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Tibetan Folk Tales
These authentic Tibetan folklore narratives include myths of creation, stories of the origins of important deities and ancient rulers, parables, verses, riddles and proverbs. Gleaned from an ancient oral tradition, these 24 imaginative and wisdom-filled tales represent a spectrum of Tibetan life and will delight adults and children alike. Line drawings.
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 19, 2015
This is a solid collection of myths, folk tales, proverbs, riddles, etc. (Though it is mostly just folk tales, as the title would suggest.) Most stories in this collection are short, entertaining reads.
Some could easily be Zen koans, like The Kind Man. Others such as The Frog, The White Rooster and The Castle in the Lake feature human to animal (or vice-versa) transformations. These could easily be Native American, early European, or straight from Aesop himself.
Perhaps the most 'important' story here is the origin story of Gesar, who is something like a King Arthur figure for Tibet, though Gesar has both supernatural origins and powers. The book says that in Tibet, the fable of Gesar is often orally transmitted, typically over weeks of storytelling!
My favorites were the proto-Buddhist tales featuring the Buddha himself (though in a previous life), The Kind Man, and the tales of zoological transformation.
Some could easily be Zen koans, like The Kind Man. Others such as The Frog, The White Rooster and The Castle in the Lake feature human to animal (or vice-versa) transformations. These could easily be Native American, early European, or straight from Aesop himself.
Perhaps the most 'important' story here is the origin story of Gesar, who is something like a King Arthur figure for Tibet, though Gesar has both supernatural origins and powers. The book says that in Tibet, the fable of Gesar is often orally transmitted, typically over weeks of storytelling!
My favorites were the proto-Buddhist tales featuring the Buddha himself (though in a previous life), The Kind Man, and the tales of zoological transformation.
July 15, 2013
My review is on the tale of the Kind Man.
The story immediately introduces the main character and describes what he is searching for, enlightenment. I really enjoy the direct and simple descriptions of the characters and place. To me it reminds me of when Flether describes "the telling detail" in What A Writer Needs. The words chosen emphasize the relationships taking place rather than the location making it feel generally transferable. I also enjoyed the use of tension created by the man within himself. This simple and short tale ends poignantly, the answers are provided in a meaningful way that are left to the reader to interpret. In teaching writing tales such as this are useful examples of how a succinct and direct story carries as much emotion and meaning and a verbose and unabridged account.
The story immediately introduces the main character and describes what he is searching for, enlightenment. I really enjoy the direct and simple descriptions of the characters and place. To me it reminds me of when Flether describes "the telling detail" in What A Writer Needs. The words chosen emphasize the relationships taking place rather than the location making it feel generally transferable. I also enjoyed the use of tension created by the man within himself. This simple and short tale ends poignantly, the answers are provided in a meaningful way that are left to the reader to interpret. In teaching writing tales such as this are useful examples of how a succinct and direct story carries as much emotion and meaning and a verbose and unabridged account.
August 8, 2008
A nice collection of tales from a culture that is not easy to reach for most tourists. You can tell a lot about a culture based on the tales it tells.
July 25, 2012
This is a nice collection of Tibetan folk tales. The added footnotes to explain some of the stories' meanings made it even more enjoyable to read.
February 24, 2019
Hmmm, I'd like to read something like this that isn't androcentric.
December 16, 2024
Reading the Epic of Gesar in my dorm with a light under my blanket at night was so much fun. Time to invest in a copy of The Warrior Song of King Gesar. ! :) By far my favourite.
A well put together assortment of tales from the land and people of Tibet.
A well put together assortment of tales from the land and people of Tibet.
January 4, 2019
So rich! So ribald! So endearing!
February 10, 2026
it reminds me of every childhood folk tales i have read, and took me back to that age where i used to get lost in words every day
December 4, 2011
Pretty good, I guess. I don't have a lot with which to compare in this area. There's some historical background, and there's pictures. The pictures are terrible as far as Tibetan traditional art goes, but at least they were there and added flavor to it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews