Indian Fairy Tales · Chapter
VI: The Magic Fiddle explained
This chapter presents a Santal folktale about a magic fiddle, with source notes and parallels to European variants.
What happens
This chapter presents a Santal folktale about a magic fiddle, with source notes and parallels to European variants. The story involves a Bonga spirit, low-caste aborigines, and a murderous sister, but the editor notes that the version is mutilated and lacks the true ending, which would have included the denunciation of the magic fiddle under the 'Singing Bone' formula.
Themes in this chapter
Transformation and Metamorphosis
The magic fiddle and the 'Singing Bone' motif involve transformation of a victim into an object that reveals the truth.
Justice and Karma
The denunciation of the murderous sisters through the magic fiddle suggests a theme of justice and retribution.
Characters to notice
- Bonga
The presiding spirit of a certain kind of rice land, mentioned in the source notes.
Key passages
“A Bonga is the presiding spirit of a certain kind of rice land; Doms and Hadis are low-caste aborigines, whose touch is considered polluting.”
A Bonga is a spirit that oversees specific rice fields, while Doms and Hadis are members of low-caste indigenous groups, and contact with them is deemed unclean.
Explains cultural and caste context for the story.
“It is obvious, however, that neither version contains the real finish of the story, which must have contained the denunciation of the magic fiddle of the murderous sisters.”
Clearly, both versions lack the true ending, which would have included the magic fiddle exposing the murderous sisters.
Highlights the incomplete nature of the tale.