It is related that in a certain garden a Nightingale had built his nest on the bough of a rose-bush. It so happened that a poor little Ant had fixed her dwelling at the root of this same bush, and managed as best she could to store her wretched hut of care with winter provision. […]
Tag: Asia
The King who became a Stork and the evil wizard
Once upon a time in Persia there lived a handsome young man called Sasha, who was the Ruler and greatly loved by all. Sasha had only one enemy, Kashenor, a cruel wicked wizard whose desire was to put his own son Mizrah on Sasha’s throne. Sasha loved to collect ancient precious objects, and he always […]
The death of the young Sparrow bride
Once upon a time there lived a cock-sparrow and his wife, who were both growing old. But despite his years the cock-sparrow was a gay, festive old bird, who plumed himself upon his appearance, and was quite a ladies’ man. So he cast his eyes on a lively young hen, and determined to marry her, […]
The Magpie who wanted his tail back
An old woman had milked her cow, set her milk-pail down on the ground, and gone to find some twigs and litter with which to light a fire and boil the milk. A magpie came along and dipped his bill into the milk-pail to get a drink of milk. The milk-pail was upset ‘and the […]
The Thousand-noted Nightingale and the King with three sons
A king wanted to build a church. A Hermit told him he would need the Thousand-noted Nightingale to sing at his church or the church would never be completed. The King had three sons they said: “We will go and bring it for you”. Then the three sons mounted their steeds and set forth. After […]
The crow as future teller during Kivak Jatra in India
This story describes part of the Indian festival which is known as the Kivak Jatra (Crow Festival). In the early afternoonva procession started from the palace with swordsmen and the honorables, including the Raja, carried by elephants. All along the route every householder stood at the gateway of his garden, beside his offering, a stem […]
The Pipit as an omen in Formosa, the Tayial tribe headhunters
In all important matters omens from birds are consulted by the Mountain People of Formosa. The bird usually selected by the Taiyal tribe is called Shi-ski Rekku, a kind of wagtail. This bird is believed to possess the power of regulating good and ill luck. It is held that, if its warning be neglected, it […]
Bird Folklore in Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
The stories in this post describe the folklore about birds in Ceylon, currently known as Sri Lanka. Dark plumaged birds like the owl, the magpie robin and the black bird bring ill luck and are chased away from the vicinity of houses. The cry of the night heron (kanakoka) as it flies over a house […]
Bird stories, Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus)
In Nepal the Mustangi Gurung believe that after hanging the head of Golden eagles and Lammergeier on the main entrance it is believed that the house is safe from evil. A dead Lammergeier corpse and intestine is also an effective medicine for the treatment of diarrhea for the local people and this is still believed […]
Bird stories, Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis)
The Mustangi Gurung of Nepal chop down the dead body for burial into many pieces and offer the vultures. Lama calls the vulture by praying and blowing his trumpet. There is a belief that a skilled lama can invite only the required number of vulture in accordance to the weight of a dead body to […]