To Aid Beast Is Merit To Aid Man Is But Vanity
: The Gods Know and the Gods Reward: Laos Folk-lore Of Farther India
A hunter, walking through a jungle, saw a man in a pit unable to escape.
The man called to him, "If thou wilt aid me to escape from this snare,
always will I remember thy grace and merit." The hunter drew him out of
the pit, and the man said, "I am goldsmith to the head chow, and dwell
by the city's gate. Shouldst thou ever want any benefit, come to me, and
gladly will I aid thee."
As the hunter travelled
elephant, and the tiger cried, "If thy heart prompts thee to set me
free, thy aid will ever be remembered by me." He helped the tiger from
the snare, and it said, "If ever thou needest aid, call and I will come
to thee."
Then again the hunter went on his way, and came to a place where a snake
had fallen into a well and could not get out, and the snake cried, "If
thou wilt aid me, I can aid thee also in the time soon to come," and he
assisted the snake. "When the time comes that thou needest me, think of
me, and I will come to thee with haste," said the snake.
Now, it had happened that on the day that the hunter had rescued the
tiger it had killed the chow's child, but of this the hunter knew
nothing. And it came to pass that three days after, the hunter desiring
to test the words of the tiger, went to the forest. Upon calling it, the
tiger came to him immediately and brought with him a long golden chain,
which he gave to the hunter. The hunter took the chain home, and,
wishing to sell it, sought the goldsmith whom he had befriended. But the
goldsmith, seeing it, said, "You are the man who has killed the chow's
child." And he had his men bind the hunter with strong cords and took
him to the chow in the hope of gaining the reward offered to any who
might find him who had killed the child.
The chow put the hunter in chains and commanded he die on the morrow.
The hunter begged for seven days' respite, and it was granted him. In
the night he thought of the snake he had helped, and immediately the
snake came, bringing with him a medicine to cure blindness. While the
household of the chow slept, the snake entered and cast of its venom in
the eyes of the chow's wife, and she was blind.
Throughout all the province the chow sought for some one to restore the
eyes of his afflicted wife, but no one was found.
It happened on a day, that word came to the chow's ears that the hunter
he had in chains for the death of his child, was a man of wisdom and
knew the merit of all the herbs of the field, therefore he sent for him.
When the hunter came into the presence of the chow unto where the wife
sat, he put the medicine which the snake had brought him into the eyes
of the princess, and sight, even like unto that of a young maiden, was
restored unto her.
Then the chow desired to reward the hunter, and the hunter told him how
he had come into possession of the golden chain, of the medicine which
the serpent had given him because he had aided it in its time of
trouble, and of the goldsmith, who had not only forgotten benefits
received, but had accused him so he might gain a reward. And when the
chow learned the truth, he had the ungrateful goldsmith put to death,
but to the hunter did he give half of his province, for had he not
restored the sight of the princess?
17: This only of the Folk Tales has been written before. It is taken
from an ancient temple book and is well-known in all the Laos country.
More
-
The Wonderful Rod
The Choctaws had for many years found a home in regions beyond the Mountains of Snow, far away to the west of the Mississippi. They, however, decided, for some reason or other, to leave the place in which they dwelt, and the question then arose in... The Wonderful Tea-kettle
A long time ago there was an old priest who lived in the temple of Morinji in the province of Hitachi. He cooked his own rice, boiled his own tea, swept his own floor and lived frugally as an honest priest should do. One day he was sitting near... The Wondrous Story Of Ivan Golik And The Serpents
Somewhere, nowhere, in another kingdom, in the Empire of Thrice-ten, lived--whether 'twas a Tsar and a Tsaritsa, or only a Prince and a Princess, I know not, but anyhow they had two sons. One day this prince said to his sons, "Let us go down to th... The Wood Pigeon
The thrice repeated notes of five sounds, with an abrupt note at the end, of which the cooing of the wood pigeon consists, have been construed into words, and these words differ in different places, according to the state of the country, and the p... The Wooden Wife
Once there was a young man newly married who was very fond of his wife. She was not only a pretty woman, but she wove the most beautiful dancing-blankets of any one in the tribe. One day this young man went into the mountains to hunt wild goats, ... The Woodman And Mercury
A man that labour'd in the wood Had lost his honest livelihood; That is to say, His axe was gone astray. He had no tools to spare; This wholly earn'd his fare. Without a hope beside, He... The Woods And The Woodman
A certain wood-chopper lost or broke From his axe's eye a bit of oak. The forest must needs be somewhat spared While such a loss was being repair'd. Came the man at last, and humbly pray'd That the woods would kindl... The Words German And Germanic
Already at the beginning of the Christian era the name Germans was applied by the Romans and Gauls to the many clans of people whose main habitation was the extensive territory east of the Rhine, and north of the forest-clad Hercynian Mountains. Tha... The Words Of Untold Value
In the days long since gone by, a young man, a son of a poor widow, desired to go with two of his friends to Tuck Kasula,[20] the country where one could learn the wisdom of all the world, but he had no gold with which to buy the wisdom, for does no... The World War Its Cause The Murder Of Gullveig-heidr
Thus the peace of the world and the order of nature might seem secured. But it is not long before a new war breaks out, to which the former may be regarded as simply the prelude. The feud, which had its origin in the judgment passe... The World's Beautiful Woman
In the most beautiful land of Asia, where Adam and Eve may have lived, where all animals, including cows, live wild, where the corn grows wild, and even bread grows on trees, there lived a pretty girl, whose palace was built on a low hill, which l... The World's Reward
Once there was a man that had an old dog, so old that the man desired to put him aside. The dog had served him very faithfully when he was still young, but ingratitude is the world's reward, and the man now wanted to dispose of him. The old dumb c... The Worship Of The Salmon The Divine Fish
A certain Aino went out in a boat to catch fish in the sea. While he was there, a great wind arose, so that he drifted about for six nights. Just as he was like to die, land came in sight. Being borne on to the beach by the waves, he quietly stepped... The Wraith Ringer Of Atlanta
A man was killed in Elliott Street, Atlanta, Georgia, by a cowardly stroke from a stiletto. The assassin escaped. Strange what a humming there was in the belfry of St. Michael's Church that night! Had the murderer taken refuge there? Was it a knell ... The Wrath Of Manitou
The county called Kern, in California, lies mostly in a circular valley, and long, long before the evil one had created the pale face it was the home of a nation advanced in arts, who worshipped the Great Spirit in a building with a lofty dome. But ... The Wren
The Wren's life is sacred, excepting at one time of the year, for should anyone take this wee birdie's life away, upon him some mishap will fall. The wren is classed with the Robin:-- The robin and the wren Are God's cock and hen. Th... The Wronged Wife
In 1530, or thereabout, a Spanish ship from Molucca was driven across the Pacific and flung, in a dismantled condition, on the Keei Reefs, Hawaii. Only the captain and his sister were rescued. Until it was discovered that these strangers required ... The Wyandots
The Wyandots, or Hurons, are of Northern origin, and descended from a branch of the Iroquois. At the time of the discovery of America, their villages were located near the Senecas, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. When Cartier appeared, a s... The Young Piper
BY CROFTON CROKER There lived not long since, on the borders of the county Tipperary, a decent honest couple, whose names were Mick Flannigan and Judy Muldoon. These poor people were blessed, as the saying is, with four children, all boys: thre... The Youngest Prince And The Youngest Princess
There was once, I don't know where, an old petticoat a hundred years old, and in this petticoat a tuck, in which I found the following story. There was once a king who had seven sons and seven daughters: he was in great trouble where to find princ... The Ystrad Legend
In a meadow belonging to Ystrad, bounded by the river which falls from Cwellyn Lake, they say the Fairies used to assemble, and dance on fair moon-light-nights. One evening a young man, who was the heir and occupier of this farm, hid himself in a... The Zebra Stallion
The Baboons, it is said, used to disturb the Zebra Mares in drinking. But one of the Mares became the mother of a foal. The others then helped her to suckle (the young stallion), that he might soon grow up. When he was grown up and they were in ... The [horned] Owl
There are six owls,--brethren. The eldest of them is only a little bigger than a sparrow. When perching on a tree, it balances itself backwards, for which reason it is called "The Faller Backwards." The youngest of the six has a very large body. It ... There Are Such Women
There was once upon a time a man and his wife, and they wanted to sow their fields, but they had neither seed nor money to buy it with. However, they had one cow, and so they decided that the man should drive it to the town and sell it, so that th... Theseus And The Centaur
Theseus, the hero king of Athens, had a reputation for great strength and bravery; but Pirithous, the son of Ixion, one of the most famous heroes of antiquity, wished to put him to the test. He therefore drove the cattle which belonged to Theseus ... Thirteen At A Table
Should thirteen sit at a table it was believed that the first to leave would be buried within the year. ... Thomas The Rhymer
Thomas, of Ercildoun, in Lauderdale, called the Rhymer, on account of his producing a poetical romance on the subject of Tristrem and Yseult, which is curious as the earliest specimen of English verse known to exist, flourished in the reign of Ale... Thor's Journey To The Land Of Giants
One day the god Thor set out with Loki in his chariot drawn by two he-goats. Night coming on they were obliged to put up at a peasant's cottage, when Thor slew his goats, and having skinned them, had them put into the pot. When this had been done ... Thor's Wonderful Journey
I. One morning Thor asked Loki, the fire-god, if he would like to go forth with him to Utgard, the stronghold of the giants, where he was going to try, with his mighty hammer, to conquer those fierce enemies of Asgard. Loki was glad to go with ... Thunder And Lightning
Maidu (near Sacramento Valley, Cal.) Great-Man created the world and all the people. At first the earth was very hot, so hot it was melted, and that is why even to-day there is fire in the trunk and branches of trees, and in the stones. Lightning... Time Of Bee Swarming
The month in which bees swarm is considered of the greatest importance, and undoubtedly it is so, for the sooner they swarm, the longer their summer, and therefore the greater the quantity of honey which they will accumulate. A late swarm cannot ... Tink-tinkje
The birds wanted a king. Men have a king, so have animals, and why shouldn't they? All had assembled. "The Ostrich, because he is the largest," one called out. "No, he can't fly." "Eagle, on account of his strength." "Not he, he is too u... Tipi And Tepa
Tipi and Tepa dwelt together and lived on baked cakes. One day they met a bear in the jungle. "Now I will eat you" growled the bear. "Spare us," said Tipi and Tepa "and to-morrow we will beg some food and bake it into cakes and give it to you," So t... Tirukala
PERSONAGES After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the personage was changed subsequently. =ChÃchepa=, spotted chicken-hawk; =Chikpina=, weasel; =Hapawila=, water snake; =Jewinna=, chicken-hawk; =Jewinpa=, young c... Tit Major Or Sawyer
The Rev. E. V. Owen, Vicar of Llwydiarth, Montgomeryshire, told me that the Tit's notes are a sign of rain, at least, that it is so considered in his parish. The people call the bird Sawyer, and they say its notes resemble in sound the filing of ... Titindi Maupa And Paiowa The Youngest Daughter Of Wakara
PERSONAGES After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the personage was changed subsequently. =Hemauna Márimi=, ----; =Hitchinna=, wildcat; =Lawalila=, chicken hawk; =Paiowa=, new moon's youngest daughter; =Titildi M... To Aid Beast Is Merit To Aid Man Is But Vanity
A hunter, walking through a jungle, saw a man in a pit unable to escape. The man called to him, "If thou wilt aid me to escape from this snare, always will I remember thy grace and merit." The hunter drew him out of the pit, and the man said, "I am ... Tobacco
Tobacco suggests Cuba, or Cuba more than suggests tobacco. Havana cigars are the synonym for excellence, and it was on this island that the native American was first seen with a cigar in his mouth. It was not much like the cigars of our day, for i... Toccoa Falls
Early in the days of the white occupation of Georgia a cabin stood not far from the Falls of Toccoa (the Beautiful). Its only occupant was a feeble woman, who found it ill work to get food enough from the wild fruits and scanty clearing near the hou... Tolaethdeath Rapping Or Knocking
The death rappings are said to be heard in carpenters' workshops, and that they resembled the noise made by a carpenter when engaged in coffin-making. A respectable miner's wife told me that a female friend told her, she had often heard this nois... Told At The Club
"Speaking of 'anting-anting,'" said a man at the club House on the bank of the Pasig river, in Manila, one evening, "I have had an experience in that line myself which was rather striking." An American officer at the club that evening had just b... Toothache Charms
By repeating the following doggerel lines the worst case of toothache could be cured-- Peter sat on a marble stone, Jesus came to him all alone. What's up, Peter? The toothache, my lord; Rise up Peter, and be cured of this pai... Tortoises Hunting Ostriches
One day, it is said, the Tortoises held a council how they might hunt Ostriches, and they said, "Let us, on both sides, stand in rows near each other, and let one go to hunt the Ostriches, so that they must flee along through the midst of us." The... Traditions Of Wanderings
Hopi (Arizona) After the Hopi had been taught to build stone houses, they took separate ways. My people were the Snake people. They lived in snake skins, each family occupying a separate snake skin bag. All were hung on the end of a rainbow which s... Trials Of The Heart
For the first time in the course of her life, Zarah dreaded a meeting with Hadassah. Though the season was now so far advanced that the heat of the sun was great, the maiden lingered on the shadeless housetop, leaning her brow against the parapet, ... Troi Crysau Or Clothes Drying Test
Young maidens washed linen after the household had retired, and placed the articles by the fire to dry, and then watched to see who should come at midnight to turn the clothes. In this case, again, the evil one is said to have entered the kitchen... Tulchuherris
PERSONAGES After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the personage was changed subsequently. =Hawt=, lamprey eel; =Kúlitek=, a white feather in the tail of =Komos Kulit=, the black vulture; =Nomhawena=, an earthworm... Tungujuluk And Saunikoq
Tungujuluk and Saunikoq were men from one village. And both were wizards. When they heard a spirit calling, one would change into a bear, and the other into a walrus. Tungujuluk had a son, but Saunikoq had no children. As soon as his son was ... Twardowski The Polish Faust
Toward the close of the eighteenth century there was pointed out to visitors in the old town of Krakau the house of the magician Twardowski, who quite properly was called the Faust of Poland, because of his dealings with the Evil One. In his yo... Twelfth Night At Cahokia
It was Twelfth Night, and the French village of Cahokia, near St. Louis, was pleasantly agitated at the prospect of a dance in the old court saloon, which was assembly-room and everything else for the little place. The thirteen holy fires were aligh... Two Lives For One
The place of Macon, Georgia, in the early part of this century was marked only by an inn. One of its guests was a man who had stopped there on the way to Alabama, where he had bought land. The girl who was, to be his wife was to follow in a few days... Two Revenges
It is no more possible to predicate the conduct of an Indian than that of a woman. In Detroit lived Wasson, one of the warriors of the dreaded Pontiac, who had felt some tender movings of the spirit toward a girl of his tribe. The keeper of the old ... Two Runaways From Manila
The name Corregidor, which stands for mayor, albeit the translation is corrector, is applied to the gateway to Manila. Thus named it was a place to inspire a wholesome fear in the breasts of dignitaries, for on at least two occasions proud and ref... Ty Felin Ghost Llanynys
An exciseman, overtaken by night, went to a house called Ty Felin, in the parish of Llanynys, and asked for lodgings. Unfortunately the house was a very small one, containing only two bedrooms, and one of these was haunted, consequently no one da... Tymawr Ghost Bryneglwys
This Ghost plagued the servants, pinched and tormented them, and they could not get rest day nor night; such was the character of this Ghost as told me by Mr. Richard Jones, Ty'n-y-wern. But, said I, what was the cause of his acts, was it the Gho... Tyr And The Wolf
I. Odin, the Allfather, sat one day on his high air-throne, and looking around him, far and wide, saw three fierce monsters. They were the children of the mischievous fire-god Loki, and Odin began to feel anxious, for they had grown so fast and... U Biskurom
In the beginning of time mankind were very ignorant and did their work with great trouble and labour, for they had no tools and did not understand the way to make them. The Great God saw their difficulty from heaven, and He sent one of the heavenl... U Ksuid Tynjang
The Ancient Khasis were wont to people all their beautiful hills and forests with innumerable supernatural beings, who were supposed to be working in the world either for good or for evil, and dominating all the events of men's lives. There were B... U Ramhah
Where is the country without its giant-story? All through the ages the world has revelled in tales of the incomparable prowess and the unrivalled strength and stature of great and distinguished men whom we have learned to call giants. We trace ... U Thlen The Snake-vampire
U Thlen is one of the legendary Khasi gods, whose worship is limited to a few clans and families. From participation in it all right-thinking Khasis recoil with loathing and horror, inasmuch as it involves the perpetration of crimes, for this god ... Ukaleq
Ukaleq, men say, was a strong man. Whenever he heard news of game, even if it were a great bear, he had only to go out after it, and he never failed to kill it. Once the winter came, and the ice grew firm, and then men began to go out hunting b... United In The Grave
Lycidas dared not at first break to Zarah the mournful truth that one blow had bereft her of both her protectors, that she was now indeed an orphan, and alone in the world. Zarah saw that her father was dead, but believed that Hadassah had swooned.... Van Wempel's Goose
Allow us to introduce Nicholas Van Wempel, of Flatbush: fat, phlegmatic, rich, and henpecked. He would like to be drunk because he is henpecked, but the wife holds the purse-strings and only doles out money to him when she wants groceries or he need... Wa-wa-be-zo-win Or The Swing On The Pictured Rocks Of Lake Superior
A TRADITION OF THE ODJIBWAS. There was an old hag of a woman living with her daughter-in-law, and son, and a little orphan boy, whom she was bringing up. When her son-in-law came home from hunting, it was his custom to bring his wife the moose'... Wahconah Falls
The pleasant valley of Dalton, in the Berkshire Hills, had been under the rule of Miacomo for forty years when a Mohawk dignitary of fifty scalps and fifty winters came a-wooing his daughter Wahconah. On a June day in 1637, as the girl sat beside th... Wallen's Ridge
A century ago this rough eminence, a dozen miles from Chattanooga, Tennessee, was an abiding place of Cherokee Indians, among whom was Arinook, their medicine-man, and his daughter. The girl was pure and fair, and when a white hunter saw her one day... Was It The First Turtle?
Once upon a time there was a great fight between two tribes of Indians. It was so fierce that the river ran red with blood, and the war-cries were so loud and angry that the animals of the forest ran away in terror. The warriors fought all day lon... Watanabe Cuts Off The Oni's Arm
When the capital of Japan was the city of Kioto, and the mikado dwelt in it with all his court, there lived a brave captain of the guard named Yorimitsu, who belonged to the famous Minamoto family. He was also called Raiko, and by this name he is ... Watanabe Kills The Great Spider
During the time in which Watanabe was forming his plan to destroy the onis that lurked in the Oye mountains, the brave Raiko fell sick, and daily grew weaker and paler. When the demons found this out they sent the three-eyed imp called Mitsume Koz... Water Caves
As in most of the Spanish American countries, so in Porto Rico, ghosts are common,--so common that in some towns the people hardly turn to look at them; and if on a wild night in the hurricane season they hear them gibbering at their doors, they p... Water In Basin Divination
Should young persons wish to know whether their husbands were to be bachelors, or their wives spinsters, the following test was to be resorted to:-- Three persons were necessary to carry out the test. These three young ladies were to join in t... Wayarnbeh The Turtle
Oolah, the lizard, was out getting yams on a Mirrieh flat. She had three of her children with her. Suddenly she thought she heard some one moving behind the big Mirrieh bushes. She listened. All of a sudden out jumped Wayambeh from behind a bush a...