A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
In the North-western Province Durayā telling, an old lion wants boar meat. A jackal persuades a boar that the lion intends to give him the kingship. The first attack fails, but the jackal explains it away and lures the boar back to be killed. Sending the lion to wash off the blood before eating, the jackal consumes the brains and then argues that an animal who returned to danger could never have possessed any. This is a cover story for the theft, not the boar’s actual anatomy.
A Western Province variant gives the lion a feigned headache and a declared preference for brains. The jackal brings a goat twice, steals its brains while the lion bathes and uses the same excuse, then also eats the remaining flesh. The false succession offer belongs to the boar version, not an automatically shared episode. Parker’s appended crocodile-hunting anecdote and literary parallels are evidence of his commentary, not verification of the talking animals or their deception.
Origins & earliest records
Sri Lankan narratives collected and translated by H. Parker
Records & interpretation
Complete tale and all its printed variants/comparative notes read; relevant introduction passages on collection and translation directly read.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon, Volume I
No. 68, The Lion and the Jackal, pp. 359–362; comparisons pp. 362–363
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
Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon, Volume I
Volume I; No. 68. No. 68, The Lion and the Jackal, pp. 359–362; comparisons pp. 362–363
Complete main tale, all printed variants, comparisons and footnotes read. Narrative deception distinguished from true religious observance and anatomical fact; named or occupational teller attributions preserved individually in prose.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical collected oral narrative translationParker, Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon I — No. 68, The Lion and the Jackal, pp. 359–362; comparisons pp. 362–363Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.