Black Horse

The Talkative Tortoise

In short: Two birds carry a tortoise by a stick. The flight ends when the tortoise tries to answer the people below.

The Talkative Tortoise · The power of silence FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 41 The Talkative Tortoise Two birds carry a tortoise by a stick. Origin Indian Buddhist storytelling tradition, Kacchapa Jātaka (215). Atlas record 1892 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF The power of silence Reach¹ 3/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 2 records · 3 countries or regions blackhorsestories.com

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

Indian Buddhist storytelling tradition, Kacchapa Jātaka (215).

In Jacobs’s 1892 telling, the tortoise falls into the palace courtyard at Varanasi. A royal adviser uses the fall to teach the king about when to speak. Babbitt’s 1912 telling focuses on the children calling up and the tortoise answering. It leaves out the conversation at court. The same flight reaches a king in one telling and speaks directly to the reader in the other.

Dated records and sources

  1. 1892 · Indian tale · London edition
    Joseph Jacobs · Indian Fairy Tales · The Talkative Tortoise · Published collection
  2. 1912 · New York, United States
    Ellen C. Babbitt · Jataka Tales · The Turtle Who Couldn’t Stop Talking · Public retelling

Country pages

Fairy Tale Glossary

Origin
Black Horse. The Talkative Tortoise. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-talkative-tortoise/