Hamda and the Fairy Fish
Once upon a time, in a far away village, a fisherman lived in a house near the sea. He had one daughter named Hamda. Hamda’s mother died when she was very young, and soon after, her father married a woman who had two daughters of her own.
One day, Hamda brought her stepmother a basket of fish. The stepmother counted the fish and said to Hamda: “There are 7 fish in this basket. Go wash the fish and be sure to keep them all safe. Especially this one!” she said, while lifting the largest fish from the basket. “If anything happens to this fish I will beat you with a stick!”
Hamda went to the beach and began cleaning the fish. While she cleaned the fish Hamda cried softly because she missed her mother and hated her evil stepmother who treated her so cruelly. When she lifted the largest fish it wriggled in her hand. “Hamda…. Hamda…” The soft voice of a woman whispered into Hamda’s ears. When she realized that the whisper was coming from the fish Hamda jumped with fear. She was about to run away from the basket when the fish said. “Don’t run Hamda! Return me to the sea, and I will make you rich beyond your dreams. I will give you anything you wish for. Please don’t be afraid, Hamda. I am your friend.”
“But I am afraid of my stepmother,” Hamda replied. “She will beat me if I let you go.”
“Put me back in the water, and nothing will happen to you,” the fish promised. “Please, Hamda, help me.”
Hamda’s heart softened toward the poor fish so she put her back in the water. She watched her swim off until she disappeared in the waves. When she returned home her stepmother scolded her for losing the biggest fish and sent her away without lunch.
A few days later a woman came from the Sultan’s palace to invite them to a huge ball to be hosted by the Sultan. The stepmother told Hamda she would not be allowed to go to the ball. “But, I want to go to the ball,” Hamda cried!
“You cannot go you wretched child! You will stay and do all the chores while we go to the ball!”
On the day of the ball Hamda watched as her stepmother and stepsisters got ready. They put on their best jewels, and had their hands painted with henna. She begged her stepmother to let her go, but again her stepmother refused and said “How on earth could you go to the ball!? You don’t even have the proper clothes!”
Hamda ran to the beach and fell to the sand crying. Suddenly, the big fish appeared and asked Hamda why she was so sad. Hamda told the fish about the ball and how her terrible stepmother refused to let her go. The big fish called all her friends from the depths of the sea. Hamda smiled and laughed when she saw the marine creatures emerge from the sea holding jewels, perfumes, henna and beautiful clothes. They all ran up the beach and began to make her ready for the ball. They dressed her in a red traditional dress that was embroidered with golden stitches. Oysters popped open their shells to reveal the most beautiful pearls Hamda had ever seen. An octopus draped the pearls around Hamda’s neck, and hung them from her ears. Then the biggest fish presented Hamda with a pair of gold slippers studded with precious jewels. As she put the slippers on Hamda’s feet she told her “ you must leave the party before it ends, you must get home before your stepmother, and no matter what happens, do not tell anyone your name. Do not forget what I have told you, Hamda!” Hamda promised she wouldn’t forget and ran off to the party.
When she arrived at the party she so impressed the women at the party with her jewels and beauty that they wondered who she was, and where she came from. [Although it’s not in the story, there should be a few frames of Hamda having a wonderful time at the party.] As she promised, just before the party ended, Hamda rushed to return home before her stepmother and sisters arrived. As she ran across the palace lawn near a pond her slipper flew from her foot and was lost in the pond.
The next morning, Nasser, the Sultan’s son sat down at the table to have breakfast and heard his parents talking about the party and about the beautiful girl with the gorgeous dress, jewels and slippers who no one knew. After breakfast he went into the yard and saw something sparkling at the bottom of the pond. He remembered what his parent’s said at breakfast and realized that the slipper must belong to the mysterious girl. He thought to himself “If it is God’s will, this girl will be my wife.”
After telling his parents his intentions, the sultan told one of the women in the palace to go search for the girl. He gave her the slipper and told her “the woman whose foot fits this slipper will be my son’s wife.” The woman took the slipper and went to look for the girl. She looked and she looked until there was but one house left in the country: the fisherman’s house on the shore.
When Hamda’s stepmother learned about the arrival of the woman from the Sultan’s palace she locked Hamda in the oven. The stepdaughters tried on the slipper, but it didn’t fit. Right before the woman from the Sultan’s palace left she heard a sound coming from the oven. She flung open the door and found Hamda. Despite the stepmother’s protests the woman slipped the shoe on Hamda’s foot. It fit perfectly.
The woman asked Hamda to be the wife of Nasser, the sultan’s son, and the wedding was the next day. Before the wedding Hamda went to the sea and thanked the biggest fish for everything she had done. As a final gift the biggest fish dressed Hamda in a spectacular green dress and gave her a basket of pearls.
Hamda and Nasser had a long, happy life together.
Story transcribed and translated by Kamam Al Ghanem, Qatar University
Edited by Patty Paine
Story transcribed and translated by Kamam Al Ghanem, Qatar University
Edited by Patty Paine
2 comments:
Sounds mighty familiar!
It is! There are versions of what we think of as the Cinderella story all over the world. The Middle East version of this story actually predates the European version
I think the variations in this story from what we think of as "The Cinderella Story" are really interesting, and say a lot about the cultures that the stories originated in.
Here are some other versions:
The Egyptian Cinderella. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1989.
A Grecian slave girl, Rhodopis, is rescued by the Pharaoh from her life of servitude in Egypt. In this Cinderella story, Rhodopis’ shoe is carried by a falcon to the very lap of the Pharaoh, who wants to make its owner his queen. This story is based upon the first recorded Cinderella story from the first century BC.
The Persian Cinderella. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1999.
In this Persian Cinderella story set during the Iranian New Year, Settareh steals the heart of the Prince. Despite the interference from her jealous stepsisters, Settareh succeeds with the help of a magic pot and a misplaced anklet. Climo’s tale is based upon the story “The Anklet” from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights.
The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story. New York: Holiday House, 1998.
Maha, the Cinderella character in this book, is the daughter of a Middle Eastern fisherman destined to serve her stepmother and stepsister. After a lucky encounter with a talking, red fish and a lost sandal, Maha finds her way to a henna bridal party and into the bride’s brother’s heart. Hickox’s version of the Cinderella story is based upon an Iraqi story called “The Little Red Fish and the Clog of Gold.” (This story, not surprisingly, is most similar to our story.)
Raisel’s Riddle. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999.
In this Cinderella story, the young Jewish protagonist Raisel manages to attend the Purim festival with the help of a beggar woman. She captures the heart of the rabbi’s son with a riddle, emphasizing the importance of learning. (Although Silverman’s Cinderella story is set in Poland, it is a Jewish protagonist whose story can be viewed as a general Jewish Cinderella story.)
One could write a paper just on the different versions of this story, but that's for another day, and another project.
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