during the act of coition. If she does so, she brings disasters upon her
husband, who is sure to become a poor man. For this reason, the woman
remains absolutely quiet, and the man alone moves.--(Written down from
memory. Told by Penri, July, 1886.)
li.--_Birth and Naming._
Before birth, clothes are got ready for the expected baby, who is washed
as soon as born.[F] The divine symbols are set up, and thanks are
offered to the gods. Only women are present on the occasion. Generally
in each village there are one or two old women who act as midwives.
The child may be named at any time. Ishanashte said that it was usually
two or three months, Penri said that it was two or three years, after
birth. The name chosen is usually founded on some circumstance connected
with the child, but sometimes it is meaningless. The parent's name is
never given, for that would be unlucky. How, indeed, could a child
continue to be called by such a name when its father had become a dead
man, and consequently one not to be mentioned without tears?--(Written
down from memory. Told by Penri and Ishanashte, July, 1886.)
[F] For the only time in its whole life!
lii.--_The Pre-eminence of the Oak, Pine-tree, and Mugwort._
At the beginning of the world the ground was very hot. The ground was so
hot that the creatures called men even got their feet burnt. For this
reason, no tree or herb could grow. The only herb that grew at that time
was the mugwort. Of trees, the only ones were the oak and the pine. For
this reason, these two trees are the oldest among trees. Among herbs, it
is the mugwort. This being so, these two trees are divine trees; they
are trees which human beings worship. Among herbs, the mugwort is
considered to be truly the oldest.
Listen well to this, too, you younger folks!--(Translated literally.
Told by Penri, 19th July, 1886.)
liii.--_The Deer with the Golden Horn._--(A specimen of Aino history.)
My very earliest ancestor kept a deer. He used to tie the divine symbols
to its horns. Then the deer would go to the mountains, and bring down
with it plenty of other deer. When they came outside the house my
ancestor would kill the deer which his deer had brought from the
mountains, and thus was greatly enriched. The name of the village in
which that deer was kept was Setarukot.
There was a festival at a neighbouring village. So the man who kept the
deer went off thither to the festival with all his followers. Only his
wife was left behind with the deer. Then a man called Tun-uwo-ush
[_i.e._ "as tall as two men"], from the village of Shipichara, being
very bad-hearted, came in order to steal that deer. He found only the
deer and the woman at home. He stole both the woman and the deer, and
ran away with them. So the man who kept the deer, becoming angry,
pursued after him to fight him. Being three brothers in all, they went
off all three together. So Tun-uwo-ush invoked the aid of the whole
neighbourhood. He called together a great number of men. Then those
three brethren came together to fight him. As they were three of them,
the eldest, having killed three score men, was at last killed himself.
The second brother killed four score men, and was then killed himself.
Then the youngest brother, seeing how things were, thought it would be
useless to go on fighting alone. For this reason he ran away. Having run
away, he got home. Having got home, he came to his house. Then he
invoked the aid of all the neighbourhood. He invoked the aid even of
those Ainos who dwelt in the land of the Japanese. Then he went off with
plenty of men. Having gone off, he fought against Tun-uwo-ush. In the
war, he killed Tun-uwo-ush and all his followers. Then he got back both
the deer and the woman. That was the last of the Aino wars.--(Translated
literally. Told by Ishanashte, 8th November, 1886.)
liv.--_Dreams._
To dream of rice-beer, a river, swimming, or anything connected with
liquids, causes rainy weather. For instance, I dreamt last night that I
was drinking rice-beer, and accordingly it is raining to-day.
To dream of eating meat brings disease. So does dreaming of eating sugar
or anything red.
To dream of killing or knocking a man down is lucky. To dream of being
killed or knocked down is unlucky.
To dream that a heavy load which one is carrying feels light is lucky.
The contrary dream prognosticates disease.
To dream of a long rope which does not break, and in which there are no
knots even when it is wound up, is lucky, and prognosticates victory.
To dream of flying like a bird, and perching on a tree, prognosticates
rain and bad weather.
When a man is about to start off hunting, it is very lucky for him to
dream of meeting a god in the mountains, to whom he gives presents, and
to whom he makes obeisance. After such a dream, he is certain to kill a
bear.
To dream of being pursued with a sharp weapon is unlucky.
To dream that one is wounded, and bleeding freely, is a good omen for
the chase.
To dream of the sun and moon is probably unlucky, especially if one
dreams of the waning moon. But it is not unlucky to dream of the new
moon.
To dream of a bridge breaking is unlucky. But to dream of crossing a
bridge in safety is lucky.
For a husband to dream of his absent wife as smiling, well-dressed, or
sleeping with himself, is unlucky.--(Written down from memory. Told by
Ishanashte, November, 1886.)
End of Project Gutenberg's Aino Folk-Tales, by Basil Hall Chamberlain