Week 4 Reading Diary: Twenty-Two Goblins

This week I chose to read Twenty-Two Goblins, Arthur Ryder's translation of the Sanskrit Vetālapañcaviṃśati.

 

Winding Tree from Flickr

Introduction

• Patience is a very fitting name for the monk.  He waited 12 years, giving fruit to the king every day, before he finally made a request.
• Unlike this other reading, this culture is not one I am familiar with, I am guessing part of their mythology includes goblins living in dead bodies, which is why the king automatically knew what was in the body.

The Three Lovers

• "The Three Lovers who brought the Dead Girl to Life.  Whose wife should she be?"
• One thing that is really fun about riddle stories and mysteries, is that the reader gets to try to figure out the answer before the story reveals it. 

Brave, Wise, Clever

• "The Brave Man, the Wise Man, and the Clever Man. To which should the girl be given?"
•  Before hearing the ending of the story, I would guess the wise man, because nobody would have known where the daughter went without this information, and other braver and clever men could have been found and sent to rescue her.

The Girl, Her Husband and Her Brother

• "The Girl who transposed the Heads of her Husband and Brother. Which combination of head and body is her husband?"
•  I was pleased to get this riddle right.  I guessed that the husband's head with the brother's body is the husband, because the mind is what determines who a person is.

Food, Women, Cotton

• "The Specialist in Food, the Specialist in Women, and the Specialist in Cotton. Which is the cleverest?"
•  I feel like this story would have a funny twist if the turtle wondered away the the three brothers were arguing. 
• I feel like the brothers are being praised and rewarded for being picky. 
• I noticed that none of the brothers are specialists in animals, so technically, any of the brothers could carry the turtle.

The Four Suitors

• "The Four Scientific Suitors. To which should the girl be given?"
•  As the story progresses, I tent to compare the current riddle to previous ones to try to figure out the answer.  Because the soldier one before, i will guess the solder again. 
• I managed to guess correctly, which means the riddles are consistent within each other.

The Three Delicate Wives

• "The Three Delicate Wives of King Virtue-banner. Which is the most delicate?"
• Although this in an interesting riddle, I have no idea how anybody would be so delicate, or why anybody would want to be so delicate. 
• I am guessing the third wife is the most delicate, because a curtain can hide the moon, and the first wife doesn't have to sit under a lotus tree, but it is hard to escape sound.