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Overview
When a king demands parrot brains as a supposed remedy for his wife, the wisest of seventy-one parrots detects a birdcatcher’s preparations and urges the flock to move. Caught after ignoring his second warning, they follow his plan to pretend to be dead until all have been thrown down from a cliff. A fallen whetstone makes them fly too early, leaving their adviser in the catcher’s hand.
The parrot argues against revenge and persuades the catcher to sell him for one hundred ounces of silver, enough to purchase substitute birds and leave a profit. A merchant values his intelligence and charges him with watching his wife during a seventy-one-day journey. The bird keeps her at home through stories, the surviving example concerning Naran Gerel’s escape from an accusation through deception.
The merchant addresses the parrot as brother and calls his own wife its sister-in-law; these are terms of household trust, not stated biological relationships. The threatened brain cure and coercive marital standards belong to the historical story. The parrot’s intelligence is explicit, but it is not identified as a transformed human or deity.
Origins & earliest records
Mongolian transmission of an Indian-derived tale, mediated by European editions and Busk’s adaptation
Records & interpretation
Busk’s 1873 English adaptation, The Seventy-one Parrots and their Adviser, pp. 309–324; The Wise Parrot notes 1–5, p. 405.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Sagas from the Far East
The Seventy-one Parrots and their Adviser, pp. 309–324; five notes, p. 405.
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
Rachel Harriette Busk, Sagas from the Far East (1873)
The Seventy-one Parrots and their Adviser. 309–324; notes406–407
Complete story, embedded NaranGerel narrative and five notes read. Brother/sister-in-law rhetorical usage not biological kinship. No medical efficacy adopted. Original paraphrase of historical adaptation.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical literary adaptationBusk, Seventy-one Parrots309–324 and notesResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.