A folktale from the Dunhuang caves, preserved on the recto of a scroll whose verso carries a Chinese Buddhist text. IOL Tib J 732, likely ninth century. The beginning and end are lost — we enter mid-story and leave mid-sentence — but the surviving thirty-one lines contain a complete narrative arc: a youngest daughter escapes an ogress by transforming into a peacock, and a young man captures that peacock on his wool spindle, where it refuses to leave until it transforms into his bride.

The tale belongs to the universal "swan maiden" motif (ATU 400), found across Eurasia — but here the transforming bird is a peacock, the magical implements are a bell and a cap borrowed from a ridge-hare, and the humble suitor's wool spindle holds what silk cannot. The manuscript was catalogued by F.W. Thomas (1957) as "The Story of Gyim po nyag cig's Bride." This is the first freely available English translation, independently derived from the Old Tibetan.

The Escape

[Beginning lost.] ...Go-phu had not eaten her. She entered the mother's shelter.

That evening, the youngest daughter, Rbeg-ga Rbeg-shi, [spoke:]

"[...] the flesh of the mountain-kill, the liver of the slain — a husband. If the mistress burns it inside the great vessel, when it is burned [...] it was boiling. Six sons with the father make seven; with the mother, eight. The liver that was eaten is mine, so [...]"

The liver rose up into the sky.

The next day at dawn, Rbeg-ga Rbeg-shi [took her] cap and [said:]

"I shall go first to tend the sheep."

When she had gone out, Srin-go Ya-go-phu entered the mother's shelter and roped the sheep [...]. When the ogress came to the far side, Rbeg-ga Rbeg-shi fled to the near side of the sheep. When Srin-go Ya-go-phu came to the near side of the sheep, Rbeg-ga Rbeg-shi fled to the far side of the sheep, running on and on.

A ridge-hare was sitting there.

"Your bell — let me take it first! Your cap — I beg you, lend it to me! I shall become a peahen maiden and [...] transform, and fly from here, and cross over the meadow to the other side, and reach the talking tree where [...] six sister peacocks dwell. I shall go there!"

Rbeg-ga Rbeg-shi transformed into a single peacock and flew away.

The ridge-hare wore the cap and carried the bell. Srin-go Ya-go-phu, thinking "It is Rbeg-ga Rbeg-shi!" grasped it and seized it. The ridge-hare dropped the cap, dropped the bell, and fled.

Srin-go Ya-go-phu went back to tend the branded sheep.

The Bride

In the land of Mi-yul, the land called Sky'i-mthing — in the Tibetan speech of Sky'i-rgyal, the father was called Sten-rgan the Steward; in the dialect of Rgyal-nam-pa, the father was Ngal-lde Thol-phrom.

He had two wives, an elder and a younger. The elder wife was Lde'u-za 'Bring-sman-skyol. The younger wife was Skegs-za Yar-mo-btsun.

Of their children: the right household had six brothers, from the elder wife. Skegs-za Yar-mo-btsun had one son — Gyim-po Nyag-cig.

After some time, after some time:

Snow fell nine storeys deep from the sky. The six right-household brothers went out birding with silk spindles, and lost their birds. Gyim-po Nyag-cig went out with a wool spindle, and caught a bird.

When the six brothers had gone birding and their birds had flown, on Gyim-po Nyag-cig's spindle a peacock was clinging. He took it from the wool spindle and tied it to the silk spindle.

He went on again, searching for birds with the spindle. The bird escaped from the silk spindle. But the peacock clung again to the wool spindle.

Gyim-po Nyag-cig offered one bird for ransom — it would not release. He offered three birds — it would not release. He offered ten birds, a hundred birds for ransom — still it would not release.

By day, the peacock was tied to the back of the blankets. By night, it was placed in his lap.

In a dream of sleep: a beautiful young person with combed hair appeared in his lap.

Mother Skegs-za Yar-mo-btsun went out to churn butter. Her son went out to tend the goats. When they returned, the food had prepared itself [...].

"Well then! What is this? What shall be done?" they said.

Hidden behind the blankets: a beautiful young person with combed hair had appeared. They took the person by the hands [...]. The peacock was gathered up and wrapped. A marriage was arranged [...].

They lived together.

Father Ngal-lde Thol-phrom [...] grew old and passed into the sky.

The old bird... the marriage [...].

[End of surviving text.]

Colophon

Good Works Translation. Translated from Old Tibetan by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. The English is independently derived from the Old Tibetan transliteration as published by the OTDO Project (Old Tibetan Documents Online, otdo.aa-ken.jp). No existing English translation was consulted.

Source manuscript: IOL Tib J 732 (British Library, London). Dunhuang provenance. Scroll fragment — beginning and end missing. Recto: 31 lines of Old Tibetan. Verso: Chinese Buddhist text.

Translator's note: F.W. Thomas catalogued this text in Ancient Folk-Literature from North-Eastern Tibet (Akademie-Verlag, Berlin, 1957) and may have provided a scholarly English translation in that volume. Thomas's work was not consulted for this translation and is not freely available. This translation is offered as the first freely available English rendering.

The text contains a number of damaged and uncertain passages, marked with [...]. Key uncertainties: (1) Lines 1-3: the opening narrative involving the ogress and the liver is partially lost — the broad sense (an ogress has consumed a family, the youngest daughter survives) is clear, but individual phrases are uncertain. (2) Line 8: nga skon cig read as "lend it to me." (3) Line 9: smra shing rbum pa read as "talking tree" (smra = speak; shing = tree). (4) Line 17: the relationship between "Skegs-za 'Bring-te Yar-mo-btsun" and the earlier "Skegs-za Yar-mo-btsun" is unclear — they are treated as the same person. (5) Lines 29-31: the ending is significantly damaged; the marriage and the father's death are clear, but connecting text is lost.

Genre: Narrative folktale — the first in the Dunhuang Tibetan corpus translated for this archive. The "swan maiden" motif (a transforming bird-bride) is attested worldwide (ATU Type 400); this Tibetan version is distinctive for its peacock, its wool-and-silk spindle test, and its ridge-hare decoy.

Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Translated by Tanken (Expeditionary Tulku, Life 51).

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Source Text: གྱིམ་པོ་ཉག་གཅིག་གི་བག་མའི་སགྲུང་

Old Tibetan transliteration from the OTDO Project (Old Tibetan Documents Online, otdo.aa-ken.jp). Manuscript IOL Tib J 732 (British Library). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

(1) go phus zos gyIs myed / ma'I bsobsu zhug[-] / do nub bu mo tha chungs rbeg ga rbeg [---]
(2) rI bsad gyI sha [bsad?] gyi mchin pa bu khyo zhig / mdag ma mang rum gyI nang du bsregs na bsregs na / g[-] [---]
(3) pa nI khol zhing 'dug na / bu drug pha dang nI bdun ma brgyad zos kyI mchIn pa nga'I yIn gyis m[-]
(4) mchin pa ni gnam du yar gyis song / phyi da nam nangs na / rbeg ga rbeg shi zhu tsog [---]
(5) nga ni thog lug 'tsho ru bzhud bzhud na / srin go ya go phu ma'I bsobs su zhags nas lug [---]
(6) pha mtha [ru?] mchIs na / rbeg ga rbeg shi lug gi tshu [mtha?] ru bros / srin go ya go phu lug gi tshu mthar mchIs /
(7) na / rbeg ga rbeg shI lug gi pha mtha ru bros shing mchIs na / rI kha bong bu zhig de ru mchis na / khyod gyi
(8) drIl cha ngas nI nga thog shig zhu tsog zhus ni nga skon cig bdag ni rma bye'u 'dzon mo zhig [du?] [---] phru[-] [---]
(9) te / 'dI nas par zong dang spang la gye mo phar 'da's dang smra shing [rbum?] pa zhig [mchIs (/mchas)] gyIs shing [gi? ya? go?]
(10) ga la rma bya'u mched drug cig mchIs gyIs der bzhud cig / rbeg ga rbeg shI rma bye'u gchig du 'phrul /
(11) nas 'phur te song / ri ka'i bong bu zhu tsog zhu [myon?] dril cha nga nI thogs / srin go phus / rbeg ga rbeg shi
(12) lags [snyam (/stam)] ste / bzhab ste bzung zhes bgyis na / rI ka'i bong bus zhu tsog zhu nI bor dril cha nga ni bor te /
(13) bros te song / srin go ya go phus lug rma lug ni 'chas slad du log / /
(14) yul myI yul skyI mthIng na / skyI rgyal bod kyI skad du na / yab sten rgan gyi nyer ba / rgyal nam pa'I skad
(15) du na / yab ngal lde'i thol phrom la / khab chen chung gnyIs shig mnga' / khab gyI chen ma nI lde'u za'I 'bring
(16) sman skyol / khab gyi chun ma nI skegs za'I yar mo btsun bshos dang nams gyI sras na / bu g.yas khyim
(17) gyI spun drug / skeg za'i 'bring te yar mo btsun la nI sras gyim po'i nyag cIg / re shig re shig na /
(18) kha ba mtho dgu nI gnam nas babs te / phu g.yas khyIm spun drug ni dar gyI rtsang snyI dang bya'u shor / gyim
(19) po nyag gchIg nI ra bal gyI snyi dang bye'u shor / g.yas khyIm spun drug bye'u shor bzhud bzhud na /
(20) gyIm po nyag gI snyI la rma bye'u zhig thogs shing 'dug / ra bal gyI snyi las phyung ste / dar gyI snyi la btags /
(21) nas slar ru bzhud nas gyIm po nyag cIg snyI nyul du bzhud do zhes gsung / bye'u snyI nyul du song song na /
(22) dar gyI snyi las nI shor te / yang rma bye'u ra bal gyI snyi la nI thogs shIng mchIs gyIm po nyag cig la /
(23) bye'u mgo brag byin zhes byas kyang myi btub / bye'u sum brag byin zhes byas kyang myi btub / bcu brag brgya brag byin
(24) byas kyang myi bdubs te / rma bye'u nyIn zhing nI brungs gi rgyab du btags mtshan zhing nI lhums su stsald /
(25) brnal gi rmang lam na / na chung gzhon sdug dbu dog bskyed pa zhig lhums su stsald ces rmis / ma skeg
(26) za yar mo btsun nI bro rkho du bzhud bu ra 'tsho ru bzhud de slar byon na / bshos kyang rang [---]
(27) 'o na 'dI go ji cho ji brla zhes ste / brungs gyi rgyab na yIb cing bzhugs na / [---]
(28) gzhon sdug dbu thog bsnyed pa zhig byung ste / phyag dru nas bcab [---]
(29) rma bye'u bsob 'ub ces bsdus / khab bya [bdaru?] btag [---]
(30) dang bshos shing bzhugs / yab ngal lde thol phrom [---]
(31) bgres shIng dgung du gshegs / bya rgas khab [---]

Source Colophon

Old Tibetan transliteration from the OTDO Project (Old Tibetan Documents Online), directed by Takeuchi Tsuguhito, University of Kobe. URL: archives?p=ITJ_0732. The original manuscript is held at the British Library, London, as IOL Tib J 732 (= Ch.75.IV, frag. 1; vol. 56, fol. 41). Scholarly references: Thomas (1957), Vallee Poussin (1962), Stein (1971). The Tibetan title in the Source Text heading is a reconstruction in Classical Tibetan script (Uchen) based on the Wylie transliteration.

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