Omani folk literature reaches all social classes and consists of different types of folk genres. It includes proverbs, which summarize human life experiences, and folk songs, which groups of people sing for special occasions such as weddings, birth celebrations, and Islamic festivals. In addition, it includes narrative forms such as fables and other folktales, stories of lunar eclipses, jinn or spirit tales, and sira, or tales that glorify a hero who may or may not have been an historical figure.

The following is an Omani folktale that, although told for entertainment, also contains the complex dualities and recurring contradictions of human