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

Overview

In the Stokes-derived story selected by Jacobs as “The Boy who had a Moon on his Forehead and a Star on his Chin,” Katar is the king’s supposedly untameable horse. The cow Suri entrusts him with a persecuted royal child before her execution. Katar swallows the boy to shelter him, as the dog Shankar and Suri have already done, and brings him out periodically to play. When a groom reports the secret, the king orders soldiers to shoot the horse.

The narrative now identifies Katar as a horse from the fairies’ country, able to obtain whatever he wants. He equips the five-year-old child with princely clothes and weapons and escapes with him past the king and soldiers. In another country he gives his charge a humble disguise and directs him to seek work. Twisting Katar’s right ear turns him into a donkey; twisting his left restores his horse form. The prince uses corresponding movements of his own ears to alternate between an unremarkable appearance and his recognisable royal form. No wings or flight are described.

Katar advises the prince during his service and marriage, carries him hunting and eventually prompts a return to his father’s country. At the reunion he personally recounts the child’s history, confirming the prince’s identity when the king doubts it. The ending expressly says he stays with the prince and never returns to the fairies’ country. The dog and cow are not revived. This witness’s named protectors are distinct from the other animals in Day’s similarly titled tale.

Fairy-country originProtective swallowingHorse–donkey transformationSpeaking witness
01

Origins & earliest records

South Asian tale selected through Maive Stokes

02

Records & interpretation

Complete selected English narrative and source note read, including final recognition, punishment and horse’s continued companionship.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Indian Fairy Tales

    Joseph Jacobs (selector), through Maive Stokes · 1892

    XXII, “The Boy who had a Moon on his Forehead and a Star on his Chin,” pp. 156–178; notes p. 250. London: David Nutt. Source note credits Stokes no. 20, pp. 119–137.

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 selected English narrative and specific notes read

Indian Fairy Tales

Joseph Jacobs, London: David Nutt, 1892. XXII, pp. 156–178; notes p. 250

Caches jacobs-22.txt (35687 characters) and jacobs-notes-22.txt. All infancy, animal transfers/deaths, fairy-horse escape, ear transformations, marriage/hunting, brother-in-law humiliation, family recognition and final ending read. No animal resurrection invented; no narrator name or original-language collation inferred. Original printed scans not checked.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

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

  1. Historical English folktale selectionJacobs 1892, XXII and source noteResearch 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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