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

Overview

A wizard doubts a beggar’s promises of gratitude but gives him a jewel that fulfils desires when held in the mouth. A second jewel, retained by the wizard, permits flight. After becoming wealthy, the beneficiary brings his neighbors to kill the giver and steal the remaining jewel.

The wizard recognizes the plot, places the flying jewel in his mouth and asks to see the wishing jewel. He seizes it and flies away with both. His escape is explicitly mediated by the jewel rather than bodily wings. An abandoned talking dog and buffalo had already warned the beggar of human ingratitude, establishing the moral pattern fulfilled by his betrayal.

Magical benefactor who escapes through a jewel’s powerSource-specific local narrative
01

Origins & earliest records

Historical Laos country within Siam, as identified by the collection

02

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.

  1. 01

    Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India

    Katherine Neville Fleeson, collector/translator · 1899

    VI.1, The Wizard and the Beggar, pp. 77–80

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

Katherine Neville Fleeson, Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India (Fleming H. Revell, 1899)

Historical Laos country of Siam; English collection. VI.1, The Wizard and the Beggar, pp. 77–80

Full story, relevant footnotes and introduction read. Primary witness is the historical English collection; no claim of direct oral field verification, precise modern location or original-language nomenclature.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

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

  1. Historical folktale collectionFleeson (1899), VI.1, The Wizard and the Beggar, pp. 77–80Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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

FT·1413 · RESEARCH EDITION 01Back to top ↑