THERE once lived a poor old widow woman named Hungní, who had a little idiot son called Sachúlí. She used to beg every day. One day when the son had grown up, he said to his mother. “What makes women laugh?” “If you throw a tiny stone at them,” answered she, “they will laugh.” So…
Tag: Maive Stokes
THE POMEGRANATE KING (Indian Fairy Tales) collected and translated by Maive Stokes
THERE was once a Mahárájá, called the Anárbásá, or Pomegranate King; and a Mahárání called the Gulíanár, or Pomegranate-flower. The Mahárání died leaving two children: a little girl of four or five years old, and a little boy of three. The Mahárájá was very sorry when she died, for he loved her dearly. He was…
THE CAT AND THE DOG (Indian Fairy Tales, 1880) collected and translated by Maive Stokes
Introduction. All cats are aunts to the tigers, and the cat in this story was the aunt of the tiger in this story. She was his mother’s sister. When the tiger’s mother was dying, she called the cat to her, and taking her paw she said, “When I am dead you must take care of…
THE CAT WHICH COULD NOT BE KILLED (Indian Fairy Tales, 1880) collected and translated by Maive Stokes
THERE were once a dog and a cat, who were always quarrelling. The dog used to beat the cat, but he never could hurt her. She would only dance about and cry, “You never hurt me, you never hurt me! I had a pain in my shoulder, but now it is all gone away.” So…
THE VORACIOUS FROG (Indian Fairy Tales, 1880) collected and translated by Maive Stokes
THERE were a rat and a frog. And the rat said to the frog, “Go and get me some sticks, while I go and get some flour and milk.” So the frog went out far into the jungle and brought home plenty of sticks, and the rat went out and brought home flour and milk…
THE JACKAL AND THE KITE (Indian Fairy Tales, 1880) collected and translated by Maive Stokes
THERE was once a she-jackal and a she-kite. They lived in the same tree; the jackal at the bottom of the tree, and the kite at the top. Neither had any children. One day the kite said to the jackal, “Let us go and worship God, and fast, and then he will give us children.”…