A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
A man travelling to fetch a midwife releases a crocodile trapped in hardened mud and carries it to a river. The crocodile then seizes his arm, admitting the help but pleading hunger. Asked to judge, a Kumbuk tree condemns humans who use its shade and then strip or fell it; a cow likewise cites milk-taking and slaughter. Both support the crocodile. These are speaking witnesses, not spells cast against the rescuer.
The jackal insists on seeing the original situation. The man carries the crocodile back, closes it in its old hole and hardens the earth. The jackal declares himself both judge and witness, supports the man and tells him to beat the crocodile to death. The actual beating is not subsequently narrated. Parker attributes this version to a Durayā teller in the North-western Province. His comparisons include tiger, snake and other crocodile variants, but those animals and outcomes are not merged into this telling.
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. 63, The Jackal’s Judgment, pp. 339–340; comparisons pp. 340–341
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. 63. No. 63, The Jackal’s Judgment, pp. 339–340; comparisons pp. 340–341
Complete principal story, every printed local variant, comparative notes and footnotes read. No.64 explicitly preserves all three different outcomes; no.63 final instruction distinguished from a narrated completed killing. Teller labels retained without colonial social rankings.
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. 63, The Jackal’s Judgment, pp. 339–340; comparisons pp. 340–341Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.