volume 1 Logudoro

1. Su contadu de su pohu ipinu The tale of the Hedgehog Listen to the track in Real Audio

Introduction

The tale is to be situated without doubt in the group of magic tales classified as number 425 by Aarne and Thompson which bears the title "The search for the lost husband" and displays particular coincidences with the sub-type 425A "The monster or animal as husband, either Amore or Psyche" Another similarity may be that of type AT 441 "Hans, my Hedgehog", if for nothing else because the monster is a hedgehog as in the Sardinian Tale; other coincidences could be identified in the fact that even here the hedgehog obtains his bride after having offered services. However both plots (AT 425 and 441) have as a central nucleus the legend of Amore and Psyche contained in the Golden donkey of Apuleio (11th century ad) although they do not derive directly from it.
In general terms the tale presented by Thompson has an introduction in which how the young maid falls into the hands of the monster or animal who she is to marry is explained. By way of a kiss, tears etc. the monster, which is a spellbound prince, returns to his real appearance, but for some form of imprudence or disobedience of the bride disappears after giving indications as to how he can be found again. The bride also with the help of magic and magic helpers finds the groom and conquests him again. The Sardinian version differs notably from this development, of which it conserves principally: the motif of the prince-monster, the real appearance of which will be seen only by way of the love of a young maid; and that of the disappearance and later search for the monster which in this case takes place before and not after the transformation as in the AT base plot. The youth gains his real appearance again in the moment that the maid, finding him on the point of dying cries and finally utters the words of love invoked by him and on which his liberation from the spell depends.
The narration is aided by an exceptional narrator who communicates the pathos of the happenings in a way which is extremely efficient.
The tale is extremely widespread in Europe where it enjoys maximum popularity in the western part. In Italy it is also known for the literary version by G.B. Basile in the Pentamerone. In Sardinia at the present stage of research, several versions which are variably distributed in the territory are known.

Ozieri 1971. Narrator: Peppina Falcone, 70, tailor, education 4th primary.
Source: MANUNTA, n.18, p.237 onwards; classification: AT 425 A.

Su contadu de su pohu ipinu The Track in Real Audio Culthu este su contadu de su pohu ipinu. In unu tempu lontanu, in una idda povera, viviana maridu e muzere cun una pisedda, poverissimos su mantessi. Tanta sa povelthade ei sa debilesa propriu de su tempusu... de comente fini, de comente fin' poveros si sunu... si sunu immalaidados, s'unu ei s'atteru; sa prima è moltha sa muzere. poi è molthu su maridu, e ana lassadu cultha pisedda sola e offana, in cudda idda. Sas tiasa, unu pagu lontanasa ma parentese de su babbu e de sa mama, s'ana ritiradu cultha pizzinna, promittende tanta promissas chi cultha pisedda la trattaian bene. E gitta si l'ana a una campagna, ca viviana in una campagna, fini palthores. In cudda campagna, cuddas promissas sunu ruttas luego a terra, custa pizzinna la trattaiana male, no aiada su tantu nezessariu, tantu tribulada de Su trabagliu, chi non nde podia piusu. Issa naraia: «Pruit'è chi mi nde azis attidu a inoghe. pro no mi trattare 'ene!» «No deves essere goi imberriada, mamma tua e babbu tou t'ana imberriadu, ma inoghe che ses pro trabagliare. Ti pagamos e tue deves trabagliare.» Issa ilthaia sempre pianghende e naraiada: «Mamma e babbu, pessade bois, pessadebei 'oisi a mie, chi mi sezis lassende goi, sola e abbandonada dae tottu.» Fattende tottu culthas cossiderasciones, a bidu una femina chi si l'è presentada: «Fiza mea cara, pruite ses pianghende?» a nadu. E l'a nadu totta sa passione sua. A nadu: «Mi sun trattende troppu male, non nde potto pius. So una pover'offana, chi m' ana remtmidu nende chi mi trattaian bene, m'ana gravadu meda de trabagliu, robba chi eo no potto faghere, ca sa' folzas mi mancana, ca» a nadu «no mi dana tanta cosa a manigare, su suffiziente no mi lu dana a manigare.» «No ti disiperes no, chi asa un'anima preghende, fossi ded'essere s'anima 'e mamma tua, s'anima 'e babbu tou, chi t'ana a cambiare su tempus. Ista tranquilla.» «Ih! ma intanto» a nadu «como..,» Cudda femina elthe ihumpafida. Dada l'ana tottu culthos pannos a samunare chi los alla polthos in unu carru pro alidare a su riu: «Ih! Como è mezzusu! E comente fatto a samunare totta cultha robba!» a nau. «Eh, Deu meu!», issa supirende cun cuddas lagrimas, nachi, finas a terra. Ascia sos oios e bidede culth'animale falende dai cultha montagna, un animale orribile, chi si assimizaida a s'erittu, ma sas ipinas nachi fini mannas. Gighia sos oios nachi chi parian duos... duos... duos titones de fogu. E faladu elthe, e andadu elthe a incuddane: «Narami.» nachi «pruite ses pianghende?» Issa timendelu... timendelu... I'a nadu totta s'ilthoria. «Bae, fiza mea.» a nadu «e drommidi sutta de cudd'avure, poi» a nadu «a s'ihidada as'a crobare tottu fattu.» «Ih, s'idia cussu!» E gai issa elthe andada a si drommire sutta cudd'avure. ilthracca de pianghere. A cando si nd'elthe ihidada, crobada tottu cuddu fattu: andada a chihare cuddu allimale e no lu crobada. S'atteru die... a... s'atteru die, devia faghere su pane. «Comente fatto» nachi «a faghe tottu culthu pane: ma... bois no mi devides aggiuare?» «No, no. ti pagamus e lu deppes faghe tue.» Fini, nachi, malas, cultha zente, no è beru? «Ma no li azzis promissu gai a babbu e a mamma» a nadu; «pruite mi cherides trattare gai?» Issa andada ai cuddane: «Ih! Si falaia» nachi « cudd'animale chi è bennidu» nachi, «deved'essere cahi anima 'ona.» C'andada ai cuddane e fala cuddu, su pohu ipinu, e l'a nadu: «Tue ilthanotte, invece de ti ponnere a suighere» a nadu, «ti cohas: poi.» a nadu «manzanu ti nde asa a pesare» a nadu, «chi tottu ded'essere fattu.» «Ih!...e me lu faghides de abberu?» «Ista tranquilla» a nau. «Piuprelthu, naramilu» a nadu «cantu m'ilthimas.» Cando li fi' nende: «Cantu...» issa... «cantu... cantu...» isse cominzaiada a offiare, a offiare, a offiare cuddos oios, nachi, fini gai mannos chi parian duos titones de fogu: «Cantu...» e no podia narrere atteru. Isse ch'este iscumpafidu. «Eh! Già mi l'as'a narrere, mi l'as'a narrere!». E faghe gai, e ada su pane fattu. Tando cheriana a faghere sa ogada: sa ogada fi su prus diffizile pro una pizzinna, ca pruite la devia faghere in su riu. Prima l'aiana obbligada a lu samunare, poi devia faghe sa ogada. Falada su pohu ipinu dai cuddane: «Pruite ses pianghende?» «Ca como cherene a faghe sa ogada, eo cando aia mamma, ogada non nde appo fattu mai, no iho mancu comente chere fatta; bi lis appo nadu e niente, "chi eo la devo faghere, chi mi pagana e chi eo, nachi, la devia faghere".» «Eh! andada» a nadu. «Bae, andada» a nau, «lassalos sos pannos in cue, già bi pess'eo; tue» a nadu «ti cohas sutta de cudd'avure» I'a torrada a narrere. E andadu si ch'elthe. «Coro, chie ded'essere culth'anima 'ona, Deu meu, faghidemila idere» nachi «culth'anima 'ona chi ded'essere, ma sa frigura l'a mala, pruite è gai malu de frigura? Mamma e babbu ihia chi fin bellos, invece culthu» nachi «è propriu un animale...» Si nde ihidada. E falada isse torra dai cudda montagna e a nadu: «Tottu asa crobadu fattu?» «Sì,» a nadu «bos ringrazio meda» nachi «ma pruite sezis goi de mala frigura chi eo» nachi «bos timo?» «Narami cantu m'ilthimas» li torraiad'a narrere. Nendeli: «Narami cantu m'ilthimas» isse li faghia cudda oghe bella. «Coro, ite oghe bella, ma de frigura ite malu!» Tandu comenzaiad'isse: «Narami cantu m'ilthimas...» e issu offiende, offiende si che faghiada, nachi, mannu meda meda. «Cantu...» naraiad'issa, «cantu... cantu...». Lu timiada, e cuddu si che torraiad'andare. Balthe chi, passada tottu culthu. E una die... Tottu cuddu trabagliu l'aia fattu. Piusu nde faghiada, più bi lu garrigaiana cuddasa, ma sempre pessende ite fi' su miltheriu de cultha pizzinna, fossi si fidi lende giogu de issas. Tando l'an dadu sa lana a grammenare, poi a la filare, poi a la tessere. «Ma comente fatto tottu custu chi non d'appo mai fatto? Proit'e chi mi lu sezzis dende chi eo de culthu non d'appo mai fattu!» «Tue lo deppese faghere. Ti pagamos e lu deppese faghere.» Issa totta disiperada e pianghende, iguddane. Torrada a falare su pohu ipinu: «proite se' pianghende?» «Ca cherene a faghe culthu, a faghe sa lana, a la samunare, a la tessere, a la filare, a la tessere. Eo tottu culthu, mamma mia idia chi lu faghiada, ma eo no lu potto faghere.» «Eh! bae, bae» a nadu, «e cohadi sutta a cudd'avure.» Si coha sutta a cudd'avure I'a samunada, issa sa lana e filada, cussu già s'è proada a lu faghere. Fala su pohu ipinu: «Lassalu ilthare, mancu culthu cherzo a faghere. As'a bidere» a nadu «chi provvedimus finzas a igussu.» Tando li naraiada: «Narami... narami cantu m'ilthimas.» E sempre offiende, sempre offiende. sempre offiende. «Cantu... cantu...», si l'abbaidaiada: «Coro, canto bo so timende. Cantu... cantu... cantu...» e no li naraia mai nudda. Si c'andad' isse. Li faghe tottu cuddu e si torrad'a drommire issa. E passa cussu puru. Tando la fini sighende a trattare male su mantessi, ma su pohu ipinu no s'idia piusu. «E comente fatto!» a nadu. «Poh'ipinu meu» nachi «no mi la fattas cultha, de m'abbandonare tue chi» a nadu «faghe» nachi «de tottu; già ti naro su chi cheres tue. balthe chi tue mi c'aggiues.» E torrada a falare su pohu ipinu. A nadu: «Tue, si no faghes su chi t'appo nad'eo, eo no ti potto aggiuare piusu; cando eo» a nau «mi che offio so isettende dae te una paraula de cunfolthu e tue mi la deves narrere.» «Eh!» a fattu ibbia. «Naramilu,» a nau «cantu m'ilthimas.» «Cantu... cantu... cantu...» e no l'a potidu narrere e su pohu ipinu si ch'elthe andadu. E no b'è torradu. Issa disiperada mala. Beni cudda femina chi li fidi appafida tando: «fiza mea cara,» a nadu «pruite l'asa trattadu gai» a nadu «su phu ipinu? chi como» a nadu «no ti che torrada.» «No mi che torrada! ... ma e comente faghere» «Già ti lu naro deo comente faghere. Deves andare ai cudda montagna chi ch'elthe attesu attesu, in cussa montagna b'ada» a nadu «unu palattu, in cussu palattu b'ada unu gancellu, in su gancellu b'ada unu cane ch'iltha sempre appeddende; tando» a nadu «tue cando isse elthe appeddende no lu timas, si no lu times» a nadu «t'abberi su gancellu e tue intras. Daghi intras» a nadu «as'a crobare unu leone, chi cussu leone iltha sempre fattu tou chi pare chi ti devorede, invece no ti faghe nudda. Poi» a nadu «as'a crobare unu serpente, de cussos serpentes mannos» a nadu «de una mala frigura, chi parede» a nadu «chi ti chefad'ingullire. Tue» a nadu «no lu timas e sighis andare. Tanto c'ascias» a nadu «in cuss'ihala. Il cuss'ihala» nada, «asa a crobare un animale malu chi ti parede» a nadu «chi abbelzendeli sa ucca, chi ti si chefada ingullire. Tue passa derettu, tue passa derettu» a nadut «e c'ascias a subra; subra as'a crobare» a nadu «una banca apparizzada. In cussa banca apparizzada» a nadu «b'elthe su pranzu prontu» a nadu «pro chie bi deve bennere: cultha banca apparizzada» a nadu «elthe isettende a tie. Poi... Ma no bides ancora» a nadu «su pohu ipinu. Cussa è sa domo 'e su pohu ipinu, ma su pohu ipinu» a nadu l'as'a crobare in un'ilthanzia chi ti lu deves girare tottu culthu palattu, e l'as a crobare in malu ilthadu» a nadu «ca su pohu ipinu, si tue no andas elthe acculzu a morrere!» «Ih, coro! Cali si siada sacrifiziu, già fatto tottu su chi mi nades bois. Ma chie sezis 'ois, nadimilu? Mamma sezis?» «No, no so mamma tua, ma ti so proteggende.» Tando ch'intrada e crobada, nachi, su pohu ipinu, da unu momentu a s'ateru, nachi, tottu offiadu, offiadu, offiadu cun cuddos oios, nachi, abbaidendesila; e issa timendelu, issa timendelu. «Pohu ipinu meu,» nachi «coro, chi già ti chelzo 'ene, già t'ilthimo» nachi «cantu... cantu... cantu su coro.» L'a nadu ibbia. Cuddu chi ad'intesu "cantu su coro", si ipezzada su pohu ipinu e nde essi culthu grande prinzipe: «Eh! Finalmente» a nadu «è finida sa penitenzia mia; tue filthi» a nadu «protetta da un'anima 'ona. Eo creo chi siad'ilthada mamma tua, chi a mie m'a raccontadu tottu culthu chi eo ti devia proteggere, e si eo no resessia a igustu de ti... de ti proteggere» a nadu «eo moria. No molzo ca tue» a nau «m'asa liberadu; su pohu ipinu, ch'idende sese...» a nau «so unu prinzipe chi fia sett'annos in penitenzia. Como andamus» a nadu «ca su pranzu è prontu, ca sono su fizu de unu re e devimus manigare umpare.»

The tale of the Hedgehog This is the tale of the hedgehog. In a far-off time, in a poor village, lived a husband and wife with a young daughter, who were also very poor. The misery and weakness of that time were so great that both of them fell ill; first the wife died and then the husband, leaving the girl alone and an orphan in the village. Some aunts, who were distant, though still relations of the father and the mother, took this girl with them making many promises to treat her well. They brought her to a piece of countryside, because they lived in a piece of countryside, they were shepherds.  In this piece of countryside the promises swiftly fell to the ground: they treated the girl badly, she did not have enough to live on, she was so oppressed by work that she couldn't bear it any longer. She said: "Why have you led me here to treat me badly?" "You mustn't be so spoilt, your mother and father spoilt you but you are here to work. We pay you and you must work." She was forever crying and said: "Mother and Father, think, think about me, why are you leaving me like this, alone and abandoned by all?" While she made these considerations she saw a woman, who appeared to her: "My dear child, why are you crying?" she said. She told her the story of all her suffering. She said: "They are treating me so badly, I can't put up with it any longer. I am a poor orphan, they took me saying that they would treat me well; they have burdened me with work, things that I can't do because I have no more strength, because" she said, "they don't give me much to eat, they don't give me enough to eat." "Do not despair, no, because there is a soul that is praying for you, perhaps it is the soul of your mother or the soul of your father, and it will make the weather change for you. Be calm." "Oh! But.." she said "Now..." The woman had disappeared. They had given her all this laundry to wash and they put it on a cart to go to the river: "Ah! Now I'm better off! How am I going to wash all this!" She said. "Oh my God!" she sighed with tears which, it is said, reached the ground. She raised her eyes and saw this animal coming down the mountain, a terrible animal that looked like a hedgehog but it had these spines, they say, they were this big. It had these eyes, it is said, that were like two...two burning embers. It came down and it went up to her: "Tell me," it said "why are you crying?". And she was afraid of it...she was afraid of it...she told it the whole story: "Go, my child" it said, "and fall asleep under that tree; and when you awake" it said "you will find everything done." "Ah if only it were true!". So she went to sleep under the tree, exhausted by all the crying she had done. When she awoke she found all the work done; she goes to find the animal but she doesn't find it. Another day...another day, she had to make bread. "What am I" she said " to make all this bread? But you aren't going to help me?" "No, we pay you and you must do it". They were nasty, weren't they? "But haven't you made these promises to Mother and Father! Why do you treat me so?" she said. She goes there: "Ah, if only that animal that came would come down!" she says, "it must be a good soul." She goes to that place, and that one comes down, the hedgehog, and said to her: "Tonight, instead of kneading, go to bed, then," he said "tomorrow when you get up everything will be done". "Oh, will you really do it for me?" "Don't worry" it said. "But" it said "tell me how much you love me." While she was saying to him: "As much as... as much as...as much as..." he started to bloat, to bloat, to bloat those eyes, that were so large that they looked like two glowing embers. "As much as..."and she could say no more. "Well, sooner or later you will tell me, you will tell me!" and it disappeared. She does this and has the bread ready. Then they wanted her to wash the bed linen; washing the bed linen was more difficult for a child because she had to do it at the river. First they made her do the washing, then she had to wash the bed linen. The hedgehog comes down from above: "Why are you crying?" "Because now they want me to wash the bed linen; when Mother was here I never had to wash the bed linen, I don't even know how to do it; I told them, but it was no good: 'I have to do it, that they pay me and I have to do it'." "Well, off with you" it said, "Go, go, leave the washing here and I'll deal with it" it said, "you go and lie down under that tree", it said to her again. And then it left. "Oh my heart, this must be a good soul! My God, let me see," she says, "this good soul that it must be; but its appearance is so ugly; why does it have such an ugly appearance? Mother and Father were good-looking, I know, but this really is an animal...." she says. She awakes. And he comes down the mountain again and says: "Have you found everything done?" "Yes" she said; "I thank you very much. But why are you so ugly in appearance that I am afraid of you?" "Tell me how much you love me" he says to her again. While he was saying to her " Tell me how much you love me" he had this beautiful voice. "My heart, what a beautiful voice but what an ugly appearance!" So he started saying: " Tell me how much you love me" and he started to bloat, to bloat and he became enormous. She said "As much as...as much as...as much as..." and was afraid of him; and he went away again. Anyway, all this happened.  And one day...she had done all this work. The more she did the more they gave her, those ones, but all the time they were thinking what the mystery of the girl could be and that perhaps she was playing with them. So they gave her some wool dye and then to spin and then to weave. "But how am I to do all this, I have never done it; why do you give me these tasks that I have never done before!" "You must do it. We pay you and you must do it". She went there desperate and crying. And the hedgehog comes down again: "Why are you crying?" "Because they want me to do this with the wool wash it, weave it, spin it, weave it. All this...I have seen my mother do it...but I can't do it." "Oh, go, go and lie down under that tree" he said. She lies down under the tree; she washed and spun the wool, this she tried to do. The hedgehog comes down: "Leave it alone, I don't want you to do even this. You will see" he says, "we will see to this as well." So he said to her: " Tell me...tell me how much you love me." And all the time bloating, bloating, bloating; she looked at him: "My heart, how much I am afraid of you. As much as...as much as...as much as..." and she never said any more. That one goes off, he does all the work for her and she falls asleep. This also passes.  They continued to treat her badly, but the hedgehog appeared no more. "What am I to do!" she said. "My hedgehog, don't do this to me, don't abandon me you the one that does everything" she said; "I will tell you everything you want just as long as you help me." The hedgehog comes down again. He said: "If you don't do as I say, I can't help you. When I become bloated" he said, " I am waiting for a word of comfort from you, and you must say it to me". "Oh!" she said and that's all. "Tell me" he said, "how much you love me." "As much as...as much as...as much as..." and she couldn't say anymore and the hedgehog left. He didn't come back. She was absolutely desperate. The woman who had appeared to her appeared: "My dear child," she said, "Why did you treat the hedgehog like that? Now," she said, "he won't come anymore." "He won't come back!...But what is to be done?" "I will tell you what you must do. You must go that mountain far off down there; on the mountain there is a palace, in the palace there is a gate, at the gate there is a dog that is always desiring; so you must not be afraid when it growls, if you are not afraid then open the gate and enter" she said. "When you enter you will find a lion that will always be behind you as if it wanted to devour you, but will do nothing to you. Then," she said, "you will find a serpent, one of those big ugly serpents and it will look as if it wants to swallow you; you must not be afraid, you must continue. Then you will go up this staircase" she said, " and on this staircase you will find a horrible animal that seems to open its mouth in order to swallow you. You go straight on, straight on" she said, "and go to the upper floor; and you will find a laid table. On this laid table lunch is ready for the person that must arrive; this laid table awaits you. Then...but you still won't see the hedgehog" she said. "This is the hedgehog's house, but you will find the hedgehog" she said "in a bedroom, because you will have to go all around this palace; and you will find him in a bad state because the hedgehog, if you don't go, is going to die." "Oh my heart! Whatever sacrifice, I will do everything you tell me. But who are you? Are you Mother?" "No, I am not you mother but I am protecting you." So she entered and found the hedgehog, say, from one moment to the next he bloated, bloated, bloated, with those eyes that looked at her and she had fear of him, she was afraid. "My hedgehog" she says "My heart, I do love you, I love you as much as ...as much as...as much as my heart." She said only this. The other, on hearing "as much as my heart" cracked, the hedgehog, and out came this great prince: "Oh, finally my penitence has come to an end!" he said. "You were protected by a good soul. I believe it was your mother that told me all this, that I had to protect you and that if I didn't succeed in protecting you I would have died" he said. "I won't die because you have freed me; the hedgehog you see...I am a prince that has been in penitence for seven years. Now let us go," he said "because lunch is ready, because I am the son of a king and we must eat together."