In the Pantschatantra is a story of an enchanted Brahmin's son, who by day was a serpent, by night a man.
Vikramâditya's father, the son of Indra, was condemned to be an ass by day and a man by night.
A modern Indian tale is to this effect:—A prince marries a female ape, but his brothers wed handsome princesses. At a feast given by the queen to her stepdaughters, there appears an exquisitely beautiful lady in gorgeous robes. This is none other than the she-ape, who has laid aside her skin for the occasion: the prince slips out of the room and burns the skin, so that his wife is prevented from resuming her favourite appearance.
Nathaniel Pierce[1] gives an account of an Abyssinian superstition very similar to that prevalent in Europe.
He says that in Abyssinia the gold and silversmiths are highly regarded, but that the ironworkers are looked upon with contempt, as an inferior grade of beings. Their kinsmen even ascribe to them the power of transforming themselves into hyænas, or other savage beasts. All convulsions and hysterical disorders are attributed to the effect of their evil eye. The Amhara
- ↑ Life and Adventures of Nathaniel Pierce, written by himself during a residence in Abyssinia from 1810-19. London, 1831.
