The Story of the Fisherman
by Andrew Lang · from The Arabian Nights Entertainments
Adapted Version
A kind Fisherman lived long ago. He worked very hard every day. He was old and poor. He had a family. He went to the sea. He threw his nets four times.
The Fisherman threw his net. He pulled it back. He found old things. Not fish. He threw it again. He found more old things. He threw it a third time. He found only stones. He was very sad.
He threw his net one last time. It felt very heavy. He pulled it slowly. He saw a big, yellow pot. He felt happy. He hoped for gold.
The Fisherman opened the pot. A thick smoke came out. It went up to the sky. The smoke made a big Genie. The Genie was very, very big. He stood over the Fisherman.
The Genie looked angry. He thought it was someone else. He said, "I was in the pot." Fisherman felt scared.
The Genie was very angry. "I will be mean to you!" he said. "I will keep you forever!" Fisherman felt scared. The Genie made a bad promise. He was angry for a long time.
The Fisherman shook. "Please do not hurt me!" he said. "I let you out." "Be kind." He hoped.
The Genie was very angry. He was in the pot. For many years. He got angrier. He got angrier and angrier. He wanted to be mean.
The Fisherman knew pleas did not work. He thought hard. He had a good idea. He would be clever. He tried a trick.
"You are very big," said the Fisherman. "How did you fit in?" Genie felt proud. "I will show you!" he said.
The Genie got smaller. He became smoke again. The smoke went into the pot. Slowly, slowly, it went in. All of the smoke went inside. The pot held the Genie.
The Fisherman was quick. He grabbed the lid. He put it on the pot. The Genie was inside. He was trapped again. The lid was tight.
The Fisherman talked to the pot. "You are safe now," he said. "Stay in this pot. Go to the sea."
The Genie called from inside. "Let me out!" he cried. But the Fisherman said, "No." "You were mean. Stay here."
The Fisherman was safe. He was very clever! It is good to be smart.
Original Story
The Story of the Fisherman
Sire, there was once upon a time a fisherman so old and so poor that he could scarcely manage to support his wife and three children. He went every day to fish very early, and each day he made a rule not to throw his nets more than four times. He started out one morning by moonlight and came to the sea-shore. He undressed and threw his nets, and as he was drawing them towards the bank he felt a great weight. He though he had caught a large fish, and he felt very pleased. But a moment afterwards, seeing that instead of a fish he only had in his nets the carcase of an ass, he was much disappointed.
Vexed with having such a bad haul, when he had mended his nets, which the carcase of the ass had broken in several places, he threw them a second time. In drawing them in he again felt a great weight, so that he thought they were full of fish. But he only found a large basket full of rubbish. He was much annoyed.
"O Fortune," he cried, "do not trifle thus with me, a poor fisherman, who can hardly support his family!"
So saying, he threw away the rubbish, and after having washed his nets clean of the dirt, he threw them for the third time. But he only drew in stones, shells, and mud. He was almost in despair.
Then he threw his nets for the fourth time. When he thought he had a fish he drew them in with a great deal of trouble. There was no fish however, but he found a yellow pot, which by its weight seemed full of something, and he noticed that it was fastened and sealed with lead, with the impression of a seal. He was delighted. "I will sell it to the founder," he said; "with the money I shall get for it I shall buy a measure of wheat."
He examined the jar on all sides; he shook it to see if it would rattle. But he heard nothing, and so, judging from the impression of the seal and the lid, he thought there must be something precious inside. To find out, he took his knife, and with a little trouble he opened it. He turned it upside down, but nothing came out, which surprised him very much. He set it in front of him, and whilst he was looking at it attentively, such a thick smoke came out that he had to step back a pace or two. This smoke rose up to the clouds, and stretching over the sea and the shore, formed a thick mist, which caused the fisherman much astonishment. When all the smoke was out of the jar it gathered itself together, and became a thick mass in which appeared a genius, twice as large as the largest giant. When he saw such a terrible-looking monster, the fisherman would like to have run away, but he trembled so with fright that he could not move a step.
"Great king of the genii," cried the monster, "I will never again disobey you!"
At these words the fisherman took courage.
"What is this you are saying, great genius? Tell me your history and how you came to be shut up in that vase."
At this, the genius looked at the fisherman haughtily. "Speak to me more civilly," he said, "before I kill you."
"Alas! why should you kill me?" cried the fisherman. "I have just freed you; have you already forgotten that?"
"No," answered the genius; "but that will not prevent me from killing you; and I am only going to grant you one favour, and that is to choose the manner of your death."
"But what have I done to you?" asked the fisherman.
"I cannot treat you in any other way," said the genius, "and if you would know why, listen to my story.
"I rebelled against the king of the genii. To punish me, he shut me up in this vase of copper, and he put on the leaden cover his seal, which is enchantment enough to prevent my coming out. Then he had the vase thrown into the sea. During the first period of my captivity I vowed that if anyone should free me before a hundred years were passed, I would make him rich even after his death. But that century passed, and no one freed me. In the second century I vowed that I would give all the treasures in the world to my deliverer; but he never came.
"In the third, I promised to make him a king, to be always near him, and to grant him three wishes every day; but that century passed away as the other two had done, and I remained in the same plight. At last I grew angry at being captive for so long, and I vowed that if anyone would release me I would kill him at once, and would only allow him to choose in what manner he should die. So you see, as you have freed me to-day, choose in what way you will die."
The fisherman was very unhappy. "What an unlucky man I am to have freed you! I implore you to spare my life."
"I have told you," said the genius, "that it is impossible. Choose quickly; you are wasting time."
The fisherman began to devise a plot.
"Since I must die," he said, "before I choose the manner of my death, I conjure you on your honour to tell me if you really were in that vase?"
"Yes, I was," answered the genius.
"I really cannot believe it," said the fisherman. "That vase could not contain one of your feet even, and how could your whole body go in? I cannot believe it unless I see you do the thing."
Then the genius began to change himself into smoke, which, as before, spread over the sea and the shore, and which, then collecting itself together, began to go back into the vase slowly and evenly till there was nothing left outside. Then a voice came from the vase which said to the fisherman, "Well, unbelieving fisherman, here I am in the vase; do you believe me now?"
The fisherman instead of answering took the lid of lead and shut it down quickly on the vase.
"Now, O genius," he cried, "ask pardon of me, and choose by what death you will die! But no, it will be better if I throw you into the sea whence I drew you out, and I will build a house on the shore to warn fishermen who come to cast their nets here, against fishing up such a wicked genius as you are, who vows to kill the man who frees you."
At these words the genius did all he could to get out, but he could not, because of the enchantment of the lid.
Then he tried to get out by cunning.
"If you will take off the cover," he said, "I will repay you."
"No," answered the fisherman, "if I trust myself to you I am afraid you will treat me as a certain Greek king treated the physician Douban. Listen, and I will tell you."
Story DNA
Moral
Cunning and quick thinking can overcome even the most formidable threats, and one should never trust a proven deceiver.
Plot Summary
A poor fisherman, after three unsuccessful casts, finds a sealed copper pot on his fourth attempt. Upon opening it, he releases a powerful genie who, after centuries of imprisonment, vows to kill his liberator, allowing only a choice of death. Terrified, the fisherman cunningly challenges the genie's claim of fitting into the small pot. The arrogant genie transforms into smoke and re-enters the pot to prove his point, at which moment the fisherman quickly seals it, trapping the genie once more and refusing to release him.
Themes
Emotional Arc
despair to fear to triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This story is a classic tale from 'One Thousand and One Nights' (Arabian Nights), a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled during the Islamic Golden Age. The tales often feature genies, magic, and moral lessons.
Plot Beats (14)
- An old, poor fisherman casts his nets four times daily to support his family.
- His first three casts yield only rubbish, a dead ass, and stones, leading to despair.
- On his fourth cast, he finds a heavy, sealed copper pot, hoping it contains treasure.
- He opens the pot, releasing a massive genie in a thick cloud of smoke.
- The genie, initially mistaking the fisherman for his old master, reveals his centuries-long imprisonment.
- The genie declares his intention to kill the fisherman, offering him only a choice of how to die, due to his final, angry vow.
- The fisherman, horrified, pleads for his life, reminding the genie he freed him.
- The genie explains his escalating vows of vengeance over the centuries of his captivity.
- The fisherman, realizing pleas are useless, devises a trick.
- He expresses disbelief that such a large genie could fit into the small pot, challenging the genie to prove it.
- The genie, pride wounded, transforms into smoke and re-enters the pot to demonstrate his power.
- The fisherman quickly seals the pot with the leaden lid, trapping the genie once more.
- The fisherman mocks the trapped genie, threatening to throw him back into the sea and warn others.
- The genie attempts to bargain for his release, but the fisherman refuses, citing a cautionary tale.
Characters
The Fisherman
A lean, weathered man, likely of average height, with a body hardened by years of physical labor at sea. His skin is tanned and lined from constant exposure to sun and salt spray. He appears frail due to his age and poverty but possesses underlying resilience.
Attire: Simple, patched, and worn linen tunic and trousers, likely in muted earth tones or undyed natural fabric, suitable for a poor fisherman in a Middle Eastern setting. He might wear a simple head covering like a worn turban or cap to protect from the sun, and perhaps no shoes or very simple sandals.
Wants: To provide for his wife and three children and escape the clutches of poverty.
Flaw: His initial despair and fear make him vulnerable, and his poverty makes him desperate for any small gain.
Transforms from a desperate, unlucky man into a clever hero who outsmarts a powerful magical being, securing his own safety and potentially that of others.
Persevering, desperate, resourceful, cautious, and ultimately clever. He is driven by the need to provide for his family.
The Genie
A colossal, terrifying figure, twice the size of the largest human giant, formed from thick, dark smoke. When solidified, he possesses immense, muscular bulk, with a formidable and menacing presence. His form is imposing and radiates raw power.
Attire: None, as he is a being of smoke and magic. His form is his attire.
Wants: To escape his imprisonment and exact vengeance on whoever frees him, driven by centuries of accumulated rage and frustration.
Flaw: His immense pride and arrogance, which make him susceptible to the Fisherman's trickery. He is also bound by the magical seal of the King of the Genii.
Begins as a terrifying, vengeful entity, but is outsmarted and re-imprisoned by the Fisherman, demonstrating that even immense power can be overcome by wit.
Arrogant, vengeful, cruel, powerful, and ultimately gullible. He is bound by his own vows and a sense of honor, however twisted.
Locations
Seashore at Dawn
A desolate, sandy stretch of coastline where the land meets the vast, dark sea. The air is cool and still, illuminated by the pale light of the moon before sunrise. The ground is a mix of wet sand, scattered shells, and small stones. The water is calm, reflecting the moonlight.
Mood: Desolate, hopeful, then increasingly frustrated and finally terrifying
The fisherman makes his four casts, finding only disappointment until he pulls up the sealed jar containing the Genie. This is where the Genie is released and the confrontation occurs.