The Liars Contest of the King 

The teller of this incredible tale might well have been a winner at the Thai Liar’s Pavilion! The baht mentioned in this story are Thai money. 

There once was a selfish king who always did just as he pleased, regardless of the consequences to others. If his actions brought hardships to other people, he gave this no thought at all. 

Now, above all else, this king loved storytelling. He wanted to have storytellers performing in his palace every day. Every storyteller in the land had been summoned to the palace at one time or another. In fact, everyone in the land who knew any story at all had been brought before the king to entertain him. At last, there came a day when no new story was left in the land. The king had heard them all! 

Still, the king wanted to hear more. He decided to announce a contest. Anyone who could tell a tale so tall that even his four court counselors had to admit it was a lie would receive a reward. This lucky man would receive a lump of gold as large as a squash and the hand of the king’s daughter in marriage. 

Of course, the four counselors were instructed to claim that all stories were indeed true. No matter how preposterous the tale, the counselors always nodded their heads at its end and agreed, “Yes, yes, that could be true.” 

Now, in this country, there was a poor orphan boy who worked on a farm near the palace. Every day, he saw men leaving the palace with dejected expressions. One day, the orphan boy asked a man “Oh, my Uncle, why do you look so very sad?” “This is because I have been tricked unfairly by the king and his counselors. I entered the king’s lying contest. I told such a lie that no one could possibly believe it as truth. Yet, when I had finished, the king’s four counselors all swore that ‘Yes, this could be true.’ Had I won, I would have received a reward of gold and the hand of the princess in marriage. This is so unfair.” 

The boy thought about this man’s story for some time. He asked around and discovered that the king had cheated many storytellers in this way. It was time to teach this king a lesson. When the orphan boy had finished his planting, he asked the old farmer for whom he worked if he would please present him at the palace. The old man found this an unusual request but at last, agreed to take the boy to the king. 

As they entered the palace, they found the king surrounded by his courtiers. When the king heard that the boy wanted to enter the contest, he was delighted. “Excellent! It has been several days since I heard a good story. Begin at once.” And the king and his court all settled back to listen to this new amusement. 

The boy approached the front of the chamber and began his story. 

“Once upon a time, a long, long time ago … I cannot tell you how long ago because I was not born yet, there lived a boy who earned his living working on a farm. This boy tended the water buffalo. He worked in the rice fields. The boy worked very hard. But one day, he heard that the king had opened a storytelling competition. A lying contest had been set with a great prize for the winner. The boy set out for the palace to enter that contest. But the way was so long that the boy became tired. He stopped in the shade of a large tree to rest. 

“While the boy rested, he saw a herd of five elephants bathing in a nearby marsh. Suddenly, the boy had an idea. It would be much easier to travel by elephant than on foot! The way to the king’s palace was very long. Why not ride an elephant there? 

“The boy jumped to his feet and ran to catch one of the elephants. But the elephants saw him coming and fled in fear. The boy was not daunted. That boy followed them. He pursued them, running swiftly. The elephants saw the boy gaining on them, so they quickly climbed into the trees to escape. But that boy did not stop. That boy followed them. He climbed into the trees right after those elephants. The elephants were terrified. They looked down from their treetop perches, and seeing the river flowing by below, the elephants jumped into its waters. The boy followed them. 

“The boy jumped right into the water after them. The elephants were swept downstream. Struggling to stay afloat, they were carried right out into the wide ocean. That boy followed them. He swam determinedly after them. 

“Suddenly, a sailing ship full of rough brigands appeared. The elephants were terrified. What if the sailors captured them and imprisoned them on board the ship.? To escape such a cruel fate, the five elephants dived down beneath the ship into the depths of the ocean. For three days and three nights, they swam underwater. At last, the ship had passed, and it was safe to surface again. And that boy? That boy followed them! He dived right after them and did not let them out of his sight once for those three days and three nights. 

“And so this chase continued. Sometimes on land, sometimes under the water, sometimes even in the air. Years passed. Decades passed. Still, the elephants fled from the boy. And still that boy followed those elephants.” 

At this point, the orphan boy telling this preposterous tale stopped and looked around at his audience. The counselors, the courtiers, and the king were all leaning forward expectantly. They were completely entranced by this boy’s fabulous story. “Go on … go on … what happened then?” But the king shook his head, “Well, if the elephants were fleeing all the time, and the boy was pursuing, what were they eating during all those years?” 

The boy smiled. “Even I, the storyteller, cannot determine how this story could be true. These elephants had been on the run since the boy was a child. Some say that during the chase that boy had grown into a young man, then into an old man. Now, he could hardly walk. He had to crawl. And still, he pursued those five elephants. He asked his children to carry him in the pursuit. Some say the elephants also had grown old. They were exhausted. They had left many baby elephants in the forest along the way. Still, they fled and did not know how to stop. 

“But, maybe that part is not true because, in the end, I know there were still just five elephants fleeing and one boy pursuing

“One day, the five elephants were so tired they could go no further. They took refuge in a small thatched hut, hiding from the boy. Still, that boy followed. He caught them at last, right in that tiny hut. There was nothing the five elephants could do. Quickly, all five jumped into a teakettle to hide. But, alas, the boy had seen them. He jumped right in after them. Now, there was only one means of escape … through the spout! All five elephants tried to squeeze through that tiny spout at once. It was impossible! The boy seized all five by the tails. At last, they had caught those elephants! 

“So, the triumphant boy rode his five elephants into this city. As he entered the city, he met four counselors, the very fur who sit in judgment on my story today. These counselors were so impressed with the elephants that each wanted to buy one for himself. The price of the elephants was high, 20 million baht! But the counselors readily agreed to pay it. So, the boy sold an elephant to each of the counselors. All promised to pay the boy at a later date. 

“Now, many years have passed. That boy has returned to collect his payment. I am that boy. Today, I have come to collect the 20 baht from each counselor to the king. This is the payment I am owed for selling my five elephants. My story is at an end. Will the counselors and the king please give judgment on my story now? If it is true, please pay the money you owe to me. If it is false, bring out my reward and the princess!” 

Source: Thai Tales: Folktales of Thailand (available in the PAM Library)