These oral tales were collected in the tribal areas on the Pakistan-Afghan frontier, a region described as the last free place on earth. With their blend of wit, fantasy, comedy, and romance, they reflect the Pashtun code of honor and way of life that are now seriously threatened by social changes and recent political events. Most of them, such as the epic tale of Hazrat Ali, have never been recorded before, and might otherwise have been lost forever. Some are recognizable as universal types, such as a version of Androcles and the Lion and of the tale that provided Shakespeare with the plot of King Lear.