Das Märchen ...
Manchmal tut sich was in Sachen Märchenprojekt.
Heute gibt es das "Bärenlohn-Nusszwerge Märchen" in englisch zu lesen. Es schmort schon sehr lange in meinen Dateien. Ins Englische übersetzt wurde es durch die Gemeinschaftsarbeit meiner Söhne. Danach sollte es zum Korrekturlesen zu einer mir bekannten englischen Muttersprachlerin. Da aber zwischen Vorsatz und Ausführung bei mir oft mehrere Ewigkeiten liegen *g*, kam es bisher dazu nicht. Falls es noch dazu kommt, dass es durch die Korrektur mit englischen Redewendungen oder eigenen englischsprachigen Ausdrücken aufgewertet wird, werde ich diese Version ersetzen.
Der Grund warum ich es jetzt dennoch in Rohfassung veröffentliche, ist, dass es das Märchen inzwischen auch (nach Vorlage dieser englischen Fassung) in russisch gibt und demnächst hier erscheinen wird. In kyrillisch ist es auch optisch außergewöhnlich.
Aus dem Projekt, das Märchen in unterschiedliche Dialekte zu übersetzen, wird mehr und mehr ein multikulturelles Sprachprojekt. Durch die Möglichkeiten des Internets, weltweit Bekanntschaften zu pflegen, ergeben sich auch solche schönen Nebeneffekte.
Hier aber jetzt die englische Fassung:
Bear-reward for selfishness
or
How the bear recognized the gnomes’ being and how he showed his gratitude
Once upon a time there lived a small gnome family blissful and satisfied at base of the crystal-mountain in the marvel forest. One day an injured bear appeared in their forest and the small tiny gnomes were afraid of the big bear. But after a while they felt that he was too weak to do any harm. Timidly they dared to come closer and soon they all surrounded him asking how they could help. The bear growled and growled but he was furious on himself. A hunter had injured him seriously and by each movement his wound which wouldn’t cure ached. "I’m too weak to hunt." the bear growled. "If I do not eat anything I am going to die from starvation." The gnomes discussed in a word and promised him food. Some of the gnomes fished and brought him fish. Some other collected berries and fruits and again others hunted hare, weasel and others small animals. But the bear was very big and hungry and the gnomes awfully small. Soon they did nothing else but hunting and collecting to keep their promise.
The dwarfs were the nut-shrub’s guards and in a ten year period the nut-shrub carried golden peanuts which had magic power. The magic power of the peanuts was so vigorous that each sick who ate one of those achieved complete vital power and health. But they did not want to waste one of these golden peanuts because they on the one hand feared his power and size if he cures rapidly and that he might eat them and on the other hand they were stingy and feared that they had not enough golden peanuts for themselves until the next harvest.
It did not take long since they became tired of taking care of the bear because his wound did not heal and he was still too weak to hunt. So more and more dwarfs refused their help. "Why must he just come to us?" they asked. "If we just did not find him!" they complained. At the evening of a long busy day they gathered at the base of the mountains and took counsel. The majority of dwarfs wanted to leave him to his destiny and thus it was to the leader to deliver the counsels result. The bear was meant to find someone else’s help. As the bear heard this he infuriated. He raised himself and roared deafening into the woods. During his growl he transformed into a magician, the ruler of the forest. The gnomes heard a lot of him but there was never anyone who has seen him before. "So it is right what I have heard about you!" calls the magician. "You are timid pusillanimous and selfish. Just one golden peanut would have spared you the weeks of hunting and collecting food. As thanks and compensation for your trouble I will merge you with the peanuts you did not share. From now on you are meant to rest from your work and sleep within your peanuts until you find an occasion to help someone with the peanuts magic power. If you fulfill my task my curse will end. To be able to find an occasion of sharing your golden peanuts with those who are poor and needy you will leave your peanut for a moon’s period each ten years." Since the magician spoke out the curse the whole dwarf family found rest within the golden nuts and until today they could not separate from them. As long as you can see them sleep within the peanuts the curse still works.