Eme’mqut and Envious-One compare the beauty of their wives. Envious-One, after pampering his wife with whale-blubber, grows obsessed with her appearance. When Eme’mqut’s wife is revealed, Envious-One is so overwhelmed by her beauty that he faints and suffers from a severe reaction. Eventually, he recovers, but declares he’s had enough, and they part ways.
Source
Koryak Texts
by Waldemar Bogoras
American Ethnological Society
Publications, Volume V
(edited by Franz Boas)
E. J. Brill – Leyden, 1917
► Themes of the story
Moral Lessons: The story highlights the consequences of excessive envy and obsession with superficial appearances.
Conflict with Authority: Envious-One’s actions can be seen as challenging societal norms or expectations regarding beauty and comparison.
Tragic Flaw: Envious-One’s downfall is caused by his own excessive envy and obsession with appearances.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Koryak people
Collected in the village of Kamenskoye, on Penshina Bay, with the help of Nicholas Vilkhin, a half-Russianized Koryak, Decmber 1900 – April, 1901.
[…] The next morning Eme’mqut saw Envious-One, and he said to him, “Where did you see him? Let us go and visit him.” Again they visited him, and said to him. “Oh, wait! we are going to roast the omasum on a flat stone.” Then Eme’mqut left Envious-One.
He began to busy himself with the omasum, and to roast it. He finished this. Then he went away. After some time he took a fine girl for a wife. Envious-One brought to his home his former (wife) Little U’wen. After a long time they said to each other. “Come here! Let us compare the beauty of our wives!”
Envious-One said, “All right! I will bring her.” She had an overcoat fringed with reindeer-mane. He took her along. While on the way, he washed her quite frequently with (liquid from) the chamber-vessel, and (by rubbing) forced the blood into her face.
► Continue reading…
Then those two came. Eme’mqut’s wife was hidden. They were going to bring the wives. Envious-One fed his wife sumptuously, giving her plenty of whale-blubber. “Let us compare the beauty of our wives!”
They brought them in. “Ah, but she has long lashes! She has large buttocks!” All the time he kept jumping over to his wife and re-arranging the parting of her hair. “Oh, surely she will came out the victor!” Then they brought forth Eme’mqut’s wife. Envious-One swooned at the first look.
He had a diarrhea from that whale-blubber. [It seems that he had eaten some whale-blubber with his wife.] They took away the woman. Then he recovered his senses. He said, “I have slept.” And really he began to eat again the matter vomited from his insides. They brought in the woman again. He swooned.
That vomited matter, which he tried to swallow came out again. They took her away. He recovered his senses, and ate again that matter vomited from his insides. Then (he said), “I do not want it. Go away! I have had enough!”
The end.
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