Caepulla: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 10:44, 24 November 2025

ChildrenDeathDeath of sonDeceitful womanGriefFather/son relationshipsIllnessLesson: women’s cleverness and deceitMedicineMurderSuicideFood and drinkEvidenceRemorse

A man has a gravely ill son, whom no doctors can cure. The boy desperately craves a specific fruit or vegetable (onions in the Italian version, watermelon in the 40 Viziers). The man's wife persuades him to not allow the son to eat that food, claiming it will kill him; eventually the boy dies. An autopsy reveals that a growth of something hard, like bone, in the boy's organs was what had killed him. To commemorate the boy, the father has that bone crafted into the handle of a knife. Some time later, the knife is used to cut up the fruit the boy had craved, and the juice of that fruit causes the bone to dissolve - the father realises that eating it would have cured his son. In rage and grief, he kills his wife (the boy's mother) and then himself.

Adapted from Wikeley (1983) by Ava Byrne, edited by Jane Bonsall.

Note
Nishimura notes the following: Analogues: Sojin Koki, 2.16 (A lump in the belly is cured by white horse urine). Arabian Nights, Night 887 in ‘Nur al-Din and Maryam’ (Treatment of equine eye diseases). It is said to be in Sansovino’s Hundred Tales. Reference. The Empress uses onions to cure King Asoka of his great illness in The Story of the Prince Kunala (p. 363). Bibliography: Chauvin VIII125, 243.

Critical Literature
Wikeley (1983), Nishimura (2001)

Caepulla appears in the following versions and secondary versions

Caepulla is narrated in the following occurrences
No recorded narrations available.

Caepulla appears in the following manuscripts
This inset story appears in no manuscripts of the database

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 {{Inset Story
-|Has Motif=Children; Death; Death of son; Deceitful woman; Grief; Father/son relationships; Illness; Lesson: women’s cleverness and deceit; Medicine; Murder; Suicide
+|Has Critical Literature=Wikeley (1983); Nishimura (2001)
-|Has Summary=A doctor has a gravely ill son, who craves a fruit/vegetable. His wife persuades the doctor to not allow his son it, and he died. The doctor learns that the onion would have cured his son, kills his wife (the boy's mother) and then himself.
+|Has Motif=Children; Death; Death of son; Deceitful woman; Grief; Father/son relationships; Illness; Lesson: women’s cleverness and deceit; Medicine; Murder; Suicide; Food and drink; Evidence; Remorse
+|Has Summary=A man has a gravely ill son, whom no doctors can cure. The boy desperately craves a specific fruit or vegetable (onions in the Italian version, watermelon in the 40 Viziers). The man's wife persuades him to not allow the son to eat that food, claiming it will kill him; eventually the boy dies. An autopsy reveals that a growth of something hard, like bone, in the boy's organs was what had killed him. To commemorate the boy, the father has that bone crafted into the handle of a knife. Some time later, the knife is used to cut up the fruit the boy had craved, and the juice of that fruit causes the bone to dissolve - the father realises that eating it would have cured his son. In rage and grief, he kills his wife (the boy's mother) and then himself.
-Adapted from Wikeley (1983) by Ava Byrne.
-|Has Note=In the Italian versions, the son desires an onion. In the Forty Vezirs, it is a watermelon.
+Adapted from Wikeley (1983) by Ava Byrne, edited by Jane Bonsall.
+|Has Note=Nishimura notes the following:
+'''Analogues:''' ''Sojin Koki'', 2.16 (A lump in the belly is cured by white horse urine). ''Arabian Nights'', Night 887 in ‘Nur al-Din and Maryam’ (Treatment of equine eye diseases). It is said to be in Sansovino’s ''Hundred Tales''.
+'''Reference'''. The Empress uses onions to cure King Asoka of his great illness in ''The Story of the Prince Kunala'' (p. 363).
+'''Bibliography:''' Chauvin VIII125, 243.
 }}