Fairy Tale Story - The Thief and his Master

   This fairy tale story is collected from the Brothers Grimm. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are known as the Brothers Grimm. This fairy tale is from the book named, Household Tale.  Translated by- Margaret Hunt, published from- London: George Bell, 1884

The Thief and his Master

    The Thief and his Master

- A fairy tale by - The Brothers Grimm

   Hans wished to put his son to learn a trade, so he went into the church and prayed to our Lord God to know which would be most advantageous for him. Then the priest got behind the altar, and said, "Thieving, thieving." On this Hans goes back to his son, and tells him he is to learn thieving, and that the Lord God had said so. So he goes with his son to seek a man who is familiar with thieving.

   They walk a long time and come into a great forest, where stands a little house and an old woman was there. Hans says, "Do you know of a man who is acquainted with thieving?"

   "You can learn that here quite well," says the woman, "my son is a master of it."

   So Hans speaks with the son, and asks if he knows thieving really well? The master-thief says, "I will teach him well. Come back when a year is over, and then if you recognize your son, I will take no payment at all for teaching him; but if you don't know him, you must give me two hundred thalers (currency)."

Tales from the Panchatantra - The Brahman's Wife and the Mongoose

   This is one of the interesting tales from the Panchatantra collection. The Panchatantra is very well known short story or fables collection in India. In every tales of the Panchatantra, there must be an educational lesson and we consider as a moral of the story.

The Brahmans Wife and the Mongoose

   The Brahman's Wife and the Mongoose

 - Tales from the Panchatantra

   Once upon a time there lived a Brahman in a certain city. His wife gave birth to a son, and then to a mongoose. Full of love for her children, she cared for the mongoose like a son, nursing him at her breast, rubbing him with salve, and so forth. However, she did not trust him, thinking that in keeping with the evil nature of his species he might harm her son.

   As is rightly said: A son will bring joy to his parent’s heart, even if he is uneducated, bad, malformed, foolish, and sinful. And as also is said: Sandalwood salve cools and soothes, but a son's embrace far excels sandalwood salve. The relationship with one's son is more important than that with a best friend, a good father, or any other person.

   One day, after nicely tucking the boy into his bed, she took the water pitcher and said to her husband, "Listen, I am going to the pond to fetch water. You must protect our son from the mongoose."