A khan carries a talking corpse on his back, and it tells a new tale each time he breaks his silence. Rachel Harriette Busk translated this frame-tale cycle, alongside the legend of King Ardschi-Bordschi’s throne, from the Kalmyk and Mongolian versions, tracing their roots to Indian stories of Vikramaditya. Witches, khans, a palace of Erlik Khan and talking birds fill the tales.
Rare Central Asian story cycles in an 1873 English version, for lovers of the Arabian Nights. Download the free EPUB.