Reading Notes: Jataka Tales Part B
The Wise and Foolish Merchant
There once were two merchants, one greedy and one stupid. The greedy merchant tricks the stupid merchant into going first into the desert where a devil lives. The devil tries to trick the merchant by disgusing himself as someone who has water. The merchant is tricked and dumps all his water and is preyed upon by the devils. the wise men goes after and doesn't fall for the devil's tricks. He takes the stupid merchant's wares and sells them.
The Elephant Girly-face
A king had an elephant named girly-face. Robbers break into the king's castle and girly-face sees them. The robbers talk about violence and killing whoever they rob. The next day, the keeper is killed by the elephant. The king sends a wise man to see why Girly-face is killing people. He decides to send a group of men to tell girly-face to be peaceful.
The Banyan Deer
A deer was colored like gold. He was the king of the Banyan deer. There was a king in another country who loved hunting and eating deer. The people built a park to trap the deer so the king could hunt. The king of the banyan deer talks to the other deer king and asks to swap sacrifices. A deer with a baby was the chosen one and asked for help. The Banyan Deer offers to swap places with her. The King sees this and vows to never kill any more deer.
The Princes and the Water-Sprite
A king had three sons, the princes of moon, sun, and star. His wife asks him to give the kingdom to the Sun price, but the king refuses. He tells his sons to live in the forest until his death. While the princes are in the forest, they encounter the Fairy king. He drags the two older princes into his cave because they answered his question wrong. The youngest prince saves the two brothers and the oldest gets the throne.
The King's White Elephant
a bunch of carpenters encountered an elephant who was injured. They helped the injured elephant. The elephant helps out by helping the carpenters cut down trees. The elephant takes his white son to the carpenters to help them out. One day, the king comes down and sees the son. The king buys the elephant from the carpenters.
The Ox Who Never Envied the Pig
There was an ox named Big Red. He had a little brother named Little Red. The farmer's daughter was getting married so he fattened up the pig. The little Ox saw that the pig was getting good food and got jealous. The big brother tells him to not be jealous.
Grannie's Blackie
An old lady was given an elephant named Blackie. The elephant played with the kids but didn't work. One day, he saw that the old lady was frail and he wanted to help work. He got hired by a man, but the man tried to rip him off. He ends up getting the right pay and him and the old lady live happily ever after.
The Crab and the Crane
It was a dry summer and the fish were dying because of the low water. A crane tells them that he knows a place where there is a lot of water. The crane takes a big fish to the other pond and shows him how much water there is. The crane tricked a lot of the fish and ate them. The next day, the crane encounters a crab on the shore. The crab pinches the crane's neck and cuts it off.
Why the Owl is Not King of the Birds
When the world was young, the animals each chose a king for their species. The birds ended up choosing the owl to be their king. However, the crow disagreed with the choice. Since this disagreement, the owls and crows have been enemies.
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