Fataki Aii and the Seven Kids | A Folktale from Gilgit-Baltistan

- September 08, 2025

The Tale of Fataki Aii and Her Seven Kids

Once upon a time, in the deep forests of Gilgit-Baltistan, there lived a mother goat named Fataki Aii (meaning the goat without horns). She had seven little kids, and together they lived happily in their small home.

Every day, Fataki Aii went to graze in the meadows. Before leaving, she always reminded her children:

“Never open the door for strangers. The forest is full of dangers.”

To keep them safe, she had a special code song that only she and her kids knew. In a sweet sing-song voice, she would call out:

“Shirin zona zon,
Mamo zona zon,
Ayoo guyatum zon ban!”

Hearing this familiar tune, the kids would recognize their mother’s voice, open the door, and joyfully rush to drink her milk, wagging their tiny tails in happiness.

The Ogre’s Trick

One day, a giant, hungry ogre roaming the forest discovered their routine. Hiding behind a rock, he memorized the secret code song. The next morning, after Fataki Aii left to graze, the ogre came to the goat’s house and sang:

“Sshirreen zzoonaa zoon,
Maaammoo zzoonaa zoon,
Aayoo guyaatum zoon baan!”

The kids stopped their play. At first, they were amazed—those were their mother’s words! But then they whispered among themselves:

“This voice is too thick. Our mother has a soft, gentle voice. This must be a danger.”

So they refused to open the door.

The Ogre’s Disguise

Frustrated, the ogre gargled salt water to make his voice thinner. The next day, he returned and sang again. This time, his voice sounded just like Fataki Aii’s!

Still, the kids hesitated. “Mother cannot return so soon,” they thought. One of them peeked through the crack beneath the door and saw enormous feet with sharp nails.

“You are not our mother!” they shouted.
“Our mother has beautiful hooves, not those horrible claws.”

Angry, the ogre went to the iron-smith and demanded shoes shaped like goat’s hooves. The iron-smith made them, and the ogre wore them to complete his disguise.

The Trap

On the third attempt, the ogre’s plan succeeded. His voice was thin, his hooves looked real, and his song was perfect. The kids, convinced, opened the door.

To their horror, a giant ogre stood before them! He roared and chased them around the house. The frightened kids scattered, hiding wherever they could—

one in the bread basket,
another in the pestle-and-mortar box,
another in the hearth,
and one behind the Toon (a large wooden grain chest used in Gilgit-Baltistan homes).

The ogre found and swallowed six of them, leaving only the one hidden behind the Toon.

The Mother’s Return

When Fataki Aii came home, she was shocked to find the house empty. She cried out in despair, until the little one who had hidden behind the Toon crept out and told her everything.

Together, they set off to find the ogre. Soon, they saw him lying under a tree, using a rock as his pillow. His stomach was swollen and restless—the six kids inside were still moving about.

Fataki Aii asked, “Have you seen my children? I’ve lost them!”

The ogre replied rudely in the local tongue:
“Dish thy mulai masy k pasheganus!”
(Go away, girl, I haven’t seen them.)

The Challenge

But Fataki Aii insisted:

“If you have not eaten my children, let’s fight. If you win, I’ll believe you. But if I win, it will prove you swallowed them!”

The ogre agreed. Fataki Aii went to the iron-smith and asked him to sharpen her hooves like knives. He did so, and she prepared for battle.

The Victory

The ogre struck first, but Fataki Aii leapt aside, and his blow missed. Then it was her turn. With all her strength, she jumped high and landed directly on the ogre’s belly, slicing it open with her sharpened hooves.

The belly split apart—and out tumbled her six kids, alive and crying “Cha! Cha! Cha!” They hugged their mother, overjoyed to be free.