves, a husband instructs his beautiful wife not to open the door after sunset for the three days he will be gone on business. Injured by a tree trunk cutting wood for her, a young man sings his way to stay in her yard, into her house, and finally into her bed. She can finally sleep, but her husband arrives and shoots them both. In Haitian Creole and English. Loyiz / Loyse—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). The King’s son falls in love with My Beauty’s daughter and offers to chop wood for them, which he has never done before. He accidentally cuts his foot, and in the night he sings that he needs to be inside and then that he needs more and more. “Do you know that they got married?” In Haitian Creole and English.

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198. anancy and looKIng For a wIFe James Berry, Spiderman Anancy (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica Anancy has made up his mind to get married, but has not found a wife to accept him yet. When Miss Flame answers his greeting, Anancy gets excited and invites her to visit him. Miss Flame crackles that she will if Bro Nancy prepares a path of dry sticks, leaves, and grass from the woods all the way through the village to his door. The next day Anancy makes that long trail for Miss Flame, singing and dancing with expectation. Miss Flame comes devouring the trail, helped by the wind, and has become BlazingFire by the time she reaches Anancy’s yard. Frightened, Anancy yells that he has changed his mind, but she keeps on coming closer. Anancy struggles to redirect the path to the stream, where bit by bit the fire drowns. Since that day, water has been used to stop fires, and Anancy is still searching for a wife.

Connections Anansi. Breeze (Character). Crooky. Destruction. Dry Grass (Character). Fire (Character). Flirting. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Origin tales, behavior. Paths. Requests. Suitors. Tricksters. Water.

How Else This Story Is Told Anancy an’ Fire—Louise Bennett, Anancy Stories and Dialect Verse. Told in patois. Dry-Grass and Fire—Walter Jekyll, Jamaican Song and Story (Print and online); and as “Brother Annancy Fools Brother Fire” in Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online). Annancy tricks Brother Fire and his friend Breeze into burning Tiger’s clothesline instead of his own. In patois. Fire and Anansi—Henry Spence. In Martha Warren Beckwith, Jamaica Anansi Stories (Print and online). Anansi invites Fire to come see him over his wife’s objections, and their house burns down. A short telling, in patois. The Problem I Had with Fire—David Brailsford, Confessions of Anansi. Anansi’s wife Crooky does not want him to invite his friend Fire over to visit, but Anansi lays down a trail of dry plantain skins for Fire to follow to the door. Crooky escapes out the back in time, but Anansi burns up with the house. Sista Dry Grass & Sista Fire—Everal McKenzie, Anancy Stories. Anancy tries to make peace when Sista Dry Grass hurts Sista Fire’s feelings by saying no one invites her to their house, but neither he nor Crooky wants their grass to burn. Water is there the first time, and luckily, when Sista Fire returns with Breeze’s help, haughty Tiger’s clothesline is right nearby. Told in patois.

199. m aKIng The sTone smoKe Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World (Print and online) African American People. Saint Vincent Massa King is reluctant for his daughter to marry and announces that whoever can dance the large stone in the yard into smoke will win his daughter’s hand. Many men dance hard on top of the stone, but it never smokes. Then, little Compé Anansi

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shows up in a coat with especially deep pockets, which hold hidden ashes. He looks so funny Massa King laughs, but when Anansi starts singing and dancing, the king cannot help but join in. Anansi’s feet and arms are flying. Each time Anansi slaps his pockets, ashes fill the air, so many ashes that Massa King cannot see him anymore. He is certain Anansi has made the stone smoke.

Connections Anansi. Ashes. Competition. Dancing, cannot stop. Humorous tales. Kings and queens. Music, swept away by. Suitors. Tricksters.

Where Else This Story Appears In The Man-of-Words in the West Indies.

200. young heron’s new cloThes / l a roPa nueVa del JoVen garza Joe Hayes, Dance, Nana, Dance = Baila, Nana Baila Cuba Anansi the spider’s beautiful daughter dislikes Young Heron’s speckled brown feathers. His friend Duck offers to loan him his pretty clothes and teaches Young Heron a special song which will remove the feathers for safekeeping if Young Heron plans to go into the river. Anansi’s daughter is much more interested in Young Heron dressed in Duck’s clothes. Her pesky little brother, however, starts singing the song and Duck’s feathers start falling off in front of his sister. Young Heron flees to another room. When Anansi’s daughter peeks in, though, Young Heron is magnificent, dressed in the pure white of grown birds. They marry, and all the white feathers stay on when Anansi’s daughter’s brother sings. In English and Spanish.

Connections Appearance. Birds. Brothers and sisters. Clothing. Competition. Fantasy. Feathers. Friendship. Herons. Humorous tales. Identity. Laughter. Lizards. Love. Song, magic. Suitors. Transformation.

How Else This Story Is Told West Indian variation, country unspecified: Lizard and a Ring of Gold—Philip M. Sherlock and Hilary Sherlock, Ears and Tails and Common Sense. White Heron, Anansi, and Lizard are competing to make the King’s daughter laugh. She does smile to see how awkward Heron looks in fancy clothes, and to keep her from laughing so Heron wins, Lizard sings the magic song to make all of Heron’s special clothes fly off … but that makes Heron even funnier.

201. anancy, old wITch and KIng-daughTer James Berry, Spiderman Anancy (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica

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King-Wife has sworn all of the servants to keep her daughter’s name a secret as a test for the man who would marry her. Anancy has a plan to discover that name. He sends Bro Dog to steal the princess’s picnic cloth and hides. Running after Dog, the maid inadvertently calls out Princess Basamwe’s name. Anancy now brings a stolen piece of gold to Old Witch, for he needs her help getting fancier clothes and a carriage in order to appear before the princess. Old Witch does not let on that she knows the gold is stolen, but when Anancy enters the palace in style, singing out the Princess’s name, all of his finery vanishes. Mortified, Anancy crawls off as a spider to find Old Witch. He knows he has somehow angered her. Old Witch tells Anancy to hand the gifts he intended for the princess to the first three women he meets. He does, and the last woman becomes his wife.

Connections Anansi. Clothing, magic. Competition. Deceit. Dogs. Kings and queens. Magic. Name, guessing. Obeah men and women. Princes and princesses. Revenge. Righting a wrong. Secrets. Suitors. Tricksters. Witches.

Where Else This Story Appears In David Bennett, A Treasury of Witches and Wizards.

How Else This Story Is Told Anancy Wants a Money Marriage—Robert Hull, Caribbean Stories. The obeah-woman leaves Anancy standing in his underwear before the princess because he gave her a stolen coin for the clothes. He reminds himself he is “only Anancy … a no-money, no-wife spiderman.” Even then, however, Anancy is looking forward to trying to marry rich another time.

202. yung-Kyum-Pyung Walter Jekyll, Jamaican Song and Story (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica Annancy learns all three names of the king’s daughters after hiding a basket of fruit under the bed of one and hearing them call out to each other. Then he teaches musicians to play those names in a tune, for the King and Queen to hear. The King is so upset, he throws himself off the throne and dies, and Annancy reigns with the youngest daughter. “Annancy is the wickedest King ever reign. Sometime him dere, sometime him gone run ’pon him rope an tief cow fe him wife.” Told in patois, the music for Annancy’s song is also here with the lyrics.

Connections Accidents. Anansi. Betrayal. Cautionary tales. Humorous tales. Kings and queens. Leadership. Lizards. Monkeys. Name, guessing. Princes and princesses. Songs. Suitors. Tricksters.

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How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variation, African American People: Yung-Kyung-Pyung—Philip M. Sherlock, Anansi the Spider Man. Appalled that Anansi knows his daughters’ names, the King tells him to take what treasures he wants from the palace and to leave the country. As for his musician friends who played the daughter names, Crow gets gold; Bullfrog silver; and Rat marries the King’s youngest daughter Yung-Kyung-Pyung and lives in the palace, on the condition he never play the drums again.

Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands, African American People: Broo Nansi and Broo Monkey’s Daughter—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. Ground Lizard tells his friend Nansi the secret name of Broo Monkey’s daughter, and so, Broo Nansi marries her. Later, though, Broo Monkey kills Nansi and accidentally kills their baby, too, when he overhears the trick in a song Broo Nansi is singing to his child. The moral here is that “killing a spider will also break whatever you are holding in your hands.”

203. wIll you m arry me? Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans African American People. Jamaica In this story which is sung as a ring game, a young soldier tells a young woman he is just home from the sea and asks her to marry him. She answers that she will not, if he just returned. He offers her a special rocking chair and then a bouncing ball that goes straight through the wall, but she refuses them both. She only says yes when he offers her the key to his money chest. He declares that she only wants his money, not him, and rescinds the marriage offer.

Connections Allegories and parables. Cautionary tales. Changes in attitude. Games. Gifts. Greed. Money. Motivation. Soldiers. Songs. Suitors. Tests.

How Else This Story Is Told Shine-Eye Gal—Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans. This game song warns not to spend money on shine-eye gal who wants everything she sees.

204. The albahaca PlanT Pura Belpré, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales Puerto Rico A King sees the carpenter’s eldest daughter watering the Albahaca Plant and asks her how many leaves it has. She runs inside, as does her bashful sister María. The youngest daughter, Pepita, answers with a riddle. She asks the King how many stars are in the sky. He rides away and returns disguised as a candy peddler who only want kisses for candy. Pepita recognizes his voice and gives him kisses, but she is ashamed when he returns as the King and asks how many kisses she gave. When the King falls ill,

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Pepita goes to see him disguised as a doctor on a donkey. She tells the King he will magically get well if he kisses the donkey’s tail three times. The King does and gets well. When he swings by the carpenter’s house, Pepita teases that she would rather kiss a candy seller rather than a donkey’s tail. The King realizes how clever she is and how happy they would be together, and they marry.

Connections Brothers and sisters. Cleverness. Disguises. Flirting. Healing. Humorous tales. Kings and queens. Questions. Riddles. Suitors. Tricksters. Women and girls, resourceful.

Where Else This Story Appears In Lisa Sánchez-González, The Stories I Read to the Children.

How Else This Story Is Told The Basil Maiden—Ramírez de Arellano. In William Bernard McCarthy, Cinderella in America. After the daughter cures the king, she must come to the palace neither dressed nor riding in a coach, on horseback, or walking … or the king will kill her and her father. The China Tree / El palo de china—Lisa Sánchez-González, Puerto Rican Folktales = Cuentos folclóricos puertorriqueños. The riddler here is a wealthy landowner’s son who writes poetry about the clever daughter every day. When he becomes ill, she pretends her mule is the physician, and afterwards, he woos her with a gold ring. In English and Spanish. The Clump of Basil—John Bierhorst, Latin American Folktales (Print and online). After Pepita gives the king a kiss for each piece of candy, she arrives dressed as Death. That is when she tells him he must kiss under the mule’s tail. The riddling king then asks her to come neither naked nor dressed and neither riding not walking. And she does. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The King and the Riddle / El rey y la adivinanza,” entry 348 (Chile).

205. The sTory wIThouT end Robert Hull, Caribbean Stories The Caribbean, country unspecified The Chief plans an impossible test for the person who will marry his only daughter—to tell him a story with no ending. All of the suitors make themselves the heroes of their own stories where they accomplish a great deed, and the stories end. The king doubts that the young stranger who arrives will succeed. In the stranger’s story, over and over, a woman comes out to shoo away another blackbird which has come to eat her bananas. Finally, the Chief has heard enough about blackbirds and bananas and concedes that this man has won.

Connections Chieftains. Cleverness. Competition. Storytelling. Suitors. Tests.

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Goodness Kindness and Friendship

206. The PrIze For The mosT loVIng hearT Patricia Glinton, An Evening in Guanima: A Treasury of Folktales from the Bahamas The Bahamas When their beloved King Blueshell holds a week-long contest to see which child of Guanima Island has the most loving heart, Nejmi’s siblings scoff that he is too little to help anyone. All of the children reach out, doing chores and good deeds to help their families and neighbors as the week begins. With time, however, most tire of the game and drop out. At the end of the week, Nejmi surprises his brothers and sisters by having something to tell the king. He speaks of the three times he planned to help someone out manually, but what the person wanted was something else instead. He listened to an older woman reminisce about her life, let a poor boy give him some of his bread, and walked slowly to accompany the boy with a broken leg. Nejmi wins the spot sitting beside the king, for King Blueshell says, “the most loving heart gives what is needed, and not what it needs to give.”

Connections Brothers and sisters. Compassion. Competition. Disabilities. Expectation, surpassing. Gifts. Kindness. Kings and queens. Listening. Perseverance. Perspective. Respect. Storytelling. Unselfishness.

207. The b oy who wanTed To FInd g od Chotoo Ramdeen in Kumar Mahabir, Caribbean Indian Folktales Indian People. Trinidad A queen who becomes poor after the king dies sends her three sons to pick cacao for fifty cents a day. When the youngest son keeps giving a beggar five of those cents, his mother angrily sends him away. The boy wants to ask God whether giving charity 129

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is bad. An alligator, a mango tree, and a king he meets request that he also ask God for answers to their troubles. Only one of two holy men who have food shares his roti with the boy, which leaves him sadly wondering if he will ever find God. Another sadhu, further on, delivers the boy’s four questions to God. The sadhu returns with praise for his kindness plus advice to pass on to the others who had questions. He tells the boy himself to wait patiently for God’s help with his own troubles. Two sadhus tell him the two sadhus he had met with food have been reborn, the generous one as a king’s son and the other as a hog. The boy delivers answers to the alligator and tree, who gratefully reward him with riches. The king proposes the young man marry his daughter, and he does, sharing rewards with the king and his mother, who now tells him kindness has made him “a greater man.”

Connections Alligator, fantasy. Anger. Banishment. Changes in attitude. Charity. Faith. Fantasy. Gods and humans. Gratitude. Kings and queens. Parents and children. Perseverance. Poverty. Questions. Quests. Requests. Reversals of fortune. Rewards. Sadhus. Tree, magic. Unselfishness. See also The Bird of Seven Colors, entry 436.

208. EL MAJOR REGALO DEL MUNDO: L A LEYENDA DE LA V IEJA BELÉN = T HE BEST GIFT OF ALL : T HE LEGEND OF L A V IEJA BELÉN Julia Alvarez The Caribbean, country unspecified The old woman, La Vieja Belén, works so hard taking care of her house that she never has time to sit down with visitors. Three kings arrive on camels one night under a bright star and ask if she knows of a king born in a stable nearby. She does not, but welcomes them to stay with her. They call her presence a gift and insist that she eat with them. La Vieja Belén does not leave with them, but afterwards, can think of nothing else but their search for the king. She rounds up food and toys to be a gift for the infant king and follows the star for three years. She never finds the three kings, but leaves a gift with each poor child who may be a prince or princess, and takes the time to listen to people’s stories. In Spanish and English.

Connections Christmas. Charity. Gifts. Hospitality. Jesus. Kindness. La Vieja Belén. Listening. Quests. Sadness. Kings, Three. Traditions. Women and girls, resourceful.

209. ATARIBA & NIGUAYONA (PrInT and onlIne) Harriet Rohmer and Jesús Gerrero Rea Taíno People. Puerto Rico Niguayona would love to be able to help heal his friend, Atariba, who has been

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very sick for a long time. When a macaw tells him Atariba needs fruit from the caimoni tree, Niguayona enters the forest that very night to find it. He prays to Yucaju for help and walks all the next day, picking some anona fruit in case he cannot find the caimoni. Coming to a wide river, Niguayona cries in despair for his friend. Only when he stops weeping does the anona fruit rise up to the sky to light his way and the river provide a ride on its back. On the far side, Niguayona finds the caimoni tree and rushes back with a fruit. Atariba revives, when Niguayona holds the red fruit, which villagers believe contains blood of the gods, to her lips. The two friends grow up to lead the Taíno people with compassion.

Connections Animal helpers. Bird, fantasy. Compassion. Despair. Fantasy. Friendship. Fruit, magic. Healing. Heroes and heroines. Illness. Journeys. Kindness. Leadership. Magic. Macaws. Perspective. Perseverance. Prayer. Quests. River, magic. Tears. Unselfishness.

210. moTher oF The waTers Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online) Haiti Afraid of her mistress’s anger, a mistreated young orphan cries, unable to find a tiny teaspoon the river has swept away. She kindly washes the rough back of an old woman who appears, and the woman heals her hands with spit and invites her home. The next day the girl follows the old woman’s instructions and makes a delicious stew from only one grain of rice, a bone, and one bean. She feeds the scrawny cat which begs for food, instead of beating it as the old woman has told her and happily stays for several months. When the old woman tells her that it is time to return home, the girl is worried, until she follows the old woman’s directions again and finds a new set of silverware hidden in an egg that calls out to her. The jealous mistress and her daughter demand to know where the silverware came from. The next day, the mother sends her own daughter to do what the orphan has done, but the daughter haughtily disparages the old woman and disregards all her instructions, except the one to beat the cat. The old woman tells the daughter to take an egg and leave. From the large egg this girl chooses come reptiles and demons that eat her up.

Connections Arrogance. Brothers and sisters. Calabash, magic. Cinderella tales. Changes in attitude. Comeuppance. Crabs. Cruelty to animals. Egg, magic. Fantasy. Greed. Hard-heartedness. Jealousy. Kindness. Kings and queens. Masters and mistresses. Mother Nature. Old woman, magical helper. Orphans. Parents and children. Punishment. Rewards. Servants. Spittle, magic. Stepparents and stepchildren. Transformation. Underwater realms. Virgin Mary.

How Else This Story Is Told Bahamian variation: The Just Reward—Patricia Glinton, An Evening in Guanima: A Treasury of Folktales from the Bahamas. How they help an old woman is the test for two daughters, whose poor mother tells them that their reward will be their natures.

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Barbadian variation: The Adventures of Rose Petal—Merlene Brathwaite. In Faustin Charles, Under the Storyteller’s Spell. Beautiful Rose Petal meets Mother Nature in the river bottom when she is sent back by her wicked stepmother to find a lost needle. When her greedy stepsister is swept away, the stepmother comes to appreciate Rose Petal’s kindness.

Belize variation: Tek Mi! Noh Tek Mi!—Myrna Manzanares. In Hazel D.Campbell, Tek Mi! Noh Tek Mi! After she breaks her stepmother’s water pot, the daughter seeks out the giant Tata Dohende and is helped by the giant’s grotesque wife, whom she treats kindly. With audio CD.

Cuban variation: Mariquita Grim and Mariquita Fair—John Bierhorst, Latin American Folktales (Print and online). When a fish carries off the liver of her pet pig Mariquita Fair has been cruelly sent to wash, the girl does favors for a dog and a little old man. She helps a little old woman, who is actually the Virgin, who leaves a shining star on Mariquita Fair’s forehead and a cockscomb on her arrogant stepsister’s. She eventually marries a prince.

Haitian variation, African American People: The Lost Silver Spoon—Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! A whole set of silverware the stepdaughter brings back from the first egg placates her stepmother’s anger about a missing spoon, but her unpleasant stepsister breaks open the second egg and is eaten by a dragon. The third egg brings a prince into the stepdaughter’s life.

Jamaican variations, African American People: Evil Stepmada—Adina Henry. In Laura Tanna, Jamaican Folk Tales and Oral Histories. A prince comes at the end for the mistreated stepdaughter who helps an old woman. Told in patois. Mother Calbee—Pamela Colman Smith, Annancy Stories (Print and online). Snakes, lizards, and centipedes come out of Mother Calbee’s calabash for the daughter who refuses to help her, whereas the kindly daughter marries the king. Told in patois.

Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands, African American People: Why Crab Walks Sideways and Has a Crack in His Back—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. The sister who helps an old lady scrub her back and remove jiggers from her feet is rewarded by being turned into a beautiful dove until she flies home. Her unfriendly sister is turned into a disagreeable crab, forever.

West Indian variation, country unspecified: How Crab Got Its Back—Grace Hallworth, Listen to This Story. A younger, kinder sister is rewarded with beauty by the old woman whose back she has scratched when asked. Her impatient older sister is transformed into a crab. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Two Marias,” entry 194 (Mexico).

211. a FIsherman and hIs d og Raouf Mama, The Barefoot Book of Tropical Tales Puerto Rico No one knows much about the old fisherman Don Manolito, only that they see him all the time with his dog Taino. Each day when Don Manolito leaves his hut at the

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edge of San Juan to go fishing, Taino walks with him to the edge of the sea and waits there for the fisherman’s return. One day, a storm hits after Dan Manolito has rowed off in his boat. Taino swims to a rock by the sea and waits for days, watching for Don Manolito to return. A fisherman rows over to rescue the dog, but Taino has turned to stone. The loyal dog of stone stands as a sign of powerful friendship.

Connections Animals and humans. Dog, fantasy. Dogs. Fishermen. Friendship, interspecies. Loss. Loyalty. Separation. Storms. Transformation.

Where Else This Story Appears In Pearls of Wisdom: African and Caribbean Folktales.

How Else This Story Is Told The Stone Dog—Pura Belpré, Once in Puerto Rico; and in Lisa Sánchez-González, The Stories I Read to the Children. The poor fisherman in this telling lives near the shore of the Condado Lagoon. His dog has a sixth sense about the impending danger and unsuccessfully tries to keep him from going out the day of the storm. The Legend of the Dog’s Rock—David Garcia, Fairy Tales of Puerto Rico. Amigo is the loyal dog of a lonely Spanish soldier, who nursed the stray back to health. For months, when Enrique was shipped to a nearby Spanish colony, Amigo waited on a reef. He turned to stone after news arrived that Enrique’s ship had been sunk in battle. Note: A coral rock formation in the shape of a sitting dog on a reef at the mouth of the Condado Lagoon in San Juan is celebrated as La Piedra del Perro, the stone dog of this legend.

212. The roosTer KIKIrIKI / el gallITo KIKIrIKI Elvia Pérez, From the Winds of Manguito = Desde los vientos de Manguito Cuba A man who takes care of his animals each day before he feeds himself has fallen terribly ill. His wife takes over caring for the animals, but Rooster Kikiriki is especially worried. He and all the other animals wish they could help. When the man’s wife leaves to search for the doctor, she asks Kikiriki to watch him while she is gone. The rooster paces back and forth between the farmhouse and the yard. The animals scream, frightened, when they see Death approaching with her scythe, but Death does not seem to hear. Kikiriki runs to block Death so she cannot reach the door. Every time Death tries to step forward, the rooster entangles himself in her skirts. Death finally leaves, and the little rooster sleeps in front of the master’s bedroom door. In the morning, the farmer’s wife returns with the doctor. The man recovers. From his bed, he had witnessed his rooster’s courage and gratefully brings Kikiriki to live with them inside. And when Kikiriki dies, the farmer places his feathers behind the front door, as a sign of honor and to ward off Death. In English and Spanish.

Connections Animal helpers. Bird, fantasy. Combat with supernatural beings. Courage. Death (Character).

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213. KeePIn secreTs Lila Linzer, Once Upon an Island (Print and online) Saint Croix Only Grasshopper sees lonely Goat pick up a bundle of something alive, which turns out to be Baby, whom he nurtures, happy to have the company. Baby thrives and begins to develop feathers and wings. Goat hasn’t really noticed that she is different from him. One day when he heads over to East End, Baby jumps up to reach a berry and discovers that she can stay in the air. Flying makes Baby happy and distresses Goat. She learns she is a bird, and Big Pelican carries her to the salt Pond to meet others like them. When she disappears, Goat worries that Baby may be in trouble, but then she returns with many birds, who settle down nearby. Now both baby and Goat have plenty of company, and Grasshopper appreciates the happy ending.

Connections Adoption. Autonomy. Babies. Birds. Changes in attitude. Coexistence. Fantasy. Flight. Friendship, interspecies. Goats. Identity. Kindness. Loneliness. Overprotection. Parents and children. Pelicans.

214. how d ocTor bIrd TaughT mouse To looK uP when he was FeelIng d own Gerald Hausman, Doctor Bird Jamaica When Mouse is dejected after a storm has filled his house with water and wrecked all the plants he eats, Doctor Bird tells him to look up. Mouse says that only works for birds, because he lives on the ground. When he does look up, though, he sees a large coconut at the top of a palm tree. Mouse anticipates all the problems he will have getting up there, chewing through its hard shell, and not falling into the coconut water inside. With Doctor Bird’s encouragement, Mouse does get through to the sweet coconut water. Along the way, he also discovers how to drink it … all from looking up.

Connections Allegories and parables. Changes in attitude. Disasters. Friendship, interspecies. Healing. Perseverance. Perspective. Problem solvers. Sadness. Storms.

215. The Three broThers and The m arVelous ThIngs Ricardo E. Alegría, TheThree Wishes Puerto Rico

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The first brother obtains a magic carpet by dressing a straw figure in his own clothes and then throwing a witch’s magic powder over it. The second brother tricks and slays the Snake-of-the-Marvelous-Eye and acquires the crystal lens that lets him see everything. The third brother hides in a deerskin, and an eagle flies him to his nest in a high mountain cave where he takes a fruit which cures all. Working together with these magical objects, the three brothers are able to heal an ailing princess. The grateful kingdom never can decide, though, which brother helped her the most.

Connections Brothers and sisters. Carpet, magic. Cooperation. Fantasy. Fruit, magic. Healing. Illness. Kindness. Lens, magic. Princes and princesses. Unfinished business. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Rarest Thing,” entry 346 (Guatemala).

216. The sTory oF The InVIncIble women / hIsTorIa de las InVencIbles

Elvia Pérez, From the Winds of Manguito = Desde los vientos de Manguito African American People. Cuba Two extraordinarily talented sisters follow separate paths after their parents die, promising always to love each other. Azul, a skillful warrior, is attacked as soon as she arrives in a kingdom across the sea. Although she was not looking to become queen, Azul defeats both armies fighting for the throne with focus and command. She gains the loyalty of both sides and is crowned queen. Graceful Ámbar applies her dedication to creating a paradise on a desert island. She works the earth, breeds animals, has a family, and values honest work and justice for all who live there. Jealous kings declare war, hoping to take over her prosperous kingdom. Queen Ámbar feels lost. She follows advice to request help from a queen known to have a magnificently trained army, without knowing who she is. Azul immediately recognizes the handwriting and comes swiftly and successfully to her sister’s aid. With joy at reuniting, the two pledge their kingdoms to share and support each other with what each does best. In English and Spanish.

Connections Allegories and parables. Brothers and sisters. Combat. Ecology. Farming. Heroes and heroines. Jealousy. Kindness. Kings and queens. Love. Loyalty. Partnership. Patakí (Tales). Peace. Perseverance. Promises. Rescues. Reunion. Sharing. Strength. Talents. Warriors. Women and girls, resourceful.

217. T HE FAITHFUL FRIEND Robert D. San Souci African American People. Martinique The plantation owner’s son, Clement, has fallen in love with Pauline from her portrait and brings his dear friend Hippolyte, the French tutor’s son he grew up with, across

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the island with him to request to marry her. Along the way to Macouba, they stop to give an old beggar a proper burial and continue on. Pauline likes Clement as much as he likes her, but her fierce uncle and guardian, Monsieur Zabocat, furiously opposes their union. He thunders that all three must leave. Hippolyte follows drumbeats in the woods that night and overhears three tall zombies discuss the evil spells which Pauline’s wizard uncle, quimboiseur Zabocat, has summoned them to cast on the lovers. Zabocat’s curse will turn Hippolyte to stone if he warns them, and so he runs interference to keep his friends from being poisoned without telling them why. On their wedding night, Hippolyte hides in the bridal chamber with a cutlass to kill the deadly snake he knows will be there. Everyone awakes when he does, and even Clement believes that Hippolyte is jealous. Crushed, Hippolyte begins his story then and turns to stone as he speaks, from the feet up. Clement is now ready to sacrifice his life for his friend, when the old beggar they kindly buried, with permission from Bon-Die, saves them both. This long picture book grips with expressive scratchboard and oil illustrations by Caldecott medalist Brian Pinkney.

Connections Aunts and uncles. Bullies. Combat with supernatural beings. Courage. Curses. Defense. Escapes. Friendship. Gods and humans. Gratitude. Heroes and heroines. Kindness. Love. Loyalty. Magic. Misunderstanding. Nieces and nephews. Old man, magical helper. Punishment. Rescues. Restoring life. Rewards. Sacrifice. Secrets. Snake, fantasy. Sorcerers. Spirits and ghosts. Status. Storytelling. Supernatural events. Transformation. Unselfishness. Zombies.

218. T HE NUTMEG PRINCESS Richardo Keens-Douglas African American People. Grenada So far, Petite Mama, a nutmeg and fruit seller and possibly an obeah woman, is the only one on the Isle of Spice who has ever seen the beautiful black Nutmeg Princess. Aglo would like to, and Petite Mama tells the boy who loves to read to come to the bottomless volcanic lake early in the morning. He arrives with his good friend Petal. They wait, and suddenly, the princess appears to Aglo, smiles, and vanishes. Only Petite Mama and Petal really believe Aglo has seen her, but townspeople crowd the mountain the next day, greedy to collect the jewels which they’ve heard hang from the princess’s braids. Everyone sees her raft on the third morning, but Aglo is the only one who sees the princess herself. She sings sadly as people try to reach the raft and motions for Aglo and Petal to come to her. They take an old rowboat, since Aglo cannot swim. When it begins to sink, Petal swims the rest of the way, holding Aglo. Once they are safely on her raft, the princess shakes diamonds from her hair. One lands on Petal’s forehead, and now, she, too, can see the Nutmeg Princess. The princess praises Petal for her unselfishness and tells the children to keep caring for others and to believe in their own ability to make things happen. The Nutmeg Princess and Petite Mama have vanished, but Petite Mama officially bequeaths all of her fruit and nutmeg trees to Petal and Aglo, who tend them and help Grenada become a nutmeg paradise.

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Connections Diamond, magic. Fantasy. Friendship. Gossip and rumors. Greed. Magic. Mysteries. Nutmegs. Obeah men and women. Origin tales, appearance. Princess, fantasy. Rescues. Trust. Unselfishness. Women and girls, resourceful.

219. m arITa and The Flamboyán / m arITa y el Flamboyán Lisa Sánchez-González, Puerto Rican Folktales = Cuentos folclóricos puertorriqueños Puerto Rico Two mountain peaks grumble to young Marita, who understands the language of the forest, that mist keeps them from enjoying colorful flowers. Marita wants to help them and seeks advice from the white flowered jessamine, Titi Dee. The dama de la noche flower suggests Marita take some of her vines into the rain forest to lasso branches from the sacred flamboyán tree. Along the way, Marita receives magical help—a machete from an old man and blessings and instructions from an old woman, who thinks Marita resembles someone she used to know. Marita twirls and finds the flamboyán with its bright red orange flowers. When a bullfrog blocks her path to the tree, she hits it with a block of salt, and the frog transforms into a full-size horse with a rainbow-colored mane and a purple tail. Marita lassos the horse, but, to her dismay, all of the branches she has cut from the flamboyán bounce away as the horse speeds her home. Titi Dee reassures Marita that the winds will spread flamboyán flowers over the whole island. They do, to the delight of the grateful mountain peaks and people who live there. In Spanish and English.

Connections Coexistence. Ecology. Fantasy. Flamboyant trees. Flower, magic. Friendship, interspecies. Heroes and heroines. Horse, fantasy. Kindness. Machete, magic. Mountain, fantasy. Old man, magical helper. Old woman, magical helper. Quests. Talking animals and objects. Tree, magic. Unselfishness. Winds. Women and girls, resourceful. Yearning.

220. a PumPKIn seed Patrick Chamoiseau, Creole Folktales African American People. Martinique A poor old woman who “lives on watercress” and barely has enough strength to feed herself tenderly cares for the small wounded bird she finds, even singing to it and cradling it in her collarbones at night. When the bird recovers, she returns it to the forest and is happily surprised when the bird leaves a pumpkin seed on the ground for her one day. She plants the seed, which quickly produces a daily pumpkin with a cooked meal inside. The old woman shares the meat and rice with her neighbor. Her days of hunger end, but the jealous neighbor desires such a pumpkin of her own. That woman wounds a bird and soon releases it without much care. The bird drops a seed for her,

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but from its pumpkin emerge snakes and such who come after her, thinking she is their mother, and she flees.

Connections Animal helpers. Bird, fantasy. Compassion. Comeuppance. Cruelty to animals. Ecology. Fantasy. Food. Friendship, interspecies. Gifts. Gratitude. Healing. Injury. Jealousy. Kindness. Poverty. Pumpkin, magic. Punishment. Rewards. Seed, magic.

221. T HE R AINBOW-COLORED HORSE Pura Belpré Puerto Rico Gentle Pío, the widower’s youngest son, is the one who comes up with using prickly burrs to keep himself awake, so he can catch the creature which has been trampling his father’s maiz field. The little horse of many colors bargains with Pío. He says he will grant Pío three future favors in exchange for being let go now. Jealous, Pío’s brothers force him to work as their servant after their father dies. When Pío hears that the wealthy Don Nicanor is holding a riding contest for his daughter Leonor’s hand, he calls, “Aquí de mi caballito.” The rainbow-colored horse appears and tells Pío not to ask any questions. Pío finds himself in good clothes, racing past Leonor and gently tossing a ball into her lap. He is then whisked back home to the field. Pío’s brothers speak of the stranger who succeeded at Don Nicanor’s task. He teases when they ask if he knows who the person is. The horse runs Pío in disguise past Leonor a second day, too. On the third day after racing with Pío dressed in work clothes, the rainbow-colored horse tells him the enchantment has ended now that he has helped Pío three times. His brothers regret how they treated Pío, but he forgives them and climbs the balcony up to Leonor.

Connections Animal helpers. Brothers and sisters. Changes in attitude. Competition. Disguises. Enchantment. Expectation, surpassing. Fantasy. Forgiveness. Freedom. Hair, magic. Horse, fantasy. Jealousy. Kindness. Laughter, healing. Parents and children. Princes and princesses. Remorse. Reversals of fortune.

Where Else This Story Appears In Lisa Sánchez-González, The Stories I Read to the Children (text only).

How Else This Story Is Told Juan Bobo and the Horse of Seven Colors—Jan Mike (Print and online). With seven magic wishgranting hairs which the horse gives him, the simpleton Juan causes the princess to laugh and so wins her hand when he rides up to the castle on a donkey with bees circling, birds diving, and cats jumping, and then offers her a bite of his sausage. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Horse of Seven Colors,” entry 430 (Venezuela).

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222. T HE SECRET F OOTPRINTS Julia Alvarez Dominican Republic Young Guapa often does not wait until dark to come from the water to hunt for food, like the rest of her tribe, all beautiful ciguappas with feet on backwards. Once a boy calls out a friendly ¡Hola! from his house when Guapa tries on a dress she has taken down from the clothesline. The ciguappa queen scolds her for endangering the group. Guapa promises to be careful, but one afternoon she wonders what the boy is doing. She discovers the picnic his family has left to go for a walk, but gets tangled in the picnic cloth and falls. The family wants to know if she is okay. She cries out, scared to have disobeyed, but pretends that her ankle twisted. The boy offers to stay while his parents go for the doctor. Guapa can hear the soft whispers and hoots of her people in hiding. She asks the boy for water, and as soon as he leaves, the ciguapas rush her away. Guapa brings along pastelitos from the picnic basket and leaves a seashell in thanks. The boy and Guapa do not meet again, but he keeps the seashell in his pocket, along with some extra pastilitos, and she sometimes folds his family’s clothes.

Connections Ciguappas. Coexistence. Curiosity. Disobedience. Distrust. Fantasy. Feet, backwards. Friendship, supernatural. Gifts. Kindness. Secrets. Status quo, resistance. Supernatural beings.

223. The bIrd oF one Thousand colors Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, Tales Our Abuelitas Told Cuba The birds are going to choose their king on Sunday. The turkey worries that, without beautiful feathers, he does not look as commanding as he feels. A small bird offers to lend the turkey his feathers until Monday. Turkey is elected king, but he doesn’t return the feathers, even when the little bird tells him he is cold without them at night. Turkey says he looks better in the feathers than the little bird ever did. The little bird hides, ashamed, seen only by Owl when he scurries out to drink the dew. Owl spreads the word, and the other birds each leave one of their own beautiful feathers for him. The little bird thinks the feathers have finally been returned by Turkey. He puts them on and comes out of hiding, resplendent once again.

Connections Appearance. Birds. Coexistence. Deceit. Feathers. Kindness. Leadership. Owls. Self-esteem. Selfishness. Sharing. Turkeys. Unkindness. Unselfishness. Words, hurtful.

224. sPecIal FrIends Lila Linzer, Once Upon an Island (Print and online) Saint Croix

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For a long time now, Egret has hopped onto Momma Cow’s back and chatted away with her while getting rid of pesky insects. Ol’ Brother Bee, though, makes trouble, buzzing to Momma Cow that Egret is getting a free ride. Just like that, Momma Cow tells Egret to go. Egret leaves sadly, and it isn’t long before Momma Cow misses her. The other animals do not help her look for Egret, because she treated her friend badly. Finally Momma Cow finds Egret. She mumbles an apology, and then louder says, “Don’t you know it’s going to take 300 years to get the shame out me heart?” Momma Cow asks Egret to come back. Egret truly does miss Momma Cow, who sings her a loving song once Egret is back on her back. They have a party with their friends to celebrate being together. With words and musical score for Momma Cow’s heart-to-heart song.

Connections Apologies. Coexistence. Cows and cattle. Egrets. Feelings, hurt. Forgiveness. Friendship, interspecies. Remorse. Songs. Words, hurtful.

225. The old m an who wIshed he coulda cry John Agard. In Mary Medlicott, Tales for Telling from Around the World British Caribbean, country unspecified A lonely, stingy old man wishes he could cry freely like he did when he was a child. He has many rats and is just thinking about possibly getting a cat, when a commandinglooking cat comes to his door. The cat pounces on all the rats, so the man gives it a little milk, but it seems to him that he sees a tear when he puts the cat back outside. Then a strange broom with fur-like bristles wants to sweeps up all the dust taking over his walls. It, too, wants milk and transforms into the cat. He puts the cat out again, and dust covers an old photo of himself. Still, he cannot cry. He goes out to find the cat and gets swept up in the bright colors and sounds of crowds celebrating a carnival weekend. The cat, who looks like someone in a cat costume, is singing, “Papa Doo-Doo … Move yu foot/Till yu feel like new.” Though the cat disappears, he begins moving to the music. His own tears flow, and he is happy.

Connections Animal helpers. Broom, magic. Cat, fantasy. Changes in attitude. Fantasy. Loneliness. Memory. Misers. Music. Mysteries. Songs. Tears. Yearning.

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Powers That Be in the Community The Weak and the Strong, Yearnings, Teachers, Clever Thinkers, and Characters

226. ol’ nelson g odoń young nelson g odoń Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part I (Print and online) African American People. Trinidad So he can reign supreme, Nelson Godoń has been destroying any male calves born on the savannah. One cow secretly raises her young bull in the woods. When he is six, the bull wants to challenge his father, but his mother tells him he must first be strong enough to break up a big stone with his horn. When he cannot, she tells him to wait six more years. Six years later, her son is ready. The young bull taunts his father by singing that young Nelson Godoń will reign. The father sings back that it is old Nelson Godoń who will reign and throws him into the air. All the cows put their horns together to catch young Nelson. They move away when young Nelson tosses his father, who lands hard. Over and over, father and son heave each other into the air, and old Nelson keeps breaking when he falls. Finally, old Nelson lands right in the grave young Nelson has dug. Told in creole.

Connections Bullies. Bulls. Combat. Competition. Cows and cattle. Generations. Justice. Leadership. Oppression. Parents and children. Perseverance. Preparation. Resistance. Songs. Status. Status quo, resistance. Strength. Transformation. Tyranny. Women and girls, resourceful.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations, African American People: Bull-of-all-the-Land—William Forbes. In Martha Warren Beckwith, Jamaica Anansi Stories (Print and online); and in Betsy Gould Hearne, Beauties and Beasts. Here, the bull’s name is King Henry, and he becomes a man at night. Told in patois.

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Timmolimmo—Walter Jekyll, Jamaican Song and Story (Print and online). Told in patois, with musical score.

Variation from Saint Vincent, African American People: The Old Bull and the Young One—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online). Young Superintendent builds his strength to go up against his father, Bully Manger, so he can be with the young heifer Fireling, who dances with him each time he throws his father into the air.

Trinidadian variations, African American People: Old Nelson Godon—Evan Jones, Tales of the Caribbean: The Beginning of Things. Young Nelson and Old Nelson—Eaulin Ashtine, Monkey Liver Soup (Print and online).

227. The boy and The elePhanT Haresh Persad. In Kumar Mahabir, Caribbean Indian Folktales Indian People. Trinidad A poor widow’s son grabs the tail of the king’s powerful elephant just to see if he is strong enough to stop it. The elephant stops. The groom tells the king, who summons the widow to find out what she feeds her son to make him so strong. When she tells him salt and roti, a round, flat bread, the king orders her to stop feeding her son salt, or he will punish her. The widow’s son tells her to keep cooking with salt, but to keep it a secret. He stops the elephant two more times and pretends also to give up roti upon the king’s command. Now the king summons the boy to lead his army into war. The boy gets the king to promise to give him half the kingdom and marriage to his daughter if he wins the war and to help his mother out if he dies. The king puts the boy on a flying horse when battle begins, hoping he will die. The enemy, however, is more startled than the boy is. They lose, and the king keeps his bargain with the boy.

Connections Bargains. Bread. Cleverness. Combat. Commands. Deprivation. Elephants. Fantasy. Food. Horse, fantasy. Kings and queens. Parents and children. Power. Resistance. Salt. Secrets. Status. Strength.

How Else This Story Is Told Caribbean Indian variation, country unspecified: Salt & Roti—Kennth Vidia Parmasad, Salt and Roti: Indian Tales of the Caribbean. Without salt, the son eats less and becomes ill. Now the king is convinced it was the salt which made the boy stronger than an elephant and salt which will make his kingdom the most powerful on earth. (Print and online at NALIS: The Digital Library of Trinidad and Tobago).

228. “PaPa god FIrsT, m an nexT, TIger l asT” Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online) African American People. Haiti

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Tiger resents the expression “Papa God first, Man next, Tiger last” and demands that Man tell him whether it is true. Man climbs out of reach before answering that the saying is true. Roaring angrily, Tiger summons many other tigers. They stand on each other, trying to get to Man. When the youngest Tiger reaches him, Man threatens to decapitate him. The young Tiger’s mother screams, causing the tower of tigers to collapse. The Tigers run, proving that the saying is true.

Connections Animals and humans. Competition. Conflict, interspecies. Discontent. Evidence. Expressions. Fear. Human beings, status. Parents and children. Status. Status quo, resistance. Threats. Tigers. Towers. Truth.

229. educaTIon For a carPenTer’s s on George E. Simpson and J.B. Cinéas, “Folktales of Haitian Heroes,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) African American People. Haiti The King stops by a carpenter’s shop to complain that his young apprentice is indifferent and would be better at his craft if he learned to read and write in one of the schools the King has established. The carpenter replies that the boy is his son, and he is teaching him the carpenter’s trade, and besides, his school clothes are not yet ready. The King says this is not a good enough reason and gives the carpenter just over a week to put the boy in school. The carpenter resents the king’s intrusion. He needs the boy to help him with his work. The next week, the King comes to check and sees that the boy is still not in school. The carpenter makes excuses about his having malaria and the tailor being delayed with the clothes. The King gives him an extension, but when the carpenter throws himself at the King’s feet two weeks later, the King has him beaten to move his ears from his rear to the right place. The carpenter’s son goes to school.

Connections Accusations. Autonomy. Carpenters. Commands. Disobedience. Education. Kings and queens. Parents and children. Power. Resentment. Resistance. Status quo, resistance. Work.

230. who Is The older? Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire and Other Haitian Tales (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Goat marches up to a bull, who is ignoring him, and says that he is older. They go back and forth with taunts, until goat tells bull he has a beard, and therefore bull needs to respect his elders. The bull gets teary about being bigger and not having a beard, and the goat tells him to let an elder pass.

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Connections Age. Arguments. Beards. Bulls. Coexistence. Competition. Conflict, interspecies. Evidence. Goats. Humorous tales. Manners. Respect. Ridicule. Self-esteem. Size. Status.

Where Else This Story Appears In A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore.

231. The leTTer oF emancIPaTIon Lydia Cabrera, Afro-Cuban Tales African American People. Cuba In a time when everyone gets along, Dog, who loves man, only realizes he is a slave when Br’er Cat and Br’er Mouse start praising the liberty they have. Upset, Dog wakes Olufi, the Oldest Man of the Heavens, asking for a letter which will grant his freedom. Olufi gives Dog his letter of emancipation, and Cat advises Dog to take good care of it. Dog stows the letter up his rear. Now he is uncomfortable and afraid to eat. Finally, Dog gives it to Br’er Cat for safekeeping. Cat takes the letter to Br’er Mouse, so the letter will be better protected in a house. He is not at home. Mrs. Mouse takes the letter, but tears it up to line her nest when Br’er Cat leaves. Meanwhile, Dog announces to his master that he is free and wants another bone. Man argues that Dog was born a slave. He wants to see this letter Dog says he has. When Br’er Cat finds Mrs. Mouse and her babies on top of the letter shreds, he pounces on Br’er Mouse for the first time ever. Then, Br’er Dog goes after Cat, but quietly returns to lie at his master’s feet.

Connections Animals and humans. Arguments. Cats. Discontent. Dogs. Evidence. Freedom. Gods and animals. Letters. Mice and rats. Olofi. Origin tales, behavior. Slavery. Slaves. Status. Status quo, acceptance. Status quo, resistance. Yeanring.

232. “dear deer!” saId The TurTle Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, Tales Our Abuelitas Told African American People. Cuba One day at the river, Venado the deer brags that it would have taken Doña Jicotea the turtle a year to get down from the mountain like he did. Jicotea retorts that Venado should not judge by appearances, saying she would win if they actually raced. Venado laughs arrogantly, but agrees to a race in fifteen days. Jicotea makes a plan with her three turtle friends to wait in different places. When Venado races to the first town, he stops to have his beard trimmed, certain he is ahead. A turtle he thinks is Jicotea, starts singing that she arrived long ago. The deer dashes off, and when he confidently stops again, he hears the same taunting song. At the finish line, Jicotea sings her triumph, whereupon the deer runs to hide and still does.

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Connections Anansi. Appearance. Arrogance. Birds. Braggarts. Changes in attitude. Cleverness. Competition. Crabs. Deer. Donkeys and mules. Foxes. Frogs and toads. Horses. Origin tales, behavior. Owls. Songs. Speed. Status. Tricksters. Turtles and tortoises.

How Else This Story Is Told Cuban variations: Ambeco and Aguatí / Ambeco y Aguatí—Fernando Ortiz. In Elvia Pérez, From the Winds of Manguito = Cuentos folklóricos de Cuba. In English and Spanish. The Horse and the Tortoise—Clement B.G. London, Caribbean Visions in Folktales. The land tortoise and his identical twin brother trick the horse who has been acting like a bully.

Haitian variation, African American People: Horse and Toad—Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print; CD audio; and online storytelling performance on YouTube). Toad wins the race by waiting under the princess’s chair to leap into her lap at the end, while his relatives take turns relay running against Horse.

Jamaican variations, African American People: Bandalee—Philip M. Sherlock, Anansi the Spider Man. Land Turtle wins the race and the bag of gold by secretly planting his relatives along the route, but then Anansi proposes a diving contest and takes off with the gold while Land Turtle lingers underwater. The Race Between Toad and Donkey—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online); and in Jane Yolen, Favorite Folktales from around the World (Print and online). Toad plants his look-alike children at each milepost. Toad and Donkey—Walter Jekyll, Jamaican Song and Story (Print and online). Told in patois, with musical score for Toad’s and Donkey’s songs.

Trinidadian variation: The Race—M.P. Alladin, Folk Stories and Legends of Trinidad (Print and online). Bo Lizard rides the race undetected on boasting Bo Dog’s back and jumps off ahead at the finish line.

Variations from the U.S. Virgin Islands, African American People: Crafty Crab—Jean Cothran, The Magic Calabash. There’s no belittling in this telling from Saint Croix, just an out and out trick when clever Brother Crab jumps on the slower-witted fox’s tail and leaps off to win. Turtle and Fowl-Cock—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. Turtle has planted his relatives along the race course and wins the right to be called a better dancer and marry the governor’s daughter. Fowl-Cock throws himself down and dies.

West Indian variation, country unspecified: Brown Owl’s Story—Philip Sherlock, The Iguana’s Tail. Toad is fed up with Donkey’s boasting, and so they race, but Toad has nineteen identical relatives ready to do their part along the way. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Story of the Toad and the Deer = El cuento del sapo y el venado,” entry 138 (Guatemala).

233. The Tale oF The coquI David Garcia, Fairy Tales of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico

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This is a story about the origin of the tiny Coqui frogs, native to Puerto Rico. The parrot Ignacio, King of the Forest, is disgusted with all the animals for thinking they can get careless and slothful because their island is so peaceful. He announces a race where the animals choose someone to represent them. The winner will receive a reward, and losers will be punished. Other animals hastily select strong runners and go back to doing nothing, but the little Coqui frogs silently train their biggest frog. During the race, the Coqui Pepito keeps jumping hard, past lizard and mongoose, to cross the finish line first. King Ignacio rewards all the little Coquis with the gift of song. Every night at sundown they sing, grateful for the chance to show what those who are small can do.

Connections Cautionary tales. Changes in attitude. Competition. Coquí frogs. Frogs and toads. Gratitude. Kings and queens. Laziness. Origin tales, behavior. Parrots. Perseverance. Preparation. Rewards. Size. Songs. Status quo, resistance. Status.

234. how goaT moVed From The Jungle To The VIllage Raouf Mama, The Barefoot Book of Tropical Tales African American People. Haiti Goat is baking yams in the jungle when Hyena arrives. Trembling, Goat invites Hyena to share his food, but Hyena announces he would rather eat Goat. Goat tries to stall him by eating a yam with great relish. Hyena lets him, thinking a goat full of food will make a better meal for him. Tiger arrives, however, just as Hyena impatiently gets ready to pounce. Tiger declares Goat should eat the yams; Hyena should eat Goat; and then he will eat Hyena. Hyena says he needs to relieve himself. Goat sees Hyena run as soon as he gets behind the bushes and tells Tiger. Tiger takes off to chase Hyena, and Goat runs back to the safety of his village.

Connections Cleverness. Conflict, interspecies. Fear. Goats. Humorous tales. Hyenas. Power. Prey. Resistance. Status. Tigers.

Where Else This Story Appears In Pearls of Wisdom: African and Caribbean Tales.

235. The KIng and The PeasanT’s horse George E. Simpson and J.B. Cinéas, “Folktales of Haitian Heroes,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) African American People. Haiti When King Christophe hears that there is a peasant who owns a horse more magnificent than any in his stable, he orders the man to bring his horse to San Souci. The

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horse lives up to all rumors about it. The peasant tells the King that his father worked in the stables of General Toussaint, and this beautiful grey horse is descended from Toussaint’s prized Quick Silver. After seeing it ridden, Christophe offers to buy the horse, but the peasant does not want to sell it. Everyone in the court trembles to hear the peasant defy the King, knowing Christophe could seize the horse, but Christophe without anger tells the man that reason is on the side of his taking riches for his future welfare when the horse might die or be stolen. The peasant still politely refuses to sell it. The King insists he stay the night. In the morning, the peasant is grieved to find his horse with its beautiful mane and tail cut off, but he knows that the loss could have been much worse.

Connections Bargains. Christophe, Henri. Coveting. Horses. Inequity. Kings and queens. Peasants. Perspective. Power. Requests. Resistance. Revenge. Sadness. Status. Status quo, acceptance.

236. The KIng oF The anImals Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire (Print and online) Haiti The animals decide they need a king to restore order. One after another, though, they reject each proposed animal. The bull is too threatening to rule; the goat is too munchy; the ram romps too wildly with smaller creatures and is too timid with larger ones; and so on. Finally, only the dog is left. They all agree he would do the job well, until the dog runs off with a piece of meat he smells cooking. Their king cannot be a thief. So, the animals have no king, because they judged each other only by their weaknesses, not by what any of them does well.

Connections Comparison. Cautionary tales. Denunciation. Discontent. Dogs. Humorous tales. Kings and queens. Leadership. Status. Status quo, acceptance. Temptation. Theft. Vulnerabilities.

237. monKey come—monKey go Lila Linzer, Once Upon an Island (Print and online) Saint Croix Lizard tells Goat why there are no actual monkeys where they live. Once, quarreling tree frogs at West End named the “the ol-time, big-big, strong-strong, never-move, seen-it-all banyan tree” their King to decide things for them. They sang and danced to the banyan, but it was totally unresponsive. They were becoming disappointed when Monkey, who had just arrived on the island, happened to climb up into the branches

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of Ol Banyan, unnoticed. He heard the frogs and decided to be the Settler they were looking for. Hidden, Monkey called down that he was hungry. The frogs happily rushed to bring their King the bananas and mangos he requested. To collect the fruit without their seeing him, Monkey instructed the frogs to walk around the pond and say “oh, yes, our Settler be the best,” without looking up. Pinky looked up, though, and spied Monkey’s tail. Monkey called down another rhyming instruction. This one did not make any sense to the frogs, and Pinky told them to look up. The frogs all saw Monkey. As they questioned why he was there, Monkey decided to escape off that island for good.

Connections Acclamation. Arguments. Cautionary tales. Commands. Deceit. Discontent. Followers. Frogs and toads. Humorous tales. Kings and queens. Leadership. Monkeys. Power. Trees and bushes.

238. KIng Frog and The snaKe Kennth Vidia Parmasad, Salt and Roti: Indian Tales of the Caribbean (Print and online) Indian People. The Caribbean, country unspecified When the other frogs in the well turn on their selfish king, he swings up and out of there before they can harm him. Uncertain about being on his own, the king asks a black snake if it wants to be his friend, but the snake laughs that he eats frogs. The king says he can show the snake how to get many frogs back at his well, if the snake promises only to eat enemies the king points out. (The king does not want his family to be eaten.) When the king appears back at the well, frogs angrily leap at him, and the snake eats everyone the king points to. With all his enemies now gone, the king dismisses the snake. The snake, however, is not ready to leave such a good source of food and demands one frog a day. Finally, the king is the only frog left. He leaves to get more frogs for the snake from another pond. When the snake sends a lizard for him, the king does not return to be eaten. He lives on, just an ordinary frog, in a strange new pond.

Connections Bargains. Comeuppance. Conflict, interspecies. Denunciation. Discontent. Frogs and toads. Kings and queens. Leadership. Prey. Reversals of fortune. Selfishness. Snakes. Status. Status quo, resistance.

239. P oor mornIn d oVe Lila Linzer, Once Upon an Island (Print and online) Saint Croix Back in the old days, Mornin Dove would launch the day, singing sweetly right before dawn and pulling back a cloud. L’il Cricket used to believe it was magic. But

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Mornin Dove has become too full of her own importance. She is haughty, officious, and unkind to others. Some animals sprinkle hibiscus dust over her in the night, so Spider can wrap her tightly in a web. Mornin Dove cannot move when she wakes. She struggles to wriggle free to do her work and rubs the shine from her feathers. Worst of all, though, she feels lonely. The sun rises without her, and the animals have left her alone. “The old folks say, when you got a good thing going, better keep it going.” With words and musical score for Mornin Dove’s song.

Connections Arrogance. Cautionary tales. Changes in attitude. Coexistence. Denunciation. Doves. Expressions. Origin tales, appearance. Punishment. Songs. Spiders. Status. Status quo, resistance.

240. anImal TalK Martha Warren Beckwith, Jamaica Anansi Stories (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica Ten animals converse with each other, exchanging single lines in pairs. They react to a story, talk about what is fair, give advice, and reject advice. “Cow said slowly Massa wo-r-r-k-ne-v-er don-n-e / Mule energetically says, “It will done! It will done! It will done! Massa work will done!” Hopping Dick and White Belly bet which one can go the longest without eating. Hopping Dick cheats and eats a worm, but White Belly, who ate nothing while in the tree, falls down and dies.

Connections Advice. Conversations. Coexistence. Deceit. Discontent. Humorous tales. Individuality. Injustice. Justice. Perspective. Status quo, acceptance. Voices.

Where Else This Story Appears In Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online).

241. TURTLE K NOWS YOUR N AME (PrInT and onlIne) Ashley Bryan African American People. Sint Eustatius Upsilimana Tumpalerado’s granny patiently teaches him to sing and dance his name. Old Turtle overhears and even spells the long name out with shells in the sea. The villagers, though, cannot remember it and call the boy Long Name. Irritated, he leaves them and sings his name to the animals. Old Turtle sings along with him. Granny now sends her grandson to find out her even longer name. She is surprised when he repeats it back to her, and even more astonished when she discovers how Old Turtle remembered it for all these years. She makes her grandson promise to keep their real names secret. Energetic line drawings capture the joyful warmth of their relationship.

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Connections Animal helpers. Fantasy. Grandparents and grandchildren. Name, guessing. Secrets. Songs. Talking animals and objects. Turtle, fantasy.

Where Else This Story Appears In Poems and Folktales (Audiobook CD).

How Else This Story Is Told Turtle Tells Her Name—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part II (Print and online). See also Madam Crab Loses Her Head, entry 411.

242. FasTIng For The h and oF The queen’s daughTer Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World (Print and online) African American People. The Bahamas Bru Pigeon and Bru Owl’s friendship ends when they both fall in love with the princess. The king agrees that they must have a contest to see which one can fast for five days for her hand. Pigeon sits in a berry bush and Owl in a tree. On Monday night Bru Pigeon sneaks some berries and drinks dew. Owl does not think about food, because there is none around. Every morning Bru Pigeon sings, and every night he eats berries and drinks dew. Owl sings back, but by Friday his song is quite weak. On Saturday, when Owl does not answer at all, Bru Pigeon finds him dead and wins. Told in creole.

Connections Cleverness. Competition. Death. Deceit. Deprivation. Food. Honesty. Hunger. Owls. Pigeons. Songs. Tests.

Where Else This Story Appears In Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-lore of Andros Island, Bahamas (Print and online).

How Else This Story Is Told Cuban variation: The Pittire and the Cotunto—Salvador Bueno, Cuban Legends. The kingbird cheats and the owl dies of deprivation in a bet to prove whether it is honesty or cunning which bring success.

243. Tar baby: caT as ThIeF George Eaton Simpson, “Traditional Tales from Northern Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) African American People. Haiti

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Dog and cat have been going to dances together, but cat always leaves early. Dog suspects that cat has been sneaking out to eat his food before he gets home. He sets a picture of a dog, covered with glue on the table. Cat commands the strange dog to leave and when it doesn’t respond, he starts kicking at the picture with all of his limbs and head and gets truly stuck. When dog returns, cat tells him he was trying to protect dog’s food from this other dog. Dog does not argue or accuse. He politely says he will thrash that other dog for stealing, but most of his blows hit cat, who is still attached to the picture. That ends the thieving.

Connections Cats. Cleverness. Dolls. Conflict, interspecies. Dogs. Food. Humorous tales. Identity. Misunderstanding. Mysteries. Punishment. Suspicions. Theft. Traps.

244. The g oaT and The TIger Rémy Bastien. In Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Independently, Goat and Tiger each decide to build a house. Goat has started and leaves a pile of chopped beams. Finding them, Tiger thinks this is mighty fortuitous and erects the framework with them. Goat finds the framework done the next day and thatches the roof. So the house rises, with each one thinking he has been favored by fortune. Goat is occupying the finished house when Tiger arrives. After arguing, they decide to share it. Every night, though, Tiger hands Goat a goat carcass to skin. Distressed, Goat pushes an old sleeping tiger off a cliff, so he can get Tiger to stop decimating the goat herd. Goat pretends to be asleep and mutters about killing tigers. He tells Tiger this is his beard talking, but when the beard calls for more tigers, Tiger has had enough and leaves the house.

Connections Anansi. Beards. Construction. Coexistence. Conflict, interspecies. Deer. Fear. Food. Goats. Houses. Lions. Misunderstanding. Prey. Songs. Storytelling. Tigers. Tricksters. Trust.

How Else This Story Is Told Haitian variation, African American People: The Beard of Momplaisir—Philippe Thoby-Marcelin and Pierre Marcelin, The Singing Turtle (Print and online).

Variation from Tobago, African American People: Buh Nansi Scares Buh Lion—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online). After Anansi finishes Buh Lion’s house and moves in, singing about having killed many Lions, Buh Lion sends his children away one by one to the liquor shop, with whispered instructions not to return. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “Deer and Jaguar Share a House,” entry 264 (Brazil).

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245. The anImals’ grand FIesTa / l a gran FIesTa de los anImales

Judith Ortiz Cofer, Animal Jamboree: Latino Folktales = La fiesta de los animales: Leyendas Latinas Puerto Rico Señor Leon and Señora Leona are running out of food and decide to hold a fiesta for all the neighbors, during which they will push the old goat Señor Cabrito into a pot of boiling water. Different animals enthusiastically suggest what kinds of music they will play. During the noisy party, Señor Cabrito confides to Señor Perro the dog that he doesn’t like the way the lions are staring at him. The dog suggests they leave, and the lion runs after them. Señor Perro swims across the river and tells the frightened goat to hide in a pile of straw. Señor Leon grabs Señor Cabrito’s tail, which is sticking out. Knowing how proud the lion is, Señor Perro bets that the lion cannot throw the pile of straw across the river. The lion counters that he will and then eat both of them at once. He flings the straw across, but all that he is left with is the goat’s tail. Tailless, but safe on the other side, Señor Cabrito is nonetheless grateful for Señor Perro’s friendship and clever thinking. Told in English and Spanish.

Connections Bets. Bullies. Cleverness. Conflict, interspecies. Dogs. Dry Bones (Character). Fear. Food. Friendship. Goats. Heroes and heroines. Hunger. Lions. Prey. Rabbits. Rescues. Traps. Tricksters. Witches.

How Else This Story Is Told Puerto Rican variation: The Dance of the Animals—Pura Belpré (Print and online); text alone also in The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales.

West Indian variation, country unspecified: Forty Men I See, Forty Men I Do Not See—Philip M. Sherlock and Hilary Sherlock, Ears and Tails and Common Sense. Rabbit suspects the witch Old Woman Crim’s tricks and gets Dog to warn the forty animals stuffed with food at her party to run to the river when Crim’s helper Dry Bones gets the water boiling and starts singing about forty men who disappear. Dry Bones chases them. He throws horns that are sticking out of the sand at the animals who have escaped onto a boat, without realizing that Goat is attached to them.

246. John crows lose TheIr h aIr Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica A buzzard who frets that he has never been christened asks a man to name him. He does not know that this man detests buzzards for eating constantly. The man tells

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the buzzard to invite all buzzards to a party. He brings a barrel of white flour and tells the buzzards he will make a cake for the christening. Once the flour and water are boiling, he instructs the buzzards to lean over the empty barrel and not look, while he prepares something secret for the naming ceremony. They do, and the man pours the hot mix over their heads and triumphantly calls out that they are christened John Crow. To this day, buzzards are still bald where their feathers were scalded off and still called John Crow.

Connections Animals and humans. Anger. Baldness. Baptism. Christening. Conflict, interspecies. Deceit. Feathers. Injury. John Crows. Loss. Name, linked to fate. Origin tales, appearance. Resentment. Traps.

How Else This Story Is Told Why John Crow Hab Peel Head—Pamela Colman Smith, Annancy Stories (Print and online). Told in patois. Why John Crow Hab Peel Head—Una Wilson, Anancy Stories. Told with patois in the dialogue.

247. The KIng’s Tower Harold Courlander, Ride with the Sun (Print and online) Dominican Republic A King obsesses over his desire to touch the moon and orders a carpenter to build a tower for him to get there. The skeptical carpenter piles up boxes and crates, which the King insists on being the only one to climb. The tower is not tall enough. When every box and crate in the kingdom is used up, the King orders all of the trees cut down to make more boxes. Now, the King feels he can almost reach the moon, but there is no more wood. Unable to give up, the King commands that the carpenters move a box from the bottom of the towering pile up to him on top. They pull out the bottom box with trepidation, and that is the last anyone ever sees of the King.

Connections Boxes. Carpenters. Commands. Destruction. Dreams. Expectation. Fantasy. Fools. Kings and queens. Moon. Obsession. Tasks, challenging. Towers. Trees, destruction. Yearning.

How Else This Story Is Told Variations from the Dominican Republic: The King and His Wish—Alison Hawes. Told simply as a children’s reader with the refrain of “As you wish” to each of the king’s demands. The King Who Wanted to Touch the Moon—Arielle Loy (Online video on YouTube). This iconographic video offers alternative explanations for what might have happened to the king at the end.

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A Tower for the King—Dee Ann Corn. In Desiree Webber et al., Travel the Globe. Includes instructions and templates for flannel board presentation.

Caribbean variations, countries unspecified: The King Who Wanted to Touch the Moon—Cynthia Rider. The Queen thinks the King’s idea is all nonsense from the beginning, in this simple reader. Tower to the Moon—Princess Aguilera (Online video on YouTube). With colorful animation and lively dialogue.

248. The ProPheT bedward Eddie Burke and Anne Garside, Water in the Gourd African American People. Jamaica Bedward of August Town becomes energized when he reads the Bible aloud to groups. He begins to improvise about having conversations with God and announces that the world will end at the end of December 1920. He scares his followers into selling their goods and giving him the money so he can bring them along to Heaven. Word spreads and crowds begin to gather from all over Jamaica. On December 31, Bedward climbs to the top of a mango tree. He jumps at dawn to be lifted to the sky, but plummets instead into a blanket below. Bedward is arrested and then shut in an insane asylum. He tells angry followers who demand their money back that he has already sent it up to Heaven. One old woman is just grateful that the world did not end after all.

Connections Apocalypse. Changes in attitude. Deceit. Denunciation. Expectation. Fear. Followers. Gods and humans. Heaven. Humorous tales. Leadership. Obsession. Preachers. Prediction. Theft. Trust.

How Else This Story Is Told Flying to Heaven—Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans. In one of several variants from this book, people attack Bedward to get their money back when he falls. One follower wants Bedward to try again, so he can learn to fly when he sees Bedward succeed.

249. annancy, Puss and r aTTa Yvonne Charlton. In Helen East, The Singing Sack: 28 Song-Stories from Around the World Jamaica Bra Annancy wants to teach Bredda Ratta a lesson for always showing off in snazzy clothes and acting like he is so much better than everyone else. With Bredda Puss, Bra Anancy spreads the word that they will hold a big dance. Anancy plays the fiddle, and everyone watches Bredda Ratta wriggling and dancing in his tight pants. Bra Anancy plays faster and even faster until Bredda Ratta’s pants split, and he falls. Filled with shame, the rat runs into holes to hide ever since.

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Connections Anansi. Appearance. Braggarts. Cats. Cautionary tales. Clothing. Comeuppance. Dancing. Fiddles. Humiliation. Humorous tales. Mice and rats. Music, swept away by. Origin tales, behavior. Songs. Status. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Anancy an Ratta—Louise Bennett, Anancy and Miss Lou. Told in patois with lyrics to Bredda Nancy’s songs. Boacy Rat—Everal McKenzie, Anancy Stories. Told in patois.

250. anancy and monKey busIness Faustin Charles, Under the Storyteller’s Spell African American People. Trinidad It irks Anancy that Monkey is always showing off in fancy clothes, and he wants to humiliate him, especially in front of the girls. The other animals accuse Anancy of just being jealous because Monkey acts more respectably than he does, which gives Anancy an idea. He put stinging ants in the lining of a snazzy new jacket and asks Monkey’s opinion of it. Monkey cannot resist asking to try it on. The others animals see Monkey acting crazy as the ants sting him and think perhaps Anansi has been right about his being a clown all along.

Connections Anansi. Ants. Arrogance. Braggarts. Changes in attitude. Evidence. Frustration. Humorous tales. Monkeys. Perspective. Status. Traps. Tricksters. Witnesses.

251. ms . monKey / l a mona Elvia Pérez, From the Winds of Manguito: Cuban Folktales in English and Spanish = Cuentos folklóricos de Cuba, en inglés y español African American People. Cuba An attractive female monkey is not thrilled about having so little hair on top of her head, but she’s sure it is her tail which keeps her from being accepted as a real lady. Finally, she winds the tail tightly around her waist, covers it with a fancy dress, covers her head with a bandana, and moves to a new neighborhood as Señorita Monita. Many men come courting, but Señorita Monita is looking for someone who loves to dance as much as she does. One day, she meets Salustiano. Their romance blooms until New Year’s Eve, when dancing wildly to the energetic drums playing Mona over and over, Señorita Monita’s tail comes down. Everyone backs away, shocked, including Salustiano, and Señorita Monita flees in shame. Since then, the Cubans say, “Although the Monkey dresses in silk, a monkey she remains.” In English and Spanish, with music and lyrics to Mona.

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Connections Allegories and parables. Anatomy. Appearance. Cautionary tales. Comparison. Dancing. Discontent. Evidence. Expressions. Humiliation. Identity. Monkeys. Music, swept away by. Selfesteem. Secrets. Songs. Suitors. Tails. Truth. Witnesses. Yearning. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Dancing Fox,” entry 154 (Peru).

252. The nIghT The Frog wenT To dance Jessie Castillo, Garifuna Folktales Garifuna People. Saint Vincent Frog buys a new dress for the last dance of a week-long celebration, and yet no one asks her to dance. She really wants to move to the music. It is almost morning when a man invites her to dance with him. He says he would have asked her earlier if she hadn’t looked so angry. Frog is just happy, so happy to get onto the dance floor. Her exuberance rattles the musicians, but this is frog’s chance to do what she has been yearning to do.

Connections Appearance. Dancing. Frogs and toads. Fulfillment. Loneliness. Music. Yearning.

253. owl FeaThers Anne Rockwell, The Acorn Tree and Other Folktales Puerto Rico Hawk is delivering invitations worldwide to a ball for birds, but Owl sadly says he has no feathers on his body, nothing to wear. Hawk speaks with the birds, and Duck, Dove, and Rooster all lend him a feather. Feeling so grand, Owl ignores Hawk’s reminder to thank the others for their feathers. He also hides at the end of the ball, so he will not have to return them. The other birds have searched for Owl ever since, which is why he only comes out at night … and why Hawk no longer lends a helping hand.

Connections Anatomy. Anger. Appearance. Birds. Borrowing. Cooperation. Deceit. Denunciation. Feathers. Friendship. Generosity. Hawks. Ingratitude. Origin tales, behavior. Owls. Selfishness. Sharing. Trust. Yearning.

How Else This Story Is Told How Owl Got His Feathers—Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss, How & Why Stories (Print and online). The Plumage of the Owl—Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes (Print and online). Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “Bird Cu,” entry 225 (Mexico).

254. green ParroT’s sTory Philip Sherlock, The Iguana’s Tail West Indies, country unspecified

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Frigate Bird continually boasts that he catches larger fish because of his seven-foot wingspan and beautiful gliding. The bragging bothers Brown Pelican who also has large wings, until Booby Bird points out that Pelican’s small beak is the problem, not his motion. Booby Bird snaps at Frigate Bird that he fishes better only because he has a longer beak. He challenges Frigate Bird to prove he actually has greater skill by trading beaks with Pelican for a while. Pelican loves using Frigate Bird’s beak. Frigate Bird can hardly catch fish now. He is sorry he lent it, but stubbornly says that beak size has nothing to do with catching fish. Booby Bird advises Pelican then not to return Frigate Bird’s beak. Pelican doesn’t, and Frigate Bird becomes dependent on swooping down for the fish which others catch. .

Connections Anatomy. Appearance. Beaks. Borrowing. Braggarts. Cautionary tales. Cleverness. Comeuppance. Comparison. Deceit. Discontent. Fishing. Flamingos. Flight. Food. Frigate birds. Origin tales, appearance. Origin tales, behavior. Pelicans. Terns. Tests. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Bahamian variation: How the Pelican Got Its Large Beak—Clement B.G. London, Caribbean Visions in Folktales. Since the tern keeps insisting that others do not catch fish because they are too lazy and lack skill, Flamingo decides the tern does not really need his large beak and should lend it to Pelican.

255. “bye-bye” Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online) Haiti All the birds are flying from Haiti to New York, and Turtle feels left out, for he has no wings. Pigeon suggests that he can take Turtle along if Turtle holds onto one end of a stick with his mouth. Pigeon warns Turtle to hang on or he will fall into the water. At the shore, many animals have gathered to wave goodbye to the departing birds. Then they see Turtle in the air and start talking about him. Turtle is so flattered to be the center of attention that he opens his mouth to call out “Bye-Bye” in English and falls into the sea. This is why Pigeons live in New York and Turtle lives in Haiti.

Connections Anatomy. Accidents. Cautionary tales. Conversations. Cooperation. Flattery. Flight. Humorous tales. Journeys. Origin tales, behavior. Pigeons. Status. Turtles and tortoises. Yearning.

Where Else This Story Appears In Amy L. Cohn, From Sea to Shining Sea (Print and online). In Jane Yolen, Favorite Folktales Around the World (Print and online).

How Else This Story Is Told Talk! Talk! Talk!—Kay Winters.

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Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “Señor Rattlesnake Learns to Fly,” entry 223 (Mexico).

256. The TorToIse who Flew To heaVen Thérèse Georgel. In Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online) The Antilles, country unspecified Extremely envious that Saint Peter is throwing a party in Paradise for all winged creatures, Tortoise pretends he has been invited, too. Feigning a new, kinder attitude, he tricks birds into giving him some of their feathers and flies to heaven on the day of the party. There is no room in the main hall, so Tortoise settles in the kitchen. He boasts to suspicious servants that the birds have honored him with their feathers and demands food and drink. When Eagle snaps at a servant who has spilled wine, the servant retorts that at least he does not grovel before Tortoise and give him feathers, like Eagle did. Tortoise enters just then, and the birds beat him for his deceit and take back their feathers. Spider Zagrignain spins a line to bring Tortoise back down to earth, but Tortoise becomes mean to him as his fear dissipates. At that point, Spider lets Tortoise fall, shattering his shell.

Connections Anansi. Anatomy. Braggarts. Cautionary tales. Changes in attitude. Comeuppance. Comparison. Conflict, interspecies. Deceit. Denunciation. Dokanoos. Feathers. Flight. Fruit. Greed. Heaven. Ingratitude. Jealousy. Journeys. Lies. Origin tales, appearance. Parakeets. Punishment. Recklessness. Rescues. Selfishness. Spiders. Status. Tricksters. Turtles and tortoises. Vulnerabilities. Yearning.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variation: Anancy and the Birds—Peter-Paul Zahl, Anancy Mek It. Anancy convinces the parakeets to each give him one feather and teach him how to fly, so he can go with them to the dokanu-tree. Once there, though, Anancy greedily takes all the fruit for himself, and they turn on him. Told in patois.

Caribbean variations, countries unspecified: The Tortoise Who Wanted to Fly—Vic Parker, Traditional Tales from the Caribbean. Tortoise is overexcited about flying to Eagle’s party and plummets off a cliff, cracking his shell. Why Tortoise Doesn’t Fly—Robert Hull, Caribbean Stories. Crow and Tortoise are exploring what their different anatomies can do, when Crow plunges from the hilltop and flies. Tortoise tries and crashes to the ground, leaving him wisely cautious ever since.

West Indian variation, country unspecified: Chimpanzee’s Story—Philip M. Sherlock, The Iguana’s Tail. Attaching feathers he has been hoarding, Tortoise gate-crashes Chicken Hawk’s party and is thrown off the mountaintop when he greedily consumes too much food. How Turtle Got a Cracked Back—Grace Hallworth, Cric Crac. Turtle gets Peacock and Parrot to take him to Scarlet Ibis’s fete, but the birds take back their feathers when he starts bragging, and Turtle falls from the sky.

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Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “A Party in Heaven,” entry 140 (Guatemala).

257. The sIlly owls and The sIlly hens M.A. Jagendorf and R.S. Boggs, The King of the Mountains (Print and online) African American People. Cuba One curious owl flies out of the dark valley he has always known and comes down to investigate a chicken yard. The hens there flock to this exotic stranger, who doesn’t look like the roosters they know. He parties with them until dawn and flies home. The next time, many young male owls fly with him to fiesta in the chicken yard. The roosters resent these invaders. Pedro Animal suggests they throw a giant fiesta to end after sunrise, so the hens can see how ugly the owls are. However the roosters forget and crow at dawn, so the owls fly away. They throw the next party at Pedro Animal’s house where he holds the roosters’ beaks closed, so the owls are still there when daylight comes. The hens are very embarrassed that they preferred the raggedy owls to their fine roosters, who strut about ever since.

Connections Appearance. Changes in attitude. Chickens and hens. Comparison. Conflict, interspecies. Curiosity. Denunciation. Humorous tales. Jealousy. Journeys. Origin tales, behavior. Owls. Pedro the Rogue. Perspective. Resentment. Roosters.

258. The allIgaTor and The d og / el Perro y el caImán Olga Loya, Momentos mágicos = Magic Moments (Print and online) Cuba The Dog flatters the Alligator on his drum playing one day and begs for a chance to try his drum. The Alligator hands him the drum, confident that the Dog will not play as well as he can. However, the Dog is pretty good at singing and drumming. The Alligator now wants the drum back. The Dog begs to be able to play a little more and then a little more after that. The Alligator demands his drum, but the Dog is having a great time dancing and singing and playing. He runs off with the drum and becomes famous, playing it all over the country. The Alligator never catches him and, even with a new drum, never plays as well as the Dog. This telling includes Dog’s song: Findecabón, findecabón / tambor había nue / conga na luanga. Told in English and Spanish.

Connections Alligators and crocodiles. Borrowing. Cautionary tales. Dancing. Deceit. Dogs. Drums. Flattery. Music. Selfishness. Sharing. Songs. Talents. Theft. Yearning.

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259. The educaTIon oF g oaT Philippe Thoby-Marcelin and Pierre Marcelin, The Singing Turtle and Other Tales from Haiti (Print and online) Haiti Cat has been teaching her friend Goat how to climb trees, and Goat has learned to stand on his hind legs and reach low branches to nibble leaves. However, their lessons come to an end the day Cat sees Goat trying to teach her enemy, Dog, what she has taught him. She tells Goat that he is a professor now and does not need her anymore.

Connections Cats. Cautionary tales. Conflict, interspecies. Defense. Education. Goats. Humorous tales. Lions. Teachers and students. Wisdom. Women and girls, resourceful. Yearning.

Where Else This Story Appears Haitian variation: What Goat Learned: A Tale from Haiti, Macmillan/McGraw-Hill Grade 2 Oral Vocabulary Cards: Treasures (Online print).

Variation from Trinidad and Tobago, Indian People: How the Cat Became So Secretive—Ashram B. Maharaj, Indo-Trinidadian Folk Tales in the Oral Tradition (Online text). Friendship between the cat and the lion she calls Moussee, ends when the lion pounces thinking she has taught him all she knows. Luckily, she has one more trick to escape with. Told in creole. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “When Fox Was Teacher,” entry 122 (Brazil).

260. The d onKey ThaT TrIed To barK Kennth Vidia Parmasad, Salt and Roti: Indian Tales of the Caribbean (Print and online) Indian People. The Caribbean, country unspecified Donkey thinks that the farmer would treat him better if he behaved more like Dog. The farmer grows alarmed, however, as the Donkey “barks” frightening sounds, runs around at night trying to chase thieves, and refuses to eat grass. Donkey gets too weak to work in the fields. At first, the farmer lets Donkey rest, but then he beats him. Donkey tries harder to be a better Dog, maybe even better than Dog, and gets beaten again. Donkey becomes much wiser after Dog tells him how foolish he is try to be something he is not.

Connections Animals and humans. Cautionary tales. Comparison. Discontent. Dogs. Donkeys and mules. Farmers. Identity. Self-esteem. Status quo, acceptance. Status quo, resistance. Sounds. Yearning.

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261. dem caan’ call me r aT Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans African American People. Jamaica A town rat tells a country rat, “I bet you dem caan’ call me rat.” The country rat says people will call him what he is, a rat. They test this out on King Street. When Country Rat crosses the road some schoolchildren shout about seeing a rat. When Town Rat crosses the road, the schoolchildren yell, “See anodeer one deh!” The Town Rat insists that they called him “another one,” not a rat. Told in patois.

Connections Animals and humans. Comparison. Denunciation. Evidence. Humorous tales. Identity. Mice and rats. Names. Perspective. Status. Tests. Wordplay.

262. The uglIesT m an mus’ wash uP Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans African American People. Jamaica There is proof that Monkey is the ugliest animal in the forest. One day the animals are holding a big meeting with their king the Lion. They need to wash things when they are done with the eating, drinking, and storytelling. The Lion announces that the ugliest must do the washing, without mentioning any name, and Monkey protests right away, “Not me!”

Connections Appearance. Cautionary tales. Evidence. Humorous tales. Identity. Kings and queens. Lions. Monkeys. Self-esteem.

263. The ParroT who loVed chorIzos / el loro que amaba el chorIzo

Judith Ortiz Cofer, Animal Jamboree: Latino Folktales = La fiesta de los animales: Leyendas latinas Puerto Rico The parrot Señor Loro swoops down and steals the chorizos right out of a boiling pot. The cook catches him one day and holds him over the pot, threatening to cook him. The parrot promises to stop stealing the chorizos that he loves. However, her holding him there burns the green feathers right off the top of his head. At the next dinner party, the parrot lands with glee on the guest of honor who is bald and announces that this man must have been caught stealing chorizos, too. Told in English and Spanish.

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Connections Animals and humans. Appearance. Baldness. Bird, fantasy. Cooks. Fantasy. Feathers. Food. Hair. Humorous tales. Identity. Misunderstanding. Parrots. Punishment. Theft.

How Else This Story Is Told The Parrot Who Liked to Eat Spanish Sausages—Pura Belpré. In Lisa Sánchez-González, The Stories I Read to the Children.

264. moTher Frog and her T welVe chIldren Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! African American People. Haiti Mother Frog is tired. Her many children hide behind trees, so they will not have to help her with any of the chores. The children do appear when the food is ready, though. Father Frog says it is not his problem, for he gave her children to help. Donkey offers to help teach Mother Frog’s children how to behave. When the food is ready the next day, Donkey eats it all before they get there and sings that those who don’t work, don’t eat. After that, the children always hop over to help out. Instructions are also given for playing this story as a hopping game.

Connections Cautionary tales. Changes in attitude. Cleverness. Cooperation. Donkeys and mules. Education. Food. Frogs and toads. Games. Husbands and wives. Parents and children. Shirking. Work.

265. how blacK PeoPle goT meaT durIng slaVery Daryl Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans African American People. Jamaica When slavery ends, white people resent black people and leave them with no cattle and no way to buy meat. Sometimes, when black parents do manage to get hold of a cow, they hide it underground and eat the meat after the children have gone to bed, because children talk. This way, when white people come looking for a missing cow and ask questions, the children will truthfully be able to answer that they have only eaten salt fish. Told in patois.

Connections Cleverness. Conversations. Cows and cattle. Deprivation. Food. Inequity. Ownership. Parents and children. Poverty. Power. Questions. Racism. Resentment. Status. Status quo, resistance. Storytelling. Tests. Traps. Truth. Words. Yearning.

266. a wIse FaTher Rajshri Samlal. In Kumar Mahabir, Caribbean Indian Folktales Indian People. Trinidad

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A king worries how his lazy sons will manage when he is gone. He tells them that he buried money and gold from their mother on every side of the garden. After he dies, the two brothers dig up the whole garden, but do not find anything. However, since they already turned over the soil, they plant some wheat. It grows well, and they borrow their neighbor’s bull to thresh and then grind it. They realize that their father must have tricked them, but it’s all right, since they are eating well.

Connections Buried treasure. Changes in attitude. Cleverness. Farming. Food. Humorous tales. Kings and queens. Laziness. Parents and children. Perspective. Storytelling. Work.

267. d og In The basKeT Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part I (Print and online) African American People. Grenada Monkey calls down every day as a girl passes by bringing a basket of food to her father in the fields. He wants to know what she has. The girl answers rice and peas, and the monkey eats all the food her mother has prepared. When she tells her mother what has been happening, the girl’s mother hides a bull dog in the basket the next day. The monkey asks what is in the basket, and the girl answers rice and peas. The big bull dog chases the monkey all around. The day after that, when she tells the monkey rice and peas are in the basket, he yelps, “A story! A story! Is a big bull dog!” Told in creole.

Connections Animals and humans. Bullies. Cleverness. Dogs. Food. Humorous tales. Misunderstanding. Monkeys. Parents and children. Questions. Revenge. Storytelling. Threats. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands, African American People: The Girl and the Baboon—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. The baboon here threatens to kill the girl if she tells her father what has happened to his lunch, until her father sees what is happening and shoots him.

268. l azy old crows / los VIeJos cuerVos Perezosos Joe Hayes, Dance, Nana, Dance = Baila, Nana Baila Cuba Survival is getting harder for an older papa and mama crow who have no one to help them as they age. When eggs blow down from a nearby nest, the old crows pluck out each other’s feathers to look like baby crows and move in. They beg for food, and

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the father crow feeds them. After a month, however, the young crow parents are getting stressed looking for so much food. They also worry that their babies have not grown feathers and need to learn to fly. When a jibaro’s cigar accidentally sets the tree on fire while the young parents are away, the old crows make it out and run. The young parents are sad, but build a new nest and start a new family. This restful summer has replenished the old crows’ energy, and they sometimes leave gifts of food for their baby brother and sister. Told in English and Spanish.

Connections Appearance. Babies. Crows. Disguises. Humorous tales. Identity. Old age. Parents and children. Survival. Tricksters.

269. KIngdom oF The blInd Kennth Vidia Parmasad, Salt and Roti: Indian Tales of the Caribbean (Print and online) Indian People. The Caribbean, country unspecified A messenger tells a king that he has heard that everyone in the kingdom is blind. The king insists this is not true, but now he sends Birbal, his wise advisor, to find out how many people really are blind. Birbal makes a bundle of wild vines and sits beside it at the marketplace, weaving baskets. This surprises people who recognize him as the king’s esteemed advisor. When people ask what he is doing, Birbal counts them as blind. He reports back to the king that most people in his kingdom truly cannot see.

Connections Advisors. Blindness. Evidence. Humorous tales. Kings and queens. Perspective. Questions. Tests. Truth.

270. who rules The roosT? M.A. Jagendorf and R.S. Boggs, The King of the Mountains (Print and online) Dominican Republic Two merchants in a small town decide to test which one is right about whether women preside in family life. José will give each husband who is the head of a home a horse, and Francisco each woman who rules a cow. The one who gives away all twelve of his animals first loses the argument. Franscisco is giving away many more cows to women who order their husbands around. Then they come to a judge whose wife is not at home. The judge tells them he is the master in his household. When José tell him to go ahead and choose a horse, though, the judge says he needs to wait for his wife to return to pick, since she is right most of the time. They give the judge Francisco’s last cow.

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Connections Comparison. Evidence. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Power. Questions. Status. Tests.

271. The lIar / el menTIroso Elvia Pérez, From the Winds of Manguito: Cuban Folktales in English and Spanish = Cuentos folklóricos de Cuba, en inglés y español Cuba The farmer’s compadre really does not want to hear another of farmer’s tall tale lies. Now the farmer is saying he knows how many baskets the hill behind his house would fill. The compadre does not want to argue with his friend, though, and humors him by asking “How many?” The farmer answers that one basket will do, if it is big enough.

Connections Coexistence. Friendship. Frustration. Humorous tales. Lies. Storytelling.

272. The bIggesT lIar In The world / el hombre más menTIroso del mundo

Elvia Pérez, From the Winds of Manguito: Cuban Folktales in English and Spanish = Cuentos folklóricos de Cuba, en inglés y español Cuba Whether about kissing a mermaid underwater or mounting a tall horse with a ladder, a traveling storyteller from Villa Clara tells wild tall tales that enthrall some people and annoy others as big lies. The governor jails the man for telling stories which involve his family. When the man keeps telling these lies, the governor threatens to execute him. The prisoner asks to postpone his death for one year so he can teach the governor’s horse to fly. The governor argues that the storyteller is still lying, but the man calmly responds that if the horse does not learn to fly, he or the governor or the horse may have died. After that, the governor decides the man’s stories do not hurt anyone and lets him go. Told in English and Spanish.

Connections Captivity. Changes in attitude. Cleverness. Freedom. Frustration. Governors. Humorous tales. Lies. Punishment. Storytelling. Threats.

273. The barKIng mouse Antonio Sacre. In David Holt and Bill Mooney, More Ready-to-Tell Tales from Around the World Cuba

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A Spanish-speaking mouse family—Mamá Ratón, Papá Ratón, and their two children—go for a picnic. When their parents smooch after eating, the brother and sister run off to play, warned by their mother to stay away from El Gato, the cat who lives near the fence. They start teasing the cat, who gets angry. The children find this hilarious until El Gato springs over the fence. The cat chases them to the picnic blanket, where Mamá defends them by barking. The cat decides Mamá must be loco and leaves. Mamá tells the children this is why it is important to also know a second language.

Connections Allegories and parables. Cats. Cleverness. Conflict, interspecies. Defense. Education. Evidence. Humorous tales. Language. Mice and rats. Parents and children. Pursuit. Prey. Ridicule.

Where Else This Story Appears The Barking Mouse—Antonio Sacre (Print and online storytelling performance).

How Else This Story Is Told Barking Mouse—Len Cabral (Online video animation on YouTube). A Second Language—Alice Kane. In Dan Yashinsky, Tales for an Unknown City. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Cat and the Mouse,” entry 262 (Mexico).

274. The l asT TIger In h aITI Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online) Haiti A hunter, who has killed all the tigers in Haiti but one, wraps their skins into balls to dry on the balcony. He tells his son not to invite his friends into the house while he is gone, but the boy gets lonely. He brings in a friend, who happens to be the only remaining tiger in disguise. The friend asks for one of the rolled up skins. Touching it, the friend brings a tiger to life. The friend tells the boy to drop the rest of the skins off the balcony. They will also come alive and then eat him. Frightened, the boy throws down some skins and calls his father’s secret name. The hunter arrives and asks the boy which tiger pretended to be his friend. When the father shoots that tiger, all the others become skins again, leaving no live tigers in Haiti.

Connections Animals and humans. Conflict, interspecies. Disguises. Disobedience. Fantasy. Hunters. Name, magic. Origin tales, appearance. Parents and children. Prey. Rescues. Restoring life. Skins, animal. Supernatural events. Tiger, fantasy. Transformation. Tricksters.

275. e scaPIng slowly Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica

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When it starts to rain, a goat unknowingly brings her two kids to shelter under the rock ledge where a lion lives. Terrified, she politely tells the lion she needs a minister to baptize them. The lion names them Dinner and Breakfast Tomorrow. Now the goats are jumpy and frightened, too. The mother tells the lion they always behave like this when they need air. The lion gives permission for them to go out until dinner time and later, when they do not return agrees that the mother can go out to find them. “Women know more about life than men, especially when it comes to children.”

Connections Baptism. Cleverness. Common sense. Conflict, interspecies. Defense. Escapes. Goats. Gullibility. Humorous tales. Lions. Monkeys. Name, linked to fate. Parents and children. Prey. Storytelling. Survival. Women and girls, resourceful.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations, African American People: The Goat in the Lion’s Den—Henry Spence. In Martha Warren Beckwith, Jamaica Anansi Stories (Print and online). Told in patois. The Lion, Goat, and Baboon—George Webbe Dasent. In Mary Pamela Milne-Home, Mamma’s Black Nurse Stories (Print and online). Baboon thinks he would like to eat lion’s kids, who are goats like the wife, until he overhears their mother give Lion some molasses she bought, telling him loudly that it is baboon’s blood.

Trinidadian variation, Indian People: Saved by Common Sense—Kenneth Parmasad. In Velma Pollard, Anansesem (Print and online). A male fox brags that he knows many things. The female fox answers that she knows one— common sense. It is her plan when they are trapped to make the children cry, so lion hears her say that they want fresh lion meat to eat and flee.

Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands, African American People: How Broo Goat Tricked Broo Lion—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. Seeing Broo Lion eyeing him hungrily, Broo Goat fiercely tells the Lion that he killed fifty the day before, but only sees ten today. Broo Lion interprets this to mean the ten cubs he has with him and sends them home one by one.

276. nansI and monKey Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi African American People. United States Virgin Islands Broo Monkey has been boasting about how smart he is to Broo Nansi when they find Broo Tiger stuck in a hole. Nansi tells Monkey to lower his tail down, but Tiger pounces on Broo Monkey as soon as he climbs out. From safety up in a tree, Broo Nansi teases Broo Monkey about his smarts, but then decides to help his friend. Nansi hollers down to shame Tiger for not clasping his hands over his head to thank heaven for his good luck. Broo Tiger decides he better do that, and the minute he lets go, Monkey escapes. Ever since, however, Monkey moves high through the branches, to keep away from Tiger waiting on the ground.

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Connections Anansi. Braggarts. Captivity. Cleverness. Cooperation. Criticism. Escapes. Friendship, interspecies. Gullibility. Humorous tales. Monkeys. Origin tales, behavior. Prey. Ridicule. Survival. Tigers. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations, African American People: Anancy Runs into Tiger’s Trouble—James Berry, Spiderman Anancy (Print and online). Anancy teases Bro Tiger who is stuck in a pit and keeps sliding down when he tries to climb out. Anancy tells him it’s not like Tiger to give up, but Tiger slides back down again when he puts his paws together to pray as Anancy suggests, and Anancy leaves him there. Escaping Tiger—Bish Denham, Anansi & Company. After Tiger opens his hands to clap, letting Monkey scamper to safety up the tree, the narrator maintains that clapping hands and thanking the Lord is a good way to get out of other troubles, too. See also The Wind Storm, entry 346.

277. The caT and The r aT Kennth Vidia Parmasad, Salt and Roti: Indian Tales of the Caribbean (Print and online) Indian People. The Caribbean, country unspecified Running from the cat, a hungry rat runs into a shop and falls into a barrel of rum. He does not want to drown, but he cannot get out by himself. Mr. Cat is waiting on the edge of the barrel for him. The rat pretends that he is drunk and asks the cat for help before he drowns. As Mr. Cat begins to lift him out, looking forward to eating him, the rat warns him to wait or he, too, will get drunk. The rat says it will be better if he dries out in the yard. The cat thinks the rat will be too drunk to run, but he is wrong.

Connections Cats. Cleverness. Drowning. Drunkenness. Escapes. Gullibility. Humorous tales. Mice and rats. Pursuit. Prey. Survival. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Grenadian variation, Maroon People: Cat and the Rat—In Emory Cook, Grenada Stories and Songs (Online audio file). Rat falls into sugar. Told in English patois.

278. TIcoumba and The PresIdenT Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire (Print and online) Haiti Ticoumba gives a smart-alecky answer for why he did not take off his hat when the President rides by and starts a bout of sparring between the two of them. The Pres-

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ident does not want to see Ticoumba’s face anymore, so Ticoumba shows him his rear. The President does not want to see Ticoumba clothed or unclothed, so a naked Ticoumba drapes a fishnet over himself. Now the President has said he will shoot Ticoumba if he catches him on Haitian ground, but Ticoumba tells him he is walking on sand from Barbados inside his boots.

Connections Anansi. Cleverness. Commands. Conflict. Frustration. Humorous tales. Manners. Presidents. Respect. Status. Threats. Tricksters. Wordplay.

How Else This Story Is Told The President Wants No More of Anansi—Harold Courlander, The Drum and the Hoe. To get around the President’s banning him from Haitian soil, Anansi fills his shoes with sand from Jamaica and calls it English land.

279. deaTh comes as a roosTer Isabel Castellanos. In John Bierhorst, Latin American Folktales (Print and online) Cuba A woman whose husband is sick has been praying for Death to come for her first. Her compadre tells her that Death will appear as a plucked rooster and then sends a sun-crazed, plucked rooster into the woman’s house. When the rooster screeches, the wife hides behind the door and points to her husband on the bed.

Connections Changes in attitude. Death. Disguises. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Pranks. Prayer. Roosters. Selfishness. Tricksters. Unselfishness.

280. The d onKey drIVer Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire (Print and online) Haiti A farmer starts hitting his donkey’s hind legs when it suddenly stops walking on the way to market and will not budge. A rich woman who lives in the house right there gives the farmer ten gourdes to buy the donkey’s hind legs, so he will stop hurting them. The farmer finally gets the donkey moving again by tugging on a rope. This happens each week, until the woman now owns the donkey’s ears, his rear, his front legs, his nose, and his sides. And so, she gets upset when she sees the farmer hitting his donkey once again. He tells her this one is not the donkey she bought, which is happily grazing at home. She buys the back legs of this new donkey, too.

Connections Animals and humans. Arguments. Bargains. Cleverness. Cruelty to animals. Defense. Donkeys

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281. The braVe lITTle anT and el señor chIVo / l a ValIenTe hormIguITa y el senFIor chIVo Judith Ortiz Cofer, Animal Jamboree: Latino Folktales = La fiesta de los animales: Leyendas Latinas Puerto Rico Old Don Ramón is distressed to find a billy goat eating up all the corn he and his wife Doña María have worked hard to grow. They are not rich people, and when they try to reason with him, Señor Chivo the goat menacingly points his horns at them and keeps on eating. A tiny ant offers to get rid of the goat for one little sack of sugar and one of flour. She seems too little and they worry the goat may trample her, but Señora Hormiga climbs up to Señor Chivo’s tender belly and starts biting him. Now the billy goat is jumping around and finally rolls away from the garden, full of itches. Señora Hormiga tells Don Ramón and Doña María that little creatures need to be able to think to solve problems.

Connections Animal helpers. Ants. Bargains. Bees. Bullies. Cleverness. Farming. Goats. Heroes and heroines. Humility. Insects. Problem solvers. Rewards. Size. Women and girls, resourceful.

How Else This Story Is Told The Billy Goat and the Vegetable Garden—Lucía M. González, Señor Cat’s Romance (Print and online). Señor Billy Goat—Pura Belpré, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales. Señor Billy Goat—Lila Green, Tales from Hispanic Lands (Print and online). There’s a Billy Goat in the Garden—Laurel Dee Gugler. Only the little bee’s buzzing can chase the goat away, after ever bigger animals try and fail, in this simple picture book for very young children. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Ram in the Chile Patch,” entry 102 (Mexico).

282. The old hIgue Evan Jones, Tales of the Caribbean: Witches and Duppies African American People. Trinidad Old Martha encourages her neighbors in Coco-ri village in the mountain east of Port of Spain to think she is a witch. Shriveled and scary-looking, she mutters to herself and lives alone now that her grandchildren have gone to America, but now she is sometimes hungry, too. So, Martha welcomes the dollar Mr. Bennett offers her to make a spell for him. Her reputation as an obeah woman grows when the spell seems to protect his oranges. With other successes, she even raises her price to two dollars. However,

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after a village baby dies, people begin to think she may be an Old Higue, a creature that sheds her skin and sucks the blood of children at night. After another baby dies, Martha sees the women coming with sticks to kill her. She calmly stirs her pot and lets her eye twitch. They are frightened, until she knocks over a bag of rice. One woman says she must count every grain, which will prove she is Old Higue. Martha begins, but keeps dropping grains once she gets into the eight hundreds and has to start over. When the women fall asleep watching her, Martha walks away to Port of Spain, where no one knows whether she was an Old Higue.

Connections Appearance. Charms and potions. Denunciation. Escapes. Fear. Identity. Obeah men and women. Old Higue. Poverty. Reputation. Reversals of fortune. Superstitions. Witches.

283. Panya Jar James Berry. In Faustin Charles, Under the Storyteller’s Spell Jamaica Three friends are talking about the elusive Panya jar full of treasures. Some say the jar was buried by Spaniards who hastily left Jamaica when the British invaded in 1655. Others say the jar was buried by a pirate captain, who shot two sailors so their spirits would guard it. Mr. Kayjay thinks it is possible he could find the jar serendipitously while digging on his land. Cousin Buddy and Mr. Mackey believe a person has to search where he has dreamed the jar may be, but keep secret that he has even gone looking. The three friends speak about what they would do if they found the treasure. The next dawn, Mr. Mackey and Cousin Buddy meet, each holding a pickaxe and a machete. Neither tells the other what he is doing out there or the details of his dream in hopes of finding that Panya jar another time.

Connections Buried treasure. Dreams. Gossip and rumors. Jar, magic. Quests. Secrets. Unfinished business. Yearning.

284. The guIJe oF l aguna de ITabo / el guIJe de la l aguna de ITabo Elvia Peréz, From the Winds of Manguito = Desde los vientos de Manguito Cuba Abruptly displaced from a Tenerife tobacco farm, Mr. Godoy struggles to earn a living for his family, until he hears about a spot close to the haunted Laguna de Itabo. He does not fear the Guije, the goblin who is said to drown people in the nearby pool where an indigenous man once ended his life. The landlord is delighted to rent this fertile land which no one else will work. When Godoy succeeds in bringing forth good harvests, resentment grows among his neighbors. Nasty rumors spread about how

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Godoy must have made a bargain with the Guije and how his wife is a witch. When Godoy’s livestock and crops begin to disappear, he decides one night to face the perpetrator, guije or human, and is found badly beaten. The community, of course, blames the Guije, saying he wanted to keep the land solely for himself.

Connections Accusations. Courage. Denunciation. Farming. Fear. Gossip and rumors. Guije. Imps. Jealousy. Murder. Mysteries. Resentment. Superstitions. Work.

285. The gold PIece and The baby George E. Simpson and J.B. Cinéas, “Folktales of Haitian Heroes,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Especially charmed as a baby waves its hand when the mother held the child up as he comes by, King Christophe has one of his officers bring a gold piece to the child once he returns to the palace. The King questions the officer about the delivery afterwards. The man reports that he handed the gold to the child who immediately handed it to his mother, who offered humble gratitude to the King. King Christophe denounces the officer as a liar and a thief, saying that if he had truly handed over the gold piece as ordered, the child would have immediately placed it in his mouth.

Connections Accusations. Babies. Christophe, Henri. Cleverness. Deceit. Evidence. Gold. Humorous tales. Kings and queens. Lies. Money. Soldiers. Theft.

286. The l aughIng sKull Lulu Delacre, Golden Tales Dominican Republic A human skull, lit up at night, rests in the niche in the stone wall beside the Convent of Santo Domingo with a sign that warns passersby that this, too, will happen to them. Fright spreads after a man reports hearing strange noises from the skull and seeing the head shake. A nineteen-year-old second lieutenant is bothered by the cowardice of others in his battalion and determines to solve the mystery of the skull. He orders soldiers to bring a ladder there one night. As Abad Alfau climbs up towards the skull, screeching noises increase and the skull spins wildly. Abad calmly keeps the others from fleeing and hits the skull with his sword. As it crashes down, terrified mice run down the wall.

Connections Appearance. Courage. Fear. Mice and rats. Mysteries. Problem solvers. Skulls. Soldiers.

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287. The ParroT who wouldn’ T say “caTaño” Pura Belpré, Once in Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Yuba’s parrot chatters about everything else with the retired sailor, but she will not say the name of their town Cataño. Rich Don Casimiro, who specializes in chickens, overhears them arguing and offers to buy the parrot. Yuba finally agrees to give the parrot away to Don Casimiro for keeps only if he can get her to say Cataño. Otherwise, Yuba wants her back. Dan Casimiro ferries the parrot to his home, where he pampers her, threatens her to say Cataño, and then tosses her out the window when she won’t. Later he hears a commotion in the chicken house and finds a mess. The parrot has grabbed a chicken. She is telling it to say Ca-ta-ño or she will wring its neck. First thing in the morning, Don Casimiro returns the parrot. Yuba hugs the parrot and, when Don Casimiro is gone, softly says, “Say Cataño.” And the parrot does.

Connections Animals and humans. Bird, fantasy. Changes in attitude. Chickens and hens. Conversations. Conflict, interspecies. Friendship, interspecies. Humorous tales. Imitation. Language. Names. Parrots. Stubbornness. Talking animals and objects. Threats. Words.

Where Else This Story Appears In Lisa Sánchez-González, The Stories I Read to the Children.

How Else This Story Is Told The Story of the Smart Parrot—M.A. Jagendorf and R.S. Boggs, The King of the Mountains (Print and online); and in Joanna Cole, Best-Loved Folktales of the World (Print and online). Here the bird’s new owner hears the parrot imitating his threats and never berates him again.

288. legend oF The h aTred beTween m a P oule and cocKroach Velma Pollard, Anansesem Trinidad Sudden singing from underneath the stone Macmere Addie uses to wash her clothes at the river sends her running toward the village, startled and scared. Three times she heads back with a man who boasts that he can solve the problem, but each one also takes off running as soon as the singing starts. Macmere Addie heads sadly home, thinking her laundry is lost. Bra Cock suspects Bra Cockroach and his family are the ones underneath that stone. His own fowl family turns the stone over and devours every cockroach there … except for one old grandfather, whom Macmere Addie hides under a cloth. She regrets all the killing which she inadvertently caused. The Cockroach family builds up again, but always avoids the hen and her children. Songs are included.

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Connections Animal helpers. Birds. Braggarts. Bravado. Cockroaches. Conflict, interspecies. Fear. Identity. Murder. Mysteries. Origin tales, behavior. Prey. Problem solvers. Remorse. Roosters. Songs.

Where Else This Story Appears In J.D. Elder, Ma Rose Point: An Anthology of Rare Legends and Folk Tales from Trinidad & Tobago.

How Else This Story Is Told The Boastful Animals—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part I (Print and online).

289. K ALLALOO! A C ARIBBEAN TALE David and Phillis Gershator The West Indies, country unspecified Hungry Granny has no food in the house and no money to buy some. She tries unsuccessfully to catch a fish for lunch and picks up a spotted West Indian shell instead. The shell whispers “sssoup” into her ear. In this West Indian twist on Stone Soup, Granny decides the magic shell will make its own soup … and it does, when she throws it into a pot of boiling water, and bit by bit, people at the market bring her everything else the shell inside the pot tells her they need, for making kallaloo.

Connections Callaloo (Soup). Cooperation. Food. Humorous tales. Hunger. Problem solvers. Shell, magic. Soup. Stone Soup tales. Women and girls, resourceful.

290. why The wasP can’ T m aKe honey Eddie Burke and Anne Garside, Water in the Gourd African American People. Jamaica When learning various aspects to the trade of being an insect, Wasp is much less patient than Bee. He boastfully rushes through hive-building and, though his finished construction is artful, he dismisses his Mongoose teacher’s warnings about attitude. At honey-making, Bee works diligently to gather nectar from different flowers. He is mocked by Wasp, who does not want to get so hot or dirty and goes to the racetrack instead. The next day Mongoose angrily throws Wasp out of the class for having gathered no nectar. So, Wasp never learns the honey business like Bee. Put out, Wasp acquires a stinger to get back at others.

Connections Arrogance. Bees. Braggarts. Cautionary tales. Comeuppance. Comparison. Education. Honey and syrup. Impatience. Laziness. Mongooses. Origin tales, behavior. Perseverance. Punishment. Revenge. Ridicule. Shirking. Status. Teachers and students. Wasps and hornets.

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How Else This Story Is Told Why the Wasp Can’t Make Honey—David Self, The Lion Book of Wisdom Stories from Around the World.

291. The caT, The mounTaIn, g oaT, and The Fox Pura Belpré, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales Puerto Rico The other animals share food with little cat, who always complains that her fur is too brittle to go searching for it on her own. However, they are getting irritated by her refusal to try any suggestions. Dog presides over a meeting where cat’s illness is discussed in front of fox, a new arrival. Fox listens and suggests that cat come to him the next day, as he practices healing. (He believes the cat is just lazy.) Mountain goat gives cat a ride there. Fox has a sack ready for cat and tells her to eat little pieces of roast beef from it as she walks down the road. Cat walks away with the sack, with surprising energy, impatient to eat the beef. When she opens the sack, however, two hares chase her up into a tree. Her fur is now fluffy and fine, and she moves away.

Connections Cats. Cleverness. Coexistence. Comeuppance. Conflict, interspecies. Denunciation. Dogs. Evidence. Foxes. Frustration. Humorous tales. Problem solvers. Shirking. Tricksters. Work.

Where Else This Story Appears In Lisa Sánchez-González, The Stories I Read to the Children.

292. The l azIesT m an In The world / el hombre más haragán del mundo

Elvia Pérez, From the Winds of Manguito: Cuban Folktales in English and Spanish = Cuentos folklóricos de Cuba, en inglés y español Cuba For a year, the laziest man in the world has been counting on neighboring farmers to give him everything he needs. After he twice eats the seeds instead of planting them, though, the farmers say they are through with helping him until he dies. The laziest man tells them to go ahead and bury him then, which seems to frighten them more than him. Even as they carry him in the coffin, the laziest man turns down an offer of corn because it isn’t already grown and ground, as well as rice which hasn’t been threshed yet. The laziest man tells them to stop pushing him to do work. Still uncomfortable with burying him alive, they set the coffin down in the road and go. If the lazy man wants to eat, he will have to work, but no one knows if he ever does. Told in English and Spanish.

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Connections Bravado. Burying alive. Charity. Coexistence. Comeuppance. Denunciation. Farming. Food. Funerals. Humorous tales. Kindness. Laziness. Shirking. Unfinished business. Work.

293. The l azy boy John H. Johnson, “Folk-Lore from Antigua, British West Indies,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) Antigua Jack will not work and spends all his father’s money, gambling and playing. He plays at college, too, and when he returns his father asks how to say shoe in Latin. Jack answers Shoest. He adds est to every word his father names and thinks he has fooled him, until his father says, “To-morrow mornest I gwine to de storest. Gwine buy you a hoe-est, an’ you gwine to workest de cangiledest.” Told in creole.

Connections Cautionary tales. Cleverness. Comeuppance. Education. Humorous tales. Parents and children. Problem solvers. Shirking. Tricksters. Wordplay. Work.

294. Fred and The chIcKens Christine Barrow, And I Remember Many Things… The Caribbean, country unspecified To show off his school learning, Fred tells his papa that there are really three, not two, chickens on the dinner table. He counts them—one, two—and then says one plus two makes three. Fred’s papa answers that if there are really three chickens, then he will take the first, Mama will take the second, and, if he is so smart, Fred can have number three.

Connections Braggarts. Comeuppance. Counting. Education. Humorous tales. Parents and children.

295. The one-legged TurKey Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World (Print and online) African American People. Saint Lucia John is the only servant for a wealthy miser. When asked to cook a special turkey for dinner, John eats one of the legs and then insists that the turkey only had one leg. He shows the gentleman a turkey out the window that looks like it has only has one leg because the other is tucked up under its wing. The master curses, and the turkey puts its second leg down. John tells the gentleman that the one he cooked would have done the same if the master had cursed at it.

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Connections Cleverness. Comeuppance. Conversations. Food. Humorous tales. Legs. Misers. Servants. Turkeys. Words.

How Else This Story Is Told One Leg Turkey—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part I (Print and online).

296. chrIsToPhe and The T wo wagoners George E. Simpson and J.B. Cinéas, “Folktales of Haitian Heroes,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) African American People. Haiti King Cristophe hears a wagoner yelling at his four oxen to get up. The man is shouting phrases, “God Is Good; Pétion!; Port au Prince Does Not Belong to You; The King Will Take It.” The king asks what this all means, and the wagoner tells him these are his bulls’ names. Cristophe is both amused and gratified by the wagoner’s patriotism. He tells the driver that their rule will include all of Haiti one day and rewards him with gifts. Back at home, one of the wagoner’s neighbors wants to be rewarded, too. When the royal carriage rolls by, he shouts phrases which disparage Pétion, the ruler of southern Haiti. Even though he would like to rule all of Haiti himself, Christophe angrily reprimands this man for disrespecting his colleague’s authority.

Connections Bulls. Christophe, Henri. Comparison. Drivers. Humorous tales. Imitation. Kings and queens. Name, linked to fate. Peasants. Perspective. Power. Respect. Status. Words.

297. The blacKsmIThs Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire (Print and online) Haiti Clanging from two blacksmiths’ hammers is annoying the new President. He does not care that the previous President wanted blacksmiths near the palace to shoe his horses. Neither blacksmith wants to move, for this location is convenient for the townspeople who also come to their forges. Finally, the president offers enough money to convince both blacksmiths to move. When the President hears clanging the next morning, he furiously yells that they have stolen money from him. The blacksmiths tell him they did fulfill the bargain and move … into each other’s houses.

Connections Bargains. Blacksmiths. Cleverness. Discontent. Frustration. Humorous tales. Noise. Presidents. Wordplay.

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298. T HE SQUEAKY D OOR Margaret Read MacDonald Puerto Rico Little Boy is a little scared to sleep in the brass bed at Grandma’s. He cries when the door squeaks as Grandma closes the door after a goodnight kiss. She comes back with the cat to keep him company, but then both cat and Little Boy cry out after kisses as the door squeaks closed. One by one, Grandma adds the dog, the pig, and the horse, who all cry out as the door squeaks closed. And then the bed breaks. She puts the boy in bed with her and Grandpa, fixes the broken bed, oils the squeaky door, and all is fine.

Connections Beds. Doors. Fear. Grandparents and grandchildren. Humorous tales. Noise. Problem solvers. Women and girls, resourceful.

How Else This Story Is Told The Bed—Pura Belpré, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales; and in Lisa Sánchez-González, The Stories I Read to the Children. It’s the little old woman’s old-fashioned bed itself which squeaks and scares the little boy in this version, after which she joins people and animals on the floor and laughs. The Old-Fashioned Bed—Celia Barker Lottridge, Ten Small Tales. The Squeaky Old Bed—Barbara Baumgartner, Crocodile! Crocodile!

299. TANILÍ: UN CUENTO AFROCUBANO: AN AFROCUBAN F OLKTALE Maria Luisa Retana African American People. Cuba The enchantress Domitila cannot afford to offer her neighbors the customary feast for their help with harvesting her cotton. They tell her they will be going instead to harvest rice for wealthy Antonio. When Antonio, himself, haughtily refuses to help her, Domitila reassures her grandson Tanilí that she will provide magic far better than Antonio’s feast. Out in the palm grove, she whispers to a lizard, who sings back. Domitila asks Tanilí to scrape the gourd from their house with a stick. Tanilí keeps scraping and the lizard keeps singing his song, which draws the neighbors, as if they are under a spell, to help harvest the cotton. Antonio hears the music and regrets his selfishness. He shares his feast with all the harvesters that night, and the next day, everyone comes to help him with his rice. Includes musical score.

Connections Animal helpers. Changes in attitude. Conflict, class. Enchantment. Fantasy. Farming. Grandparents and grandchildren. Identity. Lizard, fantasy. Magic. Music. Perspective. Poverty. Selfishness. Songs. Sorcerers and sorceresses. Status quo, resistance.

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300. bIg-guT, bIg-head, sTrIngy-leg Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-lore of Andros Island, Bahamas (Print and online) African American People. The Bahamas Bro’ Big-Gut, Bro’ Big-Head, and Bro’ Stringy-Leg find a banana tree and start to argue about who will climb up and bring bananas down for the others. Bro’ Big-Gut says his belly is too big. Bro’ Stringy-Leg says his leg is too little. Bro’ Big-Head says his big head will burst, but he goes up. His big head does throw him off balance as he reaches for the bananas, and he crashes down. Bro’ Big-Gut’s big gut explodes when he starts laughing. Bro’ Stringy-Leg’s skinny leg breaks when he runs to get help.

Connections Accidents. Appearance, linked to fate. Arguments. Brothers and sisters. Injury. Name, linked to fate. Name, linked to traits. Slapstick tales.

Where Else This Story Appears In Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online).

How Else This Story Is Told Grenadian variations: Big Mouth, T’in Foot, Big Belly—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part I (Print and online). Thin Foot, Big Belly and Broad Mouth—Esther O’Neale, De Red Petticoat.

Jamaican variations, African American People: Big Head, Big Belly, and Little Foot 108A—Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans. Told in patois. Big Head, Big Belly, and Little Foot 108B—Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans. Three hungry sisters meet disaster when they go out to look for food. Told in patois. Big-Head, Big-Belly, and Little-Foot—Arthur Brown. In Martha Warren Beckwith, Jamaica Anansi Stories (Print and online).

Variation from Montserrat: Big Foot, Big Belly, Small Foot, and Broad Mouth Song—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part II (Print and online). Four daughters suffer mishaps when they go to find work picking pears.

Trinidadian variations, African American People: Belly Talk—Freddie Kissoon. In Trinidad and Tobago Newsday (Online print). Calamities befall Big Belly, Broad Mouth, and Thin Foot when they stop on the way to the store, after their mother told them not to. Big Mouth, T’in Foot, Big Belly—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part I (Print and online). The Lady and Her Three Sons—M.P. Alladin, Folk Stories and Legends of Trinidad (Print and online). A poor widow sends her sons Big Eye and then Thin Foot and Broad Mouth to the shop, where things go awry. Friends say they will help her, if she promises to change her sons’ names.

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Variation of the U.S. Virgin Islands, African American People: Thin Foot, Big Belly, and Big Head—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi.

301. breaK mounTaIns Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire (Print and online) Haiti The tall tale character Break Mountains is on the move as soon as he is born. Super strong, he pulls a door right off its hinges and uproots the orange tree when his mamma complains about mosquitoes there. Break Mountains pulls the foundation out from under the house, when he gets mad at breaking his father’s drum. With giant steps that flatten mountains, he goes off to see the world. His sneezes knock down pine trees. He causes a landslide when he stomps and makes Etang Saumatre lake overflow when he sits in it. No sandals fit him, so the blacksmith makes new ones of hot iron, which tip ships in the harbor. However, when a kernel of corn lands on his head and Break Mountains falls down, he needs his mamma.

Connections Baby, fantasy. Fantasy. Humorous tales. Parents and children. Size. Storytelling. Strength. Vulnerabilities.

302. mIamI Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans African American People. Jamaica Big Boy is chewing gum when the teacher asks the class where the plane stops when it leaves Jamaica. At the same time, Big Boy’s friend asks where his bubble gum is. Big Boy tells him, “Mi nyam it. Mi nyam it.” Teacher is pleased with the answer; Miami is exactly the city she was looking for.

Connections Big Boy (Character). Humorous tales. Misunderstanding. Teachers and students. Wordplay.

303. Jesus chrIsT Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans African American People. Jamaica The Inspector is visiting a school to see what the children are learning and what they know about religion. He asks who died for their sins. No one answers, which embarrasses the teacher. She sticks the rear of the student closest to her with a pin. The student cries out, “Lawd, Jesus Christ!” That was just the answer the Inspector wanted, and he praises the boy.

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Connections Big Boy (Character). Embarrassment. Humorous tales. Misunderstanding. Questions. Teachers and students. Tests.

How Else This Story Is Told Jesus Christ—Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans. Big Boy doesn’t know who was crucified on the Cross, but he cries out the answer when a girl steps on his sore foot.

304. can I drIVe my lITTle mInI? Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans African American People. Jamaica Big Boy asks his mother what her vagina is while she is taking a bath. She answers that it is his father’s garage. Big Boy wonders if he can park his little Mini Motor in it, but his mother replies that it is claimed.

Connections Anatomy. Bawdy tales. Big Boy (Character). Ownership. Parents and children.

305. eVery member To carry hIs own sPIrIT Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans African American People. Jamaica A Parson fills a flask with alcohol to help him preach on Sundays. One week, though, Deacon Jones takes the flask. The Parson tells the congregation he needs to leave. He says he will ask the Deacon to take over for him this week, but next Sunday congregants should carry their own spirit to church.

Connections Advice. Alcohol. Congregants. Humorous tales. Preachers. Wordplay.

306. PacK oF cards Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part II (Print and online) African American People. Saint Croix A sergeant, who does not have a prayer book, brings a pack of cards to church instead. An officer sees the sergeant take the card out when the Mass is read. He brings the sergeant to court. The sergeant explains how the ace reminds him of one god and goes through the deck connecting other card numbers and pictures to religion, so they can see that he is pious. Told in creole.

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Connections Accusations. Analogies. Cards. Congregants. Games. Humorous tales. Piety. Scripture.

Where Else This Story Appears In Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folktales.

307. whaTsoeVer In Thy bosom Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part II (Print and online) African American People. Saint Croix A man who lives far from the church puts dumplings in his shirt to eat after the service. The minister is reading “Whatsoever in thy bussom, pluck it out.” The man upsets the congregants by announcing aloud that he cannot give the Minister any dumplings, for he only has three.

Connections Congregants. Food. Humorous tales. Literality. Misunderstanding. Preachers. Scripture. Sermons. Wordplay.

Where Else This Story Appears In Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folktales.

308. rum wIll KIll ouT all The worms Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans African American People. Jamaica To show the men in his congregation what happens to them if they drink too much, the priest puts worms into a glass of white rum. The worms die. The men do not see rum as a danger to themselves. They take his demonstration to show that rum will kill whatever worms they have inside of them.

Connections Alcohol. Congregants. Evidence. Humorous tales. Literality. Misunderstanding. Preachers. Sermons.

309. The Parson’s beard Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part II (Print and online) African American People. Saint Croix

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A woman begins to cry in church as the parson preaches. He thinks his sermon has touched her. Afterwards, he asks what the matter is. At last, she says that watching his mouth go up and down makes her remember her old ram goat which was stolen.

Connections Analogies. Beards. Humorous tales. Memory. Preachers. Sermons. Tears.

Where Else This Story Appears In Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folktales.

How Else This Story Is Told Variation from Trinidad, Indian People: Sookdaya and the Ram Goat—Ashram B. Maharaj, Indo-Trinidadian Folk Tales in the Oral Tradition (Online text). Every night, the elderly woman who attenda a Ramayana Yagya begins to cry, listening to the baba read aloud. He puts more emotion into the katha, thinking how wonderful it is that she listens so well, but when he asks, she tells him watching his beard reminds her about her ram-goat which died. Told in creole.

310. counTIng ouT The PeoPle Elsie Clews Parsons, “Bermuda Folk-lore,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) Bermuda Two fisherman decide to stop and divide their day’s catch in the Warwick churchyard. A passerby hears them counting out one for me and one for you. The man rushes to tell the pastor that God and the devil are dividing souls between them. They think the fishermen are referring to their souls and not two fish when just as they reach the churchyard, they hear, “How about the two we left at the gate?”

Connections Fishermen. Humorous tales. Misunderstanding. Preachers. Souls. Wordplay.

VIII

Tricksters Besting the Bully and Schemes for Survival

Anansi 311. From TIger To anansI Philip M. Sherlock, Anansi the Spider Man: Jamaican Folk Tales African American People. Jamaica The animals may think tiny Anansi is weak, but the spider requests to have the stories which are now named after their king, Tiger, named after him. Tiger is reluctant to part with his stories and tells Anansi he must deliver Mr. Snake alive. Anansi’s plans to bait Snake into a calaban and lure him into a hole in the ground fail. Snake even scolds Anansi for trying to catch him all week. Anansi then flatters Snake and says he himself is not clever enough to be able to prove that Snake is longer than the bamboo tree is tall. Snake brags that of course he is the longest animal in the world and allows Anansi to tie him to a bamboo trunk to measure. This is how Anansi brings Snake to Tiger and becomes the owner of all stories.

Connections Anansi. Bargains. Bees. Captivity. Cleverness. Discontent. Flattery. Gods and humans. Humorous tales. Journeys, to and from Africa. Kings and queens. Leopards. Names. Nyame. Origin tales, behavior. Playscripts. Reputation. Slavery, background. Snakes. Status. Storytelling. Tigers. Traps. Tricksters. Wasps and hornets. Yearning.

Where Else This Story Appears In The Illustrated Anansi. In Velma Pollard, Anansesem.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations, African American People: Anansi—Brian Gleeson. (Print and online print; audio CD; DVD). This telling begins with a gentle description of how the Anansi stories traveled with the slaves from Ghana to sugar plantations in the Caribbean. It includes Anansi’s successful capture of snake plus a second

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tale where Anansi unsuccessfully schemes to appear important at his mother-in-law’s funeral. Anansi Returns—Josepha Sherman, Trickster Tales. Tiger poses two challenges for Anansi: to bring him a gourd full of live bees and then Snake alive. How Anancy Became Famous—Joan Andrea Hutchinson, Anancy Stories (DVD animation); and as audio on Anancy and Aunty Joan (CD and online audio at iHeart Radio and YouTube). Told in patois. How Anansi Captured Tiger’s Stories—Jennifer Bent. Tiger gives Anansi two tasks: to deliver a gourd full of live bees and capture Python Snake. How Anansi Tricked His Father—David Brailsford, Confessions of Anansi. This tale interweaves folklore with historical reenactment of the capture of villagers in Ghana by the British. Anansi acquires all the stories of the Ashanti nation from Nyame and then accompanies the slaves across the ocean to help ease their pain with story. How Spider Tricked Snake—Mirna Benitez. For young readers.

Variation from Tobag, African American People: Why They Name the Stories for Anansi—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online). To acquire stories from the Master King, Anansi tricks Mr. Blacksnake into getting tied to a pole to prove that he is longer than Mr. Yellowtail Snake.

West Indian variation, country unspecified: Tiger Story, Anansi Story—Philip M. Sherlock, West Indian Folk-Tales (Print and online); and in Kevin Crossley-Holland, The Young Oxford Book of Folk Tales. In exchange for his stories, Tiger wants Anansi to bring him a gourd full of live bees and Mr. Snake to converse with.

Caribbean variations, countries unspecified: All Stories Belong to Anansi—Judy Sierra, Fantastic Theater: Puppets and Plays for Young Performers and Young Audiences (Print and online). Anansi needs to deliver Hornets, Snake, and Leopard to the god Nyame. Told in play form with production suggestions and templates for rod or shadow puppets, along with lyrics for Raffi’s Anansi song. Anansi the Spider-Man—Vic Parker, Traditional Tales from the Caribbean.

312. broTher annancy and broTher deaTh Walter Jekyll, Jamaican Song and Story (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica Brother Annancy sends his daughter to Brother Death to borrow fire and bites off her finger, when he sees that Death has put an eggshell on it. Annancy tells Brother Death that the fire has gone out, after which Death gives Annancy fire and an egg, and Annancy gives Brother Death his daughter in marriage. One week later he returns and tells Brother Death he is hungry. “Deat’ no ’peak” over and over, silent at each step as Annancy narrates preparing breakfast aloud and helping himself to all of Death’s food. Then Death suddenly grabs Annancy and goes to get his lance to kill him. Meanwhile, Annancy finds his daughter’s hand inside a cask of meat. He yells that Death has killed her and runs home, sending his family up to the rafters before Brother Death arrives. One by one the children’s arms get tired, and they drop. Death sets them aside, waiting for Annancy to fall. His wife drops last. Tired, Annancy calls down for Death to bring over the barrel of flour so his fat will not be ruined when he falls. The barrel is actually

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filled with quick lime, which blinds Death when Annancy drops heavily onto Death’s head and escapes with his family. Told in patois.

Connections Anansi. Death (Character). Dry Head (Character). Escapes. Fantasy. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Murder, attempted. Parents and children. Revenge. Sacrifice. Slavery, background. Supernatural beings. Traps. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Annancy and Death—Pamela Colman Smith, Chim-Chim: Folk Stories from Jamaica. Told in patois. How Annancy Fooled Death—Pamela Colman Smith, Annancy Stories (Print and online). Told in patois. Brar Deat’ (Brother Death)—Mary Pamela Milne-Home, Mamma’s Black Nurse Stories (Print and online). In a grislier version, Brar Deat’ catches Anansi’s children as they drop from the rafters, and only Anansi himself escapes. Told in patois. Why Anansi Lives in Plantain Trash—David Brailsford, Confessions of Anansi. This tale where Bredda Dryhead wishes to marry Anansi’s daughter is wrapped as a story being told to slaves in the ship crossing the Atlantic. Conditions on board, as well as the sale and molestation of slaves, are mentioned, in a book for middle schoolers.

313. anansI clImbs The wall Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica Nansi and Brer Death have teamed up to plant a field together, but only Brer Death’s beans and yams are flourishing because Nansi has been fooling around instead of working. Nansi sneaks into the field at night to steal some food and meets Brer Death, who is guarding the crops with a cutlass so close to harvest. Brer Death does not believe Nansi’s story that he’s hunting crayfish. Nansi takes off running with Death close behind him. He shouts for his wife Tookooma to “open the back door, shut the front door.” Tookooma does not understand what he is saying and keeps asking if he filled his basket. Nansi runs through the house and out to their shed and up the wall like a big black spider into the rafters, which is where people find him now.

Connections Anansi. Death (Character). Deceit. Defense. Farming. Fantasy. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Misunderstanding. Origin tales, behavior. Partnership. Pursuit. Shirking. Spiders. Supernatural beings. Transformation. Tricksters. Tukuma. Watchmen.

How Else This Story Is Told Caribbean variation, country unspecified: Bro Nancy and Bro Death—Robert Hull, Caribbean Stories.

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314. dry head Wona, A Selection of Anancy Stories African American People. Jamaica Not only does the fearsome Dry Head drop down and eat all of the red pea soup Anancy has just finished cooking, but Dry Head clings to his back and demands that Anancy carry him home to Anancy’s house. There, Dry Head sticks with Anancy in bed and out, and bites his ear when Anansi tries to shake him off. To get rid of Dry Head, Anancy brings a chicken to the field. He breaks its leg, which attracts a hawk. Dry Head goes under a tree, so the hawk will not come after him, too. While he pretends to be protecting the chicken, Anancy reminds the hawk how Dry Head stole his eggs. The hawk says he needs to fight Dry Head another time, out in the open. Anancy has to bring Dry Head to the field the next day. So as not to make him suspicious, Anancy asks Dry Head whether he thinks his head is smoother than the marble stone in the field. They go to check. Anancy puts Dry Head down to compare, and the hawk arrives for him. Told with the dialogue in patois.

Connections Anansi. Birds. Bullies. Captivity. Cleverness. Comparison. Dry Head (Character). Escapes. Hawks. Outwitting supernatural beings. Prey. Storytelling. Tricksters.

315. b o nancy and The yams M.P. Alladin, Folk Stories and Legends of Trinidad (Print and online) African American People. Trinidad Bo Nancy criticizes how an old man is planting yams. He says the man will get bigger yams if he boils them with rice and plants the pieces wrapped in fig-leaves with saltfish in separate holes. The old man plants the rest of the yams that way. It isn’t until the next day that he finds that Bo Nancy has eaten every bundle.

Connections Advice. Anansi. Criticism. Farming. Food. Fools. Gullibility. Monkeys. Pranks. Ridicule. Tricksters. Tukuma. Yams.

How Else This Story Is Told Barbadian variation: How to Make Yams Grow—Donald Millington. In Elsie Clews Parsons, “Barbados Folklore,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). It is Monkey who advises a man to stew his yams and stick a piece of fish inside before planting. Told in creole.

Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands:

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Nansi and the Boiled Yams—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. Villagers laugh at Broo Tukumah for following Broo Nansi’s advice to boil the yam pieces before planting them.

316. anansI and The crabs Philip M. Sherlock, Anansi the Spider Man: Jamaican Folk Tales African American People. Jamaica In a long black gown, Anansi shows up in Crab Town to preach under a tree one Sunday, but none of the sleeping crabs come to hear him. They do not wake up in following weeks either when Anansi brings Rat, Crow, and Bullfrog along as congregants and preaches louder. When the four return with music, however, a young crab comes to listen. Anansi offers to baptize his friends and him in the river, which the crabs greatly enjoy. Many more crabs arrive in long white gowns to join in, and Rat, Crow, and Bullfrog stuff them into a big sack for dinner. The King of the Crabs hears about Anansi’s trick and sends Alligator to fetch him. Anansi greets Alligator as Cousin, but Alligator wants Anansi to prove he is related by drinking boiling water, like alligators can. Anansi passes the test by claiming that the water is not hot enough and placing it in the sun, where it actually cools down. So, Alligator leaves Anansi alone … but Anansi stops preaching anyway.

Connections Alligators and crocodiles. Anansi. Baptism. Conflict, interspecies. Congregants. Crabs. Crows. Escapes. Evidence. Frogs and toads. Kings and queens. Kinship, proving. Mice and rats. Music. Preachers. Prey. Tests. Theft. Traps. Tricksters. Yams.

Where Else This Story Appears In The Illustrated Anansi.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations: Anansi Drinks Boiling Water—Sharon Creeden, Fair Is Fair (Print and online). Without crabs and preaching, the king wants Anansi to take the boiling water test to prove that he did not steal some of his yams, while pretending to harvest them. Anancy and the Crabs—Una Wilson, Anancy Stories. Told in English, with dialogue in patois. Annancy in Crab Country—Walter Jekyll, Jamaican Song and Story (Print and online). Annacy gets dinner by baptizing the crabs in boiling water.

West Indian variation, country unspecified: Anancy and the Crabs—Wona, “West Indian Miscellany,” West Indian Review. Anancy catches some of the crabs by baptizing them with boiling water and returns to preach again to those who are left.

317. anansI and FIsh counTry Philip M. Sherlock, Anansi the Spider Man: Jamaican Folk Tales African American People. Jamaica

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A drought has brought widespread famine, and Anansi thinks that with a bag and a long coat, he can pretend to be a doctor in Fish Country. He tells a fat fish with eye trouble that he can help her if she sends for him once she has assembled coconut oil, a sharp knife, and a frying pan at home. Anansi practices a special boisterous refrain with the grandmother’s relatives. They are to sing it, while stamping on the floor, when they hear the frying pan sizzle. He goes in to the grandmother fish, locks the door, and cooks and eats her. Then Anansi tells the relatives they must let her rest alone. He collects his fee and goes, but alligators in the river keep Anansi from leaving Fish Country. Finally Brother Dog agrees to distract them in exchange for Anansi’s bag of money. By the time the fish relatives reach the river bank, Anansi is running off on the other side.

Connections Anansi. Cooperation. Deceit. Disguises. Dogs. Escapes. Fish. Food. Hunger. Identity. Prey. Songs. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Anancy and Fish Country—Anancy Archives (Online print). Told in patois. Anancy an’ Shark—Louise Bennett, Anancy Stories and Dialect Verse. Captured by Bredda Shark, Anancy says he can take care of the shark’s ailing mama and he does, but not in the way shark expected. Told in patois. How Anansi Went to Fish Country—Pamela Colman Smith, Annancy Stories (Print and online). Dog gets eaten by Alligator after carrying Annancy across the river. Anancy and Fish Country—Una Wilson, Anancy Stories. Told in English, with dialogue in patois.

318. ANANSI AND THE ALLIGATOR EGGS = ANANSI Y LOS HUEVOS DEL COCODRILO

Philip M. Sherlock African American People. Jamaica Anansi convinces Mr. Blue Quit to get his friends to each lend him a feather so he can fly with them to the island where the dokanoos are ripe. He practices and can finally fly, but once there, Anansi selfishly keeps pushing birds away from the dokanoos. They angrily take their feathers back and leave. Anansi eats and fills his bag, thinking the birds will return. When they don’t, he goes to the shore and asks Brer Alligator for a ride. Terrified, Anansi gets on Alligator’s back, and Brer Alligator says he will take Anansi to his island home. Anansi offers Alligator the bag of dokanoos, which saves his life. Alligator asks Anansi to help wash his eggs. Anansi eats eleven eggs from the basket and keeps passing the same twelfth egg forward to Alligator to be washed. Alligator calls for his son to get Jack Fish and King Fish to row Anansi to his home. When Alligator finds only one egg in the basket in his house, though, he tries to call them back. It is too late, and Anansi makes it to shore. In English and Spanish.

Connections Abandonment. Alligators and crocodiles. Anansi. Birds. Conflict, interspecies. Deceit. Dokanoos. Eggs. Escapes. Feathers. Food. Greed. Humorous tales. Kinship, proving. Origin tales, behavior. Parents and children. Rescues. Selfishness. Sharing. Tests. Theft. Tricksters.

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Where Else This Story Appears In Anansi the Spider Man (in English only).

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations, African American People: Anancy, Bird Cherry Island, and Alligator—Joan Andrea Hutchinson, Anancy and Aunty Joan Told in patois. (CD audio and online at iHeart Radio and YouTube). Anansi and Alligator—Mary Pamela Milne-Home, Mamma’s Black Nurse Stories (Print and online). Anansi spends the night at Alligator’s, thinking to steal the eggs, but Alligator’s daughter knows Anansi’s trickery and has put scorpions in the pots, which nip him. Anansi pretends they are just fleas and does take the eggs. Back at home, he tells his father to tell Brar Alligator that he doesn’t know where his son is. After that Alligator is done with living in a house. Told in patois. Anancy and Crocodile—Peter-Paul Zahl, Anancy Mek It: Bedtime Stories from Jamaica. In order to be rescued, Anancy has to pass the boiling water test to convince a crocodile that he’s her cousin. Told in patois. Anansi, White-belly and Fish—Mrs. Ramtalli. In Martha Warren Beckwith, Jamaica Anansi Stories (Print and online). After rolling into the river, Anansi is picked up by Fish and passes the hot water cousin test with trickery. He then poaches Fish’s eggs and puts all the fish children who are rowing him home in a bag to eat. Told in patois.

West Indian variation, country unspecified: That One, Anansi—Virginia Hamilton, A Ring of Tricksters (Print and online). After being abandoned by the birds, Anansi asks to sleep in the kitchen of Big Alligator. His daughter puts scorpions in the pots, knowing full well Anansi will be looking for food there. Anansi pretends he is bitten by fleas, so she won’t know he found the eggs. When Big Alligator swims after his boat the next day, Anansi tells his father not to disclose where he is hiding, but then he calls down from the tree asking Big Alligator if he sees Anansi. See also Firefly Lights the Way, entry 369.

319. The sea-m ammy Philip M. Sherlock, West Indian Folk-tales (Print and online) African American People. West Indies, country unspecified During the hungry time after a hurricane, Anansi borrows feathers to fly with Blackbird to an island for fruit. Blackbird strands Anansi featherless there, though, when Anansi refuses to leave. As Anansi starts to swim home, Sea-Mammy comes up from the bottom of the water and brings him to her island. Anansi claims that as his cousin, she should help him get home. The Sea-Mammy wants Anansi to drink boiling water to prove that they are related. He convinces her to put the pan of boiling water out in the sun to get hotter, but the sea breezes actually cool it enough for him to drink. The Sea-Mammy has second thoughts about their kinship while her son Tarpon is rowing Anansi home. She shouts for Tarpon to bring him back, but Anansi tells the boy that his mother is saying for him to outrace a coming storm. Once on shore, Anansi tricks Tarpon into getting into his bag and brings him home to eat.

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Connections Abandonment. Anansi. Birds. Discontent. Duppies. Escapes. Evidence. Feathers. Flight. Greed. Hunger. Journeys, underwater. Kinship, proving. Mermaids. Outwitting supernatural beings. Revenge. Sea Mahmy. Supernatural beings. Tests. Tricksters. Water, boiling. Water spirits.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variation: Sea-Mahmy—Walter Jekyll, Jamaican Song and Story (Print and online). The Sea-Mahmy in this variant brings Anansi to the bottom of the sea. Told in patois.

320. anancy and s orrel Louise Bennett, Anancy and Miss Lou African American People. Jamaica Anancy does not yet know what he is going to do with the long red stalks he picked or even what they are, but he heads for the Grand-Market hoping to trade them for food. He invites the pumpkin seller to grab them. Villagers think Anancy is a thief, as he gets chased through the market, and so he throws the plant into someone’s pot of boiling water. A man calls out that the brew is red like wine. Everyone starts tasting it then, while Anancy hopes the plant does not poison them. He tells a man who complains about the taste to add sugar, ginger, and cinnamon. The pot now smells wonderful, and Anancy says it is like “real-real wine.” The red drink sells fabulously all that day and is still drunk on Christmas all over Jamaica. Told in patois.

Connections Anansi. Drink. Humorous tales. Origin tales, appearance. Pursuit. Serendipity. Sorrel. Traditions. Tricksters.

Where Else This Story Appears In Andrew Salkey, Caribbean Folktales and Legends. At Rt. Hon. Dr. Louise Bennett Coverley—Poet, Folklorist, Woman of Culture (Online text). In Velma Pollard, Anansesem.

How Else This Story Is Told Sorrel—Daryl C. Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans. Told in patois.

321. anancy and The cowITch PaTch Joan Andrea Hutchinson, Anancy and Aunty Joan: Jamaican Anancy Stories (CD and online audio) African American People. Jamaica

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The Man has offered five golden cows for anyone who can chop out the burning, stinging cowitch from his big, big pasture without scratching. Everyone is afraid of the cowitch, including Anansi, but Anansi wants those cows. He takes on the job, and the Man sets a watchman in the tree to make sure Anansi does not scratch. Time and again the cowitch touches Anansi. Each time he desperately wants to scratch, he engages the watchman in conversation telling a story or asking a question about things happening to different parts of the body, which lets him surreptitiously scratch as he shows where. And so, the watchman vouches to the boss that Anansi never scratched, and Anansi wins the five golden cows for clearing the field. Told in patois.

Connections Anansi. Bargains. Competition. Cow itch. Deceit. Dry Bones (Character). Evidence. Goats. Humorous tales. Itching. Mosquitoes. Plants. Storytelling. Tasks, challenging. Tigers. Transformation. Tricksters. Tukuma. Watchmen.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations: Anancy an’ Cow—Louise Bennett, Anancy Stories and Dialect Verse. In the end, Anancy also gets the cow which muma cow boxed so hard for not watching Anancy carefully, it ended up in a tree. Told in patois. Anancy and the Cow Itch Patch—Joan Andrea Hutchinson, Anancy Stories (Animated DVD). Told in patois. Anancy and the Cowitch—Una Wilson, Anancy Stories.

Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands: Tukuma and the Mosquitoes—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. Nansi offers to butcher the cow which Tukuma has won for managing not to scratch when clearing land for the king and then pretends not to understand why Tukuma is mad that he has kept so much meat.

West Indian variations, countries unspecified: Compère Anansi and the Cows—Grace Hallworth, Listen to This Story. After Anansi clears the widow’s field of itchy zootie grass and wins a big, red cow, he won’t be satisfied until he owns two cows like Compère Tigre, whom he tricks next. The Grass-Cutting Races—Philip M. Sherlock and Hilary Sherlock, Ears and Tails and Common Sense. With Dry Bones watching, Anansi wins the first competition to cut Old Woman Crim’s grass without scratching, but during the second race he has to scoot after getting caught out for tumbling Goat into his bag to make it look full.

322. anansI Play wITh FIre , anansI geT burned M.A. Jagendorf and R.S. Boggs, The King of the Mountains (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica Tiger does not invite Anansi to his wedding feast, because the half-man, half-spider

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always cheats him. Out for revenge at having been snubbed, Anansi rubs some cowitch creeper all over Tiger’s wedding clothes. Burning and itching, Tiger rips off the wedding clothes as the ceremony is going to begin. All the guests join in a plan to get even with Anansi. They belatedly invite Anansi to the wedding. He thinks all has been forgiven until they surround him and wind him in cowitch. Anansi is still scheming even as he screams, however. He announces the Queen is coming down the road and escapes when everyone runs off to see.

Connections Anansi. Clothing. Cow itch. Humorous tales. Plants. Revenge. Storytelling. Tigers. Traps. Tricksters. Weddings.

Where Else This Story Appears In Joanna Cole, Best-Loved Folktales of the World (Print and online).

323. comPère caT’s weddIng FeasT Kathleen Clarke. In Velma Pollard, Anansesem African American People. Grenada Ever hungry for food, Compère Anansi arrives early to the wedding of Compère Cat and Miss Tabby and offers to helps them set things up. After the ceremony, however, the Bride and Bridegroom discover their entire wedding cake gone, along with good wines. Compère Cat blames Compère Dog for being a careless Master of Ceremonies, and then a brouhaha breaks out as everyone starts accusing each other of thievery. Heading home, Compère Fly discovers Anansi with incriminating cake crumbs and empty bottles, and Anansi swallows him, scared that Fly will tell. The damage is done, however, and that wedding ends all comraderie between cats, dogs, rats, pigeons, spiders, and flies.

Connections Accusations. Anansi. Cats. Coexistence. Conflict, interspecies. Deceit. Evidence. Flies. Food. Guilt. Murder. Mysteries. Origin tales, behavior. Prey. Silencing. Theft. Tricksters. Weddings. Witnesses.

Where Else This Story Appears In Beverly A. Steele and Bruce St. John, eds., Tim Tim Tales from Grenada.

324. KIsander Philip M. Sherlock, Anansi the Spider Man: Jamaican Folk Tales African American People. Jamaica Anansi and his mouse friend Moos-Moos Atoo would like to sneak some puddings from the dokanoo tree, which the cat Kisander defends with sharp claws and teeth. Anansi climbs up and cuts one and then another ripe pudding off, while Moos-Moos

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watches sleeping Kisander from below. Kisander wakes only when the third dokanoo “boofs” on the ground. Moos-Moos calls to warn Anansi and runs. Kisander puzzles over why three dokanoos cut by a knife fell by themselves. When she brings them to her house, she hears a fourth boof as Anansi comes down, but never does find a fourth pudding on the ground.

Connections Anansi. Cats. Cooperation. Dokanoos. Escapes. Food. Fruit. Humorous tales. Mice and rats. Mysteries. Sounds. Theft. Trees and bushes. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Kisander—Pamela Colman Smith, Chim-Chim: Folk Stories from Jamaica. Told in patois.

325. anansI and The PlanTaIns Philip M. Sherlock, Anansi the Spider Man: Jamaican Folk Tales African American People. Jamaica Anansi’s wife Crooky sends him off to find food for the family. Not finding any work, Anansi takes a nap and then wakes ashamed. He meets Br’er Rat, who is carrying plantains. Anansi tries to make Rat feel sorry for him, but Rat does not offer any food. Anansi finally begs for plantains. Br’er Rat grudgingly gives Anansi four small ones, ignoring Anansi’s statement that there are five in his family. Crooky roasts the four plantains. When Anansi insists that it is better for him to be the one to go hungry and takes none for himself, the children and Crooky all give him half of theirs. And so, Anansi ends up with more than anyone else.

Connections Anansi. Bananas. Counting. Crooky. Food. Humorous tales. Hunger. Husbands and wives. Mice and rats. Parents and children. Sharing. Shirking. Storytelling. Tricksters. Work.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations, African American People: Anancy and the Bananas—Una Wilson, Anancy Stories. Told in patois. Anancy and Plantains—“Anancy Archives” (Online print). Told in patois.

Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands, African American People: Nansi and the Green Bananas—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi.

326. nansI and The PIgeon Peas Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi African American People. United States Virgin Islands Nansi brings a letter to the illiterate watchman, which he offers to read aloud. Nansi tells him it is from the owner. The letter instructs the watchman to tie Mr. Nansi

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in the fattest part of the pigeon peas and release him when he is full. After a while, the watchman reports to the owner that peas are missing, and Anansi gets tied up for real. He gets Broo Lion to untie him and take his place, by pretending that they are going to force him to eat with a knife and fork. Instead, the owner punishes Broo Lion with a red hot iron. When Lion breaks free, Anansi shouts out his location to them. Broo Lion runs into the bush, and Anansi escapes.

Connections Anansi. Captivity. Elephants. Escapes. Food. Gullibility. Humorous tales. Illiteracy. Letters. Lies. Lions. Rabbits. Shifting blame. Theft. Tigers. Tricksters. Watchmen.

How Else This Story Is Told Bahamian variations, African American People: The Cane Field—Merle Woods. In Zora Hurston,”Dance Songs and Tales from the Bahamas,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). In a short tale, Brer Rabbit tells the farmer’s daughter that her father said to tie him up in the cane field and ends up getting scalded when the farmer figures it out. A License to Steal—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online). Mr. Rabby brings the letter from the boss to Massa Sam, the field boss who cannot read. When caught, he convinces Mr. Elephant that they are forcing him to marry the king’s daughter whose food is too much for him.

Haitian variation, African American People: Bouki’s Dish of Food—Bob Lapierre, Bouki and Malis. In a simpler version without the illiteracy angle, Ti Malis is tied to post for stealing eggs. He convinces Uncle Bouki to take his place by saying that they are going to force him to eat a whole kettle-full of food.

Jamaican variation, African American People: The Gub-gub Peas—George Parkes. In Martha Warren Beckwith, Jamaica Anansi Stories (Print and online). Told in patois.

Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands, African American People: Broo Nansi and Broo Tiger—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. The king’s daughters seek revenge when they discover Nansi has been secretly courting both of them at once. They tie him up to play a game where he tries to catch them and kiss them as they run by, but leave him tied. Nansi groans to Broo Tiger that they want him to eat with a knife and fork, and Broo Tiger gets scalded in his place.

327. how brer nancy caughT The ThIeF C.R. Ottley, Legends: True Stories and Old Sayings of Trinidad and Tobago African American People. Trinidad and Tobago Dressed fine and speaking high and mighty, Brer Nancy asks Brer Tucuma for a job as supervisor on the banana plantation in Matura. Brer Tucuma hires him to be night watchman. Then, noticing that bananas are disappearing, Brer Tucuma covers one of his trees with tar to catch the thief. Brer Nancy mistakes the tree for a laborer and kicks it angrily when the tree doesn’t answer. He gets stuck. Only Brer Goat agrees

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to help him, but her horns get stuck when she tries to pry him off. Brer Nancy rushes to show Brer Tucuma the thief he caught and whips Goat, so she cannot tell the truth. Even now Goat keeps trying to bray Brer Nancy’s name to prove her innocence.

Connections Anansi. Betrayal. Captivity. Deceit. Dolls. Escapes. Goats. Identity. Ingratitude. Origin tales, behavior. Shifting blame. Theft. Tricksters. Tukuma. Watchmen.

328. “PuT you d own a me wIFe P oT” Wona, A Selection of Anancy Stories African American People. Jamaica Anancy starts a conversation with Bredda Sheep about the general lack of food and coaxes the sheep onto his back to see just how light it has become during this hungry time. Once the sheep is there, Anancy carries it home to his cooking pot. He tricks more animals this same way. Anancy doesn’t know Monkey has been watching. Monkey now tells Anancy that he is still strong enough to carry him. Anancy agrees to take turns … only Monkey goes first and tells Anancy he’s bringing him to his wife’s cooking pot. Anancy pretends to be calling out to tell a hunter behind them that there’s a fat Monkey here. Monkey drops Anancy and runs, and Anancy congratulates himself, “not one oh dem schemify like you Anancy bwoy.” Told in English, with dialogue in patois.

Connections Anansi. Escapes. Food. Gullibility. Hunger. Monkeys. Sheep. Storytelling. Tricksters. Weight. Witnesses.

329. c unnIe anansI d oes s ome g ood Virginia Hamilton, A Ring of Tricksters: Animal Tales from America, the West Indies, and Africa (Print and online) African American People. The West Indies, country unspecified During a hunger time, young Cunnie Anansi convinces Sima Tiger and Breda Parrot that they will all change their names and disguise themselves with leaf masks in order to steal food. When Mum Parrot does not know her son’s new name, they tie her up with grass and take all her food. Not wanting this to happen to his own mother, Cunnie Anansi suddenly makes an excuse to run home and tell Mutha his new name. After the boys tie and hoist up Mumma Tiger, too, Anansi again reminds his mother of his new name. When Mutha Anansi remembers to call her son Cjherebanji, the other two resent that they had to tie up their mothers and Anansi didn’t. Anansi hides up in the cotton tree with his mother. When Mutha Spider lets Anansi down in a silk basket to try to find food, Sima Tiger and Breda Parrot jump in, pretending to be Anansi. Cunnie Anansi calls for Mutha to let the basket drop. The boys get hurt when it falls. Mutha Anansi

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says she will mend them if they promise to untie their mamas, to eat only food they find, and not to try to get even with Cunnie Anansi.

Connections Anansi. Bargains. Birds. Deceit. Escapes. Friendship. Hunger. Identity. Name, guessing. Parents and children. Parrots. Resentment. Spiders. Tigers. Traps. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations: New Names—Samuel Christie. In Martha Warren Beckwith, Jamaica Anansi Stories (Print and online). Told in patois. Paarat, Tiger an’ Annancy—Pamela Colman Smith, Annancy Stories (Print and online). Told in patois.

330. uncle seKrey and anancy Louise Bennett, Laugh with Louise African American People. Jamaica The rich old man everyone calls Uncle is promising land and money to any of the servants who can guess his name. Anancy wants that reward, and his wife works for Uncle. He decides that he will pretend to be Mrs. Anancy’s baby the next day. Uncle agrees that Mrs. Anancy can leave the baby with him on the verandah, but Anancy begins to scream loudly once Mrs. Anancy leaves to do the ironing. Uncle goes to comfort the child and is shocked at the long yellow teeth Anancy bares at him. Muttering to himself about what he is seeing, Uncle gives away his secret name, which Mrs. Anancy “guesses” correctly at the end of the day.

Connections Anansi. Babies. Competition. Disguises. Humorous tales. Identity. Masters and mistresses. Name, guessing. Servants. Tricksters.

331. anancy and The sheeP Wona, A Selection of Anancy Stories African American People. Jamaica Anancy charms wealthy Meeseech, who agrees to give him one of her sheep. Each day, though, Anancy leads one sheep away, all the while pretending that he will return for it the next day. This happens twenty times, until Meeseech’s friend Tocooma notices that all the sheep are gone but one. Meeseech thinks Anancy is too polite to be the thief, but Tocooma sets a trap. He puts on the last sheep’s skin and lets Anancy lead him away like the others. Anancy recognizes Tocooma’s eyes and asks Breeda Monkey

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to take the sheep and escapes. When Tocooma finds him, Anancy is holding onto the roof of his house. After a while, Anancy convinces Tocooma to move the bowl of ashes under him, saying that if he falls and dies, Meeseech will think Tocooma himself is the thief. Anancy drops into the ashes so hard, they sting Tocooma’s eyes. Anancy ties up Tocooma and collects the reward money from Meeseech. Told in English, with dialogue in patois.

Connections Anansi. Deceit. Disguises. Escapes. Sheep. Shifting blame. Theft. Traps. Tricksters. Tukuma.

332. anansI seeKs hIs ForTune Stanley Jones. In Martha Warren Beckwith, Jamaica Anansi Stories (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica Anansi needs money but has no plans to work for it. Instead, he puts on a white gown and pretends he has just come from heaven. He tells one woman that her husband in heaven needs Sunday clothes, and she gives him some to take to him. He tells another woman who has just been given money “for a rainy day,” that he is Mr. Rainy Day. She has been putting the money away for ten years, and is happier to give it to him than any robbers. With all this money, Anansi never has to work again.

Connections Anansi. Disguises. Gullibility. Humorous tales. Misunderstanding. Money. Names. Pranks. Shirking. Storytelling. Tricksters. Wordplay. Work.

333. TIgerTaIl s ouP Melinda Munger. In David Holt and Bill Mooney, More Ready-to-Tell Tales from Around the World African American People. Jamaica Since the king really likes tigertail soup, Anansi figures he needs to get himself a tiger’s tail and try some, too. He presses Tiger to swim in a secret deep place in the river without his tail, so its weight will not drown him. Tiger finally agrees and pops off his tail for Anansi to watch. Anansi brings the tail home to cook. He eats the whole pot of delicious soup and then looks for someone else to take the blame. The Big Monkeys aren’t interested in learning a special new song, but he teaches the chief of Little Monkey Town “We ate Tiger’s tail up.” Soon all the Little Monkeys are singing and dancing to this song. Back at home, Anansi sings Tiger the song he says the Little Monkeys want to sing to him. Tiger angrily races off and starts batting Little Monkeys around, until the chief says Anansi the Spider taught them the song. They both realize now what Anansi did and why he has skittered into hiding ever since.

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Connections Anansi. Escapes. Food. Humorous tales. Monkeys. Origin tales, behavior. Shifting blame. Songs. Soup. Tails. Tigers. Tricksters. Truth.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variation: Tiger Soup: An Anansi Story from Jamaica—Frances Temple (Print and online). No tails here, but Anansi gets the innocent Little Monkeys to take the blame for him by singing, “We ate the Tiger soup!”

West Indian variation, country unspecified: Tiger in the Forest, Anansi in the Web—Philip M. Sherlock, West Indian Folk-tales (Print and online). Tiger himself sneaks up behind while Anansi is teaching the Little Monkeys to sing “I ate Tiger’s stew” to unknowingly take the blame for him.

334. brer anansI, TIger and r aT David Brailsford, Confessions of Anansi African American People. Jamaica Brer Nancy and Brer Rat come across four tiger cubs while collecting fallen fruit. Anansi thinks they will make fine stew. He places two cubs in his basket, but Rat kills the two he puts in his. Then Tiger appears, fiercely demanding to know where his cubs are. Anansi smoothly tells him they found the pickneys, lost and hungry, to bring to him and hands Tiger the two cubs from his basket. As he realizes the two in Brer Rat’s are dead, Brer Rat is already fleeing from Tiger’s fury. Anansi shouts for Rat to find a stone hole. Rat is still there, hiding in the wall.

Connections Anansi. Escapes. Food. Friendship. Lies. Mice and rats. Murder. Origin tales, behavior. Parents and children. Pursuit. Rabbits. Rescues. Tigers. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Barbadian variation: Seeking Trouble: Nancy and Ber Rabbit and Ber Tiyger Young Ones—Louise Lavinia Barrow. In Elsie Clews Parsons, “Barbados Folklore,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). Told in creole.

335. anansI and snaKe The P osTman Philip M. Sherlock, West Indian Folk-tales (Print and online) African American People. The West Indies, country unspecified Ever reluctant to work, Anansi asks Snake to become his personal postman. In return, Anansi will allow Snake to bite him every night. However, Snake’s bite that first night really hurts, and Anansi looks to get out of the bargain. He invites Rabbit to spend

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the night in his own bed, telling Rabbit to open the door for a cousin who will join them later. Something does not feel right, so Rabbit digs a hole out in the night and leaves. No one opens the door when Postman Snake knocks, and Anansi soon realizes he is on his own. He yells back that Snake bit too deep the night before. Snake assures Anansi that the bites will hurt less each night. Getting angrier, Snake threatens to return with a policeman, so Anansi puts a big iron pot over his head and sticks that out. Snake does not see the pot in the dark. He strikes hard and injures his mouth and is postman no more.

Connections Anansi. Bargains. Cats. Deceit. Escapes. Letters. Mail carriers. Mice and rats. Origin tales, behavior. Rabbits. Snakes. Storytelling. Tricksters. Wasps and hornets.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations: Anancy & Snake de Pousmahn—Everal McKenzie, Anancy Stories. Told in patois. Snake the Postman—Walter Jekyll, Jamaican Song and Story (Print and online); and in Dorothy Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online). Told in patois. How the Wasp Got Its Sting—Clement B.G. London, Caribbean Visions in Folktales. After Brother Rat digs his way out of the house, Brother Cat has to let Brother Wasp bite him in payment for carrying the mail. The second time, however, Brother Cat puts on a glass lampshade, which hurts Wasp and makes him ever grouchy.

West Indian variation, country unspecified: Brer Annancy’s Second Bite—Ronald Deadman. Told as a beginning reader.

336. anancy and bull Frog Louise Bennett, Laugh with Louise African American People. Jamaica Anancy toys with the Bullfrogs. First he gets them happy that he caught the fearsome Alligator. Then he says that Alligator has escaped. In fact, Anancy makes the Bullfrogs jump from one river stone to another by shouting that the Alligator is right behind them, “backa yuh, bakayun.” Anancy laughs and leaves, but the Bull-frogs are still jumping “because Anancy caused it.”

Connections Anansi. Deceit. Fear. Frogs and toads. Humorous tales. Origin tales, behavior. Pranks. Storytelling. Tricksters.

Malice 337. b ouKI renTs a horse Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire (Print and online) African American People. Haiti

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Bouki needs a way to transport his yams to market now that Moussa’s donkey has run away. He arranges to pay Mr. Toussaint five gourdes now to borrow his horse plus ten more on the day he actually borrows it. But then, Moussa’s donkey returns. Ti Malice goes with Bouki to get Bouki’s down payment back. Mr. Toussaint wants to hold them to the whole amount, until Ti Malice starts measuring Mr. Toussaint’s horse by inches. He counts aloud how many inches each of the four people sitting on it will need to see whether the horse will be big enough. Mr. Toussaint fears for his horse’s welfare with all these riders and becomes even more alarmed when Ti Malice ingenuously adds in all of Bouki’s children, plus the pigs. As Bouki wonders where Grandmother will sit, Ti Malice gets Mr. Toussaint to return Bouki’s original five gourdes, plus a large penalty for breaking the deal.

Connections Bargains. Bouki. Borrowing. Changes in attitude. Cleverness. Counting. Cruelty to animals. Donkeys and mules. Horses. Humorous tales. Malice (Character). Money. Storytelling. Tricksters.

Where Else This Story Appears In Joanna Cole, Best-Loved Folktales of the World (Print and online)

How Else This Story Is Told How Bouqui Rented a Mule—François Marcel-Turenne des Prés, Children of Yayoute: Nonc Bouqui and Ti Malice (Print and online). Renting a Horse / Un caballo para alquilar—Pleasant De Spain, The Emerald Lizard = La lagartija esmeralda (Print and online). In English and Spanish. Uncle Bouki and the Horse—Save the Children Fund and Macmillan Education. (Told as a beginning reader.) Uncle Bouki Rents a Horse—Harold Courlander, Ride with the Sun (Print and online). Uncle Bouqui Rents a Horse—Harold Courlander, Uncle Bouqui of Haiti. Uncle Bouqui Rents a Horse—Augusta Baker, narrator. In Uncle Bouqie of Haiti: By Harold Courlander. (Audio CD and download).

338. UNCLE BOUQUI AND LITTLE M ALICE M.A. Jagendorf and Ralph Steele Boggs, The King of the Mountains (Print and online) African American People. Haiti The king has sent his guard to arrest Malice, certain Malice is the one who stole his beloved sheep, My Joy. Knowing this, Malice is laying low at his Uncle Bouqui’s place. Gullible Uncle Bouqui loves to eat, so Malice encourages him to enter the king’s song contest to win the fat prize of oxen and sheep. The song he teaches Bouqui to sing tells a story about Bouki stealing My Joy and making a coat from her skin. Malice sends Uncle Bouqui to perform it in a coat made from My Joy’s very skin. The king is outraged when he becomes aware that Bouqui is wearing My Joy. Malice tries to convince the king that he brought in the thief, but ends up having to bribe the guards so that both

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he and Bouki are not imprisoned. Despite himself, Uncle Bouqui continues to fall for Malice’s schemes.

Connections Anansi. Bouki. Clothing. Deceit. Dogs. Evidence. Goats. Gullibility. Humorous tales. Kings and queens. Malice (Character). Monkeys. Sheep. Shifting blame. Skins, animal. Songs. Storytelling. Theft. Tigers. Tricksters. Truth.

Where Else This Story Appears In Joanna Cole, Best-Loved Folktales of the World (Print and online).

How Else This Story Is Told Haitian variation, African American People: Malice, Bouki, and Momplaisir—Rémy Bastien. In Dorothy Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online). Ti Malice frames Nock Bouki for stealing the King’s favorite kid goat, Momplaisir and becomes the King’s counselor.

Jamaican variations, African American People: Anancy and Bredda Dog—Wona, A Selection of Anancy Stories. Bone ends up in the trash heap after he wears Monkey’s scissors-tail dress suit which Anancy stole and sings aloud the question and response song Anancy taught him to go along with it. Told in English, with dialogue in patois. The Sheepskin Suit—David Brailsford, Confessions of Anansi. Anansi dresses Bredda Tiger in skin from a sheep he stole from Mr Grandman, so Tiger will not frighten anyone when he goes to play drums at Mr Grandman’s dinner party.

Caribbean variation, country unspecified: How Brer Anancy Tricked Brer Terry—Christine Barrow, And I Remember Many Things…. Brer Anancy talks his brother into wearing clothes made from the sheep they stole from Massa to pretend that he already owns sheepskin and does not need Massa’s. But then, Brer Anancy walks behind, singing the truth about what Brer Terry really has on.

339. b ouKI and TI m alIce g o FIshIng Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore African American People. Haiti Ti Malice and Bouki decide to become partners in a fishing business, but Malice keeps tricking Bouki into doing all of the hard work. He also ends up with all the catch by telling Bouki these fish are too small, and he’ll wait to take the next day’s haul. At that point Bouki says then he will wait, and Ti Malice should have these. After a few days of bringing home no fish, Bouki realizes he has been cheated and chases Malice. When Ti Malice gets stuck trying to crawl through the hole in a limekiln, Bouki politely asks the rear end which is sticking out if it has seen Ti Malice. The behind tricks Bouki into pushing it free.

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Connections Bouki. Cleverness. Deceit. Escapes. Fishing. Greed. Gullibility. Humorous tales. Identity. Inequity. Malice (Character). Partnership. Pursuit. Sharing. Shirking. Storytelling. Tricksters.

Where Else This Story Appears In The Drum and the Hoe: Life and Lore of the Haitian People.

How Else This Story Is Told In both of these variations, Bouki dissolves his fishing partnership with Ti Malice by sawing their boat in half. The Fishermen—Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire and Other Haitian Tales (Print and online). Uncle Bouqui and Ti Malice Go Fishing—Harold Courlander, Uncle Bouqui of Haiti. See also Anancy and Firefly, variant under entry 369.

340. baPTIzIng The babIes Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore African American People. Haiti Ti Malice and Bouki are going to take turns working each other’s gardens. They start in Ti Malice’s. Right away, Ti Malice pretends that someone is calling him and goes off to sneak honey from Bouki’s honey gourd. When he returns, he tells Bouki that people wanted him to be godfather for their baby. Bouki asks Malice what name he gave the child. The first time he is called away, Ti Malice says he named the child Coummencé (Beginning), the second time De Fois (Two Times), and the third time Ai Bobo (Finish). Meanwhile Bouki has kept working and is too tired to do his own field. He goes to drink some honey, but it’s all gone.

Connections Baptism. Bouki. Butter. Cats. Deceit. Dogs. Food. Foxes. Godparents and godchildren. Honey and syrup. Humorous tales. Insects. Malice (Character). Mosquitoes. Name, linked to fate. Origin tales, behavior. Rabbits. Shifting blame. Storytelling. Theft. Tigers. Tricksters. Tukuma. Wolves. Wordplay.

Where Else This Story Appears In The Drum and the Hoe: Life and Lore of the Haitian People.

How Else This Story Is Told Bermudan variation: Playing Godfather—Elsie Clews Parsons, “Bermuda Folk-lore,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). Cyat causes the current enmity between cats and dogs by dipping into the butter he and Dawg bought together while reporting to Dawg that he’s standing godfather for different children from “Top Off ” to “All Gone.”

Haitian variations, African American People: How Malice Drunk the Honey—François Marcel-Turenne des Prés, Children of Yayoute: Nonc Bouqui and Ti Malice (Print and online).

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Uncle Bouqui and Godfather Malice—Harold Courlander, Uncle Bouqui of Haiti. When Bouqui discovers Malice’s foul play, he bites Malice’s big toe, naming it, just like Malice did the honey, at each stage as it disappears. Uncle Bouqui and Godfather Malice—Augusta Baker, narrator. In Uncle Bouqie of Haiti: By Harold Courlander. (Audio CD and download).

Variation from Martinique, African American People: Fish and Syrup—Jacqueline Shachter Weiss, Young Brer Rabbit: And Other Trickster Tales from the Americas. To get back at Brer Tiger for taking all the big fish in the first part of the story, Brer Rabbit keeps knocking on Sis Tiger’s door with successive names for the children: Begun, Half-gone, Finished, and Upside Down as he finishes off the syrup Brer Tiger has been saving.

Puerto Rican variation: The Wolf, the Fox, and the Jug of Honey—Pura Belpré, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales. Fox keeps telling Wolf she has been named godmother at a christening, so Wolf takes care of her five little ones, while she sneaks into the honey he has been saving for their special dinner together.

Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands, African American People: Broo Nansi, Broo Tukuma, and the Butter Mosquitoes—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. After bit by bit, Nansi sneaks the butter he and Broo Tukuma have found together, he rubs some over Tukuma when he falls asleep and calls villagers in to come witness his greed.

341. The gun, The PoT, and The h aT Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire and Other Haitian Tales (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Madame Malice says the three chickens they have for expected guests are not enough and sends Ti Malice out hunting for more. When Ti Malice meets Uncle Bouki in the woods, he says that his rusty gun, called Kokoto, can bring down birds from far, far away. He shoots three times into the air. Sure enough, when they return to Malice’s home, Bouki sees Madame Malice plucking three chickens. He believes Malice really does have a special gun and buys Kokoto for fifty gourdes. When no guinea hens fall into Bouki’s yard the next day, though, he demands Ti Malice give him his money back. Instead, Bouki ends up acquiring Dokodo, a pot that Malice says cooks cornmeal by itself, and then Popo, the hat Malice says will lets him eat without paying.

Connections Bargains. Bouki. Cleverness. Fools. Gullibility. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Malice (Character). Storytelling. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Uncle Bouqui and Caplata Malice—Harold Courlander, Uncle Bouqui of Haiti. Malice takes his “magic”gun to hunt wild pigs, after he fails at practicing magic and selling charms.

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342. The greaT house François Marcel-Turenne des Prés, Children of Yayoute: Nonc Bouqui and Ti Malice (Print and online) African American People. Haiti In a time when God is just beginning to change animals into people, the animals live together in a big house which God has told them to build … all except Malice, who was too lazy to help. He is mad that God said not to let him in and sneaks under Bouqui’s bed one night. Disguising his voice, Malice frightens everyone, saying God wants them to leave before the house falls down on them. The animals leave, but the next morning two cats return to check on the house. There is Malice. He asks Compère Cat to shave him and his tongue with pieces of broken glass so he will be spruced up for a dance. Malice invites the cats to spruce up, too, but slices off Compère Cat’s tongue while shaving him clean. The other cat is too afraid to tell the others what Malice did, and Compère Cat cannot speak. No animals ever return to the great house.

Connections Cats. Construction. Cruelty. Disguises. Fear. God. Gods and animals. Houses. Injury. Laziness. Malice (Character). Punishment. Revenge. Silencing. Tricksters. Voices.

343. K alunderIK’s eggs Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! African American People. Haiti Someone is stealing giant eggs from the human-sized bird Kalunderik. She bargains to give the devil half of them if he catches the thief. Bouki knows that his konpè Malis has been taking the eggs, but Malis thinks Bouki will get them both punished by messing up if he comes too. However, when Bouki is waiting for Malis one early morning, Malis has no choice but to bring him along to the nest in the ground. Bouki is still sucking eggs up when Malis is ready to go. Malis slams the door as he leaves, which wakes up Kalunderik. She and the headless devil both arrive at the same time, but Kalunderik has Bouki in her claws. She shouts for the devil to go back to Hell, since she caught the thief. Bouki screams with terror, his blood dripping down, as Kalunderik flies back and forth over the village all day, before letting him fall.

Connections Birds. Bouki. Captivity. Devil. Eggs. Food. Greed. Malice (Character). Punishment. Shifting blame. Supernatural beings. Theft. Tricksters.

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344. PLEASE , M ALESE! A T RICKSTER TALE FROM H AITI Amy MacDonald African American People. Haiti Without money to pay for new shoes, Malese asks one shoemaker to make a very special left shoe for him and then rejects it. The furious shoemaker throws the shoe into the bamboo. Malese acquires a right shoe from another shoemaker the same way. Now Malese needs rum to make rum cake. Beginning with a bottle half-full of water, he gets his neighbor Bouki to add rum to fill it. When Malese does not have the money to pay for the rum, he pours half of the mix, which is now half-water, half-rum back into Bouki’s jug. He does this again and again at different rum merchants in town, until his half-full bottle now contains mostly rum. Malese tricks a ride home for himself on Bouki’s donkey, but angry villagers show up at his house. They want to imprison Malese for one month, but Malese thanks them for saving him from doing work at home. Then he makes being locked up seem not like punishment. Villagers try to release him early, but Malese resists until they promise to make repairs to his house.

Connections Alcohol. Bouki. Captivity. Deceit. Guilt. Humorous tales. Malice (Character). Shoemakers. Shoes. Storytelling. Tricksters.

Rabbit 345. b’whale and b’elePhanT Derek Burrows in David Holt and Bill Mooney, More Ready-to-Tell Tales from Around the World African American People. The Bahamas B’Rabby is tired of hearing his friends boast about their strength. He bets B’Elephant that he can pull him all the way from the jungle to the ocean with a rope. B’Elephant lets B’Rabby tie a long rope around him. At the ocean, B’Rabby bets that he can pull B’Whale out of the water. B’Whale also laughs, but then agrees to have a rope tied around him. Neither knows B’Rabby is not holding the other end of the rope. When B’Rabby blows his conch shell from a tree in the middle, B’Elephant and B’Whale tug harder than they thought they would have to. They alternate, pulling one onto the land and one into the water, until the rope breaks. Humbled, they compliment B’Rabby on how strong he is, and stick to their home turfs in the future.

Connections Braggarts. Elephants. Frustration. Rabbits. Status. Strength. Tricksters. Whales.

How Else This Story Is Told B’ Helephant and B’ VW’ale—Charles L. Edwards, Bahama Songs and Stories (Print and online). In creole. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “James the Vine Puller,” entry 111 (Brazil).

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346. The wInd sTorm Jacqueline Shachter Weiss, Young Brer Rabbit: And Other Trickster Tales from the Americas Puerto Rico When Brer Tiger snatches him, Brer Rabbit scares the tiger into not eating him by telling him that he will blow away in the fierce wind which will soon arrive. Brer Tiger allows Brer Rabbit to tie him to a sturdy tree and is then embarrassed when Sis Calf comes by and laughs, saying there will be no storm. Brer Tiger promises not to eat Brer Monkey if he will untie him, but then goes back on his promise as soon as he is free. From up above in the tree, Brer Rabbit calls down that Brer Tiger should throw Brer Monkey in the air to make him juicier. The minute Brer Tiger does, Brer Monkey swings away on a branch and Brer Rabbit throws a mango seed in Brer Tiger’s mouth.

Connections Anansi. Birds. Bullies. Cleverness. Crows. Deceit. Escapes. Humiliation. Humorous tales. Mongooses. Monkeys. Playscripts. Power. Prey. Promises. Rabbits. Racism. Rescues. Revenge. Slavery. Storms. Tigers. Tricksters. Trust. Tukuma.

How Else This Story Is Told Puerto Rican variations: Friend Rabbit / Compadre Conejillo—Robert L. Muckley, Stories from Puerto Rico = Historias de Puerto Rico (Print and online). This variant includes several tricks which Rabbit plays on Tiger. The Great Hurricane—Barbara Winther, Plays from Hispanic Tales. The Rabbit and the Tiger—Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes (Print and online). Humiliated by Rabbit over and over, Tiger is always looking for revenge. The Tiger and the Rabbit—Pura Belpré, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales; and in Lila Green, Tales from Hispanic Lands (Print and online). Tiger is sure he has caught Rabbit this time. Rabbit calmly says that he’s been trying to die, and if Tiger knew what was coming, he wouldn’t want to live either. Tiger continues to be fooled into trusting Rabbit two other times in this medley. Tiger and the Storm—Bob Hartman, The Lion Storyteller Bedtime Book. When Rabbit gets the animals to make storm-like howls and thumps, scared Tiger lets Rabbit tie him to a tree. Tiger Eats a Monkey—Bob Hartman, The Lion Storyteller Bedtime Book. When Tiger catches a monkey, Rabbit says he will look stupid shoving it into his mouth all at once and says he will want to first toss the monkey up into the air.

Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands: Broo Tukuma and the Hurricane Warning—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. In a serious version about racism, Nansi starts beating Tukuma after tying him to the tree. When Tukuma cries for him to stop, Nansi answers, “When a white man is beating a black man, can the black man tell him, ‘Enough’?” Tukuma is looking for revenge after Broo Rabbit unties him. However, Broo Goat dies trying to trap Nansi, who has also managed to shake pepper into Rabbit’s eyes. See also Nansi and Monkey, entry 276. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “How Agouti (Cotia) Fooled Onça,” entry 391 (Amazonia).

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347. bacK To The l and For comPère l aPIn Velma Pollard, Anansesem African American People. Saint Lucia Hungry and weak and not knowing what else to do during a famine, Compère Lapin starts digging. One of Compère Tigre’s children brings his father to see. Compère Tigre laughs that Compère Lapin is digging a grave and should make it big enough for all of them. This gives Compère Lapin the idea to dig until the hole is huge and deep. When villagers come by, Compère Lapin jumps about, happily singing that he is through with starving. He points to the hole. Visitors jump down and get trapped, as dirt slides down on them when they try to climb out. Then Compère Tigre realizes the rock he is about to throw up at Lapin is a potato. Now, everyone down in the hole begins digging up potatoes. Compère Lapin helps them up with a rope, for half of their take.

Connections Bargains. Changes in attitude. Food. Humorous tales. Hunger. Potatoes. Rabbits. Rescues. Ridicule. Traps. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Never Discourage Someone Who Tries: Back to the Land for Compere Lapin—Jacintha A. Lee, Give Me Some More Sense; and in Compere Lapin Tales.

348. brer r abbIT’s TrIcKery Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part II (Print and online) Montserrat Working together, Brer Rabbit and Brer Monkey trick a man carrying a tray of meat and acquire it all. Brer Rabbit pretends to go quench his thirst and then entices Brer Monkey to leave the meat with him and go get a drink, too. From not too far away, Brer Monkey hears smacks and Brer Rabbit yelling that Brer Monkey took the meat not him. Brer Rabbit has only been hitting a tree, but Brer Monkey flees, leaving him with all the meat.

Connections Deceit. Food. Humorous tales. Misunderstanding. Monkeys. Partnership. Rabbits. Selfishness. Shifting blame. Tricksters.

Where Else This Story Appears In Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani ((Print and online, English only).

349. The T wo FIshermen Eauline Ashtine, Monkey Liver Soup (Print and online) Trinidad

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It bothers Compère Rabbit more than doing all the rowing that Compère Tigercat calls the many fish they catch, “My fish.” As it is his boat, Tigercat divides the fish “between all of us,” listing his new boat, and other fishing gear as separate participants— five lots for Tigercat and one for Rabbit. Disappointed, Compère Rabbit goes home and sneaks back with his three plumpest sons. Compère Tigercat sees one plump black and white rabbit lying still in the road and then two more further on. He leaves his basket to go back for the first two “dead” rabbits. As soon as Tigercat leaves, the third rabbit son jumps up and, with his brothers, brings Tigercat’s basket of fish home. Compère Tigercat does not find any dead rabbits. Even his fish basket disappears, but he is too embarrassed about his own greed to accuse Rabbit.

Connections Bullies. Death, pretense. Disguises. Fireflies. Fishing. Food. Humorous tales. Identity. Inequity. Misunderstanding. Rabbits. Revenge. Sharing. Size. Status. Tigers. Tricksters.

Where Else This Story Appears In Velma Pollard, Anansesem.

How Else This Story Is Told Variation from Martinique: Fish and Syrup—Jacqueline Shachter Weiss, Young Brer Rabbit: And Other Trickster Tales from the Americas. At the end of the day of fishing with Brer Firefly, Brer Tiger says he will take all the large fish because he is larger. This infuriates Brer Firefly, who leaves Brer Tiger in the dark and complains to Brer Rabbit. The rabbit has his son tempt Brer Tiger to go for a section of pig and takes the fish. Brer Rabbit gets even in the second part of the story again when he is asked to be godfather to Brer Tiger’s children and mysteriously names them with how much syrup he has sneakily consumed.

West Indian variation, country unspecified: Big for Me, Little for You—Philip M. Sherlock and Hilary Sherlock, Ears and Tails and Common Sense. After Tiger Cat divides their catch unfairly, Rabbit and his wife dye their children different colors and leave them playing “dead.”

More Tricksters 350. John ouTwITs mr . berKeley Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World (Print and online) African American People. Trinidad Greedy Mr. Berkeley tries to convince an old woman to sell him her cow for less than it is worth to save her the trouble of taking it to the market. Her son John, however, wants to get back at the rich man for cheating his mother. He tempts Mr. Berkeley to purchase a pan of cow manure covered in sugar and then a pot that cooks by itself when

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he whips it. Showing off these new acquisitions, Mr. Berkeley embarrasses himself in front of his friends. He storms over to see John, who is ready with another trick. John stabs the goat heart hidden inside his mother’s dress and shows Mr. Berkeley how he can raise his Mama from the dead by blowing a shell. Mr. Berkeley pays five hundred dollars for the special knife John used. However, he fails to bring his servants and family back to life and then drowns, after falling for John’s trick to reach a field of gold underwater.

Connections Bullies. Death, pretense. Excrement. Godparents and godchildren. Greed. Humiliation. Kinship. Masters and mistresses. Murder. Parents and children. Power. Racism. Revenge. Servants. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Variation from Martinique, African American People: Ti-Jean Horizon—Patrick Chamoiseau, Creole Folktales. Ti-Jean plays these tricks to gets back at the Béké who is his godfather, but has not acknowledged Ti-Jean as the son he fathered with his servant.

351. The ghosTs’ reales Julio Antonio Medina. In John Bierhorst, Latin American Folktales (Print and online) Dominican Republic A man who wants to get creditors off his back pretends to die, and his wife pretends to mourn by staying alone with his body in the church. All but one creditor forgive the debts they owe. That one waits. Thieves who have come to divide loot in the church flee when the “dead” man sits up in his casket. The husband and wife escape with all the loot. The hidden creditor begins to cry that the loot is his, frightening off the thieves again, who now think ghosts are divvying up the loot they have returned for.

Connections Death, pretense. Debts. Deceit. Disguises. Fear. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Misunderstanding. Money. Tricksters.

352. woy, who Knows Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore African American People. Guadeloupe Manteau’s lawyer believes Manteau really did steal a goat from his neighbor, but tells him to act simple-minded and only say, “Woy, who knows?” so the judge will feel

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sorry for him. The ruse works, and the judge rules that Manteau must not have known what he was doing. Now the lawyer demands his fee, but Manteau keeps repeating, “Woy, who knows?”

Connections Deceit. Judges. Language. Lawyers. Misunderstanding. Theft. Tricksters. Wordplay.

353. The cunnIng Fox Kennth Vidia Parmasad, Salt and Roti: Indian Tales of the Caribbean (Print and online) Indian People. The Caribbean, country unspecified A fox finds a dead elephant whose skin is too thick for him to bite through. A lion refuses to bite in for him, even for half of the meat. It says it only eats what it has killed. The fox fears that a tiger who comes by will want the whole elephant alone. He gets the tiger to go away by saying that the lion wants to meet him. The fox tells the leopard that arrives next that he is watching the elephant for the lion. Though fearing the lion’s wrath, the leopard cannot resist taking a bite. The moment he does, the fox shouts that the lion is coming. The leopard flees, and, problem solved, the fox gets to enjoy all the meat by himself.

Connections Chain tales. Cleverness. Conflict, interspecies. Elephants. Food. Foxes. Humorous tales. Leopards. Lions. Prey. Problem solvers. Tricksters.

354. The TrIcKy TaIlor Philippe Thoby-Marcelin and Pierre Marcelin, The Singing Turtle and Other Tales from Haiti (Print and online) Haiti Rat comes to the tailor for a new rat suit for his wedding, but decides to buy a cat skin, instead. After the rat pays him, the tailor says Brother Cat is coming and hides Rat in a large trunk. Cat disparages the rat skin he sees and the tailor lets him know that Rat is in the trunk. He lets Dog know about Cat in the trunk and Tiger about Dog. Brother Tiger sees through the tailor’s game when Lion enters, but he steps on a nail, so Lion catches up to choke him. Tiger gets away when the Hunter arrives and shoots Lion. And the tricky tailor gets to keep the many skins which were already paid for, along with Rat’s money.

Connections Animals and humans. Bargains. Chain tales. Conflict, interspecies. Deceit. Humorous tales. Hunters. Mice and rats. Prey. Tailors. Tigers. Tricksters.

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Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Monkey Buys Corn,” entry 123 (Brazil).

355. comPay mono and comay JIcoTea / comPay mono y comay JIcoTea Joe Hayes, Dance, Nana, Dance = Baila, Nana, Baila Cuba Compay Mono the monkey asks his friend Compay Jicotea the turtle what to do about the theft of pumpkins from the garden he has worked so hard on. She suggests he guard the eastern, pumpkin end at night, but the next day, yucca is missing from the western end. The next night cassava has disappeared. Compay Mono begins to suspect Compay Jicotea. He lets her know that he plans to hide all his money up in the loft, and sure enough, he catches her climbing the ladder. Compay Jicotea suggests that Compay Mono throw her in the cold water as punishment. Monkeys are afraid of water, so Compay Mono thinks it is a good idea, but Compay Jicotea just swims away.

Connections Betrayal. Deceit. Dogs. Farming. Friendship. Greed. Injustice. Lies. Monkeys. Mourning. Murder. Mysteries. Pumpkins. Requests. Theft. Threats. Trust. Turtles and tortoises. Watchmen.

How Else This Story Is Told Kõt Žadẽ Žòòmõ / The Tale of the Pumpkin Garden—Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain, “Creole Tales from Haiti,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). With his new dog, Cynthia catches his neighbor and friend Guimbo stealing pumpkins from his cherished garden, which Guimbo was to be guarding. Guimbo chokes his friend, frightened of being taken to the judge. He pretends to mourn Cynthia and inherits the wonderful garden and dog. Told in Haitian Creole and English.

Haitian variation, African American People:

356. a Funeral For nangaTo / un Funeral Para nangaTo Judith Ortiz Cofer, Animal Jamboree: Latino Folktales = La fiesta de los animales: Leyendas Latinas Puerto Rico On the way to borrow adobo from his grandmother, a little mouse sees Nangato, the cat his mother has warned him to stay away from, lying motionless. He runs back to tell his mother that the cat is dead. Señora Ratona spreads the word, and the village plans a funeral for their feared enemy. Strong mice carry Nangato to the Mouse Cemetery and dig a hole. As they prepare to push the cat over the wall, Nangato suddenly leaps up and catches many mice. After that those who escape never trust sleeping cats or take someone else’s word without checking.

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Connections Cats. Cautionary tales. Conflict, interspecies. Death, pretense. Funerals. Gullibility. Mice and rats. Prey. Traps. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Nangato—Pura Belpré, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales Puerto Rico; and in Lisa Sánchez-González, The Stories I Read to the Children. Perez the Mouse naively decides the village of mice must try to make friends with the large black cat which has moved nearby.

357. The Three-cornered h aT Jean Cothran, The Magic Calabash Puerto Rico Pedro asks three different shop proprietors to hold one hundred pesos for him until he returns with one corner folded on his three-cornered hat. That accomplished, he smiles a big smile, which attracts the attention of a man in the square. Pedro tells the man his lucky hat makes him happy. He takes the man to see how three proprietors look at Pedro’s hat and hand him money. Now the man wants to buy that lucky hat, which Pedro finally agrees to sell for one thousand pesos. No shopkeepers give the man money, and he soon realizes he has been taken in by Pedro the Rogue.

Connections Deceit. Gullibility. Hats. Humorous tales. Luck. Money. Pedro the Rogue. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Lazy Peter and His Three-Cornered Hat—Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes (Print and online).

358. Pedro anImala and The carrao bIrd Pura Belpré, Once in Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Pedro is on his way to sell the carrao bird he has caught when he overhears a woman talking to herself as she puts a jar of papaya candy into the cupboard. He stops and asks if she would like to buy his fortune-telling bird. She wants proof that it can really speak the truth. When he taps it on the head, the bird says “Carrao, carrao.” Pedro translates this as fact that she put away papaya candy to surprise her husband. Astonished, the woman buys the bird for fifty pesetas. But, of course, once Pedro is gone, all it says is “Carrao, carrao.”

Connections Birds. Deceit. Humorous tales. Language. Pedro the Rogue. Prediction. Talking animals and objects. Translation. Tricksters. Truth. Words.

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359. TuKuma and hIs FaTher-In-l aw Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi African American People. United States Virgin Islands Talking respect, Tukuma publicly states that he will be buried with his father-inlaw when Broo ’Nansi dies. However, when the time comes, Tukuma realizes he is not ready to die. His friend Lizard offers to hide in a tall tree at the cemetery and pretend to be the voice of God, calling down that the dead should not be buried with the living. That is the plan, but as the funeral begins, Lizard has fallen asleep. Tukuma nervously throws stones up into the tree. At last, Lizard awakens and speaks. People do believe God is telling them not to bury Tukuma and listen.

Connections Animal helpers. Burying alive. Changes in attitude. Commands. Death. Disguises. Escapes. Friendship. Funerals. Honoring parents. Humorous tales. Lizards. Rescues. Status. Tricksters. Tukuma. Voices.

360. Jean brITIsse , The chamPIon Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Off to Martinique with no money to make his fortune, Jean Britisse stows away on a ship and secretly jumps overboard once they get close to shore, so the Captain will not charge him for passage. People think he must be a wonderful swimmer to have swum all that way. The passenger Coqui challenges him to a race for much money. Jean Britisse arrives in a white suit with a heavy bundle which he says he wants to drop off for his mother in Haiti while they swim from Martinique to Cuba. Intimidated by the distance, Coqui drops out and pays up. Jean Britisse also successfully unnerves the French wrestler Dumée LaFarge by arriving at their match with a coffin that has the wrestler’s name on the side and then pushing over two trees whose roots he has secretly severed the night before.

Connections Bets. Cleverness. Competition. Reversals of fortune. Storytelling. Swimming. Tricksters.

Where Else This Story Appears In A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore.

361. The headless dance / el baIle sIn cabeza Elvia Pérez, From the Winds of Manguito = Cuentos folklóricos de Cuba, en inglés y español African American People. Cuba

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The whole devil family—El Diablo, La Diabla, and El Diablito—upset their neighbors by fighting all the time and constantly setting fire to their house. Knowing how much the devils like to dance, the turkeys propose that the animals hold a baile sin cabeza, a headless dance, as a way to decapitate the devils. The guanajos show how they can tuck their own heads underneath their wings without actually losing them. They are sure the devils will not be able to resist. Twelve turkeys form the dance troupe; monkeys drum; birds sing. The devil is lured away from quarreling with his wife by the stomping music. The bull at the door tells him that it is a dance only for those without heads, which he can see by peeking in. They look like they are having a wonderful time, and the devil lays his head on the guillotine without hesitation. La Diabla loses her head, too. La Diablito goes right to the dance, sure his parents will be there. He argues with the bull that he doesn’t want to dance, just look for his parents, but the bull insists he cannot enter a baile sin cabeza with his head. The little devil hesitates and then leaves, deciding to keep his head, and keeping devilment in the world. In English and Spanish, with words and music for the song.

Connections: Beheading. Conflict, interspecies. Dancing. Decapitation. Devil. Frustration. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Music. Origin tales, behavior. Parents and children. Tricksters. Turkeys.

362. how el bIzarrón Fooled The deVIl Samuel Feijóo. In Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online) Cuba El Bizarrón is not afraid to work for the Devil. Whenever the Devil gives him a task, El Bizarrón sets up a scenario to make the Devil think he is strong and smart. He never actually has to do the work. To fetch water, El Bizarrón starts to dig a ditch up from the stream. To fetch wood, he wraps the whole forest in rope. El Bizarrón even escapes the boulders the Devil drops to get rid of El Bizarrón. The Devil finally gives El Bizarrón a donkey loaded with silver to go away for good. Sent by his wife to retrieve that donkey, the Devil finds El Bizarrón lying with his legs up, pretending he kicked the donkey into the clouds for being stubborn.

Connections Devil. Escapes. Humorous tales. Literality. Storytelling. Supernatural beings. Tricksters. Work.

Where Else This Story Appears In Joanna Cole, Best-Loved Folktales of the World (Print and online). In Jane Yolen, Favorite Folktales from Around the World (Print and online). Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “Pedro Urdemales and the Giant / Pedro Urdemales y el gigante,” entry 375 (Chile).

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363. geTTIng common sense Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica Anansi has been collecting common sense in a calabash, sure that once he has it all, he will be able to make a lot of money charging people for advice. The calabash is now pretty full. Hanging it around his neck, Anansi begins to climb a tall tree to hide the calabash on top. However, the calabash he has slung in front of him keeps getting in the way. Laughing, a little boy calls up that Anansi would climb better with the calabash behind him. So incensed to hear this common sense coming from a child, Anansi throws the calabash down. It smashes, and—Anansi made it happen—common sense spreads throughout the world.

Connections Age. Anansi. Anger. Calabashes. Common sense. Frustration. Humiliation. Humorous tales. Monkeys. Origin tales, appearance. Origin tales, behavior. Parents and children. Rabbits. Resentment. Status.

Where Else This Story Appears In Jane Yolen, Favorite Folktales from around the World (Print and online).

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations, African American People: Anancy an Common-Sense—Louise Bennett, Anancy and Miss Lou. Told in patois. Anancy and Common-Sense—Louise Bennett, Anancy Stories and Dialect Verse. Anancy and Commonsense—Louise Bennett. In E.A. Markham, The Penguin Book of Caribbean Short Stories (Print and online); and in Andrew Salkey, Caribbean Folktales and Legends. Told in patois. Anancy & Common Sense—“Anancy Archives,” Culture Archives—Jamaica (Online text). Told in patois. Anancy and Commonsense—Joan Andrea Hutchinson, Anancy Stories (animated DVD); and as audio on Anancy and Aunty Joan (CD and online at iHeart Radio and YouTube). Told in patois.

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Anancy and Commonsense—Robert Scott in Dennis Pepper, Oxford Book of Animal Stories. Anansi Tries to Steal All the Wisdom in the World—Len Cabral. In Richard Allen Young and Judy Dockery Young, African-American Folktales for Young Readers. In this playful version, it is Anansi’s son who criticizes his father. Brother Anancy and Commonsense—Andrew Salkey, Brother Anancy and Other Stories. A little girl is the one who humiliates Brother Anancy.

West Indian variation, country unspecified: Ears and Tails and Common Sense—Philip M. Sherlock and Hilary Sherlock, Ears and Tails and Common Sense. Marmoset monkey breaks the clay pot of sense when Rabbit calls out for him to move it to the back. Furious that sense is blowing all over the world, First Gorilla whirls Rabbit by the ears and Marmoset monkey by the tail.

Caribbean variations, countries unspecified: Anancy Gets Common Sense—Robert Hull, Caribbean Stories. The Pot of Common Sense—Vic Parker, Traditional Tales from the Caribbean.

364. how The r abbIT losT ITs TaIl Len Cabral. In David Holt and Bill Mooney, More Ready-to-Tell Tales from Around the World African American People. Haiti Jealous of the friendship between rabbits and dogs, Anansi tells them a story about a boat which is taking only animals with horns to a magic island. Dog really wants to go, so Rabbit suggests they make horns with sticks and leaves. Just as the rabbit has tied the dog’s heavy headpiece on, a horn signals that the boat is leaving, and Dog runs off without Rabbit. Angry, Rabbit yells out that one passenger has no horns. Dog tells the captain that Rabbit is just giving directions. Rabbit keeps yelling. Finally, the captain gets it. Dog jumps overboard before the captain can check his horns. He paddles furiously to shore and chases Rabbit, biting off the long bushy tail rabbits used to have back then. And so it is that dogs always chase rabbits, and rabbits have short tails.

Connections Agoutis. Anansi. Betrayal. Boats. Cats. Deceit. Disguises. Dogs. Horns. Humorous tales. Identity. Jealousy. Origin tales, appearance. Origin tales, behavior. Rabbits. Revenge. Spiders. Temptation. Tricksters. Yearning.

How Else This Story Is Told Antiguan variation, African American People: Horned Animals’ Party—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online). Dog and Pussy kill a goat for its horns to go to the party for horned-only animals.

Haitian variations, African American People: Bobo, the Sneaky Dog = Bobo, Chen Odasye A—Mireille B. Lauture. The dog betrays a cat here, though the author writes that dogs and cats will now even eat from the same dish. In English and Haitian Creole.

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Saint Lucian variation, African American People: Always Be Yourself: Tale of a Tale—Jacintha A. Lee, Give Me Some More Sense; and in Compere Lapin Tales.

Trinidadian variations, African American People: Agouti replaces Rabbit in both variants from Trinidad. How Agouti Lost His Tail—Velma Pollard, Anansesem; and in Grace Hallworth, Listen to This Story. How the Agouti Lost Its Tail—Eaulin Ashtine, Monkey Liver Soup (Print and online at NALIS: The Digital Library of Trinidad and Tobago).

West Indian variation, country unspecified: Horns for a Rabbit—Philip M. Sherlock and Hilary Sherlock, Ears and Tails and Common Sense.

365. monKey lIVer s ouP Eaulin Ashtine, Monkey Liver Soup (Print and online) Trinidad Compère Crocodile’s wife is seriously ill, and the doctor says only soup made from monkey liver can cure her. Monkey’s liver is almost impossible to obtain, but Compère Crocodile will try. He drifts on the Ortoire River towards Compère Monkey’s tree and invites Monkey to sit on his back for a ride to a place where the balata are sweet. Monkey cannot swim and is suspicious, but gets on, unable to resist the idea of eating sweet balata fruit. Mid-trip, Compère Crocodile admits his lie. Monkey says he would have given Compère Crocodile’s wife his liver, but he left it drying in the tree. The crocodile turns back for it, but Compère Monkey leaps off his back to safety the minute they are back on land.

Connections Alligators and crocodiles. Cleverness. Counting. Deceit. Escapes. Food. Healing. Illness. Lies. Livers. Mongooses. Monkeys. Soup. Temptation. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Grenadian variation: Grenada Monkey Liver Soup—Thelma Phillips, Caribvoices (Online performance).

Jamaican variation: Sly Mongoose—Clement B.G. London, Caribbean Visions in Folktales. Mongoose tricks Mr. Alligator into lining up the alligators so he can count them and walks across their backs to the mainland to eat little birds.

Trinidadian variation: Monkey Liver Soup—Ken Corsbie, Caribvoices (Online performance).

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366. how sPIders became Grace Hallworth, A Web of Stories African American People. The West Indies, country unspecified Before becoming a spider, Brother Anansi farms a field next to the village chief ’s cows. One night, a stone he throws at the culprit trampling his corn inadvertently kills one of those cows. His wife warns “is death starin’ you in yo’ face” if the chief finds out. Together they plan that Anansi will ask his friend Tacooma to help pick ripe mangoes. They hide the cow up in the tree, and it falls down, terrifying Tacooma when he whacks the mango tree with a long stick. Anansi advises Tacooma to confess to the chief that he killed his cow by accident. Tacooma’s wife is sure Anansi has tricked her husband, and they decide not to tell the chief. Instead, Tacooma tells Anansi the chief appreciated his honesty and has given him the cow to eat. Envious, Anansi goes straight to the chief and says he was really the one who killed the cow. The chief, who did not know anything about the dead cow, kicks Anansi so hard that little pieces of Anansi become spiders which run away to hide.

Connections Accidents. Anansi. Chieftains. Cows and cattle. Deceit. Fear. Guilt. Husbands and wives. Origin tales, appearance. Origin tales, behavior. Shifting blame. Spiders. Tukuma. Traps.

367. bro TIger goes dead James Berry, Spiderman Anancy (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica Wanting to lure Anancy to get even for all the tricks he has played on him, Bro Tiger feigns his own death with his wife’s help. Mrs. Tiger cries loudly, and people gather. They are sad, but also surprised because Bro Tiger has not been ill. Suspicious, Anancy shows up with questions. He wants to know if anyone called a doctor and if Tiger called out the name of the Lord before he died. When the answer to both is no, Anansi exclaims how surprising it is that Tiger does not cry out when meeting the Lord. Tiger gives himself away then by roaring. And Anansi laughs.

Connections Anansi. Birds. Bargains. Cleverness. Death, pretense. Food. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Laughter, misplaced. Revenge. Sounds, giving self away. Suspicions. Tigers. Traps. Tricksters.

Where Else This Story Appears Bro Tiger Goes Dead. In Michael Harrison, The Oxford Treasury of Children’s Stories. Time When Tiger Did Go Sick. In E.A. Markham, The Penguin Book of Caribbean Short Stories (Print and online).

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations:

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Annancy and Chim-Chim—Pamela Colman Smith, Annancy Stories (Print and online); and as “Chim-Chim” in Chim-Chim: Folk Stories from Jamaica. Annancy gets Breda Tiger to play dead to lure the Chim-chim Bird to his funeral when the Chim-chim Bird will not pay up after losing at cards. Chim-chim, however, exposes the ruse by getting Breda Tiger to laugh after he has “died.” Told in patois. The Kling Kling Bird—Philip M. Sherlock, Anansi the Spider Man. Anansi asks Tiger to help him set a trap by playing dead, when the Kling Kling bird will not let him take the piece of flesh he owes him.

Puerto Rican variation: Tiger Gets Stuck—Bob Hartman, The Lion Storyteller Bedtime Book. Tiger gives himself away when he thinks he needs to answer as Rabbit’s hidey-hole when Rabbit calls out a greeting.

Variation from Saint Vincent: Anansi Plays Dead—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online). Compé Anansi plots with his wife to pretend that he has died in order to lure animals for food. Anansi’s wife kills many animals until Compé Dove calls Anansi’s bluff by getting him to fart.

Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands: Tukuma’s Uncle’s Death—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. Tukuma gets his rich uncle to give himself away by wondering aloud why he has not belched after he is “dead.”

Caribbean variation, country unspecified: The Last Laugh—Vic Parker, Traditional Tales from the Caribbean. Tiger plays dead after Anansi has ridden him, but Anansi gets Tiger to give a last laugh.

368. mr . wheeler: The sTory oF how anansI acquIred hIs lImP Philip M. Sherlock, West Indian Folk-tales (Print and online) African American People. The West Indies, country unspecified From up in a tree, Puss sees Mr. Anansi thrust his whole hand into a hole in a tree stump to get something tasty. Something grabs Mr. Anansi’s hand and won’t let go. Anansi asks who is holding him. A voice from the stump answers “Mr. Wheeler,” whirls Anansi around, and flings him away. This gives Anansi an idea for how to pick up dinner for himself. He sets sharp rocks down a ways and tricks Peafowl and Rat into putting their hands into the hole to get honey. Mr. Wheeler sends them flying, and Anansi bags them when they land on the rocks and die. Puss appears and pretends not to know what to do. Exasperated, Anansi shoves his own hand into the hole to show her and gets caught by Mr. Wheeler. He begs Puss to move the rocks, and finally Puss does, leaving a few to teach Anansi a lesson before she leaves with his bag of food. Anansi has walked with a limp ever since he went flying.

Connections Anansi. Cats. Cleverness. Deceit. Fantasy. Food. Humorous tales. Injury. Monkeys. Mongooses. Murder. Mysteries. Rabbits. Tricksters. Witnesses.

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How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations, African American People: Anancy and Bud and Hole—Joan Andrea Hutchinson, Anancy and Aunty Joan (CD audio and online at iHeart Radio and YouTube). Told in patois. Fling-a-Mile—Richard Allen Young and Judy Dockery Young, African-American Folktales for Young Readers (Print and online). It’s Anansi himself who gets flung and roasted when he shows Monkey, who pretends not to know what to do. Wheeler—Walter Jekyll, Jamaican Song and Story (Print and online); and in Dorothy Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online). Told in patois.

Saint Lucian variation, African American People: You Can Fool Some People Sometime But You Can’t Fool All the People All the Time: Mr. Turnover—Jacintha A. Lee, Give Me Some More Sense; and in Compere Lapin Tales. Lapin tricks many animals until he himself is tricked by the mongoose, Compere Macack.

369. FIreFly lIghTs The way Pleasant DeSpain, Tales of Insects African American People. Jamaica Anansi offers to carry Firefly’s wonderful eggs back for her, just so he’ll know where her secret valley is. Firefly worries that Anansi will steal her business, but takes him with her one moonless night. Once his huge sack is stuffed with eggs, Anansi announces he now has enough to sell, too. Angry, Firefly leaves Anansi in the dark. Lost and rained on, he seeks refuge in a cave, which turns out to belong to hostile Tiger. Anansi offers him most of the eggs, but Tiger knows Anansi’s tricks and hides a live lobster in the bag, which pinches Anansi when he goes for the eggs as Tiger sleeps. Anansi’s yelp wakes Tiger, but Anansi pretends a flea has bitten him. However, awoken a second time, Tiger threatens him, and Anansi flees … without eggs and without ever learning where Firefly gets her eggs.

Connections Anansi. Cautionary tales. Conflict, interspecies. Disguises. Eggs. Fireflies. Food. Greed. Humorous tales. Insects. Lies. Origin tales, behavior. Reputation. Secrets. Theft. Tigers. Tricksters. Watchmen.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations: Anancy and Bredda Firefly—Wona, A Selection of Anancy Stories. Greedy Anancy gets away with tricking everyone—Bredda Firefly, the watchman who catches him, and Bredda Ratta who frees him. Told in English, with dialogue in patois. Anansi and Candlefly—Richard Allen Young and Judy Dockery Young, African-American Folktales for Young Readers (Print and online). After being abandoned by Candlefly, Anansi keeps Tiger up all night complaining about dog-fleas when being pinched by the lobster Tiger put in the bowl to keep him from stealing eggs. Mad, he beats Tiger’s goat with a stick, but it is Tiger in disguise. Annancy and Candlefly—Walter Jekyll, Jamaican Song and Story (Print and online). After being

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left by Candlefly and ending up at Brother Tiger’s, whom he also tries to steal from, Annancy beats Tiger’s goat to death, a goat which turns out to be Tiger in disguise. Told in patois. Eggs and Scorpions—Bish Denham, Anansi & Company.

Variation from the Garifuna People, Saint Vincent: Anancy and Firefly—Jessie Castillo, Garifuna Folktales. Firefly leaves Anancy in the dark and steals all of the fish from the boat, when Anancy won’t share the catch evenly.

Variations from the U.S. Virgin Islands: Broo Nansi and Broo Tiger—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. After failing to get eggs with both Candlefly and Tiger, Nansi disguises his voice, so Tiger will not discover he is hiding in the gourd in Tiger’s hands. Broo Nansi and Sister Candlefly—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. Claiming every egg Candlefly shines her light on, Nansi is left in Egg Valley to find his own way home and spins webs ever after to try to find the secret place again. See also Anansi and the Alligator Eggs = Anansi y los huevos del cocodrilo, entry 318.

370. mrs . anancy, chIcKen s ouP and anancy James Berry, Spiderman Anancy (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica With a scheme to eat the six fat chickens his wife is planning to sell, Anancy pretends to be in great pain. Mrs. Anancy is heading for the doctor when she sees Bro Anancy rush out the back door and follows him. At the surgery, Bro Dog helps to disguise her husband as a doctor. The doctor Anancy tells Mrs. Anancy that her husband needs chicken soup to get well. Mrs. Anancy knows her husband is not ill, but kills the chickens and makes the soup, which she feeds to twenty-four hungry village children, who sing the song Bro Nancy was singing, as he anticipated eating that soup: “A bigbig good lot / Can make you fat-fat. / Why be one of you / And not two of you? … Anancy, O! / Anancy, O!”

Connections Anansi. Deceit. Disguises. Doctors. Dogs. Food. Healing. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Illness, pretense. Songs. Soup. Tricksters. Women and girls, resourceful.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations: Anancy an’ Smok-Pork—Louise Bennett, Anancy Stories and Dialect Verse. In the end, Anancy pretends he is not hungry and eats it all. Told in patois. Docta Anansi an de Pig—Henrietta “Nene” Barnes. In Laura Tanna, Jamaican Folk Tales and Oral Histories. Anansi pretends to be sick and writes his own prescription to eat the pig. Told in patois. Mrs. Anancy Pig—Joan Andrea Hutchinson, Anancy and Aunty Joan (CD audio and online at iHeart Radio and YouTube). Told in patois.

West Indian variation, country unspecified: Compere Anansi and the Pig—Grace Hallworth, Listen to This Story. With faked instructions

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from the doctor, Anancy runs off to cook the pig his wife has been raising, but Mapapire, the river snake, swallows the whole thing.

Caribbean variation, country unspecified: Anancy and the Scrambled Eggs: A Caribbean Folktale—Bill Gordh (Online audio). It’s scrambled eggs that the “Doctor” tells Mrs. Anansi to cook for her husband to make him well. The whole telling is chanted and sung to banjo music.

371. sTucK on a sTumP Bish Denham, Anansi & Company African American People. Jamaica When peas are ready to harvest, Anansi upsets Mrs. Anansi by pretending to die. They bury him as he requested in the middle of the pea field with a hole in the coffin’s end, a tunnel, and a pot with water at the head of his grave to scare thieves away. Anansi sneaks out to boil peas every night. Mrs. Anansi is surprised to find peas missing since Anansi said he would guard the crop, but her oldest son suspects that his father is the thief. He covers a stump with a hat and tar and two branches. That night, Anansi mistakes the stump for his friend Tacoomah and sticks to the tar. Mrs. Anansi scolds Anansi for taking food from his own hungry children. Ashamed, Anansi goes to hide in the house rafters.

Connections Anansi. Burials. Death, pretense. Deceit. Dolls. Food. Humiliation. Husbands and wives. Identity. Misunderstanding. Mysteries. Origin tales, behavior. Parents and children. Peas. Problem solvers. Reprimand. Requests. Theft. Tricksters.

How Else This Story Is Told Grenadian variation, African American People: Nansi in the Corn Field—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. Nansi’s wife catches her cornstealing husband with a figure made from sticky cherries.

372. bouKI and TI beF Harold Courlander, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore African American People. Haiti Bouki promises his family he will bring back a fat calf that night and goes to fetch the calf Ti Bef, which Ti Malice’s boy Malisso had told him sleeps on the top of a hill. Only, the calf is not there. Malisso tells Bouki he put Ti Bef in the banana grove. That next night Bouki goes to the banana grove, but Malisso has moved the calf to the woods. Malisso now tells Bouki the calf will be in a mountain cave. Bouki gets badly mauled trying to collect the tiger in the cave. Bouki believes the tiger is really Ti Bef the calf who becomes a fierce beast at night. He cautions his disappointed children to treat the calf they meet during the day with respect.

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Connections Bouki. Changes in attitude. Comeuppance. Cows and cattle. Fear. Fools. Gullibility. Humorous tales. Lies. Malice (Character). Misunderstanding. Parents and children. Pranks. Storytelling. Tigers. Transformation. Traps. Tricksters. Warnings.

Where Else This Story Appears In The Drum and the Hoe; and in The Piece of Fire (Print and online).

How Else This Story Is Told Bouki and Little Cow—Bob Lapierre, Bouki and Malis. Bouki and the Calf—Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! The calf himself sends Bouki to the Mapou tree, knowing a tiger will be there. By Day Very Small, in the Evening Larger Than a Tiger—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part II (Print and online). Weak in the Day and Strong at Night—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online). Ti Calf himself keeps teasing Bouki about where he sleeps at night.

373. bouKI and m alIs In The cow’s belly Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! African American People. Haiti Bouki keeps pestering Malis about where he gets the meat he sneaks home every day until Malis agrees Bouki can come along next time. Finally they are on their way. Malis tells Bouki they will enter through the cow’s rear back door and cut meat gently from its belly. He warns Bouki not to cut into the cow’s heart. Bouki has bags full of meat, but is not ready to go when Malis is. Malis leaves him there, and Bouki cuts into the cow’s heart soon after. The cow dies, trapping Bouki inside. Some neighbors cut into the dead cow’s big belly and discover Bouki. They beat him and let schoolkids pelt him with avocados. Bouki is fine with eating avocados.

Connections Anansi. Bouki. Captivity. Cows and cattle. Comeuppance. Death. Disobedience. Fantasy. Food. Foxes. Greed. Humiliation. Malice (Character). Origin tales, behavior. Punishment. Secrets. Theft. Tricksters. Tukuma. Warnings. Wolves. Words, magic.

How Else This Story Is Told Bermudan variation: Too Swollen to Escape—Elsie Clews Parsons, “Bermuda Folk-lore,” Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). Fox brings Wolf inside the cow for meat, but Wolf eats so much he cannot get out, and the farmer shoots him.

Variations from the U.S. Virgin Islands, African American People: Open, Cow, Open—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. Tukumah brings Broo Nansi inside the cow, but Nansi will not leave. After a beating by the owner, Nansi runs to hide in the underbrush, which is what today’s spiders do, embarrassed by his greed. Inside the Cow—Florence O. Meade, “Folk Tales from the Virgin Islands,” Journal of American

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Folklore (Print and online). The king kills Anancy for killing the cow and sets him in the garden as an example to others.

374. b’er bouKI, b’er ParTrIdge & The cow Patricia Glinton, An Evening in Guanima: A Treasury of Folktales from the Bahamas African American People. The Bahamas B’er Bouki and B’er Partridge decide to work together to earn enough money to buy a cow. Every day, however, B’er Bouki feigns illness or accidents to wriggle out of doing any tasks the farmer gives them. He also somehow gets all the milk and does no work caring for the cow once she is theirs. B’er Partridge is fed up with the partnership and wants to slaughter the cow. B’er Bouki is definitely there to help cut up the meat. However, he keeps giving meat away to one poor-looking woman after another who arrives with a sad story. They are all actually Bouki’s wife in disguise. Only the liver is left. B’er Partridge cooks it and then acts as if it were poisoned. B’er Bouki runs to tell his wife to return the meat, never knowing how B’er Patridge got even.

Connections Bouki. Charity. Comeuppance. Compassion. Cows and cattle. Deceit. Disguises. Food. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Identity. Lies. Partnership. Partridges. Poison. Rabbits. Selfishness. Shirking. Storytelling. Tricksters. Work.

How Else This Story Is Told Ber Bookie and the Cow—Portia Sands, Tell Me a Story (Online storytelling performance with video animation). Ber Bookie’s partner is Ber Rabbie in this one.

375. anansI and The guInea bIrd Raouf Mama, The Barefoot Book of Tropical Tales African American People. Antigua Anansi comes up with a plan to get food during a starving time. He asks the Sky God to rule that anyone who does not mind their own business should drop down dead. The Sky God okays this law, so Anansi pretends to be starting a garden on a rocky hill. Goat questions how Anansi can grow anything there and is the first to drop down dead. After Goat, Anansi roasts Pig and many others. Guinea Bird has been watching what is happening and comes up with a plan of his own. He keeps riding by Anansi loudly singing a song about boys who part their hair like him. Anansi scoffs, for Guinea Bird doesn’t have any hair on his head. Then he looks up and asks the Sky God what hair Guinea Bird has to part … and right then, Anansi drops down dead.

Connections Anansi. Birds. Cautionary tales. Comeuppance. Curiosity. Death. Farming. Food. Gods and animals. Gossip and rumors. Guinea fowl. Humorous tales. Hunger. Lies. Manners. Pigeons. Rabbits. Ridicule. Traps. Tricksters. Turkeys. Witnesses.

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How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations, African American People: Anancyi and de Ole Agg—“Anancy Archives,” Culture Archives—Jamaica (Online text). Told in patois. Anancy and Peel-Head Fowl—Peter-Paul Zahl, Anancy Mek It: Bedtime Stories from Jamaica. Anancy’s law here is that everyone with bad manners has to bring produce for laughing at someone. Then he forfeits it all by losing his temper when Peel-head Fowl baits him. Told in patois. Anansi and the Old Hag—Philip M. Sherlock, Anansi the Spider Man. Br’er Anansi terrifies others by telling them that Old Hag will make trouble for all who speak badly about their neighbors, until Bald Brother Turkey tricks Anansi into doing it, too.

Saint Lucian variation, African American People: Always Correct Your Faults Before You Begin Correcting Others: Compere Lapin Pays a Price— Jacintha A. Lee, Give Me Some More Sense; and in Compere Lapin Tales. Compere Lapin asks God to let those who discuss other people’s affairs fall unconscious for one hour. But then Compere Pigeon gets Lapin to do it, too.

Variation from the Garifuna People, Saint Vincent: Anancy’s Law—Jessie Castillo, Garifuna Folktales.

376. beIng greedy choKes anansI Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica The witch queen declares that whoever says the word five, her secret name, will fall down dead. Buh Anansi has a plan to use this word during a time of famine. He plants five yam hills and intends to ask his neighbors to count them aloud. They will get to five and die, and he will eat them. Guinea Fowl comes by first, and Anansi asks her how many yam hills he has. Guinea Fowl sits on one hill and counts to four and then says plus the one she is sitting on. Exasperated, Anansi shows her the right way to do it. He counts and falls down dead at five. And Guinea Fowl eats Anansi.

Connections Anansi. Cleverness. Comeuppance. Counting. Death. Farming. Food. Frustration. Guinea fowl. Humorous tales. Hunger. Monkeys. Name, linked to fate. Traps. Tricksters. Witches. Witnesses. Words, magic. Yams.

Where Else This Story Appears In Jane Yolen, Favorite Folktales from around the World (Print and online).

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variations, African American People: Anansi Gets What He Deserves—Susan Kantor, An Illustrated Treasury of African American Read-Aloud Stories. Annancy an’ de Nyam Hills—Pamela Colman Smith, Annancy Stories (Print and online); and in

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“Two Negro Stories from Jamaica,” Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). Told in patois. The Five Yam Hill—Pamela Colman Smith, Chim-Chim: Folk Stories from Jamaica. “Dis show how man stupid!” Told in patois. The Nine Yam Hills—David Brailsford, Confessions of Anansi. Monkey is the one who vexes Anansi into counting. The Yam-hills—George Parkes. In Martha Warren Beckwith, Jamaica Anansi Stories (Print and online). Monkey turns the tables on Anansi here.

Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands, African American People: Nansi and the Yam Hills—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. Monkey frustrates Nansi by counting wrong, until Nansi yells the numbers and drops down dead.

377. chIcKen l and Jacintha Annius-Lee, Compere Lapin Tales African American People. Saint Lucia Lapin yearns to eat the chicken which he has spied Compere Tigre roasting. However, when Lapin knocks, Tigre rushes to hide the whole thing in a drawer and pretends that he has already eaten supper. Tigre is lying down, and Lapin sits near the drawer. He tells Tigre a story about his trip to Chicken Land. In answer to Compere Tigre’s questions about what he found there, Lapin keeps sliding the drawer open and giving Tigre names of chicken parts as he eats them. When Lapin leaves, Tigre discovers only bones. Soon after, he pretends to have died to get revenge. Lapin arrives, sorry for all the tricks he has played, but then he asks Tiger’s son if his father sneezed before he died. On hearing this, Tigre gives a great sneeze and gives himself away.

Connections Comeuppance. Death, pretense. Deceit. Food. Humorous tales. Name, linked to fate. Rabbits. Selfishness. Sounds, giving self away. Storytelling. Theft. Tigers. Traps.

Where Else This Story Appears It Is Best to Share What Little You Have Than to Lose All Through Greed: Up to Chicken Land with Compere Lapin in Give Me Some More Sense.

378. how my waIsT became slIm David Brailsford, Confessions of Anansi African American People. Jamaica Anansi himself tells this story from the first person point of view. The crops are failing during a drought, and he wants to eat. He ties a cord around his middle and sends his son Takuma to the east with one end of the cord and his son Dashey to the west with the other. They are each to tug on their end when they find food, and Anansi will go there. Takuma tugs first, and just as Anansi is heading east, Dashey pulls. The

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cord keeps squeezing Anansi’s round belly from both directions until he is very thin in the middle. Anansi keeps that waist even after his wife cuts the cord. The second part of this story takes place up in the rafters in 1675 where Anansi hears people at a festivity calling “Anansesem!” eager to hear more stories about him.

Connections Anansi. Anatomy. Drought. Food. Greed. Hunger. Legs. Origin tales, appearance. Parents and children. Spiders. Storytelling. Tukuma. Tricksters. Waists.

How Else This Story Is Told Too Many Webs for Anansi—Malachy Doyle. In this simple reader, Anansi ties separate ends of his web to each of his eight legs.

379. BR’ER ANANCY AND THE M AGIC P OT V.S. Russell African American People. Jamaica During a time of famine Br’er Anancy finds a pot in the woods which he calls “pretty.” The pot, though, says to call it Do mek mi see, instead. Anancy does, and the pot produces a wonderful dinner, which Anancy eats alone. Afterwards, the pot shouts that Anancy must never wash it, so he hides the pot and returns to his hungry family. After a few days, Anancy’s wife notices that her husband is growing plumper. She secretly follows him and brings the pot home to feed their children. However, she washes the pot, and the next day, it no longer works its magic for Anancy. Then he trips over a whip, which also tells him to call it Do mek mi see. Expecting something good, Anancy does, but the whip chases after him. Suspecting that his wife ruined the pot, Anancy tells her that he found a new magical object. He laughs with glee when the whip goes after her, too. Comically illustrated in graphic genre style.

Connections Anansi. Breeze (Character). Crooky. Death, choosing. Fantasy. Food. Humorous tales. Hunger. Husbands and wives. Magic. Name, linked to traits. Origin tales, behavior. Pot, magic. Revenge. Secrets. Selfishness. Stick, magic. Superstitions. Tablecloth, magic. Transformation. Traps. Tricksters. Whip, magic.

How Else This Story Is Told Cuban variation, African American People: The Hill of Mambiala—Lydia Cabrera in Marcela Breton, Rhythm & Revolt: Tales of the Antilles. In a longer, very different version of the tale for older readers, El Negro Serapio Trebejos finds a little magic pot, which wiggles and says her name is Dishy Good Cooking. He feeds hungry neighbors with the food she cooks, and his good fortune holds until he is to sell the pot for one million pesos to a marquis, who accidentally breaks it, voiding the contract. El Negro Serapio Trebejos then stumbles over a staff which goes out of control punishing and killing people. He throws the staff and himself down the Yaguajay Well.

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Variation from Curaçao, African American People: How the First Spider Was Born on Curacao—Velma Pollard, Anansesem. After his wife washes the magic from the funchi bowl, Nanzi brings the belt called beat them up home, where it hits his family members, who transform into spiders.

Jamaican variations, African American People: Anansi an de Pot—George Cawley. In Laura Tanna, Jamaican Folk Tales and Oral Histories. Told in patois. Brother Breeze and the Pear Tree—Philip M. Sherlock, Anansi the Spider Man. In restitution for destroying Br’er Anansi’s pear tree, Brother Breeze gives Anansi a magic tablecloth, which feeds him and his family, until his wife Crooky washes it. Candoo—Pamela Colman Smith, Annancy Stories (Print and online). Told in patois. Do-Mek-A-See—Wona, A Selection of Anancy Stories. Anancy hides, knowing full well the whip will go after his wife and children, but when things quiet down, he finds Do-mek-a-see broken and his wife and children turned into ten little spiders. Told in English, with dialogue in patois.

West Indian variations, countries unspecified: The Magic Pot—Grace Hallworth, Cric Crac. Anansi’s wife sells the pot in the market and pretends to Anansi that the magic pot and food all happened in life because it happened in her dream. Work-Let-Me-See—Philip M. Sherlock, West Indian Folk-tales (Print and online). Anansi becomes a spider to escape the magic whip which he finds, like the magic pot, at the foot of a silk-cotton tree.

380. ANANSI (PrInT and onlIne) Brian Gleeson African American People. Jamaica In the second episode here, Anansi tries to show great sadness at his mother-inlaw’s funeral by announcing he will not eat for a week. However, Anansi gets really hungry by the fourth day. He is sneaking hot beans, when he hears someone coming. Anansi pours beans into his hat and plops the hat on his head. The hot beans scald his scalp. Anansi pretends his head-shaking is a kind of dance, but he cannot stand it anymore and pulls off the hat. Beans drip down, and everyone now sees that Anansi has been telling stories and that the hot beans have made him bald.

Connections Anansi. Beans. Deceit. Food. Funerals. Honoring parents. Humiliation. Humorous tales. Hunger. Johnny cakes. Origin tales, appearance. Sadness, pretense. Status. Suitors. Tricksters.

Where Else This Story Appears Audio CD. Iconographic DVD.

How Else This Story Is Told Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands, African American People:

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Compere Zayah and the Bakes—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. Because they are a poor man’s food, Compere Zayah pretends to a girl he is courting that he does not eat johnny cakes and then, really hungry, thrusts some from her mother’s oven under his hat.

381. anancy and sTorm and The reVerend m an-cow James Berry, Spiderman Anancy (Print and online) African American People. Jamaica Anancy is depressed after a hurricane wrecks his house and garden, and then he brightens with a new plan. He suggests to Reverend Man-Cow that they put on a Festival of Shining Things, where everyone brings undamaged stuff, so they can appreciate what they do have. Reverend Man- Cow thinks it is a fine idea. Anancy says he will store the Shining Things in his and Mrs. Anancy’s bedroom. He asks Bro Monkey to slip in while Mrs. Anancy is dressing and slip out with all the gold things. Bro Monkey complains to Bro Dog about this plan. On the day of the festival, Bro Dog tricks Mrs. Anancy so the door is left open. Neither Bro Monkey nor Nancy can take anything. Bro Nancy does not get the gold as he had planned. However, everyone cheers up and praises him for the festival of thanksgiving.

Connections Acclamation. Anansi. Changes in attitude. Deceit. Destruction. Dogs. Gold. Gratitude. Greed. Monkeys. Preachers. Sadness. Selfishness. Sharing. Status. Storms. Theft. Tricksters.

382. broo z ayeh and The chrIsTenIng oVen Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi African American People. United States Virgin Islands Compere Zayeh goes to preach in Monkey country, where he shows the Monkeys how the special christening oven works. Nansi lights the fire. They are to open the door when he shouts “Christen.” While demonstrating, Nansi yells “Christen” before the oven gets hot, but when it is the monkeys’ turn to go in, Nansi does not let them out. All of the monkeys get roasted, except for one. That one, however, roasts Nansi the next time he goes to christen a new crowd.

Connections Anansi. Comeuppance. Deceit. Fire. Food. Games. Gullibility. Lies. Monkeys. Murder. Preachers. Rabbits. Revenge. Tigers. Tricksters. Water, boiling. Witnesses.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variation, African American People: Anansi and the Cooking Pot—Bish Denham, Anansi & Company. Anansi does not get outfoxed in this variant, where he pretends that he is going to show Tiger how he gets meat and does not let Tiger out of a boiling pot.

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Saint Lucian variation, African American People: Be Sure Before You Jump to Conclusions: The Game “Hot”—Jacintha A. Lee, Give Me Some More Sense; and as Playing “Hot” with Compere Lapin in Compere Lapin Tales. Lapin gets away with his trick here when Compere Monkey, who has pretended not to know how to play “hot,” opens the oven door on Lapin too soon, and Lapin pushes him in.

383. comPere z ayeh and The l a Jablesse Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi African American People. Grenada The villagers have had enough of Compere Zayeh’s scoffing that he is not afraid and can easily take care of a jumbie or La Jablesse. However, when a neighbor asks Nansi to escort him past the graveyard to his sister’s house, Nansi unsuccessfully tries to wriggle out of doing it. They go, but Nansi flees as a figure approaches moaning from behind a grave. He does not know that it is actually the tallest person in the village wearing a white sheet. Once he finds out, Nansi hides in the rafters, ashamed.

Connections Anansi. Braggarts. Bravado. Cautionary tales. Comeuppance. Disguises. Fear. Frustration. Humiliation. Origin tales, behavior. Pranks. Supernatural beings. Tricksters.

384. yams d on’ T TalK / los ñames no hablan Joe Hayes, Dance, Nana, Dance = Baila, Nana Baila African American People. Cuba A young couple does not know that Jicotea, the old turtle, has moved under their pile of stored yams until Young Wife tries to take a yam to cook. Jicotea roars that the thief should leave. Terrified, Young Wife runs to tell her husband that yams can talk. He, the king, the king’s men, and two holy men are all skeptical until they get roared at, too. Finally, wise Osain of the One Foot shows the king that a yam has no mouth to speak with. Jicotea keeps roaring as Osain moves the yams one after another. He uncovers her at the bottom of the pile and breaks up the turtle’s shell. Jicotea later collects her pieces, and Osain invites her to hang out with him, while the young husband and wife eat their yam. In English and Spanish.

Connections Allegories and parables. Animals and humans. Comeuppance. Fantasy. Fear. Husbands and wives. Kings and queens. Misunderstanding. Orishas. Patakí (Tales). Punishment. Tricksters. Turtles and tortoises. Yams.

Where Else This Story Appears Yams Can’t Talk at Storyteller Joe Hayes (Online performance). In English.

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385. anancy meeTs bredda deaTh Wona, A Selection of Anancy Stories African American People. Jamaica Everyone else may fear Death, but Anancy cockily thinks he can steal from him. Death says not a word when he kills a sheep to grease open the iron gate to Death’s rich pasture, so Anancy starts filling his bag with things from Death’s house. Death silently follows Anansi, who is chattering away, even when Anansi takes some fat pigs, too, and saddles up a horse, saying thank you and goodbye. Then, Death roars “Open not” to the gate. The gate, however, opens, grateful for Anancy’s grease. Anancy gallops through, but now Death is clinging his back. No one will help him, and Death holds on no matter how fast he rides. In Anancy’s yard, Anancy fights Death to the ground. When he returns with an axe, however, Death has disappeared. The next morning, a callaloo is growing on that spot. Anancy’s wife Crooky will not touch the plant, but Anancy eats it. He screams as it burns him to death inside, which Crooky thinks he deserves for being so greedy. Told with patois in the dialogue.

Connections Anansi. Arrogance. Bravado. Callaloo, magic. Cautionary tales. Combat. Comeuppance. Crooky. Death (Character). Death. Greed. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Revenge. Silence. Supernatural events. Theft. Tricksters.

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Fools Hopeful Expectations and Surprising Successes … Sometimes

Juan Bobo 386. JUAN BOBO GOES TO WORK (PrInT and onlIne) Marisa Montes Puerto Rico Juan Bobo (Simple John) mixes things up, though he earnestly tries to follow instructions. The farmer sighs when Juan Bobo tosses beans onto the ground and their shells into the wheelbarrow. His mother sighs when he sticks his pay in a holey pocket so the coins all fall out, and then again when Juan tries to bring milk home in a burlap bag. However, the sight of Juan Bobo dragging a ham home on a string, oblivious to all the animals munching behind him, makes a wealthy man’s sick daughter burst out laughing. Her grateful father sends a ham over to Juan Bobo and his mother every week after that. Sprinkled with Spanish words.

Connections Fools. Gratitude. Healing. Humorous tales. Instructions. Juan Bobo. Laughter, healing. Literality. Misunderstanding. Name, linked to traits. Obedience. Serendipity. Tasks, challenging. Words.

387. John, The sIlly b oy / Juan bobo, el rIco Maite Suarez-Rivas, An Illustrated Treasury of Latino Read-Aloud Stories (Print and online) Puerto Rico

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Juan Bobo’s mother sends him to the market to sell the chicken for rice. En route, he offends a bride and groom with the wrong greeting and then applies their correction inappropriately to the butcher, his correction inappropriately to the farmer, and the farmer’s incorrectly to two men who are fighting. At the market, Juan Bobo obtains the rice. Coming home, he climbs a tree to avoid some other men, not wanting to make any more mistakes. However, when they start fighting over gold coins below, Juan Bobo calls down for them to stop at the same time as the bag breaks and rains rice down upon them. Frightened, the men run off, leaving their coins behind. Satisfied that he has finally said the right thing, Juan Bobo brings the coins home and tells his mother that it is not difficult to acquire riches when you are polite and take people’s advice.

Connections Expressions. Fools. Humorous tales. Instructions. Juan Bobo. Literality. Manners. Misunderstanding. Money. Name, linked to traits. Obedience. Parents and children. Serendipity. Tasks, challenging. Thieves. Words.

How Else This Story Is Told Cuban variation: Buy Me Some Salt / Cómprame Sal—Joe Hayes, Dance, Nana, Dance = Baila, Nana Baila. A young boy keeps repeating sal so as not to forget the salt his mother wants him to buy and gets scolded by many others when he forgets that word and tries to use other phrases. In English and Spanish.

Puerto Rican variation: Juan Bobo and the Bag of Gold—Virginia Schomp. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Adventures of Juan Bobo / Las aventuras de Juan Bobo,” entry 410 (Mexico).

388. JUAN BOBO AND THE PIG Felix Pitre Puerto Rico Juan Bobo carefully watches how his mother gets ready for church, from girdle to jewelry. She has asked him to take care of the pig, and Juan worries when the pig starts squealing after she leaves. The pig does not seem to want to eat, so Juan decides that the pig must want to go to church, too. He dresses her up like his mother. When she is ready at last, he opens the door, and the pig runs off. Juan Bobo is surprised when his mother returns without the pig, and she is upset that there is no pig at home. They find the puerquito happily wallowing in a mudhole. In Puerto Rico, people describe someone so dressed up as to be unrecognizable as “la puerca de Juan Bobo.”

Connections Bargains. Changes in attitude. Clothing. Dismay. Expectation. Fools. Humorous tales. Instructions. Juan Bobo. Literality. Manners. Misunderstanding. Name, linked to traits. Obedience. Parents and children. Pigs. Tasks, challenging. Words.

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How Else This Story Is Told Juan Bobo—Pura Belpré, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales; and in Lisa Sánchez-González, The Stories I Read to the Children. When the pig does not return, Mamá sends Juan Bobo to sell their duck in town. The duck gets covered in molasses, and Juan Bobo asks Don Alfonso to pay many more pesetas than he originally offers, as the duck meat is now sweeter. Juan Bobo—M.A. Jagendorf, Noodlehead Stories from Around the World (Print and online). Juan Bobo / Juan Bobo—Pleasant DeSpain, The Emerald Lizard = La lagartija Esmeralda (Print and online). Mixing up instructions, Juan Bobo tidies the pig and feeds the house. The pig’s clothes are so comically awry when Juan Bobo finds her that the wealthy Don Alfonso gives Juan Bobo coins for cheering him up. In English and Spanish. Juan Bobo Sends the Pig to Mass—Arí Acevedo-Felciano. In English and Spanish. Juan Bobo’s Pig—Jospeh Sobol. In David Holt and Bill Mooney, More Ready-to-Tell Tales from Around the World. Juan thinks the pig will be much more attractive for market sale gussiedup in his mother’s and great-aunt’s clothes. A Pig in Sunday Clothes—Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, Juan Bobo: Four Folktales from Puerto Rico. Juan Bobo looks at the muddy pig when Mama return from mass and thinks going to church next Sunday may be fun. Spanish text for this tale appears at the back of the book.

389. JUAN BOBO GOES UP AND D OWN THE HILL Maria Montes Puerto Rico Juan Bobo struggles to carry the heavy three-legged pot Mama has sent him to bring back from Grandma’s. When dragging the pot does not work, Juan Bobo studies it. He decides that, with one more leg than he has, the lazy pot should be able to make it home on its own. He announces that they will race down the hill and gives the pot a kick. The pot makes him mad by starting off too soon. It arrives first, but tired Juan Bobo is just looking forward to the good soup his mother will make in it. Sprightly illustrations enhance the story’s good-humored fun.

Connections Dismay. Expectation. Fools. Frustration. Humorous tales. Instructions. Juan Bobo. Laziness. Misunderstanding. Name, linked to traits. Parents and children. Pots. Tasks, challenging. Weight.

How Else This Story Is Told Juan Bobo—Rafael Ramírez de Arellano. In Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online). This episode appears in the center of a medley of Juan Bobo mix-ups. Juan Bobo and the Caldron—Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes (Print and online). Juan Bobo receives a thrashing from his mother when he tells her he told the pot to take a different path home. Juan Bobo and the Pot That Would Not Walk—Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss, Noodlehead Stories. Juan Bobo and the Three-Legged Pot—Lucía M. González, Señor Cat’s Romance (Print and online).

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390. a dIme a Jug Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, Juan Bobo: Four Folktales from Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Heading off with his Mama’s instructions to sell their sugarcane syrup to the widows at church, Juan Bobo gets distracted by finding four dimes and takes the wrong path around a puddle. He mistakes the sugar mill for a church and four humming black flies for the widows. He opens the syrup jugs for the flies. When they dive inside, Juan Bobo shakes them out, angry that the “widows” are eating without paying. He starts to run after them, and the four dimes he found fall out. Juan Bobo now thinks that the widows did pay him after all, but forgot to take their syrup. Mama is pleased with the coins. This tale also appears in Spanish at the back of the book.

Connections Appearance. Dismay. Expectation. Flies. Fools. Honey and syrup. Humorous tales. Instructions. Juan Bobo. Judges. Misunderstanding. Money. Name, linked to traits. Obedience. Parents and children. Punishment. Serendipity. Tasks, challenging.

How Else This Story Is Told Both of these variations wrap around the story of Jack being sent to fetch the three-legged pot. Foolish Jack—Robert L. Muckley and Adela Martinez-Santiago, Stories from Puerto Rico = Historias de Puerto Rico (Print and online). Jack complains to the judge that young ladies in black cloaks ate his honey. The judge realizes they are flies and instructs Jack to smack them … and Jack hits the “lady” which lands on the judge’s head. In English and Spanish. Juan Bobo—Rafael Ramírez de Arellano. In Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online). Jack is sent to prison for whacking the judge on the head to clobber a señorita of the dark mantle, like the ones who stole his syrup.

391. The besT way To carry waTer Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, Juan Bobo: Four Folktales from Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Juan Bobo’s mother asks him to fetch water from the stream. When he complains that the buckets are too heavy once they are full, she suggests he carry the water in something else. Carrying done, Juan happily tells his mother the water felt lighter than ever. Stepping in a puddle, Mama discovers why—he used two baskets. (This tale is also told in Spanish at the back.)

Connections Dismay. Expectation. Fools. Humorous tales. Instructions. Juan Bobo. Misunderstanding. Name, linked to traits. Obedience. Parents and children. Tasks, challenging. Water. Weight.

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392. Juan bobo Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, Tales Our Abuelitas Told The Caribbean, country unspecified One mishap leads into another in this medley, where Juan Bobo’s mother patiently tries to find easy tasks that cannot go wrong. After Juan is sent to fetch a pig and dispatches it to reach home alone, his mother instructs him to tie it to the burro’s tail next time. Next time, that is what Juan does with the cooking pot, which arrives full of holes from bumping along the road. When he is told to get firewood and ride the burro, she finds Juan sitting on the burro. He points out all the woods in the barn walls and tells her there is plenty there to burn. His mother is just relieved that no damage has occurred this time.

Connections Dismay. Expectation. Fools. Humorous tales. Instructions. Juan Bobo. Literality. Misunderstanding. Name, linked to traits. Obedience. Parents and children. Tasks, challenging. Words.

393. slowPoKe slaughTered Four John Bierhorst, Latin American Folktales (Print and online) Puerto Rico The king has proclaimed that the person who brings the princess a riddle she cannot solve will win her hand in marriage … or hang, if she solves it. So far, many men have died. When Juan Bobo announces that he is going to try, his mother bakes poison into the cassava cakes, so her son will die before they kill him. En route to the castle, Juan Bobo’s mare Slowpoke eats the cakes and dies, setting off a fatal chain. Juan Bobo strings all of the murderous events into a number riddle, which the princess cannot guess. She privately asks Juan Bobo to explain and then publicly solves the riddle. Before the king can sentence Juan Bobo to hang, though, he shows the nightgown and ring she gave him in exchange for the answer … and proves that he is not so simple after all.

Connections Competition. Death. Dogs. Evidence. Expectation. Fools. Horses. Humorous tales. Juan Bobo. Kings and queens. Literality. Misunderstanding. Name, linked to fate. Name, linked to traits. Parents and children. Poison. Princes and princesses. Reputation. Riddles. Serendipity. Storytelling. Tasks, challenging. Witch Boy (Character).

Where Else This Story Appears In Donald R. Hill, Caribbean Folklore: A Handbook.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variation, African American People: Jack’s Riddle—Clarence Tathum. In Martha Warren Beckwith, Jamaica Anansi Stories (Print and online).

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Puerto Rican variation: Juan Bobo and the Princess Who Answered Riddles—Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes (Print and online).

Variation from Saint Vincent, African American People: Three Killed Florrie, Florrie Killed Ten—Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales (Print and online). When the princess cannot solve Old Witch Boy’s riddle, which involves the story of all who died after his dog ate poisoned cakes, the palace people still do not want to let Old Witch Boy marry her. He must now guess what is concealed under a dome, which he inadvertently names correctly, by speaking his own name—Cricket—aloud. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Princess and the Riddle,” entry 415 (Chile).

394. d o noT sneeze , d o noT s craTch … d o noT e aT! Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, Juan Bobo: Four Folktales from Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Because of Mama’s reminders to use good manners, Juan Bobo has a hard time when they are invited to eat at Señora Soto’s house. First he inhales some rice up his nose, while savoring its good smell. When he shakes his head, trying not to sneeze, Señora Soto thinks he does not like the dish and removes it. Then Juan Bobo drops the steak he has tried to pick up with a spoon and not his hands. He misses the fried bananas, and then his mother covers his foot with hers as ice cream is served. Very frustrated and hungry, Juan Bobo snaps at his mother that he is done with manners if they mean no food. This tale also appears in Spanish at the back of the book.

Connections Disappointment. Expectation. Food. Fools. Frustration. Humorous tales. Instructions. Juan Bobo. Literality. Manners. Misunderstanding. Name, linked to traits. Parents and children.

395. JUAN BOBO AND THE QUEEN’S NECKLACE: A PUERTO R ICAN F OLK TALE Pura Belpré Puerto Rico The King is offering a reward for the Queen’s new pearl necklace which disappeared on the morning after her birthday. Though the guard laughs when the peasant Juan Bobo shows up at the palace with his guitar to try to find it, the King thinks he should have a chance to try. Juan Bobo counts aloud the nightingales he sees. Three guilty maids think he is identifying them. They confess to him, hoping not to be punished. Juan Bobo tells them to mix the necklace in with the goose’s food and tells the King to eat the goose for dinner. The necklace is found. Juan turns down marriage to the Queen’s lady-in-waiting for money to bring home to his mother, instead.

Connections Conversations. Expectation. Fools. Humorous tales. Juan Bobo. Kings and queens. Literality.

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Misunderstanding. Name, linked to traits. Problem solvers. Rewards. Serendipity. Theft. Words.

Where Else This Story Appears In Lisa Sánchez-González, The Stories I Read to the Children (Text only). Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “Pine Cone the Astrologer,” entry 413 (Panama).

396. Juan bobo and The buñuelos Lucia M. González. In Amy L. Cohn, From Sea to Shining Sea (Print and online) Puerto Rico To head off trouble, Juan’s wife goes into action when her dim-witted husband brings home bags of gold he saw some men hide. While he sleeps, she makes many, many buñuelos and throws the fritters onto the ground outside. She tells Juan the next morning, that it must have rained buñuelos. Then she turns the donkey around and tells Juan that the donkey eats hay with its tail. When the men show up ominously asking about the gold Juan has been talking about in town, she pretends not to know anything about it. Juan insists that he brought the gold the time it rained buñuelos and the donkey ate with its tail. The men leave, certain that Juan’s having their gold is nonsense, too.

Connections Cleverness. Fools. Gullibility. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Juan Bobo. Literality. Misunderstanding. Name, linked to traits. Serendipity. Storytelling. Theft. Tricksters. Women and girls, resourceful. Words.

Where Else This Story Appears Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “The Price of Heaven and the Rain of Caramels,” entry 381 (Mexico).

397. Juan b obo Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, Shake-It, Morena! Puerto Rico A jibaro asks for water one day when Juan Bobo’s mother is not at home. Juan Bobo brings the man maví drink instead and offers more when he is done. The jibaro greatly enjoys the maví, but is concerned that Juan Bobo’s mother may be angry. As he leaves, Juan Bobo assures the man that his mother is done with the maví, having discovered a drowned mouse in it that morning.

Connections Alcohol. Drink. Fools. Hospitality. Humorous tales. Juan Bobo. Name, linked to traits. Peasants. Requests. Thirst.

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Bouki 398. b ouKI geTs whee-aI Harold Courlander, Uncle Bouqui of Haiti African American People. Haiti Hungry, Bouki asks an old man in the city what he is eating that looks so good. The man, somewhat deaf, cries “Whee-ai!” as he bites into a hot pepper. Bouki asks around, but no one knows where he can find some whee-ai. Back at home, his wife and neighbors laugh at him, but Bouki sends his son Tijean to bring back some whee-ai. Tijean is having no luck, until Ti Malice sends him home with cactus needles at the bottom of a sack filled with regular produce. Bouki unpacks the sack, disappointed until he gets stuck by a cactus thorn and shouts out. Tijean happily tells everyone he found the whee-ai.

Connections Bouki. Education. Expectation. Fools. Humorous tales. Instructions. Laziness. Malice (Character). Misunderstanding. Parents and children. Peppers, hot. Questions. Requests. Tasks, challenging. Tricksters. Words.

Where Else This Story Appears Uncle Bouqui Gets Whee-Ai—Harold Courlander,The Drum and the Hoe: Life and Lore of the Haitian People; in The Piece of Fire (Print and online); and in A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore. Uncle Bouqui Gets Whee-Ai—Augusta Baker, narrator. In Uncle Bouqie of Haiti: By Harold Courlander. (Audio CD and download)

How Else This Story Is Told How Malice Went to Learn a Trade—François Marcel-Turenne des Prés, Children of Yayoute: Nonc Bouqui and Ti Malice (Print and online). Mère Malice’s son is not interested in learning a trade, until he meets a man lying on his back. The man reluctantly teaches him how not to work hard, but Malice is learning too quickly. To protect his own business, the man sends Malice off to fill a sack with ouch. Malice returns with some, and the man now wants Malice to teach him. See also AyAyAy, entry 90.

399. waITIng For a TurKey Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire (Print and online) African American People. Haiti When the large turkey Bouki has chased away from his pumpkin seeds runs into a tree and dies, Bouki thinks this is an easy way to get dinner. He stands expectantly each day, waiting for another turkey to crash into the tree. When someone waits for an event unlikey to happen, Haitians say, “Bouki is waiting for his turkey.”

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Connections Bouki. Expectation. Expressions. Food. Fools. Humorous tales. Serendipity. Turkeys.

400. how bouquI wenT To sell a bag oF sand François Marcel-Turenne des Prés, Children of Yayoute: Nonc Bouqui and Ti Malice (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Together Malice and Bouqui buy a simple dugout and net to catch tiny pisquettes out at sea. Bouqui does all the work of emptying nets, but for two days, he lets Malice take all the fish when Malice says the next day’s catch will be even bigger. On the third day, Malice tells Bouqui he is planning to make a lot of money selling sand. Bouqui decides to do that, too. No one buys Bouqui’s white sand, and after children poke a hole in the burlap bag, Bouki is arrested for the spilled sand mess.

Connections Bouki. Business. Captivity. Expectation. Fishing. Fools. Humorous tales. Loss. Malice (Character). Partnership. Sand. Tricksters.

401. b ouKI buys a burro Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Bouki is clearing the garden and tells his son he will soon have a burro, for his yams will be so wonderful that the President’s wife will pay a lot of money for a yam, and Bouki will buy a burro. Excited, Tijean begins to ride around on a stick, while Bouki runs after, scolding his son for riding his burro.

Connections Bouki. Donkeys and mules. Expectation. Farming. Fools. Humorous tales. Ownership. Parents and children. Storytelling.

Where Else This Story Appears Uncle Bouqui Buys a Burro—Harold Courlander, Uncle Bouqui of Haiti.

402. bouKI g oes To The m arKeT Liliane Nérette Louis, When Night Falls, Kric! Krac! African American People. Haiti

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Trying to be a thoughtful comrade, Konpè Bouki shops for Konpè Malis. On his way home, he promises the tempting meat at the bottom of the basket that he will not eat it. Then he sees a little man following him. He runs, and the little man runs. Item by item, Konpè Bouki begins throwing things from the basket at the little man, all except the beef. Bouki says he will not give that up, but he is getting scared. When only the beef is left, Konpè Bouki throws the whole basket behind him and hides under his bed. With Bouki, Konpè Malis finds the little man—Bouki’s own shadow—who would not leave Bouki alone.

Connections Bouki. Expectation. Fear. Food. Fools. Greed. Humorous tales. Kindness. Malice (Character). Misunderstanding. Shadows. Temptation.

403. b ouKI c uTs wood Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Believing a prediction that he will die when his donkey brays three times, Bouki just lies down by the trail when the donkey actually does. Bouki thinks he really must be dead and so do some farmers who come by. They drop Bouki in fright when he sneezes as his donkey snuffles his face. He scares the next farmers who pick him up by pointing out the way home. Bouki gets hungry just lying there and thinks maybe this means he is still alive. He snatches a fallen avocado away from his donkey and rides on home.

Connections Bouki. Death, pretense. Donkeys and mules. Expectation. Fear. Fools. Goats. Humorous tales. Hunger. Misunderstanding. Noise. Prediction. Sounds. Superstitions.

How Else This Story Is Told Haitian variation, African American People: Bouki Cuts Wood—Amanda StJohn. The old man who has correctly predicted that Bouki will fall when he sees him sitting at the end of the branch he is cutting, also predicts that Bouki will die when his goat bleats three times, which it does.

Trinidadian variation, African American People: When the Donkey Brays Thrice—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part I (Print and online). Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “A Sad Tale of a Silly Fellow,” entry 405 (Uruguay).

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404. bouKI’s glasses Harold Courlander, The Piece of Fire and Other Haitian Tales (Print and online) African American People. Haiti Visiting Port-au-Prince, Bouki sees the city people reading newspapers and buys a pair of glasses and a newspaper to bring home. He lights the oil lamp, puts on the glasses, and opens the paper. He stares at the paper, turns its pages, turns the whole thing upside down, and finally, decides those glasses he bought must not be any good, because they do not tell him what the paper says.

Connections Bouki. Disappointment. Expectation. Eyeglasses. Fools. Humorous tales. Illiteracy. Misunderstanding.

More Fools 405. Trouble m aKe monKey e aT PePPer Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi African American People. United States Virgin Islands Inquisitive Monkey has been wondering what the old woman carries in the jar on her head. He gets to find out when she stumbles one day, and the jar breaks. The old woman moans about trouble and leaves. Monkey dips a paw in the mess and tastes. He has never had honey before, but thinks to himself that this trouble is so sweet. The next time he sees her come by with an earthenware jar, Monkey breaks it with a stone. He was expecting more of that sweet trouble, but this time she is carrying hot pepper sauce, which “sears his tonsils, burns his tongue, and bar-B-cues his throat.”

Connections Alligators and crocodiles. Anansi. Animals and humans. Cats. Curiosity. Dogs. Education. Expectation. Fools. Honey and syrup. Humorous tales. Mice and rats. Misunderstanding. Monkeys. Origin tales, appearance. Peppers, hot. Pranks. Prey. Pursuit. Shifting blame. Tricksters. Trouble (Word). Tukuma. Words.

How Else This Story Is Told Variation from Tobago: The Monkey and the Gru-Gru Tree—Clement B.G. London, Caribbean Visions in Folktales. Monkey equates trouble with sweet molasses when the old woman’s jar smashes, and he tastes some. He wants more “trouble” and gets some when a man puts a vicious dog in his sack.

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Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands, African American People: Pussycat and Rat—Lezmore Evan Emanuel, Broo ’Nansi. To show Rat what Trouble is, Pussycat tells her to bring her whole family to a ball and then pounces on them.

West Indian variations, countries unspecified, African American People: How Alligators Got Rough Skin—Lynette Comissiong. When smooth Pa Alligator responds haughtily to Mr. Monkey’s greeting, Mr. Monkey answers that they are “seeing trouble” and sets a plan in motion for his family to teach Pa Alligator’s family just what trouble is, a plan which changes their skin forever. How Tacooma Found Trouble—Grace Hallworth, Cric Crac. To show Tacooma what Trouble is, Anansi puts his friend in big Trouble with Brer Lion where Tacooma cannot hand over one of Brer Lion’s cubs and then takes his friend out of Trouble by rescuing him during Brer Lion’s chase. See also The Cat Who Tasted Trouble, entry 57.

406. Three more damn Fools Elsie Clews Parsons, “Barbados Folklore,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) Barbados Jane’s sweetheart has come calling. In the buttery, Jane starts thinking about getting married and leaving her parents, and having a baby. She then wonders what she would name that baby. First Jane’s mother and then her father come to see what is keeping her. None return. The sweetheart finds them all pondering the question, decides they are all fools, and says he will come back to marry Jane only if he meets three more fools. He does. One man is trying to catch the sun to dry a floor; one is jumping over his trousers to get into them; and one is dragging a cow to eat the grass up on a chimney wall. So, the sweetheart returns to marry Jane.

Connections Brothers and sisters. Brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. Fools. Humorous tales. Kinship. Names. Parents and children. Problem solvers. Questions. Suitors. Words.

How Else This Story Is Told Bahamian variation: The Sillies—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Tales from Andros Island, Bahamas (Print and online). A fiancé solves the problem when all three sisters and their mother stay at the well wondering what relationship he will be to them once he marries the sister. With some creole.

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407. The Farmer and hIs horse / el camPesIno y su caballo

Elvia Pérez, From the Winds of Manguito: Cuban Folktales in English and Spanish = Cuentos folklóricos de Cuba, en inglés y español Cuba An absentminded farmer who is going to visit his elderly mother has ridden his horse to the train station and now wants to buy two tickets. The clerk refuses to sell him a ticket for the horse to ride inside with passengers. They argue. Finally, Farmer José buys his own ticket and then, unseen, ties his horse to the last car. Once the train gets underway, a passenger tells the farmer that the rope appears to be choking the horse, but José assures him that the horse is laughing that it got to ride for free. In English and Spanish.

Connections Arguments. Expectation. Fools. Horses. Humorous tales. Misunderstanding. Passengers. Trains.

408. Three wIse Fools Kennth Vidia Parmasad, Salt and Roti: Indian Tales of the Caribbean (Print and online) Indian People. The Caribbean, country unspecified Three men, who think they are wise because they have read many books, go on a journey with their friend, who cannot read at all. When they find the bones and skin of a dead lion, the three readers reassemble the lion’s body. When one reader says he will now return life to the lion, the illiterate man says he will now climb a tall tree, for the live lion will definitely kill them … which is exactly what happens.

Connections Arrogance. Common sense. Education. Fools. Humorous tales. Illiteracy. Lions. Restoring life. Supernatural events. Transformation. Wisdom.

409. The ImITaTIVe choIr s ong Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part II (Print and online) Saint Croix A minister who has forgotten his glasses tells the congregation that he cannot see to read the hymn. They sing that. He tells them he had not said to go ahead and sing

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yet, but merely said that his eyes were dim. They sing that. He says they are foolish, and he will leave with his hat. They sing that. He leaves, and they all follow behind him. Told in French and English.

Connections Congregants. Disabilities. Eyeglasses. Fools. Humorous tales. Leadership. Obedience. Preachers. Songs.

How Else This Story Is Told Variation from Guadaloupe: They Think It a Song—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English, Part II (Print and online text).

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410. cuTThroaT, chawFIne , and sucKblood Daryl Dance, Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans African American People. Jamaica A good boy witch has been invited to pick a star apple from the wicked old witch’s tree. He instructs his mother to let his three dogs loose if she sees the water in their basin turn to blood, which means he is in danger. When the boy is way up high in the star apple tree, the old witch clap, clap, claps her stomach to bring forth twelve men with cutlasses who start chopping down the tree. The boy chants how a green tree his father felled stands up again, and it does here, too. But then, over and over, the witch claps again, the sawmen chop again, and the tree leans more. Back at home, the water in the basin turns bloody. The boy’s mother frees the dogs, who run to the rescue by doing to the old witch exactly what their names say they can do.

Connections Anansi. Animal helpers. Bull, fantasy. Combat with supernatural beings. Deceit. Dog, fantasy. Escapes. Evidence. Fantasy. Heroes and heroines. Husbands and wives. Invitations. Magic. Name, linked to traits. Rescues. Song, magic. Supernatural events. Transformation. Tree, magic. Witch Boy (Character). Witches.

How Else This Story Is Told Bahamian variation, African American People: The Three Dogs—Elsie Clews Parsons, Folklore of Andros Island (Print and online); and in Mary E. Lyons, Raw Head, Bloody Bones. Jack gets to marry the princess when his three dogs— Cut-Throat, Chaw-Fine, and Suck-Blood—come to his aid and kill Mad Bull, a creature which has already killed thousands. Told in creole.

Haitian variation, African American People: The Three Dogs—Philippe Thoby-Marcelin and Pierre Marcelin, The Singing Turtle (Print and online). The cattle hunter Paroquet’s three dogs—Pass-Through-Everything, Eat-Everything, and Lap-Up-Everything—rescue him from a tree, which his wife, who has transformed into a heifer, is trying to knock down.

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Jamaican variations, African American People: Bull-Garshananee—Pamela Colman Smith, Annancy Stories (Print and online). Annancy tries to take credit for killing the angry bull so he can marry the King’s “darter.” Told in patois. Old Witch Woman an Hunta—Adina Henry. In Laura Tanna, Jamaican Folk Tales and Oral Histories. Told in patois.

411. m adam crab loses her head Robert E. McDowell and Edward Lavitt, Third World Voices for Children (Print and online) Trinidad Only Madam Crab knows the name of the old woman who holds the woodcutter’s daughter Ula captive until the girl can guess that name. Crab says it is En-Bois-Chinan, what bitter bark is called in patois, bitter like the old woman. Though the crab says she is too old, Ula kisses Crab her thanks. When Ula speaks her secret name, the old woman storms off to find out who told. The crab defiantly confesses. En-Bois-Chinan wields her cutlass to cut off the head of the crab, who has the last words, “You are still alone with your temper and bad manners.”

Connections Anansi. Animal helpers. Appearance. Bulls. Captivity. Comeuppance. Crab, fantasy. Cruelty to animals. Disguises. Fantasy. Fear. Godparents and godchildren. Heroes and heroines. Name, guessing. Obeah men and women. Origin tales, appearance. Origin tales, behavior. Rescues. Revenge. Secrets. Songs. Talking animals and objects. Toads. Transformation. Witches.

How Else This Story Is Told Bahamian variation: Clever Mandy—Judy Sierra, Silly and Sillier.

Haitian variation: The Name—Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online). A shrimp, a fish, and an eel accept pieces of turkey intestine the girl has been sent to wash and then leave without telling her the old woman’s secret name. The crab does tell her. The old woman, In the Storm, Coffin on her Back, slips on a rock trying to get him for it and drowns.

Jamaican variations, African American People: Anancy an’ Crab—Louise Bennett, Anancy Stories and Dialect Verse. Told in patois. Grandy-Do-an’-Do—Moses Hendricks. In Martha Warren Beckwith, Jamaica Anansi Stories (Print and online). A bull tells the secret name, after which the old witch and the bull take turns tossing each other in the air, until the old witch is totally broken. Toad—Pamela Colman Smith, Chim-Chim; and as “Why Toad Walk ’Pon Four Leg” in Annancy Stories (Print and online). Toad dresses up to give the King the secret name of the old Obeah woman he is about to marry. Recundadundadrumunday comes after Toad, who is never able to dress up fancy or walk on two legs again. Told in patois.

Variation from Martinique, African American People: Madame Kéléman—Patrick Chamoiseau, Creole Folktales. A lost girl is forced to serve an intim-

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idating, shape-shifting obeah woman until she can discover the old woman’s name and how to make herself invisible. Thousands of other forest creatures won’t tell her, but crabs by the spring who wear straw hats, sing out the old woman’s name. When the girl finally speaks it aloud to her, the obeah woman, furious, hurts many creatures. Madame Kéléman rams the crabs’ hats inside them when they taunt her and squashes them headless with her cutlass. She trips, and when the ground swallows her, a spiny plant the Békés call “no escape” grows there. When her hut explodes, toads become girls, small snakes become boys, and the obeah woman’s tears become diamonds, which help all those she held captive.

Puerto Rican variations: Casi Lampu’a Lentemué—Pura Belpré, The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tale; and in Lisa Sánchez-González, The Stories I Read to the Children. Paco has three days to guess the little old woman’s name or remain with her forever. When she beats the crab, who told him, the crab scuttles under a rock, as crabs still do. Paco and the Witch: A Puerto Rican Folktale—Felix Pitre. Paco and the crab dance the little old witch’s name until Paco can remember it.

Variation from the U.S. Virgin Islands: Crab Tells the Lady’s Name—Florence O. Meade, “Folk Tales from the Virgin Islands,” The Journal of American Folklore (Print and online). A summarized version of the tale.

West Indian variations, countries unspecified: How Crab Got a Hard Back—Philip Sherlock, West Indian Folk-Tales (Print and online). After disguising himself as one of the girls Old Woman Crim holds as servants so Crab will feel sorry for him, Anansi gets the witch’s name and frees them. Zebo Nooloo Chinoo: A Caribbean Folk Tales—Lynette Comissiong. In a version with scary illustrations, a crab overhears the old woman singing a song about her name. He sings it to the old woman’s god-daughter, who is being kept hungry until she guesses it. Zebo Nooloo Chinoo hears the crab singing her name song, and furiously hits him with her stick, while he throws sand in her eyes, which is “why crabs have cracks in their backs, and old women have wrinkles around their eyes.” See also Turtle Knows Your Name, entry 241.

412. C ALLALOO AN DE CRAB Peter Minshall Trinidad These 92 lyrical pages are the script for a mas (street masquerade) created by Minshall and performed during Carnivale in 1984. The story, told in Trinidadian creole, tells how Washerwoman, keeper of clear waters for the River People, gives birth to Callaloo when the spirit of Papa Bois washes over her. Mancrab deceitfully takes possession of Washerwoman’s golden calabash, so that he holds ultimate power and tries to destroy earth itself with technology, polluting the waters. Disheartened by the silence of his father Papa Bois, Callaloo, a child born pure with no color, walks into fire. Strength and quiet power come back so he can reflect Mancrab’s own ugliness back to him and bring understanding to the River People: “Take heart, he say. / Put heart in a circle, an put all the differences / it have amongst man, down to the last little / piece of difference

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… and swizzle it up good,/ and then taste the sweetness of the callaloo/ of man. / The differences is there to add delight, not to / destroy and divide.” Mancrab rebounds and lays waste to the land to sadden Callaloo, but in a blinding flash the Bird of Fire from Paradise sets down a circle around her child. On the little piece of earth people are torn between corruption and understanding, and so it will be until people remember they are all one.

Connections Animal helpers. Birds. Calabash, magic. Callaloo (Character). Cautionary tales. Changes in attitude. Coexistence. Combat among supernatural beings. Defense. Demoralization. Destruction. Earth. Ecology. Escapes. Fantasy. Heroes and heroines. Kinship. Love. Mancrab (Character). Papa Bois. Power. Rescues. Status. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Talents. Traps. Understanding. Washerwoman (Character). Women and girls, resourceful.

How Else This Story Is Told Callaloo and the Crab—Bobby Norfolk, Baby Hawk Learns to Fly (Audio CD and online). An audio version of Minshall’s tale adapted for a younger audience.

413. T HE T WINS AND THE BIRD OF DARKNESS: A HERO TALE FROM THE C ARIBBEAN Robert D. San Souci Guadeloupe The fearsome seven-headed Bird of Darkness blocks all light from the sky, and the king’s daughter, Marie, brings herself to the bird to end the people’s suffering. The king promises a reward for the death of the bird and her return. Though none who try are ever seen again, good-hearted Soliday brings a few coins from his grandmother to the wizard, who gives him magic ointment for his arrow and beads to trade for a colored feather from each of the bird’s heads. Soliday’s mean twin decides to come along, but does little to help and then takes advantage of Soliday’s fall into a ravine to pretend he is his brother after Soliday has slain the bird. He cuts seven heads from the dead bird and sails home with Marie. She loved Soliday, but not this arrogant man and asks her father to postpone their marriage. Soliday struggles back is treated as a pretender, until he proves that the heads his brother showed the king have no beaks because he took them first. Marie welcomes Soliday with joy, and the King at last accepts his claim and spares his brother’s life at his request.

Connections Anansi. Bargains. Beads. Betrayal. Bird, fantasy. Brothers and sisters. Bullies. Charms and potions. Cleverness. Courage. Darkness. Deceit. Eagles. Evidence. Fantasy. Feathers. Flattery. Heads, multiple. Heroes and heroines. Identity. Kings and queens. Light. Love. Magic. Mancrow (Character). Outwitting supernatural beings. Princes and princesses. Quests. Soliday. Songs. Tongues, multiple. Twins. Vanity. Women and girls, resourceful.

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Belize variations: Nancoon January—Myrna Manzanares. In Hazel D.Campbell, Tek Mi! Noh Tek Mi! A conniving hunter tries to take credit for killing the giant eagle, when it is brave Eleven who really rescued the king’s last daughter.

Jamaican variations: The Magic Feather—Lisa Rojany (Print and online). Solidae bravely goes after the half-human bird and returns light to the world after Macrow steals all the color from her friend Iguana and flies away with all the light on earth when she herself will not look into his eyes. Man-Crow—Walter Jekyll, Jamaican Song and Story (Print and online). Brother Annancy claims to have killed Man-crow, but Soliday is the one who sings to Man-crow and lures him close enough to take his golden tongue and teeth. This variant, told in patois, contains the music and lyrics to Soliday’s song. Man-Crow—Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online). This retelling is based on Walter Jekyll’s above, told in standard English. It also contains lyrics to the song Soliday sings to Man-crow.

West Indian variation, country unspecified: Mancrow, Bird of Darkness—Philip M. Sherlock, West Indian Folk-tales (Print and online). Anansi pretends to be the hero by bringing the king Mancrow’s entire body, but Soliday marries the King’s daughter when he says that the bird could not live without its golden tongue or beak.

414. loggerhead Roger D. Abrahams, African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World (Print and online) African American People. Saint Vincent Old Witch Boy makes a knife of tin to find out how the large bird which swallows one villager a day on the walk home has become so powerful. His old grandmother cries that she is afraid to lose him, but Old Witch Boy walks by the bird’s tree and sings Coo-Cayima. The bird swallows him whole. Three times Old Witch Boy cuts his way out and teases the bird with the Coo-Cayima song to swallow him again. Loggerhead falls down dead with three holes in his belly. Massa King rewards Old Witch Boy with his daughter’s hand in marriage, a house, and a new car.

Connections Bird, fantasy. Bullies. Cleverness. Combat with supernatural beings. Courage. Escapes. Fantasy. Heroes and heroines. Perseverance. Rewards. Songs. Witch Boy (Character).

415. queen cora Philippe Thoby-Marcelin and Pierre Marcelin, The Singing Turtle and Other Tales from Haiti (Print and online) Haiti

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King Grédéon jealously drops a glass coffin containing Queen Cora into the sea when a palace guard is seen talking with her. Some fishermen revive her, but Queen Cora is overcome by sadness, as she still loves her husband. A fisherman who is the governor’s son brings her, disguised as a man, to his father’s City-Without-Women. He presents her as a foreign prince, but the church bells will not stop warning of a female intruder. Queen Cora is sure her identity will be discovered during a swim the next day. The governor’s son gives her a magic horse, Domangaille, to escape on. Despite its sorry appearance, Domangaille does carry her away from the police to another city, where she finds her husband in rags, overwhelmed with grief over what he did to her. Queen Cora forgives him, and they return home together on Domangaille.

Connections Disguises. Escapes. Fantasy. Forgiveness. Horse, fantasy. Husbands and wives. Identity. Jealousy. Kings and queens. Remorse. Rescues. Reunion. Sadness. Women and girls, resourceful.

416. T HE GIRL W HO SPUN GOLD Virginia Hamilton African American People. The West Indies, country unspecified Big King is ready to marry Quashiba when her mama exaggerates and says that her daughter can spin a whole field of fine gold thread to make cloth. Quashiba hopes Big King will forget. Big King does not forget, though. One year after the wedding, he locks Queen Quashi in a room to make golden things, and the queen weeps. Lit’mahn floats in wearing striped pants and a tall green hat. He says he will help her, but she must guess his name in three nights, or he will turn her tiny, just like he is. Queen Quashi falls asleep, and the little man flies around and fills the room with gold things. He laughs when she cannot guess his name that night and the next. Big King, however, is delighted with his talented wife. He tells her how, while hunting, he saw a funny little mahn with a green hat dancing around and singing his name song. On the last night of making gold things, Quashiba is ready. She guesses, and Lit’Mahn Bittyun screams and explodes into tiny gold pieces. Queen Quashiba stays angry with Big King for three years before he finally apologizes, and she forgives him.

Connections Captivity. Commands. Escapes. Fantasy. Forgiveness. Gold. Greed. Kings and queens. Lies. Little man, fantasy. Magic. Name, guessing. Rumpelstiltskin tales. Serendipity. Size. Threats.

417. Three FaIrIes Rafael Ramírez de Arellano. In Dorothy Sharp Carter, Greedy Mariani (Print and online) Puerto Rico An ill widow, with concerns for her daughter’s future welfare, tells a rich señor that

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her daughter can spin thread as fine as a spider’s web, sew stiches smaller than a fly’s footprint, and embroider birds that look alive. He is ready to marry such a hard worker, and the daughter frets what her husband will do when he discovers she cannot do these things. She has decided to speak with her fiancé, when three old women arrive in the night and offer to help if she invites them to her wedding. The daughter agrees and informs her fiancé that three cousins will be coming. After the wedding dinner, the husband comes over to meet the three old women, “the horrors.” He politely asks about their various deformities, and they separately describe how each was caused by years of spinning, sewing or embroidering. The man whispers that he will not ask his new wife to do any of these tasks, and so, she never has to tell him the truth.

Connections Appearance. Cleverness. Disabilities. Evidence. Fairies. Fantasy. Fear. Lies. Parents and children. Rescues. Suitors. Talents. Tasks, challenging. Truth.

Where Else This Story Appears In Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple, Mirror, Mirror: Forty Folktales for Mothers and Daughters to Share (Print and online).

418. The elF-sTone Jean Popeau. In Faustin Charles, Under the Storyteller’s Spell Dominican Republic A love expert says she will help Juanita change her life and marry wealthy Roderigo for ten thousand pesos, which Juanita will pay after marriage. At the elf-brook in the grotto, they choose one stone in the shape of a man. Stones fell Juanita, as they leave, but the old woman manages to carry her to the crossroads. There she places the elfstone over a picture of Roderigo. Soon afterwards, Roderigo follows the road to Juanita’s house, and they marry. When he finds out that Juanita is setting aside money, he scoffs at the idea that magic brought them together. He forbids Juanita to pay “the old witch” and tells the woman to stay away from his wife. When Roderigo returns home, Juanita has vanished. Together, he and the old woman go to the grotto. As Juanita stands in the center of the pool, the elf-king rises from underwater and takes her hand. As Roderigo enters the water to get Juanita, she vanishes. Roderigo wants Juanita back. He offers to pay the old woman double the debt, and the elf-king escorts Juanita up to Roderigo. The old woman teasingly asks if Roderigo still does not believe in magic, and they all happily return home.

Connections Bargains. Captivity. Charms and potions. Debts. Elves. Fantasy. Husbands and wives. Love. Money. Rescues. Revenge. Stone, magic. Water. Witches. Yearning.

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419. The gIrl on The gallows Patricia Glinton, An Evening in Guanima: A Treasury of Folktales from the Bahamas African American People. The Bahamas Prince Robin has come to marry Princess Anacarla, but it is Christa he falls in love with and she with him. Everything about Christa is golden and glowing, including her sweet spirit. The princess burns with envy. She includes Christa as one of the bridesmaids, but then has her jewelled music box planted in Christa’s room when the prince is away to accuse her of theft. The soldiers chop off Christa’s hair and start building a gallows to hang her on. Christa’s family begs for her release, but they are not wealthy enough to ransom her. The duck and then parrot she asks to let the prince know what is happening are both shot by the king’s men. An eagle does reach him. Just before Christa is to be hung, the prince removes the noose and hands the king the required ransom. Christa is pardoned and rides off with the prince and her family.

Connections Animal helpers. Bird, fantasy. Captivity. Deceit. Fantasy. Jealousy. Love. Princes and princesses. Rescues. Talking animals and objects. Traps. Women and girls, resourceful.

420. CENDRILLON: A C ARIBBEAN CINDERELLA Robert D. San Souci African American People. Martinique This Cinderella tale is narrated from the perspective of Cendrillon’s godmother, a poor washerwoman, who has been pushed away by Cendrillon’s unloving stepmother and arrogant stepsister. The godmother feels protective of Centrillon and uses her mother’s magic wand so Cendrillon can attend the ball for Paul, Monsieur Thibault’s kind and well-spoken son. Fruit à pain becomes the coach; agoutis become the horses; lizards become footmen; and Cendrillon herself wears a beautiful gown and pink slippers embroidered with roses. The transformations are short-term, and it worries Cendrillon that Paul may have fallen for the magic person she was changed into. When he comes looking to find the young woman who lost her slipper at the ball, she appears as herself, without magic. It is Cendrillon, unadorned, whom Paul loves. The picture book is accompanied by lush scratchboard illustrations by Brian Pinkney and peppered with French Creole.

Connections Animal helpers. Appearance. Cinderella tales. Disguises. Godparents and godchildren. Fantasy. Identity. Love. Magic. Obeah men and women. Stepparents and stepchildren. Tests. Transformation. Unkindness. Wand, magic.

How Else This Story Is Told Jamaican variation, African American People:

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The Three Sisters—Pamela Colman Smith, Annancy Stories (Print and online). A Cinderella story told in patois, where, despite her spiteful sisters, an Obeah woman helps pretty Laurita get to the King’s ball.

421. The mosT beauTIFul one Is under The Tub Patrick Chamoiseau, Creole Folktales African American People. Martinique In a neighborhood where a parrot squawks “Lapli bel anba la bay” (The most beautiful one is under the tub) over and over live a mama with two daughters in a shack. The mama does not love the younger daughter, Anastasia, because a she-devil with a cloven foot kissed her at her christening. She makes beautiful Anastasia do all the chores. A young man dressed in white linen falls in love with Anastasia, who is singing as she weeds. They spend some time together. When the elegant young man shows up at their shack, the mama tries to push Anastasia’s ill-tempered sister off on him, but he holds Anastasia’s voice in his heart. As he rides off, the parrot sings “Lapli bel anba la bay” and flies with other birds over the tub. The young man discovers Anastasia bound underneath and frees her. They kiss and gallop off, and the parrot learns why he sang those words for so long.

Connections Animal helpers. Bird, fantasy. Bullies. Captivity. Fantasy. Parents and children. Parrots. Rescues. Songs. Suitors. Superstitions. Talking animals and objects. Unkindness.

422. The gIzzard Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online) African American People. Haiti The youngest son cages a beautiful little bird with a pink mark on its throat. He instructs his mother never to eat it, but one day she agrees to cook it for a white man who offers to marry her. The man wants to consume the bird’s gizzard to become rich. However, when the son returns and randomly eats the gizzard from the cooking pot, the man cancels the marriage, and the mother sends her son away. A witch takes the boy in, knowing her own son will eat him in the morning. By then, however, silver fills their room, so they keep him with them for a long time. Thinking about girls, however, he sneaks away and marries a princess who has seen him from her balcony. In the morning their room is also filled with silver. A hungan tells her about the magic gizzard of riches in her husband’s body. The princess makes him vomit up the gizzard and sends him away. The son wanders, poor and blind from an infection. When he bites into one apple which drops on him, he can see again, but an apple from another tree brings back the blindness. He asks someone to sell the apples that cause blindness at the palace. Then he arrives with the other apples. The boy cures all but the princess, to whom he first gives a regurgitive. He swallows the gizzard back down, and has wealth all the rest of his life.

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Connections Accidents. Anger. Apple, magic. Birds. Blindness. Deceit. Discontent. Disguises. Escapes. Fantasy. Food. Fruit, magic. Gizzard, magic. Greed. Healing. Houngans. Inequity. Money. Noses, growing large. Orange, magic. Parents and children. Princes and princesses. Punishment. Reversals of fortune. Silver. Suitors. Superstitions. Warnings.

How Else This Story Is Told Angélique and Myrtil—Philippe Thoby-Marcelin and Pierre Marcelin, The Singing Turtle (Print and online). This variant encompasses the third part of the story, where a young man flees to the woods and discovers magic fruit—oranges from one tree make his nose ridiculously long, and oranges from a second shorten it. He sells the first magic orange to Princess Angélique, whom he has been forbidden to marry, and then, disguised as a doctor, cures her with the second orange, to get the king to change his mind.

423. The g olden h aIr Kennth Vidia Parmasad, Salt and Roti: Indian Tales of the Caribbean (Print and online) Indian People. The Caribbean, country unspecified A king offers half of his kingdom to the son who can discover why rare flowers are disappearing from his garden. Cutting his own hand to stay awake, the youngest prince sees a man in radiant clothes arrive on a white horse and pick flowers in the night. The stranger says he takes the flowers so they can live forever in his spirit world. He gives the prince a golden hair from his horse which will grant his wishes. Jealous of their brother’s success, the six older princes leave the kingdom. Unwanted, the youngest goes along, thinking to protect them with his golden hair. He falls in love with a princess and, in disguise, uses the golden hair to win her father’s test of strength. Immediately after winning, he turns himself invisible and returns to his brothers, who drown him in a pond. A king’s soldier drinks from the pond and hears someone singing about brothers who do not love him and a wife who can save him though she does not know him. A flower floats on the water, which the soldier cannot pick. The king is afraid the princess will drown if she tries, but she pleads for her father to change his mind. When she takes up the flower, it transforms into the young prince to her great joy.

Connections Brothers and sisters. Competition. Ecology. Fantasy. Flower, magic. Hair, magic. Invisibility. Jealousy. Kings and queens. Mysteries. Parents and children. Princes and princesses. Rescues. Song, magic. Transformation. Unkindness.

424. JuanITo and The PrIncess Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes (Print and online) Puerto Rico

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One of the first things Juanito accomplishes when he leaves home with his father’s blessing is to satisfactorily settle a quarrel among three animals over dividing a dead ox. They reward him with a hair from the lion’s tail, a feather from the eagle’s head, and a leg from the ant. With these and with God’s help, he will magically be able to transform. Juanito thanks them and travels on to a castle with no doors. As an Eagle, he flies to the window in the castle tower and says “God and Man” to become himself again. He promises the princess he finds there that he will fight the giant who holds her captive. She says many have died trying because the giant holds his life outside his body. Juanito transforms into an Ant as the princess tricks the giant into revealing where he keeps his life. Juanito must find the porcupine which holds a dove with an egg inside its head. As a Lion, he fights the porcupine, with the help of a shepherd’s daughter, and then transforms into an Eagle to chase the black dove which holds the black egg he needs. Finally, Juanito holds the black egg, which he throws at the giant, who dies when it breaks. The Princess and Juanito marry and bring Juanito’s old father to be with them.

Connections Animal helpers. Ant leg, magic. Ant, fantasy. Arguments. Bird, fantasy. Captivity. Doves. Egg, magic. Faith. Fantasy. Feather, magic. Giants. Gods and humans. Gratitude. Hair, magic. Heroes and heroines. Kindness. Life (Object). Lion, fantasy. Porcupines. Princes and princesses. Rescues. Talking animals and objects. Transformation. Women and girls, resourceful.

425. The casTle oF no reTurn Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes (Print and online) Puerto Rico With compassion, but some misgivings, a hungry man throws a fish with seven colors back into the sea for one more day as it begs him to do. When he catches it again the next day, the fish tells him to share its body with his wife, after feeding the head to his horse and the tail to his dog. Each of the three species gives birth to three identical offspring. Three swords grow where he has buried the fish scales, and the family is no longer poor. When the sons grow up, the eldest marries a Princess he has rescued from the seven-headed dragon. However, he is turned to stone by an old woman spinning at the castle of No Return, a witch who holds his horse and dog captive with her hair and subdues him in a wrestling match. The second brother sees blood on his sword and wants to help, but he does not learn where his brother is until the Princess mistakes him for her husband. The witch at the castle of No Return transforms this second brother into stone, too. The third brother goes to rescue them. He suspects that the old woman is a witch and only pretends to tie up his animals. When he beheads her, the witch’s head tells him how to restore his brothers and other captives to life. They return to the King’s castle, where the Princess is at first confused by the three identical young men, and then rejoices to have her husband back. The brothers marry the King’s other two daughters and bring their parents to live there, too.

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Connections Brothers and sisters. Captivity. Compassion. Courage. Dog, fantasy. Fantasy. Fish, fantasy. Food. Heroes and heroines. Horse, fantasy. Kindness. Princes and princesses. Rescues. Restoring life. Reversals of fortune. Supernatural events. Sword, magic. Transformation. Witches.

426. SUGAR C ANE : A C ARIBBEAN R APUNZEL (PrInT and onlIne) Patricia Storace The Caribbean, country unspecified The second time the fisherman visits a mysterious garden to pick the sugar cane stalks which his pregnant wife craves, Madame Fate appears and says she will take their child on her first birthday to pay for what he has stolen. She shuts the one-year-old in a tower near the sea. Sugar Cane’s only companion is a pet green monkey. Madame Fate climbs up Sugar Cane’s long, thick hair to visit often and sends spirit-teachers for various subjects, but Sugar Cane is lonely. One night, Sugar Cane sings at the window, and a young fisherman, the King of Song, sees her reflection in the water and hears her singing his song. He climbs up her hair to visit that night and returns on many others. Madame Fate explodes with fury when she finds a jewelled scarlet butterfly barrette the King of Song has buried in Sugar Cane’s hair. She accuses the girl of being ungrateful and cuts off her hair. As soon as she can, Sugar Cane escapes with the monkey down a ladder of woven hair. As the tower collapses in a howling wind, she is carried by a golden barrette which becomes a golden wave to the city, where she lives with a family, taking care of their children. One day, Sugar Cane is playing a guitar strung with her own hair, when the scarlet butterfly lands on the strings. She plays the special song she and King shared, and the King of Song appears. They are always together after that and reunite with her parents at their wedding.

Connections Barrette, magic. Escapes. Fantasy. Fate (Character). Fishermen. Friendship. Hair. Love. Loyalty. Magic. Monkeys. Music. Outwitting supernatural beings. Rapunzel tales. Reunion. Songs. Towers. Transformation. Witches. Women and girls, resourceful.

427. The Three g owns John Bierhorst, Latin American Folktales (Print and online) Puerto Rico This romance begins as a story of unwanted overtures to incest. A dying mother tells her husband to marry the person whose finger fits her ring, which turns out to be their daughter. To put him off, Rosa demands three different special gowns one after another. But after her father finds even the gown the color of all the flowers on earth, she runs into the forest with her gowns and a magic wand. She wears the skin of a young lioness, and the prince Juanito brings her home as a pet for his mother, thinking she

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really is a lion cub. The queen and the lion cub converse often. The queen thinks Rosa may be shot if she wears her lioness skin to attend the prince’s balls, so Rosa puts on her gowns, made radiant with the help of her wand. Attracted to each other, the prince and she trade tokens. In the days after, Rosa is riddling in her lioness skin, and the queen pokes her not to give herself away as the prince speaks about the enchanting woman he has met. He becomes heartsick, however, when she mysteriously disappears again after the third ball. The lioness makes three tarts for him, with each of his gifts inside. Juanito meets Rosa as herself then, after which their love blooms openly.

Connections Animal helpers. Clothing. Disguises. Escapes. Fantasy. Identity. Incest. Kindness to animals. Kings and queens. Lions. Love. Marriage, unwanted. Parents and children. Princes and princesses. Rings. Skins, animal. Transformation. Wand, magic. Women and girls, resourceful.

428. The woodsman’s daughTer Ricardo E. Alegria, The Three Wishes: A Collection of Puerto Rican Folktales (Print and online) Puerto Rico In this Beauty and the Beast tale, a woodsman promises to bring the charging lion whatever runs out from home to greet him first in exchange for his life. It is his youngest daughter who appears. She loves her father and tells him she will go. The lion brings her to an underground palace, but despite his kindness, she misses her family. He allows her to visit them, but distracted by her father’s illness on the second visit, she arrives after the rooster has crowed. The carriage to take her back has already gone. She runs through the woods and cries at the entrance to the sealed cave. The lion’s voice tells her that the spell that keeps him a lion would have been broken if she had arrived in time, but now the only way to free him is for her to walk the world and wear out a pair of iron shoes. The girl walks for years. The Sun sends her to the Moon, who reports to have seen the lion in a castle behind a mountain. When no one answers her knocks there, she throws her shoes at the door, and a handsome prince, her lion, hugs her and thanks her for her love and loyalty.

Connections Bargains. Beauty and the Beast tales. Captivity. Charms and potions. Fantasy. Heroes and heroines. Lion, fantasy. Loyalty. Magic. Moon (Character). Perseverance. Princes and princesses. Rescues. Shoes, iron. Sun (Character). Transformation. Unselfishness. Women and girls, resourceful.

How Else This Story Is Told The Woodsman’s Daughter and the Lion—Anita Stern, World Folktales.

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429. The saIlor and The deVIl’s daughTer Jean Cothran, The Magic Calabash Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands After being thrown overboard, Jack swims to Devil’s Island. The devil’s mother tells him to hide the clothes of her youngest granddaughter bathing in the river, who will help him. Jack returns the girl’s clothes to her and asks for work. She brings him to her father, who threatens to turn Jack into one of his imps if Jack cannot accomplish two impossible tasks. When they are done, the devil suspects his daughter must have helped, which she did. He tries to put an end to Jack with a sledgehammer that night, but merely whacks a banana trunk in the bed. The next morning his daughter and Jack are gone on his horse that can leap a thousand miles. The devil catches up to them on a faster horse. His daughter drops a kernel of corn, which transforms the horse into a pond, the girl into a duck, and Jack into a fisherman. The devil asks the duck if he has seen the two people, and the duck asks him to swim. The devil leaves, but his wife tells him to return, for his daughter has tricked him. Now the horse is a churchyard, the girl an old lady, and Jack a priest, who asks the devil if he would like to be saved. The devil flees, and his wife sends him back. The daughter’s last kernel becomes a river which the devil and his horse try to drink dry and burst. So, Jack and the devil’s daughter marry.

Connections Cleverness. Corn kernel, magic. Devil. Disguises. Escapes. Fantasy. Heroes and heroines. Horse, fantasy. Humorous tales. Husbands and wives. Magic. Outwitting supernatural beings. Parents and children. Pursuit. Tasks, challenging. Threats. Transformation. Women and girls, resourceful.

How Else This Story Is Told Variation from Trinidad: Ti Jean and Mariquite: A True, True Trinidad Fairy Tale—Eintou Pearl Springer. In Hazel D. Campbell, Tek Mi! Noh Tek Mi! With audio CD. Also in Sharon Elswit, Latin American Story Finder as “Blancaflor,” entry 93 (Mexico).

430. sarah wInyan Ruth Manning-Sanders, A Book of Enchantments and Curses (Print and online) Jamaica Gathering wood, ragged Sarah Winyan is singing a sad song about her life as an orphan with a cruel witch stepmother, which the trees and bushes echo. Her stepmother furiously conjures up a devil which looks like a shaggy dog and sends it to destroy Sarah, so she can take the girl’s wealth. The dog, Tiger, swallows the contract and goes after Sarah in the dark. Sarah Winyan hears growling and climbs up a tree. Tiger feels pity for the small, crouching girl and promises not to hurt her if she comes down and obeys him. Sarah Winyan follows the dog, singing her sad song, later dropping to a whisper

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when it annoys him. The stepmother, meanwhile, throws a fake funeral, summoning a coffin with Sarah Winyan’s image inside, as a show for the neighbors. One forester, though, says he has recently heard Sarah singing. He and another forester find Sarah Winyan crying in a cavern with a great dog’s head in her lap. They softly call to her and shoot a silver bullet into Tiger’s head. A little devil leaps out of the dog’s body and roars through the trees to the stepmother, whom he whirls away to Hell, according to the terms of the contract. Sarah Winyan’s song becomes happy as she lives in her grand house with the two foresters as her friends and protectors.

Connections Bargains. Combat with supernatural beings. Comeuppance. Compassion. Death, pretense. Deceit. Devils. Dog, fantasy. Fantasy. Fear. Friendship. Hard-heartedness. Heroes and heroines. Image, magic. Rescues. Songs. Stepparents and stepchildren. Transformation. Witches. Woodsmen.

431. The gIrl wITh The g olden h aIr Amit Harrichan. In Kumar Mahabir, Caribbean Indian Folktales Indian People. Jamaica Sona’s brother’s friend, a prince, finds the strand of her real gold hair which floats downstream and falls ill, lovesick for the unknown girl it belongs to. The raja knows the hair is Sona’s. Though he does not get along with her father, he wants his son to be well. He sends word to Sona’s father saying he will attack his kingdom if he does not give Sona in marriage to his son. Sona’s father knows his army cannot resist and tells her sister Rupa to tell Sona that she will marry her brother’s friend that day. Sona runs up into banyan tree. She tells Rupa that there is someone else she truly loves. Rupa, their mother, the King, and her brother sing for Sona to come down, and Sona sings back to each separately that she will not. Worried about his kingdom, her father sends a carpenter and woodcutter to fell the tree, but its trunk opens and takes Sona inside. The raja knows he cannot marry his son to the log which has been delivered. Another king attacks him and takes the log home. When he cuts the wood open to make furniture, Sona is reborn as their daughter, who grows up and marries someone she truly loves.

Connections Conflict. Escapes. Fantasy. Hair, gold. Illness. Kings and queens. Love. Marriage, unwanted. Parents and children. Princes and princesses. Rajas. Restoring life. Supernatural events. Threats. Transformation. Tree, magic. Women and girls, resourceful. Yearning.

432. The sPIrIT oF The rocK Douglas Taylor, “Tales and Legends of the Dominica Caribs,” Journal of American Folklore (Print and online) Kalinago People. Dominica

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When her husband neglects her for other women, a woman takes her children up to the big rock on the Bárakua ridge looking for a special charm. She finds the prized white flower with a sweet scent, which is said to command a person to do what you want. She bathes with her children in the Pegua River and rubs the flower over herself. They are walking towards another river, when she hears her husband coming after them. The woman runs to the Caserne Caraïbe and is admitted to the cave, which shelters women and children, just as he grabs for her. Safely inside with her children, the woman yells that she no longer needs her husband and that he should go away. He transforms into a pierrot vantard, a bird with an annoying call.

Connections Birds. Charms and potions. Commands. Deceit. Escapes. Flower, magic. Gods and humans. Husbands and wives. Infidelity. Origin tales, behavior. Power. Revenge. Status. Supernatural events. Transformation. Women and girls, resourceful.

433. anancy Andrew Salkey. In Ulli Beier, Black Orpheus African American People. Jamaica Anancy will not be dissuaded from proving his strength in the ghosts’ wrestling match in a far-far country, and his best friend Brother Tacuma comes along. Before the match, the ghosts try to unnerve Anancy with grisly new rules. Once the bouts begin, however, Anancy beats the tall-tall ghost with hands and feet moving around like propellers. He routs the ghosts with four, eight, ten, twelve, and twenty heads. Worried, the ghosts decide Anancy should next fight against his own spirit. Anancy’s spirit looks right through Anancy, and Anancy crumples, dashing his head on the rockstone. Brother Tacuma sees how ghosts squeeze bush-john berry juice into their dead ghosts’ eyes to bring them back to life and does the same for Anancy. They are already on their way home when the ghosts who came to eat Anancy hear him arguing loudly with his spirit and converge. Anancy’s spirit stops attacking Anancy then to defend him, and the ghosts flee. At one with his spirit again, Anancy returns joyous and strong.

Connections Anansi. Cautionary tales. Combat, psychological. Combat with supernatural beings. Competition. Demoralization. Friendship. Heads, multiple. Heroes and heroines. Loyalty. Restoring life. Self-esteem. Spirits and ghosts. Strength. Supernatural beings. Supernatural events. Tukuma.

434. yé , m asTer oF FamIne Patrick Chamoiseau, Creole Folktales African American People. Martinique Yé’s family is hungry, but he has been cursed from having stolen food from deathwatch beetles as a child, and cannot work in any fields. In the underbrush a creature

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made of leather with no eyeballs is consuming roasted snails with a long tongue. Yé is helping himself to some of the snails when the creature grabs him. The being carries him home and from then on claims all the food in Yé’s shack. His family is suffering from having to lick the plates clean after the creature relieves himself on them. Yé’s timid wife suggests Yé go for advice to the Goodlord, a country policeman who knows some magic. The Goodlord calls out that Yé must return home without eating anything on the way, shout “Tam no pou tam no bè” two times, and the Devil in his house will die. Two times, Yé cannot keep from eating some tempting wild food he finds, and so the chant does not work. His youngest child follows Yé the third time and says the charm correctly. The Devil’s body explodes in their garden, turning the earth there fertile. Yé can work again, and his family’s starvation ends.

Connections Bullies. Curses. Devil. Excrement. Farming. Food. Humorous tales. Hunger. Husbands and wives. Magic. Outwitting supernatural beings. Parents and children. Rescues. Sorcerers and sorceresses. Supernatural events. Temptation. Theft. Unfinished business. Words, magic. Work.

How Else This Story Is Told Puerto Rican variation: Oté: A Puerto Rican Folk Tale—Pura Belpré (Print and online). The devil’s food smells so good that hungry Oté decides he is going to share some, but when their hands bump over the last piece of codfish, the devil leaps onto Oté’s back and demands to be taken to Oté’s home and fed.

435. JacK & The m agIc eggs Patricia Glinton, An Evening in Guanima: A Treasury of Folktales from the Bahamas African American People. The Bahamas B’er Debbil has taken Jack’s beautiful and talented sister Zerona away on a blue, three-legged donkey to cook okra soup for him finer than the King’s. Jack is coming for her on his horse with three magic eggs his mother has handed him. He is to throw an egg behind him when B’er Debbil chases him. Jack finds his sister in the kitchen, and as they leave, B’er Debbil’s guard rooster cries out a warning. Finding only burned soup in the kitchen, B’er Debbil pursues them on his donkey. When Jack smells his scorched scent, he throws one egg behind. A mountain rises up, but B’er Debbil’s donkey sprouts wings and flies over it. As the donkey’s hoofbeats come closer, Jack throws down the second egg, which becomes a giant tree, which B’er Debbil burns. They tremble as B’er Debbil comes even closer and starts to cast a blue smoke spell. Jack throws down the last egg, putting a great river between them, which turns the spell back on B’er Debbil and wallops him.

Connections Brothers and sisters. Devil. Egg, magic. Fantasy. Heroes and heroines. Kidnapping. Pursuit. Rescues. Rooster, fantasy. Supernatural beings. Transformation.

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436. The bIrd oF seVen colors Ricardo E. Alegría, The Three Wishes (Print and online) Puerto Rico When the younger daughter breaks a water pitcher, her mother angrily sends her away to get the Bird of Seven Colors to fix it. The girl does not know where to find this bird, but as she wanders with the broken pitcher a mango tree asks her to ask the bird why it produces no fruit, the sea wants to know why it has no fish, and the king’s three daughters want to know why they have no children. The girl promises to ask the Bird of Seven Colors. She finds the bird’s mother on a mountain. The old woman tells the girl to hide in a barrel, so the bird will not eat her. When the Bird of Seven Colors returns, his mother not only deflects her son’s suspicions, but manages to trick him into repairing the pitcher and answering all the questions by waking him from sleep over two nights. The girl thanks the old woman and returns home with gold coins and treasures from the grateful mango tree and king’s daughters to whom she brings answers. She stays safely out of reach of the sea when she tells it that it needs to swallow a human to hold fish. Her greedy mother, however, tromps off to get more treasures and is not as careful when she reaches the sea.

Connections Anger. Animal helpers. Birds. Comeuppance. Devil. Escapes. Fantasy. Gratitude. Greed. Hair. Heroes and heroines. Husbands and wives. Kindness. Kings and queens. Mysteries. Parents and children. Perseverance. Poverty. Punishment. Questions. Quests. Repairs. Requests. Reversals of fortune. Rewards. Stepparents and stepchildren. Tree, magic. Unselfishness. Women and girls, resourceful.

How Else This Story Is Told Haitian variation: Four Hairs from the Beard of the Devil—Diane Wolkstein, The Magic Orange Tree (Print and online). A boy who has been sent away by his stepmother is helped by the devil’s wife, who not only keeps her husband from eating him, but as she pulls the four hairs the boy needs from him, gets answers to all the boy’s questions from others. See also The Boy Who Wanted to Find God, entry 129.

437. The quarrel Philip M. Sherlock, Anansi the Spider Man: Jamaican Folk Tales African American People. Jamaica Anansi, Tiger, and Monkey have teamed up to work some land together, but somehow Anansi always seems to do more resting than working. Monkey and Tiger secretly watch the field at night, suspecting Anansi of stealing ripe corn. They chase Anansi, who calls for the corn to hide him. One grain opens up, and he disappears inside. However, Mr. Rooster eats that grain the next morning, and Mr. Alligator eats him. The oracle drum tells Monkey and Tiger where to find Anansi. As they open the animals and

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corn, however, Anansi runs off again and up a tree. Tiger advises Monkey to wait Anansi out, but as they do, Anansi adds enough banana fibers to make a web up there, which is where he now lives, catching flies.

Connections Alligators and crocodiles. Anansi. Chain tales. Conflict. Corn kernel, magic. Drums. Escapes. Farming. Monkeys. Origin tales, behavior. Partnership. Pursuit. Resentment. Roosters. Sharing. Shirking. Supernatural events. Tigers. Webs.

Where Else This Story Appears The Quarrel—Philip M. Sherlock, The Illustrated Anansi.

438. m agIc anansI Virginia Hamilton, A Ring of Tricksters: Animal Tales from America, the West Indies, and Africa (Print and online) African American People. The West Indies, country unspecified Him Tiger roars that because of Anansi’s dust and Sana Goat’s kids’ dirt, he wants them gone from the house they have all been sharing. Him Tiger is frightening them, growling, even as they walk away. Brother Anansi gathers magic at the river and changes Sana Goat and her kids into white stones. He pitches them gently across to the other side, where they become goats again. The kids are enjoying flying through the air until they hear Him Tiger coming and hide. Anansi is the only one still left on Tiger’s side of the river. With his magic he spins a thin line and crosses over before Him Tiger can eat him.

Connections Anansi. Bullies. Conflict, interspecies. Escapes. Fantasy. Goats. Heroes and heroines. Magic. Rescues. Resentment. Sharing. Tigers. Transformation. Unselfishness. Web, magic.

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Appendix A Geographic Lexicon: A Guide to Story Source References

• If a story is identified as coming from the Caribbean, country unspecified… The tale may be told in one or more of the 13 independent island nations or 17 island dependencies of other nations, which lie in the Caribbean Sea or just outside, in the culturally and politically linked Lucayan Archipelago (Bahamas, Turks and Caicos). • If a story is identified as coming from the West Indies… The tale may come from one or more islands listed below in the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Lucayan Archipelago. The term sometimes refers to all islands in the Caribbean except where Spanish is spoken and sometimes also excludes Haiti. Although some contemporary authors describe their own work as West Indian, the term itself carries a negative connotation of colonialism for others. • The Greater Antilles islands include Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Cayman Islands. • The Lesser Antilles include the Leeward, Windward, and ABC islands: Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Curaçao. Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Monserrat, Saba, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States Virgin Islands. • If a story is identified as coming from the United States Virgin Islands… The tale may be told in Saint Croix, Saint John, and/or Saint Thomas. Major cultural, historical, and/or political connections between the Caribbean islands and outside nations and people: France—Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy, and Saint Martin, where French and French creole are spoken; plus Saint Lucia and Dominica, where English is the official language, but French Creole prevails. India—Drawn from the streets, poor men came to work as indentured servants, mostly on sugar plantations in Jamaica, Trinidad and other islands in the Lesser Antilles; called East Indians to distinguish them from the native population. Netherlands—Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten, all territories where Dutch and Papiamento (Dutch Caribbean) are spoken. Portugal—Claimed no islands, but Portuguese sailors arrived with Columbus. First immigrants settled in Spanish Trinidad and later in Barbados and the Anglophone Caribbean.

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Sephardic Jews—Barbados, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and the Netherland Antilles, after fleeing Inquisitions in Spain and Portugal; later settled in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad and Tobago, sometimes hiding their religious identity. Spain—Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, all islands were Spanish is spoken. United Kingdom—Anguilla, Antigua, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos. United States—Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands of the United States. West Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Northern Cameroon, Ivory Coast)—Forcibly taken, men, women, and children were sold as slaves to work plantations throughout British, Dutch, French, and Spanish colonies.

Appendix B Sources for Stories Told in Creole and Patois

“Miss Lou taught us to love ourselves and not to be ashamed of our language. Language is an index of power and identity. If we think our language is unworthy, we think ourselves unworthy. And don’t come with any nonsense about whether we must choose Patois over English or whether we don’t need to learn English.”—Jamaican Gleaner (See Bibliography for full citations) From a mix of lands, in English and various creoles: Abrahams, Roger D. African American Folktales Campbell, Hazel D., ed. Tek Mi! Noh Tek Mi!: Caribbean Folktales. Includes creoles, mostly in dialogue only, from Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Trinidad and Tobago. With audio CD for four of the tales. Parsons, Elsie Clews. Folk-Lore of the Antilles, French and English. Parts I and II. From islands in the Lesser Antilles and Haiti. From Antigua: Johnson, John H. “Folk-Lore from Antigua, British West Indies,” The Journal of American Folklore From the Bahamas: Edwards, Charles L. Bahama Songs and Stories Hurston, Zora. “Dance Songs and Tales from the Bahamas.” The Journal of American Folklore Parsons, Elsie Clews. Folktales of Andros Island, Bahamas

From Barbados: Parsons, Elsie Clews. “Barbados Folklore,” The Journal of American Folklore From Granada: Cook, Emory, collector. Grenada Stories and Songs. Field recordings. O’Neale, Esther. De Red Petticoat: A Selection of Caribbean Folklore From Haiti: Comhaire-Sylvain, Suzanne. “Creole Tales from Haiti.” The Journal of American Folklore, Volumes 50 and 51. With song lyrics and musical score. Johnson, Gyneth. How the Donkeys Came to Haiti and Other Tales. In Haitian English. Lauture, Mireille B. Bobo, the Sneaky Dog = Bobo, Chen Odasye A. In English and Haitian creole. _____. Remi’s Magical Gift = Gade Yon Kado Remi Jwenn. In English and Haitian creole. From Jamaica: “Anancy Archives.” Culture Archives-Jamaica. com Beckwith, Martha Warren, Jamaica Anansi Stories

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Appendix B

Bennett, Louise. Anacy and Miss Lou. _____. Anancy Stories and Dialect Verse _____. Laugh with Louise: A Pot-Pourri of Jamaican Folklore: Stories, Songs, Verses Brailsford, David. Duppy Stories Dance, Daryl C. Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans. With a mix of stories in Jamaican patois and English. Hutchinson, Joan Andrea. Anancy and Aunty Joan (audio CD and online audio) _____. Anancy Stories (DVD) Jekyll, Walter. Jamaican Song and Story: Annancy Stories, Digging Sings, Dancing Tunes, and Ring Tunes. Select HTML format to listen to music and download score. McKenzie, Everal. Anancy Stories Milne-Home, Mary Pamela. Mamma’s Black Nurse Stories: West Indian Folklore. In Jamaican patois. Salkey, Andrew. Brother Anancy and Other Stories. With a mix of stories in Jamaican patois and English. Smith, Pamela Colman. Annancy Stories

_____. Chim-Chim: Folk Stories from Jamaica _____. “Two Negro Stories from Jamaica,” Journal of American Folklore Tanna, Laura. Jamaican Folk Tales and Oral Histories Wilson, Una. Anancy Stories. With narratives in English and patois mostly in dialogue. Wona (pseudonym for Una Jeffrey-Smith). A Selection of Anancy Stories Zahl, Peter-Paul. Anancy Mek It! From Saint Thomas: Hurst, Margaret M. Grannie and the Jumbie: A Caribbean Tale From Trinidad: Minshall, Peter. Callaloo an de Crab NALIS Digital Library: Folk Tales, Fables and Legends index for searching folklore pdfs digitized by the National Library of Trinidad and Tobago by author, title, and text keyword: http://library2.nalis.gov.tt/gsdl/cgibin/library.cgi?site=localhost&a=p&p=abo ut&c=folkstor&l=en&w=utf-8

Miss Lou, Dr. Louise Bennett Coverley, speaks on the joys of Jamaican patois in “Jamaica Language,” excerpted from Miss Lou, Island Records, 1983, and archived at Penn Sound, http://writing.upenn.edu/pennsound/x/Bennett.php. Accessed 21 Jan. 2017. is talk may also be heard at YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZjPeMGiOpk. Accessed 2 Aug 2017.

Appendix C Glossary and Cast of Characters

agouti—rabbit-sized rodent with coarse hair in alternating light and dark bands and long legs; resembles a large guinea pig and walks on its toes albahaca—Spanish for a basil plant Altagracia, Our Lady of—a Catholic patron saint depicted in a portrait of the Virgin Mary from the 16th century, whom Dominicans honor for watching over their land. It is said the native Taíno People felt a connection between their Mother of the Earth and Altagracia’s image. Anansi (Anancy, Annancy, Czien, Nancy, Nansi, Zayeh)—beloved rascal spider trickster and culture hero in Caribbean tales, who gets the better of stronger, bigger animals. Anansi is described as a little man who lives by his cunning and can change himself into a spider to scurry up to the rafters when in danger. Every story is often attributed to Anansi, and he is credited with being the one responsible for all of people’s certain habits and customs. Folktales about him originated in Ghana, where he was an Ashanti Spider-god with magical powers. Arawak People see Taíno baba—Indian priest bakes—Garifuna for johnnycakes, pancakelike flatbreads made of cornmeal banza—Haitian for banjo béké—Antillean Creole to describe a white man descended from the early European settlers, usually French Big Boy (Big Bwoy)—comical protagonist in

Jamaican story jokes, many naughty, which poke fun at teachers, administrators, priests, parents, and other authority figures in children’s lives Bluebeard—wealthy landowner whose new wife discovers a room filled with the bloody bodies of previous wives he murdered in a French folktale popularized by Charles Perrault in 1697. Many Caribbean legends apply Bluebeard’s name to the reign of terror by Blackbeard, the legendary British pirate who ambushed ships in the West Indies between 1716 and 1718 from his base in Jamaica. bocor (bokor)—Haitian houngan or priest who specializes in evil sorcery. The bocor knows who will be resurrected before they die and brings victims to the houngan to be transformed into zombies. bomba—head crewman on a plantation slave gang Boriquén—Taíno name for Puerto Rico before the Spanish arrived. The name means “the great land of the valiant and noble Lord.” Bouki (Boukee, Bouqui)—a hopeful, wouldbe trickster in tales from Haiti and sometimes the Bahamas. Uncle Bouki often gets into trouble because he is greedy for food and gullibly falls for his nephew Malice’s schemes. Bra (Brer, Bro’, Broo, Bru)—informal title meaning “brother,” used to address a comrade bufo—large toad with poison glands, some-

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times used by sorcerers to render a person comatose or cause heart failure buñuelos—fried fritters made from cornmeal, milk, eggs and butter, eaten in Puerto Rico cabrit—Haitian Creole for goat cacique, cacica—male and female Taíno name for a tribal chief in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles and the northern Lesser Antilles calaban—wooden or wicker snare used for catching birds or small game with a loop under tension callaloo (calalu, callalou, kallaloo)—a ground vine with edible spinach-like leaves from the arum family; a thick soup made from these leaves with onions and crabmeat or pork Carnival—two-day festival, held before the beginning of Lent, in which steel bands and dancers wearing elaborate colorful costumes parade through the streets cassava—starchy root from a large bush eaten as a vegetable, which indigenous people also baked into round flat cakes Christophe, Henri—former slave who was a leader in the war for Haitian independence (1791–1804), becoming president of northern Haiti in 1807 and proclaiming himself King Henry I of northern Haiti in 1811 Ciboney People (Siboney)—indigenous Taíno People who settled in western Cuba during the 15th and 16th centuries, where they developed their own dialect and culture Ciguapa—fantasy creature from the Taíno folklore of Dominica from a tribe of beautiful underwater people with feet attached backward, toes pointing in the direction from which they have come. They are female in most versions. cimarrón—Spanish for runaway; see Maroon People colonialism—acquisition and control of one land by another nation, which subjugates the people, brings in settlers, and exploits the territory for economic gain, turning the area into a satellite of the ruling nation compadre—name for the godfather of your son or daughter; a good friend Compère—French title for an accomplice or pal conquistador—Spanish or Portuguese sol-

dier who went to conquer lands in the 15th to 17th centuries coquí—tiny 1-inch tree frog with toe pads and a loud call, native to Puerto Rico; named for the male frog’s call—the kō to define its territory and the kē to attract females corial—boat hollowed out from a tree trunk cowitch (Southern Trumpet Creeper Vine, Tobago jumbie)—plant which climbs up and hangs down from trees with golden to dark brown pods, covered in fine, extremely irritating hair creole—a complete language formed from a mix of other languages, with its own grammar and structure and sometimes orthography. Creole is specific to a community and spoken as the native language by children who live there. Jamaicans prefer to call the creole they speak patois (patwa). Haitian Creole (kreyòl in Haitian Creole; créole haïtien in French) is the creole which emerged from contact between French settlers and African slaves, which is mainly spoken in Haiti, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Trinidad, and Saint Lucia. Czien—spider; Grenadian name for Anansi djab—powerful, but wild, devilish spirit in Vodou, fast to punish Doctor Bird—Jamaican name for a swallowtail or scissor- tail hummingbird, with a foot-long forked black tail and iridescent feathers; national bird of Jamaica. In folklore, Doctor Bird is the magical hummingbird who has a positive attitude, healing powers, and can cast spells. The Taíno called him “the bird of God,” believing that a man’s spirit went into the bird and lived there after he died. dokanoo (chocolate pudding fruit, black persimmon, black sapote)—green persimmon with brown spots, with flesh which turns brown and custard-like sweet inside when ripe douen (duenne)—supernatural child of the forest, who wears a big mushroom-shaped straw hat, speaks sadly, and has feet pointed backwards. Douen are the spirits of children who died before being baptized. They may entice human children into the forest with tales of woe.

Glossary and Cast of Characters Dry Bones (Dry Bone)—emaciated, mysteriously sinister skeletal figure in Jamaican Anansi tales Dry Head—crow, according to Daryl Dance’s informant; an old man, in Martha Beckwith’s Anansi Stories duppy—restless earthly spirit which appears to haunt the living after a person’s death if precautions are not taken. Duppies like to eat rice. According to Jamaican tradition, most duppies can take different shapes and are nuisances, not evil, except for the Rolling Calf, who often attacks as a large bull with fiery eyes. flamboyant tree (flamboyan, flame tree, royal poinciana)—deciduous tree with an umbrella shape to its fern-like branches and fiery red or golden blooms fruit à pain—Creole for breadfruit, the flesh of which provides a starchy staple food, eaten boiled, roasted, or fried Gang Gang Sara—legendary African witch who flew across the ocean in the 1700s, where she worked on Grandfather Peter’s plantation in Tobago. Gang Gang Sara was buried by him after her husband died, when she tried unsuccessfully to fly back to Africa. Her gravesite in Golden Lane became a tourist destination. Garifuna People (Black Carib; plural: Garinagu)—mixed-race descendants of Kalinago, Arawak, and West and Central African People, who speak their own Garifuna language. The Africans landed in Saint Vincent on a wrecked slave ship in 1675, and the more-African-looking Garinagu were relocated by the British one hundred years later. They settled along the coast of Central America, mostly in Honduras, though they also live in Nicaragua, on the island of Belize, and in the United States. Gashanami—African God of Vengeance who appears as a black bull with fiery eyes. His children, the rolling calves, terrorize the Jamaican countryside. gourde—Haitian currency gru-gru tree (monkey-nut palm)—prickly palm tree with small green fruit the size of hazel nuts guajiro—Spanish for peasant

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gub-gub peas—tall bush peas, common and most prized Jamaican crop guiablesse see La Diablesse Guije ( Jigüe, Chichiricú)—legendary imp who resides in river pools in the northern Cuban countryside, most often described as a small dark-skinned man with protruding eyes. Though people fear the idea that the Guije can do anything, he has never been known to actually hurt anyone. haji—Muslim pilgrim who has gone to Mecca hibou—French for owl houngan (hougan; Ounghan)—male Vodou priest, with knowledge of rituals and symbols of the natural and supernatural worlds, who helps to maintain relationships be tween spirits and the community and may also set magical forces into action Ibelles—magical hero twins of Cuba, named Taiwo and Kehinde, in a pataki from the Yoruba religion iorótto (foufou in Carib)—smallest of the four species of hummingbirds on Do minica; carries Hiali up to his father, the moon, in a Kalinago tale jíbaro—a man from the mountainous countryside in Puerto Rico; sometimes mocked for being unsophisticated jicotea—Spanish for a turtle of the Caribbean jigger (chigoe flea)—small, parasitic, tropical flea which burrows under the skin John Crow—Jamaican name for vulture or buzzard; bird of prey with a bald red or black head that eats carrion johnnycake—round, deep-fried bread about an inch thick and four or five inches in diameter Juan Bobo—simple jibaro who mixes things up and wins out in the end in tales from Puerto Rico jumbie (jumbee)—general name referring to different kinds of mischievous and malevolent spirits in Caribbean lore; also called a duppy in Jamaica and Mocko jumbie in Trinidad and Tobago; refers to a ghostly spirit of the dead in Montserrat Kalinago People—indigenous people who dominated the Lesser Antilles. Formerly called Island Caribs, the Kalinago led raids against the Taíno on neighboring islands.

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Appendix C

One isolated pocket of Kalingo on Dominica are the last indigenous survivors in the region. katha—Indian for story kongo—Haitian music played with three barrel-shaped wooden drums and an iron bell, where different rhythms are played at the same time konpè—Haitian Creole for godfather Krik? Krak! (Crick? Crack!)—folktale opening and response lines for tales from French Creole-speaking areas La Diablesse (La Guiablesse, La Jablesse, Ti Marie)—tall striking bride of the devil, wearing a long, elegant, old-fashioned gown to hide her one cloven hoof, and a large hat or turban. Usually black or mixed-race, La Diablesse lures male victims to follow her into the forest, where they die or become mad. She does not have any children of her own and will try to take human babies home. Left from slavery, an old iron chain circles her waist and trails down, clanking. She is the female counterpart of Papa Bois. Lapin—wily rabbit trickster in tales from the French-speaking Caribbean islands and Creole Louisiana, outwitting both friends and enemies; also known as Br’er Rabbit Le Bon Dieu—French for the Good Lord Legba—Vodou spirit known as keeper of the crossroads; a benevolent loa, who is the intermediary between humans and the spirit world. In the Caribbean, he is often called Papa Legba and depicted as an old man with a cane, wearing a straw hat, accompanied by a dog. ligahoo (lagahoo, li gahoo, lugahoo)— shapeshifting monster with power over nature from the folklore of Trinidad and Tobago; related to the loup-garou, but not restricted to wolf form, as it sometimes takes the form of a centaur or other frightening beasts. The ligahoo may also appear as human by day, but transform in the night, roving as a man with no head and a wooden coffin on its neck. loa (invisibles, lwa, mysteres)—Vodou spirits who act as intermediaries and protectors between the Supreme Creator and humans. Priests and practitioners of magic

seek the advice of loa and serve them offerings in return. Though invisible, loa differ in interests and traits. loup-garou (loogarou, lougawou, oupga rou; rougarou)—French for werewolf; shape-changing human who transforms into a vicious wolf or other creature to commit evil deeds without the help of a sorcerer macaque—Haitian Creole for monkey Malice (Malis)—cunning Haitian trickster, described by Harold Courlander as “a little person with a reddish- brown skin,” who often maneuvers his uncle Bouki into taking the fall for his schemes. Mischievous and intelligent, Ti Malice stirs things up, and some Haitian stories end, “And Malice gave me a kick and sent me all the way here to tell you about it.” Mama Dlo (Mama D’Leau, Mama Glo)— Mother of the Water; water spirit from Trinidad and Tobago who protects the rivers and its animals. She is described as half-woman above, half-snake below, with beautiful long hair, who can transform totally into a huge, anaconda- like water snake. She attacks women who do their washing by the river, but when she offers her comb, a man may become rich. Mami Wata—Mother of the Waters, African water spirit in Haitian lore. Though sometimes depicted as a human figure dressed in the latest fashion, Mami Wata is most often described as a mermaid-like figure with compelling eyes, with a woman’s upper body and the hindquarters of a fish or serpent. She may lure travelers to her underwater realm, but usually returns them in dry clothing and with a fresh spiritual understanding. manicou—Creole for an opossum Maroon People—African refugees who escaped from slavery in the Americas and formed independent communities, some banding together with Native Americans maví (mabi, mauby)—Puerto Rican drink often made with fermented bark of the behuco indio tree and sugar mermaids see Mama Dlo; Mami Wata; River Mumma

Glossary and Cast of Characters Mocko Jumbie—protective jumbie spirit, often represented during Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago by men on stilts. In Africa, Mocko was a tall, tall spiritual seer and protector of the village who could shoo evil spirits off before they arrived. Myal—variation of Obeah practiced in Jamaica by bush doctors, with healing practice, ecstatic worship, and spirit possession. Hypnotic music and dance rituals for calling to West African spirits and gods became entwined with Christian evangelical worship in the 19th century. Nyame—omniscient, omnipotent God of the Akan People. In the Caribbean telling of the African story where Anansi acquires Nyame’s stories, he is portrayed as Tiger. Obatalá—Sky Father in the Yoruban religion of Nigeria which came to Cuba; father of all Orishas and the creator of human bodies Obeah—healing practice, chiefly among blacks in the British West Indies, that used magic ritual and simple spells to ward off misfortune to protect slaves or for revenge, to cause harm. Obeah men and women were regarded as wise, and better-not crossed. Old Higue—old woman in Jamaican lore believed to be a soucouyant, who can turn into an owl or ball of fire or hang her skin on the silk cotton tree at night to suck blood or breath from a sleeping person. Community suspicions of witchcraft might fall on ugly old women who lived alone. Olofi (Olofin)—ruler of the Earth and the conduit between Heaven and Earth; third manifestation of the Supreme God in the Yoruba religion, who distributed unique powers to each Orisha Orishas—Holy Ones of Lucumi or Regla de Ocha, also known as Santería, a religion which developed among Cuban slaves from West Africa, who were forced to convert to Catholicism, but also continued to worship Yoruban gods and goddesses. Each Orisha has a special gift, a force of nature granted by Olofi. When in trouble, people call upon the Orisha whose power can help them. Stories about the Orishas are told in patakies.

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Osain—one of the major Orishas, the old and wise “owner” of the woods. It is said Osain quarreled with another Orisha, who blasted him with a lightning bolt, leaving him with one arm, one leg, one eye, and one ear. panya jar—large earthenware jar, often four feet high, used by the Spaniards, sometimes used as a receptacle for valuables, like gold Papa Bois—father of the woods and protector of the animals who live there; depicted as a bearded hairy figure, half-man, half animal with cloven feet and horns on his head. As guardian, Papa Bois carries a cow’s horn to warn animals of approaching hunters, but he can also assume animal form to lure hunters astray into deep forest. His female counterpart in legend is La Diablesse. pastelitos—puffed pastry with a sweet glazing on top; traditionally filled with sweetened cheese, fruit pulps or savory beef patakies—African myths and teaching tales about the Orishas, which were told by Cuban slaves patois (patwah)—name applied to the creole languages of Jamaica and some other islands in the West Indies; living languages developed from other languages of the people who live there, which have become the standard spoken language in their region Pedro the Rogue (Pedro Animala)—genial rascal made famous by the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes in his play Pedro de Urdemalas; popular trickster in tales from Spanish-speaking lands in Latin America and the Caribbean pickney—child; commonly used to refer to a young one in West Indian English, without the racial offensiveness of pickaninny piket—a Vodou point or magical charm which holds a concentration of spirit. It can strengthen spiritual connections, or as a physical object, as in the tale here, be used to help bring someone into possession by another pintard—guinea fowl; large wild birds with no feathers on their heads, which eat insects and seeds and nest on the ground;

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Appendix C

introduced to the Caribbean from Africa. Once wild, now raised as food or pets pisquettes—Haitian for tiny fish, usually referring to anchovies with big eyes caught at sea or smaller silverside fish from the mouths of rivers plantain—a starchy vegetable that that resembles a hard banana, which becomes softer when cooked poule—French for hen puerquito—Spanish for pig quadroon—person with one white and one mulatto parent and one black grandparent; someone having one-fourth black ancestry quimboiseur—sorcerer Quisqueya—name given to an indigenous character in a folktale from the Dominican Republic, which is what the Taíno People called the island before the Spaniards renamed it Hispaniola (Little Spain). Quisqueya means “La madre de la tierra, Mother of the Earth.” raja—Indian king or prince Ramayana Yagya—ritual Indian prayer sessions during which the Ramayana, epic poem of India, is read revenant—French term for a person who has visibly returned from death as a ghost River Mumma (River Maid)—legendary Jamaican river mother; female water spirit, depicted as a mermaid with long black hair who inhabits the fountainhead of large water sources and may be seen sitting on a rock, combing her long black hair with a golden comb. She protects the fish who are her children and usually causes those who meet her eyes to drown. rolling calf—frightening and restless duppy from Jamaican lore, who terrifies victims as a black bull, his eyes on fire, with a chain which clanks from around his neck. He may first appear as a cat, dog, hog, or headless goat and suddenly change his size, growing into a horse or bull. He is said to be a child or servant of Gashanami, the God of Vengeance roti—Indian unleavened bread sadhu—Hindu holy man, an ascetic, who dedicates his life to austere practice in hopes of becoming enlightened in this life

Sea Mahmy (Sea-Mammy)—mermaid-like river mumma; also possibly a duppy, as described by Daryl Dance silk cotton tree (ceiba tree, kapok tree)— very tall, tropical, deciduous tree, with giant buttresses, wide trunk, and huge limbs, which provide homes for many animals. The tree produces fruit prized for kapok, the cottony fibers which surround its seeds. It is associated with spirits and jumbies in Caribbean folklore and was used by the Taíno to make seagoing canoes. Siva (Shiva)—one of the three main Hindu deities; “The Auspicious One,” the god who presides over personal destinies soucouyant (sukuyan; Old Higue)—witchy old woman who sheds her skin at night and takes the form of an owl to fly around and suck the blood from young children. Part of the class of jumbie in Trinidad, Do minica, Grenada, and Guadaloupe Taíno People—indigenous Arawak people of the Orinoco basin who migrated to the Greater Antilles around AD 1000 to settle in Cuba, Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad. They speak the Arawakan language and refer to themselves as Taíno, which means “good or noble,” to distinguish themselves from the warlike Kalinago. tantie—aunt or grandaunt Tata Duhende (Tata Dohende, Tata Duende)— an old, 3-foot-tall, manlike supernatural creature with long hair, living in the jungle, with feet turned backwards and no thumbs, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, with origins in folklore from Maya and Mestizo culture, where Tata means “grandfather.” In some folktales from Belize, he lures children with his rooster who spits fire; in others, he protects animals, but is generally accepted as a frightening figure who sometimes scatters small sculptures of himself in the foliage which invite evil to those who bring them home. Tata Duhende was portrayed in a series of folklore-themes stamps from Belize in 1992. He is gentle, but called a zombie in the folktale where he appears in this guide.

Glossary and Cast of Characters Tukuma (Tacoma, Takuma, Compere Tig, Tookooma)—name usually used to refer to Anansi’s friend or son, and sometimes, his wife. The name most likely derived from the West African Ashanti name for “son of Anansi,” Ntikuma. In the Caribbean, Tukuma is sometimes Anansi’s sidekick and sometimes the butt of his tricks. twòkèt—protective cushion or pad of cloth or leaves that people put on their heads to help them carry a heavy load Vodou (Vodun, Voudun)—religious and cultural practice in Haiti, with a belief in mysteries surrounding the divine and practices tying body to soul, which developed from African and New World traditions, when West African slaves were forced to convert to Christianity. Vodou integrates concepts concerning human behavior and its relation to those who have lived before and are yet to come with natural and supernatural

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forces in the universe. Houngans do not control the religion, but move within it, making use of its resources. Witch Boy (Old Witch Boy)—poor, young trickster in stories from Saint Vincent, often described as ugly or dirty, who uses his magical powers to help others escape Yamayá (Mãe da Água, Yemanjá, Yemayá, Yemoja)—Orisha who is mother of all living things and owner of the seas Yucaju—Taíno god of Puerto Rico, whose name means “giver of cassava” Zange—supernatural spirit in Vodoun Zayeh—spider; Granadian name for Anansi zombie (zombi in Haitian French; zonbi in Haitian Creole)—dead person supernaturally brought back to life or a wandering spirit without a soul, both of whom are greatly feared and often made to work, according to vodoun belief

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Open Library, openlibrary.org/works/OL16482794W. Martínez, Rueben. Once Upon a Time: Traditional Latin American Tales = Había una Vez: Cuentos Tracicionales Latinoamericanos. Illust. Raúl Colón, trans. David Unger. New York: HarperCollins, 2010. McCarthy, William Bernard. Cinderella in America: A Book of Folk and Fairy Tales. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2007. McCaughrean, Geraldine. The Golden Hoard. CD audio. Narr. Nigel Lambert. Bath, England: Chivers Children’s Audio Books, BBC Audiobooks, 2007. _____. The Golden Hoard: Myths and Legends of the World. Illust. Bee Willey. New York: M.K. McElderry, 1996. Print and online. Open Library, https://openlibrary.org/works/OL166669W. McDowell, Robert E., and Edward Lavitt, eds. Third World Voices for Children. Illust. Barbara Kohn Isaac. New York: Odakai Books/The Third Press—Joseph Okpaku Publishing, 1971. Print and online. Open Library, openlibrary.org/works/OL7329891W. McKenzie, Everal. Anancy Stories. 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Story Title Index References are to story numbers

Abandoning a House to the Rainbow Loa 68 Adelin / Adelina 109 The Adventures of Rose Petal 210 After the Flood 21 The Albahaca Plant 204 All Stories Belong to Anansi 311 The Alligator and the Dog / El perro y el caimán 258 Always Be Yourself: Tale of a Tale 364 Always Correct Your Faults Before You Begin Correcting Others: Compere Lapin pays a price 375 Ambeco and Aguatí / Ambeco y Aguatí 232 Amen and Bablassen 180 Anana, the Maker 30 Anancy 433 Anancy an Common-Sense 363 Anancy an’ Cow 321 Anancy an’ Crab 411 Anancy an’ Fire 198 Anancy an Ratta 249 Anancy an’ Shark 317 Anancy an’ Smok-Pork 370 Anancy an’ Yella Snake 125 Anancy and Bredda Dog 338 Anancy and Bredda Firefly 369 Anancy and Bredda Tiger 12 Anancy and Bud and Hole 368 Anancy and Bull Frog 336 Anancy and Commonsense 363 Anancy and Crocodile 318 Anancy and Firefly 369 Anancy and Fish Country 317 Anancy and Looking for a Wife 198 Anancy and Monkey Business 250 Anancy and Mosquito 107 Anancy and Peel-Head Fowl 375 Anancy and Plantains 325 Anancy & Snake de Pousmahn 335

Anancy and Sorrel 320 Anancy and Storm and the Reverend Man-Cow 381 Anancy and the Bananas 325 Anancy and the Birds 256 Anancy and the Cow Itch Patch 321 Anancy and the Cowitch Patch 321 Anancy and the Crabs 316 Anancy and the Making of the Bro Title 116 Anancy and the Power of Music 8 Anancy and the Scrambled Eggs 370 Anancy and the Sheep 331 Anancy and Tiger 196 Anancy, Bird Cherry Island, and Alligator 318 Anancy Gets Common Sense 363 Anancy Makes Tukoma His Riding Horse 196 Anancy Meets Bredda Death 385 Anancy, Old Witch and KingDaughter 201 Anancy Runs into Tiger’s Trouble 276 Anancy Wants a Money Marriage 201 Anancyi and de Ole Agg 375 Anancy’s Law 375 Anansi 311, 380 Anansi an de Pot 379 Anansi and Alligator 318 Anansi and Candlefly 369 Anansi and Fish Country 317 Anansi and God 37 Anansi and Snake the Postman 335 Anansi and the Alligator Eggs = Anansi y los huevos del cocodrilo 318 Anansi and the Cooking Pot 382

291

Anansi and the Crabs 316 Anansi and the Guinea Bird 375 Anansi and the Mind of God 37 Anansi and the Old Hag 375 Anansi and the Pig Coming from Market 106 Anansi and the Plantains 325 Anansi and Turtle and Pigeon 8 Anansi Climbs the Wall 313 Anansi Drinks Boiling Water 316 Anansi Gets What He Deserves 376 Anansi Play with Fire, Anansi Get Burned 322 Anansi Plays Dead 367 Anansi Returns 311 Anansi Seeks His Fortune 332 Anansi Takes Wee Pig Home 106 Anansi the Spider-Man 311 Anansi Tries to Steal All the Wisdom in the World 363 Anansi, White-belly and Fish 318 Anansi’s Old Riding-Horse 196 Angeìlique and Myrtil 422 Angels of Darkness 169 Animal Talk 240 The Animals’ Grand Fiesta / La gran fiesta de los animales 245 Anita and Guasimindo Yacumbé 126 Annancy an’ de Nyam Hills 376 Annancy an’ Tiger Ridin’ Horse 196 Annancy and Chim-Chim 367 Annancy and Death 312 Annancy and the Old Lady’s Field 10 Annancy in Crab Country 316 Annancy, Puss and Ratta 249 The Ant in Search of Her Leg 75 The Arrogant Princess 124 Atariba & Niguayona 209 Aunt Misery 104 AyAyAy 90

292

Story Title Index (STORY NUMBERS)

Baad Sarah 88 The Baby at the Side of the Road at Night 157 Back to the Land for Compère Lapin 347 A Bad Seed Returns 96 Bakámu 33 Bandalee 232 The Banza: A Haitian Story 16 Baptizing the Babies 340 Barking Head 159 The Barking Mouse 273 The Basil Maiden 204 Be Sure Before You Jump to Conclusions: The Game “Hot” 382 The Beard of Momplaisir 244 The Beautiful Girl and the Jigger Foot Man 126 The Bed 298 The Beef Tongue of Orula 28 Being Greedy Chokes Anansi 376 La-Bèl-De-Nwi / The Night Beauty 5 La Belle Venus 12 Belly Talk 300 Ber Bookie and the Cow 374 B’er Bouki, B’er Partridge & the Cow 374 The Best Way to Carry Water 391 Between the Fiddler and the Dancer 9 The Big Flood 21 Big Foot, Big Belly, Small Foot, and Broad Mouth Song 300 Big for Me, Little for You 349 Big-Gut, Big-Head, Stringy-Leg 300 Big Head, Big Belly, and Little Foot 300 Big Mouth, T’in Foot, Big Belly 300 Big Mouth, T’in Foot, Big Belly 300 The Big Worm 163 The Biggest Liar in the World / El hombre más mentiroso del mundo 272 The Bird of One Thousand Colors 223 The Bird of Seven Colors 436 The Black Horseman 131 The Blacksmiths 297 Bluebeard 184 Bo Nancy and the Yams 315 Boacy Rat 249 Boar Hog 126 A Boarhog for a Husband 126 The Boastful Animals 288 Bobo, the Sneaky Dog = Bobo, Chen Odasye A 364 Born to Be Poor / El que nace para pobre 98 The Bossy Gallito 106 Bouki and Little Cow 372 Bouki and Malis in the Cow’s Belly 373

Bouki & Rabbi—The Sperrit House 162 Bouki and the Calf 372 Bouki and Ti Bef 372 Bouki and Ti Malice Go Fishing 339 Bouki Buys a Burro 401 Bouki Cuts Wood 403 Bouki Dances the Kokioko: A Comical Tale from Haiti 13 Bouki Gets Whee-ai 398 Bouki Goes to the Market 402 Bouki Rents a Horse 337 Bouki Steals Marie Louiz 12 Bouki’s Dish of Food 326 Bouki’s Glasses 404 The Boy, the Magic Drum & the Dancing Witch 9 The Boy and the Barble Dove 86 The Boy and the Douens 155 The Boy and the Elephant 227 The Boy Who Wanted to Find God 207 The Boy Who Wanted to See the World 129 The Brahman’s Wish 70 Brar Deat’ (Brother Death) 312 The Brave Little Ant and El Señor Chivo / La valiente hormiguita y el Sen*or Chivo 281 The Brave Little Ant and El Señor Chivo / La valiente hormiguita y el Sen*or Chivo 281 Break Mountains 301 Br’er Anancy and the Magic Pot 379 Brer Anansi, Tiger and Rat 334 Brer Annancy’s Second Bite 335 Brer Nansi an Brer Tumble-Bug 196 Brer Rabbit’s Trickery 348 Bro Nancy and Bro Death 313 Bro Tiger Goes Dead 367 Broo Nansi, Broo Tukuma, and the Butter Mosquitoes 340 Broo Nansi and Broo Monkey’s Daughter 202 Broo Nansi and Broo Tiger 326, 369 Broo Nansi and Sister Candlefly 369 Broo Nansi and the Monster 172 Broo Tukuma and the Hurricane Warning 346 Broo Zayeh and the Christening Oven 382 Brother Anancy and Commonsense 363 Brother Annancy and Brother Death 312 Brother Breeze and the Pear Tree 379 Brown Owl’s Story 232 Buh Nansi Scares Buh Lion 244 Bull-Garshananee 410 Bull-of-all-the-Land 226

Buy Me Some Salt / Cómprame Sal 387 B’Whale and B’Elephant 345 By Day Very Small, In the Evening Larger Than a Tiger 372 “Bye-Bye” 255 Callaloo an de Crab 412 Callaloo and the Crab 412 Can I Drive My Little Mini? 304 Candoo 379 The Cane Field 326 Can’t Scare Me! 11 Caro 183 “Carry Me Back Where You Found Me!” 157 The Case of the Invisible Passengers 168 The Case of the Key 143 The Case of the Two Dogs 142 The Case of the Uncooked Eggs 93 Casi Lampu’a Lentemué 411 The Castle of No Return 425 The Cat, the Dog, and Death 44 The Cat, the Mountain, Goat, and the Fox 291 Cat and Dog and the Return of the Dead 44 The Cat and the Rat 277 Cat Races on Turtle’s Back 196 The Cat Who Tasted Trouble 57 The Cat’s Purr 17 Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella 420 Chain of Won’ts 106 The Charcoal Peddler’s Chicken 45 The Charcoal Seller’s Son 97 Charles Legoun and His Friend 48 Chick Chick 167 Chicken Land 377 Chief of the Well 24 The Child of Káruhù 141 Child of the Sun: A Cuban Legend 30 The Children of the Forest 155 The Children’s Friend 132 The Chili Plant 4 Chim-Chim 367 Chimpanzee’s Story 256 The China Tree / El palo de china 204 Christophe and the Two Wagoners 296 Clever Mandy 411 The Clump of Basil 204 The Coming of Day and Night 2 Compae Rabbit’s Ride 196 Compay Mono and Comay Jicotea / Compay Mono y Comay Jicotea 355 Compère Anansi and the Cows 321 Compere Anansi and the Pig 370 Compère Cat’s Wedding Feast 323

Story Title Index (Story Numbers) Compere Lapin Pays a Price 375 Compere Zayah and the Bakes 380 Compere Zayeh and the La Jablesse 383 The Coquí and Gabriel 80 Count Crow and the Princess 95 Counting Out the People 310 The Courting of Miss Annie 196 Crab Tells the Lady’s Name 411 Crafty Crab 232 The Creation of the World / La creación del mundo 19 Crocodile and the Devil 12 La Cucaracha Martina 189 Cunnie Anansi Does Some Good 329 The Cunning Fox 353 The Curse of the La Diablesse 119 Cutthroat, Chawfine, and Suckblood 410 Czien and Tigre 196 Dance, Granny, Dance 10 Dance, Nana, Dance / Baila, Nana, baila 1 The Dance of the Animals 245 The Dancing Granny 10 Dancing to the River 8 De Man an’ de Six Poach Eggs 93 De Big Worrum 163 De Sneake an’ de King’s Darter 125 “Dear Deer!” Said the Turtle 232 Death Comes as a Rooster 279 Dede Agastin / Dayday Agastin 197 Dem Caan’ Call Me Rat 261 Demon Loango 124 The Devil and the Daughter 12 Devil’s Bridge 65 La Diablesse 120 La Diablesse and the Baby 121 A Dime a Jug 390 The Distribution of the Orishas’ Powers 25 Diyote 197 Do Not Sneeze, Do Not Scratch … Do Not Eat! 394 Docta Anansi an de Pig 370 Dog in the Basket 267 The Dogs Pay a Visit to God 56 Do-Mek-A-See 379 Domină / Dominan 197 Don Dinero and Doña Fortuna 50 The Donkey Driver 280 The Donkey That Tried to Bark 260 Don’t Shoot Me, Dyer, Don’t Shoot Me 86 Doomeng 89 Dry Bones 78 Dry Head 314 Dry-Grass and Fire 198 Duke of Luck 170

Duměnj / Doomeng 89 Duppy Ghost 88 A Duppy Tale 86 The Earrings 6 Ears and Tails and Common Sense 363 Education for a Carpenter’s Son 229 The Education of Goat 259 Eggs and Scorpions 369 Elegguá, the Lord of the Roads / Elegguá: Dueno de los caminos 27 The Elephant King’s Drum 18 The Eleven Thousand Virgins 69 The Elf-Stone 418 Escaping Slowly 275 Escaping Tiger 276 Every Member to Carry His Own Spirit 305 Evil Stepmada 210 The Faithful Friend 217 The Farmer and His Horse / El campesino y su caballo 407 Fasting for the Hand of the Queen’s Daughter 242 Father Found 12 The Fig Tree / La mata de higo 4 The Fight Over Life 44 Fire and Anansi 198 Firefly Lights the Way 369 Firefly’s Story 107 First Palm Trees: An Anancy Spiderman Story 39 Fish and Syrup 340, 349 A Fisherman and His Dog 211 The Fishermen 339 The Five Yam Hill” 376 Fling-a-Mile 368 Flying to Heaven 248 The Foolish Fish 192 Foolish Jack 390 The Foolish King 101 The Forbidden Apple 102 Forty Men I See, Forty Men I Do Not See 245 Four Hairs from the Beard of the Devil 436 Fred and the Chickens 294 Friend Rabbit / Compadre Conejillo 346 Frog, Chief of the Well 24 From Tiger to Anansi 311 A Funeral for Nangato / Un funeral para Nangato 356 El Gallo de Bodas: The Rooster on the Way to the Wedding 106 Gang Gang Sarie Flew Over from Africa 79 The Gaulin Wife 122 Getting Common Sense 363 The Ghosts’ Reales 351 The Gift 26 A Gift of Gracias 72

293

The Girl and the Baboon 267 The Girl and the Fish 180 The Girl Made of Butter 193 The Girl Made Out of Butter 193 The Girl on the Gallows 419 The Girl Who Married the Stranger 124 The Girl Who Spun Gold 416 The Girl with the Golden Hair 431 Give Me Some More Sense 58 The Gizzard 422 The Goat and the Tiger 244 The Goat in the Lion’s Den 275 The Goat That Wont Walk Fast 106 God and the Pintards 54 God Comes to Us Like Just Another Person 47 The Gold Piece and the Baby 285 The Golden Flower: A Taino Myth from Puerto Rico 23 The Golden Hair 423 A Good Friend 186 Grandy-Do-an’-Do 411 Grannie and the Jumbie 161 The Grass-Cutting Races 321 The Grateful Spirit 115 The Graveyard Jumbies 160 The Great House 342 The Great Hurricane 346 Greedy Mariani 145 Green Parrot’s Story 254 Grenada Monkey Liver Soup 365 Guaní 41 Guanina 176 The Gub-gub Peas 326 La Guiablesse 117 The Guije of Laguna de Itabo / El guije de la Laguna de Itabo 284 La Guinea, the Stowaway Hen 81 The Gun, the Pot, and the Hat 341 The Hairy Old Devil Man / El diablo peludo 12 The Half Chick 113 He Sings to Make the Old Woman Dance 10 The Headless Dance / El baile sin cabeza 361 The Herons / Las garzas 7 The Heron-Woman 122 Híali 31 The Hill of Mambiala 379 La Hormiguita 75 Horned Animals’ Party 364 Horns for a Rabbit 364 The Horse and the Tortoise 232 Horse and Toad 232 The House in the Sky 162 How Agouti Lost His Tail 364 How Alligators Got Rough Skin 405 How Anancy Became Famous 311

294

Story Title Index (STORY NUMBERS)

How Anansi Captured Tiger’s Stories 311 How Anansi Tricked His Father 311 How Annancy Fooled Death 312 How Black People Got Meat During Slavery 265 How Bouqui Rented a Mule 337 How Bouqui Went to Sell a Bag of Sand 400 How Brer Anancy Tricked Brer Terry 338 How Brer Nancy Caught the Thief 327 How Broo Goat Tricked Broo Lion 275 How Compere Lapin Asked for More Sense: A Folk-lore of Trinidad 58 How Crab Got a Hard Back 411 How Crab Got Its Back 210 How Doctor Bird Taught Mouse to Look Up When He was Feeling Down 214 How El Bizarrón Fooled the Devil 362 How Goat Moved from the Jungle to the Village 234 How Malice Drunk the Honey 340 How Malice Obtained Five Bags of Red Earth 129 How Malice Rode Bouqi as a Horse 196 How Malice Went to Learn a Trade 398 How My Waist Became Slim 378 How Owl Got His Feathers 253 How Spider Tricked Snake 311 How Spiders Became 366 How Tacooma Found Trouble 405 How the Agouti Lost Its Tail 364 How the Cat Became So Secretive 259 How the Clever Doctor Tricked Death 49 How the Donkeys Came to Haiti 123 How the First Spider Was Born on Curacao 379 How the Hunter Poisoned the Mango Tree 63 How the Moonfish Came to Be 32 How the Pelican Got Its Large Beak 254 How the Rabbit Lost Its Tail 364 How the Sea Began: A Taino Myth 22 How the Sea Was Born 22 How the Wasp Got Its Sting 335 How to Make Yams Grow 315 How Turtle Goat a Cracked Back 256 The Ibelles and the Lost Paths 1 If God Wills 43

“I’m Tipingee, She’s Tipingee, We’re Tipingee, Too” 109 The Imitative Choir Song 409 The Impatient Female 111 In a Lion’s Mouth 110 Inside the Cow 373 It is Best to Share What Little You have Than to Lose All Through Greed: Up to Chicken Land with Compere Lapin 377 Jack & the Magic Eggs 435 Jackass’ Marriage 195 Jack’s Riddle 393 Janot Cooks for the Emperor 100 Jean Britisse, the Champion 360 Jesus Christ 303 The Jíbaro and His Three Sons / El jíbaro y sus tres hijos 130 John and the Devil 77 John Crows Lose Their Hair 246 John Outwits Mr. Berkeley 350 John, the Silly Boy / Juan Bobo, el rico 387 Juan Bobo 388–90, 392, 397 Juan Bobo / Juan Bobo 388 Juan Bobo and the Bag of Gold 387 Juan Bobo and the Buñuelos 396 Juan Bobo and the Caldron 389 Juan Bobo and the Horse of Seven Colors 221 Juan Bobo and the Pig 388 Juan Bobo and the Pot That Would Not Walk 389 Juan Bobo and the Princess Who Answered Riddles 393 Juan Bobo and the Queen’s Necklace 395 Juan Bobo and the Three-Legged Pot 389 Juan Bobo Goes to Work 386 Juan Bobo Goes Up and Down the Hill 389 Juan Bobo Sends the Pig to Mass 388 Juan Bobo’s Pig 388 Juanito and the Princess 424 The Jumbie of the Big Silk Cotton Tree 157 Jumbies 158 Jumbies and Duennes 156 La Jurga 85 The Jurga 85 The Just Reward 210 Kallaloo! 289 Kalunderik’s Eggs 343 Keepin Secrets 213 Kilinj / Kilingue 86 The King and His Seven Daughters 40 The King and His Wish 247 The King and the Peasant’s Horse 235 King Frog and the Snake 238 The King of the Animals 236 King Vletout 108

The King Who Wanted to Touch the Moon 247 The King Who Wanted to Touch the Moon 247 Kingdom of the Blind 269 The Kingdom without Day 2 The King’s Tower 247 Kisander 324 The Kling Kling Bird 367 Kobi and Mr. Brown 87 Kõt Žad˜e Žòòmõ / The Tale of the Pumpkin Garden 355 The Lady and Her Three Sons 300 The Lagahoo 139 The Last Laugh 196, 367 The Last Tiger in Haiti 274 The Last Zonbi in Konpè Pierre’s Plantation 146 The Laughing Skull 286 Laughter of Mermaids 148 The Laziest Man in the World / El hombre más haragán del mundo 292 Lažistis / Justice 92 The Lazy Boy 293 Lazy Old Crows / Los viejos cuervos perezosos 268 Lazy Peter and His ThreeCornered Hat 357 Leah and Tiger 12 The Legend of Gashanami 164 The Legend of the Dog’s Rock 211 The Legend of the Firewood 3 Legend of the Hatred between Ma Poule and Cockroach 288 The Legend of the Hummingbird 175 The Legend of the Rose-Bush 5 The Legend of the Royal Palm 14 Leon / Leõ 102 The Letter of Emancipation 231 The Liar / El mentiroso 271 A License to Steal 326 Ligahoo 140 The Lion, Goat, and Baboon 275 Lion as Monkey’s Best Riding Beast 196 Lion Makes His Voice Clear 12 The Little Ant La Hormiguita 75 The Little Bird Grows 89 Little Cockroach Martina 189 A Little Matter of Marriage 126 A Little Piece of Misery 57 The Lizard Bocor 54 The Lizard’s Big Dance 54 Loggerhead 414 Look at My Teeth! 157 Lord of the Deep 180 The Lost Silver Spoon 210 A Loup Garou Disguises as a Beggar 135 A Loup Garou Disguises as a Pig 137 A Loup Garou Had a Burning Skin 133

Story Title Index (Story Numbers) A Loup Garou Tries to Pay the Annual Debt for Her Power 134 Lovers’ Leap 178 Loyiz / Loyse 197 Ma Bote / My Beauty 109 Madam Crab Loses her Head 411 Madame Kéléman 411 Maddy Glassker 181 Magic Anansi 438 The Magic Feather 413 The Magic Orange Tree 3 The Magic Pot 379 El major regalo del mundo: La leyenda de la Vieja Belén = The Best Gift of All: The Legend of La Vieja Belén 208 Making the Stone Smoke 199 Malice, Bouki, and Momplaisir 338 Mama God, Papa God: A Caribbean Tale 20 MamDlo’s Gift 74 A Man and His Dog 111 Man-Crow 413 Mancrow, Bird of Darkness 413 Mango and Orange 29 Man-Snake as Bridegroom (a.) The Rescue (2) 125 Mariquita Grim and Mariquita Fair 210 Marita and the Flamboyán / Marita y el flamboyán 219 Mariwòz 12 Martina Martínez and Pérez the Mouse 189 Martina the Beautiful Cockroach 194 Martina the Cockroach and Pérez the Mouse / La cucarachita Martina y el raton Pérez 189 Martina, the Little Cockroach 189 Me Fada’s Bes Ridin Haws 196 The Mean Stepmother and the Orange Tree 3 El medio pollito / Half-a-chick 113 Mérisier, Stronger Than the Elephants 18 Mermaid 182 The Mermaid’s Comb 151 The Mermaid’s Rock 151 Miami 302 The Miser Who Received His Due 76 Miss Annie 91 Miss Ophelia’s Daughter 107 Mr. Hibou in Love with Angeline 190 Mr. Tezeng 180 Mr. Turnover 368 Mr. Wheeler: The Story of How Anansi Acquired His Limp 368

The Monkey and the Chick Pea 106 The Monkey and the Gru-Gru Tree 405 Monkey Come—Monkey Go 237 Monkey Liver Soup 365 The Monkey Who Asked for Misery 57 The Most Beautiful One Is Under the Tub 421 Mother Calbee 210 Mother Frog and Her Twelve Children 264 Mother of the Waters 210 A Mother’s Curse 64 Mousie Perez 189 Mrs. Anancy, Chicken Soup and Anancy 370 Mrs. Anancy Pig 370 Ms. Monkey / La Mona 251 La Mula, the Cimarron Mule 82 My Beauty 126 The Name 411 Nananbouclou and the Piece of Fire 36 Nancoon January 413 Nangato 356 Nansi and Monkey 276 Nansi and the Boiled Yams 315 Nansi and the Green Bananas 325 Nansi and the Pigeon Peas 326 Nansi and the Yam Hills 376 Nansi in the Corn Field 371 Never Discourage Someone Who Tries 347 New Names 329 Night Owl and the Rooster 190 The Night the Frog Went to Dance 252 The Nine Yam Hills 376 The Noblewoman’s Daughter and the Charcoal Woman’s Son 97 The Nutmeg Princess 218 Obatalá and Orula 28 Oh, Misery! 57 Ol’ Nelson Godoń Young Nelson Godoń 226 The Old Bull and the Young One 226 The Old Higue 282 The Old Lady and Her Wee Wee Goat 106 The Old Man Who Wished He Coulda Cry 225 Old Nelson Godon 226 Old Witch Woman an Hunta 410 The Old-Fashioned Bed 298 Olofin Punishes Babaluaye 38 “One, My Darling, Come to Mama” 12 The One Who Would Not Listen to His Own Dream 73 The One-Legged Turkey 295 Open, Cow, Open 373

295

The Origin of Lamps 35 Oshún, the Keeper of Honey / Oshún, la dueña del oñí 38 Oté 434 Owl 190 Owl Feathers 253 Paarat, Tiger an’ Annancy 329 Pack of Cards 306 Paco and the Witch 411 Panya Jar 283 Papa Boi Saves a Deer 62 Papa Bois 60 Papa God and General Death 45 Papa God and the Pintards 54 “Papa God First, Man Next, Tiger Last” 228 Papa God Sends Turtle Doves 53 Papa God’s Well 24 The Parrot Who Loved Chorizos / El loro que amaba el chorizo 263 The Parrot Who Wouldn’t Say “Cataño” 287 The Parson’s Beard 309 The Password: In the Sky 162 The Pea That Made a Fortune 94 Pedro Animala and the Carrao Bird 358 Pedro Malito / Pedro Malito 128 The Pepper Tree 4 The Pepper Tree: She Eats Her comado 4 Pérez and Martina 189 Pérez and Martina / Perez y Martina 189 Petit Bôdye / Son of God 2 Phantom (Revenant) 105 Pickwa and the Duppy 154 Pierre Jean’s Tortoise 8 A Pig in Sunday Clothes 388 The Pittire and the Cotunto 242 Playing “Hot” with Compere Lapin 382 Playing Godfather 340 Please, Malese! 344 The Plumage of the Owl 253 The Poisoned Roti 112 The Poor Brahmin 70 Poor Mornin Dove 239 The Pot of Common Sense 363 The President Wants No More of Anansi 278 The Prize for the Most Loving Heart 206 The Problem I Had with Fire 198 The Prophet Bedward 248 Providing You Never Get Mad 85 A Pumpkin Seed 220 Punishment for Annoying a Loa 66 Pussycat and Rat 405 Put Mi Back Where Yo’ Find Mi 157 Put That Man to Bed 197 “Put You Down a Me Wife Pot” 328 Puttu Blubeard 83

296

Story Title Index (STORY NUMBERS)

The Rabbit and the Tiger 196, 346 Rabbit Asks God to Give Him Sense 58 Rabbit Goes to Ask the Good Lord Our Father for a Little Wisdom / Lapin allé ‘mandé Papa bon Dieu un pé’ l’espuit 58 Rabbit Makes Monkey His Riding Horse 196 Rabbit Seeks Wisdom 58 Rabbit Went to Ask God for a Little Bit of Wisdom 58 Rabbit Wishes 58 The Rabbit’s Ears 58 Rabbit’s Horse 196 Rabbit’s Long Ears 58 Rabbit’s Riding Horse 196 The Race 232 The Race Between Toad and Donkey 232 The Rainbow-Colored Horse 221 Razwit Makak 165 Remi’s Magical Gift = Gade Yon Kado Remi Jwenn 15 Renting a Horse / Un caballo para alquilar 337 River Muma Story 152 River Mumma and the Golden Table 149 The Roads of the Island / Los caminos de la isla 1 The Rooster Kikiriki / El gallito Kikiriki 212 The Rooster Who Went to His Uncle’s Wedding 106 Rum Will Kill Out All the Worms 308 Run, Run, Run 174

The Silly Owls and the Silly Hens 257 The Singing Bone 5 The Singing Bones 5 The Singing Sack 6 The Singing Tortoise 8 The Singing Turtle 8 Sista Dry Grass & Sista Fire 198 The Sisters and the Dogs 136 The Slaves and the Waterhole 54 Slayer of Sharks / El matador de tiburones 42 Slowpoke Slaughtered Four 393 Sly Mongoose 365 Small Orange Tree 3 Snake Tales II 125 Snake the Postman 335 The Song of El Coquí 34 Sookdaya and the Ram Goat 309 Sore-Foot 138 Sorrel 320 The Soucouyant 132 A Soucouyant Dies 132 Special Friends 224 The Sperrit House 162 The Spirit of the Rock 432 The Squeaky Door 298 The Squeaky Old Bed 298 The Stone Dog 211 The Story of Anansi and Tiger 196 The Story of Pitch Lake 61 The Story of the Ancient One who Lived in the Heights 60 The Story of the Invincible Women / Historia de las invencibles 216 The Story of the Smart Parrot 287 The Story Without End 205 Stuck on a Stump 371 Sugar Cane: A Caribbean Rapunzel 426 Sweet Misery 57

The Sailor and the Devil’s Daughter 429 St. Peter’s Wishes 55 Sakchulee and the Rich Gentleman 85 Salt & Roti 227 Sarah Winyan 430 Saved by Common Sense 275 Sea-Mahmy 319 The Sea-Mammy 319 A Second Language 273 The Secret Footprints 222 Seeking Trouble: Nancy and Ber Rabbit and Ber Tiyger Young Ones 334 Sención, the Indian Girl 179 The Shark Killer 42 The Sheepskin Suit 338 The Shepherd and the Princess 90 Shine-Eye Gal 203 The Sillies 406

The Taboo on Buried Treasure Blubeard 84 “Tacooma A Me Fadder Ole Ridin’ Harse” 196 Taizan, My Dear Friend 180 Tale of a Tale 364 The Tale of the Coqui 233 Talk! Talk! Talk! 255 Tanilí: Un cuento afrocubano: An Afrocuban Folktale 299 Tar Baby: Cat as Thief 243 Tata Dohende 127 Tayzanne 180 Teeth Like These 172 Tek Mi! Noh Tek Mi! 210 The Telltale Pepper Bush 4 Tésin, My Good Friend 180 Tezen 180 Tezeng 180 That One, Anansi 318 They Think It a Song 409 Thin Foot, Big Belly, and Big

Quaka Raja 12 The Quarrel 437 Queen Cora 415

Head 300 Thin Foot, Big Belly and Broad Mouth 300 Things That Talked 174 The Three Brothers and the Marvelous Things 215 The Three Dogs 410 Three Fairies 417 The Three Figs 114 The Three Gowns 427 Three Killed Florrie, Florrie Killed Ten 393 Three More Damn Fools 406 The Three Petitions 51 The Three Sisters 420 Three Wise Fools 408 The Three Wishes 51 The Three-cornered Hat 357 Ti Jean and Mariquite 429 Ti Jeanne’s Last Laundry 150 Tía Miseria, Aunt Misery / La tía Miseria 104 Ticky-Picky Boom-Boom 173 Ticoumba and the President 278 Tig and the Soukouya or the Loupga Rou 132 The Tiger and the Rabbit 196, 346 Tiger and the Storm 346 Tiger Becomes a Riding Horse 196 Tiger Eats a Monkey 346 Tiger Gets Stuck 367 Tiger in the Forest, Anansi in the Web 333 Tiger Softens His Voice 12 Tiger Soup 333 Tiger Story, Anansi Story 311 Tiger Tries to Cheat 103 Tigertail Soup 333 Ti-Jean and His Brothers 85 Ti-Jean Horizon 350 Time When Tiger Did Go Sick 367 Timmolimmo 226 Tino / Tino 86 Toad 411 Toad and Donkey 232 Toewi and Kroemoe 166 Tonton Comblé and the Giants of Doco-Doco 128 Too Many Webs for Anansi 378 Too Swollen to Escape 373 The Tortoise Who Flew to Heaven 256 The Tortoise Who Wanted to Fly 256 A Tower for the King 247 Tower to the Moon 247 Trouble Make Monkey Eat Pepper 405 Tukama Tootles the Flute 11 Tukuma and His Father-in-Law 359 Tukuma and the Mosquitoes 321 Tukuma’s Uncle’s Death 367 Turkle and Pigeon 8 Turle and Fowl-Cock 232

Story Title Index (Story Numbers) Turtle Knows Your Name 241 Turtle Tells Her Name 241 The Turtle That Could Sing 8 The Twins and the Bird of Darkness: A Hero Tale 413 The Two Donkeys 191 The Two Fishermen 349 Two Loving Donkeys: Fido and Fifi 191 The Two Monkeys: A Cuban Folktale 106 Two Sisters 71 The Ugliest Man Mus’ Wash Up 262 Un, Deux, Trois, Cinq, Six 15 Uncle Bouki and the Horse 337 Uncle Bouki Rents a Horse 337 Uncle Bouqui and Caplata Malice 341 Uncle Bouqui and Godfather Malice 340 Uncle Bouqui and Little Malice 338 Uncle Bouqui and Ti Malice Go Fishing 339 Uncle Bouqui Buys a Burro 401 Uncle Bouqui Gets Whee-Ai 398 Uncle Sekrey and Anancy 330 A Very Happy Donkey 52 The Voice of the Flute 5 The Voyage Below the Water 187 Waiting for a Turkey 399 Water in the Gourd 153 The Water-Mama 152 We Sing Like This / Nosotras Cantamos Así 7 Weak in the Day and Strong at Night 372 The Wedding Rooster / El gallo de bodas 106

What Goat Learned 259 Whatsoever in Thy Bosom 307 Wheeler 368 When I Was Alive I Used to Play Guitar 171 When the Donkey Brays Thrice 403 When the Paths Disappeared 1 Who Is the Older? 230 Who Rules the Roost? 270 Why Anansi Lives in Plantain Trash 312 Why Crab Walks Sideways and Has a Crack in His Back 210 Why Dog Lost His Voice 43 Why John Crow Hab Peel Head 246 Why Misery Remains in the World 104 Why Mosquitoes Buzz Around Ears 107 Why Owl Comes Out at Night 190 Why People Do Not Live Again After Death 44 Why the Black Man Is Black 46 Why the Serpent Has a Cleft Tongue & Crawls on His Belly 59 Why the Wasp Can’t Make Honey 290 Why They Name the Stories for Anansi 311 Why Tortoise Doesn’t Fly 256 The Widow Who Vanished 188 Will You Marry Me? 203 The Wind Storm 346 A Wise Father 266 The Wise Flute Player 185 The Witch’s Skin 133 The Wolf, the Fox, and the Jug of Honey 340

297

The Woman in Black 117 The Woman Who Was a Bird 122 The Woodsman’s Daughter 428 The Woodsman’s Daughter and the Lion 428 Work-Let-Me-See 379 Woy, Who Knows 352 The Yam-hills 376 Yams Can’t Talk 384 Yams Don’t Talk / Los ñames no hablan 384 Yé and the Pumpkins 144 Yé, Master of Famine 434 Yellow Snake 125 You Can Fool Some People Sometime But You Can’t Fool All the People All the Time: Mr. Turnover 368 You Ever See Teeth Like These? 118 The Young Girl and the Devil 126 Young Heron’s New Clothes / La ropa nueva del joven Garza 200 The Young Man and the Diablesse 118 Young Nelson and Old Nelson 226 Yuisa and Pedro Mejías / Yuisa y Pedro Mejías 177 Yung-Kyum-Pyung 202 Yung-Kyung-Pyung 202 A Zange Disguises as a Snake 67 Zebo Nooloo Chinoo 411 Zoranj / The Oranges 3 Zwezo / The Bird 99

Subject Index References are to story numbers

Abandonment 318–19 Accidents 22, 37, 57, 88, 92, 189, 193–94, 202, 255, 300, 366, 422 Acclamation 39, 76, 237, 381; see also Praise Accusations 4–5, 14, 17, 51, 53, 56, 67, 75, 83–84, 107, 109, 113, 174, 188, 194, 284–85, 306, 323 Adam and Eve 29 Adoption 97, 213 Advice 70, 187, 240, 305, 315 Advisors 269 African American People 2–5, 8–13, 18–20, 24–29, 36–39, 44, 46, 48, 54, 56–59, 66–68, 76, 78–79, 85–90, 92–94, 99– 100, 102, 106, 108–9, 116–17, 120–26, 129, 132–37, 142–43, 146–47, 150, 153–55, 159–63, 174, 178, 180, 182, 187, 190–91, 193, 196, 198–99, 201–3, 210, 216–18, 220, 226, 228–32, 234–35, 240–44, 246, 248, 250–51, 257, 261–62, 264–65, 275–76, 282, 285, 290, 295– 96, 299–300, 302–9, 311–45, 347, 350, 352, 355, 359–61, 363–64, 366–85, 393, 398– 405, 410, 414, 416, 419–22, 433–35, 437–38 Age 230, 363 Agoutis 107, 364 Air (Character) 39 Alcohol 305, 308, 344, 397; see also Drunkenness Allegories and parables 17, 24– 28, 38, 45–47, 50–51, 55, 85, 96, 98–99, 104, 108, 111–13, 119, 185, 192, 195, 203, 214, 216, 251, 273, 384 Alligator, fantasy 207 Alligators and crocodiles 59, 207, 258, 316, 318, 365, 405, 437

Altagracia, Our Lady of (Saint) 72 Amulets 42; see also Charms and potions Analogies 306, 309 Anansi 8, 10, 12, 37, 39, 94, 106– 7, 116, 125, 172–73, 195–96, 198–99, 201–2, 232, 244, 249– 50, 256, 276, 278, 311–26, 327–36, 338, 346, 363–64, 366–71, 373, 375–76, 378–83, 385, 405, 410–11, 413, 433, 437–38; see also Spiders Anatomy 58–59, 193, 251, 253– 56, 304, 378; see also Origin tales, appearance; and specific parts of body Ancestors see Generations; Honoring ancestors Angels 54 Anger 3, 19, 34, 40, 53, 64, 85, 100, 111, 140, 165, 179, 194, 207, 246, 253, 363, 422, 436; see also Dismay; Frustration; Resentment Animal helpers 2, 12, 30–31, 43, 60, 89, 99, 110, 209, 212, 220– 21, 225, 241, 281, 288, 299, 359, 410–12, 419–21, 424, 427, 436 Animals and humans 8, 18, 21, 41, 52–53, 61–63, 65, 67, 80– 82, 86–87, 111, 136, 166, 195, 211, 228, 231, 246, 260–61, 263, 267, 274, 280, 287, 354, 384, 405; see also Animal helpers Annancy see Anansi Ant leg, magic 424 Antigua 10, 12, 293, 364, 375 Antilles 32, 256; see also specific islands Ants 75, 250, 281, 424 Apocalypse 248; see also Destruction Apologies 88, 224

298

Appearance 15, 46, 51, 58, 95, 113, 117–19, 122, 124–26, 190, 195–96, 200, 223, 232, 249, 251–54, 257, 262–63, 268, 282, 286, 390, 411, 417, 420 Apple, magic 422 Apples 102, 422 Apprentices 148 Arawak People see Taíno People Arguments 36, 44, 70, 89, 92– 93, 100, 149, 192, 230–31, 237, 280, 300, 407, 424 Arrogance 59, 61, 106, 113, 122, 124–26, 163, 195, 210, 232, 239, 250, 290, 408; see also Braggarts Artists 81 Ashes 144, 199 Aunts and uncles 90, 132, 140, 160, 217 Autonomy 43, 213; see also Freedom Babaluaye 38 Babas 309; see also Priests Babies 33, 121, 157, 213, 268, 285, 330 Baby, fantasy 157 Bahamas 9, 12, 59, 91, 115, 122, 162–63, 181, 193, 206, 210, 242, 254, 300, 326, 345, 374, 406, 410–11, 419, 435 Baldness 246, 263 Bamboo, magic 5 Bananas 325 Banishment 40, 92, 120, 132, 207 Banjo 16 Baptism 156, 246, 275, 316, 340; see also Christening Barbados 196, 210, 315, 334, 406 Bargains 19, 38, 49, 65, 77, 85, 99–100, 104, 107, 109, 152, 165, 171, 173, 197, 227, 235, 238, 280–81, 297, 311, 321,

Subject Index (Story Numbers) 329, 335, 337, 341, 347, 354, 367, 388, 413, 418, 428, 430 Barrette, magic 426 Bawdy tales 197, 304 Beads 413 Beaks 254 Beans 93, 380 Beards 230, 244, 309 Beauty and the Beast tales 428 Beds 298 Bee, fantasy 134 Bees 134, 281, 290, 311 Beggars 40, 71, 93, 112 Beheading 361; see also Murder Belize 127, 210, 413 Bereavement see Mourning Bermuda 310, 340, 373 Betrayal 146, 180, 185–86, 190, 202, 355, 364, 413 Bets 76, 245, 360 Big Boy (Character) 302–4 Bird, fantasy 2, 4, 53, 60–61, 78, 85–87, 89, 99, 122, 139, 141, 166, 209, 212, 220, 263, 287, 413–14, 419, 421 Birds 2, 4, 7–8, 31–32, 53–54, 60–61, 78, 81, 85–87, 89, 99, 107, 122, 139, 141, 166, 175, 190, 200, 209, 212–13, 220, 223, 232, 239, 242, 246, 253– 55, 263, 287–88, 314, 318–19, 329, 343, 346, 358, 367, 374– 76, 399, 412–14, 419, 421–22, 432, 436 Birth 33 Black Caribs see Garifuna People Blacksmiths 12, 297 Blessings 20, 22, 40, 51, 55, 72; see also Gifts; Miracles Blindness 269, 422 Bluebeard 184 Boarhog, fantasy 126 Boats 364 Bocors see Houngans Le Bon Dieu see God Bone, magic 5, 22, 53 Bones 5, 22, 53, 78; see also Skulls Boriquén see Puerto Rico Borrowing 253–54, 258, 337 Bouki 12–13, 162, 196, 337–41, 343–44, 372–74, 398–404 Boxes 247 Braggarts 37, 107, 232, 249–50, 254, 256, 276, 288, 290, 294, 345, 383; see also Arrogance Bravado 11, 139, 144, 154, 174, 288, 292, 383, 385 Bravery see Courage Bread 112, 227 Breeze (Character) 198, 379 Bridges 65 British soldiers 69 Broom, magic 225 Brothers and sisters 1, 4–6, 12, 19, 30, 71, 85, 92, 102, 109, 125–26, 130–31, 136, 149, 155,

162, 180, 195, 200, 204, 206, 210, 215–16, 221, 300, 406, 413, 423, 425, 435 Brothers-in-law and sisters-inlaw 406 Bufos 167 Bull, fantasy 139, 164, 410 Bullfrog see Frogs and toads Bullies 164, 217, 226, 245, 267, 281, 314, 346, 349–50, 413–14, 421, 434, 438 Bulls 139, 164, 226, 230, 296, 410–11 Burials 79, 371; see also Burying alive; Funerals Buried treasure 84, 266, 283 Burros see Donkeys and mules Burying alive 4, 102, 292, 359 Bush, magic 4 Bush doctors 148; see also Medicine men Business 400; see also Bargains; Money; Partnership Butter 193, 340 Buzzards see John Crow Calabash, magic 153, 210, 412 Calabashes 153, 210, 363, 412 Calendar 15 Callaloo, magic 385 Callaloo (Character) 412 Callaloo (Soup) 289 Candlefly see Firefly Captivity 2, 6, 8, 11, 53, 67, 80, 83, 127, 137, 150, 166, 272, 276, 311, 314, 326–27, 343–44, 373, 400, 411, 416, 418–19, 421, 424–25, 428 Capture-bonding 127 Cards 306 Carib People see Garifuna People; Kalinago People Carpenters 229, 247 Carpet, magic 215 Cat, fantasy 143, 157, 225 Cats 17, 44, 57, 143, 157, 196, 225, 231, 243, 249, 259, 273, 277, 291, 323, 335, 340, 342, 356, 364, 368, 405 Cautionary tales 4–5, 15, 17, 19, 47, 51, 61–62, 64, 86, 88, 95– 96, 98–99, 102, 110–14, 116– 18, 121–26, 132, 149, 157, 160–61, 166, 172, 174, 180, 185, 191–92, 195, 202–3, 233, 236– 37, 239, 249, 251, 254–56, 258–60, 262, 264, 290, 293, 356, 369, 375, 383, 385, 412, 433 Ceiba trees see Silk cotton trees Cemeteries 168; see also Funerals Chain tales 75, 94, 106–7, 353– 54, 437 Changes in attitude 4, 12, 26, 40, 43, 48, 54–55, 76, 83, 90–92, 95–96, 126, 129, 148, 162, 187, 203, 207, 210, 213–14, 221,

299 225, 232–33, 239, 248, 250, 256–57, 264, 266, 272, 279, 287, 299, 337, 347, 359, 372, 381, 388, 412 Chant, magic 18, 89, 173; see also Song, magic Charcoal sellers 97 Charity 207–8, 292, 374 Charms and potions 33, 41, 124, 140–41, 144, 146, 155, 184, 210, 282, 413, 418, 428, 432; see also Curses; Song, magic; and Words, magic Chases see Pursuit Chickens and hens 113, 257, 287 Chieftains 175, 177, 205, 366; see also Kings and queens; Rajas Child, fantasy 162, 301 Choices 70, 192 Christening 246; see also Baptism Christmas 208 Christophe, Henri 100, 229, 235, 285, 296 Church officers 306 Ciboney People 30; see also Cuba; Taíno People Ciguappas 222 Los Cimarrones see Maroon People Cinderella tales 210, 420 Cleverness 8, 11, 16, 37, 76–77, 85, 90, 93, 100–101, 103–4, 108, 129–31, 154, 158, 204–5, 227, 232, 234, 242–43, 245, 254, 264–67, 272–73, 275–78, 280–81, 285, 291, 293, 295, 297, 311, 314, 337, 339, 341, 346, 353, 360, 365, 367–68, 376, 396, 413–14, 417, 429; see also Problem solvers; Tricksters Clothing 109, 174, 200–1, 249, 322, 338, 388, 427; see also Feathers Clothing, magic 201 Cockroaches 189, 194, 288 Cocks see Roosters Coconut, magic 27 Coexistence 20–21, 24, 70, 160, 166, 177, 213, 219, 222–24, 230, 240, 244, 271, 291–92, 323, 412 Coffee 194 Cold 100 Colibrí 175 Colonialism 85, 176–78 Colonists, British 178 Colonists, French 105, 119–20 Colonists, Spanish 42, 68, 177 Color 46 Combat 23, 42, 69, 130, 176–77, 216, 226–27, 385; see also Conflict Combat, psychological 433 Combat among supernatural beings 412 Combat with supernatural beings

300

Subject Index (STORY NUMBERS)

123, 125–26, 132–34, 139, 143–44, 157, 159, 161, 163–64, 167, 217, 410, 414, 430, 433; see also Outwitting supernatural beings Comeuppance 2–3, 10, 59, 76, 85, 89, 103, 109–10, 113, 122, 124–26, 145, 195, 210, 220, 238, 249, 254, 256, 290–95, 372, 373–77, 382–85, 411, 430, 436; see also Justice Commands 86, 88–89, 128, 134, 154, 157, 163, 227, 229, 237, 247, 278, 359, 416, 432; see also Instructions Common sense 58, 275, 363, 408; see also Wisdom Communal judgment see Acclamation; Denunciation Community see Coexistence Comparison 45, 50, 73, 114, 236, 251, 254, 256–57, 260–61, 270, 290, 296, 314 Compassion 19, 80, 97–98, 155, 197, 206, 209, 220, 374, 425, 430 Competition 5, 13, 39, 85, 196, 199–201, 205–6, 221, 226, 228, 230, 232–33, 242, 321, 330, 360, 393, 423, 433; see also Comparison Confidence 16, 85 Conflict 19, 30, 105, 108, 278, 431, 437; see also Arguments; Combat Conflict, class 97, 110, 217, 299; see also Slavery Conflict, cultural 120, 175–77; see also Racism Conflict, interspecies 17, 21, 81, 103, 228, 230, 234, 238, 243– 46, 256–57, 259, 273–75, 287–88, 291, 316, 318, 323, 353–54, 356, 361, 369, 438; see also Coexistence; Prey Conflict, racial see Racism Congregants 305–8, 316, 409; see also Followers Conquistadors, Spanish 176–77 Construction 65, 244, 342 Conversations 76, 100, 240, 255, 265, 287, 295, 395; see also Talking animals and objects; Storytelling Cooks 100, 113, 263 Cooperation 36, 109, 116, 215, 253, 255, 264, 276, 289, 317, 324 Coquí 34, 80, 233 Corn kernel, magic 437 Counting 15, 294, 325, 337, 365, 376 Courage 1, 16, 42, 80, 121, 131, 164, 212, 217, 284, 286, 413– 14, 425; see also Bravado Courtship see Suitors Coveting 17, 235; see also Jealousy; Obsession

Cow, fantasy 139 Cow itch 321–22 Cows and cattle 139, 224, 226, 265, 366, 372–74 Crab, fantasy 411 Crabs 210, 232, 316, 411 Creation 19–20, 30, 59; see also Origin tales, appearance; Origin tales, behavior Criticism 276, 315 Crocodile see Alligator Crooky 198, 325, 379, 385 Crows 87, 166, 268, 316, 346 Cruelty 3–4, 90–91, 97, 342; see also Hard-Heartedness; Inhumanity; Murder Cruelty to animals 61–62, 82, 86, 136, 166, 210, 220, 280, 337, 411 Cuba 1, 4, 7, 12, 19, 25–28, 30, 38, 55, 58, 76, 97–98, 106, 128, 157, 179, 189, 194, 200, 210, 212, 216, 223, 231–32, 242, 251, 257–58, 268, 271–73, 279, 284, 292, 299, 355, 361–62, 379, 384, 387, 407 Curaçao 166, 379 Curiosity 143, 222, 257, 375, 405 Curses 1, 55, 64, 179, 217, 434; see also Charms and potions Czien see Anansi Dancing 1, 8–11, 13, 54, 199, 249, 251–52, 258, 361 Dancing, cannot stop 1, 8–11, 54, 199; see also Music, swept away by Darkness 2, 37, 413 Day see Darkness Death 44, 48, 60, 78–79, 87, 92, 99, 102, 120, 132–33, 136, 156, 175–78, 180, 183, 187–89, 192, 242, 279, 359, 373, 375–76, 379, 385, 393; see also Murder Death (Character) 45, 49, 104, 212, 312–13, 385 Death, choosing 87, 102, 175–78, 180, 183, 188, 379 Death, pretense 349–51, 356, 367, 371, 377, 403, 430 Debts 93, 107, 111, 351, 418 Decapitation 361 Deceit 4–5, 12, 17, 33, 77, 97, 109, 128, 130, 180, 197, 201, 223, 237, 240, 242, 246, 248, 253–54, 256, 258, 285, 313, 317–18, 321, 323, 327, 329, 331, 335–36, 338–40, 344, 346, 348, 351–52, 354–55, 357–58, 364–66, 368, 370–71, 374, 377, 380–82, 410, 413, 419, 422, 430, 432; see also Lies; Theft Decisions see Choices Deer 232, 244 Defense 12, 62, 69, 91, 109, 111, 121, 124–26, 132, 135–36, 150,

155, 159, 173, 217, 259, 273, 275, 280, 313, 412 Defiance 76, 85, 102, 104, 175– 80; see also Disobedience; Resistance Demons 2, 117–21, 123–26, 130– 31; see also Devil (Character); Devils Demoralization 412, 433 Denunciation 236, 238–39, 248, 253, 256–57, 261, 282, 284, 291–92 Deprivation 45–46, 54, 78, 82, 85, 100, 227, 242, 265; see also Hunger; Poverty Despair 61, 104, 187, 209; see also Sadness Desperation 78, 178 Destruction 19, 30, 61, 193, 198, 247, 381, 412 Devil (Character) 8, 12, 64–65, 77, 85, 99, 109, 124, 126, 128– 29, 343, 361–62, 429, 434–36 Devils 1–2, 15, 430; see also Demons La Diablesse 60, 117–21 Diamond, magic 218 Disabilities 15, 113, 126, 206, 269, 409, 417, 422 Disappointment 39, 394, 404; see also Dismay Disasters 214 Disbelief 122–23, 125–26, 149, 153 Discontent 58–59, 98, 113, 151, 228, 231, 236–38, 240, 251, 254, 260, 297, 311, 319, 422; see also Status quo, resistance Discrimination see Inequity; Racism Disguises 12, 37, 67, 71, 77, 95, 130, 134–35, 137–38, 190, 195, 204, 221, 268, 274, 279, 317, 330–32, 342, 349, 351, 359, 364, 369–70, 374, 383, 411, 415, 420, 422, 427, 429 Dismay 388–92; see also Disappointment Disobedience 6, 9, 17, 22, 32, 38, 43, 54, 64, 66, 84, 102, 106, 136, 143, 155, 161, 222, 274, 373; see also Defiance; Resistance Disrespect 19, 59, 96, 179 Distrust 81, 117, 121–23, 125–26, 130, 132–33, 138, 147, 222 Doctor Bird 214; see also Hummingbirds Doctors 49, 370; see also Bush doctors; Medicine men Dog, fantasy 85, 138, 142, 159, 162, 174, 211, 410, 425, 430 Dogs 21, 43–44, 56–57, 65, 85, 91, 111, 136, 138, 142, 159, 162, 174, 201, 211, 231, 236, 243, 245, 258, 260, 267, 291, 317, 338, 340, 355, 364, 370, 381, 393, 405, 410, 425, 430

Subject Index (Story Numbers) Dokanoos 256, 318, 324 Dolls 243, 327, 371 Dominica 31, 33, 141, 144, 432 Dominican Republic 49–50, 72, 222, 247, 270, 286, 351, 418 Donkey, fantasy 123, 191 Donkeys and mules 52, 82, 123, 191, 195, 232, 260, 264, 280, 337, 401, 403 Doors 298 Doubt 42, 53 Douen 155–56; see also Spirits and ghosts Doves 2, 53, 86, 239, 424 Dreams 39, 41, 67, 72–73, 84, 124, 142, 151, 156, 181, 247, 283 Drink 320, 397; see also Alcohol; Drunkenness; Thirst Drivers 168–69, 296 Drought 24–25, 378; see also Hunger Drowning 277 Drum, magic 9, 18 Drums 9–10, 17–18, 54, 144, 258, 437 Drunkenness 130, 277; see also Alcohol Dry Bones (Character) 78, 245, 321 Dry Grass (Character) 198 Dry Head (Character) 312, 314 Duppies 86–88, 153–54, 164, 319 Eagles 413, 424 Earrings 6 Ears 58 Earth 412 Earth (Character) 30, 39 Earwax (Character) 107 Eclipses 30 Ecology 21, 60–62, 86, 148, 160, 216, 219–20, 247, 412, 423 Education 16–17, 20, 41, 148, 229, 259, 264, 273, 290, 293– 94, 398, 405, 408 Egg, magic 210, 424, 435 Eggs 93, 210, 318, 343, 369, 424, 435 Egrets 224 Elephant, fantasy 18 Elephants 18, 227, 326, 345, 353 Elves 418 Embarrassment 303; see also Humiliation Empathy see Compassion Employers 71, 85, 87, 100, 142, 149 Employment see Work Enchantment 148–51, 155, 182, 221, 299 Enemies see Conflict; Prey Engineers 65 Environment see Ecology Escapes 1, 8, 11, 18, 49, 77–78, 80–83, 109, 118, 124–26, 129, 131, 135, 143–44, 154–55, 158,

178, 217, 275–77, 282, 312, 314, 316–19, 324, 326–29, 331, 333–35, 339, 346, 359, 362, 365, 410, 412, 414–16, 422, 426–27, 429, 431–32, 436–38 Evidence 39, 61, 100, 109, 121– 22, 138, 146, 166, 185, 187, 196, 228, 230–31, 250–51, 261–62, 269–70, 273, 285, 291, 308, 316, 319, 321, 323, 338, 393, 410, 413, 417 Evil see Cruelty; Inhumanity; Racism Exaggeration see Storytelling Excrement 350, 434 Excuses see Shirking Exorcism 130 Expectation 26, 57–58, 76, 247– 48, 388–95, 398–405, 407; see also Dismay; Hope; Reputation Expectation, surpassing 206, 221 Expressions 228, 239, 251, 387, 399; see also Conversations Eyeglasses 404, 409 Fairies 417 Fairness see Inequity; Justice Faith 40, 42–43, 70, 207, 424 Famine see Hunger Fantasy 2–5, 12, 14–15, 18, 22– 23, 32, 37, 41, 51, 73–74, 78, 80, 85–89, 99, 109–10, 115, 141, 144–45, 149–58, 161–66, 168–71, 173–75, 179–82, 191, 193, 200, 207, 209–10, 212–13, 215, 218–22, 225, 227, 241, 247, 263, 274, 299, 301, 312– 13, 368, 373, 379, 384, 410–31, 435–36, 438; see also Supernatural events Farmers 43, 137, 191, 212, 260, 280 Farming 85, 153, 173–74, 216, 266, 281, 284, 292, 299, 313, 315, 355, 375–76, 401, 434, 437 Fasting see Hunger and Deprivation Fate 97, 99, 111 Fate (Character) 426 Fear 3, 11–12, 16, 48, 67–68, 86– 89, 91, 117–18, 121, 129, 136– 37, 140, 150, 168, 172–74, 228, 234, 244–45, 248, 282, 284, 286, 288, 298, 336, 342, 351, 366, 372, 383–84, 402–3, 411, 417, 430 Feasts 54 Feather, magic 2, 424 Feathers 2, 37, 61, 200, 223, 246, 253, 256, 263, 318–19, 413, 424 Feelings, hurt 224 Feet 75; see also Hoof, Cloven Feet, backwards 156, 222 Fiddle, magic 9 Fiddles 9, 249 Figs 4, 114

301 Finger, gold 97 Fire 36, 163, 382 Fire (Character) 198 Fireflies 107, 349, 369 Firewood, magic 3, 174 Fish 8, 22, 32, 86, 140, 147–48, 180–81, 192, 317, 425 Fish, fantasy 86, 140, 147–48, 180–81, 425 Fishermen 42, 86, 165, 181, 211, 310, 426 Fishing 254, 339, 349, 400 Flamboyant trees 219 Flamingos 254 Flattery 195, 255, 258, 311, 413 Flies 323, 390 Flight 78–79, 213, 254–56, 319 Flirting 198, 204 Floods 19, 21–23, 140, 192; see also Water Flower, magic 4, 219, 423, 432 Flowers 4–5, 175–76, 219, 423, 432 Flute, magic 5, 41 Flutes 5, 10–11, 41, 126, 185 Followers 237, 248; see also Congregants Food 21, 28, 52, 54, 56, 93, 147, 162, 193, 220, 227, 242–45, 254, 263–67, 289, 292, 295, 307, 315, 317–18, 323–26, 328, 333–34, 340, 343, 347–49, 353, 365, 367–71, 373–80, 382, 394, 399, 402, 422, 425, 434; see also Hunger Fools 13, 52, 76, 247, 315, 341, 372, 386–409; see also Gullibility Forgiveness 19, 40, 64, 83, 105, 180, 221, 224, 415–16 Foxes 232, 291, 340, 353, 373 Freedom 1, 76–78, 80, 82, 178, 221, 231, 272 Friendship 73, 83, 146, 156, 170, 186, 200, 209, 217–18, 245, 253, 271, 329, 334, 355, 359, 426, 430, 433 Friendship, interspecies 16, 80– 82, 103, 211–14, 219–20, 224, 276, 287 Friendship, supernatural 135, 162, 222 Friendship, tests 110 Frigate birds 254 Frog, fantasy 80 Frogs and toads 24, 34, 80, 167, 232–33, 237–38, 252, 264, 316, 336 Fruit 29, 102, 104, 154, 209, 215, 256, 324, 422 Fruit, magic 209, 215, 422 Frustration 35, 48, 54, 85, 107, 173, 250, 271–72, 278, 291, 297, 345, 361, 363, 376, 383, 389, 394; see also Anger Fulfillment 252 Funerals 88, 187, 292, 356, 359, 380; see also Burials

302

Subject Index (STORY NUMBERS)

Games 203, 264, 306, 382 Gang Gang Sara 79 Gardeners see Farmers; Farming Garifuna People 47, 107, 252, 369, 375 Gaulins 122 Generations 96, 105, 119, 164, 226 Generosity 45, 253 Ghosts see Spirits and Ghosts Giants 11, 424 Gifts 26–27, 71, 74, 98, 114, 116, 203, 206, 208, 220, 222; see also Blessings Girl, fantasy 162, 193 Gizzard, magic 422 Goats 16, 41, 106, 173, 213, 230, 234, 244–45, 259, 275, 281, 321, 327, 338, 403, 438 Goblets 135 God 24, 32, 37, 40, 43–48, 52, 54, 56–59, 71, 75, 342 Godmothers, fairy 126 Godparents and godchildren 143, 340, 350, 411, 420 Gods and animals 24, 34, 39, 43–44, 54, 56–59, 62, 75, 231, 342, 375 Gods and humans 1–2, 14, 19– 22, 29–31, 33, 35, 40–41, 43, 45–46, 50–53, 55, 61–63, 66– 74, 123–24, 175, 179, 207, 217, 248, 311, 424, 432 Gods and spirits 19–20, 25–28, 36, 38–39, 54, 60, 67, 78, 148– 149, 162, 384; see also Water spirits Gold 76, 98, 152, 285, 381, 416 Good deeds see Kindness Gossip and rumors 107, 120, 132, 218, 283–84, 375; see also Gossip and rumors Gourd, magic 22 Gourds 22–23; see also Calabashes; Pumpkins Governance see Leadership Governors 272 Grandparents and grandchildren 10–11, 121, 156, 161, 194, 241, 298–99 Gratitude 15, 19, 22, 26, 41, 72, 93, 98, 106, 112, 169, 207, 212, 217, 220, 233, 381, 386, 424, 436 Greed 15, 46, 59, 61, 71, 108, 114, 116, 145, 149, 154, 162, 203, 210, 218, 256, 318–19, 339, 343, 350, 355, 369, 373, 378, 381, 385, 402, 416, 422, 436 Grenada 4, 12, 58, 132, 138, 171, 173–74, 218, 267, 300, 323, 365, 371, 383 Grenadines see Grenada; Saint Vincent Guadeloupe 44, 117, 57–58, 352, 413 Guards see Watchmen Guessing name see Name, guessing Guije 284

Guilt 43, 87, 323, 344, 366; see also Shifting Blame Guinea fowl 81, 375–76 Guitars 171 Gullibility 13, 275–77, 315, 326, 328, 332, 338–39, 341, 356– 57, 372, 382, 396; see also Fools; Literality Hair 4, 151, 221, 263, 423–24, 426, 431, 436; see also Beards Hair, gold 431 Hair, magic 4, 221, 423–24 Haiti 2–3, 5, 8, 12–13, 15–16, 18, 24, 35–36, 43–45, 48, 52–54, 56–57, 66–68, 73, 85–86, 89– 90, 92–93, 99–100, 102, 105, 108–9, 123–26, 129, 131, 133– 37, 142–43, 145–47, 165, 168, 180, 182–83, 187–88, 190–91, 196–97, 210, 228–30, 232, 234–36, 243–44, 255, 259, 264, 274, 278, 280, 285, 296– 97, 301, 326, 337–44, 354–55, 360, 364, 372–73, 398–404, 410–11, 415, 422, 436 Hands, fantasy 170, 179 Happiness 38, 51 Hard-heartedness 47, 87, 89, 95–96, 102, 109, 112–13, 210, 430; see also Cruelty Harvest see Farming Hats 357 Hauntings 105, 119–20 Hawks 253, 314 Head, talking 159 Heads, multiple 413, 433 Healing 25, 49, 73, 77, 111, 137, 148, 185, 189, 204, 209, 214– 15, 220, 365, 386, 422 Heat 100, 193 Heaven 248, 256 Helpfulness see Animal helpers; Charity; Compassion; Old man, magical helper; Old woman, magical helper Hens see Chickens and hens Heroes and heroines 1–2, 80, 83, 109, 125–26, 164, 177, 209, 212, 216–17, 219, 245, 281, 410–14, 424–25, 428–30, 433, 435–36, 438; see also Women and girls, resourceful Herons 7, 122, 200 Hoe, magic 174 Honesty 114, 242 Honey and syrup 38, 57, 290, 340, 390, 405 Honey, magic 38 Honoring ancestors 54 Honoring parents 18, 22, 96, 359, 380 Hoof, cloven 119–21, 124 Hope 1; see also Expectation; Wishes Horns 364 Horse, fantasy 219, 221, 227, 415, 425, 429

Horses 196, 219, 221, 227, 232, 235, 337, 393, 407, 415, 425, 429 Hospitality 45, 104, 112, 145, 208, 397 Houngans 18, 54, 124, 137, 187, 422; see also Priests; Sorcerers and sorceresses Houses 244, 342 Human beings, creation 19, 30 Human beings, status 21, 228 Human flesh 4–5, 136, 144, 159 Humiliation 76, 85, 95, 107, 196, 249, 251, 346, 350, 363, 371, 373, 380, 383 Humility 26, 281 Hummingbirds 31, 60–61, 175 Humorous tales 8, 11, 13, 15–16, 28–29, 44–45, 47–48, 51–52, 54, 56–58, 76, 90, 93–94, 100, 106, 108, 128, 137, 145, 154, 161–62, 191, 194–200, 202, 204, 230, 234, 236–37, 240, 243, 248–50, 255, 257, 259, 261–63, 266–73, 275–80, 285, 287, 289, 291–98, 300–13, 318, 320–22, 324–26, 330, 332–33, 336–41, 344, 346–49, 351, 353–54, 357–59, 361–64, 367–70, 372, 374–77, 379–80, 385–409, 429, 434 Hunger 3, 22, 45, 78, 85, 89, 136, 174, 191, 242, 245, 289, 317, 319, 325, 328–29, 347, 375–76, 378–80, 403, 434; see also Deprivation Hunters 62–63, 86, 274, 354 Hurricanes see Storms Husbands and wives 32, 51, 53, 55, 70, 74, 78, 84, 91, 95–96, 116, 128–29, 141, 153, 157, 184–89, 191–92, 197–98, 264, 270, 279, 312–13, 325, 341, 351, 361, 366–67, 370–71, 374, 379, 384–85, 396, 410, 415, 418, 429, 432, 434, 436; see also Supernatural spouses Hyenas 234 Ibelles 1 Identity 1, 7, 12, 31, 48, 60–61, 66, 71, 77, 85, 97, 99, 109, 117– 18, 121–26, 130, 133–35, 138, 142–43, 145–46, 190–91, 193, 195, 200, 213, 243, 251, 260– 63, 268, 282, 288, 299, 317, 327, 329–30, 339, 349, 364, 371, 374, 413, 415, 420, 427 Idols 27 Illiteracy 326, 404, 408 Illness 27, 73, 77, 209, 212, 215, 365, 431 Illness, pretense 196, 370 Image, magic 430 Imitation 287, 296 Impatience 9, 290 Imps 9, 128, 284 Incest 427

Subject Index (Story Numbers) Indian People (from South Asia) 5, 40, 70, 85, 96, 101, 110–12, 185–86, 192, 207, 227, 238, 259–60, 266, 269, 275, 277, 353, 408, 423, 431 Individuality 240; see also Identity Inequity 45–46, 76, 83, 85, 235, 265, 339, 349; see also Racism Infidelity 185–86, 432 Ingratitude 59, 253, 256 Inhumanity 54, 71, 77–78, 80, 82–84, 96; see also Cruelty Injury 63, 88, 92, 111, 220, 246, 300, 342, 362 Injustice 77, 82–83, 85, 99, 111, 240, 265, 355; see also Racism; Inequity Insects 75, 107, 134, 250, 281, 290, 311, 321, 329, 335, 340, 349, 369 Instructions 386–92, 394, 398 Interracial relationships 422 Invisibility 423 Invitations 410 Island Caribs see Kalinago People Islands, creation 22–23 Itching 321 Jamaica 8, 10, 12, 29, 37, 46, 78, 86–88, 93–94, 106–107, 110, 116, 125, 148–49, 151–54, 164, 167, 169–70, 173, 178, 180, 186, 192, 195–96, 198, 201–3, 210, 214, 216, 220–21, 226, 232, 240, 246, 248–49, 256, 261– 62, 265, 275–76, 283, 290, 302–5, 308, 311–14, 316–22, 324–26, 328–34, 335–36, 338, 363, 365, 367–71, 375–76, 378–82, 385, 393, 410–11, 413, 420, 430–31, 433, 437 Jar, magic 283 Jealousy 2, 4–5, 14, 17, 30, 91, 114, 184, 210, 216, 235, 256– 57, 284, 364, 415, 419, 423 Jesus 2, 29, 208 Jicotea see Turtles and tortoises John Crows 246 Johnny cakes 380 Journeys 1, 7, 18, 52, 60, 75, 82, 129, 135, 145, 168, 171, 180, 182, 187, 209, 255–57; see also Quests Journeys, to and from Africa 78–79, 81, 311 Journeys, underwater 319 Juan Bobo 386–87, 389–97 Judges 93, 352, 390 Jumbies 78, 157–61 Jumping to conclusions 111 Jurga 85 Justice 37–38, 45, 55, 67, 75–76, 85, 93–94, 102–3, 106, 115, 137, 149, 186, 226, 240; see also Comeuppance; Punishment

Kaínde 1 Kalinago People 31, 33, 61, 141, 144, 175, 432 Kidnapping 6, 12, 30, 127, 435 Kidnapping, attempt 121 Kindness 18, 51, 83, 96, 112, 157, 169–70, 206, 208–10, 212–13, 215–17, 219–23, 292, 402, 424–25, 436 Kindness to animals 2, 17, 41, 62, 82, 136, 212, 280, 427 Kingfishers 141 Kings and queens 2, 5, 8, 13, 39– 40, 85, 90, 95, 97–102, 108, 111, 114, 199, 201–2, 204, 206– 8, 216, 227, 229, 233, 235–38, 247, 262, 266, 269, 285, 296, 311, 316, 338, 384, 393, 395, 413, 415–16, 423, 427, 436; see also Chieftans; Rajas Kings, Three 208 Kinship 350, 406, 412 Kinship, proving 316, 318–19 Knowledge see Education; Understanding Lagahoos see Ligahoos; Loupgarous Lamps 35 Language 20–21, 28, 43, 59, 273, 287, 352, 358; see also Talking animals and objects Lapin see Rabbits Laughter 200 Laughter, healing 221, 386 Laughter, misplaced 88, 367 Laughter, mocking 118, 155, 195 Lawyers 352 Laziness 128, 162, 233, 266, 290, 292, 342, 389, 398; see also Shirking Leadership 25, 28, 116, 177, 202, 209, 223, 226, 236–38, 248, 409; see also Power, abuse of Leaf, magic 73 Legba 36 Legs 295, 378, 424 Lens, magic 215 Leopards 311, 353 Letters 231, 326, 335 Lies 83, 196, 256, 271–72, 285, 326, 334, 355, 365, 369, 372, 374–75, 382, 416–17; see also Deceit; Storytelling Life (Object) 424 Life, acceptance 187 Life span 49 Ligahoos 139–40; see also Loupgarous Light 413 Lion, fantasy 12, 110, 424, 428 Lions 196, 244–45, 259, 262, 275, 326, 353, 408, 427 Listening 206, 208 Literacy see Illiteracy Literality 128, 307–8, 362, 386– 87, 392–96 Little man, fantasy 416

303 Livers 365 Lizard, fantasy 299 Lizards 24, 54, 59, 200, 202, 299, 359 Loa 36, 54, 66–68, 123–24 Loneliness 16, 30, 41, 213, 225, 252 Loss 41, 53, 64–65, 75, 127, 141, 156, 165, 175–76, 180–81, 187– 89, 191, 193, 211, 246, 400; see also Separation Lost 129, 141–42, 155 Loup-garous 132–37; see also Ligahoos Love 97, 126, 141, 175–79, 184– 88, 190–91, 200, 216–17, 412– 13, 418–20, 426–27, 431 Love, cross-cultural 175–77 Love, forbidden 175, 179–80 Love, interracial 120 Love, interspecies 180, 182–83, 189 Lovers 31 Loyalty 91, 109, 128, 131, 141, 186, 211–12, 216–17, 426, 428, 433 Luck 45, 50, 73, 98, 166, 170, 357 Macaws 209 Machete, magic 219 Magic 3–5, 9, 15, 18, 22–23, 26– 27, 33, 38, 41, 51, 53, 63, 70– 74, 80, 89–90, 104, 109, 122, 124, 126, 140–41, 146, 148–49, 151–53, 155, 162, 164–65, 173– 74, 200–1, 207, 209–10, 215, 217–221, 225, 274, 283, 289, 299, 373; 379, 385, 410, 412– 13, 416, 418, 420, 422–32, 434, 436–38 Magicians see Houngans; Obeah men and women; Priests; Sorcerers and sorceresses Mail carriers 335 Malice (Character) 13, 129, 337– 44, 372–73, 398, 400, 402 Malis see Malice Maman Dlo 74, 150, 180; see also Water spirits Mancrab (Character) 412 Mango trees 63 Mangos 29 Manners 15, 106, 114, 163, 195, 230, 278, 375, 387, 394 Mapepire snake 63 Maroon People 82, 196, 277 Marriage, unwanted 427, 431 Martinique 117, 126, 217, 220, 340, 349–50, 411, 420–21, 434 Masks 81 Masters and mistresses 66, 76– 79, 82–83, 97, 100, 119, 142, 149, 210, 330, 350 Mastery 13, 16–17; see also Education Medicine men 179; see also Bush doctors; Doctors; Obeah men and women

304

Subject Index (STORY NUMBERS)

Memory 92, 225, 309 Mermaids 148, 150–51, 180, 182, 319; see also Water Spirits Mice and rats 17, 189, 194, 231, 249, 261, 273, 277, 286, 316, 324–25, 334–35, 354, 356, 364, 405 Minnows 148 Miracles 69, 72 Mischief see Pranks Misers 76, 85, 225, 295 Misery (Character) 104 Misery (Word) 57 Misfortune 7, 50, 55, 57, 68, 73, 75, 78, 80–83, 170, 192; see also Disasters; Trouble (Word) Misunderstanding 16, 27, 29, 57, 69, 76, 111, 128, 159, 162, 197, 217, 243–44, 263, 267, 302–3, 307–8, 310, 313, 332, 348–49, 351–52, 371–72, 384, 386–96, 398, 402–5, 407 Molasses see Honey and syrup Money 50, 84, 93, 107, 149, 203, 285, 332, 337, 351, 357, 387, 390, 418, 422; see also Wealth Mongooses 111, 290, 346, 365, 368 Monkeys 57, 106, 202, 237, 250–51, 262, 267, 275–76, 315, 328, 333, 338, 346, 348, 355, 363, 365, 368, 376, 381–82, 405, 426, 437 Montserrat 106, 159, 300, 348 Moon 37, 175, 247 Moon (Character) 30–32, 428 Moonfish 32 Mosquitoes 107, 321, 340 Mother Nature 210; see also Ecology; Papa Bois; Trees; Water spirits Motivation 203; see also Defense; Love; Mastery; Perseverance; Yearning Mountain, magic 219 Mourning 22, 175, 180, 187–89, 355 Mudfish 8 Murder 4–5, 12, 22, 53, 61, 84, 86, 91, 96, 108, 112, 115, 117, 119, 131, 159, 180, 184, 284, 288, 312, 323, 334, 350, 355, 368, 382 Murder, attempted 97, 109, 112, 115, 129–30, 134, 311 Music 1, 5, 7–12, 15–18, 20, 34, 41, 54, 126, 130, 144, 171, 185, 189, 199, 225, 249, 251–52, 258, 299, 316, 361, 426 Music, swept away by 1, 8–11, 54, 199, 249, 251; see also Dancing, cannot stop Musician, supernatural 171 Mysteries 31, 105, 119, 131, 133, 142–43, 146, 149, 153, 157, 165, 168–69, 181–82, 218, 225, 243, 284, 286, 288, 323–24, 355, 368, 371, 423, 436

Naïvité see Fools; Gullibility Name, guessing 107, 201–2, 241, 329–30, 411, 416 Name, linked to fate 31, 66, 246, 275, 296, 300, 340, 376–77, 393 Name, linked to traits 108, 300, 379, 386–97, 410 Name, magic 165, 274 Name, origin 29 Name calling 95 Names 29, 31, 48, 66, 87, 107, 108–9, 116, 164–65, 201–2, 241, 246, 261, 274–75, 287, 296, 300, 311, 329–30, 332, 340, 376–77, 379, 386–97, 393, 406, 410–1, 416 Nancoon January 413 Nancy see Anansi Native American People 14, 22– 23, 30–31, 33, 41, 60–61, 120, 144, 166, 175–77, 179, 209, 432 Natural disasters see Drought; Floods; Storms Nature, protection of see Ecology Nevis 158, 174, 196 Nieces and nephews 132, 140, 160, 176, 217 Night see Darkness Nobles 97 Noise 52, 54, 157, 297–98; see also Sounds Noses, growing long 422 Numbers see Counting Nutmegs 218 Nyame 311 Obatalá 1, 19, 25, 28 Obbara 26 Obeah men and women 1, 78, 122, 167, 184, 201, 218, 282, 411, 420; see also Houngans; Sorcerers and sorceresses Obedience 386–88, 390–92, 409 Obsession 247–48; see also Coveting Ogres 1 Old age 78–79, 96, 104, 108, 161, 268 Old Higue 282; see also Soucouyants Old man, magical helper 18, 51, 71, 217, 219 Old woman, magical helper 90, 210, 219 Olofi 19, 25–26, 38, 231 Oppression 178, 226 Orange, magic 422 Oranges 3, 29, 72, 102, 422 Origin tales, appearance 3, 5, 14, 18, 22–23, 31–32, 36, 39, 46, 58–60, 104, 107, 113, 116, 175– 76, 180, 218, 239, 246, 254, 256, 274, 320, 363–64, 366, 378, 405, 411; see also Creation

Origin tales, behavior 17, 19–21, 24–25, 27, 30, 35, 37, 43, 54, 56, 59, 106, 123, 140, 175, 198, 231–33, 249, 253–55, 257, 276, 288, 290, 311, 313, 318, 323, 327, 333–36, 340, 361, 363–64, 366, 369, 371, 373, 379, 383, 411, 432, 437 Origin tales, name 29 Orishas 19, 25–28, 38, 384 Orphans 90, 210 Orula 28, 38 Outwitting supernatural beings 1, 33, 85, 121, 123, 129–31, 136, 154–55, 158, 314, 319, 413, 426, 429, 434; see also Combat with supernatural beings Overprotection 213 Owls 85, 190, 223, 232, 242, 253, 257 Ownership 23–24, 36, 149, 171, 265, 280, 304, 401; see also Sharing; Partnerships Palm trees 1, 14, 39 Papa Bois 60, 62, 85, 412 Papa God see God Parakeets 256 Parents and children 4–7, 9, 12, 18–19, 22, 31, 33, 36, 40, 53, 64, 66, 70, 72, 85, 89, 92, 95– 96, 99, 101–2, 105, 107, 123– 27, 130, 134, 136, 141, 146, 162–63, 165, 175, 179–80, 193, 197, 207, 210, 213, 221, 226– 28, 264–68, 273–75, 293–94, 301, 304, 312, 318, 325, 329, 334, 350, 361, 363, 371–72, 378, 387–94, 398, 401, 406, 417, 421–23, 427, 429, 431, 434, 436 Parrots 233, 263, 287, 329, 421 Partnership 216, 313, 339, 348, 374, 400, 437 Partridges 374 Passengers 168–69, 196, 407 Patakí (Tales) 1, 19, 25–28, 38, 216, 384 Paths 27, 129, 141, 198 Paths, lost 1 Patience see Impatience Peace 216 Peanut, magic 174 Pearls 170 Pears 104 Peas 94, 371 Peasants 52, 67, 85, 114, 130, 147, 235, 296, 397 Pedro the Rogue 128, 257, 357– 58 Pelicans 213, 254 Pepper, magic 4 Peppers, hot 398, 405 Perseverance 1, 7, 12, 80, 100, 141, 164, 206–7, 209, 214, 216, 226, 233, 290, 414, 428, 436 Perspective 26, 92–93, 98, 100, 206, 209, 214, 235, 240, 250,

Subject Index (Story Numbers) 257, 261, 266, 269, 296, 299; see also Changes in attitude Peter, Saint 54–55, 57 Physical abuse 82–83, 90–91; see also Cruelty Piety 306 Pig, fantasy 137 Pigeons 8, 86, 242, 255, 375 Pigs 106, 137, 388 Pintards 54 Pirates 184 Pitch (Resin) 61 Plantains see Bananas Plants see Flowers; Vegetables; and specifc names Playscripts 85, 106, 311, 346 Poison 63, 112, 167, 374, 393 Porcupines 424 Postmen see Mail carriers Pot, magic 379 Potatoes 347 Pots 379, 389 Poverty 45, 50, 70–71, 92, 98, 207, 220, 265, 282, 299, 436; see also Deprivation Power 23–26, 30, 38, 42, 46, 75, 77, 85–87, 106, 116, 227, 229, 234–35, 237, 265, 270, 296, 346, 350, 412, 432 Power, abuse of 24, 38, 116 Powers 25, 30, 38, 106 Practice see Perseverance Praise 19, 27, 30, 40–41; see also Acclamation Pranks 48, 57, 67, 160, 279, 315, 332, 336, 372, 383, 405; see also Tricksters Prayer 63, 69–70, 142, 157, 187, 209, 279, 309 Preachers 248, 305, 307–10, 316, 381–82, 409 Prediction 97, 123–24, 248, 358, 403 Pregnancy 33 Prejudice see Age; Racism; Superstitions Preparation 226, 233 Presidents 8, 278, 297 Prey 16, 103, 192, 234, 238, 244– 45, 273–77, 288, 314, 316–17, 323, 346, 353–54, 356, 405 Priests 47, 54, 105, 130, 157; see also Babas; Houngans; Preachers; Obeah men and women Princes and princesses 12, 27, 40, 73, 110, 185, 201–2, 215, 218, 221, 393, 410, 413, 419, 422–25, 427–28, 431 Princess, fantasy 218 Problem solvers 36, 70, 101, 103, 105, 146, 153, 156, 214, 281, 286, 288–89, 291, 293, 298, 353, 371, 395, 406 Promises 86, 91, 93, 170, 216, 346; see also Bargains Proof see Evidence; Kinship, proof Puerto Rico 4, 6, 14, 22–23, 34,

41–42, 45, 51, 64, 69, 71, 75, 80–82, 85, 90, 95, 103–4, 113– 14, 124, 126, 130, 133, 175–77, 189, 196, 204, 209, 211, 215, 219, 221, 233, 245, 253, 263, 281, 287, 291, 298, 340, 346, 356–58, 367, 386–91, 393–97, 411, 417, 424–25, 427–28, 434, 436 Pumpkin, magic 23, 26, 174, 220 Pumpkins 23, 26, 144, 174, 220, 355 Punishment 15, 27, 32, 38, 43, 54, 59, 61, 66, 71, 83, 87–88, 91, 102, 106, 113–15, 149, 166, 179, 184–85, 197, 210, 217, 220, 229, 239, 243, 256, 263, 272, 290, 342–43, 373, 384, 390, 422, 436; see also Comeuppance; Revenge Pursuit 18, 81, 87, 145, 162, 173, 273, 277, 313, 320, 334, 339, 405, 429, 435, 437 Puzzles see Riddles Questions 44, 52, 55, 76, 108, 172, 204, 207, 265, 267, 269– 70, 303, 398, 406, 436; see also Mysteries; Riddles Quests 7, 18, 37, 39, 188, 191, 207–9, 219, 283, 436; see also Journeys Rabbits 103, 162, 196, 245, 326, 334–35, 340, 345–49, 363– 64, 368, 374–75, 377, 382 Rabby see Rabbits Race, origin 46 Races see Competition Racism 46, 76–78, 83–85, 120, 178, 265, 346, 350; see also Colonialism Rainbows 68 Rajas 110, 186, 431; see also Chieftains; Kings and queens Rapunzel tales 426 Rats see Mice and rats Reactions 194 Rebirth see Restoring life Recklessness 256 Reconciliation see Forgiveness Refusals 106 Regret see Remorse Rejection 182 Religious practice 306; see also Faith; Sermons Remarriage 91 Remorse 22, 30, 64, 83, 95, 111, 179, 185, 192, 221, 224, 288, 415 Repairs 436 Reparations 94 Repentance 40, 51, 132 Reprimand 53, 88, 116, 137, 147, 161, 371 Reputation 282, 311, 369, 393; see also Expectation; Status Requests 42, 57–58, 64, 75, 121,

305 193, 197–98, 207, 235, 355, 371, 397–98, 436; see also Questions Rescues 2, 6, 9, 12, 63, 74, 81, 83, 97, 99, 103, 108–9, 118, 125– 27, 130, 141, 149, 155, 161, 163, 173, 189, 212, 216–18, 245, 256, 274, 280, 318, 334, 346– 47, 359, 410–12, 415, 417–19, 421, 423–25, 428, 430, 434– 35, 438 Rescues, failed 117 Resentment 19, 229, 246, 257, 265, 284, 329, 363, 437–38 Resistance 77, 80, 82, 100–101, 226–27, 229, 234–35; see also Combat; Defiance Respect 19, 22, 27, 76, 79, 83, 206, 230, 278, 296; see also Honoring ancestors; Honoring parents Responsibility 67, 75 Restlessness 30, 32 Restoring life 1, 5, 38, 41, 44, 53, 86, 217, 274, 408, 425, 431, 433 Reunion 7, 97, 115, 216, 415, 426 Revenge 3–5, 14, 19, 76–77, 85– 86, 89, 109–11, 119–20, 122, 131, 136, 140, 144, 164, 167, 177, 184, 195, 201, 235, 267, 290, 312, 318–19, 322, 342, 346, 349–50, 364, 367, 379, 382, 385, 411, 418, 432 Reversals of fortune 40, 43, 50– 51, 72–73, 93–95, 98, 100, 165, 170, 207, 221, 238, 282, 360, 422, 425, 436 Rewards 2, 15, 26, 42, 99, 104, 114, 207, 210, 217, 220, 233, 281, 395, 414, 436 Rice 54, 88 Riddles 90, 204, 393; see also Wordplay Ridicule 26, 59, 95, 164–65, 230, 273, 276, 290, 315, 347, 375; see also Humiliation Righting a wrong 83, 96, 116, 149, 201, 280 Rings 427 River, magic 209 River Mumma 148–49, 152; see also Water spirits La Rogativa see Virgins, Eleven Thousand Rolling Calf 164 Rooster, fantasy 139, 435 Roosters 12, 106, 139, 190, 212, 257, 279, 288 139, 435 Rose bush, magic 4 Rules 102 Rumors see Gossip and rumors Rumpelstiltskin tales 416; see also Name, guessing Sacrifice 183, 217, 312 Sadhus 207 Sadness 34, 181, 208, 214, 235, 381, 415; see also Despair; Loss

306

Subject Index (STORY NUMBERS)

Sadness, pretense 380 Sailors 115 Saint Croix 213, 224, 232, 237, 239, 306–7, 309, 409 Saint Kitts 158; see also Nevis Saint Lucia 58, 65, 106, 185, 295, 347, 364, 368, 375, 377, 382 Saint Thomas 4, 10–11, 83–84, 126, 157, 161, 172, 184, 196, 429 Saint Vincent 4–5, 47, 86, 107, 126, 157, 199, 226, 252, 367, 369, 375, 393, 414 Saints 54–55, 57, 69, 72, 113 Salt 79, 227 Salt, on skin 132–33 Sand 400 Scars 185 Scary tales 86–89, 91, 117–18, 121–22, 124–26, 129, 131–32, 142–43, 151, 157, 167, 171–73 Scripture 306–7 Sea see Water Sea Mahmy 319; see also Duppies; Water spirits Secrets 12, 37, 84, 91, 124, 143, 152, 168, 173, 180, 201, 217, 222, 227, 241, 251, 283, 369, 373, 379, 411 Seduction 117–19, 122–23, 125– 26, 130, 182–83, 197 Seed, magic 3, 23, 72, 109, 220 Self-esteem 16, 85, 148, 151, 190, 223, 230, 251, 260, 262, 433 Selfishness 47, 71, 86, 109–10, 113, 116, 185, 223, 238, 253, 256, 258, 279, 299, 318, 348, 374, 377, 379, 381 Self-pity 98 Separation 7, 41, 53, 127, 141, 165, 178, 182, 187, 191–92, 211 Serendipity 320, 386–87, 390, 393, 395–96, 399, 416 Sermons 307–9 Servants 66, 97, 100–101, 142, 210, 295, 330, 350 Sexuality 38 Shadows 402 Shame see Humiliation Shape-shifters 60, 85, 117–18, 121–26, 130, 134–35, 137–39, 143, 145, 165–66 Sharing 16–18, 25, 30, 112, 116, 216, 223, 253, 258, 318, 325, 339, 349, 381, 437–38; see also Coexistence; Inequity; Partnership; Selfishness Sharks 42 Sheep 328, 331, 338 Shell, magic 289 Shells 33, 289 Shepherds 90 Shifting blame 4, 14, 75, 83, 92, 107, 326–27, 331, 333, 338, 340, 343, 348, 366, 405 Shirking 264, 290–93, 313, 325, 332, 339, 374, 437; see also Laziness

Shoemakers 98, 344 Shoes 344 Shoes, iron 428 Shopkeepers 93, 138 Show-offs see Braggarts Sieges 69 Silence 34, 385 Silencing 323, 342 Silk cotton cord, magic 141, 155 Silk cotton trees 79, 157, 164, 176 Silver 422 Sint Eustatius 241 Sint Maarten 30 Siva 70 Size 58, 88–89, 157, 164, 171, 230, 233, 281, 301, 349, 416 Skeletons 145 Skin, removing 132–33 Skins, animal 274, 338, 427 Skulls 286 Sky 35 Slapstick tales 300 Slavery 61, 81, 178, 231, 346; see also Conflict, class Slavery, background 311–12 Slaves 54, 76–80, 82–84, 178, 231 Smells 56 Snake, fantasy 67–68, 125, 165, 217 Snakes 59, 63, 67–68, 111, 125, 165, 217, 238, 311, 335 Soldiers 69, 93, 203, 285–86; see also Warriors Soliday 413 Song, magic 2–5, 122, 126, 162, 164, 200, 410, 423; see also Chant, magic Songs 2–5, 6–8, 10, 12–16, 34, 54, 61, 80, 86, 92, 98, 109, 122, 126, 145, 151–52, 162, 164, 166–67, 180, 188–89, 193, 197, 200, 202–3, 224–26, 232–33, 239, 241–42, 244, 249, 251, 258, 288, 299, 317, 333, 338, 370, 409–411, 413–14, 421, 423, 426, 430 Sorcerers and sorceresses 1, 33, 217, 299, 434; see also Houngans; Obeah men and women Sorrel 320 Soucouyants 132 Souls 310 Sounds 17, 120, 143, 173, 260, 324, 367, 377, 403; see also Noise; Voices Sounds, giving self away 173, 367, 377 Soup 115, 142, 189, 289, 333, 365, 370 Speech see Language; Talking animals and objects Speed 232 Spells see Charms and potions; Magic Spiders 239, 256, 313, 329, 364, 366, 378; see also Anansi

Spirits and ghosts 41, 61, 66, 78, 84, 86–88, 91, 105, 115, 119, 153–61, 168–69, 171, 179, 183, 217, 319, 433 Spittle, magic 33, 140–41, 210 Squirrels 107 Star, magic 72 Stars 36, 72 Status 37, 43, 46, 54, 76, 85, 87, 116, 196, 217, 226–28, 230–36, 238–39, 249–50, 255–56, 261, 265, 270, 278, 290, 296, 311, 345, 349, 359, 363, 380–81, 412, 432; see also Reputation Status quo, acceptance 73, 98, 231, 235–36, 240, 260 Status quo, resistance 35, 76, 82, 85, 100, 104, 222, 226, 228, 231, 233, 238–39, 265, 299 Stepparents and stepchildren 3– 5, 89, 109, 122, 210, 420, 430, 436 Stick, magic 379 Stockholm syndrome see Capture-bonding Stone, magic 418 Stone Soup tales 289 Storms 34, 80, 140, 211, 214, 346, 381 Storytelling 4–5, 16, 49, 80, 92, 100, 110, 140, 149, 152–53, 205–6, 217, 244, 265–67, 271– 72, 275, 301, 311, 314, 321–22, 325, 328, 332, 335–41, 344, 360, 362, 372, 374, 377–78, 393, 396, 401; see also Gossip and rumors; Lies Stowaways 81 Strength 16, 216, 226–27, 301, 345, 433; see also Women and girls, resourceful Stubbornness 106, 287; see also Perseverance; Resistance Suicide see Death, choosing Suitors 90–91, 95, 110, 124–26, 129, 179, 183, 189–90, 193–96, 198–205, 251, 380, 406, 417, 421–22 Sun 2, 37; see also Light Sun (Character) 30, 32, 39, 106, 428 Supernatural beings 2, 11, 15, 31, 33, 60–61, 66, 78, 85–89, 105, 117–32, 130, 133–39, 141–45, 147–51, 153, 155–56, 160, 162– 63, 165, 167–69, 171–72, 180– 183, 210, 217, 222, 312–13, 319, 343, 362, 383, 410, 412–14, 430, 433–35; see also Combat with supernatural beings; Outwitting supernatural beings; and specific creatures Supernatural events 2–5, 14, 18, 22, 27, 31, 33, 53–54, 60–61, 63–65, 72–74, 78–80, 84–86, 88–89, 91, 104, 109, 115, 117– 30, 133–34, 137, 139, 141, 143, 146–48, 150–51, 153, 155–59,

Subject Index (Story Numbers) 162, 165–67, 169–71, 173, 179– 83, 187–88, 193, 217, 274, 385, 408, 410, 412, 425, 431–34, 437; see also Fantasy; Transformation Supernatural lovers 134, 141, 180–83 Supernatural spouses 122–27, 130, 133, 165 Superstitions 68, 113, 158, 161, 212, 282, 284, 379, 403, 421– 22; see also Warnings Surrogates 110 Survival 100, 192, 268, 275–77 Suspicions 243, 367; see also Distrust Swimming 360 Sword, magic 126, 425 Table, magic 149 Tablecloth, magic 379 Tailors 354 Tails 251, 333 Taíno People 14, 22–23, 30, 41, 60, 120, 175–77, 209 Talents 14, 216, 258, 412, 417 Talking animals and objects 80, 86, 89, 91, 110, 157, 174, 219, 241, 287, 358, 411, 419, 421, 424 Tar baby see Dolls Tasks, challenging 54, 58, 77, 85, 88, 90, 101, 110, 129, 142, 166, 197, 321, 386–93, 398, 417, 429; see also Tests Tata Duhende 127 Taunts see Ridicule Tawó 1 Teachers and students 13, 148, 259, 290, 302–3; see also Education Tears 209, 225, 309 Teasing see Flirting; Ridicule Teeth, frightening 118, 157, 172 Teeth, golden 124, 126 Temptation 106, 236, 364–65, 402, 434 Terns 254 Tests 1, 9, 28, 37, 43, 50–51, 100, 102, 110, 123–26, 146, 185, 189, 194, 203, 205, 242, 254, 261, 265, 269–70, 303, 316, 318–19, 420; see also Tasks, challenging Theft 18, 54, 102, 104, 145–46, 162, 236, 243, 248, 258, 263, 285, 316, 318, 323–24, 326–27, 331, 338, 340, 343, 352, 355, 369, 371, 373, 377, 381, 385, 395–96, 434 Thieves 387 Thirst 24, 45, 54, 82, 153, 397; see also Deprivation Threats 9, 12, 86, 89–90, 148, 228, 267, 272, 278, 287, 355, 416, 429, 431 Ti Marie see La Diablesse Tiger, fantasy 12, 274 Tigers 12, 16, 103, 116, 173, 196,

228, 234, 244, 274, 276, 311, 321–22, 326, 329, 333–34, 338, 340, 346, 349, 354, 367, 369, 372, 377, 382, 437–38 Time 92–93 Toad, fantasy 167 Toads 167, 411 Tobago 12, 63, 79, 132, 155, 157, 196, 244, 259, 311, 327, 405; see also Trinidad Tolerance 81 Tongue (Food) 28 Tongues, multiple 413 Towers 228, 247, 426 Trades 94; see also Borrowing Traditions 27, 79, 208, 320 Trains 407 Transformation 3–4, 1418, 41, 51, 53, 60–61, 66, 78, 80, 85, 113, 117–18, 120, 122–27, 129– 30, 133–34, 138–39, 141, 143, 145–47, 150, 157, 164–67, 170–71, 175, 180, 191, 200, 210–11, 217, 226, 274, 313, 321, 372, 379, 408, 410–11, 420, 423–32, 435, 438; see also Supernatural events Translation 358; see also Language; Words Traps 58, 243, 245–46, 250, 265, 311–12, 316, 322, 329, 331, 347, 356, 366–67, 372, 375– 77, 379, 412, 419 Tree, magic 3–4, 63, 164, 207, 219, 410, 431, 436 Trees and bushes 1, 3–4, 14, 39, 60, 63, 104, 160, 164, 207, 219, 237, 247, 324, 410, 431, 436 Trees, destruction 63, 160, 247 Tricksters 1, 10, 12–13, 38, 44, 49, 58, 85, 94, 104, 116, 129, 154, 158, 195–99, 201–2, 204, 232, 244–45, 249–50, 254, 256, 267–68, 274, 276–79, 291, 293, 311–46, 348, 350– 54, 356–62, 364–65, 367–76, 378–85, 396, 398, 400, 405; see also Cleverness Trinidad 12, 40, 58, 60–63, 70, 74, 77, 85, 96, 111, 118–120, 132, 139–40, 150, 155–57, 160, 180, 195–96, 207, 226–27, 232, 250, 259, 266, 275, 282, 288, 300, 315, 327, 349–50, 364–65, 403, 411–12, 429; see also Indian People; Tobago Trouble (Word) 57, 405 Trust 185, 218, 244, 248, 253, 346, 355 Truth 4–5, 92, 102, 109, 146, 152, 196, 228, 251, 265, 269, 333, 338, 358, 417 Truth, suppressing 119 Tukuma 94, 132, 196, 313, 315, 321, 327, 331, 340, 346, 359, 366, 373, 378, 405, 433 Tumblebugs 196

307 Turkeys 223, 295, 361, 375, 399 Turtle, fantasy 241 Turtles and tortoises 8, 103, 196, 232, 241, 255–56, 355, 384 Twins 1, 413 Tyranny 226; see also Power; Power, abuse of Understanding 19–21, 55, 57, 412 Underwater realms 180, 182, 187, 210 Unfinished business 105, 107, 115, 119–20, 132, 156, 184, 215, 283, 292, 434 United States Virgin Islands 11, 54, 83–84, 126, 202, 232, 267, 275–76, 300, 315, 321, 325–26, 340, 346, 359, 367, 369, 373, 376, 380, 382, 405, 411, 429; see also specific islands Unkindness 15, 47, 87, 95, 223, 420–21, 423 Unselfishness 1, 80, 206–7, 209, 217–19, 223, 279, 428, 436, 438; see also Generosity Ursula, Saint 69 Vacations 147 Value, monetary 93 Vampires see Ligahoos; Loupgarous; Soucouyants Vanity 150, 413 Vegetable, magic 23, 26, 73, 174, 220, 385 Vegetables 4, 23, 26, 73, 174, 220, 320, 385 La Vieja Belén 208 Virgin Mary 4, 72, 210 Virgins, Eleven Thousand 69 Vodou see Houngans; Legba; Loas; Zanges; Zombies Voice, disguised 12 Voice, supernatural 4–5, 33, 78, 91, 141–42, 157, 159, 173–74, 180–81 Voices 4–5, 12, 33–34, 43, 78, 91, 141–42, 157, 159, 173–74, 180–81, 189, 240, 260, 342, 359; see also Talking animals and objects Vulnerabilities 236, 256, 301 Vultures see John Crow Waists 378 Walnut, magic 18 Wand, magic 126, 420, 427 Warnings 11, 74, 84, 86, 91, 113, 123, 126, 144, 149, 152, 160– 61, 165, 372–73, 422; see also Superstitions Warriors 61, 176, 216; see also Soldiers Washerwoman (Character) 412 Wasps and hornets 290, 311, 335 Watchmen 8, 24, 84, 313, 321, 326–27, 355, 369 Water 19, 21–22, 24, 39, 74, 113,

308

Subject Index (STORY NUMBERS)

153, 198, 319, 391, 418; see also Floods; Water spirits Water, boiling 319, 382 Water spirits 19, 74, 86, 148–52, 182, 319 Water (Character) 39, 113 Wealth 45, 51; see also Money Weather vanes 113 Web, magic 438 Webs 239, 369, 437–38 Weddings 322–23 Weight 157, 328, 389, 391 Wells 24 Werewolves 132–37 West Indies 17, 37, 39, 85, 107, 196, 200, 210, 232, 245, 254, 256, 289, 311, 316, 318–19, 321, 329, 333, 335, 349, 364, 366, 368, 370, 379, 411, 413, 416, 438; see also specific islands Whales 345 Whip, magic 379 White supremacy see Colonialism; Racism Wind (Character) 30, 113 Winds 219 Wings see Anatomy; Feathers Wisdom 28, 58, 161, 259, 408;

see also Common sense; Understanding Wish, magic 51, 70, 104 Wishes see Wish, magic; Yearning Witch Boy (Character) 126, 393, 410, 414 Witches 9, 85, 133, 201, 245, 282, 376, 410–11, 418, 425–26, 430 Witnesses 186, 196, 212, 250–51, 323, 328, 368, 375–76, 382 Wolves 340, 373 Women and girls, resourceful 4, 6, 25, 36, 38, 72, 101, 104, 108– 9, 149, 155–56, 167, 177, 189, 194, 204, 208, 216, 218–19, 226, 259, 275, 281, 289, 298, 370, 396, 412–13, 415, 419, 424, 426–29, 431–32, 436 Woodsmen 430 Wordplay 29, 90, 108, 261, 278, 293, 297, 302, 305, 307, 310, 332, 340, 352, 393 Words 16, 28–29, 57, 76, 90, 100, 108, 162, 223–24, 228, 230, 255, 261, 265, 278, 287, 293, 295–97, 302, 305, 307, 310, 332, 340, 352, 358, 373,

376, 386–88, 392–93, 394–96, 398, 405–6, 434; see also Arguments; Conversations; Expressions; Literality; Misunderstanding; Names; Riddles Words, hurtful 28, 95, 223–24 Words, magic 162, 373, 434 Work 85, 87, 128, 137, 149, 229, 264, 266, 284, 291–93, 325, 332, 362, 374, 434; see also Shirking; Tasks, challenging Worm, supernatural 163 Worship see Congregants; Prayer; Preachers; Priests; Scripture; Sermons Yam, fantasy 173 Yamayá 19; see also Water spirits Yams 315–16, 376, 384 Yearning 60, 78–79, 149, 151–52, 219, 225, 231, 247, 251–53, 255–56, 258–60, 265, 283, 311, 364, 418, 431 Yellowtail fish 181 Zanges 67 Zayeh see Anansi Zombies 141–47, 217