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List of Palestinian Folk Stories
The Lions of Lions Gate
The Eastern gate of the old city of Jerusalem
is called (Bab el 'Esbat) or Lions gate because of four sculptures of lions
at the entrance. Some call it the Maria Magdalena gate because it overlooks
the Gethsemane in the Valley East of the Old City wall. These lions have
a story that goes as follows:
When the rule of the Ottoman Sultan Saleem was
settled in Egypt and Syria, he came to visit Jerusalem where he found a
situation that strongly upset him. At night, during his sleep, he dreamt
that four lions were attacking him and he couldn't fight them, so they
tore him apart. He woke up frightened. He sent for fortunetellers and dream
interpreters, but none of them could interpret his dream and they were
in awe of its content. The Sultan heard of a wise man living in one of
the Al Aqsa Mosque rooms, so he sent for him. The wise Sheikh came to meet
the Sultan who told the former of his dream. The Sheikh asked: "what were
you thinking of be- fore you went to sleep?" The Sultan answered: "I was
thinking of how to punish the people of Jerusalem." "But why do you want
to punish them?" asked the Sheikh. The Sultan answered:" because they refuse
to pay taxes." The Sheikh said:" Well Sul- tan, this dream is a warning
from God almighty to prevent you from committing a great sin. The city
of Jerusalem houses the Al Aqsa mosque, which is the house of God, and
this is why it is called "Bayt al Maqdes". It is a good land where many
good people have been buried. Our great father Adam was buried here, and
nearby is buried prophet Ibrahim. God loves his prophets, and pun- ishes
anyone who tries to ruin the city or be unjust to its people. I advise
you to be fair towards the people in your rule, and try to restore the
holy city." The Sultan was listening in awe and wonder, and when the Sheikh
finished speaking he felt at peace. He ordered a gift of clothing for the
Sheikh, and made a quick visit to the Haram ash Sharif to pray. He checked
what rehabilitation the city needs and ordered them to be immediately implemented.
He toured the old city, and ordered the rebuilding of the great wall. He
gave the project to two brothers who were architects who commenced their
work in Lions gate. One of them worked northwards and the other southwards
and they met at the Jaffa gate west of the city. The lions at the entrance
of Lions gate were sculpted in memory of the dream which was the reason
for the reconstruction of the old city wall.
Source: Rushdi Al -Ashhab, Kan Ya ma Kan:
Popular stories from Jerusalem. Jerusalem: Alloush publishers, 1996.
[Back to up]
An Advice worth 500 sheep
It is said that the Sheik of a tribe had only
one son, even though he married more than one woman. The boy was pampered
as an only son, and his father was not able to teach him the roughness
of the Bedouins and their courage. His softness and inability to fight
his peers was a disappointment to his father who was trying to prepare
him to be his heir as head of the tribe. He married him off, hoping that
marriage would change him, but after months of wedlock no change took place.
One day, a camel was lost, and the father asked his son to search for it.
The son went searching for hours and returned hungry and tired without
the camel. His father was angry and beat his son swearing to exile him
from the tribe. The son fled his father's ill-temper heading south until
he reached a tribe in Sinai. The Sheik of the tribe learnt of his story
and offered him work as a shepherd in return for 20 sheep every year, in
addition to food and clothing and shelter. After working for the Sheik
for ten years, the son felt that he has gained enough experience and roughness
to convince his father. He counted his sheep and found that they were more
than 500, so he asked for permission to leave. The Sheik realized that
the young man was still inexperienced, so he offered to give him a horse,
a shot gun, and three advice in return for his sheep.
The young man accepted. As to the three ad-
vice, they were:
a) Beware of the man with blue eyes and split
teeth.
b) Do not sleep in a valley where the water
source and direction is not known to you.
c) Sleep over any injustice you feel so as
not to regret your actions the next day.
The man listened to the advice and left his
sheep and started his travels. He met another traveler on the road, and
noticed that he had blue eyes and split teeth so he was very wary. As night
approached, the traveler suggested to the young man that they sleep beneath
the trees in the valley, but the latter insisted to go up to the mountain
for fear of a sudden water flow. They settled down to sleep but neither
one was asleep: the young man was afraid to sleep and the other was waiting
for him to sleep in order to kill him and take his shot gun and horse.
When the latter thought the young man was asleep he tried to attack him,
but the man quickly sent a shot towards him and killed him. The next morning,
he found the valley had become a river due to the heavy rainfall.
When he arrived to his tribe's dwellings,
he walked quietly to his wife's tent and stared inside. To his horror he
saw her sleeping with a strange man whom he thought was another husband
or lover. He took out his shotgun to kill them but he remembered the third
advice and refrained. He went to the hospitality tent to sleep. In the
early morning he went to greet his father and asked him about the man sleeping
with his wife, and his father told him that that was his son.
[Back to up]
The Fisherman and the King
A poor fisherman lived with his wife and children
whose only food was the fish he managed to catch. In days of extreme cold
or heat, the fisherman only managed to catch a few small fish in his net.
One day, he went to sea from the early hours of the morning. He spent his
day trying to catch some fish, but to no avail. Finally, at his last try,
he caught a good number of fish, including a big fat fish the like of which
he had never seen before. His wife was thrilled with the bounty he brought
back with him, and baked the fish to feed her children. Her husband consulted
with her on the idea of giving the big fish as a present to the King, and
she agreed. In the morning, he carried the fish and went to the castle,
asking permission to see the King. In the King's presence, the fisherman
said: "Oh great King, I have caught this big fish the like of which I have
never seen, and I have brought it to you as a gift, preferring you over
my family and children." The King looked at the fish and then at the poor
fisherman and had pity on him. He accepted the gift, and gave the fisher-
man 100 Dinars in return. The Queen was not pleased with her husband's
generosity and pro- tested, demanding that he retrieve the money from the
fisherman and give him 10 Dinars only.
He answered that the King's grant cannot be
taken back, and if people hear of this what will they think? She then asked
him to summon the fisherman and ask him if the fish is male or fe- male:
"If the fisherman says the fish is female the King should say: Well the
queen would like a male fish, and the other way round. This way you can
take your money back." When the fisherman was summoned and the King asked
him the question, he could sense the trick behind the question so he answered:
"The fish is neither male nor female." The King liked his clever answer
and gave him another 100 Dinars. The fisherman ran qvickly out of the castle.
On the steps a Dinar fell, he bent to pick it up while the Queen was watching.
She asked the King:"How come you do away so easily with 200 Dinars and
he doesn't leave one Dinar be- hind? Summon him and ask him why he didn't
leave the Dinar to the servant?" The King could not refuse the Queen's
request, and summoned the fisherman to ask him that question. The fish-
erman answered:" Oh great King, I didn't pick the Dinar up out of stinginess,
but out of care that your image should not be tainted." The King or- dered
another 100 Dinars paid out to him and sent him home.
[Back to up]
Goodluck and Goodbrains
Goodluck and Goodbrains were loving brothers
, inseparable, until one day they were forced to separate. many years later
they met again by chance, near a fertile valley . They hugged each other
and each one told the other his story, each claiming that he is more useful
than the other. So they agreed to try each other , and Goodbrains told
Good luck : "I t 's your turn first, and you can have a go with this farmer
there." The young farmer was ploughing the land, so Good luck took hold
of him. While he was ploughing the land, his plough got stuck. Removing
the earth he found a jar full of golden coins. He took it out and brought
it back to his parents who were delighted with the discovery.
The mother however told them: "This gold is for the King,
and if you don't take it back to him he will know and punish both of you."
The son and the father both tried to convince her otherwise but to no avail.
Finally, the father told his son: "Let's take the treasure to the King
and give it to him as a present." The son gave in and they both went to
the King. The father explained how his son found the treasure which is
the best gift anyone could bring the King who asked: " Wouldn't it have
been better for you to have kept the treasure?" The Father answered: "
We learnt that the King's treasury is empty and that you are borrowing
money for the state so we thought that this money will come in handy."
the King said: " I have no reward for you better than offering my daughter
as a bride for your son. Send him over for lunch after two days so he may
be seen by the princess."
Both father and son were delighted and broke the good
news to the mother who was ecstatic. Two days later, the son attended the
banquet where the King and his ministers were present. The princess then
arrived and gave her father a rose and he smelled it, then he gave it to
his counselor who smelled it as well and gave it to the next one in line
and so on until it reached the young man who ate it after smelling it.
When everyone started eating, the groom-to-be was eating and at the same
time putting a handful of food in his pocket, until everyone finished eating.
After a short period of time, the wedding
celebrations began. On the wedding night, the princess was kind to her
groom but he was very rough, and tied her with a rope. She screamed for
help and the guards came to her rescue with the King who ordered the groom
to be taken to prison in preparation for his execution. Good brains asked
Good luck when he met with him: "What have you done?!" Good luck answered:
"What more could I have done? I gave him riches, and married him off to
the princess." - "But you also brought him to his death. Leave him to me,
" said Good brains, who then took over the young man.
When it was time for him to be executed, the governor
asked him about his last wish and he said:" I would like to speak to the
King." In the presence of the King the young man said:" Oh King you have
been unfair to me and do not understand the rationale behind my behavior.
I ate the rose because I love the princess and instead of throwing away
the rose I ate it to preserve it. I placed the food in my pocket to take
it back to my mother who asked me to bring her back something from the
King's table. As to my rough treatment of your daughter, I did that because
I am a farmer and wanted her to be trained in the life of the farmer which
is different from her life in the castle. I did that because I love her
very much." the King was impressed with his words and forgave him ordering
him to return to his wife and become his counselor.
[Back to up]
The Origin of Evil
Our great father, Adam, was busy checking out
the trees in the wood, while our great mother, Eve, was doing some house
work in the cave, when she heard the sound of a child crying. She ran outside
to find to her surprise a naked baby on the ground. Eve didn't know that
this baby was the son of Satan, sent by his father to seduce Adam and Eve
and their children and drag them into evil. Eve carried the baby and takes
care of him until he stopped crying.
When Adam returned and saw the child, he took
him from her and threw him in the river. After making sure that he drowned
he returned home. On the second day, after Adam went out to his business,
Satan came by and called to his son: "where are you my little devil" and
his son answered as he came out of the water: "here I am." Satan ordered
him to stay by the river side until Adam returns. When Adam came back home
he found the child so he threw him into the fire until he turned to ashes.
The next morning, Satan came by and called on his son who returned to life
immediately. When Adam re-turned from work in the evening he saw the devil
whom he thought he had finished with. He was extremely angry and told Eve:
"The best way to get rid of this devil is to cook him and eat him." The
parents of mankind did exactly that. The next morning, Satan came calling
his son: "where are you my little devil?" and two voices came from inside
the bodies of Adam and Eve answering: "Here I am father, resting." His
father answered:" Excellent, this is exactly what I wanted." Since then,
all human beings are born with a good part of the devil within them.
Source: Rushdi al Ashhab, Popular Stories from
Palestine. Published by the Arab Studies Society, Jerusalem, 1987.
Three Good Men
Three merchants were going on a trip when night came with
heavy rain forcing them to take shelter in a cave where they spent the
night. In the morning as they were about to leave they found out that a
huge rock had blocked the entrance to the cave making them prisoners without
food or water. They were certain of an impending death. However, one of
them said: "let each one of us remember a good deed that he once did and
then pray to God to save us."
The first one said: "I had a beautiful cousin whom I couldn't
marry, so her father married her to another man and she had three children.
One year there was a heavy drought, food was lost and many died of hunger.
In that dire state my cousin came asking me for help, and I agreed on the
condition that she would give herself to me, and she refused.
She suffered hunger for days and her husband and two children
died, leaving her youngest. Fearing for his death too she accepted my condition,
took a scarf and covered her face, when I asked her for the reason she
answered :"I feel shame in front of God." I answered: " You feel shame
and I don't… take what you need and go to your son." Then he prayed to
God:" Oh God if I have not committed adultery out of shame then remove
this impediment we are in." The rock moved a little and some air creeped
in.
The second said:" I was a rice merchant, with many young
men working for me on a weekly pay. One day one of the workers was sick
and did not come to collect his pay, and he was long absent so I bought
with his wage a sheep and sent it out with my own flock. The sheep procreated
and increased in number. After a few years, the worker returned asking
for his money so I pointed out to the sheep to take them, and he thought
I was making fun of him, but I told him what happened and he took his flock
away. Oh God, if I have been honest save us. " The rock moved a little
bit more and light came through.
The Third said: "I was a shepherd with two old parents
whom I took care of and gave them milk every day. One day I arrived late
with the milk and found them asleep. I stood by their bed until the morning
so as not to disturb them. Oh God if I have done this for your mercy please
save us." The rock moved completely away from the entrance and they were
saved.
Source: Rushdi al Ashhab, Popular stories from Palestine,
Jerusalem 1987, Arab Studies Society
The Obedient wife
Two friends, Ahmad and Said, who got married around the
same time met one day. Ahmad asked Said:" how is your married life?" Said
answered:" my wife is very obedient and comes from a good family." Ahmad
asked again:" Have you never beaten her, not once?" Said answered:" why
should I beat her? I love her, and she always meets my every need." "I
beat my wife once every week," said Ahmad, " to remind her who the man
of the house is." Each then went his own way, and met again after a few
years. "How are you doing friend? Have you mustered up enough courage to
beat your wife?" Said answered:" No, my friend, I won't beat her for no
reason." "You're such a good man, but you should try this: buy 3 kilos
of fish and ask her to cook the fish because you have guests, and leave
the house quickly before she has time to ask you anything. When you return,
reject everything she offers for dinner, and then you will find reason
to beat her." Said did as Ahmad told him, and his wife was confused: how
is she supposed to cook the fish? She then decided to cook three kinds:
fried, grilled, and cooked with rice. Her husband returned with his friend,
and she opened the door, leaving her child in the bathroom using the potty.
Her husband immediately asked for the food, so she first brought the grilled
fish with tomato sauce, and her husband said:" Is this grilled? I don't
like it." So she quickly brought in the fried fish. "Nor do I like it fried,
I like it cooked with rice." So, she brought him his request. "No, No,
give us shit to eat" he screamed angrily, so she quickly brought him his
son's potty. The two friends looked at each other, and Ahmad said:" truly,
your wife deserves all the good in the world." Meanwhile, Said started
apologizing to his wife.
Source: Al Ashhab, Rushdi. Kan Ya Ma Kan: popular stories
from Jerusalem, Alloush publishing company,Jerusalem 1996.
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