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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
homesubmit tales

Indian Fairy Tales

The Lion And The Crane
How The Raja's Son Won The Princess Labam
The Lambikin
Punchkin
The Broken Pot
The Magic Fiddle
The Cruel Crane Outwitted
Loving Laili
The Tiger, The Brahman, And The Jackal
The Soothsayer's Son
Harisaman
The Charmed Ring
The Talkative Tortoise
A Lac Of Rupees For A Bit Of Advice
The Gold-Giving Serpent
The Son Of Seven Queens
A Lesson For Kings
Pride Goeth Before A Fall
Raja Rasalu
The Ass In The Lion's Skin
The Farmer And The Money-Lender
The Boy Who Had A Moon On His Forehead And A Star On His Chin
The Prince And The Fakir
Why The Fish Laughed
The Demon With The Matted Hair
The Ivory City And Its Fairy Princess
How Sun, Moon, And Wind Went Out To Dinner
How The Wicked Sons Were Duped
The Pigeon And The Crow
Notes And References
I. The Lion And The Crane
II. Princess Labam
III. Lambikin
IV. Punchkin
V. The Broken Pot
VI. The Magic Fiddle
VII. The Cruel Crane Outwitted
VIII. Loving Laili
IX. The Tiger, The Brahman, And The Jackal
X. The Soothsayer's Son
XI. Harisarman
XII. The Charmed Ring
XIII. The Talkative Tortoise
XIV. Lac Of Rupees
XV. The Gold-Giving Serpent
XVI. The Son Of Seven Queens
XVII. A Lesson For Kings
XVIII. Pride Goeth Before A Fall
XIX. Raja Rasalu
XX. The Ass In The Lion's Skin
XXI. The Farmer And The Money-Lender
XXII. The Boy With Moon On Forehead
XXIII. The Prince And The Fakir
XXIV. Why The Fish Laughed
XXV. The Demon With The Matted Hair
XXVI. The Ivory Palace
XXVII. Sun, Moon, And Wind
XXVIII. How Wicked Sons Were Duped
XXIX. The Pigeon And The Crow

VIII. Loving Laili

Source.-Miss Stokes, Indian Fairy Tales, pp. 73-84. Majnun and Laili are conventional names for lovers, the Romeo and Juliet of Hindostan.

Parallels.-Living in animals' bellies occurs elsewhere in Miss Stokes' book, pp. 66, 124; also in Miss Frere's, 188. The restoration of beauty by fire occurs as a frequent theme (Temple, Analysis, III. vi. f. p. 418). Readers will be reminded of the denouement of Mr. Rider Haggard's She. Resuscitation from ashes has been used very effectively by Mr. Lang in his delightful Prince Prigio.

Remarks.-The white skin and blue eyes of Prince Majnun deserve attention. They are possibly a relic of the days of Aryan conquest, when the fair-skinned, fair-haired Aryan conquered the swarthier aboriginals. The name for caste in Sanskrit is varna, "colour"; and one Hindu cannot insult another more effectually than by calling him a black man. Cf. Stokes, pp. 238-9, who suggests that the red hair is something solar, and derived from myths of the solar hero.