The banyan ghosts rush toward the Brahman cutting their tree, Warwick Goble, 1912
The tree-haunting ghosts rush toward the man after he strikes their banyan. Goble represents several of the company as pale moving figures; this scene does not individually name all one hundred ghosts or turn them into the distinct Brahmadaitya benefactor.
Overview
The banyan outside a village is feared because earlier nighttime visitors had their necks wrung. When a poor Brahman strikes a branch, its ghosts rush to attack, but a more powerful Brahmadaitya intervenes and they obey him. They cut the branch for the man, enabling him to claim a promised grant of land.
The company is later numbered at one hundred. Each takes a borrowed sickle and cuts one bigha of ripe paddy, after which they carry the sheaves on their large backs, thresh the crop and store grain and straw before dawn. They remain distinct from the single Brahmadaitya inhabiting a nearby vakula tree; the narrative does not give the hundred individual names.
Origins & earliest records
Bengali oral storytelling translated by Lal Behari Day
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.
- 01
Folk-Tales of Bengal
XV, The Story of a Brahmadaitya, pp.192–199, notes1–3; 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
Lal Behari Day, Folk-Tales of Bengal (Macmillan,1912; first edition1883)
XV. XV, The Story of a Brahmadaitya, pp.192–199, notes1–3
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.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical translated oral narrative and collector notesLal Behari Day, Folk-Tales of Bengal (1912), XV, The Story of a Brahmadaitya, pp.192–199, notes1–3Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationThe banyan ghosts rush toward the Brahman cutting their tree, Warwick Goble, 1912
The tree-haunting ghosts rush toward the man after he strikes their banyan. Goble represents several of the company as pale moving figures; this scene does not individually name all one hundred ghosts or turn them into the distinct Brahmadaitya benefactor.
