King Vikram and the Vetala
Indian tales tell of a king who tried to carry a spirit from a tree in a cremation ground, and had to listen to its riddles every step of the way.
What was reported
In the Vetala Panchavimshati, the Twenty-five Tales of the Vetala, the legendary King Vikramaditya of Ujjain promises a sorcerer to bring him a body hanging from a tree in a cremation ground. The body is possessed by a vetala, a spirit, and as the king carries it, the vetala tells him a story ending with a riddle.
If the king knows the answer and keeps silent, his head will burst; if he speaks, the vetala flies back to its tree. Again and again he answers, and has to start over, until at last a riddle leaves him silent.
Explanations offered
It's a classic collection of frame stories, written down in Sanskrit around the 11th century and told across South Asia ever since. Its puzzles about justice and duty are still loved, and it has been adapted many times, including the popular TV series Vikram aur Betaal.
- When
- Told for over a thousand years
- Where
- Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India
- Witnesses
- Indian storytelling tradition
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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