Folktales of Mothila

Mithila, the birthplace of Sita, is well known from Vedic times for her learning, scholarship and spirituality. But it is not much known that she is also rich in the traditions of rural culture. Folktales, folk art, folk dance, folk songs, paintings etc. are very much part of a vibrant social life in Mithila. While in ancient times, Mithila had an independent political and geographical existence, today it forms only a cultural region, extending to two countries, India and Nepal. Its southern part is now merged with the state of Bihar in India and the northern part with the Terai region of Nepal.

Folktales have been passed from one generation to the next by mostly oral tradition. We all have heard tales about the kings and queens, gods and demons, animals and birds in our childhood from our grandparents. The tales are mostly told to children at bed time or at other leisure hours. In the modern society with nuclear families and with the absence of elders, the tradition of telling the tales has been on the decline. People are forgetting the tales altogether. This has necessitated that they be compiled and preserved for the future generation. While there are several good compilations of folktales in Maithili language and a few in Hindi as well about the tales having their origin in Mithila’s culture, the English version is almost non-existent. In the modern age of e-books, it is totally absent on that platform.

I have attempted to bridge this gap by providing a modest collection of folktales, retelling them in English, for the benefit of society at large where neither Maithili books are available nor it is possible for people to read them. No compilation of folktales can ever be called exhaustive. While I have benefitted from earlier compilations in Maithili and Hindi, I have added several tales which I had heard in my childhood but did not find them in the available compilations in any language.
A very brief introduction to Mithila and its culture has been included for the benefit of the readers who cannot find easily accessible material on the subject. This also provides background material to help appreciate the subject matter of the tales.