The Dumb Wolf

The Dumb Wolf

A Mongolian folktale

Once upon a time a wolf was wandering about when he saw a black pudding lying right in his path. The wolf wanted to eat it at once but the black pudding asked: “Mister Wolf, do not eat me! A little further ahead a three-year old mare is stuck in the mud. Why don’t you go there and eat her instead?”

The wolf followed the black pudding’s advice and there really was a mare stuck in the mud. When the wolf saw her, he wanted to eat her but the mare said: “Mister Wolf, if you want to eat me, you’d better pull me from the mud first.” So that was what the wolf did.

He pulled the mare from the mud and was just about to eat her, when the mare said: “Oh, but I am covered in mud. You should lick me clean first before you eat me.” Once again the wolf did as the mare told him and licked her clean.

But when he wanted to eat her, she said: “There is something written on the hoof of my hind leg. Wouldn’t you like to read it before you eat me?” When the wolf went to her hind legs to read what was written there, the mare kicked out. She hit his neck and ran away. The wolf, though, lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

When he came to again and looked about, the mare was already far away. So he got to his feet and with his nose sniffing at the ground he ran to and fro between the bushes and the hills. He could scarcely believe his luck when found a one year old calf on one of the hills.

The wolf went to the calf wanting to eat it but the calf said: “If you eat me up here on the hill, the humans will see you. It would be better if you’d bring me to a small gorge and eat me there!” When the wolf made to do as the calf had said, the little calf said: “Mister Wolf, you seem to be tired and exhausted. Sit on me and I will carry you!” And so the wolf climbed on top of the little calf and let himself be carried.

“When we climb down into the gorge, you’d better close your eyes so you won’t get dizzy,” the calf suggested. And so the wolf closed his eyes. The calf, though, carried the wolf right in front of the ail, an assembly of ger, of a family of Mongolian nomads. Screaming and shouting, the people beat the wolf up and then chased him away.

The wolf fled and thought to himself:

“What am I doing in the distant mountains?

What am I doing near the humans?

I was a fool going along this way.

I was a block head to be tricked by a black pudding.

Am I the owner that I pulled the horse from the mud?

Am I the mother to lick the mare clean?

When did I even learn to read and write?

Do I not have legs of my own to walk with?

I am dumb and now I am dying…”

The Tiger and the Ram

The Tiger and the Ram

Mongolian animal folktale

You think German rams can bluff just as well?

Once upon a time there lived a tiger. When he was strolling around one day, he met a ram and asked:

“What is your name?”

“My name is Ram Wandan,” said the ram. “How is your name?”

“My name is Tiger Wandan,” replied the tiger and then he went on to ask: “What is that on your head?”

“These are my two sabers to kill tigers with,” said the ram.

“And what do you have hanging there in your crotch?” the tiger asked somewhat intimidated.

“Oh, these are my two pouches for garlic and onions to spice my tiger meat with,” the ram replied.

At that, the tiger ran off in panic. On his wild chase he finally met a wolf. “Mister Tiger, mister Tiger, why are you running so?” the wolf asked. “A ram was about to eat me and is chasing after me with his sabers drawn!” the tiger told him.

“Since when do rams kill and eat tigers? No, no, you have been outfoxed. Let us go back there together, catch the ram and eat him,” said the wolf. The tiger agreed and off they went together with the wolf hanging on the tiger’s tail with his teeth.

When the ram saw the two of them, he called: “Oh, my dear tiger, you have brought a friend? How wonderful?” And when he charged them, the tiger turned on the spot and raced off in wild panic.

He had run for quite a while when he turned around and saw that the wolf was hot on his heels, showing him his teeth. “You are smiling while I am so frightened.” And enraged he caught the wolf and killed him.

The Fox and the Little Birdie

The Fox and the Little Birdie

Mongolian animal folktale

Once upon a time, a little birdie had become friends with a fox and he adored him very much. But the fox had a cunning character and thought all the time, how to outsmart him. One day, the fox said: “Let’s sow wheat, the two of us together. We will share the work equally and the wheat as well.”

People say, the birdie agreed. And off they went to the cornfield as it was time to sow the grain. But since the fox was unbelievably lazy, he outfoxed the birdie.

“Oh, this does not look good at all. The sky is about to crumble. I will hurry to climb that mountain and brace the sky. If I don’t do it, then the sky will surely fall down and crush out cornfield,” he told the birdie and the little birdie believed him.

“My friend, how will you be able to do that all by yourself? Can you then lift the sky?” he asked in worry.

“How I will do it? What can I do but to give my very best so that we may live,” said the fox. And so the cunning fox climbed upon the mountain, lay down with his legs folded comfortably beneath him and slept the day away. Meanwhile, the poor birdie did all the hard work – he scattered the grain, he sowed the wheat.

When the seasons turned to fall and it was time, to cut the wheat, the fox helped himself to another trick. “Oh,” he said, “this does not look good at all. It is surely about to rain. And then our wheat will be spoiled. I will have to go again and fence the clouds.” And the birdie believed him again.

“My dear friend, how will you do that all by yourself? Can you really just fence the clouds?” he asked concerned.

“How I will do it? can I do but to give my very best so that we may live,” the fox replied and off he went until he was out of the birdie’s sight. Then he stretched himself and said himself down comfortably, so people say.

The poor little birdie who did not doubt the fox at all, worked in a great to hurry to harvest the wheat. When the time came to bring the cut wheat into their barn, the fox found another excuse.

“If I don’t protect it from the wind, it will surely be blown away!” he announced and went off. And so the poor birdie again worked hard the whole day to bring the cut wheat into the barn and to separate it from the chaff, so it is told. Meanwhile, the fox was lazy and lie in the sun. After the little birdie had finished fanning the wheat and had done away with the chaffs, it called for the fox: “Fox, my dear friend, please come here! Now we want to share the wheat.”

Hearing this, the fox hurried back. When the little birdie saw him, it asked: “Fox, my friend, how will we share the wheat between us?”

The fox pretended to think about and then he said: “I will take nine parts out of ten. I will give you that tenth part. It is so because my work was harder than the work you did. Not everybody can brace the sky, fence the clouds and hold off the wind.”

“That is very true,” said the birdie and gave him nine parts out of ten. But since the tenth part that remained for the little birdie was all too small, it started to cry. When a guard dog saw it crying so bitterly, it came over and asked: „Little birdie, why are you crying? Who has wronged you?”

And so the birdie told him all that had happened. After the dog had heard his tale, he became very angry. “Why have you become friends with a fox who is such a bad, bad animal? Oh well, I will think of something and teach him a lesson!”

When the fox came to see after his wheat the next day to get it grinded, a big ear peaked out from the pile. The fox thought this would be a tasty meal. But when he bit into the ear, the big dog jumped up from beneath the wheat, pounced on him and grabbed him.

“You can’t outfox me the way you did the poor birdie again and again!” he said. The fox was suddenly very afraid and as soon as the dog let him go he raced off as fast as his legs would carry him.

And this is the story of how the dog helped the birdie. Together they brought the wheat home that the fox had obtained by his trickery, so people say. And from this time on, the little birdie is no longer friends with the fox.

The Two Good Horses

The Two Good Horses

A Mongolian animal folktale

In times long past, two horses that had been sold to a place far away longed for home. But while they were on their way home, one of the horses had grown old and then one day it stayed behind as it could not go any further.

...and so the young horse walked on alone

“Now, little brother, be good and always follow the road. Your aged, older brother is going to die. Little brother, do not wander off the road. Do not approach things that you can only dimly see. Do not untie a bundle’s opening.” In this way the old horse instructed his brother and then it fell behind.

The young horse slowly and hesitantly continued on its way. But then it saw the shape of something it could only dimly see, it is told. The horse wanted to explore the mysterious thing and ran impatiently towards the shape. It turned out to be a bundle and whatever was inside it, made it move about. “Whatever that may be,” thought the young horse. It could not wait any longer and untied the opening at once. Immediately, a big, hungry, brown wolf jumped out.

“What sort of horse are you that you untied my bundle. When I captured sheep from a rich ail and ate them, the owner hunted me down on his fast horse – one just like you – caught me and put me into this bundle. Now I will eat you!” said the wolf. But as he was about to do as he had said, a hare came along and when it saw the two of them, it asked:

“What sort of horse and wolf are the two of you?” After the two of them had truthfully recounted what had happened, the hare contemplated a way to save the horse’s life. Finally, the hare said:

“But no, Mister Wolf! You are such a handsome, tall man. It must surely be a lie that you came out of this tiny bundle. But if it is true after all, then I will offer myself to you along with the horse.”

The wolf answered: “It is true. I was inside that bundle.”

But the hare was not convinced. “Honored Wolf, how would you have ever fit? Ich cannot believe it until I have seen it with my own eyes.”

And because the wolf was so eager to eat both the horse and the hare, he did not hesitate but to crawl back into the bundle until only his head was still visible.

“See, your head does not fit into the bundle!” cried the hare. The wolf hurried to pull his head inside the bundle. The hare, though, rushed to tie the opening closed again.

And this is how the horse was saved by the grace of the clever if small hare and it lived well and happy, so people say.

The Legend of Blind Tarvaa

The Legend of Blind Tarvaa

Mongolian folktale

It is told, that many years ago the black plaque spread out among the Mongols killing hundreds, no thousands of people. Those who were still healthy ran away to save their own lives leaving behind their sick loved ones to let fate decide their futures.

Among those left behind there was also a fifteen year old boy called Blind Tarvaa. When he lost consciousness, his soul left his body and came to the khaan of hell. The khaan of hell was astonished upon seeing the soul and said: “Why have you come here? You’re body isn’t dead yet.”

“They left me behind because they thought my body was already dead,” the soul answered, “And so I didn’t wait any longer but came right here.”

The obedience and the patience of the soul pleased the khaan and he said: “Your time hasn’t come yet. You have to return to your master. But before you go, you shall make a wish.”

The khaan lead the soul through hell and there were all the things which humans can encounter in life: wealth, fortune and contentment, sorrow and grief, happiness and pleasure, songs and music, dance, tales and legends. The soul of the blind Tarvaa looked at everything and finally asked for the tales. The khaan gave them to him and sent him back to earth.

The soul went back to the body which was showing no signs of life. A crow had already picked out the body’s eyes. The soul was very sad to see the body he had been born in like that but he did not dare disobeying the khaan’s order. And so the soul had to slip back into the body.

After that Blind Tarvaa lead a very long life and knew all the magic and tales in the world. Although he was blind, he could still see what would happen in the future. He went throughout Mongolia, told his tales and with them he taught people. And since that time, it is told, there are tales being told by the Mongols.

The Khulan, the Crow and the Wolf

The Khulan, the Crow and the Wolf

Mongolian Folktale

This Mongolian animal tale one is actually representing a particular type of the genre: three friends, one gets trapped, another one wants to eat him, the last one comes to the rescue. Sounds kind of like the tale about the lame magpie? Yeah, no. Not really. But read for yourselves. Especially since you can never read too many Mongolian animal tales.

The Khulan, the Crow and the Wolf

In times long ago, a khulan – that is a Mongolian wild ass –, a crow and a wolf lived together as brothers. One day they went in search of a new place to live and the crow said: “There is this place where every one of us would find plenty to eat. But there lives a skilled hunter with his bow and his traps. The traps would be a danger for us.”

little khulan all relaxed

The wolf thought: “If the khulan would happen to get caught in one of the hunter’s traps, I could eat as much as I want.” So he said out loud: “Let’s move to this beautiful place and live there. Or are you afraid of one hunter?”

Therefore the three friends moved to that place and for a while they lived there in peace. But one day the khulan got caught in a trap. As soon as the wolf heard about it, he hurried to get to the trapped animal before the crow would find him. When he arrived there, the wolf asked the khulan: “How did this happen?”

“How did I got caught in this trap? I don’t really know. I was just walking along when I suddenly fell into it,” the khulan answered, “How will I get out of it again?”

The wolf told him: “Jump up and down! You will surely be able to free yourself that way!” And with that the wolf left the khulan alone. He thought it would be better to wait a bit longer before eating the khulan and so he hid himself behind a bush.

But just then the crow came flying along and when she saw the khulan she asked her friend: “Why are you jumping up and down like that?”

“Why do I do it? I got caught in one of the hunter’s traps and the wolf came along and said: ‘Jump up and down and you will be free soon!’ That’s why I jump like this. But now my legs are hurting and I’m very tired,” the khulan said.

The crow gave him the following piece of advise: “Stop jumping up and down. You will break your legs and then you will probably die soon. You mustn’t move at all! Play dead! When the hunter believes that you’re dead already, he will set you free. And when he does, then you can flee. But you will have to run as fast as you can.” The khulan nodded and did what the crow had told him.

The crow flew up into the air, ever higher, and started circling above the ger of the hunter croaking to draw his attention. The experienced hunter thought: “Oh, an animal must have gotten caught in my trap.” And so he took his bow and his quiver and went to take a look.

In the meanwhile the wolf thought: “That annoying crow has come and opened the khulan’s eyes.” He got up to get back to the still trapped khulan when he caught sight of the approaching hunter. “Now the time has come to fill my belly,” the wolf said to himself and crouched behind the bush again.

When the hunter saw that it was a khulan who he had caught, he was very happy. And since he believed that the animal was dead, he set him free. Then he sat down to smoke his pipe. At this moment the khulan jumped up and ran away as fast as he could. The hunter shot many arrows after him. But because the khulan had run into the direction of the bush behind which the wolf hid himself, the arrows didn’t hit the khulan but the wolf who died when one of them hit him fatally at the head.

The Cat Who Pretended To Be A Lama

The Cat Who Pretended To Be A Lama 

Mongolian Folktale

A long time ago there was a lama, a Buddhist monk, who spent his time in deep meditation. Next to him there lay a cat. One day the cat stole the lama’s snuff bottle and the lama went after the cat and got his snuff bottle back. Then another time the cat stole the lama’s rosary and hid in a hole. When the lama grabbed the cat by the tail, the tail suddenly got torn off.

not a Mongolian snuff-bottle but close enough

The cat went away and came upon a place where many mice lived. There she made herself comfortable and put the rosary around her neck. One day some mice came along the way and circled the cat warily. So the cat said: “Don’t be afraid of me! I’m one of those lama cats. Let me teach you the holy doctrine saying not to kill another living being. Come! Come here!”

So the mice went to the cat and let her teach them. After a few days had passed Khuchin tuct, the khaan of the mice, told them: “Oh, it seems as if our teacher is eating us. In her excrements there are traces of bone and hair. Go back home and get a bell.” He sent a few mice to carry out his request.

The mice went home and came back with a bell. They said to the cat: “Teacher, please accept this jewellery from us!” And they put the bell around her neck. Khuchin tuct told his mice: “After today’s lesson will be over, we will exit one after another. If the bell should ring, we’ll turn around and hurry back.”

So when the lesson was finished, the mice went out together when suddenly they heard the bell ringing. The mice hurried back, and there the cat had caught one of the mice and was just about to eat it. Kuchin tuct said mournfully: “We believed the lies of our false, hypocritical teacher and so we lost several of our brothers and sisters.” And so the mice moved to another place.

The cat thought remorsefully: “If I had hidden my excrements, who would have ever found out about me?” And since then, it is told, cats hide their excrements by burying them.

The Four Peaceful Animals

The Four Peaceful Animals

Mongolian animal folktale

In times long past, in a beautiful forest in India, a dove, a hare, a monkey and an elephant had lived together for many a year now.

“Since the four of us live together so well and so peacefully, let us honour the oldest one of us and fulfill his wishes.” So they said and asked one another, whom was the oldest. So it is told.

The elephant pointed at a big, big tree that grew there and he said: “When I was but a little calf, the tree was as small as I was. I used to rub and scratch myself at his bark.”

The monkey looked at the tree and said: “When I was still tiny, this tree did not yet have any branches on whom I could have played jumped around. And since it was only as tall as I was, its shadow only just covered me.”

“When I was still small, the tree had only just stricken its roots. So I could dig them up and eat them,” said the hare.

“Well, it was me who brought the tree’s grain here. I carried it in my beak and let it fall down right here. And so the tree could grow,” said the dove.

And so the dove was the oldest, the hare was the second oldest, then came the monkey and the elephant was the youngest. So it is told.

The younger siblings wondered how they could honour their eldest properly, but finally they found a way. And so the elephant took the monkey upon his back to honour him. And the monkey took the hare on this shoulders to honour him. And when the hare then took the dove upon his head, the dove picked fruits from just that three and shared them with his younger siblings.

And this is how these four animals perfected the traditions to honour and help each and lived happy and peaceful. So it is told.