A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
A green fly leaves a sleeping shepherd’s nose, crosses a knife laid over a milk bowl and rests on the middle of three stones. His companion observes it and buys the sleeper’s dream in exchange for his wages.
The dream describes an iron bridge over white water and treasure beneath rocks. Following the fly’s route, the purchaser finds four jars of jewels. Both the narrative and its explanatory footnote identify the insect as the sleeper’s departing soul, not an ordinary fly that merely happens to accompany a dream.
Origins & earliest records
Bakhtiari storytelling, Iran
Records & interpretation
Complete tale and all continuation pages directly read; original edition contents checked for regional division and locators.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Persian Tales
Bakhtiari tales; XLIX, pp. 311–312
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
D. L. R. Lorimer and E. O. Lorimer, Persian Tales (London: Macmillan, 1919)
Bakhtiari tales. Tale XLIX, pp. 311–312
Complete narrative, including every continuation page, read; historical scan OCR contents confirms regional ordering. Individual narrator not supplied. Modern site presentation is not treated as a new authored tale.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical translated folktaleD. L. R. and E. O. Lorimer, Persian Tales (1919), tale XLIX, pp. 311–312Research access: 2026-10-05
- Historical editionOriginal 1919 scan: Internet Archive persiantales00loriialaResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.