Reading Notes: Indian Fairy Tales, Part A

 Notes for Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs

"The Lion and the Crane"

• Lion gets a bone stuck in his throat 
• His throat became swollen 
• He could not eat
• He was in agony 
• A crane sees the lion and asks what's wrong 
• Tells the lion that he could get the bone out of the lion's throat, but he's scared the lion will eat him 
• The lion swears he won't 
• The crane helps the lion, but props his mouth open with a stick just in case the lion does not keep his word 
• Removes the bone, then stick 
• The lion does not attempt to eat him 
• The crane sees the lion eating a buffalo one day and asks how he can serve this king of beasts and what he will get in return for helping the lion  
• The lion says that sparing his life was payment enough 
• The crane flies away, angry that no friendship can be found between the two animals 

Rickshaw art from Bangladesh. Photographic reproduction on a tin of the tale of the tiger and the egret or crane from Larryjhs (source: Wikimedia). 

"The Cruel Crane Outwitted"

• The crane sees a stocked pond that usually runs dry during the dry season
• He wants to trick the fish in it so he can eat them 
• The fish ask the crane what he is doing, and he replies that he is thinking of them 
• The crane says he is worried about the lack of water and food for the fish in the pond, trying to convince them that he can carry them to a new pond 
• The fish do not believe him
• In response, he asks that they send one fish along to see the new pond 
• They send a partially blind fish who sees the pond and speaks of its wonders 
• The fish go with the crane, one by one, and he eats all of them along the way 
• The crane tries to convince a crab to go with him, too 
• The crab only agrees to go with the crane if he can ride along by gripping his claws around the crane's neck 
• When the crane tries to eat the crab, the crab grabs his neck until the crane agrees to let him go 
• When the crane brings the crab to the water, the crab kills him anyway to ensure his own safety