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

Overview

A cowherd tells this story while trying to make a princess break her pretended sleep: a carpenter carves a human figure during his night watch, a tailor clothes it, and a mulla asks God to give it life. The narrative explicitly attributes the animation to God’s response, after which the three men dispute ownership according to their contributions.

The princess interrupts to award the figure to the carpenter, thereby giving the cowherd his first victory. This is an embedded dispute tale with a living wooden man, not an independently witnessed automaton, a named sacred figure, or a general rule about prayer. It differs from mechanical figures that only imitate bodily movement.

Crafted figure given life in the cowherd’s first dispute taleSpecific narrative frame
01

Origins & earliest records

Bakhtiari storytelling, Iran

02

Records & interpretation

Complete surrounding tale and embedded account directly read in retained original-edition transcription.

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

    Bakhtiari tales; XXXVII, The Cowherd Who Woke the Princess, pp. 244–250; first embedded tale pp. 245–247

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. and E. O. Lorimer, Persian Tales (Macmillan, 1919)

Bakhtiari tales. XXXVII, The Cowherd Who Woke the Princess, pp. 244–250; first embedded tale pp. 245–247

Complete XXXVI236–243 and XXXVII244–250 read. Framed storytellers and complete outcomes preserved; no anatomy beyond source.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

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

  1. Historical translated folktaleOriginal 1919 edition of Persian Tales, XXXVII, The Cowherd Who Woke the Princess, pp. 244–250; first embedded tale pp. 245–247Research 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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