Archivi del Sud - Contami unu Contu (Baronie)

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volume 2
Baronie
Contami unu Contu. Vol II - Baronie
6. Sa pana
The ghost of the child-bearer
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13. Su bechinu 'e Ortullè
The gravedigger of Urzulei
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Siniscola 1974. Narrator: Veronica Apile Cabras, born in Siniscola 8.11.1908, miller, illiterate, resident in Torpè. Source: MANCA collection, n.43. Legendary classification, non-classified.

Sa pana
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Una die est andata custa emina a li narre' si andaiti assu riu a un'attera cumpanza.
E l'a nattu custa cumpanza: «Emmo, comare, ia 'enzo assu riu». E in cussu, cando sun andatas assu riu, andan a inie, acattana una emina lavande; comente acattan custa emina lavande, a nattu: «Inoche sezzisi?» Custa emina non b'a rispostu. Itt'a fattu custa emina? Cuminzat a boccare ossoso, a boccare ossoso, a boccare ossoso, e cuddas poverittasa, isprasumattasa, sicche sun devitar fuire.
E cuddasa l'ana siguitu ifattu, gai, a las cherre' mazzare, cudda pana. Itt'ana fattu issasa? ben' o male, canta su puddu (ca cando canta su puddu nara chi s'ora mala sicc'andata), a cantau trer bortar su puddu e cudda pana sicch'est andata. E cuddas si sono, meschinas, troppu assucconatasa.
The ghost of the child-bearer

One day this woman went to another companion to ask if she was going to the river. The companion said to her: «Yes, Comare, I'll come to the river». So, when they went to the river, they go there, and they find a woman who was washing and as they find her, this woman that was washing, they say: «Are you here?». This woman did not answer. What did this woman do? She starts to take out bones, to take out bones, to take out bones: and those poor things, frightened, had to run away. And that one followed them and wanted to beat them, that pana*. What did they do? For better or for worse, the cock crows (when the cock crows it is said that bad luck goes away), it crowed three times and that pana went away. And those ones, those poor things, they were so frightened.

* Translator's note: The pana is the ghost of a woman who has died while giving birth.

Dorgali 1971. Narrator: Maria Pintore, 46, housewife, elementary education.
Source: SCHINTU collection, n.10. Classification: stories of men, AT 1711*, A woodcutter who is not afraid of death.

Su bechinu 'e Ortullè
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Una orta nachi aian postu unu bechinu macu in Ortullè e tottusu lu pigana in ziru. Disinnana una die a che ponnere unu omine biu ind'una bara e chelu zuhene anie. Cantu este istau unu pacu a bistu ca sa bara, ca intendiasonos; aperi sa bara e che agatada unu omine ch'i galu iu; si piga su picu e commenzada a corfor de picu e l'a mortu. Tando este andau and'è su sindigu e lis a narau, nara: «Apompiai sos mortos, battemichelor mortos ca oze minchende air battiu unu iu e mich'es tocau a mie a che lu morrere.»
Custu l'aian fattu un' ischerzu. Dae sa die no ane ischerzadu prus cun custu macu; an narau: «Custu atere che....atere che macu è, c'a mortu unu a beru.»
The gravedigger of Urzulei

They say that one time they put this mad gravedigger in Urzulei and everybody made fun of him. One day they decide to put a live man inside a coffin and bring him there. When some time had passed he saw that noises could be heard from the coffin: he opens the coffin and finds a man that was still alive. He takes the pickaxe and starts with these pickaxe blows and he kills him.
Then he went to the mayor and he told them, says he: «Listen, the corpses, bring them to me dead because today you brought me one which was alive and I had to kill him».
They had played a trick on him, but from that day on they joked with him no more. They said: «This one...mad isn't the right word for him, he's really killed someone.»