TENTH GOBLIN
by Unknown · from Twenty-Two Goblins. Translated from the Sanskrit
Adapted Version
The King was riding. A little goblin sat on his shoulder. "I will tell you a story, King." The goblin said. "It will make you happy."
The King lived in a big castle. He lived in a faraway land. He had three wives. They were Queen Crescent, Queen Star, Queen Moon. They were very, very soft. The King loved them much.
It was a sunny day. The King went to the garden. His three wives went too. They played.
Queen Crescent had flowers in her hair. A small petal fell. It fell on her lap. It tickled her too much. She made a little sound. She closed her eyes for a moment.
The King helped Queen Crescent. She soon woke up. He took her to the palace. She got a soft blanket.
Later, Queen Star slept close to the King. Moonbeams came through the window. They fell on her skin. She felt a little warm spot. She woke up fast.
The King saw her warm spot. He put cool leaves on her skin. Queen Star felt better then.
Queen Moon walked in the palace. She heard a sound. It was a little 'thump-thump' sound. It came from far away. Her hands felt a little funny. It was like a soft touch.
Queen Moon showed the King her hands. He saw them. He put soft cream on her hands. She felt better.
The King loved his wives. He loved them very much. He thought, "They are very, very soft!"
All the queens got well. The King was happy again.
The little goblin asked the King. "Which wife was the softest?" he asked.
The King thought for a moment. "Queen Moon is the softest," he said. "The sound made her hands feel funny. Nothing touched her. The others felt petals or moonbeams."
The King smiled. "Queen Moon is the softest!" he said. The little goblin smiled too. Then they went on their way.
Original Story
TENTH GOBLIN
The Three Delicate Wives of King Virtue-banner. Which is the most delicate?
Then the king went to the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his shoulder once more, and started toward the monk. And as he walked along, the goblin on his shoulder said: "O King, I will tell you a strange story to relieve your weariness. Listen."
There once was a king in Ujjain, whose name was Virtue-banner. He had three princesses as wives, and loved them dearly. One of them was named Crescent, the second Star, and the third Moon. While the king lived happily with his wives, he conquered all his enemies, and was content.
One day at the time of the spring festival, the king went to the garden to play with his three wives. There he looked at the flower-laden vines with black rows of bees on them; they seemed like the bow of the god of love, all ready for service. He heard the songs of nightingales in the trees; they sounded like commands of Love. And with his wives he drank wine which seemed like Love's very life-blood.
Then the king playfully pulled the hair of Queen Crescent, and a lotus-petal fell from her hair into her lap. And the queen was so delicate that it wounded her, and she screamed and fainted. And the king was distracted, but when servants sprinkled her with cool water and fanned her, she gradually recovered consciousness. And the king took her to the palace and waited upon his dear wife with a hundred remedies which the physicians brought.
And when the king saw that she was made comfortable for the night, he went to the palace balcony with his second wife Star. Now while she slept on the king's breast, the moonbeams found their way through the window and fell upon her. And she awoke in a moment, and started up, crying "I am burned!" Then the king awoke and anxiously asked what the matter was, and he saw great blisters on her body. When he asked her about it, Queen Star said: "The moonbeams that fell on me did it." And the king was distracted when he saw how she wept and suffered. He called the servants and they made a couch of moist lotus-leaves, and dressed her wounds with damp sandal-paste.
She gradually recovered consciousness.
At that moment the third queen, Moon, left her room to go to the king. And as she moved through the noiseless night, she clearly heard in a distant part of the palace the sound of pestles grinding grain. And she cried: "Oh, oh! It will kill me!" She wrung her hands and sat down in agony in the hall. But her servants returned and led her to her room, where she took to her bed and wept. And when the servants asked what the matter was, she tearfully showed her hands with bruises on them, like two lilies with black bees clinging to them. So they went and told the king. And he came in great distress, and asked his dear wife about it. She showed her hands and spoke, though she suffered: "My dear, when I heard the sound of the pestles, these bruises came." Then the king made them give her a cooling plaster of sandal-paste and other things.
And the king thought: "One of them was wounded by a falling lotus-petal. The second was burned by the moonbeams. The third had her hands terribly bruised by the sound of pestles. I love them dearly, but alas! The very delicacy which is so great a virtue, is positively inconvenient."
And he wandered about in the palace, and it seemed as if the night had three hundred hours. But in the morning the king and his skilful physicians took such measures that before long his wives were well and he was happy.
When he had told this story, the goblin asked: "O King, which of them was the most delicate?" And the king said: "The one who was bruised by the mere sound of the pestles, when nothing touched her. The other two who were wounded or blistered by actual contact with lotus-petals or moonbeams, are not equal to her."
When the goblin heard this, he went back, and the king resolutely hastened to catch him again.
Story DNA
Moral
Extreme sensitivity, even if perceived as a virtue, can lead to impracticality and suffering.
Plot Summary
King Virtue-banner, while carrying a goblin, is told a story about his three beloved but exceedingly delicate wives. Queen Crescent faints from a falling lotus petal, Queen Star gets blisters from moonbeams, and Queen Moon is bruised by the mere sound of distant pestles. The king is perplexed by their extreme sensitivities but eventually finds remedies for them. The goblin then asks the king which wife was the most delicate, and the king confidently answers that the one bruised by sound alone was the most delicate, before continuing his journey.
Themes
Emotional Arc
contentment to distraction to resolution
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This story is part of the Vetala Panchavimshati (Twenty-five Tales of the Vetala), a collection of frame stories from ancient India, where a king is challenged by a goblin (Vetala) with riddles or moral dilemmas.
Plot Beats (14)
- The goblin, carried by the king, begins a story to alleviate the king's weariness.
- King Virtue-banner of Ujjain lives happily with his three delicate wives: Crescent, Star, and Moon.
- During a spring festival, the king takes his wives to the garden to play.
- A lotus petal falls from Queen Crescent's hair, wounding her, causing her to scream and faint.
- Queen Crescent is revived and taken to the palace for remedies.
- Later, Queen Star sleeps on the king's breast, and moonbeams fall upon her, causing her to awaken with blisters and pain.
- Queen Star is treated with lotus leaves and sandal-paste for her moonbeam burns.
- Queen Moon, walking through the palace, hears distant pestles grinding grain and is terribly bruised by the sound alone.
- Queen Moon shows her bruised hands to the king and is treated with cooling plasters.
- The king reflects on the extreme and inconvenient delicacy of his three wives.
- The wives eventually recover, and the king is happy.
- The goblin asks the king which wife was the most delicate.
- The king declares Queen Moon, bruised by sound alone, to be the most delicate, as the others had physical contact.
- The goblin returns to his original place, and the king resumes his task of catching him.
Characters
King Virtue-banner
A man of regal bearing, likely of average height and a strong, healthy build, befitting a king who has conquered his enemies. His features would be considered handsome and noble, reflecting his status and the affection his wives hold for him.
Attire: Rich, flowing silk robes in deep jewel tones like sapphire or emerald, possibly embroidered with gold thread. He would wear a dhoti or similar lower garment, and a fine angarkha (a type of tunic) or jama (a long coat). Minimal but exquisite gold jewelry, such as armlets or a necklace, would adorn him, along with a jeweled turban or crown.
Wants: To live happily with his beloved wives and ensure their well-being, despite their unusual sensitivities.
Flaw: His deep love and concern for his wives, which makes him overly anxious about their extreme delicacy, leading to distraction and inconvenience.
He begins the story content and happy, then becomes increasingly distressed and perplexed by his wives' extreme delicacy. He ends the story still loving them but acknowledging the inconvenience of their sensitivity.
Loving, attentive, concerned, thoughtful, and somewhat perplexed by the extreme delicacy of his wives. He is a devoted husband and a capable ruler.
Queen Crescent
A woman of exquisite beauty and extreme fragility, likely slender and graceful. Her skin would be fair and unblemished, reflecting a life of luxury and protection.
Attire: A finely woven silk sari or lehenga in a soft, pastel color like cream or pale pink, possibly embroidered with delicate floral patterns. She would wear light, intricate gold jewelry, such as bangles, a necklace, and earrings. Her clothing would be of the finest, softest fabrics to avoid any irritation.
Wants: To live comfortably and be loved by her husband, avoiding any physical discomfort.
Flaw: Her extreme physical delicacy, which causes her pain and distress from minor stimuli.
She is introduced as delicate and demonstrates this by fainting from a falling lotus petal. She recovers with care.
Extremely delicate, sensitive, prone to fainting, and easily wounded by even the slightest physical contact.
Queen Star
Another beautiful and delicate queen, likely with a fair complexion that easily shows blemishes or burns. Her build would be slender and elegant.
Attire: A soft, light sleeping garment made of fine cotton or silk, perhaps a simple choli and a light sari drape, in a pale, soothing color like ivory or light blue. Minimal or no jewelry while sleeping, to emphasize her vulnerability.
Wants: To avoid any form of discomfort, especially from light and heat, and to be cared for by her husband.
Flaw: Her extreme sensitivity to light, which causes her physical harm even from gentle moonbeams.
She is introduced as delicate and demonstrates this by blistering from moonbeams. She recovers with care.
Extremely sensitive to light and heat, prone to blistering from moonbeams, and quick to express her pain and suffering.
Queen Moon
The most delicate of the three queens, her beauty is likely accompanied by an almost ethereal fragility. Her skin would be exceptionally fair and bruise-prone.
Attire: A luxurious silk sari or lehenga in a deep, rich color like royal blue or emerald green, possibly with intricate gold or silver embroidery. She would wear fine gold jewelry, but her focus would be on her bruised hands.
Wants: To avoid any sensory input that could cause her physical pain, and to be comforted by her husband.
Flaw: Her extreme, almost supernatural, sensitivity to sound, which causes her physical harm without direct contact.
She is introduced as delicate and demonstrates the most extreme form of sensitivity by bruising from sound alone. She recovers with care.
Unbelievably delicate, sensitive to sound to the point of physical bruising, and prone to intense suffering and weeping.
The Goblin
A small, grotesque, and possibly mischievous creature. Its exact appearance is not detailed, but it is capable of being carried on a human shoulder and speaking. It is likely dark-skinned or green-skinned, with sharp features and possibly glowing eyes.
Attire: Simple, rough, and possibly tattered garments, perhaps made of dark, earthy fabrics or leaves, fitting its wild nature. No elaborate adornments.
Wants: To engage the king in stories and questions, perhaps as part of a larger magical task or to test the king's wisdom.
Flaw: Not explicitly stated, but its repeated capture by the king suggests it is not all-powerful.
It tells a story, asks a question, and then returns to its original state (or escapes) after the king answers, only to be pursued again.
Clever, inquisitive, and a storyteller. It enjoys posing riddles or philosophical questions to the king.
Locations
King Virtue-banner's Palace Garden
A vibrant garden within the palace grounds, filled with flower-laden vines, where black rows of bees buzz. Nightingales sing in the trees. The air is likely fragrant with blossoms.
Mood: Joyful, romantic, playful, then suddenly distressed
King Virtue-banner plays with his three wives. Queen Crescent is wounded by a falling lotus petal.
King Virtue-banner's Palace Balcony
An open-air balcony attached to the palace, offering views of the night sky. It is exposed to the elements, allowing moonlight to enter.
Mood: Serene, intimate, then suddenly painful and anxious
Queen Star sleeps on the king's breast, and is burned by moonbeams.
Palace Hall / Queen Moon's Room
A quiet, internal part of the palace, likely with polished floors and solid walls that transmit sound from a distant grinding area. Queen Moon's room is a private chamber within this palace.
Mood: Quiet, then agonizing and distressed
Queen Moon hears the distant sound of pestles grinding grain, which causes her hands to bruise.