Reading Notes: Twenty-Two Goblins Part A

Twenty-Two Goblins from the Vetālapañcaviṃśati, translated by Arthur Ryder

Introduction

• Summary: Monk brings King fruits full of gems. Monk asks King to fetch him a body hanging from a tree. There's a goblin in the body. Goblin will tell King stories. 
• This was... Weird. I'm excited to see what stories the goblin will tell.
• The names of the characters reflect their character (Monk named Patience, King named Triple Victory)

The Three Lovers Who Brought the Dead Girl to Life. Whose Wife Should She Be?

• Summary: Beautiful young woman, three men want to marry her. She won't because she doesn't want to hurt their feelings. She dies - one keeps her bones, one keeps her ashes, and one brings her back to life. The Ashes one gets to keep her because he treated her like a lover would. Goblin escapes. 
• Creator created her, hated himself for making her so beautiful? Outrageous descriptions of beauty. 
• Trickster goblin. 
• "Great-minded people do not waver until they have kept their promises" - moral lesson.

By Perham W. Nahl

The Brave Man, the Wise Man, and the Clever Man: To which should the Girl be Given?

• Summary: Young woman is promised to a clever, a wise, and a brave man. She is kidnapped by a giant and they all go to help her. The brave man marries her because he was the one who risked himself on her behalf. Goblin escapes. 
• Possession of women is a strong theme
• The description of the goblin in the body is terrifying. "Twistings and writhings"
• Long descriptions of families even though the main character is really the woman (the daughter of the Brahman of the King...)
• "She and he told him what she and he had done.."
• Riddles seem pretty arbitrary. The right answers are based on cultural values rather than wordplay or logic. 

The Girl who transposed the Heads of her Husband and Brother. Which combination of head and body is her husband?

• Summary: Girl's brother and brother-in-law sacrifice themselves. The goddess brings them back to life but Girl puts each head on the wrong body. The one with her husband's head is her husband. Goblin escapes. 
• The city is named Beautiful. Charming name? Charming translation? I would like to capture some of this style if I re-write one of these. 
• Clean-cloth, White, Spotless. Cleanliness? Moral purity? Colorism?
• Emphasis on greetings. Funny additions of necessary tasks - mentioning rest, welcoming. 

The Specialist in Food, the Specialist in Women, and the Specialist in Cotton. Which is the cleverest?

• Summary: sons go to find a turtle for their dad. They argue over who should carry it because one specializes in women, one in cotton, one in food. They go to a king to resolve the debate. The cleverest is the specialist in cotton because he couldn't have known what was wrong with the cotton from the king unless he felt it. 
• Being a specialist means being extra picky?
• This one was sort of a logic puzzle. I would not have figured it out. 

The Four Scientific Suitors: To Which Should the Girl Be Given?

• Summary: Weaver, farmer, magician, swordsman compete for princess. Swordsman wins because he is brave.
• Goblin gets even scarier. Why is the king so brave?
• Bravery/fighting skill valued. Class status is the solution to the riddle. 

The Three Delicate Wives of King Virtue-Banner. Which is the most Delicate?

• Summary: Three wives - one is injured by a flower petal, one by moonbeams, and one by the sound of distant pestles. Most delicate is sound one. Goblin escapes. 
• King is portrayed as loving and generous.