The Jelly Fish and the Monkey

Long, long ago, in old Japan, the Kingdom of the Sea was ruled by a marvelous king called Rin Jin, the Dragon King of the Sea. His power was enormous, for every sea creature, large or small, was his subject, and he kept the Jewels of the Ebb and Flow of the Tide. Throw the Jewel of the Ebbing Tide into the ocean and the sea drew back from the land; throw in the Jewel of the Flowing Tide and the waves rose as high as mountains and rushed over the shore like a tidal wave.

Rin Jin’s palace lay on the sea floor, and it was lovelier than anything anyone has ever seen, even in a dream. Its walls were coral, its roof was jade and chrysoprase, and its floors were the finest mother-of-pearl. Yet for all his vast kingdom, his splendid palace and his unchallenged power, the Dragon King was not happy, because he ruled alone. In the end he decided that a wife would make him both happier and stronger. He gathered his fish retainers, chose several of them as envoys and sent them throughout the sea to find a young Dragon Princess to be his bride.

At last the envoys came home with a beautiful young dragon. Her scales were a glittering green, like the wings of summer beetles, her eyes flashed fire, and she wore magnificent robes embroidered with all the jewels of the sea.

The King fell in love with her on the spot, and the wedding was held with the greatest splendor. Every living thing in the ocean, from the huge whales down to the tiny shrimps, swarmed in to congratulate the couple and wish them a long and prosperous life. The fish world had never seen such a gathering or such merrymaking. The line of bearers carrying the bride’s belongings to her new home seemed to stretch across the waves from one end of the sea to the other. Each fish carried a glowing lantern and wore ceremonial robes of shimmering blue, pink and silver, and that night the rising, breaking waves looked like rolling masses of white and green fire, for in the story even the glowing sea shone twice as bright in honor of the wedding.

For a while the Dragon King and his bride were very happy. They loved each other dearly. Day after day the King delighted in showing her the wonders and treasures of his coral palace, and she never tired of wandering with him through its great halls and gardens. Life seemed to them like one long summer day.

Two happy months went by. Then the Dragon Queen fell ill and had to keep to her bed. The King was deeply worried to see his beloved bride so sick, and he sent at once for the fish doctor to bring her medicine. He ordered the servants to nurse her with the utmost care, but in spite of all their attention and all the doctor’s medicines, the young Queen grew worse every day.

So the Dragon King called the doctor before him and blamed him for failing to cure her. The doctor was frightened by the King’s anger and made an excuse: he knew exactly what medicine the Queen needed, he said, but it could not be found anywhere in the sea.

“Do you mean that the medicine cannot be had here?” asked the King.

“That is just so.”

“Then tell me what it is.”

“The liver of a live monkey.”

“The liver of a live monkey! That will certainly be very hard to get.”

“If only we could get it, Her Majesty would soon be well.”

“Very well, that settles it. We must find one somehow. But where are we most likely to come across a monkey?”

The doctor told him that some distance to the south lay Monkey Island, where great numbers of monkeys lived. “If only one of them could be caught,” he said.

“But how could any of my people catch a monkey?” said the Dragon King, quite puzzled. “Monkeys live on dry land and we live in the water. Out of the sea we are helpless. I don’t see what can be done.”

“That has been my difficulty too,” said the doctor. “But among all your countless servants, surely there is one who could go ashore for this very purpose.”

“Something must be done,” said the King, and he sent for his chief steward to ask his advice.

The chief steward pondered for a long time, and then his face lit up. “I know what to do! There is the kurage, the jellyfish. He is ugly to look at, it’s true, but he is very proud that he can walk about on land on his four legs, like a tortoise. Let’s send him to Monkey Island to catch one.”

So the jellyfish was brought before the King and told what was wanted of him. He looked very worried at this unexpected task. He had never been to the island, he said, and he had never caught a monkey in his life, so he was afraid he would fail.

“If you rely on strength or speed, you’ll never catch a monkey,” said the chief steward. “The only way is to trick one.”

“But how do I trick a monkey? I have no idea how,” said the jellyfish.

“Here is what you must do,” said the crafty steward. “When you reach the island and meet some monkeys, make friends with one of them. Tell him you serve the Dragon King, and invite him to visit you and see the palace. Paint the splendor of the palace and the marvels of the sea for him as vividly as you can, so that he grows curious and longs to see it all.”

“But how will I get him here? Monkeys can’t swim, you know.”

“You must carry him on your back. What good is your shell if you can’t do that?”

“Won’t he be very heavy?”

“Never mind that. You are working for the Dragon King.”

“Then I will do my best,” said the jellyfish, and off he swam toward Monkey Island. He swam so fast that he arrived within a few hours, and a handy wave washed him up onto the beach. Looking about, he spied a big pine tree with drooping branches not far off, and sitting on one of those branches was exactly what he had come for: a live monkey.

“What luck!” thought the jellyfish. “Now I only have to flatter the creature and coax him into coming back to the palace with me, and my work will be done.”

So he walked slowly up to the pine tree. In the imaginary past of this tale, the jellyfish had four legs and a hard shell like a tortoise. When he reached the tree he called up, “Good day, Mr. Monkey! Isn’t it a lovely day?”

“Very fine indeed,” answered the monkey from his branch. “I’ve never seen you around here. Where do you come from, and what is your name?”

“My name is Kurage, the jellyfish. I am one of the Dragon King’s servants. I have heard so much about your beautiful island that I came especially to see it.”

“I’m very pleased to meet you,” said the monkey.

“By the way,” said the jellyfish, “have you ever seen the palace of the Dragon King of the Sea, where I live?”

“I’ve heard about it often enough, but I’ve never seen it.”

“Then you really must come. It would be a great shame to go through life without seeing it. No words can describe how beautiful it is. In my opinion it is the loveliest place in the world.”

“Is it really as beautiful as all that?” asked the monkey in surprise.

The jellyfish saw his chance. He described, as well as he could, the grandeur of the Sea King’s palace and the wonders of its garden, with its strange trees of white, pink and red coral and stranger fruit like great jewels hanging from the branches. The monkey grew more and more interested, and as he listened he climbed down the tree, step by step, so as not to miss a word.

“I’ve got him now!” thought the jellyfish, but out loud he said, “Mr. Monkey, I must be going home. Since you have never seen the Dragon King’s palace, why not seize this splendid chance and come with me? I can be your guide and show you all the sights of the sea, which will seem even more wonderful to a landlubber like you.”

“I’d love to go,” said the monkey, “but how would I cross the water? I can’t swim, as you surely know.”

“That’s no problem. I can carry you on my back.”

“That would be too much trouble for you.”

“Not at all. I’m stronger than I look, so don’t hesitate.” And taking the monkey on his back, the jellyfish waded into the sea.

“Sit very still, Mr. Monkey,” he said. “You mustn’t fall in. I am responsible for getting you safely to the King’s palace.”

“Please don’t go so fast, or I’m sure I’ll fall off,” said the monkey.

So on they went, the jellyfish skimming through the waves with the monkey perched on his back. When they were about halfway across, the jellyfish, who knew very little about how bodies work, began to wonder whether the monkey had brought his liver along.

“Mr. Monkey, tell me, do you have such a thing as a liver with you?”

The monkey was very surprised by this odd question and asked what the jellyfish wanted with a liver.

“That’s the most important thing of all,” said the foolish jellyfish, “so as soon as I thought of it, I asked whether you had yours with you.”

“But why does my liver matter so much to you?”

“Oh, you’ll find out later.”

The monkey grew more and more curious and suspicious. He pressed the jellyfish to say what his liver was wanted for, and finally appealed to his kind heart, saying how upset he was by what he had heard.

Seeing how anxious the monkey looked, the jellyfish felt sorry for him and told him everything: how the Dragon Queen had fallen ill, how the doctor had said that only the liver of a live monkey would cure her, and how the Dragon King had sent him to find one. “I have done what I was told,” the silly jellyfish finished, “and as soon as we reach the palace the doctor will want your liver, so I do feel sorry for you!”

The poor monkey was horrified, and furious at the trick that had been played on him. He shook with fear at the thought of what lay ahead. But he was a clever animal, and he decided it would be wisest not to show his fear. He made himself calm and set his mind to finding a way of escape. “The doctor means to take my liver, and then I’ll die!” he thought. At last a bright idea came to him, and he said quite cheerfully, “What a pity, Mr. Jellyfish, that you didn’t mention this while we were still on the island!”

“If I had told you why I wanted you to come, you would certainly have refused,” said the jellyfish.

“There you are quite wrong,” said the monkey. “A monkey can easily spare a liver or two, especially for the Dragon Queen of the Sea. If I had only guessed what you needed, I would have given you one without being asked. I have several. But the real pity is that, since you didn’t speak up in time, I have left all my livers hanging in the pine tree.”

“You left your liver behind?”

“Yes,” said the cunning monkey. “In the daytime I usually hang my liver on a branch, because it gets in the way when I am leaping from tree to tree. Today I was so taken up with your interesting talk that I forgot it and came away without it. If only you had told me in time, I would have thought of it and brought it along.”

The jellyfish believed every word and was bitterly disappointed, for a monkey without a liver was of no use at all. At last he stopped swimming and said so.

“Well,” said the monkey, “that’s easily put right. I’m truly sorry for all the trouble you’re having, but if you will just take me back to where you found me, I can soon fetch my liver.”

The jellyfish did not much like the idea of going all the way back to the island, but the monkey promised that if he would be so kind as to carry him there, he would get his very best liver and bring it with him on the next trip. Persuaded, the jellyfish turned around and headed for Monkey Island.

The moment they reached the shore, the sly monkey jumped off, scrambled up into the pine tree where the jellyfish had first seen him, and turned somersaults among the branches for joy at being safe home. Then he looked down at the jellyfish. “Thank you so much for all your trouble! Please give my regards to the Dragon King when you get back.”

The jellyfish was puzzled by these words and by the mocking way they were said. Didn’t the monkey mean to come along with him as soon as he had his liver, he asked.

The monkey laughed and said he couldn’t possibly part with his liver; it was far too precious.

“But think of your promise!” begged the jellyfish, now thoroughly downhearted.

“That promise was false, and anyway it’s broken now!” said the monkey. Then he jeered at the jellyfish and told him he had been fooling him all along. He had no wish to lose his life, and he certainly would have lost it if he had let himself be carried on to the Sea King’s palace and the old doctor waiting there, instead of talking the jellyfish into bringing him back with a made-up story. “Of course I won’t give you my liver,” he called from the tree, “but come and take it if you can!”

There was nothing left for the jellyfish to do but regret his foolishness and go home to the Dragon King to confess that he had failed. He set off sadly and slowly, and the last thing he heard as he swam away from the island was the monkey laughing at him.

Meanwhile, in the palace, the Dragon King, the doctor, the chief steward and all the servants were waiting impatiently. When they saw the jellyfish coming they greeted him joyfully, thanked him warmly for all his trouble in going to Monkey Island, and then asked where the monkey was.

Now the jellyfish had to face the consequences. Trembling all over, he told them what had happened: how he had carried the monkey halfway across the sea, how he had foolishly given away the secret of his errand, and how the monkey had fooled him into believing he had left his liver behind.

The Dragon King flew into a terrible rage and ordered that the jellyfish be severely punished. His shell and bones were to be taken from him, and he was to be beaten with sticks.

The poor jellyfish, ashamed and terrified, cried out for mercy, but the Dragon King’s command had to be obeyed. The palace servants each fetched a stick and surrounded him; they took away his bones and beat him flat and soft, then carried him out beyond the palace gates and threw him into the water. There he was left to suffer, to be sorry for his foolish chatter and to get used to having no bones at all.

And that is the tale’s fanciful explanation of the jellyfish’s soft body: the Dragon King’s punishment was said to have changed the first jellyfish and all its descendants. It is a story about origins, not an account of animal evolution.

About this tale

“The Jelly Fish and the Monkey” is the fifteenth tale in Yei Theodora Ozaki’s Japanese Fairy Tales. It is a “how it came to be” story: it ends by explaining why jellyfish have no bones, and in Ozaki’s telling the jellyfish of those days walked on four legs and wore a hard shell like a tortoise.

The Dragon King here is Rin Jin, keeper of the Jewels of the Ebb and Flow of the Tide, who also appears in “The Happy Hunter and the Skillful Fisher.” Ozaki describes the jellyfish’s punishment in harsh detail; this telling keeps it short.

Read the original: Japanese Fairy Tales (Project Gutenberg)

Reading guidance: older readers; adults should preview before sharing. The plot threatens to kill an animal for its organ and ends with severe beating and bodily mutilation.

Who is responsible for the failed mission?

The doctor proposes the monkey’s liver while trying to escape the king’s anger. The steward designs the deception, and the jellyfish carries it out under pressure. When it fails, the king punishes only the messenger. Tracking that chain changes the meaning of the ending: the jellyfish is neither an innocent bystander nor the sole author of the scheme.

The monkey answers one false story with another. The promise of hospitality hides a lethal purpose; the claim about detachable livers gets him back to safety. His success depends on recognizing what the jellyfish does not know, not on giving away an organ. The doctor’s supposed cure and the monkey’s account of his body are both parts of the fiction.

Write the plan as four steps, naming who chooses each one. Then give the jellyfish a refusal he could have made at the palace. Which powerful characters would have had to change their decisions for that refusal to be heard?

Think about it

• What does the monkey learn halfway across the sea, and how does that change his situation?
• How did the monkey trick the jellyfish into taking him back?
• Why do you think the monkey stayed calm instead of panicking?

More stories like this

• The Sagacious Monkey and the Boar — another clever monkey who saves his own life
• The Happy Hunter and the Skillful Fisher — a visit to the Dragon King’s palace and his tide jewels
• The White Hare and the Crocodiles — an animal trick played on the open sea