Harap Alb
"Harap Alb" or "Harap-Alb" (Romanian pronunciation:
"Harap Alb" received much posthumous attention from literary critics, and inspired works in other genres. These include
Name
Harap Alb in Romanian signifies "White African"[1][2][3][4] or "White Arab".[2] The word harap is an antiquated form of arap derived from "Arab" means "black person" or a "Moor". It may also refer to a handsome man, usually with dark features.
The arap or harap are a stereotypical race in the folklore of the Balkans, from Turkey in the south to modern Romania in the north, often, but not always, portrayed in a negative light.[5] Cognate terms exist in Albanian (arap in the Tosk, harap in Gheg) and Bulgarian-language (арап, arap or арапин, arapin).[6]
The name may also be an allusion to the protagonist's slave-like condition of "degradation and submission", as alp may be readily associated with the
Plot summary
Beginning
The narrative begins with a stock formula: a king's three sons are sent on a quest, and the hero, the youngest son, is set to succeed.[9][10][11][12]
An unnamed king has a brother, the Green Emperor (Împăratul Verde) who is nearing death, and as has no male heirs, he has written to king to send any of his three princes, and whichever one completes the journey shall inherit the whole empire. The kingdom and the Empire are on the "margins" of the earth, separated by desolate lands.
The eldest son agrees to take up his uncle's challenge, and the king decides to test his courage by dressing up in bearskin and blocking the bridge along the way. The eldest prince makes a terrified return home. The monarch plays the same trick on his second son, with the same result. Without revealing his ruse, the king expresses his disappointment, which prompts the youngest to burst into tears and run out to the palace garden. There, an old woman beggar tells his fortune: the youngest prince shall become a glorious emperor. She urges him to attempt his uncle's quest, but warns that he should use only the items his father had when he was a bridegroom: ragged clothes, rusty weapons and an old stallion. She then vanishes into the skies.
The youngest prince suffers his father's ridicule, but eventually obtains permission to go, and the king's old items. The horse can be identified by the piece of wisdom given him by the old woman: the right horse will be the only one in the stable which will approach a tray full of embers at feeding. The horse gives three shakes and transforms into a beautiful steed. The horse can talk with his new master, and carry him leaping to the clouds and the Moon. The prince goes to the bridge and endures the bear ruse, and the king gives him the bearskin as trophy. As parting words, the father tells him to beware "of the red man, and especially of the bald one".
The Bald Man
The next leg of the journey takes the prince into a deep forest inhabited by the evil Bald Man (Spânul), who will enslave him by trickery. The prince twice rebuffs the Bald Man's offer of services,[a] but the third time, has lost his way and decides to accept. By deception the creature tricks the prince into the bottom of a well, and would only let him out by submitting to his condition[b] that the two must now exchange roles. So at the palace, the Bald Man is introduced as the king's son, while the young prince follows as his servant named "Harap Alb". The Green Emperor welcomes them unsuspectingly, but the Emperor's daughter catches the master striking his servant and reproaches him; she begins to wonder which one is truly noble and which one is base between the two of them.
- Bear and stag quests
Harap-Alb is soon sent on his first dangerous quest. He is ordered by the Bald Man to retrieve the "salad from the Bear's Garden", which the Green Emperor was fond of. His talking horse reassures him and flying up into the air, carries him to an island, where he is reunited with the fortunetelling beggar, who now identifies herself as "Saint Sunday" (Sfânta Duminică). She dopes the bear's watering fountain with a sleep-inducing infusion of herbs, honey, and milk, and Harap Alb wrapped in bearskin gathers the salad before the beast awakes.
Harap-Alb's second dangerous assignment is to hunt the enchanted deer whose skin is studded with precious stones, and to bring back its skull and hide. The deer's stare strikes one dead and no one has ever survived. Saint Sunday provides him with the
- Red Emperor's daughter
The triumphant return with the gems greatly enhances Harap Alb's prestige, as well as Green Emperor's esteem of him. The Bald Man jealously tries to credit the feats to himself for training his servant with his stern ways. While the monarch is credulous, his daughter and her sisters grow even more skeptical, and decide to investigate further. They ask Harap Alb to set the table for the banquet, but the Bald Man makes the servant swear not to engage in conversation with the ladies. At the festivities, an enchanted bird-like creature, Pasărea măiastră makes a surprise visit and announces: "You are eating, drinking and enjoying yourselves, but you fail to think about the Red Emperor's daughter!" There follows a lively debate concerning the tyrannical Red Emperor (Împăratul Roșu) and his daughter. Some guests claim that the latter is a malevolent witch, and some still that she is the bird itself, on a mission to propagate fear. The Bald Man subsequently volunteers Harap Alb to investigate the mystery, and sends him on a quest to capture the Red Emperor's daughter.
Journey to Red Emperor
- Helper animals
The prince's journey begins with an act of pity. He happens upon a wedding procession of ants on the bridge, and rather than to trample on them, decides to for the deep-watered river. A grateful winged ant gives him its wings, telling him to burn these in his need, and the entire colony will come to his aid. The prince has a similar encounter, this time with swarming bees. He deposits his hat for the swarm to rest, then later carries them to a new hive he made by hollowing out a log. In gratitude the queen bee presents him with a wing with which to summon her in his moment of seeking help.
- Companions
Harap Alb continues the journey, and gains five companions. The first is Gerilă (from ger, "frost", and the
- Red Emperor's castle
The group eventually reaches the Red Emperor's court, where Harap Alb announces his intention to leave with the girl. The Red Emperor tries to eliminate them by lodging them in acopper house, and ordering it heate to an oven-like temperature. Gerilă with his cold breath cooled it down. As a
The Red Emperor gives his final test: Harap Alb must distinguish the real daughter from his adoptive daughter, who is her exact double. This the protagonist accomplishes with assistance from the queen bee which identifies the real princess and alights on her cheek. A final challenge is presented by the girl herself, as a race between her turtle dove and his horse, to go to the place "from where the mountains bump head to head into each other", and obtain three twigs of its apple tree, three measures of the water of life and three measures of the dead water. Although slower, the horse forces the returning bird to hand him the items, and is first to return. The princess accepts the result as her destiny, and now willingly accompanies Harap Alb.
Triumph
Harap's companions disperse and go back to their original spots where they joined the group. Harap Alb falls in love with his hostage, and is downcast at the prospect of having to surrender her to the Bald Man.
At the Green Emperor's court, the captivated Bald Man tries to take the Red Emperor's daughter by his arms, but she rebuffs him completely, exposing the Bald Man for assuming a false identity, and declaring that her intended (i.e. husband-to-be) was the real emperor's nephew, Harap Alb. The enraged Bald Man severs the hero's head with the broadsword the prince swore his oath on. The stallion snatches the Bald Man with its teeth, flies high up into the skies, and drops him to the ground. The princess mends back the prince's head and body, twirls the apple branch thrice over his head, repairing the wounds with the dead water, and reviving him with the water of life. The story ends with a magnificent wedding between Harap Alb, recognized as successor to the Green Emperor, and the Red Emperor's daughter—a feast which, according to the narrator's account, lasts "to this day".
Style and symbolism
Generic traits
Owing to its sampling of intricate narrative traditions and its use of symbols, "Harap Alb" has been a traditional target of critical interest, and has produced various interpretations. George Bădărău, who calls the story in its recorded form a "cultured fairy tale", discusses it as a "concise
The tale's narrative setting has itself been subject to critical scrutiny. According to literary historian and critic
Among the elements which localize the narrative landscape, the collection of objects handled by the destitute prince throughout his quest is seen by Bădărău as an essence of "archaic civilization" and "forgotten tradition", culminating in the grant of a backsword, the "symbol of knightly valor".[25] In Mircea Braga's view, many of them are means to a goal, which "can be 'lost' without consequence for the later development of the narrative, as happens, for instance, with the helmet and sword of Statu-Palmă-Barbă-Cot".[26] The animals themselves behave as he they supposed to, changing their behavior for the benefit of the plot: "the extraordinary horse will not be able to prevent getting lost in the forest" and "is not able to prevent the Bald Man's ruse", but "he will lead [the prince], without straying, to Holy Sunday's house" and "shall become the one to kill [the Bald Man]".[16] Basing himself on previous studies, Braga also concludes that the bearing of hunting-related symbolism on both the quests and the objects serving to overcome them is a clue to the ancient origin of the tale.[27] In the view of comparatist Liliana Vernică, these items represent several aspects of the universe. Thus, the objects inherited from the king are supposed to symbolize "nature" and "the father's virtues: intelligence (the horse), beauty (the clothes), virility (the weapons) and self-restraint (the bridle)".[28]
The protagonist and his aides
The prince figure around whom the plot revolves has been defined by various researchers as a variant of the Romanian
The eponymous hero's quest is seen by critics as equivalent to a
In Bădărău's view, the main characteristics setting Ion Creangă's account apart from its sources of inspiration is its treatment of the other characters: "With Creangă, the characters are no longer symbolic, abstract (as they are in popular fairy tales), but display a psychological, peasant-like [...] individuality, within a framework that blends the supernatural and the real".[14] He sees this as being especially true for the prince's "five fabulous friends" (Ochilă, Setilă, Gerilă, Flămânzilă, Păsări-Lăţi-Lungilă), whose choice of names, "defining the character trait which individualizes them", is "a particularity of Creangă's fairy tale [Bădărău's italics]".[14] Braga underlines the serendipitous nature of these characters' presence within the story, which he also believes is relevant for Holy Sunday and Harap Alb's horse: "[they all] are nothing but 'helpers', with more or less unnatural powers, they appear to us as forces whose exercise is invoked by the very development of the 'ordeal'".[34] In Vernică's interpretation, they may also represent anthropomorphized manifestations of the hero's own "energies", which he is supposed to be putting to use.[35] Critic Simona Brânzaru places the representations of Flămânzilă and Setilă, both of whom "seem somewhat content to have gotten their friend out of trouble", in connection with the ideas of Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin on the "philosophy of the Gaster" (that is, belly), while noting: "As in any fairy-tale, be it in its cultivated variant, nothing is accidental".[3]
The enemies
The Bald Man, despite his rustic "peasant speech",[36] (Spânul) is depicted as an evil and despotic antithesis to Harap Alb.[37] Liliana Vernică also sees in the villain a "double" of the protagonist, one who takes complete control of his victim's mind through persuasion.[35] Historian Adrian Majuru however provides an ethnographic theory regarding the figure, placing it in relation to Romanian history. He thus compares the Bald Man and other hairless antagonists in Romanian folklore with negative images of the raiding Tatars, who, in contrast to their Romanian adversaries, customarily shaved their skulls.[38]
According to ethnologist Pavel Ruxăndoiu, the characteristic baldness also has the attribute of an omen, corresponding to a traditional view that God marks dangerous men.[39] He draws a similar conclusion in respect to the fragment in which the Bald Man doubles as the "red man" (omul roșu), noting that it could be read as a proverb (in a line with various attested Romanian sayings, which caution against keeping company with "wild" or "insane" people).[39]
Described by researcher of children's literature Muguraş Constantinescu as "evil and cunning",
Majuru, building on observations initially made by Şăineanu, notes that the Red Emperor, as well as the cryptic "red man" omen, allude to another aspect of ethnic strife: a possible
Other characters
The Green Emperor's characteristics heavily contrast with those of his evil counterpart. He is, according to Constantinescu, "good, charitable, welcoming", "a perfect host" and "a sage who, with responsibility and serenity, foresees the proper order of things".
Resembling the Green Emperor to a certain degree, Holy Sunday also illustrates a positive vision of old age. The character makes an appearance in another two of Creangă's tales ("The Story of the Pig" and "The Old Man's Daughter and the Old Woman's Daughter"), but, according to Muguraş Constantinescu, her depiction in "Harap Alb" is "the most complex".[45] The researcher discusses the intricate religious representations of Holy Sunday, as evidenced by "Harap Alb" and the other texts: the narratives alternate between the themes Christian mythology (the sacred position of Sundays in the liturgical calendar) and paganism (the queen of fairy creatures, or zâne).[45] In Constantinescu's assessment, Holy Sunday is "an earthly being, attached to the plants and flowers", whose abode on the island is "a symbol of isolation and happy solitude", but also an "aerial being" displaying "the lightness of clouds".[46] According to Vernică, she and Harap Alb's stallion are both key figures on the first narrative level, and who "emerge from the realm of the real as manifestations of energies".[47] Her first appearance in the story, the researcher proposes, borrows from the imagery from angels, and stands for "an enlightenment of the mind by God".[47] George Bădărău sees in Holy Sunday as "a gifted woman" who plays an essential part in the coming of age rituals of traditional rural society, but also as a holy woman "under the guise of a peasant".[48]
In addition, Constantinescu places stress on the alternation of youthful and old age attributes: "Despite her multicentennial age, she manifests rather astonishing liveliness and physical agility".[45] According to the same commentator, the saint's literal charm over the prince stems from her "bewitching" discourse, which is "half-humble, half-ironical" in content, as well as from her other "supernatural powers".[46]
Classification
In the
Cultural impact and tributes
The "Harap Alb" story made a sizable impact on later
First brought to the
"Harap Alb" continued to impact on political and social discourse in Romania after the
In 2004, Creangă's story was subjected to a
Explanatory notes
- ^ Remembering his father's warning.
- ^ Which had to be sworn by the edge of his broadsword (paloș).
- ^ Given as is in Sturdza's translation. German: Spannhoch-Ellenbart.
References
- Citations
- ^ ISBN 84-86839-08-4
- ^ a b Library of Congress Subject Headings (1996), Vol. II:D-J, Library of Congress, Cataloging Distribution Service, Washington, D. C., p. 2328. ISSN 1048-9711
- ^ a b c d Brânzaru, Simona (2004), "Thoughts about a Possible History of Gaster's Presence in Romanian Literature", Plural Magazine, 23, Romanian Cultural Institute: 40ff
- ^ ISBN 0-07-079169-4
- ISBN 1-85065-570-7
- ISBN 978-954-304-225-8
- ^ a b c d Bădărău (2003), p. 71.
- ^ Măruţă, Vasile (1987) "Arp et Tzara. A 'la recherche d'un niveau – la différence'", in Cahiers du Centre de Recherche sur le Surréalisme. Mélusine IX. Arp poète plasticien, L'Age d'Homme, Paris, p. 92
- ^ (in Romanian) Povestea lui Harap-Alb, Wikisource.
- ^ Plot partly outlined in Bădărău (2003), pp. 70–73 and Vernică (2006), passim.
- ^ Creangă, Ion (n.d.), "The Story of Harap Alb by Ion Creangă", Fairy Tales and Legends from Romania, translated by Sturdza, Ioana, Twayne, pp. 189–244
- ^ Creangă, Ion (1886), "Harap Alp", Romänische Revue (in German), 2, translated by Brosteanu, P.: 444–, 535–
- ^ Bădărău (2003), p. 69.
- ^ a b c d Bădărău (2003), p. 70.
- ^ Braga (1987), pp. 207–208.
- ^ a b Braga (1987), pp. 209–210.
- ^ Braga (1987), pp. 211–213.
- ^ Braga (1987), p. 214.
- ^ Călinescu (1986), p. 481.
- ^ Bădărău (2003), pp. 70, 72; Călinescu (1986), pp. 484–485
- ^ Bădărău (2003), pp. 72–73.
- ^ Călinescu (1986), pp. 484–485.
- ^ a b Bădărău (2003), p. 72.
- ^ Moner (1989), pp. 81–82.
- ^ Bădărău (2003), pp. 71–72.
- ^ Braga (1987), p. 2010.
- ^ Braga (1987), p. 209.
- ^ Vernică (2006), p.296
- OCLC 5279951
- ^ Bădărău (2003), pp. 71, 73; Braga (1987), pp. 209–210; Vernică (2006), passim.
- ^ Vernică (2006), p.295
- ^ Călinescu (1986), p. 484.
- ^ Vernică (2006), pp. 295–296.
- ^ Braga (1987), pp. 210.
- ^ a b Vernică (2006), pp. 296–297.
- ^ a b Călinescu (1986), p. 485.
- ^ Bădărău (2003), p. 71: "the symbol of evil, a cunning, intimidating, violent, arrogant, dictatorial man".
- ^ a b c d e Majuru, Adrian (2006), "Khazar Jews. Romanian History And Ethnography", Plural Magazine, 27: 232 (English tr.); Majuru (2012) "Evreii Khazari. Istorie Şi Etnografie Românească (II)" (in Romanian)
- ^ e-book version at the University of Bucharestsite)
- ^ a b Constantinescu (2005), p. 68.
- ^ Constantinescu (2005), p. 69.
- ^ Vernică (2006), p. 298.
- ^ Constantinescu (2005), pp. 68–69.
- ^ Vernică (2006), pp. 296.
- ^ a b c Constantinescu (2005), p. 66.
- ^ a b Constantinescu (2005), p. 67.
- ^ a b Vernică (2006), p. 295.
- ^ Bădărău (2003), p. 73.
- ^ Stein, Helga. "VII. Besprechungen. Birlea, Ovidiu, Povestile Ion Creangä (Creangas Geschichten). Studu de folclor (Volkskundliche Studien), Literaturverlag (Bukarest) 1967. 318S". In: Fabula 10, no. Jahresband (1969): 225, 227. https://doi.org/10.1515/fabl.1969.10.1.221
- ^ Cosma, Viorel (2007), "From the Musical Folklore of Children to the Comic Opera for Children", Plural Magazine, 30, Romanian Cultural Institute
- Revista Sud-Est, 3/2002
- ISBN 973-9224-63-6
- ^ a b Todea, Cornel (2007), "Ion Creangă Theater", Plural Magazine, 30, Romanian Cultural Institute
- ^ (in Romanian) Marian Ţuţui, Portret Ion Popescu-Gopo, at Editura LiterNet, June 2002; retrieved August 7, 2009
- ^ (in Romanian) Claudia Cardinale şi Florin Piersic, invitaţi de onoare la TIFF 2009, at the Transilvania International Film Festival site; retrieved August 7, 2009
- ^ (in Romanian) Hăulică, Michael (October 2005) "Fantasy & Science Fiction. Premiile care au fost", in Observator Cultural, Nr. 290
- ^ (in Romanian) Vrabie, Gheorghe (2004)"Trei eseuri despre moştenirea lui Igor Vieru" Archived 2009-08-04 at the Wayback Machine, in the National Library of Moldova's Magazin Bibliografic, 1-2/2004, p.68, 69, 72
- ^ Plămădeala, Mihai; Diaconescu, Horia (February 11, 2003), "Tainicul vîrtej", retrieved September 9, 2011
- ^ a b (in Romanian) Demény, Péter (February 2008) "Eseu sau program politic?", in Observator Cultural, Nr. 412
- ^ a b c d (in Romanian) Suciu, Arthur (June 22, 2007) "Harap Alb sau tiranul peratolog", in Ziarul Financiar
- ISBN 978-3-89958-310-6
- ^ (in Romanian) Urian, Tudorel (2005) "Harap Alb reloaded" Archived 2010-01-21 at the Wayback Machine, in România Literară, Nr.3
- ^ (in Romanian) Constantinescu, Marina (2005), "Rîzi tu, rîzi, Harap-Alb" Archived 2011-07-28 at the Wayback Machine, in România Literară, Nr.27
- Bibliography
- Bădărău, George (2003), Fantasticul în literatură, Iaşi: ISBN 973-611-117-2
- Braga, Mircea (1987), "afterword to Ion Creangă" (PDF), Poveşti şi povestiri, Bucharest: OCLC 258621848
- OCLC 468646259
- Constantinescu, Muguraş (2005), Montandon, Alain (ed.), "Figures et représentations du vieillir et de la vieillesse dans les contes de Ion Creangă", Figures du vieillir, ISBN 2-84516-281-2
- Vernică, Liliana (2006), "Sensul puterii în Povestea lui Harap Alb de Ion Creangă" (PDF), Acta Iassyensia Comparationis (4), University of Iaşi: 295–298