August 12. Story of the Day: The Rabbit and the Barber

This is a story I found in Simla Village, or, Folk Tales from the Himalayas by Alice Elizabeth Dracott.

This is classified as TMI Z47.1 Series of trick exchanges by fox. There are similar stories about chains-of-trades which sometimes end well for the trader, and sometimes badly.

Looking for more stories? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

THE RABBIT AND THE BARBER

(photo by N. A. Nazeer)

There was a rabbit who asked a barber to shave him; in doing so the barber cut off his ear. "Take my ear," said the rabbit, "and I will take your razors."

A little further on he saw an old woman pulling grass with her hands. "Take this," he said, giving her the razor, "and cut grass with it, and I will take your cloth."

When she asked him why, he replied: "You have my razor and I have your chudder."

Then he went a little further and saw a ghee seller. "Take my chudder and give me your ghee," said the rabbit. So saying, he left the chudder and walked off with the ghee.

Not long after he met a woman, and told her to make him some goolgoolahs, or sweets, with the ghee. As soon as they were ready he picked them up and ran away.

A little further on was a man with a plough, a horse, and a bullock. "Take these sweets," said the rabbit, "and I will yoke your plough for you."

But, instead of doing this, he ran away with the horse, and soon after met a marriage procession, in which the bridegroom was walking beside the bride's litter or dooly. "Get on my horse: why do you walk?" said the rabbit gaily.

So the man got on, and the rabbit ran off with the bride; but her husband ran after, and advised his wife to kill the rabbit.

When they got to a quiet place, and rested under a tree, she asked the rabbit to let her comb his hair, but as soon as he put his head down, she gave him a severe knock on it, which stunned him, and then ran back to her husband.

Thus ended the adventures of the rabbit.

July 31. Story of the Day: Sheikh Chilli

This story comes from the book Simla Village, or, Folk Tales from the Himalayas by Alice Elizabeth Dracott with illustrations by Hallam Murray. You can find out more about Sheikh Chilli at Wikipedia.

This is an example of ATU 1430 Air Castles. I like the coda at the end of the story; often this folktale type ends with the "smash," but this version has a humorous follow-up after the disaster.

Looking for more stories? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

SHEIKH CHILLI

(illustration by Hallam Murray)

The hero of this story was one day walking along with a vessel of oil upon his head. As he walked he kept thinking of the future:

I will sell the oil, and with the money I shall buy a goat, and then I shall sell the kids, and then I shall buy a cow, and sell the milk, till I get a large sum of money.

Then I shall buy a pair of buffaloes, and a field, and plough the field, and gain more money, and build myself a house, and marry a wife, and have many sons and daughters.

And when my wife comes to call me to dinner, I'll say: Dhur, away! I'll come when I think fit!

... and with that he held up his head suddenly, and away fell the chattie [clay pot] with the oil, and it was all spilt.

This upset Sheikh Chilli so much that he began to yell: "I have lost my goats, I have lost my cows, I have lost my buffaloes, and my house, and my wife and children."

That such dire calamity should befall a man caused great pity, so the bystanders took Sheikh Chilli to the Rajah, who asked him how it had all happened. When he heard the story he laughed, and said: "This boy has a good heart, let him be given a reward to compensate him for the loss of his oil."