The Monkey and the Crocodile
A clever monkey befriends a crocodile, sharing fruit. The crocodile’s wife demands the monkey’s heart; he tricks the crocodile by claiming he left it in a tree, escaping to safety—prizing wit over brute force.
Story beats
- 1) Monkey and crocodile share mangoes; crocodile’s wife grows jealous, craving the monkey’s heart.
- 2) Crocodile offers a river ride, intending to drown him. Midstream, he reveals the plan.
- 3) Monkey feigns agreement, saying his heart is stored in the tree. Crocodile returns to shore.
- 4) Monkey leaps to safety, ends the friendship, and warns about misplaced trust.
Context & symbolism
A Panchatantra fable, it teaches caution in friendships and quick wit under threat. The heart-in-tree ruse shows using an enemy’s assumptions. It also highlights consequences of spousal pressure and divided loyalties.
Variations across Asia keep the core trick and moral: choose allies wisely and keep your wits.
Motifs
- Predator-prey friendship gone wrong
- Midstream betrayal
- Feigning a detachable vital organ
- Escape through wordplay
Use it in play
- PCs offered transport by a dubious ally; mid-journey reveal tests quick thinking.
- Claiming a vital item is elsewhere to escape capture.
- NPC pressured by a partner to betray; social conflict resolution.
- A tree-home safe zone; only there can a hidden “heart” be accessed.
Comparative threads
- Outwitting death: Similar to “carry me on your back” trickster tales worldwide.
- Heart elsewhere: Echoes folktales of souls outside bodies (Koschei the Deathless).
Hooks and campaign seeds
- A ride across danger where betrayal is certain—prepare a lie to survive.
- Find where a villain hid their heart/soul; maybe it’s just a lie to stall.
- Mediate between spouses whose demands lead to treachery.