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PARKER FILLMORE
1878-1944
Parker Fillmore was a collector and editor of fairy tales from Czechoslovak tales and Slavic folklore. One of his work is Czechoslovak Fairy Tales. Fillmore enjoyed the tales he heard, and received a scholarship from patrons to spend time collecting these iconic tales that were part of the heritage of many he encountered in Czechoslovak and elsewhere. He referred to the tales as “charming little tales of sentiment” and called a few “full of stark simplicity and grim humor.” He also called the tales his “own renderings” and not exactly translations, an important distinction to make. He does say that he didn’t invent new details, but instead made the stories his own.
PRINCE BAYAYA
The story is about a king and a queen from a distant country. The king was off at wars and the queen gave birth to two sons. The one who was about a moment the older was the hardier of the two, he was always playing in the courtyard and trying to climb on the back of a horse that was given to him. The other one was always standing indoors with his mother and that why his mother loved him the most.
When his father arrived home, after seven years, he asked who was the older one. The queen told him, being her favorite, that the younger is the first. From that moment the king spoke to him as his heir.
When they were 17 years old, the older one decided that he wanted to go out into the world and seek adventure. His horse advised him not to go without his father permission and without is. Finally his father agreed to let him go and he wanted to go with a great company, but the prince didn’t agree.
The day came and the prince left home. After a long distance they saw a beautiful town. The horse crossed a field to a big rock. The horse kicked the rock three times with its hoof and the rock opened. There was a comfortable stable. The horse told him that it will remained there, but the prince must go and enter the king’s service and he must pretend that he is dumb.
The king soon loved him and he was called Bayaya. One day he saw that the king was very upset, and he found out that long time ago three dragons came over the city and they devoured the cattle and killed the people. An old woman told the king that the only way to escape the dragons was to promise his three daughters. The king made so because his daughters were only small children. The time has passed and the girls grew up and the dragons came back.
Bayaya remembered what his horse had told him, that whenever needs help to go to the rock. So he did. The horse told him that he knew and that was the reason he bought him there. The next morning Bayaya went to the rock and the horse gave him three suits. The first one was red, the second one was light blue and the third was white. Each day he had to wear one of them in order to save the princesses. In the first day he saved Zdobena, in the second day he saved Budinka and in the third day he saved Slavena , whom he was in love with. He killed all the dragons but nobody could find who the mysterious knight was.
They were so happy, but soon, another disaster threatened the king. A neighboring king declared war against him. The king summoned together all his nobles and he promised to give the hands of her daughters if they succeeded. He let all the affairs of the castle to Bayaya. Bayaya found that the king’s forces are weakening, and pretending that he was sick, he went to take some herbs. He took his horse and went to help the king. The king won.
The king arrived home and told the nobles to stay in a row because they were too many and he had only three daughters. Bayaya was at the end of the row. His daughters would throw a golden apple from the balcony, then each princess must wed the man to whom her apple rolled. Zdobena threw her apple which rolled to Bayaya, but he turned it quickly and it rolled to the feet of a valiant lord. Budinka did the same, the apple went to Bayaya, but he turned it. Slavena threw her apple, but this time Bayaya didn’t turn the apple. Slovena was very sad. That night there was a great feast, but Slovena was in her room. A beautiful prince appeared and asked her why she was hiding from her bridegroom. Bayaya told her the entire story.
After the wedding they went to visit his parents and when they reached the town they found that his brother has died. His parents were very happy, and after a while Bayaya succeeded to the kingdom. They lived long and happily.
According to the Aarne-Thompson index I think that the tale belongs to Tales of Magic, Supernatural adversaries.
According to Propp’s functions we have:
a) Initial situation
b) Interdiction-the prince can’t leave home without his father’s permission
c) Departure- the hero leaves home
d) Struggle- the hero and the villain( the three dragons) join in direct combat
e) Victory- the villain is defeated
f) Recognition- the hero is recognized
g) Wedding- the hero is married and ascends to the throne
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