Arabian NightsScheherazade's Stories

The Tale of King Yunan

A king's lethal ingratitude toward the man who cured him leads to a poetically poisoned end.

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Illustration for The Tale of King Yunan - a scheherazade's stories Arabian Nights story with moral lessons

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Story Summary

Discover The Tale of King Yunan from the Arabian Nights. A story of a cured king, a wise sage, and the deadly consequences of jealousy and betrayal. Read now!

King Yunan suffered from a terrible leprosy that no physician could cure. One day, a wise man named Sage Duban arrived, promising to heal the King without ointments or potions. He fashioned a hollow polo mallet filled with secret herbs and instructed the King to play until he sweated. As the King exercised, the medicine absorbed through his palms, and he was miraculously cured. Grateful, Yunan made Duban his closest advisor. However, the King’s Vizier, consumed by jealousy, whispered that a man with such power could easily assassinate the King. Despite Duban's loyalty, Yunan succumbed to paranoia and sentenced the Sage to death. Before his execution, Duban gifted the King a magical book, claiming its pages held great wisdom. As Yunan flicked through the stuck pages, licking his finger to turn them, he realized the paper was coated in poison. The King died in agony, a victim of his own ingratitude and the Sage's final, silent revenge.

The Moral

Ingratitude and groundless suspicion against those who help us will ultimately lead to our own ruin.

“Spare me, and God will spare you; slay me, and God shall slay you.”

Fun Fact

This story is part of the 'The Fisherman and the Jinni' cycle, serving as a cautionary nested narrative—a hallmark of the Arabian Nights' complex structure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the moral of The Tale of King Yunan?

The moral is that those who repay kindness with cruelty or groundless suspicion will eventually face justice. It warns that envy can blind a leader to the truth, leading to their own downfall.

How did Sage Duban cure King Yunan?

He used a clever method of transdermal medicine. He hid herbs inside a hollow polo mallet, so when the King played and sweated, the medicine was absorbed through his skin.

Who is the antagonist in The Tale of King Yunan?

The primary antagonist is the King's jealous Vizier. He manipulated the King's fears and convinced him that Sage Duban was a spy intent on killing him.

How did the King die in the story?

The King died from poison after Sage Duban's execution. He licked his fingers to turn the pages of a 'magical' book Duban left him, not realizing the pages were laced with a lethal toxin.

What is the context of this story within the Arabian Nights?

This is a 'story within a story' told by the Fisherman to the Genie. He tells it to illustrate why the Genie should not kill someone who has just released and helped him.

Why did King Yunan decide to kill Sage Duban?

The King was manipulated by his Vizier's rhetoric. The Vizier argued that if a man could cure a disease so easily from afar, he could just as easily kill the King with the same hidden arts.