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

Overview

At the end of “The Soothsayer’s Son,” Gangazara dies from joy on meeting his elder brother beside the sea. His brother entrusts the body to Ganesa while preparing worship, explicitly fearing that devils might take it elsewhere. Ganesa orders his Ganas to guard it, but they eat it instead. When called to account they appear frightened before their angry master. The brother reproaches the god, who restores a living Gangazara in place of the missing corpse. The attendants receive no individual names or bodily descriptions. Their conduct belongs to this particular story; it is not asserted as the universal character of Ganesa’s attendants.

Divine attendantsDisobeyed custodyCorpse consumption
01

Origins & earliest records

South Indian tale attributed through Kingscote and Natesa Sastri

02

Records & interpretation

Complete English narrative and source notes, including final seashore death and divine restoration, read.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Indian Fairy Tales

    Joseph Jacobs (selector and adapter); source credited through Mrs Kingscote and Pandit Natesa Sastri · 1892

    X, “The Soothsayer’s Son,” pp. 70–84; notes pp. 243–244. London: David Nutt. Jacobs credits Tales of the Sun, p. 11 onward, through Folk-Lore of Southern India, part II, originally Indian Antiquary; he expressly says he condensed and modified the English.

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

Complete English narrative and specific notes read

Indian Fairy Tales

Joseph Jacobs, London: David Nutt, 1892. X, pp. 70–84; notes pp. 243–244

Caches jacobs-10.txt and jacobs-notes-10.txt, master jacobs-indian.html. Full ten-year imprisonment, mass-revival/truce and separate seashore death/Ganesa ending read. Jacobs explicitly condensed/modified credited Kingscote/Natesa Sastri source; no direct original-language or original scan collation. Historical anti-goldsmith generalisations excluded as factual claims.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

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

  1. Historical English adaptation of an attributed South Indian taleJacobs 1892, The Soothsayer’s Son and source notesResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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

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