Chow Soo Tome’s winged wife

Overview

In Fleeson’s version, Chow Soo Tome finds seven winged nymphs bathing and falls in love with one who willingly allows him to catch her. She becomes his wife and freely puts aside her wings. When an overlord sends her husband into battle in order to seize her, she retrieves the wings from her mother-in-law, cuts the tether attached to her feet and flies to her father’s realm, Chom Kow Kilat.

Her husband follows with assistance from an ape, a fly and two enormous eagles. A ring placed in a water jar alerts her to his arrival. Her father imposes two recognition tests, selecting her prepared table and then her exposed finger among seven concealed daughters; the grateful fly identifies both. The king accepts the marriage. This English witness does not supply the wife’s personal name or use the term kinnari, so those identifications are not silently added.

Origins & earliest records

Historical Laos country within Siam, as identified by the collection

Records & interpretation

Complete relevant narrative and Willis G. Craig’s introduction directly read.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India

   Katherine Neville Fleeson, collector/translator · 1899

   IV.2, The Faithful Husband, pp. 51–57

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

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Historical folktale collectionFleeson (1899), IV.2, The Faithful Husband, pp. 51–57Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.