Reading Notes: Tales of a Parrot, Part A

This week, I was most interested in reading Tutinameh, or Tales of a Parrot. In the original myth, a wise parrot belongs to a rich and beautiful couple. The husband goes away for several weeks on business, at which point the wife begins to wander into the arms of another man. So, the parrot conspires to distract the wife from her adultery through stories. Notes on the introductory stories can be found below.

A Wise Parrot

In my initial readings, I was fascinated by two important origins in this myth. First, the relationship between the man, Miemun, and his wife, Khojisteh. Second, the origins of the parrot himself. Read on for my thoughts on how both may have come into being.

Miemun and Khojisteh
According to the original myth, Miemun was created by God himself. "His countenance was resplendent as the sun." His earthly father, who had prayed to God for the creation of Miemun, married him off to Khojisteh. It was said that Khojisteh had a "body as fair as the silver moon," making her a fitting partner for Miemun. The myth also explains that the pair was deeply in love, and practically inseparable.

When writing a story for this week, I could potentially tell how Miemun and Khojisteh originally met. Furthermore, I think seeds need to be planted to explain why Khojisteh, who is said to truly love her husband would eventually move to cheat on him.

Khojisteh and the Parrot
The parrot, after learning of Khojisteh's intentions to cheat on her husband, moved to prevent the adultery by distracting his mistress with stories. This came only after the parrot watched as Khojisteh murdered his companion, the sharuk bird, after the other bird instructed Khojisteh not to be unfaithful to her husband.

In my stories, I hope to write more background for the parrot's character. How did he come to know the stories the shares with Khojisteh? How did he feel as he witnessed Khojisteh's killing of the sharuk?