Summary
Summary of Tales of the Sun; or, Folklore of Southern India
Tales of the Sun; or, Folklore of Southern India at a glance
Summary: 8 min to read
- Reading time
- About 4 h 30 min3 h 35 min fast, 5 h 20 min slow
- Length
- 64,200 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1890by Mrs. Howard Kingscote; Natesa Sastri
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
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Key ideas
Key idea 1
A proverb carries a whole story
A deaf husband asks for his favorite dish, but his deaf wife cooks the usual meal. Angry, he goes to a crossroads, where a deaf shepherd mistakes him for a fortune-teller. A pointing hand seems to solve the shepherd's problem, yet the offered reward creates another misunderstanding.
The comedy shows how people can act confidently on the wrong idea. A Tamil proverb keeps the story ready for everyday use, carrying its lesson without turning conversation into a sermon.
Key idea 2
Gratitude matters more than promises
Gangadhara inherits a horoscope instead of an estate.
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Key idea 3
Watchfulness can look like unkindness
The dying king leaves his young son Sundara under the protection of Ranavirasing, while a disappointed minister becomes regent.
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Key idea 4
Goodness still needs to stay watchful
Prince Subuddhi believes that charity alone conquers.
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Key idea 5
Words can succeed where strength fails
Mr. Mighty-of-his-Mouth and Mr. Mighty-of-his-Hands live together to discover which ability matters more.
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Key idea 6
Clever women take control of danger
Women in these tales often understand a situation faster than the men around them.
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Key idea 7
Ask before judging an apparent crime
After Bodhaditya secretly acts to protect the king from dangers, the queen wakes to find him beside her.
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Key idea 8
Fortune meets faith in unexpected ways
Papabhiru brings the king a lime and a blessing each morning: good grows from good, and bad from bad.
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Key idea 9
Laughter leaves a lesson behind
Across these tales, jokes and adventures offer a shared way of seeing people.
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Go deeper: the whole of Tales of the Sun; or, Folklore of Southern India
About 4 h 40 min to read.Start freeWho it’s for
Readers who love fables, proverbs and trickster stories will find plenty here, and so will anyone curious about village life, customs and festivals in Southern India.
What this book is
What happens when a deaf husband, a deaf wife and a deaf shepherd all try to talk to one another? A cow goes missing, a calf is offered and refused, and a clever stranger walks home with the calf. That small scene opens Tales of the Sun, a collection of twenty-six tales from Southern India.
Georgiana Kingscote, who signs herself Mrs. Howard Kingscote, put the book together with Pandit Natesa Sastri, who corrected her early tellings and added tales of his own. You will meet clever wives, a tiger bridegroom, a goddess who weeps at night and a minister who cuts off his own fingertip.
In this summary
- 1Proverbs hide inside small stories about blundersFree
- 2A soothsayer's son tests his father's horoscope
- 3A faithful guardian protects a prince through one night
- 4Charity and its opposite travel the same road
- 5Wit beats strength in goblin, tiger and warrior tales
- 6Clever women outwit rogues, thieves and flatterers
- 7A lost camel leads to a king's three dangers
- 8Stories within stories teach a king to judge slowly
- 9Good deeds, light and fortune shape ordinary lives
- 10The tales work as teaching, comedy and folklore
Key point 1 of 10
Proverbs hide inside small stories about blunders
Many tales in this book exist to explain a Tamil proverb. The story of the three deaf men comes first for that reason. When someone acts on a mistaken idea and makes a mess, Tamil speakers say the matter ended like the story of the three deaf men.
A deaf husband asks his deaf wife for his favorite dish, but she does not hear and cooks the usual one. He throws the food at the wall and sits at a crossroads to cool down. There a deaf shepherd who has lost a cow and calf takes him for a fortune-teller. The husband points in anger, and the shepherd follows the pointing and finds his cattle. He offers the calf as payment, but its tail is crooked, and the husband thinks he is being blamed.
A proverb lets ordinary people carry a lesson into daily talk without a sermon. A proverb is a whole story folded small enough to carry in one breath.
That’s 1 of 10 key points.
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Check yourself
What do the animals and the goldsmith reveal in Gangadhara's story?
Right. “Loyal animals keep their word, while the man saved from the pit proves the worst friend.”Not quite. “Loyal animals keep their word, while the man saved from the pit proves the worst friend.”
Why do the ministers tell stories to the angry king?
Right. “The other ministers arrive, and each tells the angry king a short tale that argues for patience.”Not quite. “The other ministers arrive, and each tells the angry king a short tale that argues for patience.”
What often succeeds against force in these tales?
Right. “Quick wit often beats force, a clever woman can outwit a room of men, and a rash act can ruin good people.”Not quite. “Quick wit often beats force, a clever woman can outwit a room of men, and a rash act can ruin good people.”
Go deeper: the whole of Tales of the Sun; or, Folklore of Southern India
About 4 h 40 min to read.Start freePaperback, hardcover and large print, printed for you at cost, are on their way.Email me when it is printed
Questions about Tales of the Sun; or, Folklore of Southern India
Who are Mrs. Howard Kingscote and Pandit Natesa Sastri?
Georgiana Kingscote gathered the tales and wrote the introduction. Pandit Natesa Sastri corrected her versions and added tales he had collected, some first printed in The Indian Antiquary. Together they made the collection.
What does the title Tales of the Sun mean?
The book gives no long explanation of the title. It points to stories of Southern India, a land of strong sun, told for ordinary households. The subtitle identifies the collection as folklore from Southern India.
Are the stories true, and what do the Tamil proverbs do?
The tales are folklore, not history. Many are told to explain a Tamil proverb, such as the one about the three deaf men. The storyteller's moral often appears at the end, so each tale is easy to remember.
Cite this edition
Kingscote, Howard, Mrs., and Natesa Sastri. Tales of the Sun; or, Folklore of Southern India. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-of-the-sun-or-folklore-of-southern-india.
Kingscote, H., Mrs., & Sastri, N. (2026). Tales of the sun; or, folklore of southern India. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-of-the-sun-or-folklore-of-southern-india (Original work published 1890)
Kingscote, Howard, Mrs., and Natesa Sastri. Tales of the Sun; or, Folklore of Southern India. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-of-the-sun-or-folklore-of-southern-india.
@book{kingscote2026tales,
author = {Kingscote, Howard, Mrs. and Sastri, Natesa},
title = {Tales of the Sun; or, Folklore of Southern India},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tales-of-the-sun-or-folklore-of-southern-india},
note = {First published 1890}
}
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Get the full summary of Tales of the Sun; or, Folklore of Southern India, free
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