A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

The youngest of seven brothers discovers his sisters-in-law riding a peepul tree through the air. To prevent him from exposing them, the eldest drives iron nails into the soles of his feet, immediately turning him into a dog. He understands speech but cannot speak, retains his preference for regular human meals and follows his brothers when they visit a royal marriage selection.

The eldest princess has vowed to marry the person on whom a fly marked with white thread settles; it lands on the dog, and she honors the vow. Later she notices the nails and pulls them out, intending to relieve his limp, whereupon he becomes human again. Her action precedes her knowledge of his identity. The mechanism is removal of nails rather than destruction of an animal skin, and the flies function as the tale’s selection device without separately stated magical powers.

Human witness whose speech is lost until the transforming nails are removedSpecific Santal narrative witness
01

Origins & earliest records

Santal Parganas, eastern India; source-specific Santali storytelling

02

Records & interpretation

Complete relevant tale directly read with existing collection preface and narrator-chain record.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Folklore of the Santal Parganas

    Cecil Henry Bompas, translator; O. Bodding, collector; Sagram Murmu, principal Santali writer credited in preface · 1909

    XCIII, The Boy Who Was Changed into a Dog, pp. 281–284

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Primary records and illustrations

Direct primary record

Cecil Henry Bompas, Folklore of the Santal Parganas (1909)

Part I, Santal folktales. XCIII, The Boy Who Was Changed into a Dog, pp. 281–284

Entire tale read. Printed Hanuman-monkey label not equated with deity; nail mechanism distinguished from removable animal skin. Accusations and punishment belong to narrative, not empirical witchcraft or ethical approval.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Historical translation of collected narrativesBompas, Folklore of the Santal Parganas (1909), XCIII, The Boy Who Was Changed into a Dog, pp. 281–284Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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