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

Overview

The Tiger’s Decoy reports a belief that a person devoured by a tiger cannot immediately free their spirit. The tiger compels that spirit to precede it and conceal its approach from human eyes. It also uses the spirit as a lure: the apparition may take the form of a beautiful girl, a piece of gold or a bolt of silk, drawing people into mountain gorges where the tiger can seize them.

Once another victim has been eaten, the new spirit takes over the compulsory service and the earlier captive is released. The telling presents a repeating succession rather than the biography of a named ghost. It ends by comparing such decoys with people forced to serve powerful, cunning others and harm further victims. The editor marks it as traditionally narrated. This is the specific belief as reported in the1921 English collection; no unsupplied Chinese term, horns, fixed ghost-body or independent power of the tiger beyond the stated concealment and coercion is added.

Conceals a tigerAssumes attractive human or object formsReleased when a new victim replaces it
01

Origins & earliest records

Chinese tales mediated by Richard Wilhelm and Frederick H. Martens

02

Records & interpretation

Complete tale and its attached source note read in the retained1921-edition transcription.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    The Chinese Fairy Book

    Richard Wilhelm, editor; Frederick H. Martens, translator · 1921

    The Tiger’s Decoy, pp.28–29; New York, Frederick A. Stokes Company

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

Complete historical translated tale

Richard Wilhelm/Frederick H. Martens, The Chinese Fairy Book (Stokes1921)

Nursery Fairy Tales. The Tiger’s Decoy, pp.28–29

Full tale and ending/source note read in29939.html/wilhelm-martens1921.txt, title/copyright/preface checked. No independently verified Chinese textual antecedent; source-specific identities retained.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

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

  1. Historical translated taleWilhelm/Martens, The Chinese Fairy Book, The Tiger’s Decoy, pp.28–29Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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

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