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

Overview

The elder wife reaches an ascetic meditating near a leafy hut after her co-wife has torn out her remaining hair. He directs her to immerse herself once in a nearby tank; she emerges with long hair and renewed youth. He then lets her choose a modest basket that contains inexhaustible treasure. The narration also changes her complexion; its preference for fair skin is a period beauty convention, not a measure of human worth.

The younger wife later seeks the same reward but takes a second immersion against his instruction, losing the first transformation. He refuses her a further boon. The ascetic is called muni or Father Muni, a descriptive religious title, and is not given a personal name or identified with a particular historical teacher. The tale’s transformation is not an instruction for cosmetic or medical treatment.

Ascetic whose instructions lead to transformation and inexhaustible treasureSpecific Bengali narrative witness
01

Origins & earliest records

Bengali oral storytelling translated by Lal Behari Day

02

Records & interpretation

Complete relevant tale, attached notes,1883 preface and1912 edition credits directly read.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Folk-Tales of Bengal

    Lal Behari Day, collector and translator · 1912

    XXII, The Bald Wife, pp.269–274; first edition1883, illustrationsWarwickGoble

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

Lal Behari Day, Folk-Tales of Bengal (Macmillan,1912; first edition1883)

XXII. XXII, The Bald Wife, pp.269–274

Complete tale and footnotes read, pluspreface andeditionhistory. Bengali oral informants described collectively, individual teller of this tale not identified. Original paraphrase; no source-image verification claimed.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

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

  1. Historical translated oral narrative and collector notesLal Behari Day, Folk-Tales of Bengal (1912), XXII, The Bald Wife, pp.269–274Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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

FT·1549 · RESEARCH EDITION 01Back to top ↑