In folk and fairy tales around the world the hare is portrayed as a cunning and clever character. Sometimes, as far as I know, especially in African stories, his wittiness is mixed with a vicious deceitfulness (like in “The hare and the quail” or “Sympathy killed Mr. Kapangula” on malamusi.com. Without further ado, here are…
Tag: WILLIAM C. GRIGGS
HOW THE KING OF PAGAN CAUGHT THE THIEF (SHAN FOLK LORE STORIES, 1902) BY WILLIAM C. GRIGGS
MANY, many years ago there lived near the old city of Pagan a famous robber chief who was so fierce and cruel that he made all men fear his name. He stole and killed and burned till the mothers used to frighten their disobedient children by saying, “Boh Lek Byah will get thee.” He was a very…
HOW THE WORLD WAS CREATED (SHAN FOLK LORE STORIES, 1902) BY WILLIAM C. GRIGGS
IN the beginning of the world, many, many cycles ago, so long ago, in fact, that no man knows how long it was, there were no trees, no hills, no land, nothing but water. The wind blew the waters hither and thither, sometimes in great waves, sometimes in quiet ripples; the wind blew, the waves rolled, and…
THE SPARROW’S WONDERFUL BROOD (SHAN FOLK LORE STORIES, 1902) BY WILLIAM C. GRIGGS
MANY, many years ago, at the beginning of the world, a little sparrow built her nest on the top of a tall tree that grew near the edge of a lake. In it she laid five little eggs, and never was mother bird prouder than she, and all day long she flew from tree to tree chirping…
THE STORY OF THE TORTOISE (SHAN FOLK LORE STORIES, 1902) BY WILLIAM C. GRIGGS
THERE was once a man who had two wives. Now as everybody knows it is always the chief wife that the husband loves best, while the other instead of being Mae Long, is only Mae Noi, and this often causes jealousy and trouble in the family. It was so in this case, especially as the chief wife did not…
HOW THE HARE DECEIVED THE TIGER (SHAN FOLK LORE STORIES, 1902) BY WILLIAM C. GRIGGS
AT the beginning of the world a hare, tiger, ox, buffalo, and horse became friends and lived together. One day the tiger was out hunting when, it being in the middle of the hot season, the jungle caught fire, and a strong wind blowing, it was not long before the whole country was in flames. The tiger…