Chapter 9 little shepherd

The Shepherd & Italian Fairy Tales Once upon a time there was a little shepherd who was very small and mischievous.One day, when he was driving the sheep to the pasture, he saw a peddler passing by him with a basket of eggs on his head. He threw a stone into the basket and smashed all the eggs.The poor egg-seller was so angry that she cursed in a high-pitched voice: "You will never grow up again in your life, unless you find the lovely Baglina, who has three singing apples." Since then, the little shepherd has become thinner and smaller.The more his mother loved him, the smaller he became.Finally, his mother asked, "What happened to you? Did you do something bad and someone cursed you?" So he told the story of the prank he played on the egg seller, and repeated the woman's curse on him. Say it again: "You don't want to grow up again in this life, unless you find the lovely Baglina, who has three apples that can sing."

"In that case," said mother, "you have nothing to do but look for lovely Baglina." The little shepherd left home.He came to a bridge and saw a little woman rocking back and forth in a hazelnut shell. "Who is that over there?" the little woman asked. "A friend." "Pick my eyelids up so I can see you." "I'm looking for lovely Baglina, who has three singing apples. Do you know anything about her?" "I don't know, but you can take this stone with you, it will be useful sooner or later." The shepherd went to another bridge and saw a little woman bathing in an egg shell.

"Who is that over there?" the little woman asked. "A friend." "Pick my eyelids up so I can see you." "I'm looking for lovely Baglina, who has three singing apples. Have you heard of her?" "No. But you can take this elephant comb. It will be useful sooner or later." The shepherd put the comb into his pocket and continued on his way until he came to a stream and saw a man putting the fog into a bag.When the Shepherd asked the man if he knew of the lovely Baglina, he replied that he knew nothing, but gave the Shepherd a bag of fog, saying that it would always be of use.

Then he walked to a mill owned by a talking fox.It said: "I know who lovely Baglina is, but you have a hard time finding her. You go straight ahead until you come to a house with an open door. Go in and you will see a A crystal birdcage with many little bells hanging. There are singing apples in the cage. You want to take this birdcage, but watch out for its old lady. If her eyes are open, it means she is asleep and if her eyes were closed, she must be awake." The shepherd continued on his way.When he got there he found the old woman's eyes were closed and knew she was not asleep. "My boy," said the old woman, "look down at my hair and see if there are any lice in it."

When the shepherd lowered his head to catch her lice, the old woman opened her eyes, and he knew she was asleep.He quickly picked up the crystal bird cage and fled.However, the little bell on the cage jingled, and the old woman woke up.She sent a hundred cavalry after him.Hearing that the following cavalry were about to catch up, the little shepherd took out the stone in his pocket and threw it out. The stone immediately turned into a mountain with steep cliffs, and all the chasing horses fell to the ground and broke. leg. The horsemen, having lost their horses, went back to the old woman on foot.Then, the old woman sent two hundred cavalry to chase after him.Seeing that he was in danger again, the shepherd threw the ivory comb, and it became a mountain as smooth as glass, and the horses and riders all slid down and died.

Then, the old woman sent another 300 cavalry to chase after him.The little shepherd took out the sack of fog again and threw it violently behind him. The 300-man cavalry were all bewildered by the fog and lost their direction.After running for a while, the shepherd felt thirsty, but there was nothing to quench his thirst, so he took out one of the three apples in the birdcage and prepared to cut it.Then he heard a small voice say: "Please cut it gently, or you will stab me." He cut the apple gently, ate half of it, and put the other half in his pocket.At last he came to a well near his own house, and reaching for half of the apples in his pocket, he pulled out a very, very little girl.

"I am sweet Baglina," she said, "I like cakes, go and bring me one, I am very hungry." The mouth of this well was covered, and there was a round hole in the middle for drawing water.The shepherd asked the little girl to sit by the well and told her to wait while he went to get the cakes. At this time, a servant called "Ugly Slave" came to fetch water.When she found the little girl, she said, "How come you are so small and beautiful, but I am so thick and ugly?" The more she talked, the more angry she was, and she threw the little thing into the well.

The shepherd was heartbroken when he returned to find the lovely Baglina gone. The little shepherd's mother also draws water from this well.One day, she found a fish in her bucket.She took the fish home and fried it in oil.The mother and son ate the fish and threw the bones out the window.Later, a tree grew up where the fishbone was thrown, and it grew so tall that it blocked the light from the whole house.So the shepherd cut down the tree, chopped it into firewood, and moved it to his home.At that time, his mother had passed away, and the shepherd lived here alone.Now, he was thinner than ever, and no matter how hard he tried, he would never grow up.He goes out to herd sheep every day and returns home at night.But what a surprise it was when he came home every day to find all the pots, pans, and spoons that had been used in the morning washed!He couldn't think of who did it for him.Finally, he decided to hide behind the door and observe.At this time, what he saw was a beautiful girl coming out of the woodpile, washing the pots and dishes, cleaning the room, and making the quilt. Then she opened the cupboard and took out a cake to eat.

The little shepherd suddenly jumped out from behind the door and asked, "Who are you? How did you get into the room?" "I am sweet Baglina," replied the girl, "the girl you saw when you picked out that half apple. The 'ugly slave' threw me into the well, and I became a fish, and then The fish bone was thrown out of the window. I changed from the fish bone to a tree seed again, broke through the ground and became a tree, kept growing, and finally became the firewood you chopped. Now, when you go out every day, I became lovely Baglina." The shepherd grew up rapidly because he found the lovely Baglina again, and the lovely Baglina grew up with him.Soon the shepherd was a handsome young man, and married the lovely Baglina.They held a grand celebration banquet.I was there, under the table.They threw me a bone, which happened to hit me on the nose, and it stuck there never to come off.

(Inner Genoa) Notes: Source of material: "Two Stories in Genoese Dialect" (Genoa, 1892 edition) collected by Piero Ignario; Collection area: Toriglia near Genoa; Narrator: Maria Bancilo, a village woman. The story of the "three oranges" is widespread[1]; this Genoese folktale is characterized by the presence of little things like those in the paintings of Hironimo Bossi[2]—in the shell of the fruit or in the shell of an egg Little fairy swaying in the sky.We encounter the same little thing in another Genoese folktale (see No. 51 of the Ligurian Tales, edited by Andrews).

————— [1] See the preface and the notes to the eighty-seventh article "Beautiful Green Island" and the 107th article "The Story of Three Pomegranates". [2] Sinonimo Bossi (1460-1516), Dutch painter. The Little Shepherd There was once a shepherd boy no bigger than a mite and as mean as could be. On his way out to pasture one day, he passed a poultry dealer carrying a basket of eggs on her head. So what did he do but throw a stone into the basket and break every single egg. Enraged, the poor woman screamed a curse: "You shall get no bigger until you've found lovely Bargaglina of the three singing apples!" From that time on, the shepherd boy grew thin and puny, and the more his mother attended to him, the punier he became. Finally she asked, "What on earth has happened to you? Have you done a bad turn for which someone placed a curse on you?" He then told her about his meanness to the poultry dealer, repeating the womans words to him, "You shall get no bigger until you've found lovely Bargaglina of the three singing apples!" "In that case," said his mother, "youve no choice but to go in search of this lovely Bargaglina." The shepherd set out. He came to a bridge, on which a little lady was rocking to and fro in a walnut shell. "Who goes there?" "A friend." "Lift my eyelids a little, so I can see you." "I'm seeking lovely Bargaglina of the three singing apples. Do you know anything about her?" "No, but take this stone; it will come in handy." The shepherd came to another bridge, where another little lady was bathing in an eggshell. "Who goes there?" "A friend." "Lift my eyelids a little, so I can see you." "I'm seeking lovely Bargaglina of the three singing apples. Have you any news of her?" "No, but take this ivory comb, which will come in handy." The shepherd put it in his pocket and walked on until he came to a stream where a man was filling a bag with fog. When asked about lovely Bargaglina, the man claimed to know nothing about her, but he gave the shepherd a pocketful of fog , which would come in handy. Next he came to a mill whose miller, a talking fox, said, "Yes, I know who lovely Bargaglina is, but you'll have difficulty finding her. Walk straight ahead until you come to a house with the door open. Go inside and youll see a crystal cage hung with many little bells. In the cage are the singing apples. You must take the cage, but watch out for a certain old woman. If her eyes are open, that means shes asleep. awake." The shepherd moved on. He found the old woman with her eyes closed and realized she was awake. "My lad," said the old woman, "glance down in my hair and see if Ive any lice." He looked, and as he was delousing her, she opened her eyes and he knew she had fallen asleep. So he quickly picked up the crystal cage and fled. But the little bells on the cage tinkled, and the old woman awakened and sent a Hundred horsemen after him. Hearing them almost upon him, the shepherd dropped the stone he had in his pocket. It changed instantly into a steep, rocky mountain, and the horses all fell and broke their legs. Now horseless, the cavalrymen returned to the old woman, who then sent out two hundred mounted soldiers. Seeing himself in new peril, the shepherd threw down the ivory comb. It turned into a mountain as slick as glass, down which horses and riders all slid to their death. The old woman then sent three hundred horsemen after him, but he pulled out the pocketful of fog, hurled it over his shoulder, and the army got lost in it. Meanwhile, the shepherd had grown thirsty and, having nothing with him to drink, removed one of the three apples from the cage and cut into it. A tiny voice said, "Gently, please, or you'll hurt me." Gently, he finished cutting the apple, ate one half, and put the other in his pocket. At length he came to a well near his house, where he reached into his pocket for the rest of the apple. In its place was a tiny, tiny lady. "Im lovely Bargaglina," she said, "and I like cake. Go get me a cake, Im famished." The well was one of those closed wells, with a hole in the center, so the shepherd seated the lady on the rim, telling her to wait there until he came back with the cake. Meanwhile, a servant known as Ugly Slave came to the well for water. She spied the lovely little lady and said, "How come you so little and beautiful while Im so big and ugly?" And she grew so furious that she threw the tiny creature into the well. The shepherd returned and was heartbroken to find lovely Bargaglina gone. Now his mother also went to that well for water, and what should she find in her bucket one day but a fish. She took it home and fried it. They ate it and threw the bones out the window. There where they fell, a tree grew up and got so big that it shut out all the light from the house. The shepherd therefore cut it down and chopped it up for firewood, which he brought inside. By that time his mother had died, and he lived there all by himself, now punier then ever, since no matter what he tried, he couldnt grow any bigger. Every day he went out to the pasture and came back home at night. How great was his amazement upon finding the dishes and pans hed used in the morning all washed for him when he came home! He couldnt imagine who was doing this. At last he decided to hide behind the door and find out. Whom should he then see but a very dainty maiden emerge from the woodpile, wash the dishes, sweep the house, and make his bed, after which she opened the cupboard and helped herself to acake. Out sprang the shepherd, asking, "Who are you? How did you get in?" "Im lovely Bargaglina," replied the maiden, "the girl you found in your pocket in place of the apple half. Ugly Slave threw me into the well, and I turned into a fish, then into fishbones thrown out the window. From fishbones I changed into a tree seed, next into a tree that grew and grew, and finally into firewood you cut. Now, every day while you away, I become lovely Bargaglina." Thanks to the rediscovery of lovely Bargaglina, the shepherd grew by leaps and bounds, and lovely Bargaglina along with him. Soon he was a handsome youth and married lovely Bargaglina. They had a big feast. me a bone, which hit me on the nose and stuck for good. (Inland proximity of Genoa) NOTES: "The Little Shepherd" (Il pastore che non cresceva mai) from Guarnerio (Due fole nel dialetto del contado genovese collected by PE Guarnerio, Genoa, 1892), Torriglia, near Genoa, told by the countrywoman Maria Banchero. A feature of this Genoese variant of the widespread tale of the "three oranges" includes encounters with creatures like those in the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch -- tiny fairies rocking in nutshells or eggshells. We meet the same beings in another Genoese version (Andrews, 51). Copyright: Italian Folktales Selected and Retold by Italo Calvino, translated by George Martin, Pantheon Books, New York 1980