Reading Notes: Santal Folklore, Part B
Bibliography
"A Fox and his Wife" from Folklore of the Santal Parganas by Cecil Henry Bompas, Read it here
This story is another one with a happy ending! Well, for the main characters of the foxes, at least. I suppose it's not quite as happy of an ending for the tiger who was tricked out of eating them.
This story was short and sweet, and read like a classic folktale where the story conveys a moral to the reader or listener. In this case, Mr. Fox learned that he wasn't as witty as he thought he was, while his wife was the real clever one who had endured Mr. Fox's bragging about his cleverness for years. The moral of the story is probably along the lines of being humble or knowing what level your ability really is.
In the story, Mr. and Mrs. Fox are walking through the woods on their way home when they run into a tiger, who is about to eat them for dinner. Mr. Fox is so overcome with fright that he cannot say a word. However, Mrs. Fox acts quickly and cleverly by saying she is so grateful they found the tiger because they have a problem that the tiger can help solve. Mrs. Fox flatters the tiger heavily, which throws him off guard and gets him to agree to help the foxes.
Mrs. Fox says that her and Mr. Fox cannot decide how to divide up their children while taking care of them. The tiger thinks to himself that if he helps the foxes, he'll have the ability to eat them and their babies, so he goes back to the foxes den with them.
When they get to the den, Mrs. Fox says that they need to get the children out in order for the tiger to properly assess the situation and divide up the children between Mr. and Mrs. Fox. So Mr. Fox runs into the foxes' den. However, Mrs. Fox and the tiger wait for him to come back up and he doesn't.
The tiger becomes a little suspicious, but Mrs. Fox says that Mr. Fox must be having trouble wrangling the children and getting them out of the den, and that he probably needs a little help. Thus, Mrs. Fox also enters the den, but slowly and backwards in order to keep an eye on the tiger.
As Mrs. Fox is descending in the den, the tiger begins to realize that he is being tricked, but by then it is too late as Mrs. Fox is safely in the den with her husband and babies. Thus, the tiger has no choice but to leave and find dinner elsewhere. From that day forward, it was no longer a question of whether Mr. Fox or Mrs. Fox was wittier, as Mrs. Fox had proven herself having much more wit than Mr. Fox.
"A Fox and his Wife" from Folklore of the Santal Parganas by Cecil Henry Bompas, Read it here
This story is another one with a happy ending! Well, for the main characters of the foxes, at least. I suppose it's not quite as happy of an ending for the tiger who was tricked out of eating them.
This story was short and sweet, and read like a classic folktale where the story conveys a moral to the reader or listener. In this case, Mr. Fox learned that he wasn't as witty as he thought he was, while his wife was the real clever one who had endured Mr. Fox's bragging about his cleverness for years. The moral of the story is probably along the lines of being humble or knowing what level your ability really is.
In the story, Mr. and Mrs. Fox are walking through the woods on their way home when they run into a tiger, who is about to eat them for dinner. Mr. Fox is so overcome with fright that he cannot say a word. However, Mrs. Fox acts quickly and cleverly by saying she is so grateful they found the tiger because they have a problem that the tiger can help solve. Mrs. Fox flatters the tiger heavily, which throws him off guard and gets him to agree to help the foxes.
Mrs. Fox says that her and Mr. Fox cannot decide how to divide up their children while taking care of them. The tiger thinks to himself that if he helps the foxes, he'll have the ability to eat them and their babies, so he goes back to the foxes den with them.
When they get to the den, Mrs. Fox says that they need to get the children out in order for the tiger to properly assess the situation and divide up the children between Mr. and Mrs. Fox. So Mr. Fox runs into the foxes' den. However, Mrs. Fox and the tiger wait for him to come back up and he doesn't.
The tiger becomes a little suspicious, but Mrs. Fox says that Mr. Fox must be having trouble wrangling the children and getting them out of the den, and that he probably needs a little help. Thus, Mrs. Fox also enters the den, but slowly and backwards in order to keep an eye on the tiger.
As Mrs. Fox is descending in the den, the tiger begins to realize that he is being tricked, but by then it is too late as Mrs. Fox is safely in the den with her husband and babies. Thus, the tiger has no choice but to leave and find dinner elsewhere. From that day forward, it was no longer a question of whether Mr. Fox or Mrs. Fox was wittier, as Mrs. Fox had proven herself having much more wit than Mr. Fox.
Foxes are known for their cleverness, but Mrs. Fox outsmarts them all.
(Image source: Tambako the Jaguar on Flickr)
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