Indian Folk Tales
Village tricksters, rajas and ranis, resourceful daughters, talking animals and figures such as Raja Rasalu appear in these selections associated with Indian storytelling traditions. Published sources include Flora Annie Steel’s Tales of the Punjab and stories selected for Andrew Lang’s fairy books.
The source notes identify the version used and any regional connection that can be supported. A collection label is a way to browse, not proof that a travelling story has only one origin.
123 stories are in this collection right now.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Beetle and the Silken Thread
A wise vizier is left to die at the top of a tall tower, and to save him, his wife must bring a beetle, a drop of honey and a thread as fine as a spider's web.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Beggar and the Five Muffins
A poor beggar and his wife make five muffins and cannot agree who gets the extra one, so they agree that whoever speaks first will get only two.
The Goat Who Laughed and Wept
A goat being made ready for a feast laughs out loud and then weeps, and when the teacher asks why, the goat’s answer changes the way he thinks.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Brahman Priest Who Became an Amildar
A king makes his household priest a district governor and gives him three pieces of advice, which the priest follows word for word, with ridiculous results.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
The Brahmarakshas and the Hair
A greedy landlord calls up a giant demon servant who must always have work, and when the work runs out, only his wife knows how to keep it busy.
Indian Folk Tales
The Brahmin Girl Who Married a Tiger
A tiger disguises himself as a learned young man and deceives a family into marriage. Threatened and isolated in the forest, the young wife sends a crow to summon her brothers.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Charmed Ring
A merchant's son spends all his money saving a dog, a cat and a snake, and when his magic ring is stolen, the cat and the dog set out to bring it back.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Keep It for the Beggar
Every night a farmer asks his wife to save some dhal soup for his breakfast, until one night an invisible someone laughs out loud at his words.
Indian Folk Tales
Charity Alone Conquers
A kind prince keeps forgiving the cruel friend who blinded him and left him for dead, until that friend’s own wicked schemes catch up with him in the end.
Indian Folk Tales
Bopoluchi the Clever Girl
Tricked into going off with a robber who claims to be her long-lost uncle, an orphan girl must rely on her quick wits and her courage to get away from him.
Indian Folk Tales
A Lac of Rupees for a Piece of Advice
A poor Brahmin sends his wife to the king with three pieces of advice written on a scrap of paper, and tells her they are worth a lac of rupees.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
A Lesson for Kings
Two good kings, each searching for someone to tell him his faults, meet head-on in a narrow lane where neither chariot can get out of the way.