Exploring Eco-consciousness in Bhutanese Folktales: A Study of Ecotherapy in Selected Tales from Kunzang Choden’s Folktales of Bhutan

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-561-4_13How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Folktales; Nature; Eco-consciousness; Ecotherapy; Bhutan

Abstract

Folktales usually serve as a vital bridge between societies and their cultural histories, as they embody the rich cultural heritage and values of a particular region. Many folktales encompass ecological and therapeutic dimensions to generate awareness of the inevitability of environmental preservation. In Bhutan, folkloric traditions try to situate the cultural memory and play an instructional role in order to guide the upcoming generations towards a harmonious existence with nature. Bhutanese folktales imbibe the country’s unique environmental values and underline the interconnectedness of humans and nature. Most of the tales uplift the importance of nature and attribute spiritual vitality to the natural world. In these folktales, nature is perceived as a spiritual force that offers discipline for distorted existence.

Kunzang Choden, the prominent Bhutanese author, strives to collect and retell the fragmented folktales in circulation in Bhutan in her collection, Folktales of Bhutan (1994). These tales lend access to the Bhutanese lifestyle and ecological ethics and try to foster respect for and preservation of nature by sustaining environmental consciousness within Bhutanese society. This paper examines selected tales from Choden’s masterpiece, Folktales of Bhutan (1994), to explore how ecological awareness is transmitted through folklore with special attention to ecotherapeutic dimensions present in these narratives. By analysing the depiction of the human-nature relationship, this study offers a fresh perspective on Bhutanese folktales and highlights their role in promoting both eco-consciousness and psychological well-being.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Priyanka Kalita
AU  - Rupam Kr. Das
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/04/23
TI  - Exploring Eco-consciousness in Bhutanese Folktales: A Study of Ecotherapy in Selected Tales from Kunzang Choden’s Folktales of Bhutan
BT  - Proceedings of the Indo-Bhutan Social Science Conference 2025 (IBSSC 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 134
EP  - 140
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-561-4_13
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-561-4_13
ID  - Kalita2026
ER  -