Bhutanese Painted Thanka of the Jataka Tales: Wikimedia
A girl monkey stole a string of pearls. The chief of the guards assumed that a monkey stole them, as no man could escape with them. He put glass beads a bait to see if the monkeys would take them. When one monkey did not take any, the guards made fun of her. In a moment of weakness the girl monkey revealed the pearls she had hidden. The pearls were taken by the chief of the guards and the king was grateful.
The Three Fishes
Three fish went down a river. One fish wanted to return as people were present and could catch them. The two other fish did not want to return home. This was until they were nearly captured by a fisherman. The three fish returned home.
The Tricky Wolf and the Rats
A wolf trick some rats into thinking that he eats only air. The wolf enjoys days of eating rats. The chief rat figures out this plan. In retaliation for the wolf action the rat chief kill him.
The Woodpecker, Turtle, and Deer
A deer, a woodpecker, and a turtle are friends. The deer gets stuck in a hunters trap. The turtle eats through the trap, while the woodpecker distract. The deer gets free, but the hunter gets the turtle. The deer baits the hunter into following him. The deer then doubles back and frees the turtle. None of the animals die.
The Golden Goose
A golden goose allows a family to take one of his feathers to sell. He would return when they need more. The mother got greed and tried to take all the feathers. The feathers became worthless as they were taken against the goose's will. The goose left and never came back.
The Stupid Monkeys
The king's gardener wanted to enjoy a holiday. He requested the chief of monkeys watch after the garden. The monkeys agreed. Then to see how much water each tree needed, they pulled up each tree to look at the root. The gardener returned to see all the trees dead.
The Cunning Wolf
A group of people went into the woods and ate all their food. One of them tried to trick a wolf and failed.
The Penny-Wise Monkey
A monkey collected some peas. He dropped one a pea while he was eating in a tree. The monkey went to the go find that one pea. He could not find it. When he went back up the tree the rest of the peas were gone.
The Red-Bud Tree
Four princes visit a tree a different season. While they all saw the same tree, it looked different for each.
The Woodpecker and the Lion
A woodpecker went inside a lions mouth to receive a stuck bone. The woodpecker later asks for a favor in return. The lion say no as he did not eat the woodpecker in his mouth.
The Otters and the Wolf
A wolf needed to get fish for his mate. Two otters were quarreling over how to divide a large fish. The wolf settles the dispute. He had taken the best piece for himself.
Bib:
More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt
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