Basque Tale: Errua

Like many others in the world, there was a man and a woman who had a. son. He was very wicked, and only did evil, and was of a completely depraved character. The parents decided they had to send him away, and the boy was more than willing to leave.

He then leaves, and goes far, far, very far. He comes to a town and asks if they want a servant. They wanted one in a (certain) house. He's going there. They settle their conditions at so much per month, and that whoever is not satisfied must tear the skin off the back of the other.

The master sends his servant into the forest to collect the most twisted pieces of wood he can find. Near the forest there was a vineyard. What does the servant do but cut everything up and take it home. The master asks him where the wood is. He shows him the cut vine wood. The master didn't say anything to him, but he wasn't happy.

The next day, the master said to him: “Drive the cows to a certain field and do not drill any holes in the fence.

What is the boy doing? He cuts all the cows into small pieces and gradually throws them into the field. The master was even angrier; but he could say nothing, for fear of having his skin torn off. So what does he do? He buys a herd of pigs and sends his servant to the mountain with the herd.

The master knew well that there was a Tartar in this mountain, but he sent him there all the same.

Our fool walks, walks, walks. He arrives at a small hut. The Tartar's house was quite close to his own. The Pigs of Tartarus and those of the fool dated together. The Tartar said to him one day:

“Would you like to bet on who will throw the stone the furthest? »

He accepted the bet. That evening, our fool was very sad. While he was praying, an old woman appeared to him and asked him:

" What's wrong ? Why are you so sad?

He tells him about the bet he made with Tartarus. The old woman said to him:

“If it’s just that, it’s nothing.”

So she gives him a bird and says to him:

“Instead of a stone, throw this bird. »

The madman was very happy. The next day he does as the old woman told him. The stone of Tartarus went enormously far, but at last it fell; but the fool's bird never came down at all.

The Tartar was surprised at having lost his bet, and they made another, which of the two would throw an iron bar the furthest. The madman agreed again. He was sadly in his little house praying. The old woman reappears. She asks him-

" What is your problem? »

“I made another bet, which of the two will throw the iron bar the furthest, and I am very sorry about it. »

“If it’s just that, it’s nothing. When you grasp the iron bar, say: 'Rise, iron bar, here and Salamanca.' » (Altchaala palenka, hemen eta Salamanka.) 1

The next day, the Tartar takes his terrible iron bar and throws it terribly far. The young man could barely lift one end, and he said:

“Rise, iron bar, here and Salamanca. »

When the Tartar heard this (he shouted) –

“I abandon the bet, you have won,” and he takes the iron bar from her. “My father and mother live in Salamanca; do not throw away, I beg you, I beg you, you will crush them.

Our fool leaves very happy.

The Tartar said to him again:

“I will pull out the biggest oak in the forest and you will pull out another one. »

He said, “Yes. » And the later he went into the day, the sadder he became. He was at her prayers. The old woman comes back to him and says:

" What is your problem? »

He tells him about the bet he made with Tartarus, and how he is going to uproot an oak tree. The old woman gives him three balls of thread and tells him to start and tie them to all the oaks in the forest. 1

The next day, Tartar uproots his oak, enormously, enormously large; and the fool starts tying, tying, tying.

The Tartar asks him:

" Why are you doing this ? »

“You (shot) one, but I got all these. »

The Tartar responds,

" No ! No ! No ! What will I do to fatten my pigs without acorns? You have won ; you won the bet. »

The Tartar did not know what to think of it, and saw that he had found one more intelligent than himself, so he asked him if he would come and spend the night at his house.

The fool said: “Yes”.

He then lies down with Tartarus. But he knew there was a dead person under the bed. When Tartarus slept, what did the madman do? He places the dead man next to Tartarus and puts himself under the bed. In the middle of the night, the Tartar rises, takes his terrible iron bar and rains blow after blow, ping pan, ping pan, as long and as hard as he can give.

The Tartar gets up as usual, and goes to see his pigs, and the fool also comes out from under the bed; and he also goes to see the pigs. The Tartar is astonished to see it coming, and does not know what to think of it. He tells himself that he is dealing with someone smarter than him; but he asks him if he slept well.

He replies: “Yes, very good; only I felt a few flea bites.

Their pigs had gotten mixed up, and as they were fat, he had to separate them to leave with his own. The Tartar asked the fool what brand his pigs had.

The fool said to him: “My people have some of them one point, some of them two points. »

They got to work looking at them, and they all had these same marks.

Our madman then leaves with all the pigs. He walks, walks, walks, with all his pigs. He comes to a town where it was just market day, and sells all but two of them, keeping, however, all the tails, which he put in his pockets. As you might think, he was always afraid of Tartarus. He sees him coming down from the mountain. 

He kills one of his pigs and puts the entrails in his own breast under his vest. There was a group of men near the road. As he passed them, he took out his knife, plunged it into the chest and pulled out the pig's entrails, and our madman started running much faster than before, with his pig in front of him.

When the Tartar approaches these men, he asks them if they have seen such a man.

“Yes, yes, he ran fast, and to go faster right here, he stabbed himself, and threw out his entrails, and still he went on all the faster. »

The Tartar also, to go faster, plunges his knife into his body and falls dead. 1

The madman goes to his master. Near the house there was a swamp full of mud. He puts his live pig in there, and all the tails too. He enters the house and tells the master that he is there with his pigs. The master is stunned to see him.

He asks him: “Where are the pigs, then?” »

He said to him: “They went into the mud, they were so tired. »

Both of them come out, and start to take out the real pig, and between the two of them they take it out very well. They try to do the same with others; but they only pulled tails.

The fool said: “You see how big they are, that’s why the tails come out by themselves. »

He sends the servant to fetch the spade and the hoe. Instead of bringing them he starts beating the teacher, damn! beat! and he shouts to the master: “One or both?

The master said to him: “Both, both. »

And then he beats the servant almost to pieces. He then goes to the master, taking with him the spade and the hoe, and he begins to beat him with the spade and the hoe, until he can no longer defend himself, then he tears off his skin. back, and takes his pork and goes to his father and mother; and as he lived well, he died well too.