Dissecting the Demon with the long navel

There is a folk tale from Maldives called 'Foolhu Dhigu Handi'. Literally translated it means 'the demon with the long navel.' I have been trying for some time now to actually write down this story in English but for some reason or other have not been able to do so. The gist of the story is that a woman by the name of Aiminabee goes to the mosque to get water from the well. There she encounters the 'foolhu dhigu handi' who is sitting in the grave yard and pouring sand over himself with a skull. Needless to say Aiminabee runs away screaming and the demon follows her home where he proceeds to ask her whether she had seen him in the graveyard pouring sand over himself with a skull. Obviously he was looking for the answer 'no, I did not,' which is what Aiminabee tells him and he goes away happily.

But he is back again the next day, and the next, every time with the same question; whether Aiminabee had seen him, blah blah blah. Every time Aiminabee answers in the negative and he goes away. As this is playing havoc with poor old Aiminabee's nerves she finally decides to tell her husband and he makes up a plan to get rid of the demon once and for all. He tells her to make a bowl of lonumirus which is a paste made with lots of chilli and other spices while he goes and sharpens his knife. He also proceeds to check over their hut and fixes up every tiny nook and cranny he could find save one. They then proceed to wait for the demon to make its appearance.

Sure enough the demon arrives and asks his inevitable question. This time however Aiminabee shouts out 'Yes! Yes! I did see you in the grave yard pouring sand over your head with a skull!'

The demon is taken aback for a moment. He had not expected this answer but then he finally realises what had been said and gets very, very angry. So angry in fact that he screams and bangs on the door of the hut. But Aiminabee's husband had barricaded the door so he goes around the hut searching and poking, trying to find a way inside. When he comes upon the only hole that had not been sealed, he stops and stuffs his elongated navel in through the hole.

This was the moment that Aiminabee's husband had been waiting for. He takes hold of the long navel and pulls. He keeps pulling till the end of the navel has been reached and the demon has his belly to the side of the hut. He then cuts off the navel and Aiminabee splats lonumirus over the gaping wound. The demon does not know what hit him but he is in obvious agony. He jumps up and down and runs off screaming the words that all Maldivian children remember from this story; Addho ma foolho Foolhako Foolho. Which translated goes something like this; Ow! Ow! My navel! Qw navel! Ow Navel! Or something.

I first heard this story long time ago when I was in diapers and was enchanted by it. Nowadays after finishing a degree in literature I am feeling very grown up and this means no more just listening to a story and enjoying it for what it is but I have to go dissecting around and figure out why, what and when.

The first question is why oh why is this demon pouring sand over himself??? Is this what they do? Is this how they keep themselves clean? Maybe water has a negative effect on them much like acid has on us. And where did he get that skull? Sure it is a graveyard but surely all the skeletons are buried. And this graveyard is in the grounds of a mosque so the most obvious question would be how the heck did that demon get so near a mosque to dig up the skull of someone buried there and then go on to terrorise the womenfolk who are getting water from the well???

The next question is to do with the demon's navel. This whole story revolves around the fact that the demon has a long navel. How did he get such a long navel? We don't know. Why wasn't it cut off and tied up? We don't know. Why oh why did he in fact try to stuff his navel through that hole in the side of Aiminabee's hut? That we do know; because he is an idiot. I don’t really know what he was trying to accomplish with that. As far as the story goes, this navel does not have any special abilities. It wasn't able to grab things or even move without the demon moving it. Most of the pictures I have seen from old Maldivian storybooks contain pictures with the demon walking around with its navel coiled up like a rope around one of his hands. So if it was trying to get the navel to actually go inside the hut and grab Aiminabee, he was seriously out of luck.

And aren't demons supposed to be stronger than humans??? That is in fact the basis of every folk tale I have ever heard. But once the demon pokes his navel into the hole and Aiminabee's husband pulls it all the way through the demon does not resist and it comes in pretty easily. Why?

There is the other side to this story of course. The one rated 'Mature' and 'Adults only'. I am sure you know how that story goes. *wink* *wink*

Another version of Foolhu Dhigu Handi (after reading this version most of my dissection pretty much goes out the window... hehehe. AND I finally know the name of Aiminabee's husband :P )