July 3. Story of the Day: Ant and Mouse

The story below is based on a folktale recorded in Folktales of Mexico by Americo Paredes. Paredes gives two versions of the story: Pérez the Mouse "a" and "b" (pp. 188-192). They were both collected in Jalisco, Mexico. Version a comes from Maria Soledad Orozco of Capilla de Guadalupe; she was 15 years old at the time. Version b comes from Clemente Martin of Pegueros; he was 11 years old at the time and had learned the story from his father.

I have combined elements from both versions and then told the story in my own words below, emphasizing the formulaic structures.

This type of story is classified as ATU 2023. Little Ant Marries, the same type as the Iranian story from yesterday, The Sad Story of the Beetle, the Mouse, and the Ant.

Ready for more? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

THE ANT AND THE MOUSE

(retold by Laura Gibbs)

One day an ant was sweeping, and while she was sweeping she found a penny. With that penny, she bought a pretty ribbon. She put the pretty ribbon on her head, and then sat down in the doorway to see what might happen next.

The ox walked by and he said, "You look beautiful, my dear ant. Would you like to marry me?"

"I don't know," replied the ant. "Tell me what you say."

"I say mooooooo," replied the ox.

"Oh, you sound dreadful. I do not want to marry you." So the ox went away. 

The dog walked by next, and he said, "You look beautiful, my dear ant. Would you like to marry me?"

"I don't know," replied the ant. "Tell me what you say."

"I say bow-wow-wow," replied the dog.

"Oh, you sound dreadful. I do not want to marry you." So the dog went away. 

The mouse walked by next, and he said, "You look beautiful, my dear ant. Would you like to marry me?"

"I don't know," replied the ant. "Tell me what you say."

"I say eee-eee-eee," replied the mouse.

"Oh, you sound very sweet," declared the ant. "I want to marry you!"

(mouse)

The ant married the mouse, and they set up house together. 

One day the ant said to the mouse, "I'm going to church. Keep an eye on the stew pot on the stove. Use the big spoon to stir the stew, and that way you won't fall in."

But the mouse forgot to use the big spoon, and into the stew he fell.

The ant came back from church and she called, "Mouse, oh my mouse, let's eat our supper!" But the mouse didn't come.

The ant ate a bowl of stew. And she was still hungry, so she called, "Mouse, oh my mouse, let's eat our supper!" But the mouse didn't come.

The ate ate another bowl of stew. And she was still hungry, so she called, "Mouse, oh my mouse, let's eat our supper!" But the mouse didn't come.

And when she went to get a third bowl of stew, she found the mouse in the stew pot. He was dead.

The ant was sad, and she dyed her ribbon black. She put the mourning ribbon on her head, and then she went outside and climbed a tree.

The tree said to her, "Ant, my ant, why are you climbing a tree?"

The ant said, "The mouse fell into the pot of stew, and he died. So I am climbing a tree."

And then the tree said, "Then I will shed my leaves."

A bird came to make its nest in the tree. The bird said to the tree without leaves, "Tree, my tree, why did you shed your leaves?"

The tree said, "The mouse fell into the pot of stew, and he died. So the ant is climbing a tree, and I am shedding my leaves."

And then the bird said, "So I will shed my feathers."

The bird flew off and landed on an ox. The ox said to the bird without feathers, "Bird, my bird, why did you shed your feathers?"

The bird said, "The mouse fell into the pot of stew, and he died. So the ant is climbing a tree, the tree is shedding its leaves, and I am shedding my feathers."

Then the ox said, "So I will shed my horns."

The ox went to drink at the pond. The pond said to the ox without horns, "Ox, my ox, why did you shed your horns?"

The ox said, "The mouse fell into the pot of stew, and he died. So the ant is climbing a tree, the tree is shedding its leaves, the bird is shedding its feathers, and I am shedding my horns."

Then the pond said, "So I will dry up."

A girl came to draw water from the pond with a pitcher. The girl said to the pond without water, "Pond, my pond, why did you dry up?"

The pond said, "The mouse fell into the pot of stew, and he died. So the ant is climbing a tree, the tree is shedding its leaves, the bird is shedding its feathers, the ox is shedding its horns, and I am drying up."

Then the girl said, "So I will break my pitcher."

The girl went to her father the king. The king said to the girl with the broken pitcher, "Daughter, my daughter, why did you break your pitcher?"

The girl said, "The mouse fell into the pot of stew, and he died. So the ant is climbing a tree, the tree is shedding its leaves, the bird is shedding its feathers, the ox is shedding its horns, the pond is drying up, and I am breaking my pitcher."

Then the king said, "So I will put on yellow clothes."

The king went to his wife the queen. The queen said to the king who had put on yellow clothes, "Husband, my husband, why have you put on yellow clothes?"

The king said, "The mouse fell into the pot of stew, and he died. So the ant is climbing a tree, the tree is shedding its leaves, the bird is shedding its feathers, the ox is shedding its horns, the pond is drying up, our daughter is breaking her pitcher, and I am putting on yellow clothes."

Then the queen said, "So I will cut myself in half."

And she cut herself in half, and that ended the story.