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| Demon City of Lanka mentioned in the Goblin City tale photo credits |
The Foolish, Timid Rabbit
Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt
This first story centers around a rabbit who wonders what would happen is the Earth were to break up. One day a coconut falls by him and without looking at what the sound was, he assumes that it is the Earth breaking up. Because of this he runs as fast as he can away from the sound. In the process he tells a rabbit, who tells another rabbit, and so on. A lion sees them all running as fast as can be and questions what they are doing. They tell him that the Earth is breaking apart and when the lion questions them about how they know this, they all say they heard it from someone else. Finally, the lion gets to the rabbit who originally heard it and he tells him to jump on his back and take him to where the Earth began falling apart. The lion then realizes that he was also there and that it is not the Earth falling apart, but it was actually a coconut that fell from a palm tree that made the sound.
The Turtle and the King
Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt
There are two stories about turtles in this anthology, and this one portrays the turtle as a very cunning and intelligent animals. The turtle is caught and about to be killed by a man whose sons believe that he is a demon. They debate how to kill the demon turtle, and when they mention drowning him in water, he begs them not to. The ultimately decide the do this and the turtle is able to live because he outsmarted the humans.
The Turtle and the Geese
Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt
The second story about turtles is not about their smarts, but rather their inability to keep quiet and how that will ultimately lead to their death. In this story two geese offer to carry a turtle with them by holding onto a stick with its mouth, but it must promise not to tell anyone. The turtle agrees, but as they are in the air, it tells some school children who are laughing below to mind their business. Because of this, the turtle opens its mouth and falls to the ground, losing its grip on the stick.
The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse
This tale is about a crane who outsmarts some fish. The crane tells the fish, who are running out of water in their lake, that he will carry them by his beak to another lake with cool water. After some debate, the fish agree, but instead of carrying them to the lake, the crane eats the foolish fish one by one. After eating all the fish, the crane is still hungry so he petitions a crab with the same story that he told the fish. The crab agrees, but only if he can hold the crane's neck with his claws. In a fit of hunger, the crane agrees, but he still plans to eat the crab. When the crab sees that the crane is not taking him to the lake, he threatens to kill him by snapping his neck. The crane then safely carries the crab to the ground, but the crab still kills him.
The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart
Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie L. Shedlock
The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart is a story about how the Buddha was once a monkey who lived along the Ganges River. One day, a female crocodile spotted the Buddha and told her husband about how she wanted to eat his heart. The husband wanted to give his wife what he wanted so he talked to the Buddha and told him that on the other side of the river, there was lots of delicious fruit like mangoes and that he would be happy to carry him across the deep water. The Buddha agrees, but once in the water the crocodile tells him he will kill him so his wife can eat his heart. Outsmarting the crocodile, the Buddha tells the crocodile that he does not keep his heart inside him, but rather in the fig trees on the land. The crocodile then carries him to the land and the Buddha is able to jump up into the trees to safety.
The Crocodile in the River
Vanarinda Jataka, in The Jataka: Volume 1 translated by Robert Chalmers
This tale is similar to the previous one in that it is also about the Buddha as a monkey outsmarting a crocodile. In this story the Buddha hears that he is a going to be betrayed and murdered by one of his monks, Devadatta. He tells his friend that Devadatta has tried to kill him before, when the Buddha was a monkey and Devadatta was a crocodile. The Buddha noticed a rock that looked out of place, so he called out to it. Devadatta, figuring this was the norm, responded. Because of this, the Buddha knew that the crocodile was attempting to eat him, so he told the crocodile to open his mouth wide so he could jump it. When the crocodile opened his mouth, his eyes closed and the monkey was able to defeat the crocodile with his wit.
The Monkey Who Gathered Lotuses
Tayodhamma Jataka in The Jataka: Volume 1 translated by Robert Chalmers
In this story the Buddha is also a monkey and he is the son of his enemy Devadatta. Devadatta, who is the king of monkeys, hates all his monkey sons because he knows they will grow up to be stronger than him and become king. Because of this the Buddha's mother took him into the mountains, but one day the Buddha goes back to meet his father. His father tells him he will make him king, but is planning on killing him. The Buddha gives him a strong hug and shows him that he is very strong. Realizing that the Buddha will kill him, Devadatta sends him to gather lotuses, because there is an ogre in the water and Devadatta hopes that the ogre will kill him. The Buddha sees the ogre and is able to skip around the water without being captured. Seeing this, the ogre is enthralled and comes back with the Buddha. When Devadatta sees this, his heart is broken and he dies and the monkeys decide that the Buddha will be the new king.
The Self-Willed Deer
The Jakata: Volume 1 translated by Robert Chalmers
This is a very short story about how the Buddha, born a deer, is tasked with teaching other deer how to act and live. One deer who he is attempting to teach, never shows up to the lessons and is ultimately killed by a hunter because he did not learn the rouse of deer.
The Jakata: Volume 1 translated by Robert Chalmers
This is also a very short story that is similar to the Self-Willed Deer. In this story Buddha is a human who is tasked with teaching fellow humans how to live life. The students he is teaching have a pet chicken who dies one day, so they replace it, but this chicken was raised in a graveyard. Because this chicken was raised in a graveyard, he has no understanding of when to crow and when to be quiet. His owners kill him because of this, and the Buddha uses it as a lesson to his students.
The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse
In this story, the island of Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) is filled with female goblins, called rakshasis, who gobble up men who come to their island. When a group of 500 men are shipwrecked and marry the female goblins, a man sees his wife eating another man in the night. The man tells the others and while some don't believe him, others look for a way to escape. They meet a fairy who hates the goblins, so she sends a flying horse to carry them to safety.
Wow, Blake, this is great: I am so glad you are taking advantage of the chance to work ahead. You are out in front of the assignments I had checked on to make sure they are good to go this semester, so if you run into broken links or problems like that, just let me know.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am really glad you liked the jatakas; since you are into animals, you might enjoy doing more of the jataka reading later in the semester; there are so many jataka tales about the animals (like the monkey comic book you looked at for example). My academic speciality is Aesop's fables, which means I am also very (VERY) interested in the jataka tradition too, which has a lot in common with Aesop, while also going in other directions too, more like fairy tales as you saw in the story of the goblin-women
With the reading notes, you don't have to take notes on every story, although you can definitely do that if you have time! But you can also zoom in on just the stories you think are good possibilities for your retelling, the stories / characters / episodes that really grab your attention for some reason while you are reading.