AI-generated Kyang tale interpretation.
Pose, coat and landscape imagined.
Overview
O’Connor’s seventh tale introduces a Kyang, explained in its note as the wild ass of Tibet, about a year old when a hungry wolf finds him above the cultivated part of a valley. Thin after the winter, he argues that the wolf would obtain a better meal by waiting until autumn. The wolf accepts on condition that they meet at the same spot six months later. This postponement gives the animal time to graze through the summer rather than ending the threat immediately.
The returning wolf brings a fox and a hare, both ostensibly expecting a share. By then the Kyang is fat and sleek, much larger than in spring. Before the wolf attacks his throat, the hare proposes strangling him to avoid wasting blood. A rope borrowed from a nearby shepherd’s encampment is arranged with one large loop for the Kyang and smaller loops for the wolf and fox; the hare holds its loose end in his teeth. The predators accept this arrangement because they expect their combined pulling to overcome their intended victim.
When the pull begins, the Kyang steps forward and drags the smaller animals. The hare releases the rope, and the Kyang runs until the wolf and fox are strangled. He shakes the rope from his neck and returns to grazing, while the hare goes home. The rescue depends on the hare’s arrangement and the Kyang’s relative size and movement. The narrative supplies no prior agreement between them, and its unnamed hare is not explicitly identified with the separately named Lomden of another tale.
Origins & earliest records
Selected Tibetan-collected narrative; exact teller and locality unspecified.
Records & interpretation
Complete tale and notes, plus collection preface, read from retained historical edition.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Folk Tales from Tibet
VII, The Kyang, the Fox, the Wolf and the Hare, pp.43–47
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.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical collected narrativeO’Connor1906, VII, The Kyang, the Fox, the Wolf and the Hare, pp.43–47Research access: 2026-10-17
Image credits
AI-generatedAI-generated Kyang tale interpretation.
Pose, coat and landscape imagined.
