Reading Notes: Week 6, Part A (Jataka Tales – Babbitt)

How the Turtle Saved His Own Life: This was a story about a little turtle that was captured by a king's sons. The children were playing down at the water with the fish, when suddenly they saw a turtle and were afraid of it, thinking it was a demon because they had never seen it before. When the king's children came back to him terrified, he instructed his guards to go to the water and fetch this demon his children were fearing. When the guards brought the turtle to the castle, they plotted ways to get rid of it, either by making it into hot coals or pounding it into fire. One guard suggested that they simply throw the turtle into the lake over the rocks, and to this the turtle talked back to them, saying that that was the worst of the ways that he could die. The humans, believing him, decided to take him to the lake and set him free. After that, the turtle happily lived his life free in the water.

The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking: This was a story about a little turtle who lived at a lake and made some geese friends at their time of migration. One day, the geese were telling the turtle that they had to leave soon to go back to their homeland, and that the turtle should come back with them. The one stipulation was that the turtle couldn't talk at all until they had landed at their home. So, the next day, the two geese flew the turtle to their home, with him hanging by his mouth on a stick between the two geese. When they were very close to landing, they approached a group of children who noticed the turtle and pointed him out. The turtle opened his mouth to begin to rebut the children, and because of this, he let go of the stick and fell to his death. 

The Three Fishes: This is a story of three fishes named Very-Thoughtful, Thoughtless and Thoughtful who lived out in a country away from any people. One day, they decided they wanted to live closer to the city, so they went down the river near a town. Very-Thoughtful noticed the danger that came with the town – the fisherman, nets and lines that were in the rivers – and told Thoughtful and Thoughtless they should go back to their home. Thoughtful and Thoughtless were very lazy, so the three fish did not make the journey home quickly. One day when they were swimming up stream, Thoughtful and Very-Thoughtful swam right into a fishers net, getting caught up in it. Very-Thoughtful noticed and began tricking the fishermen into thinking their net had a hole in it. When the fishermen noticed a "loose" fish, they pulled up their net, releasing Thoughtful and Thoughtless. After this, they all went home and lived there safely. 

Picture of a turtle in Aruba

(Taken by David Troeger on Unsplash)

1. "How the Turtle Saved His Own Life," Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt

2. "The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking," Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt

3. "The Three Fishes," More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt