Folktales from the Arabian Peninsula
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Type 763 Two (three) men find a treasure. One of them secretly puts poison in the other’s wine (food) but the other kills him, then drinks and dies.
Motifs: N182.1 Man dreams gold falls on head, refuses discovered pot of gold in garden; J2136.5 Careless thief caught; W151.8 Thieves quarrel over booty; N659.2 Poison cakes intended for man by his wife eaten by thieves: booty left to man; K1685 The treasure finders who murder one another.
ABU NAWAS, THE TRICKSTER
This story was collected by JonLee Joseph from Mahbrook Massan in his desert camp on the edge of the Empty Quarter on the evening of September 12, 2010. Mahbrook is a leader in the Shisr community and maintains this camp for visitors in the desert some miles from Shisr. Shisr is the site of archeological remains believed by some to be the lost city of Ubar, which has been much searched for by archeologists over the years. Margaret Read MacDonald heard Mahbrook tell this same story on a visit to his camp in October of 2009.
Motif K362.10 Give him what he wants.
A DJINN STORY
This tale was told to Kiera Anderson and JonLee Joseph in Arabic by Mahbrook Massan on November 28, 2012, in the Empty Quarter, close to Wubar, in Oman. It was translated into English by Kiera Anderson
Motif D1272.1 Magic Line.
JOUHA LOSES HIS DONKEY
This story was shared by Hared Al-Sharji. He heard the story from his grandmother, who lives in the Dhofar Mountains. It was collected by JonLee Joseph. It is retold from SCT Magazine, Salalah College of Technology, English Language Center, Salalah, Oman (April 2013), 8. This tale is also told about the Turkish Nasr-din-Hodja.
Motif J2561 Fool thanks God he was not sitting on the ass when it was stolen.
WHO SHOULD RIDE THE DONKEY?
This story was told by the mother of Mohammed Marhoon. Mohammed was a student at the Salalah College of Technology. It was collected by JonLee Joseph. It is retold from SCT Magazine, Salalah College of Technology, English Language Center, Salalah, Oman (April 2013), 8. The tale is found throughout Europe and is also told of the Turkish Nasr-din-Hodja.
Motif J1041.2 Miller, his son, and the ass: trying to please everyone.
WHEN JOUHA’S DONKEY PASSES GAS
This tale was told by the father of Reem, a student at Salalah College of Technology. It was collected by JonLee Joseph. It is retold from SCT Magazine, Salalah College of Technology, Salalah, Oman (April 2013), 8. For a similar tale, see this Argentinian tale: “When Ingele Believed He Was Dead,” in Pachamama by Paula Martín (Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2014), 82–86.
Type 1240 Man Sitting on Branch of Tree Cuts it off.
Motifs: J2311.1 Numskull told that he will die when his horse breaks wind (or donkey brays) three times. When this happens, he lies down for dead; J2133.4 Numskull cuts off branch on which he is sitting.
THE DJINN OUTSIDE THE WINDOW
This tale was related by Shaika, a student at Salalah College of Technology, and collected by JonLee Joseph. It is retold from SCT Magazine, Salalah College of Technology, Salalah, Oman (April 2013), 6.
Motif V229.5 Saint banishes demons [fairies, djinns, etc.].
THE SAD STORY OF THE MOTHER CAMEL
This tale was written down by Said Al-Mahri, a student at Salalah College of Technology. This is told as a true story, not a folktale. It was collected by JonLee Joseph. It was retold from SCT Magazine, Salalah College of Technology, Salalah, Oman (April 2013), 15. Motif B214.4 Weeping animal.
THE CAMEL FROM THE ROCK
This tale is retold from several sources: “The Miracle of the Camel” by Lady Peter Crowe, Saudi Aramco World (September/October 1965), 21; Koran 7:73–78; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mada%27in_Saleh; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saleh; http://www.islamicbulletin.org/newsletters/issue_5/salih.aspx; and http://www.sacred-texts.com/isl/bkt/bkt00.htm. This is similar to the biblical tale of Sodom and Gomorrah, in which the cities were destroyed by God because of the evil of their people.
Q556.0.2 Curse of destruction on city.
THE REMARKABLE CAMEL
Information taken from Daniel da Cruz and Paul Lunde, “The Camel in Retrospect,” Saudi Aramco World (March/April 1981): 42–48
WHY LOVE IS BLIND
This tale was told by Abdulrahman, a student at Salalah College of Technology, and collected by JonLee Joseph. It is retold from SCT Magazine, Salalah College of Technology, Salalah, Oman (April 2013), 9.
THE THRIFTY ANT
This tale was retold by Sufa, a student at Salalah College of Technology, and collected by JonLee Joseph. It is retold from SCT Magazine, Salalah College of Technology, Salalah, Oman (April 2013), 10.
Motif J 191.1 Solomon as wise man.
THE FAKE BRIDE
Stith Thompson includes a variant of this tale from India. Our text is inspired by “The Genie Bride,” in My Grandmother’s Stories: Folktales from Dhofar by Khadija bint Alawi Al-Dhahab (Washington, D.C.: Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, 2012), 63–65.
E363.1.1 Ghost substitutes for bride on her wedding journey.
STRANGERS ON THE ROAD
This tale is retold from “Jokes from Muscat and Oman,” in From Town to Tribe by C. G. Campbell (London: Ernest Benn, 1952), 201–102. It was told by a man of the Hurth tribe of Oman about the Hinawi and Ghafiri tribes.
A JINN BUILDS A ROAD
This tale is retold from “A Joke from Muscat Town,” in From Town to Tribe by C. G. Campbell (London: Ernest Benn, 1952), 203–204.
In similar European stories, the man usually outsmarts the Devil. The Arabic jinn are a bit more difficult to deal with.
Motifs: F499.4 Jinns; G303.9.1.7 Devil builds a road is related to this tale.
TRICKING THE SAHAR
Note that this is a contemporary tale, as the lady is carrying a flashlight and chocolates imported from England. It is retold from “An Account of the Living Creatures,” in Town to Tribe by C. G. Campbell (London: Ernest Benn, 1952), 101–103.
This is similar to Motif K1715.7 Demon terrorized by small creatures bluff.
THE BIGGEST LIE
This tale is retold from “Also from Muscat Town,” in Town to Tribe by C. G. Campbell (London: Ernest Benn, 1952), 204–205.
Type 1920A The first tells of a giant cabbage. The second of a giant kettle to cook it in.
Motifs: X1150.1 The great catch of fish; X1423.1 Lie: the great cabbage. Matched by the tale of great pot to put cabbage in.
THE HELPFUL FISH
This story is found as “Fsaijrah,” in Tales Arab Women Tell by Hasan M. El-Shamy (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999), 278–279. The folklorist Hasan El-Shamy was given this story in June 1973 in a written version from a contributor who gave her name only as “A Qatari Princess.” The royal family in Qatar is numerous, and there are many princesses. El-Shamy cites 48 versions from Arabic tellers, including 5 others from Qatar. A second version of this story appears in The Donkey Lady and Other Tales of the Arabian Gulf, edited by Patty Paine, Jesse Ulmer, and Michael Hersud. Collected and translated by Khamam Al Ghanem and Dr. Sara Al-Mohannadi (Berkshire, U.K.: Berkshire Academic Press, Limited, 2013), 17–36. For a picture book version, see Hamda and Fisaikra by Dr. Kaltham al Ghanem, with illustrations by May al Mannai (Doha, Qatar: Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation, 2011).
Type 510 Cinderella.
Motifs: B375.1 Fish returned to water: grateful; B470.1 Small fish as helper.
WEALTH, SUCCESS, AND LOVE
A version of this tale appears in The Donkey Lady and Other Tales of the Arabian Gulf, edited by Patty Paine, Jesse Ulmer, and Michael Hersud. Collected and translated by Maryam Mubarek Al Muhaiza and Dr. Sara Al-Mohannadi (Berkshire, U.K.: Berkshire Academic Press, Limited, 2013), 209–213.
Motifs: H659.7 Riddle: what is greatest?; H648 Riddle: what is best? Hasan M. El-Shamy’s Folk Traditions of the Arab World (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995) cites versions of H630ff Riddles of the superlative from Egypt, Iraq, Morocco Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen
ORI
GIN OF THE DHOW’S LATEEN SAIL
See this article for more on the origin of the lateen sail: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateen. A version of this tale may be found in The Donkey Lady and Other Tales of the Arabian Gulf, edited by Patty Paine, Jesse Ulmer, and Michael Hersud. Collected and translated by Mariam Mohammed Al-Kuwari and Dr. Sara Al-Mohannadi (Berkshire, U.K.: Berkshire Academic Press, Limited, 2013), 73–91.
WHY THE HEN CANNOT FLY
This tale is retold from Folklore and Folklife in the United Arab Emirates by Sayyid H. Hurreíz (London, Routledge Curzon, 2002).
Motif A2331 Animal characteristics: punishment for impiety.
THE SHAIKH’S SHEEP
A version of this tale appears in Folklore and Folklife in the United Arab Emirates by Sayyid H. Hurreíz (London: Routledge Curzon, 2002).
Motifs: H588 Enigmatic counsels of a father; K2213.4 Betrayal of husband’s secret by wife.
THE FISHERMAN’S DAUGHTER
This is a variant of Type 510 Cinderella. An Arabian version is found in “The Fisherman’s Daughter,” in Folklore and Folklife in the United Arab Emirates by Sayyid H. Hurreiz (London: Routledge Curzon, 2003), 74–75. The fish in that story is called Al bideha.
THE QUEEN OF SHEBA VISITS SOLOMON
The Queen of Sheba is believed to be the queen Bilquis of Saba in present-day Yemen. You can read more details in the Old Testament, First Book of Kings, chapter 10, and in the Koran, sura 27.
Motifs: H540.2.1 Queen of Sheba propounds riddle to Solomon; H561.3.1 King Solomon as master riddle-solver.
QUEEN BILQUIS VISITS KING SUYLEIMAN
Stith Thompson gives Greek and Japanese variants of this tale. This story is found in the Old Testament, First Book of Kings, chapter 10, and in the Koran, sura 27. An expanded retelling is “Queen Balqis and King Sulayman,” in Fabled Cities, Princes & Jinn from Arab Myths and Legends by Khairat Al-Saleh (New York: Schocken, 1985) 50–57.
Motifs: H540.2.1 Queen of Sheba propounds riddle to Solomon; H561.3.1 King Solomon as master riddle-solver; H506.4 Test of resourcefulness: putting thread through coils of snail shell. Thread tied to ant who pulls it through.
THE MIGHTY DIKE OF MA-RIB
One source for this tale is “Ma-rib”: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/364999/Marib. A good retelling appears in “The Queen Priestess and the Dyke of Ma’rib,” in Fabled Cities, Princes & Jinn: Arab Myths and Legends by Kairat Al-Saleh (New York: Shocken Books, 1985), 57–59. It is also found in “The Great and Terrible Wilderness” by Immanuel Velicovsky: http://www.varchive.org/ce/baalbek/desert.htm. And the incident is mentioned in the Koran, sura 34.
Motif V17.5 Sacrifice to get knowledge.
THE YEAR OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT
Versions of this tale can be found in the following: “The Year of the Elephant,” in Fabled Cities, Princes & Jinn from Arab Myths and Legends by Kairat Al-Saleh (New York: Schocken, 1985), 64–66; “Al-qalis,” in From the Land of Sheba: Yemeni Folk Tales by Carolyn Han. Translated by Kamal Ali al-Hegri (Northampton, MA: Interlink, 2005), 52–55; the Koran, sura 105; and http://answering-islam.org/Books/Al-Kalbi/qalis.htm. For historical background on Abraha, see the Wikipedia link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraha. An inscription on the dam at Ma’rib tells that Abraha repaired the dam.
THE MANLY MAIDEN
Variants of this tale appear in many collections of The Arabian Nights. The story is a variant of Type 881A The Abandoned Bride Disguised as a Man. It includes Motifs: K521.4.1.1 Girl escapes in male disguise; K1236 Disguise as man to escape importunate lover; K1837.8 Woman in man’s disguise made king; K1837 Disguise of woman in man’s clothing; K1322 Girl masked as man wins princesses love; H21 Recognition through picture. Picture is publicly displayed and brings about recognition of lost person. One version of this tale is found in The Land of Sheba by S. D. Goitein (New York: Schocken Books, 1947), 67–91.
PROVERBS FROM THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Proverbs are taken from: Fuad Rayess, “The Cream of Wisdom,” Saudi Aramco World (January/February 1969), 22–25 and from Folklife in the United Arab Emirates by Sayyid H. Hurreiz (London: Routledge Curzon), 84–85.
HUNAIN’S SLIPPERS
This proverb tale is retold from “The Cream of Wisdom” by Fuad Rayess, Saudi Aramco World (January/February 1969), 22–25.
A CRAB WHO DROWNED A CAMEL
This is an Omani folktale, retold from “The Crab That Drowned a Camel,” in From Town and Tribe by C. G. Campbell (London: Benn, 1952), 99.
RIDDLES
Sources of the riddles include the following: Arab Folklore: A Handbook by Dwight Fletcher Reynolds (Westwood, CT: Greenwood Press, 2007), 118–119; and Folklore and Folklife in the United Arab Emirates by Sayyid H. Hurreiz (London: Routledge Curzon), 84–85.
ARABIC WORDS
This information was taken from Alan Pimm-Smith, “From Ar’abic to Eng’lish,” Saudi Aramco World (March/April 2007), 36–38.
MORE FOLKTALES FROM THE ARABIAN PENINSULA
Alawi Al-Dhahab, Khadija bint. My Grandmother’s Stories: Folk Tales from Dhofar. Illustrated by Fatima bint Alawi Muqaybil. Washington, D.C.: Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center. www.sqcc.org.
Al-Ghanim, Kaltham. Hamda and Fisaikra. Illustrated by May al-Mannai. Doha, Qatar: Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation, 2011. (Available in both English and Arabic editions.)
Al-Saleh, Khairat. Fabled Cities, Princes & Jinn from Arab Myths and Legends. New York: Schocken, 1985. Beautifully retold, with illustrations by Rashad N. Salim.
Busnaq, Inea. Arab Folktales. New York: Pantheon, 1986. (This adult collection includes tales from North Africa, Iraq, Syria, and Palestine. There are only a few from the Arabian Peninsula.)
Conover, Sarah, and Freda Crane. Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs: A Treasury of Islamic Wisdom for Children and Parents. Cheney, WA: Eastern Washington University, 2010.
Demi. Muhammad. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2002.
Han, Carolyn. From the Land of Sheba: Yemeni Folk Tales. Translated by Kamal Ali al-Hegri. Northampton, MA: Interlink, 2005.
Jayyusi, Salma Khadra, ed. Tales of Juha: Classic Arab Folk Humor. Northampton, MA: Interlink, 2007.
Johnson-Davies, Denys. Goha the Wise Fool. Illustrated by Hag Hamdy Mohamed Fattou and Hany El Saed Ahmed. New York: Philomel, 2005. Compare these Egyptian tales with our Jouha tales. These are illustrated by tent makers from Cairo.
MacDonald, Margaret Read, and Nadia Jameel Taibah. How Many Donkeys?: An Arabic Counting Tale. Illustrated by Carol Liddiment. Chicago: Albert Whitman, 2009.
Paine, Patty, Jesse Ulmer, and Michael Hersud. The Donkey Lady and Other Tales of the Arabian Gulf. Collected and translated by Khamam Al Ghanem and Dr. Sara Al-Mohannadi. Berkshire, U.K.: Berkshire Academic Press, Limited, 2013, 17–36.
Todino-Gonguet, Grace. Halimah and the Snake and Other Omani Folk Tales. Illustrated by Susan Keeble. London: Stacey International, 2008.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Aarne, Antti, and Stith Thompson. The Types of the Folktale. Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, 1973.
Al-Dhahab, Khadija bint Alawi. My Grandmother’s Stories: Folktales from Dhofar. Washington, D.C.: Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, 2012, 63–65.
Al-Saleh, Khairat. Fabled Cities, Princes & Jinn from Arab Myths and Legends. New York: Schocken, 1985.
Ba-ashin, Lamya Muhammad Salih. Folktales from Saudi Arabia. Jiddah: Lamia Baeshen, 2002.
Campbell, C. G. From Town and Tribe. London: Benn, 1952.
Crowe, Lady Peter. “The Miracle of the Camel,” Saudi Aramco World, September/October 1965, 21.
Cruz, Daniel da, and Paul Lunde. “The Camel in Retrospect,” Saudi Aramco World, March/April 1981, 42–48.
Dickson, H. R. P. The Arab of the Desert: A Glimpse into Badawin Life in Kuwait and Sau’di Arabia. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1949.
Dickson, H. R. P. Kuwait and Her Neighbors. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1956.
El-Shamy, Hasan M. Folk Traditions of the Arab World: A Guide to Motif Cla
ssification. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995.
El-Shamy, Hasan M. Tales Arab Women Tell. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999.
Goitein, S. D. From the Land of Sheba. New York: Schocken Books, 1973.
Han, Carolyn. From the Land of Sheba: Yemeni Folk Tales. Translated by Kamal Ali al-Hegri. Northampton, MA: Interlink, 2005.
The Holy Koran: An Interpretive Translation from Classical Arabic into Contemporary English. Phoenix, AZ: Acacia Publishing, 2008.
Hurreíz, Sayyid H. Folklore and Folklife in the United Arab Emirates. London: Routledge Curzon, 2002.
The Illuminated Bible: Text of the Authorized King James Version. Chicago: Columbia Educational Books, Inc., 1941.
Jayyusi, Salma Khadra, ed. Tales of Juha: Classic Arab Folk Humor. Northampton, MA: Interlink, 2007
Lunde, Paul. “Aesop of the Arabs,” Saudi Aramco World, March/April 1974, 2–3.