Graveyard Bk / Jungle Bks Paralels
jwjbw...@gmail.com
of some loose parallels I have noticed between Gaiman's GRAVEYARD
BOOK and Kipling's two JUNGLE BOOKS.
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By Chapter and Tale:
1. "How Nobody Came to the Graveyard" is inspired by "Mowgli's
Brothers" (the first Mowgli story in first JUNGLE BOOK). In both
tales, an infant child is pursued by an evil killer, but falls under
the protection of an unusual set of foster parents.
2. "A New Friend" is inspired by "Quiquern" (an Inuit tale from
SECOND JUNGLE BOOK). In both tales, a boy who claims to have the
power to see spirits undertakes a dark and perilous journey. A girl,
though she cannot see what he sees, trusts him and joins him on his
journey. At one point during their journey, she and he both see the
same spirit, but that spirit turns out to be fake.
3. "The Hounds of God" is inspired by "Kaa's Hunting" (the second
Mowgli story from the first JUNGLE BOOK). In both tales, a young boy,
bored and frustrated with the lessons his teacher, allows himself to
be befriended by simian villains, who are arrogant opinionated
chatterers. Singing by their arms, they carry him on an airborne
journey to their hidden city. But the boy manages to send a message
of his plight, by way of a flying creature, to his protector, who
comes to his rescue.
4. "The Witch's Headstone" is inspired by "The Kings Ankus" (a Mowgli
tale from the SECOND JUNGLE BOOK). In both tales, a boy finds a
secret underground chamber, and despite the threats of its impotent
serpentine guardian, steals a treasure from it. But the treasure
brings only death and misery to those who possess it, and is
ultimately returned to its guardian.
5. "Nobody Owen's School Days" is inspired by Mowgli's early
adventures among humans in the tales "Tiger, Tiger" (in first JUNGLE
BOOK) and "Letting in the Jungle" (in SECOND JUNGLE BOOK). In both
tales, our boy hero returns briefly to dwell among his own kind, but
ends up inflicting frightening punishment on them for their acts of
injustice.
6. "Danse Macabre" is inspired by "Toomai of the Elephants" (a non-
Mowgli tale from the first JUNGLE BOOK). In both tales, a young boy
hears rumors of, and ultimately participates in, a legendary dance.
7. "Every Man Jack" is inspired by "Red Dog" (a Mowgli tale from the
SECOND JUNGLE BOOK). In both tales, a boy defeats a pack of vicious
killers by luring them into a series of traps, and a climactic battle
results in the death of one of his friends.
8. "Leavings and Partings" is inspired by "The Spring Running" (the
last Mowgli tale, in the SECOND JUNGLE BOOK). In it, our boy hero,
now a young man, finally leaves his foster home and returns to his own
kind.
Rough Paralels by Character (not consistent):
Nobody = Mowgli
Ghosts = Wolves
Ghouls = The Bander-Log (monkey people)
Night Gaunt = Kite
Honor Guard = Baloo, Bagheera, Kaa, etc.
The Sleer = The White Cobra
Jack Frost = Sher Khan
The Jacks = The Red Dogs