Indian Fairy Tales

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

7128

Title

Indian Fairy Tales

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Edited by Joseph Jacobs, this collection brings Indian fairy tales to English children, exploring the shared roots of folklore between East and West. Featuring animal fables, clever heroes, and moral lessons, the stories blend humor, magic, and wisdom from ancient Jatakas and regional traditions.

Summary up to 500 words

In *Indian Fairy Tales*, edited by Joseph Jacobs, readers are invited on a scholarly and entertaining journey through a vibrant tapestry of folklore spanning centuries. The volume opens with the Bodhisatta's tale of a crane saving a lion from a bone stuck in its throat. While the crane performs a heroic act, the grateful lion later reveals his true nature, declaring that because he feeds on blood, the crane's survival is a mercy rather than a reward. The crane wisely concludes that ungratefulness is a fatal flaw, illustrating the timeless theme that virtue is often unreciprocated by vice. The narrative shifts to the romantic quest of a prince seeking Princess Labam, who is guarded by a talking parrot. This story highlights the intersection of romance and trickery, as the prince must navigate a jungle populated entirely by parrots to reach his beloved. Other tales include merchants outwitting robbers through coded trade language, a prince hiding underground for twelve years before his dramatic return, and a headless corpse offering grim advice in a graveyard. The collection also features the 'Tar Baby' incident, tracing its origins to Indian Jatakas and its journey to African and American folklore via Uncle Remus. Through these stories, the book examines the transmission of tales across cultures, the nature of virtue versus vice, and the enduring power of folk wisdom. Illustrated by John D. Batten and Gloria Cardew, the text serves as both an entertaining read and a scholarly bridge between Celtic and Hindoo traditions. Jacobs asserts that fairy tales are fundamentally human, noting that while European tales often feature fairies and gnomes, Indian folklore flourishes with animism. He argues that many European stories, including those of Aesop, were derived from India, transmitted via Crusaders, traders, and missionaries. The collection includes ancient Jatakas, the earliest known collection of folk-tales, alongside more recent discoveries, asserting that whether brought to Europe or born there, these stories share a common human origin.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

Download URL

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7128.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg7128.epub

Download EPUB

Downloaded at

2026-08-13 12:06 UTC

Categories

• Folklore
• Fiction