The Deceitful Bird
Traditional | India
A dishonest bird hides food from his flock, eats alone, and faces the consequences of his greed.
Curious spider Anansi finds a magical rock that puts animals to sleep; he tricks them but is eventually outsmarted.
A spider named Anansi gathered all the wisdom in a large pot, but a child's simple suggestion shattered it, spreading wisdom everywhere.
A hardworking Butcher's shop is visited by a stray dog that steals a sheep's heart, prompting the Butcher to be more vigilant.
A woman had a special Hen that laid one egg daily, so she tried feeding it more to get two eggs, but it stopped laying altogether.
A dog falls into a well, and the gardener, while trying to save him, gets bitten due to a misunderstanding, leaving the dog behind.
A clever jackal in search of an easy meal watches two fighting goats, but his greed leads to a painful lesson.
An ostrich, possessing characteristics of both birds and beasts, seamlessly moved between them, surprising and eventually gaining acceptance from both sides.
Anansi, a clever little spider, challenges Elephant and Hippo to a tug-of-war. Can his wit win against strength in the jungle?
Once upon a time, there was a large group of birds living near the Himalayas. The king of the birds told his flock, "Go and look for food, like seeds and grains. When you find food, come back and tell me, so we can all share it together."
All the birds flew off in different directions to search for food. One bird, who was not very honest, flew far away. This bird saw a cart carrying a lot of grain, and as the cart moved, some grains fell on the road. The bird, sitting on a tree branch, felt very happy to see all the grains.
The dishonest bird thought, “I don’t want to share this with the others. I’ll keep it all for myself!” So, he flew back to the flock and lied. He said, "I didn’t find any food. I saw a cart, but it was moving too fast, and it was too dangerous to get any grains."
The other birds believed him. They said, "Our safety is more important than food." So, they agreed to stay away from that road. The dishonest bird was pleased with himself. Every day, he went back to the road alone and ate all the grains that fell from the cart.
Because he ate so much, the dishonest bird became big and strong. The other birds, who were still hungry, began to wonder why he looked so healthy. One day, the bird king quietly followed him and saw the bird eating the grains all by himself.
While the dishonest bird was eating, he saw the cart coming closer. "I have more time to eat," he thought and kept eating. But he didn’t notice how close the cart had come. Before he could fly away, the cart hit him.
The bird king flew over to help, but it was too late. The dishonest bird, weak and hurt, said, "I’m sorry, my king," and then he died.
The bird king returned to the flock with a heavy heart and told them what had happened. He reminded them that being selfish can hurt others and ourselves.
A Lion and A Bear
A lion and bear fought over a goat, exhausting themselves, and a fox took advantage, leaving them with regret.
A Dog, A Sheep, and A Wolf
The Dog borrowed food from the Sheep, forgot the debt, and refused to repay, leading to an unfair court decision against the innocent Sheep.
A Wolf and A Sow
A sow refuses a wolf's offer to watch her piglets, seeing through the wolf's true intentions and protecting her young.
A Jackdaw and Peacock Feathers
Jackdaw, a plain bird, found and adorned himself with peacock feathers, only to be exposed and ridiculed, returning to his ordinary state in shame.
A Bat, Thorn Bush, and Seagull started a business, but their ship sank, making the Bat hide, Seagull search, and Thorn Bush cling to fabric.
Anansi, a mischievous spider, tricks Brother Turtle to catch fish for him but learns the value of hard work in the end.
A king's pond frightened the princes with a mistaken turtle monster, but the clever turtle escaped and swam back to safety.
A majestic Mountain with strange noises drew crowds of curious people, but their long wait revealed a humble Mouse instead.
Crows and owls feud over food and space, crows send a spy, gather information, and drive owls away, leading to peaceful coexistence.
A fowler deceives a curious Blackbird with the promise of a marvelous city but captures it in a net instead.
A frightened Thunny being chased by a Dolphin cleverly leads them both to the shore, where they both get stranded.
A confident mule enjoying a carefree break believed he had racing horse lineage, but after a day of labor, he doubted his heritage.