A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
After their father dies, an elder sister and two brothers support their mother. Returning from a communal work meal, the two older children bring her nothing, while the youngest brings rice and curry tucked under a fingernail. When he strikes the nail over a pot, the food fills it to overflowing. Their mother then assigns contrasting fates: the sister becomes Great Paddy, Mā Vī, said to be cooked in muddy hell; the elder brother becomes the restless Sun; and the younger becomes the Moon, moving in refreshing air without hardship.
The sister is older than both brothers. The mother’s commands and the youngest son’s multiplying food are enacted supernatural events in this account. Parker preserves a remark that Great Paddy is older than the Sun but admits that he cannot explain it; it is not silently converted into a botanical or astronomical claim. His numerical calculation of the Sun’s supposed speed is commentary on a traditional expression, not measured astronomy. The recorded attribution is North-western Province without a named teller.
Origins & earliest records
Sri Lankan narratives collected and translated by H. Parker
Records & interpretation
Complete tale and all its printed variants/comparative notes read; relevant introduction passages on collection and translation directly read.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon, Volume I
No. 2, The Sun, the Moon, and Great Paddy, pp. 52–53 and notes
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon, Volume I
Volume I; No. 2. No. 2, The Sun, the Moon, and Great Paddy, pp. 52–53 and notes
Complete narrative and all appended comparisons/footnotes read. Public sacred account treated respectfully; narrator actions and Parker’s identifications/calculations separated. No individual teller named.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical collected oral narrative translationParker, Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon I — No. 2, The Sun, the Moon, and Great Paddy, pp. 52–53 and notesResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.