The Grateful Tigress

Once upon a time, a woodcutter went to the mountains to gather firewood. Suddenly, he heard a mournful groan coming from below, in the valley: "Oooh." The woodcutter followed the sound and came to a cliff, where there was a cave. Inside the cave lay a tigress, struggling to give birth. Her intestines had slipped out of her belly and had gotten tangled in a thorny bush. She was in unbearable pain, which is why she was groaning. When the tigress saw the woodcutter, she looked at him with deep sorrow, as if to say, "Save me, woodcutter!" and let out an even more pitiful groan. The woodcutter looked at the tigress and listened to her cries. He felt sorry for the poor creature. He ran home and said to his mother:

"I just saw a tigress lying in a cave. She can't give birth, and her intestines have come out. It's heartbreaking to see! You're the only one who can save her—everyone knows how skilled you are as a midwife! Let's hurry and go!"

His mother replied:

"Well, if her intestines have come out, she won't last long. We can save her, but we'll need to bring a basin of wine, splash it on her intestines, and then gently and carefully tuck them back into her belly."

So the woodcutter and his mother went to save the tigress. Indeed, she felt better, and she gave birth to four cubs. Before heading back home, the old midwife patted the tigress on the back and said:

"Times are hard for us. My son can't even bring a wife home. You should repay our kindness by bringing him a bride on your back."

The tigress nodded her head, as if she understood what the old woman had said.

Then, one night, when the north wind howled and snow fell in heavy flakes, a bride was being carried in a palanquin past the mountains. Suddenly, there was a deafening roar, like thunder, and five tigers rushed down from the mountain. The bearers of the palanquin scattered in all directions. The tigress and her cubs seized the bride and carried her to the woodcutter's house. They began knocking on the gate. The woodcutter himself came out to see what was happening. When he saw the bride, he was overjoyed beyond words. They held the wedding right away.

Word of this reached the parents of the groom whose bride had been stolen by the tigers, and they complained to the judge. The district magistrate summoned the woodcutter and interrogated him. The woodcutter told him everything that had happened. The official didn't believe him. So the woodcutter's mother went to the mountains to call the tigers as witnesses. Unafraid, all five tigers appeared in court. The judge trembled with fear but asked:

"Is it true that you brought the bride to the woodcutter's house?"

The tigers all nodded their heads in unison—yes, it was true. The judge didn't dare ask any more questions—he was too frightened—and so he released the woodcutter.

Not long after, a barbarian prince unleashed wild beasts upon the country. Even the bravest generals didn't dare to face them. The king then asked the woodcutter and his five tigers to save the country from disaster. Within three days, all the prince's beasts had disappeared, as if petals in a raging stream—the tigers had killed them all. The prince barely escaped with his life and never dared to attack again. The king rejoiced, bestowed upon the woodcutter the title of Commander of the Five Tigers, and ordered him to guard the borders. From then on, peace and tranquility reigned in the land.

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The Grateful Tigress

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