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    Folklore and Fairy Tales of the East
    Folklore and Fairy Tales of the East
    Folklore and Fairy Tales of the East
    Ebook90 pages1 hour

    Folklore and Fairy Tales of the East

    By Julie Ann Dawson

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    About this ebook

    Compiled from a variety of classic works, Folklore and Fairy Tales of the East introduces readers to the rich and wonderful storytelling heritage of China, India, Japan, Persia, the Phillipines, and Tibet. Explore 15 whimsical, amusing, and thought-provoking tales.

    Learn why dogs and cats hate each other, how a goose can lead a tiger forest out of slavery, why it is wise to always have a crystal cup nearby, and why one should take a laughing fish very seriously. Each tale provides a unique glimpse into the culture it represents, and demonstrates the values that these cultures hold dear.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBards and Sages Publishing
    Release dateFeb 1, 2013
    ISBN9781301751068
    Folklore and Fairy Tales of the East
    Author

    Julie Ann Dawson

    Julie Ann Dawson is an author, editor, publisher, RPG designer, and advocate for writers who may occasionally require the services of someone with access to Force Lightning (and in case it was not obvious, a bit of a geek). Her work has appeared in a variety of print and digital media, including such diverse publications as the New Jersey Review of Literature, Lucidity, Black Bough, Poetry Magazine, Gareth Blackmore’s Unusual Tales, Demonground, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and others. In 2002 she started her own publishing company, Bards and Sages. The company has gone from having two titles to over one hundred titles between their print and digital products. In 2009, she launched the Bards and Sages Quarterly, a literary journal of speculative fiction. Since 2012, she has served as a judge for the IBPA's Benjamin Franklin Awards.

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      Book preview

      Folklore and Fairy Tales of the East - Julie Ann Dawson

      Folklore and Fairy Tales of the East

      Compiled and Edited by Julie Ann Dawson

      ©2013 Julie Ann Dawson

      Smashwords Edition

      Bards and Sages Publishing

      www.bardsandsages.com

      Smashwords License Agreement

      This ebook is licensed for the personal enjoyment of the original purchaser and should not be copied, transferred, distributed, traded, or sold to third parties without the expressed written permission of the author. Please respect the copyright of the author by not sharing unauthorized copies.

      Print Version Library of Congress Control Number 2008905933

      Introduction

      I have always had a fascination with mytho-poetic literature. My love of mythology began in high school courtesy one of my teachers. Mr. Devlin taught both English and Latin at our high school, and each Friday we practiced our Latin lessons by translating old myths.

      One day, one of the students (believing himself to be rather witty with his snide observation) asked, Why do these people do such stupid things?

      Mr. Devlin, without missing a beat, responded, Because if they didn’t, we wouldn’t have a story.

      He went on to say that mythology, at its heart, is about what it means to be human. And humans, unfortunately, often do stupid things. Our troubles are often created by our own lapses of judgment, poor reasoning, and innate stupidity. Yes, we can read mythology and dismiss the stories as stupid because the characters in them behave stupidly. But in a way, such is the real lot of humanity.

      It was a strange take on mythology, to be sure. More often, we read mythology looking for great heroes who engage in great deeds. But the focus on heroes and heroic deeds missing the point of the human existence. Those of us who are the happiest and most fulfilled in life aren’t those who perform the most heroic acts.

      No, the happiest among us are the ones that are capable of getting through life without doing stupid stuff.

      In college, I studies philosophy, comparative religions, and sociology. One thing I noticed in regards to the study of mythology and folklore, however, was a tendency to focus on either the classical myths or European folklore. I’m sure there are plenty of academics who can discuss ad nauseum the multitude of reasons for this. Regardless, I had to actively dig to find references to Far Eastern resources.

      This collection of fifteen folk tales is my small effort toward helping introduce readers to these cultures. Some of tales selected here may seem overly simplified for the serious scholar of folklore. Others may offend modern sensibilities of political correctness. I do not present these with any judgment attached to the morals implied. I leave it to the reader to draw their own conclusions over their merits.

      Julie Ann Dawson

      Table of Contents

      Philippines:

      Aponibolinayen and the Sun

      Why Dogs Wag Their Tails

      Mansumandig

      Japan:

      The White Hare and the Crocodiles

      Great Fire Caused by a Lady’s Dress

      China:

      The Golden Beetle, Or Why the Dog Hates the Cat

      The Mad Goose and the Tiger-Forest

      Tibet

      The Decision of the Official as to Who Owned the One Hundred Ounces of Silver

      How the Rabbit Killed the Lion

      How the Wolf, Fox, and Rabbit Committed a Crime

      Persia:

      The King and the Fisherman

      The Son of the Soap Seller

      India:

      The Boy Who Was Changed into a Dog

      The Broken Friendship

      Why the Fish laughed

      Sources

      Aponibolinayen and the Sun

      One Day Aponibolinayen and her sister-in-law went out to gather greens. They walked to the woods to the place where the siksiklat grew, for the tender leaves of this vine are very good to eat. Suddenly while searching about in the underbrush, Aponibolinayen cried out with joy, for she had found the vine, and she started to pick the leaves. Pull as hard as she would, however, the leaves did not come loose, and all at once the vine wound itself around her body and began carrying her upward.

      Far up through the air she went until she reached the sky, and there the vine set her down under a tree. Aponibolinayen was so surprised to find herself in the sky that for some time she just sat and looked around, and then, hearing a rooster crow, she arose to see if she could find it. Not far from where she had sat was a beautiful spring surrounded by tall betel-nut trees whose tops were pure gold. Rare beads were the sands of the spring, and the place where the women set their jars when they came to dip water was a large golden plate. As Aponibolinayen stood admiring the beauties of this spring, she beheld a small house nearby, and she was filled with fear lest the owner should find her there. She looked about for some means of escape and finally climbed to the top of a betel-nut tree and hid.

      Now the owner of this house was Ini-init, the Sun, but he was never at home in the daylight, for it was his duty to shine in the sky and give light to all the world. At the close of the day when the Big Star took his place in the sky to shine through the night, Ini-init returned to his house, but early the next morning he was always off again.

      From her place in the top of the betel-nut tree, Aponibolinayen saw the Sun when he came home at evening time, and again the next morning she saw him leave. When she was sure that he was out of sight she climbed down and entered his dwelling, for she was very hungry. She cooked rice, and into a pot of boiling water she dropped a stick which immediately became fish, so that she had all she wished to eat. When she was no longer hungry, she lay down on the bed to sleep.

      Now late in the afternoon Ini-init returned from his work and went to fish in the river near his house, and he caught a big fish. While he sat on the bank cleaning his catch, he happened to look up toward his house and was startled to see that it appeared to be on fire. He hurried home, but when he reached the house he saw that it was not burning at all, and he entered. On his bed he beheld what looked like a flame of fire, but upon going closer he found that it was a beautiful woman fast asleep.

      Ini-init stood for some time wondering what he should do, and then he decided to cook some food and invite this lovely creature to eat with him. He put rice over the fire to boil and cut into pieces the fish he had caught. The noise of this awakened Aponibolinayen, and she slipped out of the house and back to the top of the betel-nut tree. The Sun did not see her leave, and when the food was prepared he called her, but the bed was empty and he had to eat alone. That night Ini-init could not sleep well, for all the time he wondered who the beautiful woman could be. The next morning, however, he rose as usual

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