EIGHTH GOBLIN
by Unknown · from Twenty-Two Goblins
Adapted Version
Once upon a time, King Wiseheart carried a little creature on his shoulder. The little creature sat on his shoulder. He loved to tell King Wiseheart stories. King Wiseheart liked to listen.
The little creature began a new story. There were three brothers. They came from a rich family. Their father asked for help. He needed a turtle for a special meal. One brother liked food. One brother liked people. One brother liked soft things.
The brothers went to the ocean. They found a big turtle. It was for their father. No brother wanted to carry it. Brother Food said, "It feels strange!" Brother People said, "It smells funny!" Brother Soft said, "It is too hard!"
The brothers could not agree. They argued about the turtle. They needed help to decide. They went to King Wiseheart. He could help them.
King Wiseheart invited them for dinner. He gave them tasty food. Brother Food smelled the food. He shook his head. He said, "This food has a strange, sad smell. It comes from far away." The King looked into it. The rice grew near a burned place.
Next, King Wiseheart sent a helper. She was very pretty. Brother People saw her. He held his nose. He said, "She has a funny smell! Take her away!" The King asked why. She drank goat's milk as a baby. Brother People could smell it!
King Wiseheart made a soft bed. It had seven soft blankets. Brother Soft went to sleep. Soon, he jumped up. He cried, "Ouch! It hurts!" He felt a tiny poke. There was one small hair. It left a red mark on him.
King Wiseheart was amazed. The brothers were very special. He gave them many gifts. Each brother got shiny gold coins. They were very happy.
The brothers had many gifts. They were very content. They forgot their important job. They forgot their father's special meal. They forgot the turtle.
The little creature spoke to the King. "Which brother was the most special?" he asked. "Who was the cleverest one?" This was a tricky question.
King Wiseheart thought hard. "Brother Soft was the cleverest," he said. "The hair left a clear mark. We all saw it. His special feeling was true." Just then, the little creature slipped from King Wiseheart's shoulder. He tumbled to the floor. King Wiseheart smiled. He bent down to pick up his friend.
It is good to be special. But it is also important to remember your family. Always help your family. That is a very wise thing to do.
Original Story
EIGHTH GOBLIN
The Specialist in Food, the Specialist in Women, and the Specialist in Cotton. Which is the cleverest?
So the king went back under the sissoo tree, caught the goblin just as before, put him on his shoulder, and started toward the monk. And as he walked along, the goblin on his shoulder spoke and said: "O King, listen once more to the following story to beguile your weariness."
In the Anga country there is a great region called Forest. There lived a great Brahman, pious and wealthy, whose name was Vishnu-swami. To his worthy wife three sons were born, one after another. When they had grown to be young men, specialists in matters of luxury, they were sent one day by their father to find a turtle for a sacrifice which he had begun.
So the brothers went to the ocean and there they found a turtle. Then the eldest said to the two younger: "One of you take this turtle for Father's sacrifice. I cannot carry a slimy thing that smells raw."
But when the eldest said this, the two younger said: "Sir, if you feel disgust, why shouldn't we?"
When the eldest heard this, he said: "You take the turtle, otherwise Father's sacrifice will be ruined on your account. Then you and Father too will surely go to hell."
When they heard him, the two younger brothers laughed and said: "Sir, you seem to know our common duty, but not your own."
Then the eldest said: "What? Are you not aware that I am a connoisseur in food? For I am a specialists in foods. How can I touch this loathsome thing?"
When he heard these words, the second brother said: "But I am even more of a connoisseur. I am a specialist in women. So how can I touch it?"
After this speech, the eldest said to the youngest: "Do you then, being younger than we, carry the turtle."
Then the youngest frowned and said to them: "Fools! I am a great specialist in cotton."
So the three brothers quarrelled, and arrogantly leaving the turtle behind them, they went to have the matter decided at Pinnacle, the capital of a king called Conqueror. When they came there, and had been announced and introduced by the door-keeper, they told their story to the king. And when the king had heard all, he said: "Stay here. I will examine you one after another." So they agreed and all stayed there.
Then the king invited them in at his own dinner hour, seated them on magnificent seats, and set before them sweet dishes of six flavours, fit for a king. While all the rest ate, one of the Brahmans, the specialist in food, disgustedly shook his head and refused to eat. And when the king himself asked him why he would not eat food that was sweet and savoury, he respectfully replied: "Your Majesty, in this food there is the odour of smoke from a burning corpse. Therefore, I do not wish to eat it, however sweet it may be."
Then at the king's command all the rest smelt of it and declared it the best of winter rice, and perfectly sweet. But the food-critic held his nose and would not touch it. Now when the king reflected and made a careful investigation, he learned from the commissioners that the dish was made of rice grown near a village crematory. Then he was greatly astonished and pleased, and said: "Brahman, you are certainly a judge of food. Pray take something else."
After dinner the king dismissed them to their rooms, and sent for the most beautiful woman of his court. And at night he sent this lovely creature, all adorned, to the second brother, the specialist in women. She came with a servant of the king to his chamber, and when she entered, she seemed to illuminate the room. But the judge of women almost fainted, and stopping his nose with his left hand, he said to his servants: "Take her away! If not, I shall die. A goaty smell issues from her."
So the servants, in distress and astonishment, conducted her to the king and told him what had happened. Then the king sent for the specialist in women, and said: "Brahman, she has anointed herself with sandal, camphor, and aloes, so that a delightful perfume pervades her neighbourhood. How could this woman have a goaty smell?" But in spite of this the specialist in women would not yield. And when the king endeavoured to learn the truth, he heard from her own lips that in her infancy she had been separated from her mother and had been brought up on goat's milk. Then the king was greatly astonished and loudly praised the critical judgment of the specialist in women.
Quickly he had a couch prepared for the third brother, the specialist in cotton. So the critic of cotton went to sleep on a bed with seven quilts over the frame and covered with a pure, soft coverlet. When only a half of the first watch of the night was gone, he suddenly started from the bed, shouting and writhing with pain, his hand pressed to his side. And the king's men who were stationed there saw the curly red outline of a hair deeply imprinted on his side.
They went at once and informed the king, who said to them: "See whether there is anything under the quilts or not." So they went and searched under each quilt, and under the last they found one hair, which they immediately took and showed to the king. And the king summoned the specialist in cotton, and finding the mark exactly corresponding to the hair, was filled with extreme astonishment. And he spent that night wondering how the hair could sink into his body through seven quilts.
Now when the king arose in the morning, he was delighted with their marvellous critical judgment and sensitiveness, so that he gave each of the three specialists a hundred thousand gold-pieces. And they were contented and stayed there, forgetting all about the turtle, and thus incurring a crime through the failure of their father's sacrifice.
When he had told this remarkable story, the goblin on the king's shoulder said: "O King, remember the curse I spoke of and declare which of these three was the cleverest."
When he heard this, the wise king answered the goblin: "Without doubt I regard the specialist in cotton as the cleverest, on whose body the imprint of the hair was seen to appear visibly. The other two might possibly have found out beforehand."
When the king had said this, the goblin slipped from his shoulder as before. And the king went back under the sissoo tree again to fetch him.
Story DNA
Moral
True cleverness or exceptional sensitivity is often revealed in the most subtle and undeniable ways, and sometimes, extreme specialization can lead to neglect of basic duties.
Plot Summary
A king, carrying a goblin, is told a story about three Brahman brothers, each a specialist in food, women, or cotton. Sent to retrieve a turtle for their father's sacrifice, they refuse due to their extreme sensitivities, leading them to seek judgment from King Conqueror. The king tests each brother, confirming their extraordinary abilities: the food specialist detects corpse smoke in rice, the women specialist identifies a 'goaty smell' from a woman raised on goat's milk, and the cotton specialist is pained by a single hair under seven quilts. The king rewards them, but the goblin then challenges him to declare the cleverest. The king chooses the cotton specialist due to the undeniable physical proof of his sensitivity, and the goblin slips away.
Themes
Emotional Arc
curiosity to astonishment
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
The story is part of a larger collection of frame stories, where a king's wisdom is tested by a goblin through riddles embedded in tales. The emphasis on caste (Brahman) and religious duty (sacrifice) reflects ancient Indian society.
Plot Beats (12)
- The king is carrying a goblin who tells him a story.
- Three Brahman brothers, specialists in food, women, and cotton, are sent to find a turtle for their father's sacrifice.
- At the ocean, they find a turtle, but each brother refuses to carry it, citing their specialized sensitivities and disgust.
- They quarrel and decide to seek judgment from King Conqueror.
- The king invites them to dinner and tests the food specialist, who detects the smell of a burning corpse in a dish made from rice grown near a crematory.
- The king sends a beautiful woman to the women specialist, who detects a 'goaty smell' from her, later revealed to be from her upbringing on goat's milk.
- The king prepares a bed with seven quilts for the cotton specialist, who is severely pained by a single hair beneath them, leaving a visible imprint on his side.
- Astonished by their unique sensitivities, the king rewards each brother with a hundred thousand gold pieces.
- The brothers, content, forget their duty to their father's sacrifice.
- The goblin asks the king to declare which of the three specialists was the cleverest.
- The king judges the cotton specialist to be the cleverest, as his sensitivity had undeniable physical proof.
- Upon hearing the king's judgment, the goblin slips from his shoulder, and the king goes to retrieve him, continuing the frame narrative.
Characters
The King (Conqueror)
A man of regal bearing, likely of average height and build, with an authoritative presence. His features would reflect the Anga country's cultural background, suggesting a South Asian ethnicity.
Attire: Rich, flowing court robes made of fine silk or brocade, possibly in deep jewel tones like sapphire or emerald, with intricate gold embroidery. He would wear a jeweled turban or crown, and ornate gold jewelry appropriate for a monarch of ancient India.
Wants: To rule his kingdom justly, to understand the truth, and to reward exceptional talent.
Flaw: Perhaps a slight naivety or over-trust in initial appearances, though he quickly seeks the truth.
He acts as a judge and a facilitator, his understanding of human nature and sensitivity is deepened by the extraordinary abilities of the three specialists.
Wise, discerning, just, curious, generous.
The Goblin
Small, perhaps hunched or wiry, with features that are unsettling or grotesque. Its skin might be a sickly green or grey, with sharp, angular features. It's light enough for a human to carry on their shoulder.
Attire: Simple, tattered garments, perhaps made of rough, dark fabric, or it might be mostly unclothed, emphasizing its wild nature. No specific details are given, so it would be basic and unadorned.
Wants: To challenge the King's wisdom and perhaps to escape its captivity by posing riddles and stories.
Flaw: Bound by the curse to the sissoo tree, requiring the King to return it.
It remains largely unchanged, serving its role as a narrative device and a test for the King.
Cunning, manipulative, observant, philosophical (in its own way), persistent.
Vishnu-swami
An elderly, pious Brahman, likely slender from a life of devotion and study. His features would be consistent with an elder of South Asian ethnicity.
Attire: Simple, clean white or off-white dhoti and an upper cloth (angavastram) draped over his shoulders, indicating his status as a pious Brahman. No elaborate adornments.
Wants: To perform a sacred sacrifice and uphold his religious duties.
Flaw: His sons' arrogance and refusal to help him.
He initiates the conflict by requesting the turtle, but his story arc is not explored beyond that.
Pious, traditional, responsible (in initiating the sacrifice), perhaps a bit demanding of his sons.
The Specialist in Food (Eldest Brother)
A young man, likely of slender build, with an air of refinement and perhaps a delicate constitution, consistent with his South Asian ethnicity.
Attire: Fine, but not overly ornate, traditional attire for a wealthy Brahman, perhaps a silk dhoti and a finely woven kurta, in light, elegant colors. He would avoid anything that might feel coarse or unclean.
Wants: To maintain his refined sensibilities and avoid anything he deems impure or unpleasant.
Flaw: His extreme sensitivity and arrogance, which make him unwilling to perform common duties.
He demonstrates his extraordinary skill but his arrogance remains, leading him to neglect his filial duty.
Fastidious, arrogant, discerning (in his specialty), easily disgusted, self-important.
The Specialist in Women (Second Brother)
A young man, likely of average build, with an air of aesthetic appreciation and perhaps a critical eye, consistent with his South Asian ethnicity.
Attire: Similar to his eldest brother, fine but not ostentatious traditional attire for a wealthy Brahman, perhaps a silk dhoti and a finely woven kurta, in elegant, muted colors. He would prioritize comfort and aesthetic appeal.
Wants: To apply his refined judgment to the beauty and essence of women, and to avoid anything that offends his sensibilities.
Flaw: His extreme sensitivity and arrogance, leading him to reject even a beautiful woman based on an imperceptible flaw.
He demonstrates his extraordinary skill but his arrogance remains, leading him to neglect his filial duty.
Discerning (in his specialty), arrogant, sensitive to subtle qualities, self-important.
The Specialist in Cotton (Youngest Brother)
A young man, likely of slender build, with an air of extreme delicacy and sensitivity, consistent with his South Asian ethnicity.
Attire: Similar to his brothers, fine but not ostentatious traditional attire for a wealthy Brahman, perhaps a silk dhoti and a finely woven kurta, in soft, comfortable colors. He would prioritize the feel and texture of the fabric.
Wants: To maintain his extreme physical comfort and avoid any sensation that causes him pain.
Flaw: His extreme physical sensitivity, which makes him vulnerable to even the slightest imperfection.
He demonstrates his extraordinary, almost unbelievable physical sensitivity, which is ultimately judged as the cleverest by the King.
Extremely sensitive, arrogant, discerning (in his specialty), prone to physical discomfort, self-important.
The Court Woman
Described as the 'most beautiful woman of his court,' she would possess classic features of beauty for the Anga country, likely with graceful proportions and an alluring presence. Her skin tone would be consistent with South Asian ethnicity.
Attire: Exquisite court attire, likely a richly embroidered silk sari or lehenga in vibrant colors like crimson or gold, adorned with intricate patterns and possibly precious stones. She would wear fine gold jewelry, including necklaces, earrings, bangles, and anklets, and be anointed with fragrant oils.
Wants: To fulfill the King's command and present herself beautifully.
Flaw: Her unusual upbringing on goat's milk, which gives her a subtle scent imperceptible to most.
She serves as a test for the Specialist in Women, revealing his extraordinary sensitivity and her unique backstory.
Charming, poised, perhaps a little bewildered by the Specialist in Women's reaction.
Locations
Anga Country - Forest Region
A vast, natural region within the Anga country, likely characterized by dense vegetation and open spaces, where a wealthy Brahman's family resides.
Mood: Peaceful, traditional, setting for a prosperous Brahmanical household.
The home of Vishnu-swami and his three sons; where the father initiates the sacrifice requiring a turtle.
The Ocean Shore
The edge of a vast ocean, where the land meets the water, likely sandy or rocky, with the distinct smell of the sea.
Mood: Open, natural, a place of discovery and initial conflict.
The three brothers find the turtle for their father's sacrifice and begin their quarrel over who will carry it.
Pinnacle, The King's Capital
The bustling capital city of King Conqueror, suggesting a vibrant urban environment with significant architecture.
Mood: Grand, authoritative, center of justice and power.
The three brothers arrive here to seek judgment from King Conqueror.
King Conqueror's Palace - Dining Hall
A magnificent hall within the king's palace, designed for royal banquets, featuring grand seating and elaborate dishes.
Mood: Regal, opulent, a setting for formal dining and subtle tests.
The specialist in food demonstrates his extraordinary sense of smell by detecting the smoke of a burning corpse in the rice.
King Conqueror's Palace - Guest Chambers
Private chambers within the palace, furnished for guests, including a bed with multiple quilts.
Mood: Private, intimate, yet a place of unexpected revelations and discomfort.
The specialist in women detects a 'goaty smell' from the perfumed woman, and the specialist in cotton feels a single hair through seven quilts.