Hungarian Heritage Review, 1988 (17. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1988-04-01 / 4. szám
®l|e folklore of Hungaro King Matthias answered, “Why don’t you try to guess? Whoever guesses right will be rewarded.” The nobles racked their brains but all in vain. So, at the first chance they hurried back to the old man. They surrounded him, begging him to explain the meaning of the king’s questions to him. “Sorry, I can’t tell you until I have seen the portrait of the king,” said the man. “Where? Which portrait?” they asked. “The portrait that’s minted on gold coins," said he. Hungarian peasant woman from the Toroczkó region of Transylvania, published in Johann von Csaplovics, National-Kleidertrachten und Ansichten von Ungarn, Croatien, Slawonien, dem Bánát, Siebenbürgen under der Bukowina, Vienna, 1821. The noblemen agreed to give him ten gold pieces. The old man began to explain his conversation with the king. “‘My respects to you, old fellow’ means simply that I have a good wife who keeps me clean, for I always wear clean, respectable clothes. I am, therefore, held in respect. That’s why I said, ‘Thanks to my wife.’ ” “But why did you say that you are throwing your money in the mud? Four out of six?” “Well, I earn six gold pieces. I spend two of these for my own needs and spend the remaining four on my son. And that’s really like throwing money in the mud,” said the old man. “And what did the king mean when he asked, ‘How many are thirty-two’?” “I’ll tell you if you give me ten more gold pieces.” Although reluctantly, the nobles gave in. Then the old man continued laughingly, “When I was a young lad, I had thirty-two teeth. But now that I am old, I only have twelve. That’s the meaning of what I said!” There was only one more question left, and the nobles spared no money to get the answer. To get it, they gave the old man ten more gold pieces. “And what in the world did the question ‘Could you still milk a billy goat’ mean?” “It meant exactly what I have just done to you, gentlemen!” The Fox, the Bear, and the Poor Man There once was a poor man. One morning he hitched up his oxen to plow his fields. As he was passing by the woods, he suddenly heard a lot of howling and squealing. He entered the woods to see what was happening. He was shocked to see a big bear fighting a small rabbit. “I have never seen anything like this in my life,” observed the poor man, and he burst out laughing. “Damn you, you lunatic! How dare you laugh at me?” cried the bear. “I’ll get even with you for this! I am going to eat you along with your oxen.” Of course, the poor man laughed no more. He pleaded with the'bear not to eat him. But if he must go through with it, the bear should at least wait until the evening so he could finish plowing his fields and thus leave his family something to eat. “All right!” said the bear. “I won’t eat you until nightfall, but then be ready!” With that the bear left, and the poor man kept on plowing. He was very sad. He thought and thought, trying to find a way to appease the bear. At noon, a fox came by. He asked the poor man why he was in such a sad mood. Maybe he could help him out. The poor man then told him about his encounter with the bear. “Is that all?” asked the fox. “I am certain I can help you and certainly make sure that nothing váll happen to you. But what will you pay me for it?” The poor man didn’t know what to say. for he had no money and the fox wanted too much. Finally, they agreed that he would pay nine liens and one rooster. But the poor man agreed reluctantly, for he had no idea how he would keep his part of the bargain. “Well, now listen,” said the fox. “By the time the bear gets here in the evening I’ll be hidden in the bushes. There I’ll blow a hunting horn, as do the hunters. Then the bear will ask you the meaning of the sound. You’ll simply tell him that the hunters are coming. The bear will then get scared and ask you to hide him. You will hide him in a potato sack and tell him not to move. At that point I will emerge from the bushes and ask you, ‘What’s in that bag?’ You’ll respond, ‘Only some blocks of wood.’ I won’t believe it and will instruct you, ‘Pick up an axe and swing it into the part that sticks out.’ You’ll then pick up the —continued on next page 20 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW APRIL 1988
