Other editions of book Vikram and the Vampire, Or, Tales of Hindu Devilry

‘The genius of Eastern nations,’ says an established and respectable authority, ‘was, from the earliest times, much turned towards invention and the love of fiction. The Indians, the Persians, and the Arabians, were all famous for their fables. Amongst the ancient Greeks we hear of the Ionian and Milesian tales, but they have now perished, and, from every account that we hear of them, appear to have been loose and indelicate.’ (Goodreads)

‘The genius of Eastern nations;’ says an established and respectable authority; ‘was; from the earliest times; much turned towards invention and the love of fiction. The Indians; the Persians; and the Arabians; were all famous for their fables. Amongst the ancient Greeks we hear of the Ionian and Milesian tales; but they have now perished; and; from every account that we hear of them; appear to have been loose and indelicate.’ Similarly; the classical dictionaries define ‘Milesiæ fabulæ’ to be ‘licentious themes;’ ‘stories of an amatory or mirthful nature;’ or ‘ludicrous and indecent plays.’ M. Deriége seems indeed to confound them with the ‘Mœurs du Temps’ illustrated with artistic gouaches; when he says; ‘une de ces fables milésiennes; rehaussées de peintures; que la corruption romaine recherchait alors avec une folle ardeur.’

Soldier, explorer, and adventurer, British author CAPTAIN SIR RICHARD FRANCIS BURTON (1821-1890) is perhaps best remembered for his notoriously unexpurgated translations of The Arabian Nights and the Kama Sutra, which scandalized-and titillated-Victorian readers. Lesser known, however, is his intriguing collection of classic Hindu tales of adventure, magic, and romance, first published in 1870. Enlivened by Burton's own imagination-he was the first to translate them from Sanskrit-these stories purport to demonstrate "the exceeding folly of many wise fools," "the use and misuse of magic pills," "that a man's wife belongs not to his body but to his head," "the marvellous delicacy of three queens," and more. This obscure, delightful work is a fascinating look at both Indian mythology and Victorian cultural anthropology.

The story turns chiefly on a great king named Vikram, the King Arthur of the East, who in pursuance of his promise to a Jogi or Magician, brings to him the Baital (Vampire), who is hanging on a tree. The difficulties King Vikram and his son have in bringing the Vampire into the presence of the Jogi are truly laughable; and on this thread is strung a series of Hindu fairy stories, which contain much interesting information on Indian customs and manners. It also alludes to that state, which induces Hindu devotees to allow themselves to be buried alive, and to appear dead for weeks or months, and then to return to life again; a curious state of mesmeric catalepsy, into which they work themselves by concentrating the mind and abstaining from food - a specimen of which I have given a practical illustration in the Life of Sir Richard Burton.

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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

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