A country bumpkin had a goat, which he called by the name Mudiattei. The meaning of the word is “Be ruined”; it can also mean “Let me be ruined”, depending on the context in which it is used. The name is apt, because the goat is a destructive animal, and eats up the tender shoots of plants.

One day, the goat was missing. The owner went about calling “Mudiattei”, “Mudiattei”. It was a strange cry, and people must have thought him queer. But he was anxious to get his goat back.

He went to a house where a child lay dead. When the inmates were lamenting over their loss, the man called out “Mudiattei”, thereby greatly irritating them. One of them called him and told him that he should behave more sensibly. “You must say some word of sympathy. You must ask, ‘How did this sad thing happen? What a pity!”

He went away, still calling his goat. On the way, he saw a house on fire. He went there, and began to speak words of sympathy: “How did this happen? What a pity, etc.” Somebody there said, “You fool! Is this what you do when we are fighting a fire? You get some water, and put the fire out.” So he joined them in that job.

Then he went from there, still calling his goat. He saw a potter, baking his pots over a big fire. He immediately got some water in a vessel and put out the fire. The potter naturally was angry, as his pots were ruined. “What do you mean by this?” he asked. “Is this how you help me? You could take a look at my finished pots; I would not have objected if you tapped on them to see whether they are good. And then you could have offered me a price for at least one of them.”

So the man went on his way, still calling for his goat. Then he happened to see a white man, a European, who was very bald, and had no hair on his head. Remembering the good potter’s instructions, he gently tapped on the man’s head and asked him, “Will you sell this? What price do you want?” The irate gentleman called him a fool and returned his taps, but not very gently!

A folktale sourced from Folktales of Kerala by K. Jacob.

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