Jean De L'Ours
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Jean de l'Ours () or John the Bear, John of the Bear, John-of-the-Bear, John Bear, is the leading character in the French folktale ''Jean de l'Ours'' classed as Type 301B in the Aarne–Thompson system; it can also denote any tale of this type. Some typical elements are that the hero is born half-bear, half-human; he obtains a weapon, usually a heavy iron cane, and on his journey; he bands up with two or three companions. At a castle the hero defeats an adversary, pursues him to a hole, discovers an underworld, and rescues three princesses. The companions abandon him in the hole, taking the princesses for themselves. The hero escapes, finds the companions and gets rid of them. He marries the most beautiful princess of the three, but not before going through certain ordeal(s) by the king. The character is said to be one of "the most popular tale-types in Hispanic and Francophone tradition". Numerous variants exist in France, often retaining the name Jean de l'Ours or something similar for the hero. Some of the analogues in Europe that retain the names corresponding to "John" are: Jan de l'Ors (); Joan de l'Ós ( or ); Juan del Oso, Juan el Oso, Juanito el Oso, Juanillo el Oso (, ); Giovanni dell'Orso (), Iann he vaz houarn (Breton); (Russian). The tale has also propagated to the New World, with examples from French Canada, Mexico, etc.


Physical appearance

Several French versions explicitly comment on Jean de l'ours being covered with
body hair Body hair or androgenic hair is terminal hair that develops on the human body during and after puberty. It is different from head hair and also from less visible vellus hair, which is much finer and lighter in color. Growth of androgenic hai ...
on his entire body. One Gascon version, ''Jan l'Oursét'' adds that he had "a large head just like a bear's, except for its shape". The hero is human from the waist up and bear from the waist down in one Mexican version (''Juan el Oso'') as well as the Russian tale "" (or "Ivanko the Bear's son"). For comparison, in the Avar tale "Bear's Ear", the protagonist has ears like a bear. Jean de l'Ours is a beautiful abandoned child raised by a mother bear in 's version (1885).Delarue's 71 ''Jean l’Ours et ses compagnons'', . Along the same vein, Jean de l'Ours was a beautiful foundling adopted by a widow according to Carnoy in another version (1885, illustrated by Édouard Zier), but this, except for an altered telling of the boy's origin, is by and large identical to the tale given earlier by Hippolyte Babou (1862):. Delarue's 66, , summarized in Jourdanne, Gaston, (1900) ', p. 124. In both texts he is depicted as an angel-faced, blue-eyed boy who wears a
bearskin A bearskin is a tall fur cap derived from mitre#Military uniform, mitre caps worn by grenadier units in the 17th and 18th centuries. Initially worn by only grenadiers, bearskins were later used by several other military units in the 19th centur ...
around his loins, has a lush mane like
Samson SAMSON (Software for Adaptive Modeling and Simulation Of Nanosystems) is a computer software platform for molecular design being developed bOneAngstromand previously by the NANO-D group at the French Institute for Research in Computer Science an ...
's falling from head to chest, and carries a poplar sapling as a staff. The artist's depiction by Jean-Claude Pertuzé in his ''Le conte de Jean de l'ours'' (1988) depicts Jean with rounded bear's ears attached high on his head.


Tale type

"John the Bear" is categorized as Type 301 or "Three Stolen Princesses" type. Type 301 is also sometimes termed the "Bear' son" type, although " Bear's Son Tale" in general practice is a looser term that encompasses both 301 and 650A types. The tale is classed more narrowly as type 301 B, and the whole group dubbed the "Jean de l'ours" type, especially in the French folkloristics community, whereas 301B is often called the "Strong man and his Companions" type in English-language circles. And analogues of "Jean de l'ours" often get admixed with elements of another but very similar tale type, Strong John (AT 650). The ''Juan Oso'' tales as analyzed by the Spanish-language folklorists are described in similar vein, with certain differences. ''Juan Oso'' tales have disseminated widely to the
New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...
, and fall widely into types 301A, 301B, 301C, or 301D. And they exhibit mixing not only with the AT 650 mentioned above, but also with Type 513 A, " Six Go through the Whole World". Type 513 A is marked by the presence of "extraordinary helpers". Cosquin believed these were an outside element introduced from other tales; and Clive Claudel attributed such helpers to Thompson's tale type 513 A.
Bertram Colgrave Bertram Colgrave (born 1889, Derry, Ireland – died 13 January 1968, Cambridge, England) was a medieval historian, antiquarian and archaeologist, specializing on the lives of the early saints in Anglo-Saxon England. Life Colgrave attended King ...
on the other hand believed certain companions ("treeman", "mountain man", "stone man", etc.) should be regarded as native to Juan Oso tales, whereas generic companions (such as "the runner") are "strictly speaking" foreign to the tale group. It has been suggested that tale types ATU 301 and ''Jean de l'Ours'', ATU 650 ("
Strong Hans "Strong Hans" (German: ''Der starke Hans'') is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in their collection as number KHM 166. The tale is classified in the Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index as ATU 650A, "Strong John". Summar ...
"), ATU 302 ("Devil's Heart in the Egg") and ATU 554 ("The Grateful Animals") may have once comprised a single narrative, but, with time, the original story fragmented into different tale types.


French versions


Soldiers' version

A key example of type 301 B noted by French scholars such as
Paul Delarue Paul Alfred Delarue, born 20 April 1889 in Saint-Didier, Nièvre, died 25 July 1956 in Autun, Saône-et-Loire, was a French folklorist. A specialist in the field of folklore, his crowning achievement was his , a catalog of folktales found in ...
or is the version told by soldiers, and first published by Vidal et Delmart in 1833. No regional localization was given for the version. It was designated version 1 by Delarue, who gave a summary of it. It has also been translated into English as the tale of "The Story of John-of-the-Bear". ;Birth and childhood A woodcutter's wife looking for wood is abducted by the bear, and gives birth to a child by this bear. The child walks at four months, speaks and runs at one year, and soon even rattles the stone with which the bear plugs the cave. The boy lifts the stone at age 5 or 6, and he and his mother escape. At school, his hairiness earns him the nickname "Jean de l'Ours" from other schoolchildren. He retaliates with violence, the schoolmaster demands his parents punish him, he drops out, and enters apprenticeship under a blacksmith. ;His cane and companions He leaves the blacksmith, and as compensation, obtains an iron cane weighing 800 pounds in the shaft and 200 pounds more at the pommel. He obtains two companions, Tord-Chêne ("Twistoak") and Tranche-Montagne ("Cutmountain"). ;Inside the haunted castle Jean's party lodge at a castle, without sign of human presence, but with tables and beds prepared, and meals (and other wished-for items) that would appear as if by magic. They decide to go hunting, leaving one behind to sound the lunch bell. Tranche remains at the castle on the first turn, but a size-changing "little giant (petit géant)" descends from the chimney and beats him terribly with a stick. He blames a fall going down to the cellar for being unable to signal. Next day, another companion meets the same fate, and offers a different excuse. Jean defeats the little giant by striking him before he had the chance to grow large, and the enemy flees inside a well. ;Descent and visit to the Underworld They investigate the well, taking turns being lowered down riding a basket tied to a rope. Only Jean de l'Ours has courage to reach bottom. There John meets his informant, an old woman. She reveals the adversary to be a giant who abducted three princesses from Spain. Each princess is guarded separately: in a steel castle by 2 tigers, a silver castle by 4 leopards, and a gold castle by 6 lions as large as elephants. The old woman also provides a jar of ointment to cure wounds. Jean defeats the beasts and rescues the princesses. Each princess is prettier than the last. He finds them asleep, and uses increasingly gentler means to awaken them. The hero receives from the princesses a steel, a silver, and a golden ball, respectively. ;The hero's climb out The companions betray Jean and let go of the rope pulling him up. He falls and suffers a bruised body and broken legs, which the ointment cures. Jean gains advice from the old woman on how to escape the Underworld, and is lifted out riding a giant eagle, which requires feeding each time it squawks. Near the end he runs out of meat, and he flays some flesh from his own thigh, but this too heals using the jar of salve. ;The return to the princesses Jean reaches Madrid. His two former companions have claimed credit for saving the princesses, and the eldest is ordered to choose one of them to marry, but she is granted a stay for a year and a day. Meanwhile, they collect all the Marseilles soap in the kingdom to scrub the two men clean. The hero arrives and rolls his three balls, so the eldest knows to warn the king about their true savior. The king owns another set of the three balls, and declares marriage of his daughters to anyone who could replicate them. The hero succeeds by bringing the three balls he owns, and marries the eldest. The two treacherous companions are hanged on the high gallows.


Cosquin's version

A version from
Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...
was printed by Emmanuel Cosquin in
1886 Events January * January 1 – Upper Burma is formally annexed to British rule in Burma, British Burma, following its conquest in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of November 1885. * January 5–January 9, 9 – Robert Louis Stevenson ...
(listed as Delarue's version 9). Its English translation appeared in
Stith Thompson Stith Thompson (March 7, 1885 – January 10, 1976) was an American folklore studies, folklorist: he has been described as "America's most important folklorist". He is the "Thompson" of the Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index, which indexes Folklore, ...
's ''One Hundred Favorite Folktales'' (1968). The plotline is quite similar to the soldier's version summarized above, with numerous differences in detail, which will be noted: The hero's mother was already pregnant before being captured by bear, but still born half-human, half-bear; given the John the Bear name as a child; apprentices under three blacksmiths, cane is 500 pounds. Three companions: Jean de la Meule ('John of the Mill') playing
quoits Quoits ( or ) is a traditional game which involves the throwing of metal, rope or rubber rings over a set distance, usually to land over or near a spike (sometimes called a hob, mott or pin). The game of quoits encompasses several distinct vari ...
(original: '' palets'') with a
millstone Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, used for triturating, crushing or, more specifically, grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones. Millstones come in pairs: a s ...
, Appuie-Montagne ('Hold-up-Mountain') and Tord-Chêne ('Oak-Twister'). Here it is a giant (not a size-shifting being) who attacks whichever companion is staying at the castle on his turn (i.e., whoever is keeping house while the others hunt; this is chosen by lot). Two companions blame kitchen smoke for their failure. John destroys the giant, splitting it in two with a cane. He discovers the underworld by knocking on the floor with the cane; He descends hanging on a rope; at the bottom, hero's informant is a fairy (''fée''); hero destroys little devils in two rooms before reaching a chamber of three princesses; companions release rope carrying the hero. The hero's escape from Underworld is up to a point by the "path leading to the ground above" formula, but unique in that the fairy warns him not to look back at the little light behind (lest the light vanish and make him unable to see anything). Hero after regains princesses from companions yet sends them home — this is also an unusual pattern; John refuses invitation to kingdom at that point, and only after princesses have forgotten about him, enters kingdom on his own volition. Formulaic test of replicating three balls is solved by balls hero obtained from princesses, but in this version, each is specifically an ornate ball made with pearls, diamonds and emeralds.


Other versions


Origins of the hero

Jean de l'Ours in most cases is the child of a mother and a bear. However, in some versions his origins are less clearly defined, i.e. his mother is already pregnant before being captured, and then gives birth to him, though he is nevertheless born a half-bear, half-human (Cosquin's version above). Professor Michael Meraklis cited that the episode of a lion or bear stealing a human woman and the hero born of this "living arrangement" must preserve "the original form of the tale", since it harks back to the ancient and primitive notion that humans and animals could freely interact in a mythical shared past. In the same vein, by analysing Central Asian, Caucasian and Siberian variants of the animal-born hero, Russian scholarship concluded that the bear represents a
totem A totem (from or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage (anthropology), lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system. While the word ...
or ancestor figure and the encounter of the human (a married woman or a married man) with the animal happens in the forest, a ''locus'' for the totem/ancestor. In addition, Karelian scholarship recognizes that the animal as an abductor of women shows very ancient character - a possible totemic remembrance - and the bear appears the most in Russian,
Karelia Karelia (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; , historically Коре́ла, ''Korela'' []; ) is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Russia (including the Soviet Union, Soviet era), Finland, and Sweden. It is currentl ...
n, Veps language, Vepsian and Ingrian variants of tale type 650A, "Ivan, The Bear's Ear". By comparing Romanian variants of type 301 to international tales, French philologist
Jean Boutière Jean Boutière (1 November 1898 – 29 January 1967) was a French philologist and a specialist in Romance philology. He was born in Mallemort, Bouches-du-Rhône in France. Jean Boutière was born 1 November 1898 in the area of the department Mal ...
, in his doctoral thesis, surmised that "much more often (especially in the West)", the hero is born of a union between a woman and a bear, but elsewhere, "notably in the East", the hero is the son of a mare, a she-donkey or even of a cow. On the other hand, ethnologue saw two different types of the ''Bear's Son'' narrative: one Eurasian, which follows the usual narrative very closely, and an American (Indigenous), "belong ng... to British Columbia, the adjacent Yukon and southern Alaska", also known as ''The Girl Who Married the Bear'' or ''The Bear Mother''.


The weapon of the hero

His cane weighs from 500 pounds (e.g. Cosquin's two full versions) ranging to 10,000 pounds (Carnoy ed.) in a version from Provence. Provence is where not the standard French but
Provençal Provençal may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Provence, a region of France ** Provençal dialect, a dialect of the Occitan language, spoken in the southeast of France ** ''Provençal'', meaning the whole Occitan language * Provenca ...
is the traditional language spoken, and the cane's weight of 10,000 pounds matches the 100
quintal The quintal or centner is a historical unit of mass in many countries that is usually defined as 100 base units, such as pounds or kilograms. It is a traditional unit of weight in France, Portugal, and Spain and their former colonies. It is com ...
s given in an actual Provençal text published by Nelli, The cane's weight can even be 100,000 pounds, in a cognate tale from
Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
called "Yves of the iron stick", but this tale gives no bear-associated origins for the hero,Delarue's version 42., and belongs in a group characterized by Delarue as being in the "periphery", to be distinguished from the main group of French tales that includes the representative example (Soldiers' version). There are other examples where the hero is "John Iron-Stick", named after his cane (e.g., ''Jean Bâton de Fer'', from a manuscript collection of tales from Nièvres,) but this tale also lacks the bear-origins opening. From Brittany, there is also ''Jean au bâton de fer'', where the hero is in the mother's womb for 3 years. as well as a version given in both translation and in the
Breton language Breton (, , ; or in Morbihan) is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic languages, Celtic language group spoken in Brittany, part of modern-day France. It is the only Celtic language still widely in use on the European mainland, albei ...
original, ''Jean a la Bar de Fer'' aka ''Iann he vaz houarn''. Other times, the cane is not iron, but an
oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
trunk of an equally imposing size.


The companions of the hero

The strong hero meets two (or more) equally strong companions in his travels: a man whose name is related to a type of tree ("Pine-twister") and another with abilities related to rock or stone ("Cliff-breaker"). According to Romanian scholar Petru Caraman ( ro), in variants from Eastern Europe and from
Slavic languages The Slavic languages, also known as the Slavonic languages, are Indo-European languages spoken primarily by the Slavs, Slavic peoples and their descendants. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Slavic language, Proto- ...
, they may be known as "Dughina", "Dubyna", "Vernidub", "Vertodub" or "Vyrvidub", and "Goryńa", "Vernigora", "Vertogor" or "Valigora". The pair of heroic brothers Waligora and Wydrzudab, from Polish legend, also belong to the same semantic field. In Western Europe, they correspond to French heroes "Tord-Chêne" and "Appuie-Montagne" (or "Liebois" and "Tranchemontagne") and German "Baumdreher" and "Steinzerreiber". English scholar A. H. Wratislaw translated ''Vertogor'' as ‘Overturn-hill’ and ''Vertodub'' as ‘Overturn-oak’. Fellow British scholar
William Ralston Shedden-Ralston William Ralston Shedden-Ralston (1828–1889), known in his early life as William Ralston Shedden, who later adopted the additional surname of Ralston, was a noted British scholar and translator of Russia and Russian. Biography William Ralston S ...
translated ''Vertodub'' as "Tree-extractor" and ''Vertogor'' as "Mountain leveller" - both derived from
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
''vertyet’'', 'to twirl'; '' dub'', 'tree' or 'oak', and ''gora'', 'mountain'. He also compared Vertodub to German Baumdreher (or Holzkrummacher) and Vertogor to his counterpart Steinzerreiber (or Felsenkripperer). These characters also exist in
Romance languages The Romance languages, also known as the Latin or Neo-Latin languages, are the languages that are Language family, directly descended from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-E ...
variants.
George Calinescu George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Giorg ...
indicated two counterparts in
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
tales: ''Sfarma-Piâtra'' and ''Strimba-Lemne''. In Portuguese, they are known as "Arrinca-pinheiros" ("Tears-out-pines") and "Abaixa-montes" ("Smashes-hills"). In tales from
Bashkirs The Bashkirs ( , ) or Bashkorts (, ; , ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group indigenous to Russia. They are concentrated in Bashkortostan, a Republics of Russia, republic of the Russian Federation and in the broader historical region of B ...
, the central character (a supernaturally powerful man) meets two or more companions: a man named Tau-Batyr (or Gora-Batyr, from Russian ''gora'', 'mountain'), strong enough to move mountains, and another called Urman-Batyr or Imyan-Batyr (or Les-Batyr, from Russian ''les'', 'forest'), strong enough to carry oak trees.


The perils of the castle

The hero's adversary at the "haunted" castle is typically a dwarf (or little man) who might be capable of becoming a giant, or just a giant, or it may be the devil in some instances. In the underworld, hordes of devils (or a devil) as enemies are a commonplace, but the devil(s) can be the hero's informant or both. After tabulating the variants he collected in the
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for a general overview of the narrative, professor Dean Fansler noted that the event of the hero fighting the dwarf or devil who beat his companions "occur edin nearly all the folk-tales of the 'John the Bear' type".


Rescue of the princesses in the underworld

Folklorist William Bernard McCarthy, who published many variants of the tale type collected from American storytellers, noted that in all versions the rescue of the princesses from the underworld seemed to be a central part of the story. Likewise, Robert Barakat emphasized that the tale type AT 301 can be decomposed into 6 episodes, two of which "the stolen princesses" (episode nr. 3) and "the rescue of the maidens" (episode nr. 4).


Further adventures in the underworld

In many variants, the hero is alerted by the princesses or discovers by himself two animals (goats or rams), one of a white color and the other of a black color. The white animal can take him to the surface, the black one will lead him further into the underworld. Either because he forgets this piece of information, or he is desperate to find an exit, he climbs onto the black animal and descends further into the strange underground realm. Often, it leads him to another kingdom, where a dragon has blocked all water sources and demands as ransom the sacrifice of a maiden (tale type ATU 300, "The
Dragonslayer A dragonslayer is a person or being that slays dragons. Dragonslayers and the creatures they hunt have been popular in traditional stories from around the world: they are a type of story classified as type 300 in the Aarne–Thompson classifica ...
"). French comparativist Emmanuel Cosquin noted, in a monograph, the occurrence of the black and white animals in Greek, Turkish, Armenian tales, and in a story told by
Hanna Diyab Antun Yusuf Hanna Diyab (; born ''circa'' 1688) was a Syrian Maronite writer and storyteller. He originated the best-known versions of the tales of ''Aladdin'' and ''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'' which have been added to the ''One Thousand and ...
in 1709 to
Antoine Galland Antoine Galland (; 4 April 1646 – 17 February 1715) was a French orientalist and archaeologist, most famous as the first European translator of ''One Thousand and One Nights'', which he called '' Les mille et une nuits''. His version of the ta ...
. He noted that the event of the escape flight on the giant bird occurred as the closing episode of the second underworld. Professor Michael Meraklis remarked that this episode is "usual" in Greek variants, and also happens "in many Anatolian versions". This episode also appears in "some Jewish versions", which is confirmed by scholar Heda Jason's analysis of the Jewish Oriental tale corpus. Similarly, Swedish scholar located the motif of the hero's descent into the second underworld on the goat or other animal in countries around the Black Sea and among the Arabs. Further studies by professors and Joseph Szövérffy indicate that this narrative also appears in Eastern Europe and Asia.Szövérffy, Joseph. "From Beowulf to the Arabian Nights". In: ''Midwest Folklore'' 6, no. 2 (1956): 89-124. Accessed May 26, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4317575. A geographical analysis by Joseph Szövérffy pointed that this incident appears in Balkanic, Turkish and Caucasian variants. In addition, a pattern of migration seems to indicate that this motif spread from the Balkans in one route and into North Africa from another. Lastly, professor Szövérffy defended the idea that this motif was distinct enough from the other types that merited its own classification as AaTh 301C. Georgian scholarship also registers the combination of types 301A and 301B with type 300: the hero defeats the dragon (translated as ''veshapi'') and takes a journey on a griffin-like bird (translated as ''paskunji'') back to the upper world. Comparativist limits the incidence of the two rams motif around the Mediterranean area, "but not beyond the
Maghreb The Maghreb (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...
, the Middle
Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...
and Pamir." Scholar Jiří Polívka listed other occurrences of the motif across European tales. Professor Raluca Nicolae interpreted this occurrence as alternance of a night and day cycle.


Escape from the Underworld: the flight on the eagle's back

The escape frequently involves a ride on the back of a giant bird, usually an eagle (as in the Soldier's version), sometimes a Roc. Versions also exist where the bird is a legendary avian creature, such as the Persian
Simurgh The simurgh (; ; also spelled ''senmurv, simorgh, simorg'', ''simurg'', ''simoorg, simorq'' or ''simourv'') is a benevolent bird in Persian mythology and Persian literature, literature. It bears some similarities with mythological birds from di ...
, the Azeri Zumrud, the Turkish Zümrütü Anka, the
Arabian The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...
bird
Anqa Anqa (), also spelled '' 'Anqa' '', or ''Anka'', or ''Anqa Mughrib'' or ''Anqa al-Mughrib'' (), is a golden mysterious or fabulous female bird in Arabian mythology. She is said to fly far away and only appear once in ages. However, it is also s ...
, the Georgian Paskunji or a
griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...
. In American variants of the tale type, the hero is carried on the wings of a
buzzard Buzzard is the common name of several species of birds of prey. ''Buteo'' species * Archer's buzzard (''Buteo archeri'') * Augur buzzard (''Buteo augur'') * Broad-winged hawk (''Buteo platypterus'') * Common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') * Easte ...
. In the tale types AaTh 301, AaTh 301A and AaTh 301B, the hero, in the underworld, rescues the bird chicks of a tree nest and their father, in gratitude, takes him back to the surface. According to professor Nemanja Radulović, "this episode can be considered as the stable part of these tale-types". In that regard, professor Amar Annus suggests that both motifs ("the slaying of a dragon and the hero’s journey on an eagle’s back") were combined into "one coherent narrative" that "may have existed orally in ancient
Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...
". On his way to the upper/surface world, the hero is advised by the eagle to bring him huge amounts of meat and drink to feed it on the arduous journey back. Eventually, the hero runs out of meat to feed his avian saviour and decides to rip pieces of his own flesh, to give the eagle energy to finish the journey. According to Hungarian scholarship, the motif of a hero feeding parts of his own flesh to the animal that transports him to the upper world is "found in the entire folk tale repertoire of
Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...
", in connection to the tale type ATU 301, "The Three Stolen Princesses". In regards to the journey on the eagle's back, folklorist scholarship recognizes its similarities with the tale of
Etana Etana (, ''E.TA.NA'') was the thirteenth king of the first dynasty of Kish, according to the ''Sumerian King List''. He is listed as the successor of Arwium, the son of Mashda, as king of Kish. The list also calls Etana "the shepherd, who asc ...
helping an eagle, a tale type later classified as ATU 537, "The Eagle as helper: hero carried on the wings of a helpful eagle". In her analysis of Armenian tale ''The Son of the Gray Horse'', Professor Susie Hoogasian-Villa cited two Romani variants, one from Bukovina, where the hero of unusual birth is carried by the eagle, and one Welsh, where a dwarf takes the hero to the surface world. Mythologist
Mircea Eliade Mircea Eliade (; – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian History of religion, historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. One of the most influential scholars of religion of the 20th century and in ...
pointed that the motif can also be found in
Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
n
shamanism Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...
, and tales from Siberian folklore attest the transport of the hero by the eagle or another bird species from the depths of Hell to the world's surface. The geographical distribution of tale type ATU 301 with the presence of this motif seems to be spread along "
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, large parts of
Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
and the
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
(Miao),
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
and
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
". In the same vein,
Bernard Sergent Bernard Sergent (; born 23 February 1946) is a French ancient historian and comparative mythologist. He is researcher of the CNRS and president of the Société de mythologie française. Publications He has written a seminal work on Greek myth ...
suggested that the motif of a hero feeding parts of his own flesh to the eagle he uses to escape the underworld may actually show considerable antiquity. He suggested this motif, numbered B322.1 in
Stith Thompson Stith Thompson (March 7, 1885 – January 10, 1976) was an American folklore studies, folklorist: he has been described as "America's most important folklorist". He is the "Thompson" of the Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index, which indexes Folklore, ...
's ''
Motif-Index of Folk-Literature The ''Motif-Index of Folk-Literature'' is a six volume catalogue of motifs, granular elements of folklore, composed by American folklorist Stith Thompson (1932–1936, revised and expanded 1955–1958). Often referred to as Thompson's motif-index ...
'', is the most ancient part of the tale type, being traceable to the
Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...
.


Fate of the unfaithful companions

The ungrateful companions suffer various fates: either disappear, are punished, or forgiven depending on the version.


Pyrenees

Versions of the tale found in the Pyrenees region, across languages. These include for example "Joan de l'Ors" in
Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...
, from the
Aude Aude ( ; ) is a Departments of France, department in Southern France, located in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region and named after the river Aude (river), Aude. The departmental council also calls it " ...
province, in the French Pyrenees, Joan de l'Os in Catalan on the Spanish side, and examples in
Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...
. noted in his study of ''Jean de l'ours'' that there were parallels between the birth origins of the hero and the various bear festivals in the Pyrenees region, held during
Candlemas Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Holy Encounter, is a Christian holiday, Christian feast day commemorating the presentation of ...
or
Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...
seasons. Violet Alford also noted that the tale of Jean de l'Ours showed " more primitive compelling mountain form (Pyrenees and Alps) in which it is possible to distinguish some connection with the traditional bear cult of the Pyrenees." A bolder claim has been made that ''Jean de l'ours'' episodes are reenacted in these festivals. In some legends, the
Pic du Midi d'Ossau The Pic du Midi d'Ossau (; ; 2,884 m) is a mountain rising above the Ossau Valley in the French Pyrenees. Despite possessing neither a glacier nor, in the context of the range, a particularly high summit, its distinctive shape makes it a symbo ...
is the head of John the Bear. In the Pyrenees, 'Jean' is sometimes regarded as an Anglicized corruption of "people" (''gens'') or "giants" (''géants''), an assumption which works well in French, but not in the various other languages and dialects of the region.


Occitan

The tale type AT 301B is said to be one of the most widespread tales (''plus repándu'') in the Occitaine. Indeed, French scholarship points that it is the region where most versions have been found so far. An
Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...
version ''Jan de l'Ours'', collected by in Sougraigne,
Aude Aude ( ; ) is a Departments of France, department in Southern France, located in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region and named after the river Aude (river), Aude. The departmental council also calls it " ...
was published by René Nelli, alongside his side-by-side French translation. Nelli may have preferred the orthography "Joan de L'Ors", or at least that was the spelling he used when he was alerting his pending publication. Fabre and J. Lacroix also published a recitation of the tale by a conteuse from Aude (Louise Cassagneau). The 19th century writer Valère Bernard had worked the Joan de l'Orso character throughout his prodigious work ''la Légenda d'Esclarmonda'', and there was a building on that icon, so that in the eyes of some Joan de l'Orso may have appeared as "the hero par excellence of the Pays d'Oc".


Other Provence tales

Some tales from Provence were published in standard French. In Hippolyte Babou's version (1862), considered to be an arranged piece of work to a large degree,, Delarue's 66, "''très arr.'' (''arrangé'')". the hero goes to the
Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...
region into
Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
on his bearskin, and faces off with an
archdemon In some occult and similar writings, an archdemon (also spelled archdaemon), archdevil, or archfiend is a spiritual entity prominent in the Hell, infernal hierarchy as a leader of demons. Essentially, the archdemons are the evil opponents of the ...
who rides a
shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...
. (Likewise in the version close to it printed by , with illustrations by
Édouard François Zier Édouard François Zier (1856 – 19 January 1924) was a French illustrator and painter. Life and works Édouard François Zier was born in Paris in 1856. He received his instructions in art from his father and later became a pupil of the pa ...
). also published a version in which a mother who had no food due to famine exposed her infant in the woods, but the child was raised by a mother bear that lost one of its cubs. The plotline is somewhat elaborate. A slaying of dragons rescues three princesses, Pomme d'or, Pomme d'argent, Pomme de cuivre ("Golden-Apple", "Silver-Apple", "Copper-Apple"). Although this is enough number of brides for Jean's party, the betrayal of the cut cord still ensues. Pomme d'or refuses marriage to a traitor, and wishes to wed Jean. So the two companions consult a witch on a way to murder Jean and Pomme d'or. An evil spirit with the black beard who enters into the betrayers' service is defeated and killed by Pomme d'or's guardian spirit, whom she summons by biting into her gold apple. The two companions are punished by the guardian spirit, but afterwards forgiven by Jean.


Basque

The corresponding character is denoted Juan Artz , Hachko, or Xan Artz in Basque country. One Basque version of the tale is ''Juan Artz'', edited by
Resurrección María de Azkue Resurrección María de Azkue (5 August 1864 – 9 November 1951) was an influential Basque priest, musician, poet, writer, sailor and academic.Etxegoien, J. ''Orhipean, Gure Herria ezagutzen'' Xamar: 1996 He made several major contributions ...
accompanied by Spanish translation. The name Juan Artz denotes "Juan Bear", where ' is the word for "bear". The story begins by stating "They say that Juan was raised by a she-bear in the mountains because his mother had no breast". This pattern where not a male but female bear is involved, and suckles the infant, is given by Delarue as one of the alternative origins for hero in the tale group, but it is not exhibited in many examples in his list. This motif of a she-bear raising the hero is paralleled by Orson in ''
Valentine and Orson ''Valentine and Orson'' is a romance which has been attached to the Carolingian cycle. Synopsis It is the story of twin brothers, abandoned in the woods in infancy. Valentine is brought up as a knight at the court of Pepin, while Orson grows ...
'', a tale widely read in '' roman bleue'' (chapbook) form in the early modern period. In the tale given by Jean Barbier, ' (; "Hachko and his two companions"), instead of a bear, it is the Basa-Jaun (, ) who kidnaps the girl in the forest and carries her to an underground dwelling. But Barbier's version which makes this substitution has been suspected of being an interpolation of a modern date, most probably by Barbier himself, in a study by N. Zaïkak. According to the hypothesis, Barbier based his tale on 's version, ''l'Ourson'' or ''Le fils d'ours'' ("bear cub" or "bear's son"; ) published in 1878 and 1882. ''Légendes'' 2, pp. 11–14; 148–149 This version was taken down from a native of
Mendive Mendive (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It is located in the former province of Lower Navarre. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the ...
in
Basse-Navarre Lower Navarre (; Gascon/Bearnese: ''Navarra Baisha''; ; ) is a traditional region of the present-day French '' département'' of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. It corresponds to the northernmost ''region'' of the Kingdom of Navarre during the Middle A ...
.


Spain

Aurelio Espinosa, Sr. published three versions of Juan el Oso from Spain in his ''Cuentos Populares Españoles'': ''Juanito el Oso'' (from Blacos, Soria in
Castile and León Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autonomous community in Spain by area, covering 94,222 km2. It is, however, sparsely populated, with a pop ...
133. ''Juanito el Oso'' from Blacos, Soria, and another from Tudanca, Santander134. ''Juanito el Oso'' from Tudanca,) and ''Juanillo el Oso'' (from Villaluenga, Toledo).135. ''Juanillo el Oso'' from Villaluenga, Toledo, Versions found in Spain are marked by the motif of the devil's ear, or Lucifer's ear, which are present in Espinosa's versions named above. When the hero cuts the ear off the diabolical adversary, he has gained mastery over him, and thereafter, the hero can summon the devil by biting on the ear, and command him at his disposal. In one tale the hero encounters a ''
duende A duende is a humanoid figure of folklore, with variations from Iberian Peninsula, Iberian, Ibero-America, Ibero American, and Culture of Latin America, Latin American cultures, comparable to Dwarf (folklore), dwarves, gnomes, or leprechauns. ...
'' (a sort of goblin) who severs his own ear and gives it to Juanito. In some versions, "Lucifer's Ear" becomes the title of the tale. This motif also occurs widely in various versions from Latin America and Spanish-speaking populace in the United States ( §Versions in the Americas). In ''Juanito el Oso'' (Blacos version above), the bear's son has a massive ball weighing 100 ''
arroba ''Arroba'' is a Portuguese and Spanish customary unit of weight, mass or volume. Its symbol is @. History The word ''arroba'' has its origin in Arabic ''ar-rubʿ'' (الربع) or "quarter," specifically the fourth part (of a quintal), whic ...
s'' (2500 lbs.) made for him, to be used as weapon. His companions are Arranca pinos y
Hace High-altitude cerebral edema (H.A.C.E) is a medical condition in which the brain swells with fluid because of the physiological effects of traveling to a high altitude. It generally appears in patients who have acute mountain sickness and involves ...
sogas "Uproots-Pinetrees-and-Makes-Ropes") and Allana
cerros Cerros is an Eastern Lowland Maya archaeological site in northern Belize that functioned from the Late Preclassic to the Postclassic period. The site reached its apogee during the Mesoamerican Late Preclassic and at its peak, it held a population ...
con Culo ("Flattens-Hills-with-
Buttocks The buttocks (: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed of a lay ...
"). Espinosa published more versions in ''Cuentos populares de Castilla y León'': ''Juanillo el Oso'' and ''Juan Os'' from Peñafiel, Valladolid. And a variant, called ''El Hijo Burra'' ("Donkey's son") from Roa, Burgos. Spanish scholarship has called attention to a similar being from
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
n folklore: the strong Esclafamuntanyes ( ca), also described in some versions as the son of a bear and a human woman.


Versions in the Americas

There are cognate tales found in various parts of the Spanish-speaking Americas. Espinosa, Sr. collected 33 tales published in his ''Cuentos Populares Españoles''.


Mexican versions

Variants of the story have been collected among the Mexican population of the United States, and in Mexico (in Chihuahua,
Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...
,
Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...
,
Mitla Mitla is the second-most important archeological site in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico, and the most important of the Zapotec culture. The site is located 44 km from the city of Oaxaca, in the upper end of the Tlacolula Valley, one of the ...
,
Tehuantepec Tehuantepec (, in full, Santo Domingo Tehuantepec) is a city and municipality in the southeast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Tehuantepec District in the west of the Istmo Region. The area was important in pre-Hispanic per ...
,
Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...
, Chiapas—Chamula, and
Zinacantán San Lorenzo Zinacantán () is a town and Municipalities of Chiapas, municipality in the List of states in Mexico, Mexican state of Chiapas in southern Mexico. 99.1% of its population is Tzotzil people, Tzotzil Maya, an indigenous peoples of Mexico ...
). American folklorist Robert A. Barakat published in English translation his collected versions "of North Mexico". These included a tale (entitled ''Juan el oso'') collected in
Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( , ; "Juárez City"), commonly referred to as just Juárez (Lipan language, Lipan: ''Tsé Táhú'ayá''), is the most populous city in the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua. It was k ...
, Mexico,"John the Bear" (''Juan el Oso'') from a 20 years-old resident of Ciudad Juarez, collected in 1964, , and note 19. as well as tales from natives of that city residing in the United States: a version entitled ''Juan Oso'' collected in
El Paso, Texas El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...
, in 1964,"John Bear" (''Juan Oso'') from Leopold Gemoets, then 19 years old, resident of El Paso, Texas, collected in 1964. He had heard it from a gardener in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. , and note 18. and a fragmentary ''Juan de la burra'' (John of the Donkey)."John of the Donkey" (''Juan de la burra''), only the concluding portion, collected in
La Union, New Mexico La Union is a census-designated place in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 1,106 as of the 2010 census. NM 182 connects the community to NM 28. It is a part of the El Paso–Las Cruces combined statistical area. ...
, 1963, from Francisco Melendez, age 78, and note 20.
Frank Goodwyn had also published in 1953 a complete ''Juan de la burra'' (collected in Chicago). Here, it can be seen that not only is the animal transposed to a female donkey, it is not the hero's parent, but only his wetnurse which allowed the abandoned child to suckle. It thus resembles the tale of ''El Hijo Burra'' ("Donkey's son") of Spain. The hero's helpers in the El Paso version were Aplanacerros (Mountain Breaker) and Tumbapinos (Pine Twister), reminiscent of names in the French version, whereas in the ''Juan de la burra'', they were Carguín Cargón (the Carrier), Soplín Soplón (the Sigher), Oidín Oidón (the Hearer), exactly as found in
Fernán Caballero Fernán Caballero (24 December 1796 – 7 April 1877) was the pseudonym of Spanish novelist Cecilia Francisca Josefa Böhl de Faber y Ruiz de Larrea. She was daughter of German writer Johann Nikolaus Böhl von Faber and Spanish writer Frasqui ...
's ''La oreja de Lucifer'', which is indeed a story classified as Type 301B, but one whose protagonist has no connection to a bear or any substituted animal. In Mexican versions, the
machete A machete (; ) is a broad blade used either as an agricultural implement similar to an axe, or in combat like a long-bladed knife. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the Spanish language, the word is possibly a dimin ...
or a machete weighing 24 kilograms has displaced the massive cane in French versions. There is also a version with an "iron weapon""John of the Bear (Juan del Oso)" from Sandra Maria de Jesus Padilla, age 28, in: with which he severs the devil's ear.


International distribution

According to
Stith Thompson Stith Thompson (March 7, 1885 – January 10, 1976) was an American folklore studies, folklorist: he has been described as "America's most important folklorist". He is the "Thompson" of the Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index, which indexes Folklore, ...
's study, the tale is found "over the whole of Europe" ("specially well known in the Baltic and in Russia"), in the Near East, North Africa and in the Americas (brought by the French and the Spanish).


Europe

The tale type is said to be found "in all the Indo-European language groups of Europe", as well in the Finno-Ugric family (e. g., in Finnish,
Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...
and
Sami languages Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ...
) and in
Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...
. In the same vein, critic Walter Puchner, in ''
Enzyklopädie des Märchens The ''Encyclopedia of Fairy Tales'' (''Enzyklopädie des Märchens'') is a German reference work on international folkloristics, which runs to fifteen volumes and is acknowledged as the most comprehensive work in its field. It examines over two c ...
'', remarked that type AaTh 301B is "more typical" of Western, Central and Northern Europe. It has been noted that "the story of the underground journey and the three princesses ... is ubiquitous in the Hispanic tradition", where the strong hero travels to the underworld realm with his companions with fantastical powers. Professor Susie Hoogasian-Villa claimed that the tale-type "The World Below" is "one typical
Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
n folktale": the hero rescues three princesses in the underworld realm, is abandoned by his companions and hitches a ride on the eagle's back in order to return to the surface. According to Professor Bronislava Kerbelytė, the tale type AT 301B is reported to register 240 Lithuanian variants, under the banner ''The Mighty Man and the Fellow Travellers'', with and without contamination from other tale types. In a
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
n variant, ''Asphurtzela'' ("hundred leaves"), a mother's daughter is captured by a ''devi'' and forciby married to it. Her three sons are also captured by the devi. Years later, the woman gives birth to a boy named Asphurtzela, who matures very rapidly and develops great strength. He goes to another village and rescues his siblings. Later, in his travels, he meets a "clod-swallower" and a "hare-catcher" with
millstone Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, used for triturating, crushing or, more specifically, grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones. Millstones come in pairs: a s ...
s tied to both feet. The trio sets up camp and cook their food, but three ''devi'' insist to eat it. His friends relent and let the devi eat their food, but Asphurtzela kills the devi and follow its severed head to a hole, where three princesses are being held captive. The usual narrative follows, but the avian helper of the hero in this version is a
griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...
, after the hero helped its young.


Eastern Europe and Asia

On the other hand, professor Jack Haney stated that the types AT 301A and 301B, "The Three Underground Tsardoms", are very popular in "the East Slavic world", and its combination with tale type AT 650A, "Strong Hans", is "very common in the Urals". Professor Dean Fansler collected nine variants from the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
archipelago and based on their similarities to tabulate a general overview of the narrative. He also noted that the variants he collected were connected to "two well-known European cycles of folk-tales, - 'Strong Hans' and 'John the Bear'". Professor Bertram Colgrave also stated that variants have been found in Indian languages. Similarly, Chinese folklorist and scholar collected some 62 variants of the tale type AT 301 from China and adjacent countries. He also remarked that Chinese scholarship had already noted their resemblance to European folktales by the early 20th century. One variant from a Daghur source was collected, containing the ursine-born hero, the betrayal by his companions (two ghosts from a haunted house), the rescue of a maiden in a cave and the journey back to the surface on a bird.


Middle East

German scholar stated that the tale type AT 301 "The Three Stolen Princesses", showed "particular prominence" in the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East regions. The tale type is also said to be popular in
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
.


Americas

The tale, in the Americas, is claimed to be widespread in
Andean The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...
tradition ("relato panandino") and purportedly belongs to an ancient indigenous tradition, although variants exist in
Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
,
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
,
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
,
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
and
Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
. Variants of the tale type have been collected from the oral tale repertoire of many Native American populations, such as the
Maliseet The Wolastoqiyik, (, also known as the Maliseet or Malecite () are an Algonquian-speaking First Nation of the Wabanaki Confederacy. They are the Indigenous people of the Wolastoq ( Saint John River) valley and its tributaries. Their terri ...
, the
Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ), also known by the endonym Newe, are an Native Americans in the United States, Indigenous people of the United States with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshon ...
, the
Assiniboine The Assiniboine or Assiniboin people ( when singular, Assiniboines / Assiniboins when plural; Ojibwe: ''Asiniibwaan'', "stone Sioux"; also in plural Assiniboine or Assiniboin), also known as the Hohe and known by the endonym Nakota (or Nakoda ...
and the Chilcotin (
Tsilhqotʼin The Tsilhqotin or Chilcotin ("People of the river", ; also spelled ''Tsilhqutin, Tŝinlhqotin, Chilkhodin, Tsilkótin, Tsilkotin'') are a First Nations in Canada, North American tribal government of the Northern Athabaskan languages, Athabask ...
). Anthropologist
Elsie Clews Parsons Elsie Worthington Clews Parsons (November 27, 1875 – December 19, 1941) was an American anthropologist, sociologist, folklorist, and feminist who studied Native American tribes—such as the Tewa and Hopi—in Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico. ...
recorded three variants, one from
Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...
and two from
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
, that mix type AT 650A (the mishaps of the hero's childhood) with type AT 301B (rescue of princesses in the underworld and flight on eagle).


Literary variants

Scholarship recognizes the Spanish rhyming story ''Las Princesas Encantadas'' as belonging to ATU 301 tale type. In this story, a king locks his three daughter in a tower (instead of an underground prison) and the hero, after he is betrayed by his brothers, escapes the tower with the help of a magical flying horse. The story continues as another tale type: ATU 314, " Goldener" (prince works in menial position in another king's palace).


Parallels

It has been suggested that the tale of John the Bear may be connected to the legend of Georgian hero
Amirani Amirani or Amiran ( ka, ამირანი) is the name of a culture hero of a Georgian epic who resembles the Classical Prometheus. Various versions of the myth reveal a process through which the myth was transformed over time, but the legend ...
and character Sbadilòn, the hero of an Italian fairy tale.


Sbadilòn

Sbadilòn, or Giovanni Sbadilòn Senzaterra, is the protagonist of a
Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...
tale collected from an old female storyteller in the 1970s. Sbadilón carries a
spade A spade is a tool primarily for digging consisting of a long handle and blade, typically with the blade narrower and flatter than the common shovel. Early spades were made of riven wood or of animal bones (often shoulder blades). After the a ...
and meets two strong companions: Tagliaboschi, son of a
charcoal burner A charcoal burner is someone whose occupation is to manufacture charcoal. Traditionally this is achieved by carbonising wood in a charcoal pile or kiln. Charcoal burning is one of the oldest human crafts. History and technique Medieval charc ...
("carbonaio") and Darfino Ammazzacinquecento ("Darfino Crushes-Five-Hundred"). By lifting a marble tombstone, Sbadilón descends to an underworld realm (possibly Hell), kills five evil wizards and rescues a princess. In this story, the betrayal of the companions does not occur; instead, he willingly decides to stay underground, until an eagle bites his flesh and carries him back to the surface.


Conon

Scholarship on the tale type indicates similarities between the narrative and a tale by Greek writer
Conon Conon () (before 443 BC – ) was an Athenian general at the end of the Peloponnesian War, who led the Athenian naval forces when they were defeated by a Peloponnesian fleet in the crucial Battle of Aegospotami; later he contributed significantly ...
. In this story, two shepherds find a pot of honey in a cave. One descends the hole in a basket, sends the pot of honey to his companion. However, one betrays the other, leaving him to die in the pit. The other shepherd has a vision that god
Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...
instructs the man to hurt his own flesh to attract vultures. The ploy works and the vultures carry the shepherd to their nest at the foothill.


Ancient Greece

Paul Delarue also listed as ancient parallels to the bear-born hero a myth about
Polyphonte Polyphonte (Ancient Greek: means 'slayer of many') is a character in Greek mythology, transformed into a strix. Family Polyphonte was the daughter of Hipponous and Thrassa; her grandparents on her mother's side were the war god Ares and Terein ...
and her twin sons Agrius and Oreius, born of a male bear, and a version where
Arcesius In Greek mythology, Arcesius, Arceisius, Arkeisios or Arcisius () was the son of either Zeus or Cephalus, and king in Ithaca. Mythology According to scholia on the ''Odyssey'', Arcesius' parents were Zeus and Euryodeia; Ovid also writes of Arces ...
, grandfather to
Odysseus In Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus ( ; , ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; ), is a legendary Greeks, Greek king of Homeric Ithaca, Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, epic poem, the ''Odyssey''. Od ...
, was sired by human
Cephalus Cephalus or Kephalos (; ) is the son of Hermes, husband of Eos and a hero-figure in Greek mythology. Cephalus carried as a theophoric name by historical persons. The root of this name is , meaning "head". Mythological * Cephalus, son of Hermes ...
and a she-bear.


Torec

Professor Joseph Szövérffy drew attention to another possible parallel to the tale type: in an episode of the medieval (13th century) romance ''Torec'', ''chevalier'' Melions descends to a cave to rescue his beloved and two other maidens, captured by a dwarf. After he sends them through a rope to his two companions, they betray him and leave him stranded in the cave. With the help of animals (a horse, two dogs and two hawks), he returns to the surface.


''Er Töštük''

Turkish folklorist
Pertev Naili Boratav Pertev Naili Boratav, born Mustafa Pertev (September 2, 1907 – March 16, 1998) was a Turkish folklorist and researcher of folk literature. He has been characterized as 'the founding father of Turkish folkloristics during the Republic'.Arzu Öztü ...
noted that Kyrgyz epic ''Er Töštük'' contains several similarities to types 301A and 301B: after an encounter with the dangerous witch Želmoğuz, Er Töštük falls into the Underworld. Down there, he disguises himself with a scurvy appearance and marries a local princess. His father-in-law sends Er Töštük and his brothers-in-law on some errands, including finding the magical colts of the Spotted Mare that were stolen. On this quest, Er Töštük rescues the children of the Giant Eagle from the Dragon. Some time later, he has to return to the surface, and the Giant Eagle, in gratitude for his previous good deed, takes him and his wife back to his realm.Boratav, Pertev Naili. "The Tale and the Epico-Novelistic Narrative". In: Dégh, Linda. ''Studies In East European Folk Narrative''. American Folklore Society, 1978. pp. 8-11.


John Bear in literature

In 1868,
Prosper Merimee Prosper may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places in the United States * Prosper, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Prosper, Minnesota, an unincorporated community * Prosper, North Dakota, an unincorporated community * Prosper, Oregon, an unincorpora ...
published '' Lokis'', a new telling of a mysterious marriage Count, which appears to be born from the rape of his mother, and probably by a bear, these elements are gradually revealed, until the epilogue where the animal instincts of the character come to the fore. This news is written following a trip Merimee did in
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
and the Baltic countries where the story (or legend) was underway. In 1990,
Alina Reyes Alina Reyes (born Aline Patricia Nardone on 9 February 1956) is a French writer, best known for her literary treatment of eroticism. Biography She was born at Bruges, Gironde. Originally a freelance journalist, she devoted herself to fiction aft ...
evokes the myth in her second novel, ''Lucie au Long Cours''. In 2011, the novel by Philippe Jaenada "Woman and Bear" explicitly refers to the tale.


See also

For tales about wild men and strong heroes: * The Adventures of Massang (Kalmyk folktale) * Bear's Son Tale *
Basajaun In Basque mythology, (, "Lord of the forest", plural: , female ) is a huge, hairy hominid dwelling in the woods. They were thought to protect flocks of livestock, and teach skills such as agriculture and ironworking to humans. Nomenclature ...
*
Fehérlófia (Hungarian folk tale) Fehérlófia (lit. ''The Son of the White Horse'' or ''The Son of the White Mare'') is a Hungarian Folklore, folk tale published by in ''Eredeti Népmesék'' (1862). Its main character is a youth named ''Fehérlófia'', a "Hungarian folk hero". ...
* The Son of a Horse (Chinese folktale) * ''
Son of the White Mare ''Son of the White Mare'' () is a 1981 Hungarian animated fantasy adventure film directed by Marcell Jankovics. The story's main character is Fehérlófia (Son of the White Mare), who has superhuman powers. It is based on the narrative poetry, u ...
'', Hungarian animated film *
Valentine and Orson ''Valentine and Orson'' is a romance which has been attached to the Carolingian cycle. Synopsis It is the story of twin brothers, abandoned in the woods in infancy. Valentine is brought up as a knight at the court of Pepin, while Orson grows ...
* Waligóra and Wyrwidąb ("Mountain Beater" and "Oak Tearer"), legendary Polish heroes * * Wild men For other tales about rescuing princesses in the underworld: * Dawn, Midnight and Twilight * Prâslea the Brave and the Golden Apples * The Gnome (fairy tale) * The Story of Bensurdatu * The Norka * ''Jihaguk daejeok toechi seolhwa'' * Kotyhoroshko


Explanatory notes


References

;Citations ;Bibliography ;―texts (France - Langues d'oïl) * (Delarue's 9) ** ** * (Delarue's 1) ** ** ;―(France-Provence/Occitan) * (Delarue's 66) * (Delarue's 71.) * (Gascon) (Delarue's 67.) * (Delarue's 65.) ;―(Catalan) * * ;―(Spain) * * * **; republishe
''Spanish Fairy Tales''
Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & co., 1920 ;―(Basque) * * * * ;―(Italy) * ;―(Mexican versions) * * * * ;―(English Canada) * (Acadian Tales and Mrs. Laura McNeil, West Pubnico, N. S.) ;―secondary sources * * * * * * (Contents of 1968 and 1969a) * *


Further reading

* * Decourt, Nadine. "Les Quatre saisons de Léon et Jean de l’Ours : entre conte et film d’animation, questions de transmission et de réception". In: ''Textes et contextes'' 8 (2013)

* Fourtané, Nicole. "La conception du héros dans les contes hispaniques et dans ceux des Andes péruviennes: le cas de Juan [el] Oso". In: ''América: Cahiers du CRICCAL'', n°13, 1993. Les frontières culturelles en Amérique latine (deuxième série) pp. 39–56. [DOI: https://doi.org/10.3406/ameri.1993.1133]; www.persee.fr/doc/ameri_0982-9237_1993_num_13_1_1133 * Hernández Fernández, Ángel. “El cuento del fortachón en el folklore y la literatura”. In: ''Culturas Populares. Revista Electrónica'' 2 (mayo-agosto 2006). http://www.culturaspopulares.org/textos2/articulos/hernandezf1.htm; . * Liégeois, Catherine. "Miklos fils de jument: état d'une recherche". In: ''Littérature orale: paroles vivantes et mouvantes''. Martin, Jean-Baptiste (dir.); Decourt, Nadine (dir.). Lyon: Presses universitaires de Lyon, 2003. pp. 281–295. . DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/books.pul.11735. * McDowell, John H.
The True Lineage of “Juan Oso”
" ''Journal of Folklore Research'' 46, no. 3 (2009): 325–49. doi:10.2979/jfr.2009.46.3.325.


External links

* {{refend French folklore French legendary creatures Legendary French people Mythological human–animal hybrids Legendary bears Anthropomorphic bears Folklore featuring impossible tasks Short stories about talking animals ATU 300-399