[[Image:Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.jpg|right|thumb|''Rikki-Tikki-Tavi'' book cover]]

'''''Rikki-Tikki-Tavi''''' is a short story in ''[[The Jungle Book]]'' ([[1894]]) by [[Rudyard Kipling]] about the adventures of a valiant young [[mongoose]].

The story is a favourite of Kipling fans and is notable for its frightening and serious tone. Some epic features (heightened prosaic style, songs to the hero) add to the standard typology of hero defeating villain. It has often been [[Anthology|anthologised]] and has also been published more than once as a short book in its own right. The story was also adapted into an [[animation|animated]] TV special by [[United States|American]] animator [[Chuck Jones]] in [[1975]]. That same year was when the story was adapted into a [[Russia]]n animated short film.

== Plot ==

An [[England|English]] family, who have moved to a [[bungalow]] in the jungles of India. [[Sugauli]] (former British sp. ''Segowlee'') [[cantonment]] in [[Bihar]] State, [[India]], discover a young [[mongoose]] half drowned from a storm and decide to keep it as a [[pet]]. The young mongoose, named Rikki-Tikki by its new owner, soon finds himself confronted by two dangerous, murderous [[cobra]]s, Nag (the word is [[Hindi]] for "cobra") and his even more dangerous mate [[Nagaina]], who had the run of the garden while the house was unoccupied. After that first encounter with the cobras, Rikki's first true battle is with [[Bungarus|Karait]], a [[Bungarus caeruleus|dust brown snakeling]] who threatens the poor boy (Teddy). Although Rikki is inexperienced and the snake, because of its deadly [[venom]] and small size, is an even more dangerous [[foe]] than a [[cobra]], the [[mongoose]] defeats him.

At Nagaina's urging, Nag plans to kill the human family to get the house empty again so they can have free run of its garden. She also reminds him that their eggs would hatch soon (as they might the next day) and that their children will need room and quiet. Nag goes to the bathroom to wait to kill the "big man", and waits. Rikki, who stealthy sneaks in, grabs Nag by the head above the hood. Nag thrashes about furiously, and the noise wakes the man, who fires both barrels of a [[shotgun]] into Nag, blowing him in two pieces and almost hitting Rikki. Nag is then thrown on the rubbish heap, where Nagaina mourns for him and vows [[vengeance]].

Rikki, well aware of the threat, enlists a [[tailor bird]], Darzee, to distract Nagaina while he searches for her eggs. However, while Rikki finds and destroys most of the brood (by stomping on the eggs), Nagaina finds the family at the dinner table in the garden and threatens to kill the family's son with her poisonous bite. Alerted to the crisis, Rikki races to his family with the last egg. Once there, Rikki claims he killed Nag himself while showing the egg to distract Nagaina long enough for the man to pull the boy to safety. Nagaina snatches the egg and flees to her hole while Rikki pursues her inside. The underground fight is not described, but after an agonizingly long wait, Rikki comes out of the hole in triumph having killed Nagaina. With that victory, Rikki spends the rest of his days defending the family garden where no snake would dare enter.

== Books ==

[[Paul Vaderlind]], [[Richard K. Guy]], and [[Loren Larson]] wrote a mathematical book titled ''Inquisitive Problem Solver'' that references ''Rikki Tikki Tavi''. In [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s novel ''[[The Door into Summer]]'' the main character sometimes refers to his niece Frederica (Ricky) as Rikki-tikki-tavi. In [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s ''[[Man and Superman]]'' the character Octavius is given the pet-name Ricki-Ticki-Tavy by Ann Whitefield. In [[Barbara Kingsolver]]'s novel ''[[The Poisonwood Bible]]'',a girl named Ruth May Price befriends a mongoose and her sister Leah suggests she names it "Ricky Ticky Tabby", but instead Ruth chooses to name it after a rodent from a different piece of literature, ''[[Stuart Little]]''.

== Popular music ==

[[Donovan]] wrote a song titled "Riki Tiki Tavi", which appeared on his album ''[[Open Road (Donovan album)|Open Road]]''. (The "snakes" referred to in Donovan's song are societal problems.) The third track on the [[Poison the Well (band)|Poison the Well]] album ''[[Versions (Poison the Well album)|Versions]]'' is entitled "Nagaina," in reference to the snake in the story. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is also the name of a song on the as-of-yet untitled sophomore major label release from [[Fair to Midland]]. Popular Russian band [[Splean]] (Сплин) have a song called Рикки-Тикки-Тави (Russian spelling of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi) on their 2001 album "25 кадр".

== Computer software ==

[[WikkiTikkiTavi]] is an open source wiki engine.<ref>{{cite web|author= |coauthors| year=2008 | title=Source Forge | format= | work= | url=http://tavi.sourceforge.net/WikkiTikkiTavi | accessdate=2008-02-05}}</ref> Popular [[webcomic]] [[Sluggy Freelance]]'s character, "Kiki" the ferret, takes the pseudonym "Riki Kiki Taco" when she has delusions of being a heroine.<ref>{{cite web|author= |coauthors| year=2008 | title=Sluggy | format= | work= | url=http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=040325 | accessdate=2008-02-05}}</ref> *The phrase "Most Rikki-Tik"<ref>{{cite web|author= |coauthors| year=2008 | title=Wiktionary | format= | work= | url=http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Transwiki:Most_Rikki-Tik | accessdate=2008-02-05}}</ref> means "quickly" or "immediately".

== Film, television, and video ==

An animated Russian film adaptation was produced [[Aleksandra Snezhko-Blotskaya]] with a change being that Rikki's adoptive human family are native Indians as opposed to the original story's British family. Another change was that there is no Karait; there is only Nag and Nagaina. In 1975, [[Chuck Jones]] produced and directed an animated adaptation of ''Rikki-Tikki-Tavi''<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0175122/ "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" at the [[Internet Movie Database]]]</ref>. [[Orson Welles]] provided the narration and some of the voices, based on a previous recording.{{Fact|date=February 2009}}

In an episode of British sitcom [[Peep Show (TV series)|Peep Show]], the last question on a quiz machine is '"What animal was Rikki-Tikki Tavi?"' In the martial arts parody film ''[[Kung Pow! Enter the Fist]]'', Master Tang refers to Ling's father as Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. In the comedy series ''[[Bottom (TV series)|Bottom]]'', the character Richie (played by [[Rik Mayall]]) refers to himself as Rikki Tikki Tavi when talking to his aunt.

The name of the "[[Rikti]]" Villain faction in the [[Massively multiplayer online role-playing game]] video games ''[[City of Heroes]]'' and ''[[City of Villains]]'' was inspired by Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.<ref>{{cite web|author= |coauthors| year=2008 | title=City of Heroes | format= | work= | url=http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=general&Number=5138904&bodyprev=#Post5138904 | accessdate=2008-02-05}}</ref> Mongoose Publishing <ref>[http://www.mongoosepublishing.com Mongoose Publishing website]</ref> has a license to author and publish a science-fiction role-playing game called "Traveller Core Rule Book (2008)" that players unofficially refer to as "RTT" or "Rikki Tikki Traveller".<ref>[http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=144095 The Miniatures Page]</ref>

== References ==

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Fictional mongooses]]

[[Category:Jungle Book stories]]

[[Category:Literature featuring anthropomorphic characters]]

[[Category:1894 short stories]]

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