Indian Fairy Tales · Chapter
XXV: The Demon with the Matted Hair explained
This chapter examines the Jataka tale of Prince Five Weapons and the Demon with the Matted Hair, tracing its parallels to the Uncle Remus story of Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby.
What happens
This chapter examines the Jataka tale of Prince Five Weapons and the Demon with the Matted Hair, tracing its parallels to the Uncle Remus story of Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby. It argues for a causal connection between the Indian original and the African-American variant, suggesting transmission via Buddhist missionaries through Africa and then to the New World via the slave trade. The chapter also discusses the identification of Buddha with the hare (as in the Sasa Jataka) and proposes that the tale may allegorically represent an eclipse of the moon, with the demon as Rahu.
Themes in this chapter
Cunning and Wisdom
Prince Five Weapons uses wisdom (the thunderbolt of Knowledge) to defeat the demon, while Brer Rabbit uses cunning to escape the Tar Baby trap.
Transformation and Metamorphosis
Buddha is reincarnated as a hare (Sasa Jataka) and identified with Brer Rabbit, showing transformation across lives and cultures.
Cultural Transmission and Borrowing
The chapter traces the journey of the Tar Baby story from India to Africa to America, highlighting cross-cultural borrowing.
Characters to notice
- Prince Five Weapons
The protagonist of the Jataka, who attacks the demon with five weapons and ultimately uses the thunderbolt of Knowledge.
- The Demon with the Matted Hair
The antagonist who is overcome by Prince Five Weapons; associated with the eclipse demon Rahu.
- Brer Rabbit
The cunning trickster in the Uncle Remus variant, identified as an incarnation of Buddha.
- Brer Fox
The antagonist in the Tar Baby story who sets up the trap for Brer Rabbit.
- Buddha
Identified with Brer Rabbit and Prince Five Weapons; the hare in the moon from the Sasa Jataka.
- Uncle Remus
The narrator of the Brer Rabbit stories, referenced as a source for the Tar Baby variant.
Key passages
“The fivefold attack on the Demon and the Tar Baby is so preposterously ludicrous that it cannot have been independently invented, and we must therefore assume that they are causally connected”
The similarity between the fivefold attack in the Jataka and the Tar Baby story is too absurd to be coincidental, implying a direct link between the two tales.
The author argues for a causal connection between the Indian and African-American variants.
“No wonder Brer Rabbit is so cute: he is nothing less than an incarnation of Buddha.”
Brer Rabbit's cleverness is explained by his being a reincarnation of Buddha.
The author identifies Brer Rabbit with Buddha based on the Sasa Jataka and Buddhist symbolism.
“For no well-bred demon would have been taken in by so simple a 'sell' as that indulged in by Prince Five-Weapons in our Jataka”
A sophisticated demon would not have fallen for the trick used by Prince Five Weapons, suggesting the original story may have been different.
The author suggests that the Jataka's moralizing addition (the thunderbolt of Knowledge) is a later interpolation.