Storytelling: Week 6 - Schippietaro Retelling

Schippietaro, by Fredrick Richardson (1862-1937)

Link to image 

   There was once a boy, named Hiei,  that set out to make a name for himself, as was the tradition of the village boys of Japan once they reached manhood. He set out, using a mountain range covered in forest in the distance as his heading. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for, but he knew that the mountains were dangerous. There was bound to be some form of challenge that he could add to his name if he overcame it. 

   Once he was in the midst of the forest and he started his upward climb, it began to get dark. Though the forest was closing over him and the wind was howling through the oaks, he spotted a light shimmering through a clearing and then sees a small chapel. Despite the little shack being completely devoid of company, the boy saw that there was a fire already ablaze at the alter. So, he set his things down and started to doze off for the night. But then he woke when he heard some rustling in the rafters: dozens of black cats roamed on the beams and around the alter, chanting, "Don't tell Schippietaro! Keep it hidden and secret! Don't tell Schippietaro!" Even though the boy was in a corner of the alter that he couldn't be seen, he was still frightful. But then, he heard a loud barking in the distance, which kept getting louder and louder. Suddenly, after several moments of silence (because the cats had gone quiet as well), a large hound burst through the alter doors, barking madly at the cats. They all scattered and fled the alter. The dog then sniffed about, and followed Hiei's scent over to him. Hiei was still huddled, cautioned by any movement. But the dog simply just laid beside him and slept with him till morning.  

   When daylight broke, Hiei looked about and saw that the dog was still waiting for him by the alter entrance. "What do you want boy?" Hiei asked. The dog barked and set off running. Not willing to let his new companion out of his sight, Hiei ran after him. They both wound up at a little village in the mountain. When Hiei arrived, he found a crowd of people trying to console a crying woman, who wailed "Don't take my daughter from me! Couldn't there be some other way to appease the mountain demon?" Hiei inquired about this odd circumstance and was told by the village elders that each year the demon of the mountain asks for a young woman to be sacrificed so that he may eat her. Seeing this as his chance for glory, Hiei asked about all about the demon to see how to defeat it. But one of the elders cautioned him, "A young man, like yourself, wanting glory to put to his name, went to conquer the demon. Oddly enough, that was the same day and night that dog appeared. We think he is a spirit in animal form." Before heading back out to the alter that night for the appearance of the mountain demon, Hiei asked the elders to have his sword sharpened which they obliged. He then called to the dog, and headed out just as the sun was setting again.

    The boy reapproached, with the dog growling at his side. They both then step into the alter room and braced themselves. There was the horde of black cats again, but this time they were also dancing around an open top coffin: inside was a girl, who appeared to be in a trance-like sleep but was still breathing. Suddenly, all the cats melted into shadows and accumulated to form a singular, humongous cat, one that dwarfed the dog and boy. The three then fought, in a blurr of steel, fangs, and claws. In the fray, Hiei was thrown to the side, and his sword was broken. In that moment, the giant cat lunged for him with its claws. The dog intercepted the blow and was flung across the room, slumped over and whimpering. Not wasting a moment, Hiei grabbed the broken sword blade and plunged the sharp end into the neck of the cat, which wailed and hissed as it disintegrated into smoke. The boy ran over to the dog, trying to bandage the claw wounds up. "Don't worry, boy, I was the best healer in my village, I know I'll have you better!" Hiei cried. The dog's mouth opened, but instead of a dog's groan, the voice of a young man came out, "Hiei, I am Schippietaro. I am not a spirit, but I was once a boy like you, seeking to make myself into a hero by defeating the mountain spirit. I was turned into a hound by its magic." Hiei stared in disbelief but quickly returned to his healing. "Even if you can't heal me, it will be alright Hiei." Schippietaro continued, "You have helped me to achieve my destiny as a hero, and you own as well. So, thank you."

   Some say that the dog Schippietaro and the boy Hiei still roam the lands of Japan, seeking new adventures. But they nonetheless became legends in their own right, however they both knew that they wouldn't have lived to become heroes and friends if they did not have each other. 

Author's Note:
I don't deviate from the original main story of Schippietaro from the Japanese Fairy Tales. However, I thought it would make more sense to have Schippietaro have more significance than simply the dog of the overseer of the town, as he is in the original story. I thought it would add a lot to the story if Schippietaro was actually a young man that was seeking his last chance at glory with the boy Hiei, after Schippietaro himself had failed to defeat the mountain spirit and was transformed into a dog as a result. 

Here is a link to the original story


Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales retold by Andrew Lang, and illustrated by J. H. Ford. Link to unit