The Mouse-deer and Its Mother-in-law
In short: A short Malay tale explains why a little bird that hops in front of a mouse-deer is called its mother-in-law.
¹ Based on the number of Atlas countries, capped at 10. ² Editorial suggestion for reading this page. Discover Black Horse’s question
Origin and tradition
Malay Peninsula
In Skeat’s record the mouse-deer and his mother-in-law once had human forms. After a quarrel, one becomes a mouse-deer and the other a brightly feathered bird. The bird goes on hopping in front of the animal as it walks. The story reads a movement said to occur in nature as the continuation of an old dispute. Skeat places the explanation just after the words spoken when making fire.
Dated records and sources
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1900 · Malay Peninsula
Walter W. Skeat · Malay Magic · Published collection
Country pages
Origin
Black Horse. The Mouse-deer and Its Mother-in-law. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-malay-mouse-deer/