About Nasreddin Hodja

Nasreddin Hodja is Turkey's (and perhaps all of Islam's) best-known trickster. His legendary wit and droll trickery were possibly based on the exploits and words of a historical imam. Nasreddin reputedly was born in 1208 in the village of Horto near Sivrihisar. In 1237 he moved to Aksehir, where he died in the Islamic year 683 (1284 or 1285). As many as 350 anecdotes have been attributed to the Hodja, as he most often is called. Hodja is a title meaning teacher or scholar. He frequently is compared with the northern European trickster Till Eulenspiegel.

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Contents;

Nasreddin Hodja ride the donkey backwards

What if it ferments?

Cauldron gave birth

Nasreddin Hodja Ride The Donkey Backwards

One day, the hodja, riding his donkey, with some people behind him, suddenly stops while returning home from the mosque. He gets off the donkey and rides the donkey backwards, facing people, that is, he sits upside down in the saddle. Those who see this will ask the reason for his action. Hodja says:

I thought about it and decided to ride my donkey like this because I don't like disrespect. If you fall in front of me, you will have turned your back on me; that would be disrespectful. If I went ahead, I would have turned my back on you, which is also not true. When I ride backwards like this, I will go ahead of you, and you will come after me; we are also face to face.

What if it ferments?

Nasreddin Hodja goes to the shore of the lake one day. He took a big spoon of yogurt with him. Nasreddin Hodja put the yoghurt on his spoon into the lake and poured the yoghurt into the lake. At that time, one of the villagers saw him and in astonishment;

“What are you doing?” the Hodja asked.

The Hodja smiles;

He said, "It is fermenting the lake, what should I do?"

The man looked at Nasreddin Hodja and laughed;

-What are you saying, Hodja, you must be crazy. Does the huge lake ever hold yeast? said. Hodja without breaking his smile;

-Well, he said, What if it ferments?

Cauldron gave birth

One day, Nasreddin Hodja asks his neighbor for a cauldron. When he finishes his work, he puts a small pot in the cauldron and returns it. When the owner of the cauldron saw the pot; -What is this? she asks. The teacher answers; -Miracle! your cauldron has given birth. This news will please your neighbor. -Well! he accepts the pot.

One day, Hodja asks her neighbor for the cauldron. He takes it, but this time he does not return it. The owner waits for a while. When he sees that the cauldron has not arrived, he comes to the teacher's house and asks for the cauldron back. Hodja with a sad face; -Get well soon, the cauldron is dead! says. The neighbor is amazed; -Oh Hodja, does a cauldron ever die? When he says, Hodja's answer is ready; Why do you believe that the winner was born, but not that he died? Hodja then returns the cauldron. His goal is to teach a good lesson to his neighbor, who is very self-interested.