A man of Onlad Draabad, fearing for his beautiful wife’s safety, secluded her by the salt sea. However, she was abducted by sailors seeking a bride for their Sultan. With aid from the son of Keij, the husband braved dangerous creatures, guards, and a marine monster to rescue her. After reclaiming riches from a deserted city, they returned home victorious, leaving the ship to his ally.
Source
Moorish Literature
romantic ballads, tales of the Berbers,
stories of the Kabyles, folk-lore,
and national traditions
The Colonial Press,
London, New York, 1901
► Themes of the story
Supernatural Beings: Encounters with dangerous creatures like the marine monster and guardian animals.
Cunning and Deception: The husband’s clever strategies to bypass guards and rescue his wife.
Sacred Objects: The use of special stones with destructive powers during the escape.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Berber peoples
Translated by Réne Basset
and Chauncey C. Starkweather
It is related that a man of the Onlad Draabad married his cousin, whom he loved greatly. He possessed a single slave and some camels. Fearing lest someone should carry off his wife on account of her beauty, he resolved to take her to a place where no one should see her. He started, therefore, with his slave, his camels, and his wife, and proceeded night and day until he arrived at the shore of the great salt sea, knowing that nobody would come there.
One day when he had gone out to see his camels and his slave, leaving his wife alone in the tent, she saw a ship that had just then arrived. It had been sent by a sultan of a far country, to seek in the islands of the salt sea a more beautiful wife for him than the women of his land.
► Continue reading…
The woman in the tent, seeing that the ship would not come first to her, went out first in front. The people said to her, “Come on board in order to see the whole ship.” She went aboard. Finding her to be just the one for whom they were seeking, they seized her and took her to their Sultan. On his return, the husband, not finding his wife, realized that she had been stolen. He started to find the son of Keij, the Christian. Between them there existed a friendship. The son of Keij said to him: “Bring a ship and seven men, whose guide I will be on the sea. They need not go astray nor be frightened. The city is three or four months’ journey from here.” They set sail in a ship to find the city, and were on the way the time that he had said.
Arriving they cast their anchor near the city, which was at the top of a high mountain. Their chief went ashore and saw a fire lighted by someone. He went in that direction. It was an old woman, to whom he told his story. She gave him news of his wife. They agreed to keep silence between themselves. Then the old woman added: “In this place there are two birds that devour people. At their side are two lions like to them, and two men. All of these keep guard over your wife.”
He bought a sheep, which he killed; then he went to the two birds and threw them a part of it. While they were quarrelling over it he passed by them and came near to the two lions, to which he did the same. Approaching the two men, he found them asleep. He went as far as the place where his wife was in prison, and attracted her attention by scratching her foot. He was disguised and said to her, “I have sought you to tell you something.” He took her by the hand. They both went out, and he swore that if she made the slightest noise he would kill her. He also asked her which was the swiftest boat for the journey. She pointed out the best boat there, and they embarked in it. There were some stones on board, and when he threw one at a ship it was crushed from stem to stern, and all on board perished.
He started to find the son of Keij. While they were at sea a marine monster swallowed them and the ship on which they were sailing. The chief took some pitch and had it boiled in a kettle. The monster cast up the ship on the shore of the sea. They continued their journey, proceeding by the seaside.
Behold one day they came to a deserted city. They desired to take what it contained of riches, silver, and gold. All of a sudden the image of an armed man appeared to them. They could not resist or kill him at first, but finally they destroyed him and took all the riches of the houses. When they arrived near the son of Keij he said to them: “I want only the ship.” So the other man took the treasures and returned home with his wife.
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Dreamtime Whispers 