“Rikki-tikki-tavi” is one of Rudyard Kipling’s most famous short stories and was animated into a children’s film in 1975. This children’s story, originally published in 1894, follows a young mongoose named Rikki-tikki-tavi who protects a British family from the snakes in their garden. It is especially known for its themes of Courage as Action and Family Loyalty and Legacy, as well as for its overarching connections to colonialism; Rudyard Kipling, who lived in British colonial India, prominently advocated for imperialism in his works for both soldiers and children. Kipling's other well-known works include Kim (1901), The Jungle Book (1894), "The Mark of the Beast" (1890), and "If-" (1895).

This guide refers to a version of the story available in The Kipling Reader: Selections from the Books of Rudyard Kipling published by Macmillan in 1901. This version, which is available through Internet Archive Books, includes an invocational poem at the start of the story and a song of victory from Darzee, the tailorbird, at the end.

Content Warning: This study guide refers to colonialism and ethnic stereotypes.

The story begins with a short poem describing the battle between Rikki-tikki-tavi and Nag. This battle, the narrator says, is the story’s subject, and it unfolded in a bungalow in Segowlee (i.e., Sugauli—a city and municipality in India).

The narrative then backtracks to explain how Rikki-tikki-tavi, a mongoose, is washed out of his burrow and into the garden of a bungalow belonging to the parents of a young boy named Teddy. Teddy comes across Rikki-tikki-tavi and believes him to be dead, but Teddy’s mother decides to take Rikki-tikki-tavi into their home. When fully revived, Rikki-tikki-tavi jumps up on Teddy, but Teddy’s father tells his son not to be afraid. The parents discuss keeping the mongoose, ultimately giving Rikki-tikki-tavi some food, and he dries himself in the sun.

Rikki-tikki-tavi is curious about his new environment and soon explores the house. He decides to stay, as “every well-brought-up mongoose always hopes to be a house-mongoose some day” (3). When Teddy goes to sleep, Rikki-tikki-tavi is with him. Teddy’s mother worries Rikki-tikki-tavi could harm Teddy, but Teddy’s father explains they will be safer with a mongoose around, especially if snakes were to get into the bungalow.

After eating breakfast with the family the next morning, Rikki-tikki-tavi ventures into the garden and finds Darzee, a tailorbird, and his wife grieving for their fledgling, which Nag the cobra ate. When Rikki-tikki-tavi asks who Nag is, Nag arrives and introduces himself boastfully while his wife, Nagaina, sneaks up behind Rikki-tikki. Darzee calls out to Rikki-tikki-tavi before Nagaina can strike, and Rikki-tikki, dodging the attack, bites back. However, he fails to seriously wound her and becomes angry as Nag and Nagaina vanish.

As Teddy runs down to greet his new mongoose, a snake called Karait prepares to attack him. Rikki-tikki-tavi rushes to intervene, and he and Karait fight in a dancing motion until Rikki-tikki-tavi paralyzes Karait with a bite. Rikki-tikki-tavi considers eating the snake but decides against it just as Teddy’s father—alerted by Teddy’s yells—comes out with a large stick to finish off the snake.

The family welcomes Rikki-tikki, and Teddy insists that Rikki-tikki-tavi sleep with him. However, once Teddy falls asleep, Rikki-tikki-tavi decides to go for his nightly walk around the house and finds Chuchundra, a muskrat, looking terrified; he is worried about Rikki-tikki-tavi killing him. After Rikki-tikki-tavi reassures him, Chuchundra tells Rikki-tikki-tavi to listen carefully. When Rikki-tikki-tavi does, he hears snake scales on tile.

The sound leads Rikki-tikki-tavi to Teddy’s parents’ bathroom, where he hears Nag and Nagaina planning to kill the family so that Rikki-tikki-tavi will leave the house; this will enable the snakes’ children to hatch and grow in the garden. Nagaina leaves as Nag coils himself into a water jar to wait for the family. Meanwhile, Rikki-tikki-tavi plans his attack and then takes action, latching onto Nag’s head as the snake tries to shake him off. The noise of the fight wakes Teddy’s father, who fires both barrels of a shotgun into Nag and tells Teddy’s mother that the mongoose saved them.

Rikki-tikki-tavi takes some time to rest in Teddy’s room before thoughts of Nagaina and her eggs take him to the garden. Darzee, the tailorbird, greets him with “a song of triumph” (11), but Rikki-tikki-tavi rebukes him, noting that the “war” is still ongoing. He tells Darzee to distract Nagaina so that he can destroy her eggs; however, because Darzee is unsure if destroying her eggs is right, Darzee’s wife takes on the task of pretending to be injured and luring Nagaina away from the melon patch.

Rikki-tikki-tavi destroys all but three eggs, at which point he hears Darzee’s wife scream that Nagaina is on the verandah and means to kill Teddy’s family. Rikki-tikki-tavi finishes destroying all but one of the eggs, which he takes in his mouth as he runs to where Teddy and his parents are frozen in fear. Nagaina prepares to strike but hesitates when Rikki-tikki-tavi mentions destroying her eggs; when she sees he has the last, she fights him long enough to seize her last egg and then flees toward her hole in the ground. Rikki-tikki-tavi follows, and Darzee’s wife distracts Nagaina long enough for Rikki-tikki-tavi to catch up, biting her tail as he is dragged below the ground with her.

Darzee assumes Rikki-tikki-tavi is dead and is beginning to sing a mournful tune when Rikki-tikki-tavi drags himself out, explaining that both Nagaina and her egg are defeated. While Rikki-tikki-tavi takes a much-needed rest, Darzee tells the coppersmith bird to tell the garden of Nagaina’s defeat. The garden celebrates, and Rikki-tikki-tavi makes his way back home. He falls asleep next to Teddy but wakes when Teddy’s parents enter the room and assures the family of their safety. The story concludes with Darzee’s song of triumph, which praises Rikki-tikki’s courage on behalf of all birds.