Once there was a king who, for a son, had a pig named King Crin. King Crin would saunter through the royal chambers and usually behave beautifully, as befits anybody of royal birth. Sometimes, though, he was cross. On one such occasion, his father asked, while stroking his back, "What is the matter? Why are you so cross?"
"Oink, oink," grunted King Crin. "I want a wife. Oink, oink, I want the baker's daughter!"
The king sent for the baker, who had three daughters, and asked if his oldest daughter was willing to marry his pig-son. Torn between the thrill of wedding the king's son and the horror of marrying a pig, the daughter made up her mind to accept the proposal.
Tickled pink, King Crin went wallowing in the town thoroughfares on his wedding night and got all muddy. He returned to the bridal chamber, where his bride was waiting for him. Intending to caress her, he rubbed against her skirt. The bride was disgusted and, instead of caressing him, gave him a kick. "Get away from here, you nasty pig!"
King Crin moved away, grunting. "Oink! You'll pay for that!"
That night the bride was discovered dead in her bed.
The old king was quite distressed, but a few months later when his son was again as cross as could be and clamoring for a wife, he sent for the baker's second daughter, who accepted.
The evening of the wedding King Crin went back out and wallowed in the muddy roads, only to return and rub against his bride, who drove him out of the room. "Scram, you nasty pig!" In the morning she was found dead. This incident gave the court a bad name, being the second of its kind.
More time went by, and King Crin began acting up again. "Would you have the nerve," said his father, "to ask for the baker's third daughter?"
"Oink, oink, I certainly would. Oink, oink, I must have her!"
So they sent for the third girl to see if she would marry King Crin. She was obviously quite happy to do so. On his wedding night, as usual, King Crin went out to wallow, then ran back inside all muddy to caress his wife. She responded with caresses of her own and dried him off with fine linen handkerchiefs, murmuring, "My handsome Crin, my darling Crin, I love you so." King Crin was overjoyed.
Next morning at the court everybody expected to hear that the third bride had been found dead, but out she came in higher spirits than ever. That was a grand occasion for celebration in the royal house, and the king gave a reception.
The next night the bride became curious to see King Crin as he slept, because she had her suspicions. She lit a taper and beheld a youth handsome beyond all stretches of the imagination. But as she stood there rapt with admiration, she accidentally dropped the taper on his arm. He woke up and jumped out of bed, furious. "You broke the spell and will never see me again, or only when you have wept seven bottles of tears and worn out seven pairs of iron shoes, seven iron mantles, and seven iron hats looking for me." At that, he vanished.
So deep was her distress that the bride had no choice but to go in search of her husband. She had a blacksmith forge seven pairs of iron shoes, seven iron mantles, and seven iron hats for her, then departed.
She walked all day long until night overtook her on a mountain, where she saw a cottage and knocked on the door. "My poor girl," said an old woman, "I can't give you shelter, since my son is the Wind who comes home and turns everything upside down, and woe to anyone in his way!"
But she begged and pleaded until the old woman brought her in and hid her. The Wind soon arrived and sniffed all around, saying:
"Human, human, I smell a human."
But his mother quieted him down with food. In the morning she rose at daybreak and softly awakened the young lady, advising, "Flee before my son gets up and take along this chestnut as a souvenir of me, but crack it open only in a serious emergency."
She walked all day long and was overtaken by night on top of another mountain. She spied a cottage, and an old lady on the doorstep said, "I would gladly lodge you, but I'm Lightning's mother, and poor you if my son came home and caught you here!" But then she took pity on her and hid her. Lightning arrived soon afterward:
"Human, human, I smell a human."
But he didn't find her and, after supper, went to bed.
"Flee before my son wakes up," said Lightning's mother in the morning, "and take along this walnut, which might come in very handy."
She walked all day long and was overtaken by night on top of another mountain. There stood the house of Thunder's mother, who ended up hiding her. Thunder too came in saying:
"Human, human, I smell a human."
But neither did he find her, and in the morning she went off with a hazelnut as a present from Thunder's mother.
After walking for miles and miles she reached a city whose princess, she learned, would soon marry a handsome young man staying at her castle. The young lady was sure that was her own husband. What could she do to prevent the marriage? How could she get into the castle?
She cracked open the chestnut and out poured diamonds and other jewels, which she went off to sell under the princess's windows. The princess looked out and invited her inside. The young lady said, "I'll let you have all these gems for nothing, if you allow me to spend one night in the bedchamber of the young man staying at your palace."
The princess was afraid the young lady would talk to him and maybe persuade him to flee with her, but her maid said, "Leave everything to me. We'll give him a sleeping potion and he won't wake up." They did just that, and as soon as the handsome youth went to sleep, the maid took the young lady into his bedchamber and left her. With her own eyes, the young lady saw that his(sic) was none other than her husband.
"Wake up, my love, wake up! I've walked all over for you, wearing out seven pairs of iron shoes, seven iron mantles, and seven iron hats: and I've wept seven bottles of tears. Now that I've finally found you, you sleep and don't hear me!"
And that went on till morning, when, at her wit's end, she cracked the walnut. Out rolled exquisite gowns and silks, each lovelier than the other. At the sight of all these wonderful things, the maid called the princess, who simply had to have them all and therefore granted the young lady another night with the youth. But the young lady was taken into the bedchamber later than the last time and brought out earlier in the morning.
Nor was this second night any more fruitful than the first. The poor girl cracked the hazelnut and out came horses and carriages. To acquire them, the princess again let her spend the night with the young man.
But by this time he had grown tired of drinking what they brought him every night, so he only pretended to swallow it while actually emptying the glass over his shoulder. When the young lady began talking to him, he made out as if he were sleeping, but the moment he was sure it was his wife, he jumped to his feet and embraced her. With all those horses and carriages they had no problem getting away and back home, where there was a grand celebration.
They put on the dog and high did they soar,
They saw me not, I stood behind the door.
(Colline del Po)
NOTES:
"King Crin" (Re Crin) from Pitrè (in Archivio per lo studio delle tradizioni popolari, I [1882], 424), Monteu da Po, Piedmont.
Of illustrious origin (since it is certainly related--at least in the motif of the bridegroom who cannot be seen in his true form--to the myth of Amor and Psyche), the folktale about the swine king is one of the most widespread in Italy. This Piedmontese version has a beginning full of brio. The development repeats--with the walnuts to be cracked, spying on the sleeper, etc.--a motif also common to other types and of which my no. 140 presents a richer version.
Copyright: Italian Folktales Selected and Retold by Italo Calvino,
translated by George Martin,
Pantheon Books, New York 1980