Smithsonian - Perishable Pundit

AN OMANI FOLKTALEASYAH AL-BUALYOmani folk literature reaches all social classesTALE OF FADIL OR RAMADU74]and consists of different types of folk genres. Itincludes proverbs, which summarize human lifeexperiences, and folk songs, which groups ofpeople sing for special occasions such as weddings,birth celebrations, and Islamic festivals. In addition,itincludes narrative forms such as fables and otherfolktales, stories of lunar eclipses, jinn or spirittales, and sira, or tales that glorify a hero whomay or may not have been an historical figure.The following is an Omani folktale that,although told for entertainment, also containsthe complex dualities and recurring contradictionsof human relationships. The fable is titled "Taleof Fadil or Ramadu." Fadil is an Arabic malename that means "praiseworthy," and Ramaducomes from the word ramadi, meaning "gray."Once upon a time, there was a merchant who hadan only son named Fadil. Fadil's mother died whenhe was an infant. His father remarried a womanwho hated Fadil and always tried to get rid ofhim so that she could have the full attention andlove of his father. Fadil had a horse named Insiyah(from ins, meaning "human beings, "a nameoften used in Omani folklore for a domesticatedanimal that possesses human qualities).A merchant, Fadil's father was away fromhome from early morning till late evening.During his father's absence, the stepmotherwould abuse Fadil by starving, cursing, andhitting him. When she would send Fadil to thekuttab, the Koran (Qur'an) school where herbrother was the teacher, he would continue totorment Fadil by hitting and humiliating him.One day, while the stepmother and herbrother were planning to rid themselvesof Fadil for good by killing him, the horseInsiyah listened attentively, and later gaveFadil full details of this conspiracy.On the following day, the stepmother, whohad always neglected Fadil, offered him a cleanplate fullof food. Fadil knew that the food hadbeen poisoned, and so he refused and ate fromthe saucepan in the kitchen, saying he wanted toleave the good food for his stepmother.Then he refused to wear a clean shirt offeredby his stepmother, because he knew that it toohad been treated with poison. He picked the shirtup with a stick and burned it in the garden, sayingthat his father would buy him a new shirt.The stepmother and her brother suspectedthe horse Insiyah of informing Fadil of their plansand decided to get rid of the horse.Inher third deceitful act, the stepmotherpretended that she was seriously ill and slept allLike the hero Fadil, many Omanis havea close relationship with their animals.Horses are especially valued.***i.