Document text
STATE
Forms to be Filled out for Eacn Interview
New York
lOrn,
fircumstarces b,"
IslA1',:E OF woluTa MAY SdEMSON
ADMESS 21 Morton St. NYC
October 31st. 1938
SUBJECT CZECHOSLOVAKIAU LORE Priest and Peasant Stories
1. Date and time of inter,!ew
2. Place of interview
Oct. 278 1933
Miss Vrbovska's home
3. Name aod addloes 1:1formaw
4. INal;e and addres-; pern,
toucn with in
5. Name and ad.rc;i:,s
A.ss Anoa Vrbovska
509 E. 79th. Street, ric
p -it you 111
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
Have submitted previous interviews
with this inforwmt
son, 1 .ny. accir,:fpc:nying you
6. Description of room, heuse, surroLdit s e
(See interviews of August 31, 1938)
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms, each
bearing the proper heading and the number to which the material refers.)
FORM ci
Personal History of informant
STATE Now York
NAME OF WORKER MAY SMSON
ADDRESS 21 Morton Street, wirc
DATE October 31st. 1938
SUBJECT CSECROSLOVARIAN LORE Priest and Peasant Stories
1. Ancestry
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
Born in Czechoslovakia, lived there until the
ago of 14 years.
2. Place and date of birth
informant stated that she did not care to give
ages date of birth, or other personal information.
3. Family
4. Places liveC in, with date.,
5. Education, with dates
6. Occupations and accomplishments, with date
7. Special skills and interests
8. Community and religious activities
9. Description of informant
Small stature. Neat, compact figure. Dark hair.
Dark penetrating oyes. Dynastic.
10. Other Points gained in interview
STATE
NAVE OF
ADDRESS
DATE
SUBJECT
FOON1 C
Text of I:Iterview
(Frie(11.1-xf.1)
New York
WOEEfl. May Swenson
509 E. 79th Si. New York, N. Y. Apt. 21
Oct. 31, 1938
CZECHOSLOVAKIAN LORE PRIEST AND PEASANT STORIES.
FOLKLOBE
NEI': YORK
There lived a sort of peasant and his wife in a Slovak
village. And thee:: peasant somehow felt that his wife wasn't
faithful to him. But he could nevair verify thees belief in her
unfaithfulness. So one evening, on a cold winter evening, he
says to his wife:
"Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you, I got to go to the
neighboring village to speak to a friend of mine, and I probably
won't return until tomorrow morning."
So the wife kissed him goodbye, wished him a pleasant
journey, hoping for his safe return.
No sooner was he gone, when ay priest knocked on the door.
So she hurriedly opened the door and welcomed the priest. He said:
"Well, everything all right?"
Says: "Yes. He w ent out for the entire night." Then
she went over to the stove, opened it and pulled out ay roast goose
and other excellent foods, ay bottle of wine, and put it on the table,
and they began to eat.
The priest was getting ready for ay pleasant evening of
love making. But behold no sooner they started eating when there
was somebody knocking on the door.
"Hide yourself quickly," she said to the priest.
"Where shall I hide myself?"
"Crawl under the chimney in the kitchen."
(You see, there was a sort of kiln, where they bade bread
under the chimney.)
In the meantime she couldn't hide the food and the husband
kept knocking on the door.
"Let me in. I forgot some important papers!"
He entered, saw the food on the table. wAh," he said,
"I'm so glad that in ay way you expected my return."
Sat down to the goose and the wine. After be finished his
supper, he went off again.
"Wow I'm sure I won't have to return until morning."
Just when the priest was on the point of crawling out of
the oven, came ay knocking on the door again. Well, the woman knew
that this was another priest of the village. So she said to the
priest in the oven, "Stay there, stay there," and let in the newcomer.
So they embraced and kissed and the hurried to prepare some
eats. And just when they were getting ready for, what shall I say,
lovemaking, she heard a knocking on the window, and her husband's
voice:
Said, !Let me in. I forgot my lanter„ and its very dark
out there."
.3...
So the second priest was frightened. "Where shall I hide
myself? He will kill mot"
"Go under the chimney in the kitchen, and go into the
oven."
So the husband came in, apologized to his wife, got the
lantern and assured her he won't return before the morning anymore.
No sooner was he gone when someone knocks again on the
door. She says, "Who is it?"
"Oh, let me in. You know me. I'm the priest from -ST.
Michael's parish."
So she let him in and prepared for him ay delicious supper,
and they set down and began to eat. And the priest from SI. Michael's
parish was just on the point of telling her his love, when there was
again ay knocking on the window.
She didn't even wait for the voice. She said, "Hide
yourself quickly. It must have been my husband. He must have
forgotten again something."
"Where shall I hide myself?" asked the third priest.
"Oh, go in the kitchen under the chimney and crawl into
the oven."
So when the three of them were in the oven, the first priest
asked, "Who are you?" The second priest said, "I'm the priest from
St. Joseph's parish." The third one said, "I'm the priest from St.
Michael's parish." So they found out that all of the three priests
of that small community were in the oven. And all the three of them
met in the oven.
Meanwhile, the jealous, suspicious husband said to his wife:
"Now at last I found you out. Now put all the food with which you
used to feed our Reverend Fathers on the table." And she did so.
After he finished his meal, he said: "And now I'm going
to kill you." And he did so. And then he pushed her in the oven
too. And then brought in kindling wood and made a big fire in
the oven, and all the four of them were burned, and nothing remained
of them but their skeletons. So the poor peasant had four skeletons
in his house and he didn't know how to get rid of tam. And he was
very worried.
And naturally in the village all the churches suspended
services, because there were no priests and none of the villagers
knew what became of their priests.
Now comes the real juicy part of the story.... After a
short time, the army maneuvers were held, and soldiers were sent to
the village to find livin7 quarters in the homes of the peasants.
One of thees plucky sargents came to our poor worried peasant. And
he said:
"Well, Peasant, I'm going to sleep here tonight."
The peasant shook his head very sadly. "Don't do that,
my son. Don't do that. My house is haunted."
"Whati haunted?" said the soldier. *You don't mean to say
you believe in ghosts?"
"Yes, my house is haunted by the ghost of ay priest who
appears in the form of ay skeleton every midnight, when the clock
strikes twelve
-5
"Listen," said the sOldier, "I don't believe in any ghost
nor in the devil himself. I'm going to stay here." But, he said,
holding on to his dagger, "if there is a ghost in this house* I'm
going to get rid of him tonight, so you will never be bothered by
him anymore."
"Alright," c*id the peasant, "but don't blame me for an
-unpleasant, sleepless raght that is in store for you."
The soldier threw himself on the bed and sank into a deep
slumber.
Around twelve o'clock, the peasant dragged out of the oven
one of the skeletons and placed him beside the soldier's bed. Then
the shook the snoring soldier.
"Mr. Sold/art There he stands1"
Soldier jumps up. "Alright,"he says, "I'm ping to get rid
of him. Give me a sack."
Grabbed the skeleton, put him in the sack, tied it with a
rope and ran off to the river at the end of the village, and threw it
in the water. And then rushed back to continue sleep.
Entered the place and said, gaily: "Well, now we both can
sleep."
Peasant shook his head very sadly. *Yon don't know much
about the nature of ghosts. Lookt There he stands beside the bed.
Got home before you!"
So he pulled out in the meantime the second priest. "See
that? It was the second priest. Well, the soldier swore a little*
grabbed the skeleton of the second priest, whom he believe to be the
ghost and put him in ay sack and tied it with ay big rope and rushed
out to get rid of him, and threw him in the river at the end of the
village.
In the meantime the peasant pulled out the third priest
and placed it beside the soldier's bed. The panting soldier arrived
home and said, "Ah well, now I did get rid of him."
The peasant shook his head very sadly, and said, "That's
what you thinki See that? He got again home before you. There
he stands beside the bed."
So the raging soldier picked up the skeleton and threw
him in the sack and got hold of ay good-sized rook and threw it
in the sack also, and they tied the sack with the rope, and "Well,"
he said "He can't comeback anymore. Theirs rock will carry him to
the bottom of the river."
"Good luck," said the peasant, "I hope you succeed so that
both of us can go to sleep."
So the soldier wearily dragged the skeleton to the river and
threw him in, and stood there watching how the neckwear descending
to the bottom of the river. Then he walked homeward. This time he
really got rid of all the three burnt priests, who he mistook for a
ghost.
As he was treading his way homeward, ay coach lath two
lovely steeds, was passing him by. Since helves very tired and
very eaawr to get home, he stoned the coach and asked the drivers
"Can I ride with you? And who are you driving there anyhow?.
Said the coachman: "Oh, it's the priest from Ss. Luke's!
(Thieves the newly appointed priest to the village that was badly in
need of a new priest, since the disappearance of the three former
priests.)
"Abah„" said the soldier. "Now I a wise to his tricks.
Now I see bow he makes to get home before me. Nero all night I've
been dragging him to the river, and now I find him, ffior the fourth
time, riding in ay coach back*"
So be dragged the priest and put him in ay sack and tied
ay rope around the sack and threw him also in the river. Then be
came home to the peasant, and the peasant was smiling, and the
soldier was smiling.
*Well, this time you really get rid of hie." said the
peasant.
"You bet I did** said the soldier. *But only because I
managed to find him while he was riding in a coach beck to you."
There was living in a Slovak village, a very poor but
honest shoemaker, who aside from his wife, could boast of no earthly
possessions whatsoever, save his only owv.
The shoemaker and his wife were very faithful members of
the church congregation, because that waa the only amusement they
could afford. Every Sunday afternoon, Shoemaker would go to the
church, listen to the priest sermon, and would be the last one to
leave the church, and carefully memorize what the priest said that
day.
On one Sunday afternoon, thees priest delivered the oration
about how God reyarde those who, what shall I say, who part with their
possessions and give it to others. The Bible said 'Those who give
shall receive tenfold.,
Well, the poor shoemaker was struck by that saying. no
was indeed very much in need of God's tenfold blessings. So right
after he returned home, he said to his wife:
"Wife, from today on all our troubles are over. I know
now the right road to riches. Come: he said, "let us take our cow,
Straka, to the priest and give her to him."
*You are crazy," said the wife. *You don't want me to part
from our only cowl Where will we get milk?"
"Don't worry about that," said the shoemaker. "This
afternoon, the priest, who is God's servant, and knows what he
is talking about, said 'Give and thou shalt receive tenfold'. That
is simple enough. I'll give him my cow and I shall receive ten
cows and then we will have Ileven."
"Alright," said the wife. *You are the man in the house,
and a man is always supposed to know more than ay woman. So let us,
by all means, give our cow, Straka, to the priest."
The priest was very touched by the gift of these poor
people and he appreciated it because he knew that this cow was the
only possession the shoemaker could boast of.
And then the shoemaker and his wife returned home. The
following evening* sunset, when the herd was driven home from the
pasture land, the shoemaker opened his 7ate of his house. The
faithful Straka naturally rushed toward her former home. And lo and
behold, the ten fat cows of the priest foil -wed her!
-9
The shoemaker let them in and then closed the gate. Celled
his wife and said, "See/ It has happened' Straka returned with ten
fat cows. 'Tis true indeed those who give shall receive tenfold1"
But their rejoicing didn't last very long, because the
priest and his servants came to the shoemaker and asked him to release
the cows. The shoemaker protested, but his protestations were of no
avail. The priest, with the aid of his servants, opt his ten cows
and Streit& also.
His wife burst into tears.
"How are we going to live now our only cow is gone? You
haven't got enough money to buy leather for shoes, at least, so that
we could sell the shoes. Well, we just starve to death."
The dejected shoemaker said, "Well, there is nothing left
for me but to pick up the few pair of boots that we had from former
years and tike them to the city and sell them at the Fair."
So he put the boots on a rack over his shoulder and went off
to the city. He stood there in the market from morning until night,
almost, but no one cared to purchase a pair of boots. So somehow,
he slumbered off for a while, and in the meantime somebody stole
the boots.
Things seemed very dark, and he didn't dare to go home to
his wife. Instead of that be sneaked into the priest's house, and
there he entered the priest's housekeeper's (who, incidentally was
a very comely peasant wench) bedroom. And he crawled under her bed.
Oh, around late in the evening, the housekeeper entered the
room, unlaced her shoes, took off her dress, lay down on the bed and
stretched her limbs, and got ready for a good night's slumber.
-10
Suddenly the door was opened in a very cautious manner,
and who should enter but the priest. He went over to the bed and
viewed the housekeeper with admiration. Then be bent over her face
and looked for a long time into her eyes without saying a word. So
at last the housekeeper said:
*What do you see there in my eyes, Reveradd Father?"
"Oh," said the priest, with a deep sigh, "I see in your
eyes the entire worldln
And then suddenly there was heard the loud voice of the
shoemaker: "And do you see my boots there tool"
It's needless to say that the shoemaker did receive his
reyard, and the ten fat cows of the priest, and his own faithful
cow, Straka.
COMMEUT BY INFORMINT:4,
This story was really told to me by one of the...oh the
was a swell woman...big* tall* husky peasant woman. Her name was
Maria Buronova. And one of them was told to me by Uterine Sedlacek.
Huskinc corn in autumn, the peasant women all Sit around the corn pile
...a corn pile lust like a mountain...sit around it and tear out the
leaves from the corn. Then they tell stories while husking. This
was in Sandorf, in western Slovakia my native villae.
Our peasants had a wholesome humor, a sort of Rabelasian
humor. The priests had always housekeepers, and children, although
they were supposed to be celebate. And the peasants approved of them.
-11
After all, the priest needs a wife too. Very broadminded about it.
They said, *Yes, our priest wears a cassock, but you nevair know
*bat he hides under it!"
The first day of New Year, the priest read off all the names
of the children who were born that year. And last be would read the
names of all the illigitimate children, mad say: "This village leads
them all in the birth of bastards!"
Fain. LI
E:s7 tfo. c`C VILD t
STATE New York
NAME OF !vOaKER May Swenson
ADIRTS 509 E. 79th St. New York, N. Y. Apt. 21
PATE Oct. 31* 1938
suBJEcTZECHOSLOVAKIAN LE PRIEST AND PEASANT STORIES
FOLKLORE
YE WI K
I was interested in noting the mixture of modern and
old-world idioms, informant used in telling these two stories.
She used slang phrases such as these:
...."hurried to prepare some eats"
...."Now come the real juicy part of the story!"
"Ahah," said the soldier, "Now I'm wise to his tricks.
"Thatts what you thinki" said the peasant
Side by side, are idioms frequently seen in standardized
myths, fairy stories and folk tales:
"No sooner was he gone, than..."
"And he did so..."
..."As he was threading his way homeward.."
...,Tis true indeed that..."
Informant pronounces the word this" an thees; the word tat
as ay, and says Ireyardi for :reward,' Uses such internal phrases as:
"What shall I say?" and *You see that?"
Has a very expressive way of emphasizing action in her speech.
Clear, deep, dynamic voice. Perhaps worth recording.