Hello and welcome to Super Great Kids Stories.
Wise tales from storytellers around the world which will make you laugh and sometimes cry.
Recommended for ages 5 to 105.
I'm Kim and I love stories.
Today we continue our theme of animal stories and we have a story from India called The Brahmin and the Hole.
It's told by Toop.
How are you, super great kids?
I hope you had a good week.
Maybe you're learning how to do something new.
Just think, anything new that you learn right now, you'll be able to do for all of your life.
My dad taught me how to swim when I was five and now, many years later, I still really love swimming.
I went swimming in my friend's outdoor pool this week.
The water is pretty cold, but I really love swimming under a big sky.
Another of my reasons to be cheerful this week is that I've been visiting an old town in the west of England called Bath.
It's a Roman town which is over 2,000 years old.
It was called Bath because the Romans also liked swimming, and they built swimming pools in Bath where people could bathe and swim in the natural hot springs.
And my third reason to be cheerful is that I'm looking forward to two online shows this month.
This Saturday, March the 14th, There's an online show with guest storyteller Despina Ariou from Greece, who will be joining Amy and Jason telling stories about birds.
And there's an online scary story show for ages 8 and above on Saturday, March 28th with Jason Buck, Amy Douglas and me.
I'll be telling a Baba Yaga story.
Ooh!
And on March, the 21st, for anyone living near Cobham in Surrey in the UK, there's a free event at Cobham Bookshop at 1130, where I'll be signing books and telling stories.
More details about that on our website, supergreatkidsstories.com and on our Facebook page.
Now, I'm very pleased to be able to tell you that this week's story is told by two.
So, just before we hear his story about a Brahmin who is a sort of wise man, here's a question for you, while we have a quick word with the grown-ups.
How many Toop stories can you think of?
For those of you new to Super Great Kids Stories, Toop is a very popular storyteller and percussionist here on Super Great Kids Stories.
Maybe if you don't know Toop, you can just think of how many animal stories you can think of.
Here's a clue to one of Toop's stories to get you started.
A ticky tacky tick, a ticky tacky tick.
Here I go with my walking stick.
Ready?
Off you go.
Hello, super great kids.
I'm back.
I wonder how many Toop stories you got.
Do you know there are 30 stories told by Toop on our podcast?
Hands up if you got five of them.
Oh, well done you.
And maybe ten of them?
Give yourself a pat on the back if you got ten.
Here are just a few.
Stick Woman, Anansi and Tiger Fat.
How the Whale Got Its Sad Song.
How Snakes Got Their Poison.
Coyote and baby turtle.
Tiange and the yellow dress, Buki dances the coquioco and Guatamama.
So here is two telling another story, an old fable from India called The Brahmin and the Hole.
See if you can work out which animals are in this story.
Are you sitting comfortably?
Am I sitting comfortably?
Then let's give a very warm welcome to Toop.
Greeting Super Great Kids listeners.
Some of you I have met, we have met at various Storytelling Super Great Kids events.
Here's a story I want to share with each and every one of you.
It's called The Brahman Story. and the animals in the hole.
Once upon a time, there is a Brahman and his wife.
The Brahman is a learned man, a man of books, a man who understands the way of nature, the stars, the planets.
The people would approach the Brahman for advice because he was a man of knowledge.
And One day his wife came to him saying Brahmin, there is nothing in the cupboards for us to eat and people do not need your knowledge of plotting the stars.
We need to earn some money.
Go out amongst the village and see if there's work to be had.
The Brahmin He said to his dear sweet wife, yes, yes, yes, of course, no problem.
And so he went from house to house, asking if there was any odd jobs that needed to be done.
The cutting of the hedge, the cutting of the grass.
But each and every person said no.
They have no work for the Brahmin.
The Brahmin. could not find any work.
And the morning had passed and the midday was there before him.
The Brahmin thought, I cannot go home to my wife without even earning a penny or a loaf of bread.
Ah, I will go to the next village and inquire for work.
The Brahmin had to pass a forest, to get to the next village.
And as the Brahmin walked through a dense forest, he heard.
Whoa, the Brahmin stopped and wondered, what kind of sound is that?
He took another step or two and then he heard once again.
Whoa, said the Brahmin.
That sounds very, very strange indeed.
He walked in the direction of the sound until he came to a hole in the ground.
It was a disused well.
You know, a well that used to have water that no longer holds water?
That's what it was.
When the man looked down into the hole of that disused well, he saw eyes looking back up at him, an orange, stripy skin with a flickering tail.
What creature do you think that is?
Yes, it's a tiger.
And the tiger looked up at the man and growled, Brahmin, Brahmin, set me free from this hole.
One day I may be of assistance to you.
The Brahmin looked down in that hole and replied to the tiger, Tiger.
If I set you free, you may attack me.
You may bite me.
You may want to eat me.
No, I cannot do such a thing.
But the tiger replied Brahman Brahman, by the stripes upon my skin.
I am a general and I give you my word.
I may help you one day.
Call upon me three times and I will be of assistance to you.
The Brahmin, he said, just wait one minute.
The Brahmin went to one side and he started to think to himself how can I, a learned man, a man of books, leave a creature which is asking for my assistance?
And then he went back to the hole.
Looking down, he said, Tiger.
Tiger.
I will set you free, but if you bite me or attack me, let it be upon your head, for I have shown you kindness.
Thank you, thank you, said the tiger and the brahman.
He took a large log which was lying down upon the ground and he put it into that hole.
And the tiger he opened his claws and he dug them into that log and started to clamber and climb out of the hole.
Until now he was upon level ground, shaking his skin.
He said to the brahman thank you, Thank you.
You may call upon me three times, and I, if it is within my power, will assist you.
Then the general, Tiger, he turned around and bounded off.
But before he was gone he turned once again, looking at the Brahmin, saying There's another creature in the hole.
And then he was gone.
The Brahmin looked into the hole and he saw, yes, there was another creature there in the hole.
It had strange eyes and a scaly, scaly skin.
Long it was, stretching out.
What creature do you think that was?
Yes, it was a snake.
And the snake looked up, saying Brahman, set me free, as you set free the general tiger, and you may call upon me three times and I may be of assistance to you.
The Brahmin, looking down at the hole, said, Snake, snake, you are very tricky.
You can shed your skin.
Who knows what you become?
No, I cannot give you my word.
Oh, said the snake, please set me free and I will be of assistance to you.
Once again, the Brahmin said, asked himself how do I, a man of books, a learned man, turn away from a creature which is asking for my assistance?
Once again he put the log down into the hole and he said to the snake snake, if you bite me, if you send your poison into my bloodstream, let it be upon your head, for I have shown you kindness.
And that snake.
It coiled itself around that log like a corkscrew and it started to sliver and turn and twist and turn until it reached the top of that log and now was on level ground.
Call upon me and i may be of assistance to you.
And then that huge snake slithered off.
But before it was gone it turned around saying there's another creature inside the hole.
And that snake was gone.
The brahman approached the hole again, looking down, saw another creature, Eyes looking up at him furry, furry skin, with a long, long tail.
And that creature was chittering and chattering and chattering and chittering.
What creature do you think it was?
It was a monkey.
It was monkey.
And monkey looked up and said, set me free.
You set free the general.
Now you must set me free, as you set free the snake.
The Brahmin looked at monkey, saying Monkey, you are even more tricky, for what you say now in one minute will be something else, and your tricks and your games I cannot rely upon.
But the monkey, looking up at the Brahmin, said brahman brahman, i give you my word.
By the honor of hanuman, that god from india, i tell you, you may call upon me three times and i will bring you the fruits of the forest.
Once again, the brahman took himself to one side, thinking i set free the general tiger, i set free the snake.
How do I leave a creature there in the hole which is asking for my assistance?
He put the log down into the hole and said, Come.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch.
The monkey.
He opened up his palms and his feet and he clambered up that log and now was on level ground.
The monkey chittering and chattering.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch.
Thank you.
Thank you, Brahmin.
Thank you.
Listen.
You may call upon me three times and I will bring you the fruits of the forest.
And then that monkey leapt up into the branches of the trees and was just out of sight.
Then he turned and said, There's another creature in the hole.
And the monkey was gone.
The Brahmin, he went to that hole, once again looking down.
He saw that there were eyes looking back up at him.
The eyes had a nose.
The nose had a mouth.
The mouth was in a face.
The face looked up, shining.
Do you know what creature it was?
It was another human being, a man.
And the two of them looked at each other.
And the man in the hole said, Brahmin, Brahmin, I'm like you and you are like me.
We all fell into this hole.
And now you have set free the general, tiger.
And you set free the snake.
And you set free the monkey.
Surely you set me free.
I'm not like them.
Once again, the Brahmin said, He said, Of course, of course I will set you free, no problem.
He put down that log and that man climbed out of that disused well.
Now on level ground, the man said, I am a goldsmith.
I make jewellery for the royal family, silver and gold.
I live in the next village.
If you need my assistance, call upon me.
And the man said, was gone.
Once again the Brahmin found himself in that forest, standing by the hole.
He had not earned a crust of bread or even a penny for the day.
And the man said, What am I to do?
Then he thought.
The monkey.
He said that he would be of assistance to me.
So the Brahmin, he called for that monkey three times. call with me.
Monkey, monkey, monkey.
And there all the leaves from the trees.
They started to fall down this way and that way like snow on the ground.
It was the monkeys.
They came leaping, bounding through the trees, throwing down pineapples apples pears mangoes peaches, the fruits of the forest.
The Brahmin was so happy, picking up bananas and oranges and apples, and he thanked the monkeys.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
The Brahmin, he filled his bag.
He sat down for a while eating an apple, peeling an orange, and when he was full he rose up and started to make his way to the next village.
Then the Brahmin thought, That tiger, the general, he said he will help me.
So the Brahmin called for the general tiger three times.
Call with me.
Tiger!
Tiger!
Tiger, tiger, and bounding out from the forest, there came the general, orange and stripy.
There was the general standing there, and in its mouth he carried a pouch.
The tiger threw down that pouch and looked at the Brahmin, saying, Brahmin, this is for you.
One day When I was in my cave, resting, I saw some people come into Treasure of some sorts.
I allowed them to do their bidding.
But then I roared, this is my cave.
And they went running away, afraid and scared and did not return.
Brahman, I bring you what they left behind.
And with that, the general turned around and bounded off and was gone.
And the man, he picked up that bag and he opened it up and found inside treasure, gold, tiaras.
There was diamonds and jewels inside that bag and the Brahmin, he tied it up and said, this is good.
I will take this treasure to the man.
He will know the value and he will be able to give me that in money.
So the Brahmin found himself in the village.
The sun had started to set and the brahman now found himself knocking at the door of that man that he set free from that hole.
The door was open and there stood the man before the brahman.
Ah, said the man.
So you have come to see me.
Yes, said the brahman, and he entered into the goldsmith's house.
He sat down and the Brahmin said The monkeys.
They brought me the fruits of the forest.
And the general, he brought me this bag of treasure.
I've come to you because you will know the value.
The man opened the bag and inside he saw the treasure.
Ah, said the jeweller, tying up the bag.
Wait here.
I will go and weigh it.
I will see the value and then I shall return and give you the money in kind.
The Brahmin sat down in the jeweller's house and the jeweller took himself straight to the king's palace and he was ushered into the palace and stood now before the king.
The king looked at the jeweller saying, Yes, and how can I help you, jeweller?
The jeweller said King, Can you remember when I made for you and the queen your crown and your jewels, your rings and your necklaces?
Ah, said the king, do not remind me.
I remember.
And they were all stolen, all gone.
Now what is it you have to say?
Ah, said the jeweller, the thief I have at my house.
Bring your guards and we will go and we will get him now and throw him into the dungeons.
Ah, said the king, this is good.
And the guards, they went to the house of the jeweller.
And they broke down the doors.
And the Brahmin sat there thinking to himself, What is happening?
But in they came.
And they picked up the Brahmin, saying, You are a thief.
You have stolen the king's treasure.
The Brahmin looked at them, saying, No, no, I am not a thief.
I've stolen nothing.
Why do you accuse me?
But they took him to the palace and threw him in the dungeons.
The Brahmin sat there in a dark, damp dungeon.
Dripping with water.
And the Brahmin shivered.
And he said out loud, what have I done?
I helped creatures out from a hole.
The general tiger, the monkey, the man.
And now look at me.
Look.
I wonder if you can remember which animal he can call now.
Yes, the snake.
So let's call the snake three times.
Snake, snake, snake.
And the snake slithering can move through the crevices and through the holes, found itself in the dungeon of the Brahmin.
And the Brahmin looked at the snake saying, Snake, look at my calamity.
Here I am in this dungeon.
Is there any way that you can help me?
And the snake said, Yes.
Listen, said the snake.
One day when the king and his dead daughter was out picnicking on the grass, I was hungry.
I was slithering through the grass and I saw that juicy ankle and I bit into that ankle before I slithered off and away.
Now the king's daughter is sick, lying in her bed.
I can give you the antidote.
Administer it to the king's daughter and she shall be revived once again.
The snake slithered off and that snake was gone.
Soon as he was gone, Soon that he returned, and in its mouth there was the antidote leaves of herbs.
The snake said to the Brahmin Now knock upon the door and tell the guards that you can cure the king's daughter and that you have the antidote.
And with that, the snake slithered through the crevices and the holes and was gone.
The Brahmin knocked upon the door.
Guards, guards, set me free.
I am a Brahmin, a man of learning and knowledge.
I am aware of the king's daughter.
I can cure her.
I can cure her.
The guards, hearing the Brahmin confess such a thing, went before the king and told the king that the Brahmin can cure the king's daughter.
The king wasted no time and he sent for the Brahmin that stood now before him.
And the king said, Brahmin, is it true that you can cure my daughter?
And the Brahmin said, yes.
Just allow me to be in the bedchamber just for a moment and you shall see she will be revived.
The king said, If you cannot do what you say you can do, then back into the dungeons with you.
The Brahmin was ushered into the king's daughter's bedroom and the door was closed behind him.
The Brahmin took the antidote, the cure, out from his pocket and placed the herb between the lips of that princess.
And she chewed upon those herbs until she was revived.
She opened her eyes.
She breathed in deeply.
And then, when she saw the Brahmin standing before her, she asked, Who are you?
And he said, I, I am your doctor.
Guards, come in, come in.
She is awake.
The guards, they called for the king.
The king, he rushed into the bedroom of his daughter.
She sat up looking at her father with open arms and they embraced.
She was well.
The king took the Brahmin to one side and asked How does a learned man like you become a thief, stealing the treasure and the jewels of a king?
Tell me.
The Brahmin revealed his story of how he left his village that morning, of how he walked through the forest, of how he heard the sounds, of how he freed the creatures from the hole, of how he went before the jeweller taking the treasures.
He revealed the whole story to the king.
The king listened and said to the Brahmin, Now I understand.
That man, he is the royal jeweller and he stole my jewels and he tried to pin it on you so that he will get away with my treasure.
And so it was.
The guards.
They went to the jeweller's house and they took that jeweller and put him inside the dungeons where, as far as I know, he still sits.
The king said to the brahmin Now What can I give you for returning to me my jewels and pointing out the true thief?
And the Brahmin said, All I wish is to return to my village and see once again my wife.
And the king said, I will give you more than that.
The king gave the Brahmin treasures, a bag full.
And that Brahmin left that king's palace, returned back to his village and when he entered his house, his dear, sweet wife said Brahmin, you've been away for a day and a night and I wondered about you.
Did you bring back any money?
And the Brahmin opened his bag of treasure and within their humble dwelling lay All the treasure sparkled and glinted, and they were happy ever after.
Oh, thank you too for sharing that story with us.
What did you like about that story?
I liked the fact that it had a bit of a twist to its tail.
That means an unexpected bit.
In this case, the moment where, after all the animals had been grateful and helped the Brahmin, the jeweller suddenly turned mean towards the wise man.
I also liked the voice that Toop used for the tiger and that marvellous snake sound effect.
Can you make that snake noise?
What animal noise would you most enjoy making if you were telling that story?
Did you know that tigers are super strong swimmers and sometimes swim more than seven kilometres a day?
More facts about tigers and about India in our Owlet Letter for subscribers.
I wonder what picture you'd draw for that story.
I think I'd probably draw the tiger bringing a pouch of treasure out of his cave to thank the wise man.
Except that I think tigers might be a bit tricky to draw.
I suppose I could draw a big cat and colour it orange with black stripes.
Send your pictures via our website to supergreatkidsstoriescom and we can share them with other story lovers on our website picture gallery and on our Facebook page facebookcom.
Forward slash supergreatkidstories.
And now it's time to fly around the world with StoryOwl to say hello and thank you to the owlets who've recently hopped into our nest and joined our storytelling club.
Starting in Singapore...
Let's say hello to Pratam, who is 11 and from India, but living in Singapore.
Pratam's favourite stories are all of the Anansi ones, as well as The Cat That Ate the Palace.
And Pratam's mum likes Bonita the Tricky Sheep.
Me too.
A long flight all the way across the Indian Ocean and the Pacific to Canada, now where Owlets Jane, who is seven, and Grace, who is five, live in Vancouver.
They listen on the way to school, back at home, before sleep, and actually everywhere they go.
They recently got the Super Great Kids Stories book and they say they can't choose a favourite story because they love them all.
A short hop across the border now to Seattle in the US, to greet Iris, who's four and a half, and her little sister Ada, who's one and a half.
They've both recently been enjoying the songs in The Magic Orange Tree, a story from Haiti.
And let's keep heading south now, to California, to say hoo hoo hoo, hoo hoo to Owlets Heron, who is six, and her three-year-old sister Serene, who live in Santa Barbara.
Heron's favourite story is The Two Silly Witches, and they also say Dave enjoyed reading the book since getting it for Christmas.
Hurrah.
Hop across to the state next door.
Now to arizona to say hello to leon, who is nine, and margot, who is five.
They live in tucson.
Leon's favorite story is bring me a light from spain, and margot's is the little fir tree from denmark.
She also loves the boy who drew cats a story from japan.
We fly further east to Austin in Texas next to greet five-year-old owlet Cora, who loves the scary stories, especially Molly and the Skeleton and all the Baba Yagas.
She says thanks for the great sound effects.
Oh, thank you, Cora.
She also loves Bonnie to the Tricky Sheep.
Great story choices.
North now to Indiana to say hello to Larissa, who has not one but two favourite stories.
Eve of the Selkie Folk, a story about a mermaid from Wales.
And The Ghost of the Bloody Finger, told by Tienan.
Very brave to listen to that one, Larissa.
Over to the east side of the US, now to Westchester Pennsylvania, to say hello to Claire, who's seven
Claire loves the Baba Yaga stories.
Good choice.
Me too.
She is a wonderful witch, isn't she, Claire?
And finally, let's fly right the way across the Atlantic Sea to the UK to greet Owlet's Delphi, who just turned six.
And Oak, who is three.
They live in Bude in Cornwall.
Lucky you.
They love listening in the morning, at bedtime and when their dad is on the sofa with them watching footy on the TV.
Their favourites are Anansi and Number Five, The Bird of a Thousand Colours, The Rain Bird and Stone Soup.
And we love seeing all your drawings.
Our Pick of the Week picture this week goes to eight-year-old Ralph in the UK, who was inspired by the scary story Molly and the Skeleton.
I love the illustration you sent us, Ralph.
We've got Molly settling down in the comfy armchair to sleep in the haunted house surrounded by spiders and bats.
And then seeing the skeleton coming down the chimney.
Yikes!
You really captured that story well.
Well done.
A marvellous drawing of a fun, spooky story.
Thanks very much, Ralph.
If you want to see that picture and others, go to our website supergreatkidsstoriescom and click on the tab Artwork and Photos.
Go to our Facebook page facebookcom.
Forward slash supergreatkidsstories.
And if you follow us on Instagram, you can see our picture gallery at supergreatkids underscore art.
Thanks to all Owlets for your super great support.
It's because of you that we can keep finding new storytellers in different countries.
If you'd like to support us on Patreon or on Apple Podcasts, we'll say hello to you on the show.
You can hear our stories advert free and you'll have access to all the stories in our super great archive.
Plus, depending on your level of subscription, you'll have access to at least 45 super great scary stories and over 60 bonus stories.
And you'll get access to our Super Great Kids Stories Express with short introductions, no adverts, purely story.
Great for listening to stories back to back.
Visit our website for more details, supergreatkidsstories.com.
And if any of you happen to live near Cobham in Surrey, do come to a free event at the Cobham Bookshop on March, the 21st, at 1130, where I'll be signing books and telling stories.
It'll be lovely to meet some of you.
Ooh, and remember that Despina from Greece, who told you the magical sneeze, and recently Jack and the Little Old Woman, is performing online this Saturday, the 14th, at 6 o'clock.
That's it for today.
Another animal story next week.
Keep telling those stories and singing those songs.
This podcast was produced at Wardour Studios in fabulous Fitzrovia in London.
