Jackal at the occupied den confronting the approaching tiger and monkey, Tibetan illustration published 1906
The jackal addresses the returning tiger and its monkey companion from the occupied den. The threat to eat tiger meat is a bluff; the illustration’s striped animal and curled tails are the artist’s treatment of this episode.
Overview
A jackal couple and their five young leave a village because of its dogs and occupy an absent tiger’s den, eating the deer meat stored there. The father watches from the roof and signals the mother to make the young cry as the tiger approaches. Their staged conversation promises the children hot tiger meat, frightening the owner into flight.
A baboon persuades the tiger to return, winding his tail around the tiger’s for reassurance. The jackal greets him as though he were delivering prey and complains that he has brought only one tiger. Believing himself betrayed, the tiger bolts; the trapped baboon is dragged through the forest, and the narration leaves only a broken tail attached when the tiger stops. The jackals keep the den. Their supposed tiger-eating power is entirely a bluff; the English text alternates Baboon and Monkey without providing a secure zoological identification.
Origins & earliest records
Tibet; collected historical narrative
Records & interpretation
Full relevant tale and collection preface directly read.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Folk Tales from Tibet
XIII, The Jackals and the Tiger, pp. 76–79
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
W. F. O’Connor, Folk Tales from Tibet (1906)
XIII, The Jackals and the Tiger. pp. 76–79
Complete tale read. Deceptive supernatural/religious authority not treated as genuine, relationship and animal-name wording explicitly qualified.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical tale collectionO’Connor, Folk Tales from Tibet — XIII, The Jackals and the Tiger, pp. 76–79Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationJackal at the occupied den confronting the approaching tiger and monkey, Tibetan illustration published 1906
The jackal addresses the returning tiger and its monkey companion from the occupied den. The threat to eat tiger meat is a bluff; the illustration’s striped animal and curled tails are the artist’s treatment of this episode.
