Extra Reading Diary: Khasi Folktales

Khasi Folktales Page

The Tiger and the Monkeys
The animals were free and living wildly. They decided that they needed a king to reign. They nominated the tiger to be king because of his strength. He was ignorant and self-absorbed. The animals wanted to take advantage of the tiger's ignorance. The monkeys played a trick on them.
The tiger was taking a nap one day and awoke to hear singing. He wondered where this was coming from and a monkey replied that it was his younger sister (it wasn't). The tiger wants to make the monkey's sister his wife because of her beautiful voice. They tried to talk the tiger out of the marriage by saying the sister was too young to marry. The tiger didn't care, but the monkeys talked him into giving them some time. The monkeys made a clay monkey to give to the tiger! The tiger accidentally pulled off the head and the monkeys attacked him. They said he killed their sister. The lion never found out that they tricked him.

The Legend of the lei Tree
The Mountain of the lei Tree is a very romantic spot. This place and the land around it was the most fertile in the world. The lei Tree grew on the summit of the mountain. It was very unique. The people never damaged the tree. They thought it belonged to an unknown god. The tree grew and the land became barren. They decided to send the best wood cutters to cut down the tree. They barely made a mark in the tree, but went home and returned the next day. The marks were gone. This continued for a while. A bird came to help them. She told them that the big tiger healed the tree at night. They left their axes sticking out of the tree one night and the blades cut the tiger's tongue.

The Stag and the Snail
They met at the animals' fair. It was very hot. The animals all chatted about their lives. The buffalo said the stag is the swiftest animal and everyone agreed. The snail was disgusted by everyone boasting. The snail boasted that she had not sweat along her long journey like everyone else had. The snail challenged the stag to a race. The stag agreed to it. The snails wanted to trick the stag and lined up along the path of the race unseen. The stag couldn't see the snail and would call for her throughout the race. She always answered that she was there. The stag was tired and could barely move. Before he reached the end of the race, he heard the snail say she had won.

The smart snail

Week 6 Storytelling: Never Trust a Lion

This story takes place in Benares, where the lion, Brahmadatta, is the king of the land. The lion was eating his meal for the day and he was in a rush. He was eating his food extremely fast. This caused him to accidentally get a bone lodged in his throat. Brahmadatta panicked. He had to find a way to get the bone out or else he was going to die. It was also hurting his throat really badly. He saw a crane named Bodhisatta passing by and decided to ask him for assistance.

"Hey, Bodhisatta," the lion croaked, "I am in need of your assistance."
"Yes, my dear friend. How may I help you?" replied Bodhisatta.
"I was eating too quickly and got a bone stuck in my throat. Can you get it out?" the lion asked.
"Well, friend, the only way I can think of to get the bone out is to climb in your throat. I am scared that you would eat me!" the crane exclaimed.
"Of course I would not eat you! You would be saving my life! Please help me. My throat is hurting very badly." replied the lion.
"I am still unsure.." the timid crane said nervously.
"I will make you a deal. If you get this bone out, I will owe you a favor!" the lion said surely.
"Okay, I will help you, my friend." the crane replied.
"Thank you!" the lion exclaimed. 

As Bodhisatta climbed into the lions throat, the lion was thinking. He was still very hungry and was out of food. He would have to hunt when Bodhisatta got the bone out of his throat...

Bodhisatta climbed into Brahmadatta's throat, and wiggled the bone free. As soon as Brahmadatta felt the bone being freed, he clamped down his mouth.

"You tricked me!" Bodhisatta yelled. "How could you do this to me?"

Brahmadatta ate Bodhisatta and made sure to eat slowly and carefully. He was finally full and glad that he did not have to hunt more for the day. It didn't bother him that he tricked the crane. He killed for his food. He could not have remorse.

The moral of the story is to be careful who you trust. Some people can not be trusted.

The lion

Author's Note: I decided to retell the story of The Lion and the Crane from my reading this week. I chose this story because it did not end the way that I expected it to. In the original, the lion did not kill the crane, but when the crane asked the lion for his favor, the lion wouldn't do it. The lion said the crane was lucky to be alive. I decided to change the end to the lion actually eating the crane. I also wanted to add a moral to the story. I always like to add those, because I feel they are a good thing to have in these stories.

Bibliography: "The Lion and the Crane" by Joseph Jacobs, from Indian Fairy Tales (1890). Web Source: Sacred Texts Archive.

Week 6 Reading Diary B: Indian Fairy Tales Part 2

Indian Fairy Tales Page

The Gold-Giving Serpent
There was a Brahman that was a farmer. One day he got really hot and laid down under a tree. He saw a snake and thought that it was the "guardian deity" of his field. He went to worship it. He poured milk in a bowl and gave it to the snake. The next morning the farmer looked at the bowl and saw a gold denar. This occurred every time he gave the snake milk.
One day the farmer's son took the snake milk because his father was unable to. The son decided he should kill the snake and steal all of its gold denars. The snake escaped its death and bit the son. The son died instantly. The father still worshiped the snake even though it killed his son.The snake told the farmer they could not be friends anymore and gave the farmer a pearl. The snake said to never come back.

Pride Goeth Before a Fall
Ten cloth merchants always went to places together. Three robbers trapped them and tried to rob them in the forest. The robbers took everything they had. They even took their clothes. The ten men only had a small loin-cloth to wear. One of the ten merchants noticed that the robbers laid down their weapons and he thought of a plan. He sang a song that only the other merchants would understand. This told the others his plan: They would divide up into groups of three to gang up on the robbers (three to one). The lead merchant would tie up the robbers. Their plan worked and they were free.

The Demon with the Matted Hair
A son was born to a king. The Brahmans gave the son the name: The Prince of Five Weapons. These weapons are the sword, the spear, the bow, the battle-axe, and the shield. When the son was sixteen years old the king told him to go complete his education. The son went off to receive his education and on his way he went through the forest inhabited by the Demon with the Matted Hair. Some men told him to stay away from the forest because the demon kills every man he sees. The prince was fearless and went through the forest anyway. He runs into the demon and shoots arrows at him. All the arrows get caught in the demon's hair. All of the prince's weapons got stuck in the demon's hair. The demon asked the prince why he wasn't frightened. The prince said he has the weapon of knowledge (he said it differently).  The demon let him go.

How Sun, Moon, and Wind Went Out to Dinner
Cute story!

Demon with Matted Hair

Week 6 Reading Diary A: Indian Fairy Tales Part 1

Indian Fairy Tales Page

The Lion and the Crane
The lion was eating and got a bone stuck in his throat. He asked the crane for help, and the crane was worried that the lion would eat him. The lion promised he wouldn't eat the crane if it helped him. The crane helped the lion, and came back later to ask the lion for a favor. The lion would not help the crane. The lion said the crane was lucky to be alive.

The Broken Pot
This story is really funny to me. The guy makes all these selfish plans and then loses what he has.

The Cruel Crane Outwitted
The crane tricks all the fish in the pond by making them think that he will carry them to another pond. When he gets them to the other pond, he eats them. He does this to all the fish, and then he sees a crab. He decides that he will also trick the crab. The crab is smarter than the crane and talks him into letting him hold onto the crane's neck. The crane later reveals his plan to the crab and the crab kills him.

The Charmed Ring: Part 1 Part 2
A merchant gave his son 300 rupees and sent him into another country to see how well he was at trade. The son came across men arguing about a dog. He begged the men not to kill it and gave them 100 rupees for it. He then ran into people arguing about a cat. They wanted to kill it. He begged them not to and gave them 100 rupees for the cat. This happened again with a snake. The boy was out of money and returned home to his father.
His father called him a fool and sent him to live in their stables. His only companions were the dog, cat, and snake that he bought. They grew very fond of him.The snake talks to the boy about meeting his father and talks him into going with him. They must dive into a spring, but the snake tells the boy if his father wants to reward him what to ask for. The snake tells the boy to ask for the ring on his right hand and the pot and spoon. The boy received these gifts and then returned. The dog and cat were waiting for him. They tested the powers of the ring. A princess appeared and he married her..etc. A prince had fallen in love with the princess and stole her away. The princess asks for a month before she will marry the prince and the cat and dog ask for a month to find the princess.
The story ends with the merchant boy speaking in the ring and his wife returning to him.

Dog and Cat