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17. THE MAGIC BIRD-HEART
1. The tale called 'The Magic Bird-Heart' (=Aarne-Thompsons' Tale Type 3031) has been exhaustively studied by Aarne.2 He favours Western Asia 'perhaps Persia'), rather than India, as its most plausible home. Summarizing his findings in this matter Thompson observes :3
“The story of the magic bird-heart has been cited in the older literature as an illustration of a tale which has travelled from India into Europe. Aarne's exhaustive study, however, while indicating an Asiatic origin, concludes that the most plausible home for the story is Western Asia, perhaps Persia. It is well known in Eastern Europe, especially in Russia and around the Baltic, but it is to be found in Western and Southern Europe as well. It is frequently found in North Africa and is reported once from much farther south in that continent.
The French have taken it to Canada, where they still tell it, and from them it has doubtless been learned by the Ojibwas of southern Ontario. Though it is found in the Persian Tuti-Nameh of around 1300 A. D., Aarne demonstrates clearly that its life has been primarily oral and practically uninfluenced by litcrary retellings.'
2. The probable form of the original tale as reconstructed by Aarne after a careful analysis is reproduced below from The Folktale4.
'Fate has brought into the possession of a poor man a magic · bird which lays golden eggs. The man sells the precious eggs and becomes rich. Once he goes on a trip and leaves the bird with his wife to take care of. In his absence the man who has bought the eggs (sometimes another) comes to the wife and engages in a love affair with her and persuades her to prepare and serve the marvellous bird for his meal. The bird possesses a wonderful trait, that whoever shall eat its head will become ruler and whoever
