List of The Jungle Book characters

Mowgli attacking Shere Khan: detail from a clay bas-relief by John Lockwood Kipling, father of Rudyard Kipling, from "The Works of Rudyard Kipling" Vol. VII: The Jungle Book, 1907.

This is a list of characters that appear in Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book story collection, its sequel The Second Jungle Book, and the various film adaptations based on those books. Characters include both human and talking animal characters.

In the Mowgli stories

Mowgli made leader of the Bandar Log by John Charles Dollman, 1903

• Mowgli (मोगली Mogalī; feral child), also referred to as "Naked Frog".
• Jungle characters
  • Akela (अकेला Akēlā, "alone"; Indian wolf), leader of the wolf pack.
  • Raksha (रक्षा Rakṣā, "protection"; Indian wolf), also called Mother Wolf, Mowgli's adoptive mother.
  • Father Wolf (Indian wolf), Raksha's mate and Mowgli's adoptive father. In the 1967 film, he is named "Rama", meaning "pleasant" and "supreme".
  • Baloo (भालू Bhālū, "bear"; bear), Mowgli's best friend. In Kipling's book, he is described as a sleepy old brown bear, who teaches Mowgli the law of the jungle.
  • Bagheera (बघीरा Baghīrā; black panther), Mowgli's mentor. Hindi bāgh (बाघ) means "tiger".
  • Bandar-log (बन्दर-लोग Bandar-lōg, "monkey-folks"; grey langurs), monkeys who are treated as pariahs for their scatterbrained anarchy. They kidnap the very young Mowgli, who is rescued by Bagheera, Baloo, and Kaa.
  • Ko (को Kō; Indian crow), only mentioned
  • Kaa (का Kā; Indian rock python), Mowgli's wise mentor and friend, though also feared throughout the jungle for his mesmerising "hunger dance".
  • Hathi (हाथी Hāthī, "elephant"; Indian elephant), leader of the elephants and the individual called "The True Master of The Jungle".
  • Hathi's sons (Indian elephants)
  • Tabaqui (तंबाकूवी Taṃbākūvī; "Dish-Licking Dog"; golden jackal); he feeds on scraps from either Shere Khan or the wolves of the Seeonee Pack. In some adaptions, he is a hyena. He is the only friend of Shere Khan, as well as Shere Khan's spy and messenger. He is killed by Grey Brother after the Grey Brother interrogates him into admitting both what Shere Khan plans to do and where and then crushes the jackal's back in Tiger, Tiger.
  • Mang (मङग Maṅg, "go"; bat)
  • Pappu (पपु Papu, "protector"; cat)
  • Shere Khan (शेर खान Śhēēr Khān, "King Tiger"; Bengal tiger),^[1] a man-eating Royal Bengal Tiger who is the main villain and the archenemy of Mowgli, who is often known as "a chief among tigers" and in multiple adaptations as the one called "The King of Tigers". Despite being born with a withered leg and derisively nicknamed "Lungri" ("The Lame One") by his own mother, Shere Khan is aggressive, arrogant, self-centered, and sees himself as the rightful lord of the jungle. Tabaqui is his only friend.
  • Rama (रमा Ramā; water buffalo)
  • Mysa (मौसा Maisā, "uncle"; water buffalo)
  • Chil (चील Cīl, "kite"; brahminy kite), in earlier editions called Rann (रण Raṇ, "battle")
  • Ikki (इकी Ikī; Indian porcupine), in earlier editions called Sahi (साही Sāhī, "porcupine")
  • Tha (था Thā, "He was"; Indian elephant), the first of the elephants according to Hathi
  • Thuu (थू Thū; Indian cobra), also called White Hood, a blind albino cobra. Mowgli gives him the derisory epithet "Thuu" (meaning "it has dried") upon discovering that the supposedly deadly cobra's fangs are in fact withered and dried up from age and disuse.
  • Grey Brother (Indian wolf); the oldest of Father Wolf and Raksha's cubs
  • Phaona (फवाना Phavānā; Indian wolf), Phao's father
  • The Dholes
  • Oo (ऊ Ū; turtle)
  • Jacala (जाचला Jacalā, "obstacle"; Indian crocodile). In Red Dog, it is stated that Mowgli broke a knife on Jacala's back during a protracted fight with him.
  • Mao (मवा Mavā; Indian peacock), in earlier editions called Mor (मोर Mōr, "peacock")
  • Won-Tolla (Indian wolf), an outlier who warns Mowgli's tribe of the dholes
  • Chikai (चीकै Cīkai, "squeak"; rat)
  • Phao (फवा Phavā; Indian wolf), son of Phaona, leader of The Free People
  • Ferao (फोडवा Phōṛavā, "woodpecker"; scarlet woodpecker)
• Human characters
  • Messua, wife of the richest man of the human village, who decides to adopt the wild Mowgli, believing that he is their long-lost son Nathoo.
  • Messua's husband, the richest man of the village; his name is not given.
  • Nathoo (नत्थू Natthū), the long-lost son of Messua and her husband, who has been snatched by a tiger.
  • Buldeo (बलदेव Baladēvā, "powerful lord"), the elderly chief hunter of Messua's village. He is boastful, arrogant, greedy and superstitious, and he is furious when Mowgli, who knows what the jungle is really like, contradicts some of his own more fanciful stories about the jungle. He hopes to kill Shere Khan so he can get a substantial reward placed out as a bounty for the tiger's skin.
  • Kamya (काम्या Kāmyā), one of the village boys who herd buffalo along with Mowgli.

Other stories

• Rikki Tikki Tavi
  • Rikki Tikki Tavi (mongoose)
  • Nag and Nagaina (cobras) "Nag" is the Hindi word for "cobra."
  • Darzee (tailorbird) "Darzee" means tailor in Hindi.
  • Chuchundra (Asian house shrew) Called a muskrat in the story.
  • Karait (common krait)
  • The Coppersmith (coppersmith barbet)
• The White seal
  • Kotick (albino seal)
  • Sea Catch (northern fur seal)
  • Matkah (northern fur seal)
  • Sea Vitch (walrus)
  • Sea Cow (Steller's sea cow)
• Toomai of the Elephants
  • Toomai
  • Kala Nag (elephant)
• "Her Majesty's Servants"
  • Two-Tails (elephant).
  • Billy (battery-mule))
  • Vixen (a small dog)

Disney adaptation

• Hathi Jr, the baby elephant
• Winifred Hathi - Colonel Hathi's wife
• King Louie the orangutan
• Flunkey the Baboon - King Louie's servant
• Shanti (Named Shanti only in the The Jungle Book 2) - The girl whose song "My Own Home" lured him into the Man Village now serves as his ally in the sequel.
• Buzzy, Dizzy, Flaps, and Ziggy the Vultures - Four vultures who closely resemble the Beatles because of their shaggy moptop haircuts and Liverpool accents. Buzzy resembles Ringo Starr, Dizzy resembles George Harrison, Flaps resembles Paul McCartney, and Ziggy resembles John Lennon. Their song "That's What Friends Are For" was sung in the style of a barbershop quartet instead of a Beatles song. Disney was originally going to get the band to voice them, but John Lennon refused.
• Rocky the Rhino - Rocky made an appearance in 2016 film version, voiced by Russell Peters.
• Ranjan (The Jungle Book 2) Mowgli's adopted younger brother.
• Lucky (The Jungle Book 2) The Vultures' friend who loves to annoy Shere Kahn.

References

1. see http://www.shabdkosh.com/en2hi/search.php?ts=1221774293378&e=शेर – according to Erika Klemm: Hindi-deutsches Wörterbuch (Leipzig 1971) शेर means "lion" or "tiger"