488 Gunnar Landtman. 



A. The name ol Ganümi's mother was Gebâe, One day vvhile he was still a small boy he 

 saw two girls who were sitting in a disorderly way, and he began to cry asking for something red as 

 in the previous version. He slept beside the girls in the night, and next morning was left by ihem in 

 the sago-tree. Ganiimi eut off the top of the palm and with a shell scraped a passage insida the tree 

 right down to the ground;^^ finally he was rescued by his parents. AU the girls and womeii wanted 

 Ganumi, and he slept with them in the night, and Gebâe enticed him to come to har too in spita of 

 his objections. Thenceforth rejected by all tha girls he one day leaped up to heaven from a tree „all 

 same iirio (spirit) he go". 



Ganumi used to sleep with all the girls as soon as they were mature, and evar sinca the girls' 

 first menstruation lakes place when they are grown up. He is ashamed after sleeping with his mother and 

 sometimes hides away from har. That is why the moon is sometimes small and sometimes vanishes 

 entirely. (Gibiima, Mawäta). 



B. A certain man named Novàre, who lived at Bigu on tha Båmu river, once brought homa 

 two bush-fowl eggs which he hung up in a basket close to tha place where his sister Gebäe slept. 

 At night the two aggs turned into a man who came and slept with the girl. The people, who thought 

 that is was Novâra who had caused his sister to become pregnant, prevailed upon him to marry her, 

 and they became husband and wife. A boy was born, and from all över the country the girls were 

 invited to come and see him, for this makes a boy låter on a favorite among the girls. He was 

 named Sogömi and also Ganumi, Imäia, Târatâra, Uwe, and Sagdna, which ara all différent names 

 of the moon. 



One day Gebâe and Sogômi went to fetch water, and whila tha latter climbed down to the 

 well where he filled his water-vessel, the woman above him sat in a disorderly fashion. She wanted 

 him, and Ihey slept together. The boy, who had never done that before, ran home where he vomited 

 and nearly fainted. On hearing why the boy was sick Novâre in his turn went and had connection 

 with Gebâe, and this restored the boy to strangth. Novâre also rubbad him with Gebâa's patticoat and 

 with some of his own (Novâra's) Perspiration which had burst out during the act. After that the boy 

 never felt sick when sleeping with a woman. 



Sogômi, who was ashamed of his intercourse with his mother, ran away into the bush where 

 he climbed up a sago-palm. He was found by some girls who came to fetch water, and thay proppad 

 up a „laddar" against the traa wishing to bring him down. One girl after another climbed up tha 

 laddar and asked him to come, but ha only submittad to Gebâe. 



Once Sogômi was visited by the famous Meséde (cf. no. 45), who induced him to come to a 

 place called Siwa on the Bâmu river where a girl named Dorôbi lived. Sogômi want there, and the 

 girls in ail the villages which he passed on his way wanted him, but he went on till he came to his 

 destination. He married Dorôbi and brought her home. But Gebâe who was very jealous constantly 

 quarrelled with Dorôbi, and at last in disgust Sogômi left tham both. He want and caught a large 

 shark, and taking out the intestines turned the fish into a canoë. Than ha eut off the tail and usad 

 it for a paddle. He wanted to get up to heaven and for this purpose tried to find the place where 

 sky and earth meet. After paddling a long distance he caught a porpoise and made it into a new 

 canoë in which he continued his journey. But he could never raach his goal. Finally he stood up 

 on the back of the porpoise and with the help of the alastic dorsal fin jumped up to heaven. He is 

 the moon. Sometimes he holds a dance, and the thunder is his drum. At first he appears as a new- 

 born baby, and gradually grows larger and largar till he is full-sized, than he becomes old and diminishes, 

 till at last he dies and is buriad. After a time a naw moon-child is born. (Uria, Mawâta). 



C. Gabâa was Ganümi's foster-mother. The boy was a great favorite with the girls and slept 

 with many of them. Gabâa too wanted him and one night induced him to sleep with har, and after 



Tom. XLVII. 



