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Overview
In Rafy’s origin tale, the Bleis assign the newly created animals qualities suited to their lives. The tiger receives cunning and a silent tread, while humanity receives beauty and wisdom. A human mother then sends her son to request strength as well. The gods tell him to return the next morning, but the listening tiger secretly hears the arrangement and arrives before him.
Without seeing through the substitution, the Bleis give the tiger strength twelve times greater than before. He tests it by bounding twelve strides forward and upward with the ease of a single short stride, then challenges the returning man. When the man escapes and explains the deception, the gods cannot revoke their gift. Instead they equip humanity with the bow, arrow and skill needed to resist the strengthened predator.
The tiger retains his acquired strength at the end; he is not killed in the narrated encounter. No personal name, extra limbs or transformation into a different species is supplied. This is a particular supernatural explanation of unequal abilities and hunting weapons, rather than a measurement of real tiger strength or a modern ranking of humans and animals.
Origins & earliest records
Khasi tale selected and presented in English by Mrs. Rafy
Records & interpretation
Complete named chapters, title page and foreword read.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Folk-Tales of the Khasis
XXVIII, How the Tiger got his Strength, pp.128–130; Macmillan, London
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
Mrs. Rafy, Folk-Tales of the Khasis (1920)
English collection. XXVIII, How the Tiger got his Strength, pp.128–130
Complete independent tale read. The tiger retains his acquired strength at the end; he is not killed in the narrated encounter. No personal name, extra limbs or transformation into a different species is supplied. This is a particular supernatural explanation of unequal abilities and hunting weapons, rather than a measurement of real tiger strength or a modern ranking of humans and animals.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical English folklore collectionRafy, Folk-Tales of the Khasis, XXVIII, How the Tiger got his Strength, pp.128–130Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.