Write your own The Jungle Book story

Mowgli

A naked human infant who wanders into the Seeonee wolf cave after his parents flee a tiger attack, and is adopted by Mother and Father Wolf. Raised among the wolf pack, he grows up learning the Law of the Jungle from Baloo and Bagheera. Unique among jungle creatures for his ability to meet any animal's gaze without flinching and his instinctive human cleverness, he is eventually cast out of the pack and must choose between the jungle and the world of men.

Mother Wolf (Raksha)

Called 'The Demon' for her ferocity, Mother Wolf is a fierce and loving she-wolf who defies Shere Khan to adopt Mowgli into her litter. She names the child Mowgli, meaning 'the Frog,' and insists he will one day hunt Shere Khan. Her maternal courage is described as surpassing even Father Wolf's bravery.

Father Wolf

A senior male wolf of the Seeonee Pack who initially considers killing the human cub but defers to Mother Wolf's will. He trains Mowgli in jungle skills and presents him at the Council Rock. He is an experienced hunter bound strongly by the Law of the Jungle.

Akela

The great gray Lone Wolf and leader of the Seeonee Pack, Akela rules through strength and cunning and has led the pack without losing a wolf to a trap for twelve seasons. As he ages, Shere Khan's faction manipulates the pack to engineer his downfall by presenting him with an untried buck. He is ultimately spared death by Mowgli's intervention and freed to live out his days.

Bagheera

A sleek, inky-black panther who is feared throughout the jungle for his cunning, boldness, and reckless ferocity. Born in the cages of a king's palace at Oodeypore among men, he broke free and turned his knowledge of human ways into jungle dominance. He purchases Mowgli's acceptance into the pack with a freshly killed bull and becomes one of the boy's closest protectors and mentors.

Baloo

A large, old, sleepy brown bear who is the sole non-wolf allowed at Pack Council meetings, serving as Teacher of the Law to the wolf cubs. He teaches Mowgli the Master Words of the Jungle that grant protection from birds, hunting beasts, and snake-people. Earnest, occasionally heavy-pawed in discipline, he is deeply devoted to Mowgli's safety and education.

Shere Khan

A massive, lame tiger born with a crippled foot — hence his mother's name for him, Lungri, 'the Lame One' — who hunts cattle and men rather than proper game. He relocates his hunting grounds to the Seeonee hills against jungle law, declares Mowgli his rightful prey from the night of the boy's arrival, and slowly corrupts the younger wolves against Akela's leadership. He is beaten and humiliated by Mowgli wielding fire at the Council Rock.

Tabaqui

A cringing, scheming jackal known as 'the Dish-licker' who serves as Shere Khan's informant and toady. Despised by the wolves for tale-bearing and eating village refuse, he is also feared for his occasional fits of madness (dewanee) during which he bites any creature without fear. He is used by Shere Khan to deliver messages and stir up trouble.

Kaa

A massive rock python referenced as a creature feared even by the Bandar-log, capable of climbing trees as well as the monkeys themselves. Baloo identifies Kaa as the only jungle being the Monkey-People truly fear, and proposes seeking his help to rescue Mowgli from their captivity.

Rann the Kite

A sharp-eyed kite who soars high above the jungle watching for carrion. He spots Mowgli being carried off by the Bandar-log, recognizes the Master Word call, and agrees to track the monkeys' route to relay to Baloo and Bagheera.

Hathi the Wild Elephant

A wise and ancient wild elephant referenced as the authority from whom Baloo obtained the Master Words of the Jungle. He is described as knowing all things pertaining to jungle lore and customs, and his saying 'To each his own fear' is quoted by Baloo.

The Seeonee Hills

A forested, hilly region of central India that serves as the primary setting for Mowgli's story. The hills contain wolf caves, jungle thickets, streams, and croplands bordering human villages, and are patrolled by the Seeonee Wolf Pack.

The Council Rock

A hilltop covered with stones and boulders large enough to conceal a hundred wolves, serving as the ceremonial meeting place of the Seeonee Pack. The Pack leader lies atop its central rock during monthly full-moon councils where cubs are presented and pack decisions made. It is here Mowgli is both accepted into and expelled from the pack.

The Wolf Cave

A hillside cave in the Seeonee hills where Father Wolf, Mother Wolf, and their cubs — including adopted Mowgli — live. Its narrow mouth prevents tigers from entering, giving the cave a natural defensive advantage that Mother Wolf exploits when defying Shere Khan.

The Waingunga River

A river located roughly twenty miles from the Seeonee hills, near which Shere Khan originally made his home and hunting grounds. His abandonment of it to hunt in Seeonee territory is a violation of jungle law and the inciting disruption of the story.

The Seeonee Wolf Pack (The Free People)

A large pack of wolves inhabiting the Seeonee hills who govern themselves by the Law of the Jungle and hold monthly Council meetings at the Council Rock under the full moon. Membership is earned through Pack Council approval, and leadership belongs to whoever can hold it by strength and cunning. They call themselves 'the Free People' and resist outside authority, including from tigers.

The Bandar-log (Monkey People)

A vast, chaotic tribe of gray apes inhabiting the jungle treetops, explicitly outcast from the society of all other jungle peoples. They have no law, no permanent leaders, no reliable memory, and no language of their own beyond stolen words. They are considered shameless, dirty, and dangerous not through malice but through utter thoughtlessness, and are forbidden to the Jungle-People.

The Law of the Jungle

An ancient and comprehensive code governing the behavior of all jungle animals, covering hunting rights, territorial boundaries, pack leadership succession, cub acceptance rituals, and the treatment of strangers. It forbids man-killing except to teach cubs how to hunt, and outside one's own territory, because man-killing brings armed human reprisals. It is taught formally by Baloo and is considered absolute by the Jungle-People.

The Master Words of the Jungle

A set of ritual phrases in the languages of the Hunting-People, birds, and snake-people — all variations of 'We be of one blood, ye and I' — that grant any speaker safe passage and protection from those groups. Taught by Baloo, originally obtained from Hathi the Wild Elephant; the snake-word required a water-snake's help as Baloo cannot pronounce it. Knowing them makes Mowgli theoretically safe from most jungle creatures.

The Red Flower (Fire)

The jungle euphemism for fire, which no beast will call by its true name out of deep instinctive terror. Every animal fears it absolutely, and it functions as the one tool that grants a human child mastery over even the largest predators. Mowgli steals a fire-pot from a human village and uses a burning branch to dominate and humiliate Shere Khan and the rebellious wolves at the Council Rock.

Pack Council and Cub Acceptance Ritual

When a wolf's cubs are old enough to walk, they must be presented at a full-moon Pack Council for identification. Any disputed cub must be vouched for by two non-parent pack members; alternatively, a cub's acceptance can be purchased at a price set by any willing buyer. This ritual is the mechanism by which Mowgli is formally adopted into the Seeonee Pack, with Baloo's word and Bagheera's bull as his price.

The Strangers' Hunting Call

A formal vocal protocol required of any jungle creature hunting outside its own territory. The hunter must repeat the call aloud until answered; the call translates as 'Give me leave to hunt here because I am hungry,' and the proper answer is 'Hunt then for food, but not for pleasure.' It is one of many laws Baloo teaches Mowgli.

Dewanee (The Madness)

A condition of sudden, terrifying insanity that occasionally overtakes jungle animals, most notably Tabaqui the jackal. A mad animal loses all fear and attacks anything in its path; even tigers flee from it. The Jungle-People consider madness the most disgraceful fate that can befall a wild creature. Humans call the same condition hydrophobia.