A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
Twelve sisters fleeing a cannibal beg an elephant for protection after a cow has helped them on part of their journey. The elephant opens its mouth and they enter, but the edge of one girl’s garment remains visible. When the pursuer overtakes them, it denies having seen the sisters. She recognizes the cloth and curses its lip to hang down like a garment from that day onward. The mouth’s extraordinary capacity and the resulting animal feature belong to this origin tale, without a stated transformation of the sisters or an independent final rescue scene.
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
II.2, Why the Lip of the Elephant Droops, pp. 29–32
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)
II.2, Why the Lip of the Elephant Droops. pp. 29–32
Complete narrative and any attached footnote read. Extraordinary anatomy and medicine are narrative elements; unnamed earlier temple book not inspected. No inferred ending beyond printed text.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical folktale collectionFleeson (1899), II.2, Why the Lip of the Elephant Droops, pp. 29–32Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.