A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
A mother bird feeds her young alone after her mate disappears. Once they can fly, she lies dying and asks them to call for their father. They fly low over the plains crying Paw hüey, glossed in the note as Oh, father; lonely human children answer with calls to both parents. The father is never found within the account. No species, human-to-bird transformation or supernatural explanation for his disappearance is given; the tale makes an enduring bird call the expression of family grief.
Origins & earliest records
Historical Laos country within Siam, as identified by the collection
Records & interpretation
Complete relevant narrative and Willis G. Craig’s introduction directly read.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India
III.4, The Fatherless Birds, p. 45 and note8
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
Katherine Neville Fleeson, Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India (Fleming H. Revell, 1899)
III.4, The Fatherless Birds. III.4, The Fatherless Birds, p. 45 and note8
Entire relevant tale and notes read. Narrative claims kept distinct from factual natural history; no unrecorded physical traits, resolution or individual narrator supplied. Original paraphrase of1899 witness.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical folktale collectionFleeson1899, III.4, The Fatherless Birds, p. 45 and note8Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.