Essay Week 6: Proverbs in Tibetan Folktales

This week I read through the Tibetan Folktales unit of the Un-textbook. This unit contained a bunch of folktales that took place in distant lands with both animals and human playing the characters. At the beginning of each folktale there is always a Tibetan proverb that is supposed to relate to the story. However, the connection to the proverb and the story is not always obvious. My plan for this essay is to explore some of the stories and see how the proverb relates to the story.

The first story I want to look at is The Story of the Donkey and the Rock. The proverb for this story is “Between iron and brass there is union if the welding is skillful.” When I first read the story, I did not see how this could possibly relate. I then began to think about the proverb. My first thought is “who is the welder?” The answer seemed to most likely be the judge in the story. Then I needed to find an answer to what he was bringing a union to. In the story, both the accuser and the defendant were right, so a verdict was not clear. The judge, however, found a way for both to leave happy. His union of iron and brass could be his creativity in finding a solution. The skillful welding would be a wise solution. Therefore, while the proverb did not seem to fit at first, it really did have a connection to the story.

The next story I will examine is The Ingratitude of Man. The proverb for this story is “Whatever you have promised make it not as changeable as a loop in a string, but as firm as a line on a rock.” This proverb is easy to connect to the story since promises are made within it. The man’s promise was easily changeable. He promised to repay the traveler, yet later falsely accused him of stealing. The animals’ promises were firm as a line on a rock. They helped the man while he was in prison and also helped him escape.

The Traveler in Prison. Web Source: Un-Textbook

Storytelling for Week 6: How the Little Boy Fell Victim to His Own Deceit

Once upon a time, in a village that lied in the valley of two mountains, in a modest cottage lived a widow and her son. The father had died shortly after the boy’s birth, and this made the mother sad, for she did not have a chance to provide him with any brothers or sisters to play with.

One day, while the mother was out shopping in the village, she spotted a little boy who had no family. She brought this boy home with her to be her son’s playmate. This was good for the little boy, for he did not have to beg for food anymore. He simply played all day and accepted what he was provided with.

Years later, again while she was out shopping, the widow spotted another older boy, whom she also took home to be a playmate for her son. This upset the little boy who had first been brought to be a playmate, for he believed that they loved the older boy more than they loved him. This, of course, was not true; the little boy received the very same things offered to the older boy. Even still, the little boy became prideful and began to store vengeance in his heart.

Many years past and the widow grew ill. As a final wish, she asked her three boys to always stay close. With this request, she died. The little boy, who was nearly full grown, saw this as an opportunity to take his vengeance on the older boy. He told the widow’s son that the older boy planned to kill him. This made the widow’s son very watchful of the older boy. The little boy then went to the older boy and told him that the widow’s son never cared for him. He said that the widow’s son was always watching the older boy, waiting for an opportunity to kill him.

The widow’s son and the older boy both became very vigilant and were always thinking of ways to defend themselves and to gain the upper hand. One day, the older boy went to the widow’s son to ask why he had disdain for him. The widow’s son replied that it was because of the older boy’s plot to kill him. The two quickly realized that they had been tricked by the little boy. They sought him out and cast him back into the streets where he belonged. The little boy was again forced to beg for a living, but he could not do so well enough, and soon died of starvation.

Author's Note: This story is based on How the Fox Fell a Victim to His Own Deceit. I kept the plot very similar; just replace the widow and her son with a tiger and its cub, the little boy with a fox, and the older boy with a calf. 

Bibliography

“How the Fox Fell a Victim to His Own Deceit”, from Tibetan Folk Tales by A.L Shelton (1925).

Week 6 Reading Diary: Tibetan Folktales

These are stories from the Tibetan Folktales unit.

The Tiger and the Frog: This is a great trickster story. The tiger must have been very hungry to think he needed to go through the challenges, instead of just eating the frog.
The Donkey and the Rock: I'm not sure how the proverb fits into this story, but I love the story anyways! It reminds me of King Solomon's wisdom in court hearings.
How the Fox Fell a Victim to His Own Deceit: This story could fit into my storybook. I think I would want to rewrite it as a rich man who adopts two children after his wife dies. The first one becomes prideful and envious of the other. Could be an interesting adaptation.
The Ingratitude of Man: The irony in this story is fantastic. The traveler thought that only the man would be able to repay him, but instead the man brought the traveler much trouble and it was the animals who helped him.
The Wise Carpenter: This story reminds me of Spy vs. Spy. The carpenter really was smart to have the loud music played to cover the painter's screams.
The Story of the Two Devils: This story reminded me of a cartoon where the protagonist just happens to defeat the antagonist, with no real qualifications to speak of.
How the Rabbit Killed the Lion: This is an interesting pride story. He was blinded by it and could not see past the rabbit's lies.
How the Raven Saved the Hunter: Poor raven ):