Italian Folktales (31 page)

 

(
Romagna
)

50

A merchant who had three daughters was due to leave town on business. “Before going,” he said to his daughters, “I shall give you a present, as I wish to leave you happy. Tell me what you want.”

The girls thought it over and said they wanted gold, silver, and silk for spinning. Their father bought gold, silver, and silk, then departed, advising them to behave during his absence.

The youngest of the three sisters, whose name was Giricoccola, was the most beautiful, and her sisters always envied her. When their father had gone, the oldest girl took the gold to be spun, the second girl took the silver, thus leaving the silk for Giricoccola. After dinner they all three sat down by the window to spin. People passing by and glancing at the girls always stared at the youngest. That night the moon rose and looked in the window, saying:

 

“Lovely is the one with gold,

Lovelier still is the one with silver,

But the one with silk surpasses them both.

Good night, lovely girls and ugly girls alike.”

 

Hearing that, the sisters were consumed with rage and decided to exchange threads. The next day they gave Giricoccola the silver and, after dinner, sat down by the window to spin. When the moon rose that night, she said:

 

“Lovely is the one with gold,

Lovelier still is the one with silk,

But the one with silver surpasses them both,

Good night, lovely girls and ugly girls alike.”

 

Infuriated, the sisters taunted Giricoccola so much that only someone with that poor girl's patience could have stood it. The next afternoon when they went to the window to spin, they gave her the gold to see what the moon would say. But the minute the moon rose she said:

 

“Lovely is the one with silver,

Lovelier still is the one with silk,

But the one with gold surpasses them both.

Good night, lovely girls and ugly girls alike.”

 

By now the sisters couldn't stand the sight of Giricoccola, so they locked her in the hayloft. The poor girl was there weeping, when the moon opened the little window with a moonbeam and said, “Come with me.” She took her by the hand and carried her home with her.

The following afternoon the two sisters spun by themselves at the window. The moon rose in the evening and said:

 

“Lovely is the one with gold,

Lovelier still is the one with silver,

But the one at my house surpasses them both.

Good night, lovely girls and ugly girls alike.”

 

At that, the sisters went flying to the hayloft to see what was up. Giricoccola was gone. They sent for a woman astrologer to find out where their sister was. The astrologer said that Giricoccola was at the moon's house and more comfortable than she had ever been.

“How can we bring about her death?” asked the sisters.

“Leave it all to me,” replied the astrologer, who dressed as a gypsy and went to peddle her wares under the moon's windows.

Giricoccola looked out, and the astrologer said, “Would you like these handsome pins? I'll let you have them for a song!”

Now those pins truly delighted Giricoccola, and she invited the astrologer inside. “Here, let me put one in your hair,” said the astrologer, and thrust the pin into her head. Giricoccola at once turned into a statue, and the astrologer ran off to report to the sisters.

When the moon came home from her trip around the world, she found the girl changed into a statue and said, “Didn't I tell you to let no one in? I should leave you just like that for disobeying me.” But she finally relented and drew the pin from the girl's head. Giricoccola came back to life and promised never to let anyone else in.

A short time later the sisters returned to ask the astrologer if Giricoccola was still dead. The astrologer consulted her magic books and said that, for some strange reason, the girl was alive again and well. So the sisters once more urged the woman to put her to death. This time the astrologer took a box of combs to peddle under Giricoccola's windows. They were too much for the girl to resist, and she called the woman inside. But the minute the comb touched her head she changed back into a statue, and the astrologer ran off to the sisters.

The moon came home and, seeing the girl a statue once more, flew into a rage and called her every name under the sun. But when she had calmed down, she again forgave her, removed the comb from her head, and Giricoccola revived. “But if it happens one more time,” warned the moon, “you are going to remain a statue!” Giricoccola solemnly promised to admit no one from that moment on.

But the sisters and the astrologer weren't about to give up! Here came the woman with an embroidered gown for sale, the most beautiful gown you ever saw. Giricoccola was so charmed with it that she had to try it on, and the minute she did, she became a statue. This time the moon washed her hands of the matter, selling the statue for three cents to a chimney sweep.

The chimney sweep took the beautiful statue about the city tied to his donkey's packsaddle, until one day the king's son saw it and fell in love with it. He bought the statue for its weight in gold and took it to his room, where he would spend hours adoring the stone maiden. Whenever he left the room, he would lock the door, wishing to be her sole admirer. Now his sisters were each anxious to have a gown like the statue's to wear to a gala ball, so they entered the room with a skeleton key while their brother was out and removed the maiden's gown.

No sooner was it off than Giricoccola stirred and came back to life. The sisters almost died of fright, but Giricoccola reassured them with her story. Then they had her hide behind a door to await their brother's return. The king's son was frantic upon discovering the statue missing, but out jumped Giricoccola and told him everything from beginning to end. The youth took her to his parents at once and introduced her as his bride. The wedding was celebrated immediately. Giricoccola's sisters learned of this from the astrologer and died of rage right then and there.

 

(
Bologna
)

 

51

The hunchback Tabagnino was a poor cobbler who could no longer make ends meet, because people never brought him so much as one shoe to mend. He therefore set out in search of better luck elsewhere. It grew dark and he was wondering where he was going to sleep, when he spied a light in the distance. Going toward it, he came to a house and knocked. A woman answered the door, and he asked for shelter.

“But this is the home of the Wild Man,” said the woman. “He eats everyone he meets. If I let you in, my husband will eat you too.”

Tabagnino begged and pleaded until the woman took pity on him and said, “Well, come in, and I'll hide you under the ashes, if you don't mind.”

That she did, and when the Wild Man arrived and went sniffing through the house, saying,

 

“The awful stench, it makes me leer,

There was or is a man in here,

My nose informs me, let him fear,

I know, I know, he's somewhere near,”

 

his wife replied, “Come on to the table, you're imagining things,” and served him a big bowl of macaroni.

The couple both made a meal off the macaroni, and when the Wild Man had eaten all he could hold he said, “I've eaten my fill. You can give what's left over to anybody hiding in the house.”

“As a matter of fact, there is a poor little man who asked me for shelter for tonight,” said the wife. “If you promise not to eat him, I'll bring him out.”

“Bring him out.”

The woman pulled Tabagnino from the ashes and seated him at the table. Sitting across from the Wild Man, the poor hunchback cloaked in ashes shook like a leaf, but he took heart and ate the macaroni

“Tonight I'm no longer hungry,” said the Wild Man. “But I warn you, if you don't flee for your life early tomorrow morning, I'll swallow you whole.”

With that said, they struck up a friendly conversation, and the hunchback, who was as crafty as the Devil himself, remarked, “That's a fine coverlet you have on your bed!”

“It is embroidered entirely in gold and silver,” explained the Wild Man, “and fringed with solid gold.”

“And that chest?”

“It contains two bags of money.”

“And the wand behind the bed?”

“It brings good weather.”

“And the voice we hear?”

“It's a parrot I keep in the henhouse and which talks like us.”

“You really have some fine things!”

“Oh, they're not all here by any means! In the stable I have the most beautiful mare you ever saw, and she runs like the wind.”

After supper the wife took Tabagnino back to his spot under the ashes and then went off to bed with her husband. When day broke, she called Tabagnino, “Get up, flee for your life before my husband rises!”

The hunchback thanked the woman and left.

On and on he traveled until he reached the king of Portugal's palace and asked for hospitality. The king wanted to see him and hear his story. Upon learning what was in the Wild Man's house, the king felt a strong desire to possess those wonderful things and said, “Listen carefully. You can stay here at the palace and do whatever you please, but I'm asking one thing in return.”

“What's that, Majesty?”

“You said the Wild Man has a beautiful coverlet embroidered in gold and silver and fringed with solid gold. You must get it for me, or you'll lose your head.”

“But how can I?” replied the hunchback. “The Wild Man devours everyone. You're sending me, for sure, to my death.”

“That is not my concern. Think it over and manage the best you can.”

The poor hunchback thought hard, then went to the king, saying, “Sacred Crown, give me a paper bag full of live hornets that have fasted for seven or eight days, and I'll bring you back the coverlet.”

The king sent the army out to catch the hornets and gave them to Tabagnino. He also gave him a wand, saying, “Take this wand. It is magic and will come in very handy. When you have to cross water, strike the ground with the wand and have no fear. While you are gone I will be waiting for you in my palace across the sea.”

The hunchback went to the Wild Man's house, where he listened at the door and heard them eating supper. He climbed up to the bedroom window, slipped through it, and hid under the bed. When the Wild Man and his wife retired and fell asleep, the hunchback thrust the paper bag full of hornets under the covers and sheets and opened it. Feeling that wonderful heat, the hornets came buzzing out, stinging right and left.

The Wild Man began tossing about and threw off the coverlet, which the hunchback rolled up under the bed. The hornets grew angry and stung for all they were worth. The Wild Man and his wife fled, screaming. Once Tabagnino was alone he too fled with the coverlet under his arm.

A few minutes later the Wild Man went to the window and called to the parrot in the henhouse, “Parrot, what is the hour?”

“The hour when the hunchback Tabagnino makes off with the beautiful coverlet!” replied the parrot.

The Wild Man ran into the bedroom and saw that the coverlet was missing. Then he took the mare and galloped after the hunchback, finally spotting him in the distance. But Tabagnino was already on the seashore striking the ground with the wand the king had given him: the waters divided, and he ran safely to the other shore, after which the waters again united. The Wild Man, halted on his shore, yelled:

 

“O Tabagnino, you hateful thing,

When will you come back to this shore?

I mean to eat you before long,

Or else not live any more.”

 

At the sight of the coverlet, the king jumped for joy. He thanked the hunchback, then said, “Tabagnino, if you were sly enough to steal the coverlet, you can also make off with the wand which brings fine weather.”

“But how could I ever do that, Sacred Crown?”

“Think hard, or you'll lose your head.”

After some concentration, the hunchback asked the king for a little bag of walnuts.

He reached the Wild Man's house, listened at the door, and heard them going to bed. After climbing to the roof, he began pelting the tiles with walnuts. The clatter awakened the Wild Man, who said to his wife, “Just listen to that hailstorm! Take the wand and lay it on the roof at once, or the hail will ruin my wheat.”