Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook: Unit: Persian Tales

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Myth-Folklore Unit: Persian Tales

Overview. The stories in this unit come from Persian Tales, a marvelous collection of fairy tales and legends translated from the Kermani and Bakhtiari dialects of the Persian language by David Lorimer and his wife Emily Lorimer when they were living in Iran during the early years of the 20th century. There are some wonderful animal stories here, along with stories of surreal and magical adventures, including two werewolf legends — two she-werewolf legends to be precise. There are stories about dervishes (holy men) who possess supernatural powers, along with tales of magical peris (Persian "fairies"), and also sinister demons called divs. The mysterious al-Khizr, the "Green Man" of Islamic folk tradition, also makes an appearance in one story!

Language. This is a modern English version of the fairy tales, so the language should not pose any difficulties. I've glossed the Persian words that appear in the text. Watch out especially for the word ash which is a thick Persian soup; it is not the English word "ash," as in ashes from a fire!

Story Length. This unit contains only single-page stories.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on two pages total: Persian Tales. Click "Older Posts" at the bottom of that page to see the second page.

READING A:

READING B:

Persian Tales: The Wolf and the Goat

If you know the European fairy tale about the "Wolf and the Seven Kids" (a story in the Brothers Grimm unit for this class), you will recognize some elements of this story. Even though the story is in English translation here, it manages to convey the fun and charm of the original with the rhyming words the characters use to confront each other, along with sounds effects!

Be aware of the word ash: this is the name of a Persian soup! You can read more about Persian ash (pronounced "aash," rhyming with English "gosh"), at Wikipedia.

Explore: For another story about vengeance see The Boy Who Became a Bulbul. For a story about a werewolf, see The Wolf-Aunt.

[Notes by LKG]

This story is part of the Persian Tales unit. Story source: Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).

The Wolf and the Goat

Once upon a time there was a time when there was no one but God.

There was a goat who had four children, one was Alil, one was Balil, one was Ginger Stick, and the fourth was Black Eyes.

One day she said: "Sit quietly here, children; I'm going off to bring grass for you. If the wolf should come and knock, don't open the door for him. And if he says: 'I am your mother,' say: 'Put your hand in at the crack of the door,' and if you see that the hand is black, don't open the door, but if you see a red hand you'll know that it's your mother back again."

Now the wolf had all the time been listening, and as soon as the goat was gone he dyed his hand with henna to make it red, and came and knocked at the door. They called out: "Who's that?"

"Open the door, I've brought grass for you," said he.

"Show us your hand."

The wolf shoved his hand in at the crack of the door, and when they saw that it was red they opened the door and let him in. So he carried off Alil and Balil and Ginger Stick, but Black Eyes ran away and hid.

When the mother goat came back she saw there was no one in the house and she began to call. Then Black Eyes came out of his hiding-place and told his mother how the wolf had carried off his brothers. So they went together and climbed on to the roof of the wolf's house. They saw that he was just cooking some ash, and they threw down a handful of earth into it.

The wolf cried:
Who are you on my roof up there?
You dare to throw earth in my ash, you dare?
My ash all salty and bad you've made,
My eyes all blind and sad you've made.

Then answered the goat:
The goat, the goat so fleet am I,
The goat with bells on her feet am I.
I can dance with my feet so fleet,
Leaping about on my hinder-feet.
You have stolen Alil of mine,
You have stolen Balil of mine,
You have stolen my Ginger Stick.

And the wolf said: "Yes, I've stolen them."

And the goat said: "Come, let's go and fight."

The goat went and got a skin and filled it full of curds and butter to make a nice present, and carried it off to the knife-grinder and said: "Come along and sharpen my horns."

The wolf went and got a skin too, but he was too stingy to put in butter or anything nice, so he blew it up with wind till it looked very full indeed and took it for a gift to a man who was a tooth-puller, and he said: "Come along and sharpen my teeth."

The dentist wondered what his present was and opened the top of the skin a little to peep in and see, but behold, there was only wind inside! And the air ran out puff, puff, puff.

He said nothing at all, but instead of sharpening the wolf's teeth he pulled them all out, and in the holes he put little pointed twists of cotton-wool that looked like nice sharp, white teeth.

Then up came the goat and they went off to fight. First they came to a little stream of water. The goat said: "Come, let's first drink our fill," and she put her head down over the water, but she took care to drink none herself. The wolf drank and drank till he could drink no more.

Then the goat said: "Come along, let's jump across the stream," and with that she leaped over neatly. The wolf went to jump over too, but he was so swollen up with water that he fell in.

Then the goat smote him in the stomach with one of her sharp horns and tore it right open, and so he died.

And off she carried Alil and Balil and Ginger Stick, and brought them home again to Black Eyes.

And now my story has come to an end, but the sparrow never got home.

Next: The City of Nothing-in-the-World

(Smithsonian National Zoo)

(700 words)

Persian Tales: The City of Nothing-in-the-World

In this fantastical and surreal story, you will read about what happened to a girl on the way to the bazar. It starts when she reaches into her pocked and finds a jinnu, a coin of very little value with which she buys . . . a minaret made out of a needle. One strange event leads to another, or so she says, but she does finally make her way home to tell the tale.

Explore: For another story where the drama takes place on a very small scale, see Susku and Mushu. For another surreal story, see The Hemp-Smoker's Dream.

[Notes by LKG]

This story is part of the Persian Tales unit. Story source: Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).

The City of Nothing-in-the-World

Once upon a time there was a time when there was no one but God.

In the town of Hich a Hich, the city of Nothing-in-the-World, there was a girl who had fallen and scraped her shin very badly. After a few days, when the wound was a little better, she went to her aunt to get some cooling ointment for it.

The old woman said: "I'm sorry I haven't any," but she gave her niece two eggs to take to the drug-seller in the bazar, to see if he would give her some cooling ointment in exchange.

When the girl came back from the bazar this is what she told her aunt:

"I went to the bazar, and on the way I lost the two eggs. I was very much upset, but I put my hand in my pocket and there I found a jinnu. I wanted to get my eggs back again, so I gave the jinnu to some people in the bazar, who made me a minaret out of a needle.

"I climbed and climbed right up to the top of the minaret, and I looked in every direction all round the town and saw that one of my eggs had turned into a hen and was in an old woman's house, and the other had turned into a cock and was threshing corn far away in a village.

"So I said to myself: "First, I'll go and get the cock," and I went out to the village and said to the peasants: "Give me back my cock, and his wages too, for he's been working for you." After a lot of bargaining we agreed that they should give me half a cow-load of their crop, which was rice. When they had weighed the crop my share was 25 manns, but I had no loading bags to put it in. So I killed a flea and skinned it and made myself a loading-bag out of the skin. Then I put my rice into it, and loaded it on my cock's back and started off, for I wanted to bring my rice to market.

"We were very far away from town, and when we got to the second-last halting-place, two days' march out, the cock was sore-backed. I asked the people there: "What's to be done? Is there any remedy for this?" They said: "Burn the kernel of a walnut and rub it on his back and it will get well." So I half-burnt a walnut and put it on.

"When I woke in the morning a large walnut tree had shot up and was growing from the cock's back. The village children had gathered round the tree and were throwing stones and clods of earth at it. I climbed a branch and saw that the clods had accumulated and covered about 100 qasab. I got a clod-breaker to come and make the ground level, and I saw that it would be a good soil to plant muskmelons and watermelons in, so I sowed both kinds of melons.

"Next morning I saw that the earth had produced very large melons. I broke a big watermelon, but when I was cutting it my knife got lost. I put a bathing-cloth round my waist and went into the hollow of the half-melon to hunt for my knife.

"I saw there was a town there, and it was very big and full of crowds and noise and traffic. I went to the door of a cook-shop and gave them a jinnu and bought a little halim for myself and began to eat it. It tasted so very good that when I had eaten it all up I licked the bottom of the bowl so hard that it nearly broke.

"I saw a hair at the bottom of the bowl and tried to catch hold of it to throw it away, but at the end of the hair there appeared a camel's leading-rope, and behind the rope there came seven strings of seven camels, all in a row, one behind the other, and each complete with all its gear.

"They came out one after the other, and my knife was tied on to the tail of the last camel."

And now my story has come to an end, but the sparrow never got home.

Next: Susku and Mushu

(700 words)

Persian Tales: Susku and Mushu

Again even though this story is in translation, it tries to capture the charm of the original storytelling, as when the beetle Susku worries about whether a bed of dates would be all "sticky-wicky" or whether sleeping on butter would be all "greasy-weasy."

In the end you will see that the story turns into a type of "accumulation story" as each character adds a new line! For more on cumulative tales, see Wikipedia.

As in the story of the goat and the wolf, you need to know that ash is a form of Persian soup; more at Wikipedia.

Explore: For another story where the drama takes place on a very small scale, see The City of Nothing-in-the-World. For another cumulative story about a mouse, see The Sad Tale of the Mouse's Tail.

[Notes by LKG]

This story is part of the Persian Tales unit. Story source: Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).

Susku and Mushu

Once upon a time there was a time when there was no one but God.

There was a Mouse who was called Mushu, and a little Beetle whose name was Susku. Susku was going along one day dressed up in her very best clothes when Master Mousie came out of his hole just in front of her, and said: "Whither away, with your cotton chader and your silken vest and your golden heels?"

"I'm going off to get married, and to get married, and to eat only the finest white bread," answered she, "and to ask no favour of any man."

Then Mushu asked: "Would you marry me?"

"Well," said Susku, "if I marry you, what will you put me to sleep on?"

"On a basket of dates."

"Oh," cried she, "now, just look, how could any one sleep on anything so sticky-wicky?"

"Then I'll put you to sleep on a skin of clarified butter."

"But now, how could any one sleep on anything so greasy-weasy?"

"All right, then, I'll put you to sleep on a sack of walnuts."

"But how could any one sleep on anything so nobbly-wobbly?"

"Well, then," said Master Mousie, "I'll put you to sleep in my own little arms."

And Susku said: "Right you are."

Then she asked: "And when we quarrel what will you beat me with?"

"With the pole of the weighing-machine."

"I'll die," said Susku.

"Then," said Mushu, "I'll beat you with my own little tail."

And Susku said: "Right you are."

When they had agreed about this Susku went off to the bath. As she was coming out and was just crossing a little stream, she fell in. There was a farmer-man there who was managing the irrigation and watching the flow of the water.

Susku called out to him: "Hullo, brother, run to Master Mousie and tell him that his lover and his sweetheart is in the water, and say: 'Bring a little ladder of gold and take your sweetheart out of the water.'"

So off went the farmer and told Mushu. Master Mousie ran to the door of the greengrocer's shop and stole two carrots, and with his little teeth he cut them up and carved them out and made a little ladder of gold and carried it to the stream. And he pulled Susku up out of the water, and they got married, and he was her husband and she was his wife. And Master Mousie carried her off to his home.

One day he said: "Wife, I want some nice ash. Go and cook me a little." As soon as he had gone out Susku made the broth and put the pot on the fire and cut up some fine strips of dough and went to put them in it, but the wind came and lifted her up in the air and threw her down into the pot of ash. When poor Mushu came home he saw that Susku had fallen into the pot of broth and been drowned. And so full of sorrow was he that he went to the fireplace and began to throw ashes on his head.

Just then a crow happened to pass that way and said to Master Mousie: "What's the matter with you?" and he said: "Haven't you heard?
Susku fell into the pot
And Mushu poured ashes on his head."

And the crow said: "Oh, I am so sorry," and gave himself a shake and shook all his feathers out and went and sat on a tree.

And the tree asked: "Crow, why have you shaken your feathers out?"

"Haven't you heard?
Susku fell into the pot,
Mushu poured ashes on his head,
And the crow shook his feathers out."

The tree said: "Oh, I am so sorry," and gave herself a shake and shed all her leaves.

The waters came to the foot of the tree to water her. They asked: "Tree, why have you shed your leaves?"

"Haven't you heard?
Susku fell into the pot,
Mushu poured ashes on his head,
The crow shook his feathers out,
And the tree shed her leaves."

The waters said: "Oh, we are so sorry," and they turned all muddy, and went out into the desert to water the corn. The corn asked: "Waters, why are you all muddy?"

"Haven't you heard?
Susku fell into the pot,
Mushu poured ashes on his head,
The crow shook his feathers out,
The tree shed her leaves,
And the waters turned muddy."

Then the stalks of corn said: "Oh, we are so sorry," and they put their heads on the ground and their feet in the air.

The farmer happened to pass that way; he asked: "O stalks of corn, what are you all doing, standing on your heads?"

"Haven't you heard?
Susku fell into the pot,
Mushu poured ashes on his head,
The crow shook his feathers out,
The tree shed her leaves,
The waters turned muddy,
And the stalks of corn stood on their heads."

Then the farmer said: "Oh, I am so sorry," and he fixed his spade in the ground and ran the handle of it right through his body.

The farmer's daughter was bringing his dinner out to him, and she said: "Daddy, how did you get like this?"

"Haven't you heard?
Susku fell into the pot,
Mushu poured ashes on his head,
The crow shook his feathers out,
The tree shed her leaves,
The waters turned muddy,
The stalks of corn stood on their heads,
And the farmer drove a spade through his body."

Then the farmer's daughter, who had a dish of curds in her hand, said: "Oh, I am so sorry," and threw the curds all over herself and ran to her mother.

Her mother was sitting beside the griddle cooking griddle-cakes, and she said: "Darling, what have you done?"

"Haven't you heard?
Susku fell into the pot,
Mushu poured ashes on his head,
The crow shook his feathers out,
The tree shed her leaves,
The waters turned muddy,
The stalks of corn stood on their heads,
The farmer drove a spade through his body,
And your daughter was covered with curds."

Then her mother said: "Oh, I am so sorry," and cut off her two thumbs and threw them on the griddle, and they became griddle-cakes.

And now my story has come to an end, but the sparrow never got home.

Next: The Boy Who Became a Bulbul

(1100 words)

Persian Tales: The Boy Who Became a Bulbul

This story is remarkably similar to the English story called The Rose Tree which you can read in the English fairy tales unit in this class. Be sure to pay attention to just how the poor boy gets his revenge on his stepmother while also rewarding his sister.

Explore: For another story about vengeance see The Wolf and the Goat. For another story about a thorn-gatherer, see The Wolf-Aunt.

[Notes by LKG]

This story is part of the Persian Tales unit. Story source: Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).

The Boy Who Became a Bulbul

Once upon a time there was a time when there was no one but God.

There was a man who had a small son and daughter, and he had taken another wife, so the children had a stepmother.

One day the father and son were starting out to collect thorn-bushes for firewood, for the father was a thorn-cutter. As they were going off the stepmother said: "You two ought to lay a wager to-day and agree that whichever of you collects the more firewood should cut off the other one's head." The father and son agreed to do this.

They went out and gathered their firewood, and it happened that the boy collected more than his father. As they were going to tie up the two bundles the lad said: "Daddy, do you know, I'm awfully thirsty."

"Well, then," said the father, "run off to the stream and have a drink." No sooner had he gone off to drink than the father took some of the thorn-bushes off the boy's bundle and added them to his own.

Then they tied up their loads, and the father said: "Come, let's weigh our bundles and see who has gathered more firewood, you or I." When they weighed the loads the father's was now the heavier, so the boy lay down, and the father cut his head off.

He carried the child's head home and gave it to his wife and said: "Come and cook this," and she put the head on the fire to boil.

At mid-day the little sister came back from the mulla and said to her stepmother: "I'm very hungry."

"Well, go and lift the lid of the pot and take some of the soup from the meat that's boiling there, and come and eat it with your bread."

The little girl lifted the lid and recognised the top-knot of her brother's hair that was spinning round and round. She shut down the lid quickly and ran off crying to her teacher, and told her the whole story.

"On no account," said the mulla, must you allow any of that soup to cross your lips. When the others have eaten it all up, you must gather your brother's bones all carefully together and wash them in rose-water, and bury them in a corner of the garden. Then plant a reed to mark the place where you have buried them. Every Friday Eve you must then go to the little grave and repeat a sura of the Qur'an, and sprinkle a little rose-water over the spot."

The girl did just as she was bid, till the seventh Friday Eve had come. On the seventh Thursday she saw a bulbul peep out of the hollow of the reed and perch on it, and the bird began to sing:

I am a bulbul, who lost my way,
Through mountains and valleys I wandered astray.
An evil father foiled me;
A wicked woman boiled me;
My sorrowing sister my bones she found,
In rose-water she washed them round,
And buried them in the garden ground.
For seven weeks she has come to pray
Beside my grave each seventh day,
And sprinkled rose-water where I lay,
Till up out of the watered earth
A bulbul at last I have come to birth.

And with that "whirr " and away he flew.

He flew to the shop of the needle-maker and sat on the ground and sang:

I am a bulbul, who lost my way,
Through mountains and valleys I wandered astray.
An evil father foiled me;
A wicked woman boiled me;
My sorrowing sister my bones she found,
In rose-water she washed them round,
And buried them in the garden ground.
For seven weeks she has come to pray
Beside my grave each seventh day,
And sprinkled rose-water where I lay,
Till up out of the watered earth
A bulbul at last I have come to birth.

The needle-maker said: "Look here, please sing that again."

"All right," said the bird, "just shut your eyes and I'll sing it again." As soon as the man had shut his eyes the bulbul seized a paper of needles and "whirr" away he flew.

Then he came and perched on the foot of his stepmother's spinning-wheel and began to sing as before:

I am a bulbul, who lost my way,
Through mountains and valleys I wandered astray.
An evil father foiled me;
A wicked woman boiled me;
My sorrowing sister my bones she found,
In rose-water she washed them round,
And buried them in the garden ground.
For seven weeks she has come to pray
Beside my grave each seventh day,
And sprinkled rose-water where I lay,
Till up out of the watered earth
A bulbul at last I have come to birth.

When he had finished his song the stepmother said: "Look here, please sing that again."

"All right, open your mouth and shut your eyes and I'll sing it again." But no sooner had she opened her mouth and shut her eyes than "whish" like lightning he clapped the paper of needles down into her throat, and "whirr" away he flew.

Then he flew to the sugar-stick-maker's shop, and sat on the floor and sang the same song. When he had got to the end of it the sweet-maker said: "Look here, please sing that again."

"All right, shut your eyes and I'll sing it again." As soon as the man had shut his eyes the bird seized a big stick of sugar-candy and "whirr" away he flew.

Then he came and perched on the foot of his sister's spinning-wheel and began to sing:
I am a bulbul who lost my way,
Through mountains and valleys I wandered astray.
An evil father foiled me;
A wicked woman boiled me;
My sorrowing sister my bones she found,
In rose-water she washed them round,
And buried them in the garden ground.
For seven weeks she has come to pray
Beside my grave each seventh day,
And sprinkled rose-water where I lay,
Till up out of the watered earth,
A bulbul at last I have come to birth.

When he had finished she said: "Look here, sing that all over again, please."

"All right," said he, "open your mouth and shut your eyes, and I'll sing it again." She did so, and "whizz" he popped the stick of sugar-candy into her mouth, and "whirr" away he flew.

And now my story has come to an end, but the sparrow never got home.

Next: The Wolf-Aunt

(Bulbul bird)

(1100 words)

Persian Tales: The Wolf-Aunt

Yes, just as the title lets you know, this is a story about a werewolf. In particular, it is a story about a were-shewolf! There are werewolf legends all over the world, and after reading this story, you will now know a werewolf legend from Iran.

Here is the author's note to the story: "In Persia women as a general rule dislike the sisters of their husband, though these are usually very fond of their brother's children. To a child, therefore, there are two kins of "aunt" — the moterh's sister (khala) whom he is taugh tto love, and the father's sister (amma), who spoils him and who is kind to him, but whom his mother tries to teach him to hate and fear. This story is told to children to encourage due distrust of their father's sister."

Explore: For a story about a fairy-tale type of wolf, see The Wolf and the Goat. For another story about a woman-as-wolf, see The Wolf-Bride.

[Notes by LKG]

This story is part of the Persian Tales unit. Story source: Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).

The Wolf-Aunt

Once upon a time there was a time when there was no one but God.

There was an old man whose business was to gather thorn bushes for fuel. He had one wife and seven daughters, and was very poor. Every day that came he used to go out to his thorn-gathering, and he used to sell in the bazar each evening the load of thorns which he had brought back. All the while his wife and daughters worked hard at their spinning, and so they were just able with the greatest difficulty to keep from starving.

So it went on, till one day he went out as usual to gather thorns and was very late in coming back. The call to evening prayer had sounded before he came along on his way home carrying his load of thorns. As he came down a certain street an old woman dressed in her outdoor clothes, with black mantle and white veil, came out of a door just in front of him.

As soon as she caught sight of the thorn-gatherer she stepped forward and said: "Brother, where have you been all this time? May I be your sacrifice! May I die before you! It is years since I have heard news of you. Come in and sit down, and let me hear how you are and how the world is using you. How many have you at home? How do you earn your bread? Come in and tell me everything, and pour out all your woes."

Then he answered: "In truth the world uses me hardly enough. I have a wife and seven daughters. Every day I am obliged to go out and gather thorns and sell them to feed myself and them." And so he poured out all his sorrows into the ears of his newly-discovered sister.

Then she spoke: "Don't fret, brother dear, and don't worry. I am a rich woman. I have such and such goods and chattels, such and such storehouses, such and such landed properties, and such and such wealth, and you are my own brother. When I left home you were only a little boy, but you haven't changed much, and I still recognised you from your likeness to the child I remember. Brother, why should you slave and starve? Come and live with me, and take it easy, and don't go out gathering thorns any more. Go off, now, and bring your wife and all your children. As long as you live and God gives me a mouthful of bread we shall share it together."

With that the old woman seated herself where she was, while the thorn-gatherer hurried home and told the whole story to his wife: "Truly, my dear, God has been kind to us. I had a sister, and now she is found again. She is rich and has no relations and no children. We have agreed that I and you and our daughters shall go and live with her, and she will provide for us."

Then he took his wife and daughters by the hand, and they went off to where the aunt was sitting waiting, and she carried them all off to her home and made all preparations to entertain them kindly. She gave them every sort of good food in plenty, and bought them nice clothes, and little by little they began to put on flesh and became fit and well.

Some time passed thus, and one day the wife said to her husband: "Look here, my dear, this sister of yours is showing us so much kindness and generosity; it would be a good thing if we cooked some nice dish some day and sent it in to her."

He said: "What can we send? We have nothing."

"Go off to the bazar," answered she, "and buy a liver and bring it to me. I'll cook it very nicely and we'll send it to your sister."

So he went to the bazar and brought home a liver. The wife washed it well, and cut it up and cooked it nicely and put it in a bowl. As soon as evening approached, she gave the dish to her little daughter and said: "Go and carry this to your aunt." When the child reached her aunt's door she peeped in before entering and saw that her father's sister had turned into a wolf and was eating a man. She gave a start of terror and fainted away.

The mother ran up and caught her in her arms, and took her back to their own room and brought her round. As soon as she came to herself the mother asked: "What happened to you, my child?" Then the little girl told her what she had seen.

An hour later the husband came home, and his wife said to him: "This sister of yours, husband, is not a human being. She is a wolf who puts on a human body, and she has brought us all here to fatten us and eat us up. Come and let us fly from here this very night."

But the husband answered: "Shame upon you, wife! In return for all the kindnesses of my sister you call her a wolf!" And whatever she said he refused to listen to it or believe it.

As soon as evening was come and every one had gone to bed, the wife got up quickly and wakened her seven daughters and carried them straight off to their old home, and settled down there. When morning came the husband woke and saw no sign of his wife and children. He understood what had happened, and went to his sister and complained: "Look, last night my wife said to me: 'Your sister is a wolf who eats human beings, come and let us fly from here,' but I paid no heed to her. Now when I get up this morning I find she has fled and carried off the children."

The old woman said nothing, but waited till evening. As soon as the thorn-gatherer was asleep she turned as before into the shape of a wolf and came to his bedside and said: "Well, now, as the others have escaped my clutches I shall eat you tonight. Tell me which you would rather I did - eat you down from your head, which is juicy, or up from your feet, which are tasty?"

The poor man said: "Do whichever you prefer."

Then she tore him in pieces and ate him, and if he had listened to his wife this would never have happened.

And now my story has come to an end, but the sparrow never got home.

Next: Nim Tanak, or Half-Boy

(Wolf, photo by Arturo de Frias Marques)

(1100 words)

Persian Tales: Nim Tanak, or Half-Boy

This story begins with a fairy-tale motif that you will recognize: thanks to a magical helper (in this case a holy man or dervish), a childless king obtains a special substance that will allow his wife (in this case, his wives, plural) to become pregnant. For one of the wives, however, the pregnancy does not turn out quite as planned and she gives birth to a "half-boy" who will be the hero of the story.

The boy's enemy is a Div, or demon. You can read more about the folkloric tradition of the Div at Wikipedia.

Explore: For another story of an unexpected hero, see Muhammad Tirandaz, The Archer. For another story about a supernatural spouse, see Fayiz and the Peri Wife.

[Notes by LKG]

This story is part of the Persian Tales unit. Story source: Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).

Nim Tanak, or Half-Boy

Once upon a time there was a time when there was no one but God.

There was a King to whom no children were born, and this made him very sorrowful, till one day from grief and sorrow he wandered out alone into the desert. As he went he overtook a derwish and they exchanged greetings, then the derwish asked: "Who are you, and where are you going to?"

Thereupon the King told him how matters were.

"How many wives have you?"

"Four," answered the King.

On this the derwish gave the King four apples and said: "Give one of these to each of your wives to eat." The King was greatly pleased, and took the apples home and gave them to his wives. Three of them ate their whole apples, but the fourth ate only half of hers and put the other half on a shelf, meaning to eat it later in the day, but a crow came and carried it off and flew away, and she was too much afraid to tell the King.

In due time children were born to all the wives; one of them had a daughter, two of them had sons, and the fourth had half a son. The King was very angry with the mother of the half-child, and drove her and her infant from his presence and treated them with great unkindness. But he was full of affection and goodness for his daughter and his two sons, and educated them well, and brought them up carefully, and sent them to the madrasah, and made them his heirs, but poor Nim Tanak, the half-boy, had to play with the children of the servants and slaves, and never dared enter his father's presence.

Now it came to pass that a Div fell in love with the King's daughter. One day when she was out hunting with her brothers the Div suddenly appeared in the air and carried off the Princess, and flew with her to the cave where he lived.

When this news was brought to the King he was very sorrowful and wept a while. Then he gathered an army together and sent it under the command of his eldest son to fight the Div.

From afar the Div saw them coming and asked the King's Daughter: "What is that?"

She answered:
Dust I see, and a cloud of sand,
A youthful horseman is at hand.

"What's he doing?" asked the Div.

"Drinking water," replied the girl.

"How's he drinking?"

"He's drinking slowly, sip by sip," said she.

"Come, then," said the Div, "let us laugh till we can laugh no more, for victory is ours."

Then the Div took his weapons and went out to battle with the youth. As soon as the lad saw him his arms grew limp with fear. The Div seized him and carried him off into the cave and hung him up by the top-knot of his hair. Meanwhile the army fled and brought the news to the King.

The King gathered a second army and entrusted it to his second son, and they marched out as the former had done. When they approached the cave the Div asked the Princess: "Well, what do you see?"

She answered:
Dust I see, and a cloud of sand,
A youthful horseman is at hand.

"What's he doing?"

"Eating grapes."

"How's he eating them?"

"One at a time," said the maiden.

"Come, then, let us laugh till we can laugh no more, for this time victory is ours."

To cut a long story short, he seized the young prince like his brother and brought him to the cave, and hung him up by his eyelashes. The army fled and brought the news to the King, who was in despair.

Then Nim Tanak saw that it would be no use to ask his father for an army, so all alone he mounted his horse and rode out to give battle to the Div. As he drew near the cave the Div again asked the girl: "What do you see?"

Dust I see, and a cloud of sand,
Nim Tanak riding close at hand.

"What's he doing?"

"Drinking water."

"How's he drinking it?"

"He has bent down over a stream and he's drinking up water and mud and everything there is in it," answered the Princess.

"Come, then," cried the Div, "let us weep till we can weep no more, this time defeat is ours."

As he came nearer the Div again said: "Look and see what he's doing now."

"Eating grapes."

"How's he eating them?"

"Bunches and bunches at a time, leaves and stalks and all," said she.

"Come, then, let us weep till we can weep no more, defeat is ours."

The Div this time hadn't the courage to go out and fight. The Div was forced to take up his weapons and go out.

Nim Tanak came right up to the mouth of the cave, and at last the Div was forced to take up his weapons and go out. Nim Tanak gave him no pause and no respite; he smote him with his sword and cut him in two halves.

The Div fell to the ground and began to wail and lament, saying: "Strike me once more with thy sword and make an end."

Nim Tanak was just about to smite him once again to kill him outright, as he thought, when his sister cried: "God forbid! If you strike him again he will come to life."

So he left the Div in two halves and set his brothers free, and carried off his sister, and they went home to the King. Then his father loved Nim Tanak greatly, and set the two brothers aside and made him his heir.

And now my story has come to an end, but the sparrow never got home.

Next: Muhammad Tirandaz, The Archer

(1000 words)

Persian Tales: Muhammad Tirandaz, The Archer

As you read this story, you need to know that the name Tirandaz (tir-andaz) means "arrow-shooter," i.e. archer. The boast of Tirandaz that in slaying two mice he had slain "two lions" is very similar to the European folktale motif of "The Valiant Little Tailor."

Explore: For another story of an unexpected hero, see Nim Tanak, or Half-Boy. For a foolish person who does not know how to make use of his luck, see The Man Who Went to Wake His Luck.

[Notes by LKG]

This story is part of the Persian Tales unit. Story source: Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).

Muhammad Tirandaz, The Archer

Once upon a time there was a time when there was no one but God.

There was once a man called Muhammad who was a shawl-weaver. One day he was sitting behind his shawl, weaving away, when it chanced that he saw two mice playing about and riding on each other's back. As he threw the shuttle into his warp it slipped from his hand and hit the two mice, killing both of them at one blow.

Thereupon all Muhammad's fellow-apprentices began to chaff him and say: "Bravo! Well done! Your name should be:
Tirandaz, Muhammad of the Bow,
Slaying with his arrow two lions at one blow.
Why do you sit here weaving shawls? You ought to be an archer."

Muhammad listened to these words and took them seriously and believed them all, so he rose up from his work and went home to his own house. He caught his mother by the collar and got a little money from her, and took it to the bazar to buy a bow and arrows for himself. On the bow and arrows he made them write:

I am Muhammad Tirandaz, Muhammad of the Bow,
Slaying with my arrow two lions at one blow.

Then he threw the bow and arrows over his shoulder and set off for the desert.

He went on and on for a good way, and arrived thirsty and weary at the edge of a stream of water. He quenched his thirst, hung his bow and arrows in the fork of a tree, and then lay down under its shade and fell asleep.

When he was still sleeping, one of the King's horsemen came riding by and chanced to pass close to the foot of the tree. There he saw a strong, sturdy youth asleep, his bow and arrows hung above his head.

The horseman was amazed at the strong appearance of the young man and came up to look at his weapons, and saw that it was written on them:

I am Muhammad Tirandaz, Muhammad of the Bow,
Slaying with my arrow two lions at one blow.

So he sat down at the youth's side and waited for him to wake. Then he asked: "Who are you?" and got the reply:

I am Muhammad Tirandaz, Muhammad of the Bow,
Slaying with my arrow two lions at one blow.

"What business brings you here, then?" asked the horseman. - "I came into the desert to do a little hunting." - "Good, and are you really a good shot?" To this Muhammad replied: "Yes." - "Then I shall take you with me to the King, and you shall be one of the King's household. And then some day when war happens to break out you can fight for the King." "Right you are," said Muhammad.

Now the horseman had some bread and other things in his saddlebags. He brought them out and they ate together, and he took the new-found archer along with him and brought him into the King's presence, and explained: "This is Muhammad Tirandaz the Archer, who slays two lions at one blow."

Then the King gave Muhammad a gift and an appointment in his household, and he fixed a certain salary for him. So Muhammad made himself at home there, and day or night his only work was to eat and sleep - which was really just as well, for there was nothing else that he knew how to do. So things went on till one day it chanced that war broke out, and an enemy's army came and besieged the city of the King.

Immediately Muhammad Tirandaz was summoned, and the King said: "Now you'd better go out and fight."

Muhammad could do nothing but agree, and so he said: "With pleasure."

They brought a horse for him to mount to ride out to the battlefield. Now Muhammad, who hadn't the faintest idea how to ride, was afraid that no sooner would he mount than the horse would throw him to the ground. So he said: "Tie my feet tightly together under the horse's belly." Then the grooms marvelled greatly, but they thought he must be going to perform some wondrous exploit since he bade them do this strange thing, so they tied his feet as he had said.

Then he slung his bow and arrows on his back and took the reins and set out for the battle. On the way the bridle slipped from his hand, the horse bolted with him and began to gallop. In their wild career they came near a tree, and Muhammad in great fear stretched out his arms to clutch it and try to stop himself. As he grasped it the force of the galloping horse tore it up by the roots, and on they dashed, Muhammad waving the tree and shouting: "Catch the reins! Catch the reins!" in the hopes that some one would stop his horse.

Now the army of the other side, when they saw a champion galloping towards them waving a tree, were terrified, for they thought there must be an army of the King's coming up behind them to cut off their retreat to whom Muhammad was calling, and that he meant: "Catch the enemy's reins and prevent their escaping!" So from sheer terror they turned tail and took to flight. Meanwhile the King's army galloped up and pursued and defeated them.

And the grateful King gave many presents and robes of honour to Muhammad Tlrandaz the Archer, and he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the King's armies.

And now my story has come to an end, but the sparrow never got home.

Next: The Praying Baker

(Arash the archer, Arash being an actual hero

of the Persian folk tradition,

unlike the lucky Muhammad of this story)

(900 words)

Persian Tales: The Praying Baker

This story features a motif that you may have encountered in folklore before: the fish who swallows a ring and is then caught, so that the ring is recovered from the fish's belly. For more examples, see the list of variations in this article about "Fish and the Ring" at Wikipedia.

Explore: For another story about a king who goes about in disguise, see Shah Abbas and the Poor Mother. For another story about someone who, much to his own surprise, escapes a dire judgment, see The Apparition of the Prophet Khizr.

[Notes by LKG]

This story is part of the Persian Tales unit. Story source: Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).

The Praying Baker

Once upon a time there was a time when there was no one but God.

There was a certain King who went out one evening three hours after the sun had set, and having put on the garments of a derwish, he began begging in the bazar, till he came to the door of a baker's shop, where he saw that the man in charge of the scales was engaged in prayer and meditation. He listened to the man's prayer, and heard him repeat over and over again: "Whatever God has willed, that is, and only that shall come to pass."

Then said the King to himself: "I'll just try this fellow and see if his prayer is in earnest. If he is praying only with his lips I shall put him to death, but if he is sincere I shall give him a robe of honour."

Now he had a ring on his finger that was worth a thousand tumans. He went to the door of the shop and gave it to the Baker and said: "Take this ring as a pledge, and give me a quarter of a mann of bread and put it down to my account."

He took the bread, and, going back to his castle, told the Wazir: "I did such and such a thing this evening. Now it is your business to try and get the ring back again from him somehow."

"All right, I'll try," said the Wazir.

"If you succeed," said the King, "I'll give you a large reward, and if you don't bring me the ring I'll cut off your head."

That night the Wazir went home and took counsel with his wife, who said: "To-morrow morning send one of your servants into the town on the pretext of testing all the people's weights and scales to see that none are giving short measure in their shops. That will give you a chance to get the King's ring back out of the Baker's till."

The Wazir said: "That's a first-rate plan."

When morning came the Wazir's messengers went to all the shops and started testing the weights till they came to the Baker's shop. Then they said to the weighman: "Go into the back of the shop and bring us the weight you have for your flour-bin; we must see that it also is in order."

As soon as he was gone to fetch the other weight, they pulled out the drawer of the till and took the ring, and one of them slipped it into his mouth and hid it under his tongue. In due course they came back and brought it to the Wazir, who gave it to the King, who put it once more on his finger.

Then the King sent one of his men to fetch the Baker, and he said: "Last night I came to your shop in disguise as a Derwish and I gave you a ring to keep as a pledge for a quarter of a mann of bread. Now take your money for the bread and give me back my ring."

"The ring, your Majesty, has got lost," answered the unfortunate Baker.

"My ring," said the King, "was worth two thousand tumans. You must either give me the ring or the price of it."

The poor Baker asked for time, and the King gave him ten days' grace. Then he said: "Well, if I bring it back after ten days, there is nothing more to be said, and if not, you may cut off my head," and the King agreed.

The man went home and shut the door of his house and gave himself up to prayer and meditation. And his prayer was continually the same: "Whatever God has willed, that is, and only that shall come to pass."

Now it chanced when the eighth day had come that the King mounted his horse and took his army with him, and they rode till they came to a hunting-ground by the edge of a big stream. The King dismounted to refresh himself by washing his face and hands, and as he was doing this the ring fell off into the water. He turned to the Wazir and said: "If the ring is found, well and good, and if not, I shall slay the Baker."

Now a fish was swimming past who gobbled down the ring, and presently a fisherman came and caught the fish. The next day he went round the bazar crying: "Fresh fish! fresh fish!"

The poor Baker said to his wife: "See, to-morrow is the tenth day, and the King will put me to death. Let us eat a little fish to-day!" So he bought from the fisherman the very fish that had the ring in its belly.

He went into the house and gave it to his wife to cook for the evening. When she opened the fish to clean it, she saw a ring, and turned to her husband, saying: "Here is a ring; take it quickly to the King, perhaps he will accept it instead of his own."

The man looked and saw that it was the very ring he had lost. He was very joyful, and on the morrow, which was the tenth day, he went and gave it to the King.

No sooner did the King see the ring than his brain reeled and he was dumb with amazement. At last he turned to the Wazir and said: "It is my very ring."

Thereupon he gave the Baker a robe of honour and a large reward, and made him one of his own favourites.

And now my story has come to an end, but the sparrow never got home.

Next: The Sad Tale of the Mouse's Tail

(1000 words)

Persian Tales: The Sad Tale of the Mouse's Tail

This is another cumulative tale, and you can see from the all-caps at the end that the story leaves off with the mouse feeling quite frustrated. As the story ends, she has still not managed to get her tail sewn back on!

The story makes reference to the Jews of Iran, and you can find out more about the Persian Jews at Wikipedia.

The story also makes reference to Gypsies or Roma people, who have also lived in Iran for many centuries. You can read in Wikipedia about the legend in the Persian epic Shahnameh about how the Roma came to Iran.

Explore: For another cumulative story about a mouse, see Susku and Mushu. For another animal story, see The Tortoise and the Fox.

[Notes by LKG]

This story is part of the Persian Tales unit. Story source: Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).

(photo by George Shuklin)

The Sad Tale of the Mouse's Tail

Once upon a time there was a time when there was no one but God.

The Mouse went out a-stealing and fell into a trap, and her tail got torn off.

Away she went to the Cobbler and said:
Cobbler, Cobbler, sew on my tail!

The Cobbler said: "Run away and bring me some thread so that I can sew on your tail."

The Mouse ran to the Jew and said:
Jew, Jew, give me a thread
To give to the Cobbler to sew on my tail.

"Bring me an egg," said the Jew, "and I'll give you a thread." So she came to the Hen and said:
Tutoo, Tutoo, give me an egg
To give to the Jew, who'll give me a thread
To give to the Cobbler to sew on my tail.

The Hen said: "Go and bring me a grain of corn and I'll give you an egg." So she came to the Corn Heap and said:
Corn Heap, Corn Heap, give me a grain
To give to the Hen, who'll give me an egg
To give to the Jew, who'll give me a thread
To give to the Cobbler to sew on my tail.

"Bring me a sieve," said the Corn Heap, "so that I can get you a grain of corn." So she came to the Tinker and said:
Gipsy, Gipsy, give me a sieve
To give to the Corn Heap, who'll give me a grain
To give to the Hen, who'll give me an egg
To give to the Jew, who'll give me a thread
To give to the Cobbler to sew on my tail.

"Go and bring me a goat-skin," said the Tinker, "so that I may make a sieve1 for you." So she came to the Goat and said:
Goat, Goat, give me a skin
To give to the Tinker, who'll make me a sieve
To give to the Corn Heap, who'll give me a grain
To give to the Hen, who'll give me an egg
To give to the Jew, who'll give me a thread
To give to the Cobbler to sew on my tail.

The Goat said: "Go and bring me some grass, and I'll give you a skin." So she came to the Farmer and said:
Farmer, Farmer, give me some grass
To give to the Goat, who'll give me a skin
To give to the Tinker, who'll make me a sieve
To give to the Corn Heap, who'll give me a grain
To give to the Hen, who'll give me an egg
To give to the Jew, who'll give me a thread
To give to the Cobbler to sew on my tail.

"Go and bring me a spade," said the Farmer, "so that I can dig you up some grass." So she came to the Blacksmith and said:
Blacksmith, Blacksmith, give me a spade
To give to the Farmer, who'll give me some grass
To give to the Goat, who'll give me a skin
To give to the Tinker, who'll make me a sieve
To give to the Corn Heap, who'll give me a grain
To give to the Hen, who'll give me an egg
To give to the Jew, who'll give me a thread
To give to the Cobbler
TO SEW ON MY TAIL!

And now my story has come to an end, but the sparrow never got home.

Next: Fayiz and the Peri Wife

(600 words)

Persian Tales: Fayiz and the Peri Wife

For more about the peris (fairies) of Persian folklore, see Wikipedia. As often in love stories about fairies, the ending is anything but a fairy-tale "happily ever after," as you will see.

Explore: For another story about a supernatural marriage, see The Wolf-Bride. For another story about a supernatural spouse, see Nim Tanak, or Half-Boy.

[Notes by LKG]

This story is part of the Persian Tales unit. Story source: Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).

Fayiz and the Peri Wife

There was a married man called Fayiz, who was true-hearted and honest, and, moreover, a very handsome young man.

One day he went to the mountains with the flocks, and as he sat there he played on his flute. Presently he saw a maiden come and sit down beside him, and her face was so beautiful that no one had ever seen the like.

They fell in love with each other, and the girl said: "O young man, I am entirely yours; come now, and let us go to my house in the mountains."

"Tell me who you are," said Fayiz.

"All in good time," answered she, "but what business is it of yours?"

Then they got up and went off together. They came to a place where there was a fine building with beautiful carpets on the floors, and there were a number of slave-girls standing about with their hands on their breasts. Fayiz and the maiden sat down and talked to each other, and then she sent for a mulla. The mulla made his appearance, and when Fayiz looked at him and at the girl, he saw that they were not like ordinary human beings.

"O mulla," said the maiden, "wed me to this young man on condition that he will remain faithful to me. If he does, he will be happy all his life, but if he is unfaithful, then throughout his life he will never see me again, and he will be constantly in trouble. It is, indeed, scarcely possible that a human being should keep faith. However, we shall see how things turn out."

The mulla married them, and they settled down to disport and enjoy themselves. Some years passed thus and they had two sons, and the father perceived that they were of Peri stock.

One day the wife said: "Oh man-born, if ever a day comes that you make my secret public, you will never see me again, nor your sons. So I warn you that you must not break faith."

"Never while I live," protested Fayiz, "will I betray your secret."

At last, however, came a time when a yearning for his home and his belongings took possession of him, and he could not be at peace. "O Peri," said he, "longing for my country has seized me. Give me leave now to go to my home and see what state my property is in, and have a look at those other children of mine."

"O man-born," cried she, "you will go and you will regret it. For you will betray my secret, and then you will never see me again. I know this for certain, but I will not make you unhappy. All the same, you are doing wrong."

On this she recited something, and he found that they were sitting in the old place with the flocks. "Well, have you got there?" said the Peri.

"Yes," said he.

"Well, you may go to your home and stay there as long as you like, only do not forget to keep my secret. If you tell it to any one, all is over between us."

He said good-bye, and set off down the hill and came to his home.

His boys came out to meet him and he kissed their faces, and all his relations came to call on him.

"Where have you been away to," they asked, "all these years you were with the flock?"

But he only answered: "Oh, I went somewhere." He stayed at home some days. Now the Peri was with him and was able to see him, but Fayiz did not see her.

At last his wife worried and worried him, saying: "Do tell me where you went to, and who gave you all this wealth and property you possess."

"Wife," said he, "what business is it of yours, that you ask?"

"If you tell me," said she, "well and good, I swear to you that I won't tell anyone else; but if you don't tell me, I'll kill myself."

"I won't tell you," said he.

When the time came for him to go back to his place he said: "O wife, I am going now, you can do what you please with this wealth and property and these boys of yours."

"Tell me where you're going," said she, "or I'll turn your boys adrift."

He could find no way out of the difficulty, "For," said he, "if I don't tell her, she will abandon my boys and go away."

So Fayiz acted like an ass, for God had willed that he should not again see the face of the Peri, and he told his wife the whole story.

Suddenly he heard a voice saying: "O faithless man-born! All is now at an end between us. Didn't I tell you not to divulge my secret? Now you will neither see me again nor your sons."

Then she took on the shape of a pigeon and flew away, and went home to her sons and settled down in peace and comfort.

But Fayiz went to the place where he had first met her. Several days he came and went there, but he saw nothing. "No, she will not appear again," said he.

Still he came every day and played on his flute and sang songs, but he saw nothing. And at night he used to sit down in a corner among some ruins and sing till morning. And he cast off his first wife and her sons and never went to their house. In fact, he broke free from all the ties of this world, and he used continually to sing:

Peri, Peri, shame on me
If I an earthly wife should see,
And with her contented be,
Or cease to sigh and long for thee.

Next: The Hemp-Smoker's Dream

(1000 words)

Persian Tales: The Hemp-Smoker's Dream

Here is the author's note about the names in this story: "Chin is the country of China. Tir-kamandar Ahmad means "Ahmad with the bow and arrows." Cherkh i Chin Ahmad means "Wheel of China Ahmad." Hawerdar Ahmad means "Ahmad who knows what's going on." It is not certain what Tilin means. It may possibly be "Golden" or, more probably, "Pot-Bellied." The story isn't very clear in the Persian, but then it is only a dream story."

The word cannabis is a borrowing from the Persian language; you can read more about cannabis and Iran at Wikipedia.

Note also again the ash here, which is a Persian soup or stew: Wikipedia.

Explore: For another surreal story, see The City of Nothing-in-the-World. For another dream story, see The Shepherd Who Found a Treasure.

[Notes by LKG]

This story is part of the Persian Tales unit. Story source: Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).

The Hemp-Smoker's Dream

There was once a man who smoked hemp and then went to the public baths. He sat down, and the Barber came to shave his head. The Barber put a mirror in his hand, and he looked at his own face in it and saw that there was nowhere another face so handsome. The idea seized on him that he should go and get the daughter of the King of China for his wife, and off he started.

When he had gone some distance he saw a man sitting by the roadside. The man addressed him, saying: "Where are you going? If you are going to China, take me with you. My name is Tilin Ahmad." They started to go on together, and presently Tir-kamandar Ahmad fell in with them. A little farther on Cherkh i Chin Ahmad and Hawerdar Ahmad also joined in with them, and so they came to the city of Chin.

They sent word to the King, saying: "We have come to get your daughter. If you don't give her to us we shall carry off the very soil of your town in bags."

"Wazir," said the King, "what am I to do?"

"Say to them," replied the Wazir, "'We shall have a wager. I shall set seventy pots of ash on the fire, and if you eat all the ash I will give you my daughter.'"

The King approved this suggestion, and they went and told the visitors. They agreed to the suggestion, and Tilin Ahmad ate up all the seventy pots of ash.

"Very good," said the King; "now you must carry her marriage-deed round from the East to the West and ratify it." They took the marriage-deed and gave it to Cherkh i Chin Ahmad, and in one hour he took it to the West, and then went and lay down to sleep under a chenar tree.

As he was late in coming back, the others said: "Hawerdar Ahmad, it's your turn now."

"Cherkh i Chin's sleeping under a chenar tree in such and such a place," said Hawerdar Ahmad.

Then Tir-kamandar Ahmad shot an arrow and hit the middle of the chenar tree, and some of the leaves fell on Cherkh i Chin's face and woke him up. Then he got up, proceeded again on his way, and arrived back, and they ratified the marriage contract.

Then they mounted the bride on a horse and set out to return to their own country. On the way, however, they began to quarrel over her. One said: 'She is mine," another said: "She is mine," until suddenly their master, the dreamer, said: "Well, who am I, then? Where do I come in?'

The Barber was standing close in front of his customer when the latter suddenly gave him a smart cuff on the side of the head.

The Barber cried out: "Here you, fellow, you son of a dog, what did you strike me for?"

Then the dreamer came to his senses and said: "O Master Barber, please accept the excuse that I was intoxicated and was dreaming; I have now come to my senses again."

Next: The Story of the Wolf-Bride

(600 words)

Persian Tales: The Story of the Wolf-Bride

This a story about fate, specifically about fate as revealed in the stars. For more about astrology in Iran, see the Encyclopedia Iranica online.

Explore: For another story about a woman-as-wolf, see The Wolf-Aunt . For a story about a fairy-bride, see Fayiz and the Peri Wife.

[Notes by LKG]

This story is part of the Persian Tales unit. Story source: Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).

The Story of the Wolf-Bride

It is related that there was once a man who had the fortune to obtain a son, and he went to the akhund to get the boy's horoscope. The akhund told him: "Your son is fated to be torn in pieces by a wolf."

The father went home and built an underground chamber and put his son in it. Then he procured an akhund and brought him to teach the child.

In the course of some years the boy learned to read and write, and he grew up, and it became time for him to take a wife. His father's brother had a daughter, and they got her for him. The wedding celebrations lasted seven days and seven nights, and at the end of the week they brought the bride to the underground chamber to her husband, and they put the hand of the one in the hand of the other and came away, leaving them alone together.

No sooner did the youth put his arm round the girl's waist than she suddenly turned into a wolf and tore him in pieces. When she had done this, she turned again into the same girl as she was before. She sat down there, and had not the least idea how it had all happened, and she remained sitting where she was till morning.

When it was daylight the women came to her and found the bride sitting there and the bridegroom's body torn to pieces.

"Girl," they asked, "how has this come about?"

"I don't know," said she, "but I know this much, that I turned into a wolf and tore him, and then again I turned back into myself."

The women raised shrieks and lamentations, and they carried off the youth's body and buried it, and men said: "Whatever is willed by fate, that verily comes to pass."

Next: The Man Who Went to Wake His Luck

(Iranian wedding)

(400 words)

Persian Tales: The Man Who Went to Wake His Luck

This is a funny little story about a man who is not only without luck — he is also a big fool too!

Explore: For a story about someone who is very lucky, even if he is a bit of a fool, see Muhammad Tirandaz, The Archer. For another story about Luck that can be awake or asleep, see The Merchant and the Saffron.

[Notes by LKG]

This story is part of the Persian Tales unit. Story source: Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).

The Man Who Went to Wake His Luck

There were once two brothers, one of whom was very rich and the other very poor. One day the latter went to the mountain where his brother's herds of horses were. When he got there he found that two or three of the mares had foaled, and he noticed that a man in a black felt coat was rounding them up and grazing them.

The Poor Brother went up to the Horseherd and said: "Who are you, and what right have you to graze these horses of my brother's?"

The Horseherd replied: "I am your brother's Luck."

"Have you seen my Luck anywhere? I believe he's asleep. I wish he would wake up."

"It won't be long now," said the Horseherd, "he's due to wake up soon." "

Tell me where I can find him," said the Poor Brother, "and I'll go and wake him myself."

"He's asleep in such and such a cave," said the Horseherd.

So the Poor Brother started off, and went on his way till he came to a place where there was a garden. The Gardener asked him where he was going to, and he said he was going to look for his Luck and wake him.

So the Gardener said: "Tell your Luck that I have a garden that yields no fruit, and ask him what the reason of that is."

Then the Poor Brother went on till he came to a certain mountain where the people had a King who was a woman, but they didn't know that she was a woman. The King learned of the Poor Brother's quest, and sent for him, and said: "When you wake your Luck, ask him why these people of mine don't obey my orders."

Then the Poor Brother went on again and fell in with a Wolf, and the Wolf said: "Ask him why I get nothing to live on."

Next he came to a thorn-gatherer cutting thorn-bushes for fuel, and he said: "Ask why I have been condemned to earn my daily bread by gathering thorns."

And to them all the Poor Brother replied: "All right, I'll ask."

Then he went on till he came to a cave where he found his Luck lying on his face sound asleep. He prodded him with his toe, and his Luck woke up and said: "What is it? What do you want?"

"I have come to wake you up."

"But I'm due to sleep for some years yet."

"But won't you wake up now? Several people have given me messages for you."

"All right, go ahead and tell me what the messages are."

So the Poor Brother asked his Luck the Gardener's question. "Tell him," his Luck replied, "that there are four earthenware jars full of gold coins hidden in his garden; he must dig them up and then his garden will yield fruit."

Then the Poor Brother repeated the King's question, and his Luck answered: "Say to him: 'You are a woman, that's the reason why people don't obey you.' "

After that he told his Luck what the thorn-gatherer and the Wolf had asked, and his Luck answered: "Tell the thorn-gatherer that as long as he lives things will go on just the same with him, neither better nor worse. And say to the Wolf: 'Whenever you meet a foolish man, eat him. That's the provision that has been made for you.'"

The Poor Brother took leave of his Luck and started on his way home, and he came to the thorn-gatherer and gave him his answer.

Then he came to the King and said: "You are a woman." The King said: "Very good! Come along and I'll marry you, and this kingdom of mine shall be yours." "No," said the Poor Brother, "you don't catch me staying here. Now that I have seen my Luck, do you think I'd be such a fool?"

Then he went on till he found the Gardener, and told him about the four jars of gold coins that were hidden in his garden, and that if he dug them out the garden would become fruitful. The Gardener at once said: "Excellent! Come along and let's get them out and share them between us." But the Poor Brother said: "No, I won't stay."

So he went on, and he came at last to the Wolf and gave him his answer: "Whenever you see a foolish man, eat him. That is your portion."

"Thank you very much," said the Wolf. "I say, just look up a moment and see how many stars there are in the sky."

The Poor Brother looked up, and the Wolf immediately seized him by the throat, saying: "I have seen no greater fool than you!"

And then the Wolf ate the Poor Brother up.

Next: Tortoise Bowl-On-The-Back and the Fox

(800 words)

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