Rudyard Kipling’s story “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” was first published in 1893.
The story first appeared in St. Nicholas Magazine before being collected in The Jungle Book in 1894. It follows Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, a mongoose who protects a family from the cobras Nag and Nagaina.
Unlike the Mowgli stories, “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” is a self-contained animal tale. Its setting includes a bungalow garden in India, and its plot draws on the real antagonism between mongooses and venomous snakes.
The date can be confusing because many readers encounter the story in the 1894 book rather than in its earlier magazine appearance. The magazine publication came first, while the book collection established the story as part of Kipling’s best-known works.