The Dog Bride

: Part I.
: Folklore Of The Santal Parganas

Once upon a time there was a youth who used to herd buffaloes; and as

he watched his animals graze he noticed that exactly at noon every

day a she-dog used to make its way to a ravine, in which there were

some pools of water. This made him curious and he wondered to whom

it belonged and what it did in the ravine; so he decided to watch,

and one day when the dog came he hid himself and saw that when it

got to the water, it shed its dog skin and out stepped a beautiful

maiden, and began to bathe; and when she had finished bathing she put

on the skin and became a dog again, and went off to the village; the

herdboy followed her and watched into what house she entered, and he

enquired to whom the house belonged. Having found out all about it,

he went back to his work.



That year the herdboy's father and mother decided that it was time

for him to marry and began to look about for a wife for him; but he

announced that he had made up his mind to have a dog for his wife

and he-would never marry a human girl.



Everyone laughed at him for such an extraordinary idea, but he could

not be moved; so at last they concluded that he must really have

the soul of a dog in him, and that it was best to let him have his

own way. So his father and mother asked him whether there was any

particular dog he would like to have for his bride, and then he gave

the name of the man into whose house he had tracked the dog that

he had seen going to the ravine. The master of the dog laughed at

the idea that anyone should wish to marry her, and gladly accepted

a bride's price for her; so a day was fixed for the wedding and the

booth built for the ceremony and the bridegroom's party went to the

bride's house and the marriage took place in due form and the bride

was escorted to her husband's house.



Every night when her husband was asleep, the bride used to come out

of the dog's skin and go out of the house; and when her husband found

out this, he one night only pretended to go to sleep and lay watching

her, and when she was about to leave the room he jumped up and caught

hold of her and seizing the dog skin, threw it into the fire, where

it was burnt to ashes, so his bride remained a woman, but she was

of more than human beanty. This soon became known in the village and

everyone congratulated the herdboy on his wisdom in marrying a dog.



Now the herdboy had a friend named Jitu and when Jitu saw what a

prize his friend had got, he thought that he could not do better

than marry a dog himself. His relations made no objection and a

bride was selected and the marriage took place, but when they were

putting vermilion on the bride's forehead she began to growl; but

in spite of her growling they dragged her to the bridegroom's house,

and forcibly anointed her with oil and turmeric; but when the bride's

party set off home, the dog broke loose and ran after them; then

everyone shouted to Jitu to run after his bride and bring her back,

but she only growled and bit at him, so that he had at last to give

it up. Then everyone laughed at him so much that he was too ashamed

to speak, and two or three days later he hanged himself.