Reading Notes: Bengal, Part B

Reading B of Bengal was just as enjoyable to read as Part A.  The folk tales in Part B consisted of The Ghostly Wife, The Story of Brahmadaitya, The Origin of Rubies, The Ghost who was Afraid of being Bagged, and The Bald Wife. 

My favorite of these tales was The Ghostly Wife.  This tale was very much like The Brahmin-Ghost that I wrote about from Part A.  However The Ghostly Wife had some significant differences that I found enjoyable. 

In the The Ghostly Wife, the wife of the Brahman is thrown into a pit by a woman ghost and the woman ghost takes her place. 

At first the Brahman and his mother don't notice any differences but eventually the mother starts to notice the wife doing strange things such as doing chores too quickly and sticking her limbs through walls to deliver objects to her. 

After the mother caught the wife with her foot in a fire she knew she had to be a ghost so called upon and exorcist.  The exorcist burned turmeric and immediately the ghost came forward and confessed telling them where they could find the real wife.  The real wife was rescued and they loved happily ever after. 

I thought this story was interesting because in The Brahman- Ghost story no one knew that he had been replaced by a ghost and even when he tried to tell people they did not believe him.  In this story I liked that they mother began to pick up on that the wife had been replaced by a ghost. 

The Ghostly Wife. Web Source. 

Bibliography: The Folktales of Bengal by Rev. Lal Behari Day.