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

Overview

The hoopoe initially recognizes the danger of the fox but is persuaded by his claim of repentance to join a pilgrimage. When he challenges her title as the Prophet Suleman’s messenger, she says she formerly managed water for his army and flew ahead to find water and campsites. The fox demands a demonstration and seizes her while she pecks at the ground; no spring is actually shown appearing.

Still able to speak from his mouth, she offers advice, causing him to open it in reply and allowing her escape. She subsequently meets a falcon accompanying an army that seeks a fox for a medicinal ingredient. Leading the soldiers to the den and warning the fox into flight, she brings about his death. The Suleman association belongs explicitly to this Kermani telling, while the bird’s asserted water-finding is not demonstrated during the encounter.

Speaking bird addressed as the messenger of the Prophet SulemanSpecific translated narrative
01

Origins & earliest records

Kermani storytelling, Iran

02

Records & interpretation

Complete XX, pp. 118–123, directly read in original-edition OCR.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Persian Tales

    D. L. R. Lorimer and E. O. Lorimer, collectors/translators · 1919

    Kermani tales; XX, The Fox’s Pilgrimage to Mecca, pp. 118–123

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

D. L. R. Lorimer and E. O. Lorimer, Persian Tales (London: Macmillan, 1919)

Kermani tales; XX. Kermani tales; XX, The Fox’s Pilgrimage to Mecca, pp. 118–123

Complete XX read through final formula. False repentance, hoopoe’s claims versus enacted events, and unconfirmed medicinal outcome separated. Original paraphrase; individual storyteller unnamed.

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References

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

  1. Historical translated folktaleLorimer, Persian Tales (1919), Kermani tales; XX, The Fox’s Pilgrimage to Mecca, pp. 118–123Research 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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