Виктор Мазанов – Tales of Wisdom. Insights from Russian Folklore (страница 2)
They let her in. The fox settled down, hiding the rolling pin under the stove. Early in the morning, as soon as dawn broke, she sprang up, ran out the door and threw the rolling pin away. She lay again on the bench and waited for the owner to wake up.
When the man began to get up, the fox ran to the stove and cried out:
– Oh, my rolling pin has disappeared! It’s the most precious thing—a grandmother’s gift! I’ll die of sorrow! I want nothing in return, not even a chicken!
The man was frightened:
– Take my chicken, just don’t cry! And don’t tell anyone that I stole it—I never took your rolling pin!
– Nothing can replace it… – the fox sobbed, wiping her dry eyes with a paw.
The man kept urging her until he finally placed the chicken in her paws.
The little fox went on, humming:
The little fox walked along the path,
Carrying the rolling pin!
For the rolling pin—she’d trade a chicken!
The little fox had wanted to eat the chicken, but then she thought:
“What if I trick once more? Maybe I’ll get even more!”
She returned to the village and knocked on another house:
– Let a little fox sister stay the night! It’s very cold!
– It’s cramped even without you! – shouted the man from behind the door.
– I won’t crowd you! – the fox smiled slyly. – I’ll lie on the bench myself, tail under the bench, chicken under the stove.
They let her in. The fox settled down and hid the chicken under the stove. At dawn she slipped out, hid the chicken outside, then returned and lay again on the bench. When the owner began to wake, the fox wailed:
– Oh, my chicken has disappeared! Grandmother’s gift! More precious than any treasure! I’ll die of sorrow! I’ll take nothing in return, not even the fattest goose!
The man was frightened:
– Take my goose, just don’t cry! And don’t think badly of me, and tell no one I stole anything.
– Nothing can replace it… – the fox sobbed, wiping her dry eyes with a paw.
He kept urging her until he finally placed the goose in her paws.
The little fox went on, humming:
The little fox walked along the path,
Carrying the rolling pin!
For the rolling pin—a chicken!
For the chicken—a goose!
She knocked on the next cottage. Everything repeated: she lay on the bench, the goose under the stove. In the morning the same story unfolded—she hid the goose and cried out:
– My goose is gone! My best friend! I’ll take nothing for it—not even a rabbit!
The man was scared that he would be accused of theft. He began to persuade the fox until he handed her a rabbit.
The fox continued, her song ringing:
The little fox walked along the path,
Carrying the rolling pin!
For the rolling pin—a chicken!
For the chicken—a goose!
For the goose—a rabbit!
She knocked on yet another house. As before, she lay on the bench, the rabbit under the stove. At sunrise, tears and wails rose again:
– My rabbit is missing! It was unique! I won’t even take a piglet for it!
But the owner of this cottage was no fool. He had seen the fox leave the house at night and understood everything. While the fox slept, he put—not a piglet—but his own dog into a sack.
– Take a piglet, little fox, – he said, handing her the sack that was moving. – Just don’t think badly of me. I never took your rabbit!
The fox rejoiced, took the sack, and went to collect the hidden chicken, goose and rabbit. She gathered them all, intending to place them in the sack “as a piglet” for easier carrying. She opened the sack…
And from it—BARK!—the dog sprang out and lunged at the fox!
The fox fled, but the dog managed to tear at her sides and pull out a tuft of reddish fur. Miraculously, the fox escaped into the forest. The chicken, the goose and the rabbit returned home.
Since then the fox fears approaching any village—she believes a dog is waiting for her there.
Thus her cunning turned into misfortune.
Greed and Deception
– The fox used lies to obtain more and more, but in the end she was left with nothing.
Credulity
– The homeowners believed her tears without checking whether she was telling the truth.
Justice
– The dog in the sack symbolizes justice; the fox’s deceit received its deserved punishment.
Why did the fox pretend to cry? What would you do in the men’s place?
How did the man with the dog figure out the deception? Why was his action just?
What did the fox feel at the end? Can we feel sorry for her?
How would the story end if the fox had not lied?
The Fox and the Hare
In a forest where the pines whisper to the wind, the Fox and the Hare lived.
The Hare owned a modest but cozy hut built of sturdy oak boards – a log cabin. He never boasted, tended his garden in silence and drank tea brewed with fragrant forest herbs.
The Fox, however, spent the whole winter showing off:
– Look at my palace! – she rang, tapping her paw on the glittering icy walls. – All of silver and diamonds! Dear neighbours, you are most welcome!