# The Baital — Vikram and the Vampire character guide

> The Baital in Vikram and the Vampire by Richard F. Burton.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Baital - Pachisi, the Baital, the poor Baital, Many Wise Fools The Baital, Queens The Baital, The Vampire, the Vampire, Vampire

**First appearance:** 0003-vikram-and-the-vampire

## Snapshot

A corpse-dwelling vampire who trades riddling tales for freedom, needling the king's pride while dangling from a tree.

## Who they are

The Baital is the spirit Vikram must deliver, but he turns every mile into a story session, spinning tales of love, villainy, and foolish parents. He flatters and mocks in the same breath, crying out in derision when the king pinches his skin, and coolly dissecting royal vanity as a one-idea'd type. His stories and his conditions keep the quest looping, making him the sly intelligence that governs the book's rhythm.

## In the story

### [Vikram and the Vampire](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se/chapters/vikram-and-the-vampire)

The vampire who tells stories to Raja Vikram.

### [The Vampire's First Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se/chapters/the-vampire-s-first-story)

The storyteller who poses the moral question and escapes after Vikram's answer.

### [The Vampire's Second Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se/chapters/the-vampire-s-second-story)

The vampire storyteller who narrates the second story, taunts Vikram, and is recaptured after escaping.

### [The Vampire's Third Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se/chapters/the-vampire-s-third-story)

Storyteller who poses the question about the greatest fool

### [The Vampire's Fourth Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se/chapters/the-vampire-s-fourth-story)

Narrates the fourth story to King Vikram.

### [The Vampire's Fifth Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se/chapters/the-vampire-s-fifth-story)

The vampire narrating the story and explaining the thief's emotions.

### [The Vampire's Seventh Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se/chapters/the-vampire-s-seventh-story)

The vampire narrates the story of Vishnu Swami and his sons, then taunts Vikram to answer a difficult question about folly.

### [The Vampire’s Ninth Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se/chapters/the-vampire-s-ninth-story)

The vampire narrating the story to Raja Vikram; comments on the tale and expresses foreboding about his own fate.

### [The Vampire's Tenth Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se/chapters/the-vampire-s-tenth-story)

Tells the story of King Gunshekhar and his three queens, then asks Vikram which queen is most delicate.

### [The Vampire's Eleventh Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se/chapters/the-vampire-s-eleventh-story)

The narrator of the eleventh story, delivering a long prophetic monologue about future foreign invasions and social decay.

### [Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se/chapters/conclusion)

Praises Vikram's silence, reveals the Yogi's plot, advises Vikram on how to avoid sacrifice, and departs after blessing him.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se/characters/baital
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se/characters