92 Wilder Theodore Elmore 



theless, if now you will worship me, I will let you go." But the 

 king replied that even though they impaled him on a stick before 

 Ankamma he would not worship the Sakti. The Saktis replied 

 that he had named his own fate. He and his brothers must be 

 impaled on a stake. They cut down a palm tree and made a sharp 

 stake. The kings, however, requested that they might have an 

 iron spike. This point was conceded, and the kings threw them- 

 selves on to the spike and were killed. The name of the place was 

 Koralapadu, and so the goddess is called Koralapati Ankamma.^^ 

 This legend accounts for the spikes in the hands of Ankamma, 

 and also for the impaling of animals at the time of her worship. 

 The story then goes on to tell of the complete surrender to 

 Ankamma. 



Soon after the death of these kings on the impaling spike, the 

 wife of the head-king brought forth a posthumous son. One day, 

 when he was nearly grown, his companions twitted him with being 

 fatherless. He came in anger to his mother and asked her what 

 truth there was in the taunt. She feared to tell him lest the 

 Saktis should attempt to destroy him also, but he pleaded so 

 strongly that at last she informed him of the manner of his father's 

 death. 



Filled with anger the boy determined to destroy the Saktis. He 

 started out, but did not know the way. Seeing a rishi at his devo- 

 tions, he wanted to ask where the Saktis lived, but did not dare 

 disturb such a holy man. He adopted a device, however, to 

 draw the first word from the rishi. He placed two stones for a 

 fireplace, and his knee in the place of the third stone. He then 

 placed a pot on the stones and his knee, and lighted the fire in the 

 usual way. When the fire burned his knee, he jerked it away, 

 breaking the pot. After he had done this twice the rishi became 

 interested and asked him about his journey, with the result that 

 the boy was properly advised. 



The boy went on his journey and came to a flat-roofed house. 

 Ankamma was on the house top. He took out his pipe and played 

 her a tune, and Ankamma danced and danced, and finally came 

 down to where he was. Here the story stops strangely by simply 



2» Koralapati is the genitive case of Koralapadu. 



92 



