There lived a rich chief whose daughter was so beautiful that men who saw her trembled with desire; her name was Daggu. But although she was of marriageable age, Daggu was too disobedient to follow her father’s good advice and marry such a man as he might choose; and she was too proud to choose a husband from those who begged her hand, for she saw no man who’s beauty matched her own.
The old chief was very sad. He called in diviners and wise men and asked them to discover some solution. The diviners and wise men asked the chief to put them to sleep with gifts, so the chief gave each of them white cloth and silver. They slept, and next morning they revealed the nature of the trouble.
“Your daughter has inherited a discontented Spirit, O Chief,” they said. “We can do nothing. No one else can do anything. Her ways cannot be changed.”
A powerful Dhevlin heard of this proud and beautiful Daggu, and decided he would win her. This Dhevlin had one big leg, one tooth, one large ear and one eye in the center of his forehead. He went into the forest and began to change his form: he borrowed the beautiful eyes of Deer, Otter’s silken coat, Monkey’s teeth, and Pigeon’s pretty pink fee.
Disguised as the most handsome of creatures he went to the chief with gifts, and as soon as Daggu saw him she fell passionately in love. The wise chief cautioned his daughter against marrying this unknown stranger, but she merely laughed. So they were married, the Dhevlin and the maiden, and stayed for a week of feasting the chief gave in their honor: and then they began the journey to the rich, fair land the Dhevlin said he owned.
They met otter, and Dhevlin gave Otter his skin. His own was of slippery yellow scales, and cold; Daggu was alarmed. Dhevlin gave back his beautiful eyes to Deer, his fine white teeth to Monkey, his pretty pink feet to Pigeon. He became once again an ugly monster, and Daggu was forced to live with him in despair and sorrowing until she died.
Such may be the fate of any maiden who is proud and disobedient, and disregards her parents’ good advice.