Hello one and all!
The Blue Jackal is a story from the Indian subcontinent, and even though it had different regional variations, the spine of the narrative stayed remarkably similar. It's earliest reference can be found in the Panchatantra, an ancient Indian text that was a collection of fables (which be could be roughly dated to the 4th century BCE).
The Blue Jackal
Once upon a time there was a jackal that wandered around in search for food, because hunger had been gnawing at him for a while. He came upon a village, but a group of dogs noticed him and started to chase him. The jackal fled into a washer man's house. While he tried to manoeuvre around the house, to get into the best hiding nook, he slipped and fell into a tub full of blue colouring, which was kept to dye clothes.
The barks outside died down and the jackal ventured out of the tub. Still gripped with panic, he ran on into the forest, but as he went by, all the animals were puzzled by what they saw. Could this be a new creature?
The jackal wasn't slow-witted though, so he realized that he was the source of the fear and confusion.
He said, "Why are you running away from me? I'm an unique creation, and was made to be the ruler of this jungle."
The animals, innocent as they were, believed the jackal's story and accepted him as king. Their new monarch started to assign responsibilities to the different animals - the smaller animals sat at his feet and did his bidding, the tiger and lions would go out to hunt for prey. The jackal would distribute the food as he sought fit. One of his first directives was that the other jackals be chased out of the forest, so that he wouldn't be recognized by his own species.
One evening, while he held court, the jackal heard a howl in the distance, and tears rolled down his muzzle. In that moment he forgot he was a king and howled at the top of his voice. The other animals heard this and realized they had been fooled. Anger bubbled in their hearts, they held him down, and beat him senseless.
The moral of the fable: misfortune will befall those who treat their own folk with scorn.
Thanks for reading!
The Blue Jackal is a story from the Indian subcontinent, and even though it had different regional variations, the spine of the narrative stayed remarkably similar. It's earliest reference can be found in the Panchatantra, an ancient Indian text that was a collection of fables (which be could be roughly dated to the 4th century BCE).
The Blue Jackal
Once upon a time there was a jackal that wandered around in search for food, because hunger had been gnawing at him for a while. He came upon a village, but a group of dogs noticed him and started to chase him. The jackal fled into a washer man's house. While he tried to manoeuvre around the house, to get into the best hiding nook, he slipped and fell into a tub full of blue colouring, which was kept to dye clothes.
 |
| The jackal falls into the tub. Artist: Marcia Brown. |
The barks outside died down and the jackal ventured out of the tub. Still gripped with panic, he ran on into the forest, but as he went by, all the animals were puzzled by what they saw. Could this be a new creature?
 |
| The Blue Jackal. Artist: Marcia Brown. |
The jackal wasn't slow-witted though, so he realized that he was the source of the fear and confusion.
He said, "Why are you running away from me? I'm an unique creation, and was made to be the ruler of this jungle."
The animals, innocent as they were, believed the jackal's story and accepted him as king. Their new monarch started to assign responsibilities to the different animals - the smaller animals sat at his feet and did his bidding, the tiger and lions would go out to hunt for prey. The jackal would distribute the food as he sought fit. One of his first directives was that the other jackals be chased out of the forest, so that he wouldn't be recognized by his own species.
One evening, while he held court, the jackal heard a howl in the distance, and tears rolled down his muzzle. In that moment he forgot he was a king and howled at the top of his voice. The other animals heard this and realized they had been fooled. Anger bubbled in their hearts, they held him down, and beat him senseless.
 |
| The blue jackal causes his own demise. Artist: Marcia Brown. |
The moral of the fable: misfortune will befall those who treat their own folk with scorn.
Thanks for reading!
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