The Story of the Fisherman and the Sultan (1)

Summary
From Drower’s collection of Iraqi folktales.

Text
A fisherman must build for the Sultan a castle of lion’s milk and ivory. His mother directs him to the water-mill, where an elephant lives.
“Mahmud saw that the elephant’s nails had grown seven yards into the earth, and that the hair on its head was so thick that it fell like a tent over its eyes. He came and cut the nails of its hands and feet and its hair … Mahmud cut it all off, and shaved the elephant’s head.” The elephant is so grateful that he wants to give to Mahmud anything he wants. Later in the story Mahmud comes again “to the water-mill in which the elephant sat. His shape was that of an elephant, for Allah created him thus, but he was like a man and spoke like a man” (p. 397). The elephant says to Mahmud: “I will tell you who will give you lioness’ milk! … Outside the door there are crossroads. Two are named ‘Go and Return,’ but the third is called ‘Went and Did Not Return.’ Take the third, for it leads to the eagle, who will help you.” …

“Then Mahmud continued on his way … and walked – until at last he reached a tree, a palm tree so tall that when he gazed upwards to its summit, his turban fell from his head. Yes, it was tall, that tree! A thousand ram, and it rose from the earth to the heaven – it was so tall! In the palm tree he saw an eagle’s nest with her brood in it, and close to them was a seven-headed serpent of immense size – as big as Allah! … he cut off its seven heads with one thrust of his sword. … had the boy struck a second blow, the serpent would have revived. … It was more than a serpent, it was an ˤafrit! … When the monster was dead, he divided its body into morsels and threw them up to the eagle’s brood in the tree above. The eaglets ate and were satisfied, all of them. The remaining morsels they put aside for their mother, who had gone into the mountains to hunt for food. The eagle was not like other eagles, but was a simurgh.”

Mahmud falls asleep beneath the tree, the eagle returns, seizes a mountain in her claws in order to hurl it on him, but eaglets fly out to their mother, saying, “This son of Adam killed the serpent, and cut it into morsels which we ate, putting a portion aside for you.” The eagle is grateful and cries to Mahmud, “Son of Adam! Ask and desire!” Mahmud names the building materials he needs for his building project. The eagle responds: “I would gladly have given you jewels or gold, or precious stones! I cannot give you that! Ask me anything in the world but that!” Finally he consents to help Mahmud, saying: “Son of Adam, ride on my back!”

While gaining in height, the bird asks three times, “What does the world look like?” In three answers, Mahmud compares the world to table, mirror, and watch. Finally, the eagle flew down to the ground, saying: “This is the place you want! … Over there is a lioness, and these forty years she has endured a dagger that ran into her foot, and could not be drawn out! Go to her, for she is sleeping and weeping.” The narrator says that “by the aid of the strength that the simurgh had put into his body, he was able to draw out the dagger from the lioness’ foot.” She was the queen of lions, and said to Mahmud: “Ey, son of Adam, are you fairy, born of fairy, or human, born of human? Whatever you ask, to him who pulled the dagger from my foot, I will grant his request.” Mahmud says he needs milk of lionesses for his building project.

After a longer journey, he receives what he needs in a fairy destination, where the lioness asks her sons to bring the hero home, but only the last of her sons with one arm, one leg, one ear and one eye is able to bring him home in a single day. The lion flew through the air, and in one moment they arrived at the place of the simurgh. Mahmud brings home the necessary material from the road ‘Went and Did Not Return’.

Source (list of abbreviations)
Iraqi folktales

Bibliography

Amar Annus

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