Santal Tiger Stories

These are all stories from the Santal people who live in northern India and in Nepal. You can read more about them at Wikipedia. There are some other Santal stories about tigers here at this site in addition to the ones below: The Tiger's Foster Child, The Tiger's Bride, and also The Magic Bedstead.

Here are the stories you will find in this section. Reading all the stories will take less than an hour. When you find a really good story, try reading it out loud!

The Man-Tiger. This is a story about a were-tiger, a man who changes into a tiger and back again.

The Tigers and the Cat. This is a story about the cat lives among people while the tiger lives out in the wild.

A Fox, His Wife, and a Tiger. In this story, the foxes manage to escape from the tiger using only their quick wits.

The Story of a Simpleton. This is a story about a man with fool's luck who manages to escape from a tiger, a bear, jackals, and wild dogs.

The Ungrateful Tiger. This is a Santal version of the famous story of the tiger who goes back on a promise and plans to eat his rescuer.

The Tiger and Ulta's Mother. In this story, a tiger seeks help, repeatedly, from a human woman who has her doubts about helping a tiger.

Kara and Guja. In this story, you will read about two brothers named Kara and Guja who first overcome tigers and who then defeat a supernatural demon.

Image credit: Santal Dancers. Wikimedia.