Occult Literature
The Reconstructed Tiger Attacks the Scholars
Four sons of Vishnu Swami demonstrate their learning by rebuilding a creature from tiger bones, elephant muscles, a cat's brain and eyes, and rhinoceros hide. Once they supply it with life, the hungry animal attacks their father, the operators and the assembled scholars. The seventh tale makes this disaster a satire on knowledge without understanding: only the practical man who leaves the demonstration avoids its consequences. Although Griset's beast has a mane-like appearance, the text explicitly calls the reconstructed animal a tiger, not a lion.
Read the source pageLoading your collection…
Citation
Ernest Griset. "The Reconstructed Tiger Attacks the Scholars" [editorial title]. In Vikram and the Vampire, Richard F. Burton. Memorial edition, edited by Isabel Burton, 1893, 1893, Tylston and Edwards. Source scan leaf 234. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/vikram-revived-tiger
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Identification follows the actual text rather than the animal's visual resemblance. The constructed creature is a fantastic composite, not an anatomical specimen.
Sources
From the book
Vikram and the VampireRichard F. Burton1893More from this book
The Baital Escapes into the Darkness
Vikram Catches the Baital by the Tail
Madhusadan’s Incantations for Sweet JasmineRelated illustrations
Cite this illustration
Ernest Griset. The Reconstructed Tiger Attacks the Scholars. Vikram and the Vampire. Scan leaf 234. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/vikram-revived-tiger