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

Overview

Ka Nam begins as a human child abducted by the tiger U Khla. He raises her in comfort to increase the future feast she will provide, a plan she does not suspect until a mouse overhears it. Following the mouse’s advice, she seeks U Hynroh’s protection. The giant toad wraps her in a magical toadskin that gives her a repellent toad’s appearance and forbids its removal before others. The narrative describes a removable covering, not an irreversible change of species.

The mouse regrets this new captivity and brings her to a magic tree. At the spoken words it grows until its branches reach the sky, where Ka Nam alights before it shrinks again. Rejected by the inhabitants of the Blue Realm while wearing the skin, she finds shelter in an outhouse belonging to Ka Sngi. The sun’s son happens to see her uncovered and wishes to marry her, but his mother first observes the maiden herself and waits to break the enchantment.

Finding Ka Nam asleep with the skin beside her, Ka Sngi burns it. The maiden thereafter lives in her own form and marries the sun’s son. The toad’s attack upon Ka Sngi follows, but does not restore the skin or recapture the bride. Back on earth, U Khla’s disappointed fellow tigers have killed him. These linked endings distinguish the two captors’ fates and the maiden’s completed release.

Human maiden compelled to wear an enchanted toad formSelected regional narrative
01

Origins & earliest records

Khasi tale selected and presented in English by Mrs. Rafy

02

Records & interpretation

Complete named chapters, title page and foreword read.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Folk-Tales of the Khasis

    Mrs. Rafy (title-page credit; foreword signed K. U. R.) · 1920

    I, What makes the Eclipse, pp.1–7; Macmillan, London

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

Mrs. Rafy, Folk-Tales of the Khasis (1920)

English collection. I, What makes the Eclipse, pp.1–7

Complete tale and foreword read. Finding Ka Nam asleep with the skin beside her, Ka Sngi burns it. The maiden thereafter lives in her own form and marries the sun’s son. The toad’s attack upon Ka Sngi follows, but does not restore the skin or recapture the bride. Back on earth, U Khla’s disappointed fellow tigers have killed him. These linked endings distinguish the two captors’ fates and the maiden’s completed release.

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References

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

  1. Historical English folklore collectionRafy, Folk-Tales of the Khasis, I, What makes the Eclipse, pp.1–7Research 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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