Виктор Мазанов – Tales of Wisdom. Insights from Russian Folklore (страница 10)
But the others didn’t listen:
– “Don’t be afraid! That’s definitely Mom— the song is right and the voice is thin.”
They ran to open the door, while the little girl hid in the oven.
As soon as they opened it, a huge gray wolf burst into the cabin! The kid goats scrambled to hide, but the wolf was fast and hungry. He swallowed all six kids and left satisfied.
When mother goat came home, she sang her song, but nobody opened the door. She pulled the handle; the door swung open—it wasn’t locked, and she instantly realized something terrible had happened. Inside the cabin was chaos; none of her kids were anywhere. Her heart clenched with fear, and she began calling for them:
– “My children, where are you?” she wept, searching every corner.
Finally, a quiet voice came from the oven:
– “Mother, I’m here! The wicked wolf ate all my brothers!”
Mother lifted her daughter into her arms and sobbed bitterly:
– “Oh, my dear kids! Why did you open the door for the wolf? He ate you all and left me, a poor goat, with great sorrow.”
Suddenly she heard someone approaching the cabin—it was the wolf!
– “Ah, neighbor goat!” he said in a feigned gentle voice. “I hear you’re grieving, and you think I’m to blame. Could I have harmed your kids? I didn’t eat them, don’t accuse me. Let’s go into the forest and chase away your sorrow!”
Mother, believing the wolf had eaten her kids, also noticed his belly had become huge and round—so she thought he really had devoured them! Yet she didn’t reveal that she suspected his trickery.
– “Alright, neighbor, let’s take a walk,” she agreed, secretly planning a rescue.
She knew there was an old pit in the forest—hunters had made a trap for wolves—and led the wolf to it.
When they reached the pit, the goat suggested:
– “You know what, wolf—let’s have a competition! Who can jump over this pit?”
The wolf agreed, thinking he would easily win. Confident in his strength, he didn’t suspect the goat’s clever plan.
The goat jumped first and easily cleared the pit. The wolf, his belly heavy from having swallowed six kids, ran, leapt, but didn’t reach the edge. He fell straight into the pit!
The impact burst the wolf’s belly, and all six kid goats sprang out—alive and unharmed! The wolf had swallowed them whole out of greed, without chewing.
The mother goat pulled the kids from the pit and hugged them for a long time.
– “Mom, mom!” the kids shouted. “We were so scared! But now we know we must be even more careful!”
Since then the mother goat and her seven kid goats lived happily in their forest cabin. The kids became even more cautious and never forgot their mother’s advice about not trusting strangers and always remembering safety.
Cunning and Trust
– The wolf embodies cunning and deception, using many tricks to fool the kid goats.
– The kid goats, on the contrary, are trusting and become victims of his tricks.
Safety and Caution
– The importance of following safety rules and listening to parents’ instructions.
– The need to be careful with strangers, even if they seem friendly.
Maternal Love and Protection
– A mother’s willingness to do anything to save her children.
– The power of maternal love and ingenuity in critical situations.
Why did the kid goats first refuse to open the door for the wolf, but later open it?
What should the kid goats have done to be absolutely sure that the voice at the door was their mother’s?
Why did the blacksmith agree to help the wolf?
How do you think the mother goat felt when she discovered her children were missing?
What lesson does this fairy tale teach?
Wolf and the Dog
In a village there lived a dog. For many years he faithfully guarded the house and watched over the barns. As time passed, his legs grew slow and his bark became softer. The dog tired quickly and slept a lot. His owner thought it over and decided that the dog was now useless as a guard, so he chased him away.
The dog ran as far as his eyes could see until he ended up in the forest. There he found an abandoned fox den under a tree and decided to stay there. He slept in it all day, and when he woke up he felt a strong hunger. He decided to catch some prey. He started sniffing the ground and saw a mouse. He chased it, but the mouse slipped into a hole. He chased a squirrel, but it jumped onto a branch. He chased a bird, but it flew away. The dog could not catch anyone.
He sat on a stump and felt sad. Then he saw a wolf approaching. At first the dog was frightened – he knew he could not defeat a wolf. But he soon accepted his fate.
The wolf, however, did not attack; he spoke to the dog:
– Well, they drove you away?
– Well… uh… – the dog could not find words. He could not admit that he had really been driven away.
– You’re hungry, aren’t you? – the wolf asked, ignoring the dog’s stammer. He immediately guessed what had happened.
– I’m barely standing on my legs… – the dog sighed.
– Come with me! – the wolf smiled. – I know where we can find food.
They went to a field where a flock of sheep was grazing.
– Look, there’s a herd of sheep! – said the wolf. – I’ll approach the herd from that side, and you come from this side and start barking. The sheep will get scared and run away. Then I’ll catch one for us.
– But… how can I…
– I know, I know you used to chase me, you used to guard the sheep.
– Well, I…
– I know your job was to guard. So you’re hungry, right?
The dog did not want to frighten the sheep, but hunger forced him to agree. He obeyed the wolf’s order, barked, the herd scattered, and the wolf caught a lamb that seemed injured and could not run fast. Although the wolf set a trap, he was not young either.
– Eat, old friend! – he offered the dog.
They shared the meal, and the wolf left.
A few days later the wolf returned.
– I want to help you get back home. I’ve thought of a way.
The dog first refused, but the wolf persuaded him:
– This is a chance to prove you’re still useful!