The Brahmin and the Mongoose
Encyclopedia
The Brahmin and the Mongoose (or The Brahmin's Wife and the Mongoose) is a folktale from India
, and "one of the world's most travelled tales". It describes the rash killing of a loyal animal, and thus warns against hasty action. The story underlies certain legends in the West, such as that of Llewellyn and his dog Gelert
in Wales, or that of Saint Guinefort
in France. It is classified as Aarne-Thompson type 178A.
in Sanskrit
goes as follows (translation from ):
In ancient India, the mongoose was considered to be a natural enemy of the snake, and a useful pet for this reason, while the dog was considered to be an impure animal.
In Western variants of the story, other animals take the place of the mongoose, most often a dog. It is also found in other versions as a weasel
, cat (in Persia), bear, or lion, and the snake is sometimes replaced with a wolf (in Wales). The essence of the story, however, remains the same.
Similarly, variants of the story sometimes have the man, instead of his wife, killing the loyal animal.
The story is sometimes placed within a frame story, where a saviour stands mistakenly accused and narrates this story, thereby preventing his own death.
, the pioneer of comparative literature, when he compared the versions in India, the Middle East and Europe. After outlining its history, he argued for a Buddhist origin in India (presumably in the Jataka tales).
In 1884, W. A. Clouston showed how it had reached Wales.
Murray B. Emeneau considers the migration of this story, through its steps from India to Wales, as "one of the best authenticated cases of such diffusions of folk-tales.
The story occurs in all versions of the Panchatantra, as well as the later Sanskrit works Hitopadesha
and the Kathasaritsagara
.
It also occurs in most of the languages of India (and South Asia) where it is extremely familiar.
For instance, in the South India
n state of Karnataka
, the story occurs as a proverb in inscriptions, as a sculpture in a temple, in narratives of travelling storytellers and singers, and in film.
Similarly, the Tamil
epic Silappatikaram recalls the story simply by its name.
Like the rest of the Panchatantra, in its westward migration it travelled from Sanskrit to Arabic (as Kalila wa Dimna), Persian, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Old French, and eventually into all the major languages of Europe (as The Fables of Pilpay or Bidpai), ranging from Russian to Gaelic
to English.
In its eastward migration, it appears in Chinese (ten versions, including in a redaction of the Vinaya Pitaka), and over a wide region from Mongolia to Malaysia.
It is also the only story found in all recensions of the Panchatantra, all versions of the 'Book of Sindibad' (not Sindbad),
and all versions of 'The Seven Sages of Rome
'.
It is also found in Mexico and the United States. Blackburn observes that the fable is not a dead tradition and is still current, as a Belgian newspaper reported it as an anecdote about a man who left his son and dog in a shopping trolley in his car.
The motif also occurs, with a happy ending, in the Disney film Lady and the Tramp
(1955). The film's secondary antagonist (the main antagonist is Aunt Sarah), a wicked black rat, tries to get Jim Dear and Darling's baby, and it battles Tramp.
cautioning against hasty action. In addition, it also serves as shorthand for sin, regret and grief. It is said to be a meme
.
In Welsh it became the story of the nobleman Llewelyn who kills his loyal dog, Gelert
. It was later interpreted as a legend about a true event, and small shrines to the dog exist in Wales (such as in the village of Beddgelert
, "Gelert's grave"). In France a similar metamorphosis took larger proportions, and the story became the cult of Saint Guinefort
(a dog), which was popular until the 1930s.
Blackburn points out that although in the many literary versions it is the man who kills the mongoose, in most oral versions (and even the literary version quoted above), it is the woman who does so. Further, both literary and oral versions place the woman at the centre of the story, emphasizing her maternal feelings toward the animal, her mixture of love and fear, and her grief at its death. Thus he asserts that "the tale is a drama enacted between a mother and her son" and proposes some interpretations.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and "one of the world's most travelled tales". It describes the rash killing of a loyal animal, and thus warns against hasty action. The story underlies certain legends in the West, such as that of Llewellyn and his dog Gelert
Gelert
Gelert is the name of a legendary dog associated with the village of Beddgelert in Gwynedd, northwest Wales. The story of Gelert is a variation on the well-worn "Faithful Hound" folk-tale motif, which lives on as an urban legend...
in Wales, or that of Saint Guinefort
Saint Guinefort
Saint Guinefort was a 13th-century French dog that received local veneration as a saint after miracles were reported at his grave.His story is a variation on the well-travelled "faithful hound" motif, similar to the Welsh story of the dog Gelert. Guinefort the greyhound belonged to a knight who...
in France. It is classified as Aarne-Thompson type 178A.
The story
The original version from the PanchatantraPanchatantra
The Panchatantra is an ancient Indian inter-related collection of animal fables in verse and prose, in a frame story format. The original Sanskrit work, which some scholars believe was composed in the 3rd century BCE, is attributed to Vishnu Sharma...
in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
goes as follows (translation from ):
In ancient India, the mongoose was considered to be a natural enemy of the snake, and a useful pet for this reason, while the dog was considered to be an impure animal.
In Western variants of the story, other animals take the place of the mongoose, most often a dog. It is also found in other versions as a weasel
Weasel
Weasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs....
, cat (in Persia), bear, or lion, and the snake is sometimes replaced with a wolf (in Wales). The essence of the story, however, remains the same.
Similarly, variants of the story sometimes have the man, instead of his wife, killing the loyal animal.
The story is sometimes placed within a frame story, where a saviour stands mistakenly accused and narrates this story, thereby preventing his own death.
Origin and travel
The story was first studied in 1859 by Theodor BenfeyTheodor Benfey
This is about the philologist. For the Theodor Benfey who developed a spiral periodic table of the elements in 1964 -- Otto Theodor Benfey -- see Alternative periodic tables....
, the pioneer of comparative literature, when he compared the versions in India, the Middle East and Europe. After outlining its history, he argued for a Buddhist origin in India (presumably in the Jataka tales).
In 1884, W. A. Clouston showed how it had reached Wales.
Murray B. Emeneau considers the migration of this story, through its steps from India to Wales, as "one of the best authenticated cases of such diffusions of folk-tales.
The story occurs in all versions of the Panchatantra, as well as the later Sanskrit works Hitopadesha
Hitopadesha
Hitopadesha is a collection of Sanskrit fables in prose and verse written in the 12 century C.E. It is an independent treatment of the Panchatantra...
and the Kathasaritsagara
Kathasaritsagara
Kathasaritsagara is a famous 11th-century collection of Indian legends, fairy tales and folk tales as retold by a Saivite Brahmin named Somadeva....
.
It also occurs in most of the languages of India (and South Asia) where it is extremely familiar.
For instance, in the South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
n state of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, the story occurs as a proverb in inscriptions, as a sculpture in a temple, in narratives of travelling storytellers and singers, and in film.
Similarly, the Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
epic Silappatikaram recalls the story simply by its name.
Like the rest of the Panchatantra, in its westward migration it travelled from Sanskrit to Arabic (as Kalila wa Dimna), Persian, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Old French, and eventually into all the major languages of Europe (as The Fables of Pilpay or Bidpai), ranging from Russian to Gaelic
Goidelic languages
The Goidelic languages or Gaelic languages are one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic languages, the other consisting of the Brythonic languages. Goidelic languages historically formed a dialect continuum stretching from the south of Ireland through the Isle of Man to the north of Scotland...
to English.
In its eastward migration, it appears in Chinese (ten versions, including in a redaction of the Vinaya Pitaka), and over a wide region from Mongolia to Malaysia.
It is also the only story found in all recensions of the Panchatantra, all versions of the 'Book of Sindibad' (not Sindbad),
and all versions of 'The Seven Sages of Rome
Seven Wise Masters
The Seven Wise Masters is a cycle of stories of Sanskrit, Persian or Hebrew origins.-Story and Plot:...
'.
It is also found in Mexico and the United States. Blackburn observes that the fable is not a dead tradition and is still current, as a Belgian newspaper reported it as an anecdote about a man who left his son and dog in a shopping trolley in his car.
The motif also occurs, with a happy ending, in the Disney film Lady and the Tramp
Lady and the Tramp
Lady and the Tramp is a 1955 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released to theaters on June 22, 1955, by Buena Vista Distribution. The fifteenth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, it was the first animated feature filmed in the CinemaScope widescreen...
(1955). The film's secondary antagonist (the main antagonist is Aunt Sarah), a wicked black rat, tries to get Jim Dear and Darling's baby, and it battles Tramp.
Reception/influence
The story is often used in culture as an exemplumExemplum
An exemplum is a moral anecdote, brief or extended, real or fictitious, used to illustrate a point.-Exemplary literature:...
cautioning against hasty action. In addition, it also serves as shorthand for sin, regret and grief. It is said to be a meme
Meme
A meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
.
In Welsh it became the story of the nobleman Llewelyn who kills his loyal dog, Gelert
Gelert
Gelert is the name of a legendary dog associated with the village of Beddgelert in Gwynedd, northwest Wales. The story of Gelert is a variation on the well-worn "Faithful Hound" folk-tale motif, which lives on as an urban legend...
. It was later interpreted as a legend about a true event, and small shrines to the dog exist in Wales (such as in the village of Beddgelert
Beddgelert
Beddgelert, or in older English spelling often Bedgellert, is a village and community in the Snowdonia area of Gwynedd, Wales. It is reputed to be named after the legendary hound Gelert. Population 617.- History:...
, "Gelert's grave"). In France a similar metamorphosis took larger proportions, and the story became the cult of Saint Guinefort
Saint Guinefort
Saint Guinefort was a 13th-century French dog that received local veneration as a saint after miracles were reported at his grave.His story is a variation on the well-travelled "faithful hound" motif, similar to the Welsh story of the dog Gelert. Guinefort the greyhound belonged to a knight who...
(a dog), which was popular until the 1930s.
Blackburn points out that although in the many literary versions it is the man who kills the mongoose, in most oral versions (and even the literary version quoted above), it is the woman who does so. Further, both literary and oral versions place the woman at the centre of the story, emphasizing her maternal feelings toward the animal, her mixture of love and fear, and her grief at its death. Thus he asserts that "the tale is a drama enacted between a mother and her son" and proposes some interpretations.
External links
- Tales of AT 178A type by Prof. D. L. Ashiman, with examples from other cultures