The Tiger and the Monkeys:
So as people may know, I’m really into Norse mythology. As I was reading this tale, I kept referring back to a similar Norse tale with Thor and Loki fooling the giants.
The tale begins with Tiger, king of all the animals, taking a leisurely stroll through the jungle. He hears this beautiful music, and can’t find the source of it because it’s coming from a tiny insect. Because he’s an insolent and ignorant king, he doesn’t realize it’s coming from Shalymmen, the tiny insect. Instead, he asks the monkeys above where the music is coming from and, because one of the younger monkeys is a clown, he says it’s his sisters’ singing.
Tiger’s like, “Alright then, you’re now my brother-in-law because I’m going to marry your sister.”
I’ve never understood this type of logic in fairytales. “Oh, I’m enraptured by your beauty, I shall marry you! Your voice is beautiful, I shall marry you!” You’re going to spend the rest of your life with someone you barely know based on one character quality? Come on. I guess that’s why they call them fairy tales.
Long story short, the monkeys trick tiger by decorating a clay image of a monkey in wedding finery, making sure the head is loose. Tiger comes along, puts a string of Betel-nuts around her neck (I guess Betel-nuts are part of some sort of wedding ritual among the Khasi people), pulls too hard on the necklace and takes the head clean off.
Truly, who could resist a bride so beautiful?
Image: Susan Bowswer's Pinterest
The monkeys gang up on Tiger and a bloody battle ensues. And that’s why, to this day, Tiger fears only the monkeys in the jungle.
This is very similar to the story, “How Thor Lost His Hammer” in Norse mythology. Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, is stolen by the Jotuns (giants), and when he and Loki go to bargain with the Jotuns to get it back they’re like, “Yeah, you can have it, as long as our king can marry Freyja.”
Freyja, of course, is like, “No.”
So all the gods and goddesses of Asgard come up with a plan to steal back the hammer.
Thor gets decked out in wedding garb, impersonating Freyja, and Loki acts as one of his handmaidens.
The beard is so inconspicuous.
Image: Wikipedia
They go to the hall of the Jotun king and a great wedding feast is held. Thor’s face is kept veiled the entire time so the Jotun king doesn’t see ‘Freyja’s’ beautiful face. So when the time comes for the ceremony and the ‘I do’s,’ the hammer is brought to the bride and Thor snatches it, revealing himself and laying waste to the Jotun king’s great hall.
While the story varies, the plot is almost the same. In both cases the family of the bride-to-be tricks the groom and has their revenge.
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