Jump to content

Uriko-hime

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Calliopejen1 (talk | contribs) at 19:19, 15 June 2021. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Urikohime, Uriko-hime or Uriko Hime (うりこひめ; English: Princess Melon[1] or Melon Princess) is a Japanese folktale about a girl that is born out of a melon, adopted by a family and replaced by a creature named Amanojaku.

Summary

A melon comes washing down the stream until it is found by a human couple. They cut open the fruit and a girl appears out of it. They name her Urikohime (uri means "melon" in Japanese).[1] They raise her and she becomes a beautiful young lady. One day, she is left alone at home and told to be careful of any stranger who comes knocking. Unfortunately, a youkai named Amanojaku sets its sights on the girl. The creature appears at her house and asks the girl to open. She opens the door just a bit and the creature forces its entry in her house.[2]

In one version of the story, Amanojaku kills Urikohime and wears her skin.[3] The creature replaces Urikohime as the couple's daughter, but its disguise is ruined when the girl, reincarnated as a little bird, reveals the deception and eventually regains her human form.[4]

In another account, Urikohime becomes known for her great weaving abilities. Due to this, she is betrothed to a lord or prince. Before she marries, Amanojaku kills her and wears her dress, or ties her to a persimmon tree. The false bride is taken to the wedding on a palanquin, but the ruse is discovered. In the version where she is tied up, Urikohime cries out to anyone to hear and is rescued. The creature is chased away.[5][6]

Distribution

According to Japanese folklorist Keigo Seki's notations, several variations are recorded in Japanese compilations.[7] Further studies show that the tale can be found all over the Japanese archipelago.[8]

According to Fanny Hagin Mayer, "most versions" of the story end on a tragic note, but all seem to indicate the great weaving skills of Urikohime.[9]

Analysis

Japanese scholarship argues for some relationship between this tale and Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index tale type ATU 408, "The Three Citrons", since both tales involve a maiden born of a fruit and her replacement for a false bride (in the tale type) and for evil creature Amanojaku (in Japanese versions).[10] In fact, professor Hiroko Ikeda classified the story of Urikohime as type 408B in his Japanese catalogue.[11]

Attention has also been drawn to the motif of "The False Bride" that exists in both tales: in Urikohime, the youkai or ogress wears the skin of the slain girl.[12] Folklorist Christine Goldberg recognizes that this is the motif Disguised Flayer (motif K1941 in the Motif-Index of Folk-Literature). This disguise is also used by heroines in other folktales.[13]

Professor Fanny Hagin Mayer remarked on the characters of the elderly couple that adopts Urikohime, which appear in several other Japanese folktales as a set.[14] The elderly woman teaches her adopted daughter skills in weaving.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Yamazato 1983, p. 146.
  2. ^ Bonnin 2003, p. 41
  3. ^ King & Fraser 2019, p. 107-108.
  4. ^ Goldberg 1997, p. 37
  5. ^ Eder 1969, p. 24.
  6. ^ Seki 1966, p. 84-85.
  7. ^ Seki 1966, p. 85.
  8. ^ Fujii 2013, p. 18
  9. ^ Mayer 1974, p. 78.
  10. ^ Takagi 2013.
  11. ^ Takagi 2013, p. 51.
  12. ^ Nakawaki 2020, p. 165 n.22.
  13. ^ Goldberg 1997, p. 36-37.
  14. ^ Mayer 1960, p. 665-666.
  15. ^ Mayer 1960, p. 666.

References

Further reading

Category:Japanese fairy tales Category:Japanese folklore

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uriko-hime&oldid=1028745176"