The Ass in the Lion's Skin
by Unknown · from Indian Fairy Tales
Adapted Version
Once there was a merchant. He had a donkey. The merchant traveled to many places. His donkey carried many things. They went from town to town.
The merchant had a clever idea. He had a big lion's skin. He put this skin on his donkey. The donkey looked like a lion. People then thought it was a lion. They did not come near it. The donkey ate grass freely. It ate yummy plants in the fields.
One day, they came to a village. The merchant stopped there. He put the lion's skin on the donkey. The donkey went into a field. It was a field of green barley. The donkey ate the yummy plants. It ate and ate.
Some people watched the field. They saw the big 'lion'. They were very scared. "Oh no, a lion!" they cried. They ran away fast. They ran to the village. They told everyone about the lion. They said a big lion was there.
All the villagers came out. They took sticks and loud things. They blew horns loudly. They beat drums loudly. They made a very big noise. They walked to the field. They wanted to scare the 'lion' away.
The donkey heard the big noise. It was very scared. It forgot it was a 'lion'. It made a loud donkey sound. "Hee-haw! Hee-haw!" it cried. Everyone heard the sound. They knew it was not a lion.
The villagers saw the donkey. They were very surprised. They laughed at the trick. They were a little angry too. "It is just a donkey!" they said. "Go away, donkey!" they shouted. They chased the donkey from the field.
The donkey was very sad. It lost its lion's skin. It could not eat the yummy barley. It had no special food now. The trick was over.
The merchant came back. He saw his donkey. It was not in the field. He saw it had no lion's skin. He knew the loud sound. The donkey lost its special food. Its trick was found out. The merchant was sad.
It is not good to pretend. People will find out. You might lose good things.
Original Story
The Ass in the Lion's Skin
t the same time, when Brahma-datta was reigning in Benares, the future Buddha was born one of a peasant family; and when he grew up, he gained his living by tilling the ground.
At that time a hawker used to go from place to place, trafficking in goods carried by an ass. Now at each place he came to, when he took the pack down from the ass's back, he used to clothe him in a lion's skin, and turn him loose in the rice and barley fields. And when the watchmen in the fields saw the ass, they dared not go near him, taking him for a lion.
So one day the hawker stopped in a village; and whilst he was getting his own breakfast cooked, he dressed the ass in a lion's skin, and turned him loose in a barley-field. The watchmen in the field dared not go up to him; but going home, they published the news. Then all the villagers came out with weapons in their hands; and blowing chanks, and beating drums, they went near the field and shouted. Terrified with the fear of death, the ass uttered a cry—the bray of an ass!
And when he knew him then to be an ass, the future Buddha pronounced the First Verse:
"This is not a lion's roaring,
Nor a tiger's, nor a panther's;
Dressed in a lion's skin,
'Tis a wretched ass that roars!"
But when the villagers knew the creature to be an ass, they beat him till his bones broke; and, carrying off the lion's skin, went away. Then the hawker came; and seeing the ass fallen into so bad a plight, pronounced the Second Verse:
"Long might the ass,
Clad in a lion's skin,
Have fed on the barley green.
But he brayed!
And that moment he came to ruin."
And even whilst he was yet speaking the ass died on the spot!
Story DNA
Moral
False pretenses, no matter how convincing, will eventually be exposed, leading to ruin.
Plot Summary
A hawker dresses his ass in a lion's skin to allow it to graze freely in fields, scaring away watchmen. One day, when the disguised ass is in a barley field, villagers are alerted and approach with weapons and noise. Terrified, the ass brays, revealing its true identity. The villagers then beat the ass to death, and the hawker laments that its own foolishness led to its ruin.
Themes
Emotional Arc
false security to sudden ruin
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Jataka tales are a voluminous body of literature native to India concerning the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. This story reflects ancient Indian village life and moral teachings.
Plot Beats (11)
- The story introduces a hawker who travels with an ass.
- The hawker regularly dresses the ass in a lion's skin to allow it to graze in fields without being disturbed by watchmen.
- One day, the hawker stops in a village and releases the ass, disguised as a lion, into a barley field.
- The field watchmen, fearing a lion, dare not approach and instead report the sighting to the villagers.
- The villagers gather with weapons, blowing horns and beating drums, and advance towards the field.
- Frightened by the commotion, the ass lets out a loud bray, revealing its true identity.
- The future Buddha, observing the scene, identifies the creature as an ass in a lion's skin.
- Recognizing it as an ass, the villagers beat the animal severely until its bones break.
- The villagers take the lion's skin and leave the dying ass.
- The hawker arrives, sees the ass's dire state, and laments that its braying led to its downfall.
- The ass dies on the spot as the hawker speaks.
Characters
The Ass
A sturdy, grey-brown donkey of average height and build, with long ears and a short mane. Its body is accustomed to carrying heavy loads.
Attire: Initially wears no clothing, but is later clad in a large, shaggy lion's skin, which completely covers its body, making it appear much larger and more formidable.
Wants: To eat its fill of rice and barley without effort or consequence.
Flaw: Its true nature and inability to control its braying, leading to its downfall.
Starts as a working animal, briefly enjoys a period of deceptive freedom and abundance, then suffers a swift and brutal demise due to its own actions.
Timid, easily frightened, opportunistic (when disguised), foolish (revealing itself).
The Hawker
A lean, weathered man of average height, with sun-darkened skin from a life of travel. His build suggests a life of physical labor, carrying goods and leading an ass.
Attire: Simple, practical clothing suitable for a traveling merchant in ancient India: a dhoti (loincloth) and an angarkha (a type of tunic) made of coarse, undyed cotton. He might wear a simple turban or headcloth.
Wants: To profit from his goods and feed his ass cheaply by deception.
Flaw: His reliance on deception, which ultimately fails, and his lack of foresight regarding the ass's true nature.
Remains largely unchanged, serving as a commentator on the ass's fate rather than undergoing personal transformation.
Cunning, opportunistic, resourceful, pragmatic, somewhat detached (regarding his ass's welfare).
The Future Buddha
A man of sturdy build, indicative of a peasant who works the land. His skin is tanned from outdoor labor, and he possesses a calm, observant demeanor.
Attire: Simple, functional clothing typical of a peasant farmer in ancient India: a practical dhoti and a plain, loose-fitting cotton tunic, possibly with a shawl draped over his shoulders.
Wants: To understand and articulate the truth of situations.
Flaw: Not applicable; he represents wisdom and insight.
Serves as a voice of wisdom and truth, his character is already fully formed in his role as the 'future Buddha'.
Wise, observant, discerning, calm, insightful.
Locations
Barley Field
A field of green barley, likely surrounded by other cultivated lands or the edge of a village. The ground is soft earth where crops grow.
Mood: Initially peaceful and abundant, then tense and fearful, finally chaotic and violent.
The ass, disguised as a lion, grazes undisturbed, then is discovered and beaten by villagers.
Village Edge
The boundary of a village, where cultivated fields meet the first dwellings. It's a place where villagers gather and prepare for action.
Mood: Alarmed, determined, communal.
Villagers gather with weapons, blowing chanks and beating drums, before approaching the barley field.