AROUND THE GLOBE TALES

Africa

• Friends
• The Root of the Matter
• The Three Runners
• Uncle Spider
• Royal Servant
• The Tailless Dassie

Bhutan

• Family Misfortunes

Birbal story

• Birbal Catches A Thief

China

• Gasping Grasper
• The Short-sighted Brothers
• Moment of Madness
• Secret Of Casket
• Chicken Feed
• Why Cats Chase Rats
• Struck by Lightning
• Sound Advice
• The Generous Student
• The Naming Game
• Butterfly Lovers

Europe

• Force of Habit
• The Fisherman Who Rose Too High

France

• Wish List

Indonesia

• Double Trouble

Italy

• Advice

Japan

• Learning from the Enemy
• The Witch in the Tower
• Little One Inch
• Not True
• Coloured

Korea

• The Tiger's whisker
• The Sun-Goddess of Korea

Malaysia

• Totally Useful Youth

Myanmar

• Immune to Flattery
• Stomach Problems
• Why Crows are Black

Nepal

• Top Answers
• Dreams

Persia

• Disputed Waters

Philippines

• Making Haste Slowly

Rome

• The Dissatisfied Devotee

Russia

• Passport

West Africa

• Tug of War

The Naming Game

The ambassador of Nippon presented a beautiful cat to the Emperor of China. The emperor became fond of the animal and took it with him wherever he went. People kept asking for the cat's name and were surprised when told that it had none.
Eventually the emperor decided that the cat should have a name. He called his ministers, the seven wisest men in the empire, and commanded them to find a suitable name for his pet within seven days.
At the end of this period they were summoned to the palace again, and asked for their suggestions. The youngest of the group thought he had found the perfect name.
"TIGER!" he announced proudly.
"Good name," said the emperor, after a moment's reflection. "The tiger is a noble and powerful beast."
"Noble, perhaps," said the second minister, "but it is not as powerful as the dragon. Can a tiger soar into the sky? No, but a dragon can! I think DRAGON would be a more suitable name for the cat."
"Clouds can go higher than dragons," observed a third minister. "A cloud is more powerful than a dragon. Let's call it CLOUD."
"Let's not be hasty," advised the fourth wise man. "Clouds may fly high but they are pushed around by winds. Winds are more powerful than clouds. WIND would be the most appropriate name for a great emperor's pet."
"WIND?" said the emperor, doubtfully. "Isn't there anything better?"
"There certainly is!" rasped the fifth wise man. "BRICK WALL!"
"BRICK WALL?"
"A brick wall can stop a wind, however powerful," explained the minister. " A brick wall is more powerful than the wind!"
"Oh, I see, " said the emperor. " Well, BRICK WALL is not a bad name. But isn't it somewhat long?"
"I have a shorter name," said the sixth minister. "RAT."
"RAT!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, RAT! A rat can eat through a brick wall, which makes it more powerful than the wall, more powerful than the wind, more powerful than..."
"I get your point," interrupted the emperor, "but can you call a cat, RAT?"
"Indeed you can't!" piped up the seventh wise man. "A cat is a cat is a cat. And if a rat is more powerful than the others the cat is even more so because it is mightier than the rat."
So the royal pet remained nameless in a way because from then on it was simply called CAT.