"The Bear's Husband.” Folktales of China, Wolfram Eberhard, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1965, pp. 68-69.
Tale Summary
There was once a youth named Wang P’ing who went off on a trading journey, but there was a horrible storm which drove his ship against a mountain. He was seized by a bear woman and carried off by her, and they became man and wife. She shut him in the cave each day as she searched for food for the both of them, and eventually they had two children together. The bear woman thought that by now he was no longer homesick for China, and because it was nearly impossible to escape, she let him out of the cave. One day, Wang P’ing went to the seashore with his children when he saw a ship on the beach and found out that the sailors were Chinese. He explained his experiences and they brought him on board, but the bear woman jumped into the sea and swam toward the ship. Wang P’ing prayed to the deity of the sea, and promised to build a temple in his honor if he would blow a favorable wind. The wind sprang up, and the ship quickly escaped and sailed back to the man’s home. There, a temple was built.
Fairy Tale Title
The Bear's Husband
Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)
Wolfram Eberhard
Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)
Common Tale Type
Tale Classification
Page Range of Tale
pp. 68-69
Full Citation of Tale
"The Bear's Husband.” Folktales of China, Wolfram Eberhard, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1965, pp. 68-69.
Original Source of the Tale
Tale Notes
Research and Curation
Kaeli Waggener, 2024
Book Title
Japanese fairy tales
Book Author/Editor(s)
Wolfram Eberhard
Illustrator(s)
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Date Published
1965
Decade Published
1960-1969
Publisher City
Chicago
Publisher Country
United States
Language
English
Rights
Copyright not evaluated