Simla Village Tales; Or, Folk Tales from the Himalayas

Chapter 3: THE CAUSE OF A LAWSUIT BETWEEN THE OWL AND THE KITE

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Mythology, Legends & Folklore Short Stories

About This Book

A collected set of Himalayan folk tales recorded from Simla district storytellers, offering short narratives that range from animal fables and origin myths to domestic legends, supernatural episodes, and comic anecdotes. Each tale conveys local worldview through clever animals, magical transformations, moral dilemmas, and temple or ritual lore, frequently resolving with ironic justice or unexpected reward. Arranged as concise, orally inflected stories, the collection preserves regional phrasing and communal concerns while mixing ghostly encounters, trickster adventures, romances, and practical wisdom. Select illustrations and brief editorial notes about the collecting process and translations provide framing for the assembled material.

THE CAUSE OF A LAWSUIT BETWEEN THE OWL AND THE KITE

The owl and the kite once went to law on these grounds. The owl said that she was the oldest creature in the world, and that when the world was first made, she alone existed. The kite objected. He said that he flew in the air and lived in the trees.

To prove which was right they went to law, and the owl pleaded that, since there were no trees at the beginning of the world, the kite was wrong in saying that he had lived in trees. The Judge therefore decided in favour of the owl.