The Cruel Crane Outwitted
by Unknown · from Indian Fairy Tales
Adapted Version
Once, there was a big Crane. He lived near a small pond. The pond was getting very dry. Many Fish lived there. The Crane saw the Fish.
The Crane looked at the Fish. He thought of a plan. It was a not kind plan. He wanted to trick them. He sat by the water.
The Fish saw the Crane. 'Why are you here?' they asked. The Crane said, 'Your pond is small. Food is little. I think of you.' He was not truthful.
The Fish were not sure. The Crane said, 'Send one Fish.' A Scout Fish went.
The Crane took the Scout Fish. He showed him a big pond. The Scout Fish saw it. He came back to his friends. 'It is true!' he said. The Fish believed the Crane now. They were happy.
The Crane took the Fish. He took them one by one. He went to a big tree. The Fish did not come back. They disappeared there. The Crane was tricky. He did this many times.
Soon, all the Fish were gone. The Crane looked around. He saw a Crab. The Crane planned a bad trick for him.
The Crane spoke to the Crab. 'Hello, Crab!' he said. 'I will take you. To a new, big pond. Come with me!'
The Crab was smart. He did not trust the Crane. 'How will you carry me?' he asked. 'I will hold your neck. My claws are strong.'
The Crane said, 'Yes.' Crab held him. The Crane was too sure. He made a mistake.
The Crane flew. The Crab held his neck. The Crane went to the big tree. Fish did not come back. 'This is not the pond!' said the Crab.
The Crane laughed. 'Ha ha!' he said. 'I tricked the Fish. They are all gone. I will trick you too. No new pond for you,' he said meanly.
The Crab was not foolish. 'I am not like Fish,' he said. He held the Crane's neck. He held it very, very tight. 'You will not trick me. You made a mistake.'
The Crane was scared. 'Oh, my Lord!' he cried. 'Please let me live!'
The Crab said, 'Put me in the pond. Go now!' The Crane was scared. He went to the pond.
The Crane put the Crab down. The Crab let go. The Crane flew away fast. He was very sad. He was very scared. He could not trick anyone again. His bad plan was over. He felt very small.
A Wise Old Tree saw it all. The Tree said, 'Being kind is good. Being tricky is bad. The Crane learned a lesson. He will not trick again.'
Original Story
The Cruel Crane Outwitted
ong ago the Bodisat was born to a forest life as the Genius of a tree standing near a certain lotus pond.
Now at that time the water used to run short at the dry season in a certain pond, not over large, in which there were a good many fish. And a crane thought on seeing the fish:
"I must outwit these fish somehow or other and make a prey of them."
And he went and sat down at the edge of the water, thinking how he should do it.
When the fish saw him, they asked him, "What are you sitting there for, lost in thought?"
"I am sitting thinking about you," said he.
"Oh, sir! what are you thinking about us?" said they.
"Why," he replied; "there is very little water in this pond, and but little for you to eat; and the heat is so great! So I was thinking, 'What in the world will these fish do now?'"
"Yes, indeed, sir! what are we to do?" said they.
"If you will only do as I bid you, I will take you in my beak to a fine large pond, covered with all the kinds of lotuses, and put you into it," answered the crane.
"That a crane should take thought for the fishes is a thing unheard of, sir, since the world began. It's eating us, one after the other, that you're aiming at."
"Not I! So long as you trust me, I won't eat you. But if you don't believe me that there is such a pond, send one of you with me to go and see it."
Then they trusted him, and handed over to him one of their number—a big fellow, blind of one eye, whom they thought sharp enough in any emergency, afloat or ashore.
Him the crane took with him, let him go in the pond, showed him the whole of it, brought him back, and let him go again close to the other fish. And he told them all the glories of the pond.
And when they heard what he said, they exclaimed, "All right, sir! You may take us with you."
Then the crane took the old purblind fish first to the bank of the other pond, and alighted in a Varana-tree growing on the bank there. But he threw it into a fork of the tree, struck it with his beak, and killed it; and then ate its flesh, and threw its bones away at the foot of the tree. Then he went back and called out:
"I've thrown that fish in; let another one come."
And in that manner he took all the fish, one by one, and ate them, till he came back and found no more!
But there was still a crab left behind there; and the crane thought he would eat him too, and called out:
"I say, good crab, I've taken all the fish away, and put them into a fine large pond. Come along. I'll take you too!"
"But how will you take hold of me to carry me along?"
"I'll bite hold of you with my beak."
"You'll let me fall if you carry me like that. I won't go with you!"
"Don't be afraid! I'll hold you quite tight all the way."
Then said the crab to himself, "If this fellow once got hold of fish, he would never let them go in a pond! Now if he should really put me into the pond, it would be capital; but if he doesn't—then I'll cut his throat, and kill him!" So he said to him:
"Look here, friend, you won't be able to hold me tight enough; but we crabs have a famous grip. If you let me catch hold of you round the neck with my claws, I shall be glad to go with you."
And the other did not see that he was trying to outwit him, and agreed. So the crab caught hold of his neck with his claws as securely as with a pair of blacksmith's pincers, and called out, "Off with you, now!"
And the crane took him and showed him the pond, and then turned off towards the Varana-tree.
"Uncle!" cried the crab, "the pond lies that way, but you are taking me this way!"
"Oh, that's it, is it?" answered the crane. "Your dear little uncle, your very sweet nephew, you call me! You mean me to understand, I suppose, that I am your slave, who has to lift you up and carry you about with him! Now cast your eye upon the heap of fish-bones lying at the root of yonder Varana-tree. Just as I have eaten those fish, every one of them, just so I will devour you as well!"
"Ah! those fishes got eaten through their own stupidity," answered the crab; "but I'm not going to let you eat me. On the contrary, is it you that I am going to destroy. For you in your folly have not seen that I was outwitting you. If we die, we die both together; for I will cut off this head of yours, and cast it to the ground!" And so saying, he gave the crane's neck a grip with his claws, as with a vice.
Then gasping, and with tears trickling from his eyes, and trembling with the fear of death, the crane beseeched him, saying, "O my Lord! Indeed I did not intend to eat you. Grant me my life!"
"Well, well! step down into the pond, and put me in there."
And he turned round and stepped down into the pond, and placed the crab on the mud at its edge. But the crab cut through its neck as clean as one would cut a lotus-stalk with a hunting-knife, and then only entered the water!
When the Genius who lived in the Varana-tree saw this strange affair, he made the wood resound with his plaudits, uttering in a pleasant voice the verse:
"The villain, though exceeding clever,
Shall prosper not by his villainy.
He may win indeed, sharp-witted in deceit,
But only as the Crane here from the Crab!"
Story DNA
Moral
Even the most cunning villain will eventually be outsmarted and brought to justice.
Plot Summary
A cruel crane tricks fish in a drying pond into believing he will transport them to a better home, but instead, he eats them one by one. When he tries the same trick on a clever crab, the crab insists on holding the crane's neck with its powerful claws. Realizing the crane's deception mid-flight, the crab threatens to kill it. The terrified crane complies with the crab's demand to be placed in the pond, where the crab promptly severs the crane's head, bringing justice to the villain.
Themes
Emotional Arc
false hope to despair to triumph
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 common themes of morality and karma found in these traditions.
Plot Beats (16)
- A crane sees fish in a drying pond and devises a plan to eat them.
- The crane approaches the fish, expressing false sympathy for their plight and offering to move them to a larger pond.
- The fish are initially skeptical but agree to send a 'scout' fish to verify the crane's claim.
- The crane takes the scout fish to the new pond, shows it around, and returns it to the others, who then believe the crane.
- The crane begins transporting the fish, one by one, but instead of putting them in the new pond, he takes them to a tree, kills, and eats them.
- After eating all the fish, the crane spots a crab and decides to trick it as well.
- The crane offers to take the crab to the new pond.
- The crab, suspicious, insists on holding onto the crane's neck with its claws for safety.
- The crane agrees, not realizing the crab's true intention.
- The crane flies towards the tree where it ate the fish, but the crab notices they are not going towards the pond.
- The crane reveals its true villainous intent, boasting about eating the fish and threatening to eat the crab.
- The crab retorts that it is not as foolish as the fish and tightens its grip, threatening to cut off the crane's head.
- Terrified, the crane begs for its life.
- The crab orders the crane to put it down in the pond.
- Once in the pond, the crab severs the crane's head, killing it.
- A tree spirit witnesses the event and praises the crab's cleverness and the just outcome.
Characters
The Crane
A tall, slender bird with long legs and a long, sharp beak. Its feathers are likely grey or white, typical of a crane, with some darker markings on its wings or head. It has a graceful but predatory build.
Attire: None, as it is a bird.
Wants: To eat the fish and the crab, driven by hunger and a desire for an easy meal.
Flaw: Overconfidence and underestimating its prey, leading to its downfall.
Begins as a successful predator, tricking and devouring many fish. Its overconfidence leads to its demise when it attempts to trick the clever crab, resulting in its death.
Cunning, deceitful, cruel, gluttonous, overconfident.
The Fish
Small to medium-sized freshwater fish, likely with scales that shimmer in the water. They are numerous and live in a shrinking pond.
Attire: None, as they are fish.
Wants: To escape their drying pond and find a new, larger body of water to survive.
Flaw: Their desperation and naivety, which makes them easy prey for the crane's deception.
Initially skeptical, they are convinced by the crane's trickery and the testimony of their scout. They are all ultimately eaten, demonstrating the danger of misplaced trust.
Gullible, trusting, fearful, desperate.
The Old Purblind Fish
A large fish, distinguished by being blind in one eye. Its scales might be duller or more scarred than younger fish, reflecting its age and experience.
Attire: None, as it is a fish.
Wants: To verify the crane's claims for the benefit of its community and find a new home.
Flaw: Its physical vulnerability (blindness) and its eventual trust in the crane.
Serves as the initial test case for the crane's deception. It is shown the new pond, returns to convince its peers, and is then the first to be eaten by the crane.
Initially skeptical, but ultimately trusting and observant (despite its blindness). Considered 'sharp enough in any emergency'.
The Crab
A sturdy freshwater crab with a hard, protective shell, likely brown or greenish-brown. It possesses strong, pincer-like claws.
Attire: None, as it is a crab.
Wants: To survive the drying pond and, once realizing the crane's deception, to exact justice for the fish and save itself.
Flaw: Its initial vulnerability to the crane's offer, though it quickly turns this into an advantage.
Begins as the last remaining potential victim. Through its cunning, it turns the tables on the crane, saving itself and avenging the fish by killing the crane.
Shrewd, cautious, intelligent, resourceful, determined, vengeful.
The Genius of the Varana-tree
Invisible, as it is a spirit, but its presence is tied to the Varana-tree. If it were to manifest, it might appear as an ethereal figure woven from leaves and bark, or a glowing light within the tree.
Attire: None, as it is a spirit.
Wants: To witness and comment on the moral outcome of events, upholding the natural order of justice.
Flaw: None apparent, as it is a powerful, detached observer.
Remains a static observer, providing the moral commentary at the story's conclusion.
Observant, wise, just, appreciative of cleverness and justice.
Locations
Drying Lotus Pond
A not-over-large pond with very little water remaining, exposing muddy banks. Many fish are visible in the shallow water, and the surrounding area is likely parched and dusty from the dry season.
Mood: Desperate, vulnerable, exposed
The crane first encounters the fish and devises his plan; the fish are convinced to be moved.
Lush Lotus Pond
A large, fine pond covered with all kinds of lotuses, implying abundant water and lush vegetation. It is a stark contrast to the drying pond, suggesting fertility and life.
Mood: Deceptive, seemingly idyllic, bountiful
The crane shows the 'blind' fish this pond as proof of its existence, deceiving the fish.
Varana-tree on the bank of the Lush Pond
A large Varana-tree (Crataeva nurvala, common in South Asia) growing on the bank of the lush lotus pond. It has a fork in its branches where the crane disposes of its prey. The ground beneath is littered with fish bones.
Mood: Gruesome, revealing, place of betrayal
The crane devours the fish here, and later attempts to devour the crab. The crab outwits the crane here.