Alnaschar’s Fortune, by William Ewart Lockhart,1879
One Thousand and One Arabian Nights is a treasure trove of literature of the fantastic. I’ve randomized its pseudo-Arabic names and places here, and the titles of the stories themselves also make for an interesting randomization stew. They stick to a simple formula of “Tale of the Something” or “Something of Something” repeating elements such as relatives preceded by a numerical designation (e.g. second sister) and characters referred to by adjective and an occupation ( the wise washer-woman.) Animals are frequently used in titles as well: peacocks, monkeys, fleas. Often they are given human attributes, Aesop’s Fables-style. Randomizing these titles for me was fun and quick.
Unwritten Arabian Nights Tales I
| The Unseemly Harem of Sultan Muzhein
The Strange Voyage of Zedefren and his Parrot The Adventures of Nevanja the Slave Girl The Wise Hashish Eater The Young Queen’s Story of the Pigeon and the Ogre The Three Devout Barbers The Tale of the Seventh Youth, Faraed, and the Apple of Darkness The Romance of Turmash and Kishranja The Dream of Queen Simyel The Emir’s Grandfather and the Raucous She-Goat The Tale of Bishera and Her Grandmother The Pomegranate Slave Boy The Goat, the Fish, and Sultan of Falga The Princess Zoyana and the Young Doctors The Tale of the She-Ghoul and Her Child An Entry in the Journals of Sharhan the Fortune-Teller The Sheik’s Aunt, Zariyah, and the Sparrow The Three Tailors of El-Hahmut Badzar and His Marvelous Palace The Young Wife’s Trials The Unwise Boy and the Ghoul Adventures of a One-Legged Pilgrim The Story of the Spinster and the Senmurv The Lady of Haraaz and the Three Honey Jars The Tale of King Waszrin and His Daughter Zhuphena the Prophetess and the Invisible City of Yediz The Lady Dirun and the Strange Pilgrim The Devout Gem Cutter and the Clever Tray-Maker The Mare, the Sparrow, and the Efreet The Voyage of Sahmira the Slave Girl Princess Esmrilla and the Cripple The Beggar and His Pet Scorpion The Curious Asp King Princess Therina and the Aspiration of the Three Onions |
