November 1. Story of the Day: Oh! come out, nanny-goat!

This comes from an old booklet by George Alexander Kohut: Some Passover rhymes and their parallels.

This is an example of ATU 2030. The Old Woman and her Pig.

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

OH! COME OUT, NANNY GOAT

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Oh! come out, nanny-goat,

Oh! come out of that cabbage field!

We must go and fetch the wolf!

The wolf won't eat nanny-goat,

Nanny-goat won't come out of the cabbage field.

Oh! come out, nanny-goat,

Oh! come out of that cabbage field!

We must go and fetch the dog!

The dog won't bite the wolf,

The wolf won't eat nanny-goat,

Nanny-goat won't come out of the cabbage field.

Oh! come out, nanny-goat,

Oh! come out of that cabbage field!

We must go and fetch the stick!

The stick won't beat the dog,

The dog won't bite the wolf,

The wolf won't eat nanny-goat,

Nanny-goat won't come out of the cabbage field.

Oh! come out, nanny-goat,

Oh! come out of that cabbage field!

We must go and fetch the farmer!

The farmer takes the stick,

The stick beats the dog,

The dog bites the wolf,

The wolf eats the nanny-goat.

NOTES

There are a number of parallels to Had Gadya in Oriental and Occidental folklore. Perhaps the most striking one is the old French ballad, published in the periodical Romania, in 1872, by the late Gaston Paris, entitled "Le Chanson du Chevreau" reprinted in A. Sabatier's "Chansons hebraico-provencales," in 1874, which is held to be the prototype of our legend by certain folklorists. Besides this ancient analogue, there are two more modern nursery rhymes, still quite popular in France, one of which we herewith reproduce in English translation.

October 31. Story of the Day: Yekele

From Steve Bellovin's website: Apples Will Not Fall. See his notes below, and further information on the homepage of his site.

This is an example of ATU 2030. The Old Woman and her Pig.

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

YEKELE

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The Most High sent down Yekele to the world,
To the world a Yekele,
For Yekele to harvest the pears,
For Yekele to harvest the pears.

Yekele will not harvest the pears;
The pears will not fall, the pears will not fall!

The Most High sent down a dog to the world,
A dog to the world,
For the dog to bite Yekele,
For the dog to bite Yekele.

The dog will not bite Yekele;
Yekele will not harvest the pears;
The pears will not fall, the pears will not fall!

The Most High sent down a stick to the world,
A stick to the world,For the stick to hit the dog,
For the stick to hit the dog.

The stick will not hit the dog;
The dog will not bite Yekele;
Yekele will not harvest the pears;
The pears will not fall, the pears will not fall!

The Most High sent down fire to the world,
Fire to the world,
For the fire to burn the stick,
For the fire to burn the stick.

The fire will not burn the stick;
The stick will not hit the dog;
The dog will not bite Yekele;
Yekele will not harvest the pears;
The pears will not fall, the pears will not fall!

The most high sent down water to the world,
Water to the world,
For the water to put out the fire,
For the water to put out the fire.

The water will not put out the fire
The fire will not burn the stick;
The stick will not hit the dog;
The dog will not bite Yekele;
Yekele will not harvest the pears;
The pears will not fall, the pears will not fall!

The Most High sent down an ox to the world,
An ox to the world,
For the ox to drink the water,
For the ox to drink the water.

The ox will not drink the water;
The water will not put out the fire
The fire will not burn the stick;
The stick will not hit the dog;
The dog will not bite Yekele;
Yekele will not harvest the pears;
The pears will not fall, the pears will not fall!

The Most High sent down a butcher to the world,
A butcher to the world,
For the butcher to slaughter the ox,
For the butcher to slaughter the ox.

The butcher will not slaughter the ox;
The ox will not drink the water;
The water will not put out the fire
The fire will not burn the stick;
The stick will not hit the dog;
The dog will not bite Yekele;
Yekele will not harvest the pears;
The pears will not fall, the pears will not fall!

The Most High sent down the Angel of Death to the world,
The Angel of Death to the world,
For the Angel of Death to take the butcher,
For the Angel of Death to take the butcher.
The butcher now will slaughter the ox,
The ox now will drink the water,
The water now will put out the fire,
The fire now will burn the stick,
The stick now will hit the dog,
The dog now will bite Yekele,
Yekele now will harvest the pears:
The pears now will fall; the pears now will fall!

~  ~  ~

Der Oybershter's hinuntergeshicht die melech hamoves auf die weld,
Die melech hamoves auf die weld
Die melech hamoves zol die shochet nemen
Die melech hamoves zol die shochet nemen
Die shochet vill shoen exele koilen
Die exele vil shoen wasser trenken
Die wasser a vill shoen die fire lushen
Die fire vil shoen shtekele brennen
Die shtekelem vill shoen hintele shmisen
Die hintele vill shoen Yekelem bisen
Yekelem vill shoen perelech risen
Perelech vil shoen fallen;  perelech vil shoen fallen


NOTES

For at least fifty years and probably longer my family has sung a Yiddish variation of the Passover "Chad Gadya" song we call "Yekele".  There is no goat in ours, only a small boy ("Yekele") whom God has sent to pick the pears that will not fall from the tree themselves.  The boy refuses, and for encouragement God sends a dog to bite the boy, then a stick to hit the dog, a fire to burn the stick, water to quench the fire, etc.

In the last stanza the Melech Hamoves (Angel of Death) is sent and suddenly everyone turns to do his duty, but the pears, of course, have already fallen.  It's a wonderful story with a moral, sung to a minor key melody very different from "Chad Gadya"

Relatives as far back as my late great-grandfather have always claimed that it is a private family song.  How can this be? Doesn't anyone else, particularly of eastern European origin, know this version?


HThisere is a transliteration of the song as I remember it from seders of many years ago. 

September 30. Story of the Day: Jack Will Not Mow the Oats

I found this chain tale in The Passover Song of the Kid and an Equivalent from New England by William Wells Newell.

It is an example of ATU 2030 The old woman and her pig.

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

JACK WILL NOT MOW OATS

(Mowers by Pekka Halonen)

The farmer sends Jack to mow oats.
Jack will not mow oats, would rather stay at home.

The farmer sends his man to fetch Jack.
The man will not fetch Jack, Jack will not mow oats, would rather stay home.

The farmer sends his dog to bite man.
The dog will not bite man, the man will not fetch Jack, Jack will not mow oats, would rather stay home.

The farmer sends the stick to beat dog.
The stick will not beat dog, the dog will not bite man, the man will not fetch Jack, Jack will not mow oats, would rather stay home.

The farmer sends the fire to burn stick.
The fire will not burn stick, the stick will not beat dog, the dog will not bite man, the man will not fetch Jack, Jack will not mow oats, would rather stay home.

The farmer sends the water to quench fire.
The water will not quench fire, the fire will not burn stick, the stick will not beat dog, the dog will not bite man, the man will not fetch Jack, Jack will not mow oats, would rather stay home.

The farmer sends his ox to drink water.
The ox will not drink water, water will not quench fire, the fire will not burn stick, the stick will not beat dog, the dog will not bite man, the man will not fetch Jack, Jack will not mow oats, would rather stay home.

The farmer sends the butcher to kill ox.
The butcher will not kill ox, ox will not drink water, water will not quench fire, the fire will not burn stick, the stick will not beat dog, the dog will not bite man, the man will not fetch Jack, Jack will not mow oats, would rather stay home.

The farmer sends the vulture to carry off butcher.
The vulture will not carry off butcher, the butcher will not kill ox, ox will not drink water, water will not quench fire, the fire will not burn stick, the stick will not beat dog, the dog will not bite man, the man will not fetch Jack, Jack will not mow oats, would rather stay home.

The farmer sends the witch to enchant vulture.
The witch will not enchant vulture, the vulture will not carry off butcher, the butcher will not kill ox, ox will not drink water, water will not quench fire, the fire will not burn stick, the stick will not beat dog, the dog will not bite man, the man will not fetch Jack, Jack will not mow oats, would rather stay home.

The farmer sends the hangman to burn witch.
The hangman will not burn witch, the witch will not enchant vulture, the vulture will not carry off butcher, the butcher will not kill ox, ox will not drink water, water will not quench fire, the fire will not burn stick, the stick will not beat dog, the dog will not bite man, the man will not fetch Jack, Jack will not mow oats, would rather stay home.

Finally, the farmer sends the doctor to kill the hangman.

   So the hangman says,
Rather than be killed, I will burn witch;
   The witch says,
Rather than be burned I will enchant vulture;
   The vulture says,
Rather than be enchanted, I will carry off butcher;
   The butcher says,
Rather than be carried off, I will kill ox;
   The ox says,
Rather than be killed, I will drink water;
   The water says,
Rather than be drunk, I will quench fire;
   The fire says,
Rather than be quenched, I will burn stick;
   The stick says,
Rather than be burned, I will beat dog;
   The dogs says,
Rather than be beat, I will bite man;
   The man says,
Rather than be beat, I will fetch Jack,
   And Jack says,
Rather than be fetched I will mow oats.


NOTES

The very numerous German versions exhibit several types. A common form is that in which a farmer sends his servant Jack to perform some agricultural labor, and Jack refuses. The German begins: Der bauer schickt den Jackel naus...

September 28. Story of the Day: The Woman and the Berries

This version comes from The McCloskey Primer by Margaret Orvis McCloskey, with illustrations by Charles Copeland. For a Scots version, see Chalmers' Popular Rhymes of Scotland: The Wife and her Bush of Berries (online at Hathi).

This is classified as ATU 2030 The old woman and her pig.

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THE WOMAN

AND HER BEAUTIFUL BUSH OF BERRIES

There was a woman who had a beautiful bush of berries, and she wanted to pick them, but she could not do that unless she had somebody to keep her house. So she went to a kid and said, "Kid, kid, come and keep my house till I pick my beautiful bush of berries."

"Indeed, no," said the kid, "I'll not keep your house till you pick your beautiful bush of berries."

Then the woman went to a dog and said, "Dog, dog, bite kid; kid will not keep my house till I pick my beautiful bush of berries."

"Indeed," said the dog, "I'll not bite the kid, for the kid never did me any harm."

Then the woman went to a stick and said, "Stick, stick, beat dog; dog will not bite kid, and kid will not keep my house till I pick my beautiful bush of berries."

"Indeed," said the stick, "I'll not beat the dog, for the dog never did me any harm."

Then the woman went to a fire and said, "Fire, fire, burn stick; stick will not beat dog, dog will not bite kid, and kid will not keep my house till I pick my beautiful bush of berries."

"Indeed," said the fire, I'll not burn the stick, for the stick never did me any harm."

Then the woman went to some water and said, "Water, water, quench fire; fire will not burn stick, stick will not beat dog, dog will not bite kid, and kid will not keep my house till I pick my beautiful bush of berries."

"Indeed," said the water, "I'll not quench the fire, for the fire never did me any harm."

Then the woman went to an ox and said, "Ox, ox, drink water; water will not quench fire, fire will not burn stick, stick will not beat dog, dog will not bite kid, and kid will not keep my house till I pick my beautiful bush of berries."

"Indeed," said the ox, "I'll not drink the water, for the water never did me any harm."

Then the woman went to an ax and said, "Ax, ax, strike ox; ox will not drink water, water will not quench fire, fire will not burn stick, stick will not beat dog, dog will not bite kid, and kid will not keep my house till I pick my beautiful bush of berries."

"Indeed," said the ax, "I'll not strike the ox, for the ox never did me any harm."

Then the woman went to a smith and said, "Smith, smith, grind ax; ax will not strike ox, ox will not drink water, water will not quench fire, fire will not burn stick, stick will not beat dog, dog will not bite kid, and kid will not keep my house till I pick my beautiful bush of berries."

"Indeed," said the smith, "I'll not grind the ax, for the ax never did me any harm."

Then the woman went to a rope and said, "Rope, rope, hang smith; smith will not grind ax, ax will not strike ox, ox will not drink water, water will not quench fire, fire will not burn stick, stick will not beat dog, dog will not bite kid, and kid will not keep my house till I pick my beautiful bush of berries."

"Indeed," said the rope, "I'll not hang the smith, for the smith never did me any harm."

Then the woman went to a mouse and said, "Mouse, mouse, gnaw rope; rope will not hang smith, smith will not grind ax, ax will not strike ox, ox will not drink water, water will not quench fire, fire will not burn stick, stick will not beat dog, dog will not bite kid, and kid will not keep my house till I pick my beautiful bush of berries."

"Indeed," said the mouse, "I'll not gnaw the rope, for the rope never did me any harm."

Then the woman went to a cat and said, "Cat, cat, kill mouse; mouse will not gnaw rope, rope will not hang smith, smith will not grind ax, ax will not strike ox, ox will not drink water, water will not quench fire, fire will not burn stick, stick will not beat dog, dog will not bite kid, and kid will not keep my house till I pick my beautiful bush of berries."

"Indeed," said the cat, "I'll not kill the mouse, for the mouse never did me any harm."

"Do it," said the woman, "and I'll give you milk and bread."

With that, the cat ran to kill the mouse, the mouse rang to gnaw the rope, the rope ran to hang the smith, the smith ran to to grind the ax, the ax ran to strike the ox, the ox ran to drink the water, the water ran to quench the fire, the fire ran to burn the stick, the stick ran to beat the dog, the dog ran to bite the kid, and the kid kept the woman's house till she picked her beautiful bush of berries.

NOTES

The refractory kid of this Scotch tale is very close to the pig that would not get over the stile. The series of personages in the Scotch story is almost the same as that of "The Old Woman and her Pig," and in one version the likeness is made complete by the following introduction:

There was a wife that lived in a wee house by herself, and as she was sweepin the house one day she found twal (two) pennies. So she thought to herself what she wad do wi her twal pennies, and at last she thought she couldna do better than gang wi't to the market and buy a kid. Sae she gaed to the market and coffed a fine kid. And as she was gaun home, she spied a bonny bush of berries growin beside a brig. And she said to the kid, "Kid, kid, keep my house," etc.

September 24. Story of the Day: Nanny-Goat in the Garden

This is from W. A. Clouston writing about "Cumulative Nursery Stories" in Notes and Queries, series 7, vol. 8 1889 (online at Hathi).

It is another example of ATU 2030 The old woman and her pig.

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THE NANNY-GOAT IN THE GARDEN

(illustration by Tenniel)

1. "Hilloa! Johnnie," says the master,
"Go chase me the Nanny,
That eats all our grapes
Down in the big garden."

2. Johnnie goes and returns not,
Nor chases the Nanny,
That eats all our grapes
Down in the big garden.

3. "Hilloa! Dog," says the master,
“Go bite me that Johnnie,
Who chases not the Nanny,
That eats all our grapes
Down in the big garden."

4. The Dog goes and returns not,
Nor bites our Johnnie,
Who chases not the Nanny,
That eats all our grapes
Down in the big garden.

5. “Ho! Whip,” says the master,
“Go thrash me that Doggie,
Who goes not to bite Johnnie,
Who chases not the Nanny,
That eats all our grapes
Down in the big garden."

6. The Whip goes and returns not,
Nor thrashes the Doggie,
That bites not our Johnnie,
Who chases not the Nanny,
That eats all our grapes
Down in the big garden.

7. “Ho! Fire," says the master,
“Go burn me that Whip there,
That goes not to thrash Doggie,
Who goes not to bite Johnnie,
Who chases not the Nanny,
That eats all our grapes
Down in the big garden."

8. The Fire goes and returns not,
Nor burns the Whip,
That thrashes not Doggie,
That bites not our Johnnie,
Who chases not the Nanny,
That eats all our grapes
Down in the big garden.

9. “Ho! Water," says the master,
"Go drown me that Fire,
That goes not to burn Whip,
That goes not to thrash Doggie,
Who goes not to bite Johnnie,
Who chases not the Nanny,
That eats all our grapes
Down in the big garden."

10 The Water goes and returns not,
Nor drowns the Fire,
That burns not the Whip,
That thrashes not Doggie,
That bites not our Johnnie,
Who chases not the Nanny,
That eats all our grapes
Down in the big garden.

11. "Ho! Ass," says the master,
"Go drink me that Water,
That goes not to drown Fire,
That goes not to burn Whip,
That goes not to thrash Doggie,
Who goes not to bite Johnnie,
Who chases not the Nanny,
That eats all our grapes
Down in the big garden."

12. The Ass goes and returns not,
Nor drinks the Water,
That drowns not the Fire,
That burns not the Whip,
That thrashes not Doggie,
That bites not our Johnnie,
Who chases not the Nanny,
That eats all our grapes
Down in the big garden.

13. “Ho! Sword," says the master,
“Go sabre me that Ass there,
Who goes not to drink Water,
That goes not to drown Fire,
That goes not to burn Whip,
That goes not to thrash Doggie,
Who goes not to bite Johnnie,
Who chases not the Nanny,
That eats all our grapes
Down in the big garden."

14. The Sword goes and returns not,
Nor sabres the Ass,
That drinks not the Water,
That drowns not the Fire,
That burns not the Whip,
That thrashes not Doggie,
That bites not our Johnnie,
Who chases not the Nanny,
That eats all our grapes
Down in the big garden.

15. “Then ‘tis I," says the master,
“That thither must hie me,”
And with a bound he is there.

So the Sword runs to sabre the Ass;
The Ass runs to drink the Water;
The Water runs to drown the Fire;
The Fire runs to burn the Whip;
The Whip runs to beat the Dog;
And the Dog runs to bite Johnnie;
And Johnnie chases the Nanny
That ate all the grape
And the master shuts the garden.


NOTES

Under the title of "Biquette dans le Jardin," M. Charles Marelle, Professor of French Literature in the University of Berlin, gives an interesting parallel to our "Old Woman and her Little Pig" in a small collection of oral variants of popular tales, French and foreign, but chiefly from Champagne, his native province, which begins thus:
"Hola! Jean," dit le maitre,
"Va m' chasser la biquette,
Qui mang' tout not' raisin,
La bas, dans l' grand jardin."

September 23. Story of the Day: Godmother Fox

This story comes from Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Frederick Crane, translating Pitrè's Sicilian story; see the author's detailed notes below.

This is yet another example of ATU 2030. The Old Woman and her Pig.

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

GODMOTHER FOX

Once upon a time there was Godmother Fox and Godmother Goat. The former had a little bit of a house adorned with little chairs, cups, and dishes; in short, it was well furnished.

One day Godmother Goat went out and carried away the little house.

Godmother Fox began to lament, when along came a dog, barking, that said to her: "What are you crying about?"

She answered: "Godmother Goat has carried off my house!"

"Be quiet. I will make her give it back to you."

So the dog went and said to Godmother Goat: "Give the house back to Godmother Fox."

The goat answered: "I am Godmother Goat. I have a sword at my side, and with my horns I will tear you in pieces."

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When the dog heard that, he went away.

Then a sheep passed by and said to the little fox: "What are you crying about?" and she told her the same thing. Then the sheep went to Godmother Goat and began to reprove her. The goat made the same answer she had made the dog, and the sheep went away in fright.

In short, all sorts of animals went to the goat, with the same result.

Among others the mouse went and said to the little fox: "What are you crying about?"

"Godmother Goat has carried off my house."

"Be still. I will make her give it back to you."

So the mouse went and said to Godmother Goat: "Give Godmother Fox her house back right away."

The goat answered: "I am Godmother Goat. I have a sword at my side, and with my fist and with my horns I will smash you!"

The mouse answered at once: "I am Godfather Mouse. By my side I have a spit. I will heat it in the fire and stick it in your tail."


NOTES

Sicily (Pitrè, No. 132).
Cummari Vurpidda (diminutive of Fox).
Cummari Crapazza (diminutive of Goat).

The inference of course is that Godmother Goat gave back the house. The story does not say so, but ends with the usual formula:
Story told, story written,
Tell me yours, for mine is said.

Pitrè (No. 133) gives another version in which a goat gets under a nun's bed and she calls on her neighbors, a dog, pig, and cricket, to put the goat out. The cricket alone succeeds, with a threat similar to that in the last story.

In the Neapolitan version (Imbriani, Dodici Conti Pomiglianesi, p. 273) an old woman, in sweeping the church, found a piece of money and, like the sexton in the story of "The Sexton's Nose," did not know what to buy with it. At last she bought some flour and made a hasty-pudding of it. She left it on the table and went again to church, but forgot to close the window. While she was gone a herd of goats came along, and one smelled the pudding, climbed in at the window, and ate it up. When the old woman came back and tried to open the door, she could not, for the goat was behind it. Then she began to weep and various animals came along and tried to enter the house. The goat answered them all: "I am the goat, with three horns on my head and three in my belly, and if you don't run away I will eat you up." The mouse at last replied: "I am Godfather Mouse, with the halter, and if you don't run away, I will tear your eyes out." The goat ran away and the old woman went in with Godfather Mouse, whom she married, and they both lived there together.

The Florentine version (Nov. fior. p. 556) is called "The Iron Goat." In it a widow goes out to wash and leaves her son at home, with orders not to leave the door open so that the Iron Goat, with the iron mouth and the sword tongue, can enter. The boy after a time wanted to go after his mother, and when he had gone half way he remembered that he had left the door open and went back. When he was going to enter he saw there the Iron Goat. "Who is there?" "It is I; I am the Iron Goat, with the iron mouth and the sword tongue. If you enter I will slice you like a turnip." The poor boy sat down on the steps and wept. A little old woman passed by and asked the cause of his tears; he told her and she said she would send the goat away for three bushels of grain. The old woman tried, with the usual result, and finally said to the boy: "Listen, my child. I don't care for those three bushels of grain; but I really cannot send the goat away." Then an old man tried his luck, with no better success. At last a little bird came by and promised for three bushels of millet to drive the goat away. When the goat made its usual declaration, the little bird replied: "And I with my beak will peck your brains out." The goat was frightened and ran away, and the boy had to pay the little bird three bushels of millet. (A version of this story is found in Morosi's Studi sui Dialetti greci, Lecce, 1870.)

September 21. Story of the Day: The Wee Wee Goat

This story comes from Folklore of the Antilles by Elsie Clews Parsons, volume 1, number 32.

It is yet another example of ATU 2030 The old woman and her pig.

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

OLD LADY AND HER WEE WEE GOAT

(pixabay)

An old lady who had a little wee, wee house, had a little wee wee dog, fin' a little wee wee penny, buy a little wee wee goat. The wee wee goat wouldn't graze, neither would it walk fast.

Went a little further, she find a stick, she beg the stick to lick goat, stick wont lick goat, goat wont walk fast, old woman couldn' get home.

She went a little further, she find a bill (cutlass), she beg the bill to cut stick, bill wouldn' cut stick, stick wouldn' lick goat, goat wouldn' walk fast, old woman couldn' get home.

She went a little further, see fire. Begged fire to burn bill, fire wouldn' burn bill, bill wouldn' cut stick, stick wouldn' lick goat, goat wouldn' walk fast old woman couldn' get home.

Went a little further, see water. Beg water to out fire, water wouldn' out fire, fire wouldn' burn bill, bill wouldn' cut stick, stick wouldn' lick goat, goat wouldn' walk fast old woman couldn' get home.

Went little further see an ox, beg ox to drink water, ox wouldn' drink water, water wouldn' out fire, fire wouldn' burn bill, bill wouldn' cut stick, stick wouldn' lick goat, goat wouldn' walk fast old woman couldn' get home.

Went little further see a rope, beg rope to tie ox, rope wouldn' tie ox, ox wouldn' drink water, water wouldn' out fire, fire wouldn' burn bill, bill wouldn' cut stick, stick wouldn' lick goat, goat wouldn' walk fast old woman couldn' get home.

Went little further see a rat, beg rat to cut rope, rat wouldn' cut rope, rope wouldn' tie ox, ox wouldn' drink water, water wouldn' out fire, fire wouldn' burn bill, bill wouldn' cut stick, stick wouldn' lick goat, goat wouldn' walk fast old woman couldn' get home.

See a cyat, beg cyat to catch rat, cat begin to catch rat, rat begin to bite rope, rope begin to tie ox, ox begin to drink water, water begin to out fire, fire begin to burn bill, bill begin to cut stick, stick begin to lick goat, goat begin to walk fast, and old lady then get home.


NOTES

Compare Bahamas, Parsons 8: 108; Ontario, W. J . and K. H. Wintemberg, 117-119; Nova Scotia, Fauset 3: 28-32; Spanish New Mexico, Espinosa 2: 225; Mexico, Tepecano, Mason 3: 175-176; Cape Verde Islands, Parsons 17: (I), 203-205; Hottentot, Bleek, 33-36; England, Jacobs 2: 21-23; Portugal, Coelho, IV; India, Clouston 1: I, 311-313; comparative, Bolte u. Polivka, II, 100-108; comparative, Aarne, nos. 2015, 2016, 2030.

A. Saint Lucia (I, 156)
Cumulative tale, the conclusion being, “Went little further, see a cyat, beg cyat to catch rat, cyat begin to catch rat, rat begin to bite rope, rope begin to tie ox, ox begin to drink water, water begin to out fire, fire begin to burn bill, bill begin to cut stick, stick begin to lick goat, goat begin to walk fast, and old lady then get home.”

B. Dominica (I, 491-492: in French)
When she is baptized, a child’s godmother gives her a little goat. The child grows up and has children who have children, who have children, etc. Little goat has been let loose into the woods. The child goes to look for him and meets lion. He says, “Lion, can’t you beat goat to make him go down for me?” Lion says no. He meets cutlass. “Cutlass, can’t you cut lion for lion to beat goat to make him go down for me?” And so on until Dog begins to eat cat; cat eats rat; rat eats suet; suet greases rope; rope hangs judge; judge judges butcher; butcher kills steer; steer drinks water; water puts out fire; fire burns cutlass; cutlass cuts lion; lion beats goat; goat cries out, “Ma-a!” and goes down to the house of its mistress.

C. Montserrat (II, 305-306)
The stick he buys with the ha’penny he finds won’t beat goat. “Do dog catch cat, for cat won’t catch rat, rat won’t eat grease, grease won’t grease rope, rope won’t hang butcher, butcher won’t butcher bull, bull won’t drink water, water won’t out fire, fire won’t burn bill, bill won’t cut stick, stick won’t beat kid, and I won’t get home before midnight.

D. Saint Croix (II, 444-445)
The little wee wee wee old lady tells her little wee wee wee kid she wants to go home to eat her bunch o’ berry. Kid says he won’t walk. She tells stick to bang kid. Stick won’t bang kid and so on with bill, fire, water, ox, butcher, rope, grease, rat, cat. Cat says, “Yes, Granny, I am going to eat rat,” etc., and so the old lady gets home to eat her bunch of berries.

September 18. Story of the Day: Sparrow and Crow

This story comes from Flora Annie Steel's Tales of the Punjab.

This is yet another example of ATU 2030. The Old Woman and her Pig.

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

THE SPARROW AND THE CROW

A sparrow and a crow once agreed to have khichrî for dinner. So the Sparrow brought rice, and the Crow brought lentils, and the Sparrow was cook, and when the khichrî was ready, the Crow stood by to claim his share.

'Who ever heard of any one sitting down to dinner so dirty as you are?' quoth the Sparrow scornfully. 'Your body is quite black, and your head looks as if it were covered with ashes. For goodness gracious sake, go and wash in the Pond first.'

The Crow, though a little huffy at being called dirty, deemed it best to comply, for he knew what a determined little person the Sparrow was; so he went to the Pond, and said—

  'Your name, sir, is Pond,
    But my name is Crow.
  Please give me some water,
    For if you do so
  I can wash beak and feet
    And the nice khichrî eat;
  Though I really don't know
    What the Sparrow can mean,
  For I'm sure, as Crows go,
    I'm remarkably clean!'

But the Pond said, 'Certainly I will give you water; but first you must go to the Deer, and beg him to lend you a horn. Then with it you can dig a nice little rill for the water to flow in clean and fresh.'

So the Crow flew to the Deer, and said—

  'Your name, sir, is Deer,
    But my name is Crow.
  Oh, give me a horn, please,
    For if you do so
  I can dig a clean rill
  For the water to fill;
  Then I'll wash beak and feet
  And the nice khichrî eat;
  Though I really don't know
    What the Sparrow can mean,
  For I'm sure, as Crows go,
    I'm remarkably clean!'

But the Deer said, 'Certainly I will give you a horn; but first you must go to the Cow, and ask her to give you some milk for me to drink. Then I shall grow fat, and not mind the pain of breaking my horn.'

So the Crow flew off to the Cow, and said—

  'Your name, ma'am, is Cow,
    But my name is Crow.
  Oh, give me some milk, please,
    For if you do so
  The pain will be borne,
  Deer will give me his horn,
  And I'll dig a clean rill
  For the water to fill;
  Then I'll wash beak and feet
  And the nice khichrî eat;
  Though I really don't know
    What the Sparrow can mean,
  For I'm sure, as Crows go,
    I'm remarkably clean!'

But the Cow said, 'Certainly I will give you milk, only first you must bring me some Grass; for who ever heard of a cow giving milk without grass?'

So the Crow flew to some Grass, and said—

  'Your name, sir, is Grass,
    But my name is Crow.
  Oh, give me some blades, please,
    For if you do so
  Madam Cow will give milk
  To the Deer sleek as silk;
  The pain will be borne,
  He will give me his horn,
  And I'll dig a clean rill
  For the water to fill;
  Then I'll wash beak and feet
  And the nice khichrî eat;
  Though I really don't know
    What the Sparrow can mean,
  For I'm sure, as Crows go,
    I'm remarkably clean!'

But the Grass said, 'Certainly I will give you Grass; but first you must go to the Blacksmith, and ask him to make you a sickle. Then you can cut me, for who ever heard of Grass cutting itself?'

So the Crow went to the Blacksmith, and said—

  'Your name, sir, is Smith,
    But my name is Crow.
  Please give me a sickle,
    For if you do so
  The Grass I can mow
  As food for the Cow;
  Madam Cow will give milk
  To the Deer sleek as silk;
  The pain will be borne,
  He will give me his horn,
  And I'll dig a clean rill
  For the water to fill;
  Then I'll wash beak and feet
  And the nice khichrî eat;
  Though I really don't know
    What the Sparrow can mean,
  For I'm sure, as Crows go,
    I'm remarkably clean!'

'With pleasure,' said the Blacksmith, 'if you will light the fire and blow the bellows.'

So the Crow began to light the fire, and blow the bellows, but in so doing he fell right in—to—the—very—middle—of—the—fire, and was burnt!

So that was the end of him, and the Sparrow ate all the khichrî.

NOTES

The Song.—The form of words in the original is important. The following gives the variants and the strict translation—

Tû Chhappar Dâs, Main Kâng Dâs, Deo paneriyâ, Dhoven chucheriyâ, Khâwen khijeriyâ, Dekh chiriyâ kâ chûchlâ, Main kâng sapariyâ.

  You are Mr. Tank,
  I am Mr. Crow,
  Give me water,
  That I may wash my beak,
  And eat my khichrî,
  See the bird's playfulness,
  I am a clean crow.

Tû Lohâr Dâs, Main Kâng Dâs, Tû deo pharwâ, Main khodûn ghasarwâ, Khilâwen bhainsarwâ, Chowen dûdharwâ, Pilâwen hirnarwâ, Toren singarwâ, Khôden chalarwâ, Nikâlen panarwâ, Dhoven chunjarwâ, Khâwen khijarwâ, Dehk chiriyâ kâ chûchlâ, Main kâng saparwâ.

  You are Mr. Blacksmith,
  I am Mr. Crow,
  You give me a spade,
  And I will dig the grass,
  That I may give it the buffalo to eat,
  And take her milk,
  And give it the deer to drink,
  And break his horn,
  And dig the hole,
  And take out the water,
  And wash my beak,
  And eat my khichrî,
  See the bird's playfulness,
  I am a clean crow.

September 6. Story of the Day: Munachar and Manachar

This story is from Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John Batten, and Jacobs in turn used Irish and Scottish sources.

This is another example of ATU 2030 The old woman and her pig.

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

 MUNACHAR AND MANACHAR

THERE once lived a Munachar and a Manachar, a long time ago, and it is a long time since it was, and if they were alive now they would not be alive then. They went out together to pick raspberries, and as many as Munachar used to pick Manachar used to eat. Munachar said he must go look for a rod to make a gad to hang Manachar, who ate his raspberries every one; and he came to the rod. "What news the day?" said the rod. "It is my own news that I'm seeking. Going looking for a rod, a rod to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar, who ate my raspberries every one."

"You will not get me," said the rod, "until you get an axe to cut me." He came to the axe. "What news today?" said the axe. "It's my own news I'm seeking. Going looking for an axe, an axe to cut a rod, a rod to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar, who ate my raspberries every one."

"You will not get me," said the axe, "until you get a flag to edge me." He came to the flag. "What news today?" says the flag. "It's my own news I'm seeking. Going looking for a flag, flag to edge axe, axe to cut a rod, a rod to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar, who ate my raspberries every one."

"You will not get me," says the flag, "till you get water to wet me." He came to the water. "What news today?" says the water. "It's my own news that I'm seeking. Going looking for water, water to wet flag to edge axe, axe to cut a rod, a rod to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar, who ate my raspberries every one."

''You will not get me," said the water, "until you get a deer who will swim me." He came to the deer. "What news to-day?" says the deer. "It's my own news I'm seeking. Going looking for a deer, deer to swim water, water to wet flag, flag to edge axe, axe to cut a rod, a rod to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar, who ate my raspberries every one."

"You will not get me," said the deer, ''until you get a hound who will hunt me." He came to the hound. "What news to-day?" says the hound. "It's my own news I'm seeking. Going looking for a hound, hound to hunt deer, deer to swim water, water to wet flag, flag to edge axe, axe to cut a rod, a rod to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar, who ate my raspberries every one."

"You will not get me," said the hound, ''until you get a bit of butter to put in my claw." He came to the butter. "What news to-day?" says the butter. "It's my own news I'm seeking. Going looking for butter, butter to go in claw of hound, hound to hunt deer, deer to swim water, water to wet flag, flag to edge axe, axe to cut a rod, a rod to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar, who ate my raspberries every one."

"You will not get me," said the butter, "until you get a cat who shall scrape me." He came to the cat. "What news to-day?" said the cat. "It's my own news I'm seeking. Going looking for a cat, cat to scrape butter, butter to go in claw of hound, hound to hunt deer, deer to swim water, water to wet flag, flag to edge axe, axe to cut a rod, a rod to make a gad, gad to hang Manachar, who ate my raspberries every one."

"You will not get me," said the cat, "until you will get milk which you will give me." He came to the cow. "What news to-day?" said the cow. "It's my own news I'm seeking. Going looking for a cow, cow to give me milk, milk I will give to the cat, cat to scrape butter, butter to go in claw of hound, hound to hunt deer, deer to swim water, water to wet flag, flag to edge axe, axe to cut a rod, a rod to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar, who ate my raspberries every one."

"You will not get any milk from me," said the cow, "until you bring me a whisp of straw from those threshers yonder." He came to the threshers. "What news to-day?" said the threshers. "It's my own news I'm seeking. Going looking for a whisp of straw from ye to give to the cow, the cow to give me milk, milk I will give to the cat, cat to scrape butter, butter to go in claw of hound, hound to hunt deer, deer to swim water, water to wet flag, flag to edge axe, axe to cut a rod, a rod to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar, who ate my raspberries every one."

"You will not get any whisp of straw from us," said the threshers, "until you bring us the makings of a cake from the miller over yonder." He came to the miller. "What news to-day?" said the miller. "It's my own news I'm seeking. Going looking for the makings of a cake which I will give to the threshers, the threshers to give me a whisp of straw, the whisp of straw I will give to the cow, the cow to give me milk, milk I will give to the cat, cat to scrape butter, butter to go in claw of hound, hound to hunt deer, deer to swim water, water to wet flag, flag to edge axe, axe to cut a rod, a rod to make a gad, a gad to hang Manachar, who ate my raspberries every one."

"You will not get any makings of a cake from me," said the miller, "till you bring me the full of that sieve of water from the river over there."

He took the sieve in his hand and went over to the river, but as often as ever he would stoop and fill it with water, the moment he raised it the water would run out of it again, and sure, if he had been there from that day till this, he never could have filled it. A crow went flying by him, over his head. "Daub! daub!" said the crow. "My blessings on ye, then," said Munachar, "but it's the good advice you have," and he took the red clay and the daub that was by the brink, and he rubbed it to the bottom of the sieve, until all the holes were filled, and then the sieve held the water, and he brought the water to the miller, and the miller gave him the makings of a cake, and he gave the makings of the cake to the threshers, and the threshers gave him a whisp of straw, and he gave the whisp of Straw to the cow, and the cow gave him milk, the milk he gave to the cat, the cat scraped the butter, the butter went into the claw of the hound, the hound hunted the deer, the deer swam the water, the water wet the flag, the flag sharpened the axe, the axe cut the rod, and the rod made a gad, and when he had it ready to hang Manachar he found that Manachar had BURST.

 NOTES

Source.—I have combined the Irish version given by Dr. Hyde in his Leabhar Sgeul., and translated by him for Mr. Yeats' Irish Folk and Fairy Tales, and the Scotch version given in Gaelic and English by Campbell, No. viii.

Parallels.—Two English versions are given in my Eng. Fairy Tales, No. iv., "The Old Woman and her Pig," and xxxiv., "The Cat and the Mouse," where see notes for other variants in these isles. M. Cosquin, in his notes to No. xxxiv., of his Contes de Lorraine, t. ii. pp.35-41, has drawn attention to an astonishing number of parallels scattered through all Europe and the East (cf, too, Crane, Ital. Pop. Tales, notes, 372-5). One of the earliest allusions to the jingle is in Don Quixote, pt. I, c. xvi.: "Y asi como suele decirse el gato al rato, el rato á la cuerda, la cuerda al palo, daba el arriero á Sancho, Sancho á la moza, la moza á él, el ventero á la moza." As I have pointed out, it is used to this day by Bengali women at the end of each folk-tale they recite (L. B. Day, Folk-Tales of Bengal, Pref.).

Remarks.—Two ingenious suggestions have been made as to the origin of this curious jingle, both connecting it with religious ceremonies: (1) Something very similar occurs in Chaldaic at the end of the Jewish Hagada, or domestic ritual for the Passover night. It has, however, been shown that this does not occur in early MSS. or editions, and was only added at the end to amuse the children after the service, and was therefore only a translation or adaptation of a current German form of the jingle; (2) M. Basset, in the Revue des Traditions poplaires, 1890, t. v. p.549, has suggested that it is a survival of the old Greek custom at the sacrifice of the Bouphonia for the priest to contend that he had not slain the sacred beast, the axe declares that the handle did it, the handle transfers the guilt further, and so on. This is ingenious, but fails to give any reasonable account of the diffusion of the jingle in countries which have had no historic connection with classical Greece.

September 4. Story of the Day: Old Woman and Crow

This story comes from the journal North Indian Notes and Queries. I have only included the English here; you can see the original verses online at Hathi Trust.

I have had to fill in the English blanks based on the preceding formula when the English is not provided; I am following the formula, not trying to translate the rhymes.

This is yet another example of ATU 2030. The Old Woman and her Pig.

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

THE OLD WOMAN AND THE CROW 

(puri)

An old woman was one day frying rich cakes (puri) in a frying-pan when a crow came and said, "Mother, give me a cake!"

"Go and wash your bill first," she said.

So the crow went to the water and said, "Water, water, thou art water's slave! Give me water and let me wash my bill. Then I'll ogle the five cakes."

The water replied, "Bring an earthen pot from the potter and you can take water and wash thy bill."

So the crow went to the potter and said, "Potter, potter, thou art the potter's slave! Give me a pot, I will take water, wash my bill, and ogle cakes five."

But the potter said, "Bring earth and I will make an earthen pot for thee."

So the crow went to the earth and said, "Earth, earth, thou art the earth's slave! Give me earth for a pot, I will take water, wash my bill and ogle cakes five."

The earth said, "Bring the deer's horn and dig the earth." So the crow went to the deer and said, "Deer, deer, thou art the deer's slave! Give me horn to dig earth, potter will make pot, I will take water, wash my bill, and ogle cakes five."

But the deer said, "Go to the dog and he will fight me and break my horn; then I will give it to thee."

So the crow went to the dog and said, "Dog, dog, thou art the dog's slave! Fight with deer to get horn, horn will dig earth, potter will make pot, I will take water, wash my bill, and ogle cakes five."

But the dog said, "Bring me some milk, and when I drink it I will fight the deer."

So the crow went to the cow and said, "Cow, cow, thou art the cow's slave! Give me milk, dog will fight deer, horn will dig earth, potter will make pot, I will take water, wash my bill, and ogle cakes five."

But the cow said, "Bring me some grass, and when I eat it I will give you plenty of milk."

So the crow went to the grass and said, "Grass, grass, thou art the grass's slave! Give me grass, cow will give milk, dog will fight deer, horn will dig earth, potter will make pot, I will take water, wash my bill, and ogle cakes five."

But the grass said, "Bring a spade, and you may collect as much grass as you wish."

So the crow went to the blacksmith and said, "Blacksmith, blacksmith, thou art the blacksmith's slave! Give me a spade, spade will dig grass, cow will give milk, dog will fight deer, horn will dig earth, potter will make pot, I will take water, wash my bill, and ogle cakes five."

The blacksmith said, "How will you take the spade?"

The crow said, "Put it round my neck and I will manage to carry it away."

So the blacksmith heated the spade and hung it round the neck of the crow, and when he tried to fly away with it his neck was burnt and his head fell off and that was the end of him.


NOTES

A nursery rhyme told by Brij Lai, Student of the High School, Bulandshahr. This is one of the cumulative rhymes on the model of "This is the House that Jack built." Mr. Clouston gives other examples in Popular Tales and Fictions, II., 389 sqq. - Editor.

July 7. Story of the Day: Jackdaw and Wren

This story comes from Folk Tales of Assam by Jnanadabhiram Borooah. Assam is located in the far northeast of India; you can read about the people of Assam at Wikipedia.

This is yet another example of ATU 2030. The Old Woman and her Pig. In particular, this is a story about a bird who needs water to wash its beak like the crow in The Sparrow and the Crow.

At the end of the story, you will see an elaborate formula for ending the story. For a short closing formula, compare this Persian story: "And now my story has come to an end, but the sparrow never got home" (The Fox's Pilgrimage to Mecca).

And for more stories, click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

THE JACKDAW AND THE TIPASI

(Indian wren)

Once upon a time there were a jackdaw and a little tipasi bird (wren). They made friends. one day when they were perched on a tree, they saw an old woman drying some boilded rice in the sun.

The jackdaw said to the little bird, "Friend, friend, do you see the old woman drying her boiled rice in the sun? Let us go and get some."

The little bird said, "Yes, let us."

"My friend," replied the jackdaw, "there is a condition: if you can't carry as much rice in your beak as I shall in mine, I shall eat you up, and if I can't carry as much in mine as you will in yours, you will eat me up."

These words made the little bird think that it was impossible she would be able to carry as much as the jackdaw, so she came to the conclusion that it was the jackdaw's intention to eat her. But she said to herself, "Let me see, however, how he does it," and she replied, "Very well, friend, I am game."

The jackdaw then said to the little bird, "Have your first chance then."

The tipasi replied, "No, friend, you had better have yours first."

On which the jackdaw replied, "No, friend, it is you who are to have your turn first; I come after you."

The tipasi on hearing this brought a little beakful with her little beak. The jackdaw followed after and he brought many times as much with his beak as the little bird brought in hers.

And the jackdaw then replied, "Friend, let me then eat you up."

"Certainly, you will eat me up," said the tipasi, "but you see, you eat all manner of dead bodies and your beak has an awful smell. Pray, go and wash your beak in the sea, and then come and eat me up."

The jackdaw replied, "Very well, friend, I shall do just as you ask me to and will return immediately after I have washed it in the sea."

And he flew to the sea and called out, "Brother Sea, Brother Sea."

The sea replied, "What is it?"

The jackdaw said, "Give me some water to wash my beak. For I want to eat a tipasi chick."

The Sea replied, "How shall I give it to you? If you can bring with you some sort of cup, bowl, or a jar, I may give you some then; how otherwise?"

The jackdaw on hearing this flew to a potter to get a jar. On reaching the potter's, he called out, "Brother Potter, Brother Potter, are you at home?"

The potter replied, "Yes, what can I do for you?"

The jackdaw said, "Give ma jar so that I may have some water to wash my beak and eat a little tipasi."

The potter said, "I have not any jar ready at present; if you get me a little earth, I could make you one."

Then the jackdaw went and asked for some earth from the Earth, saying, "Give me some earth so that I may give it to the potter to make a jar to draw some water. I wish to wash my beak and eat a little tipasi."

The Earth replied, "How can I help you with some myself? If you can manage to dig some, you are welcome."

On having this reply, the jackdaw hastened to a buffalo and said, "Lend me your horn to dig the earth with. I want to make it over to the potter for a jar. I shall then draw some water to wash my beak with and eat the tipasi."

The buffalo replied, "How can I give you my horn myself? If you can manage to take it, do so."

Whereupon the jackdaw approached a dog and said, "Kill the buffalo. I want his horn to dig the earth with so that I may give it to a potter to make me a jar to draw water in to wash my beak with and eat the tipasi."

The dog replied, "I have not had milk for a long time, so I am not as strong as I was. If you can get me some milk, I shall be able to kill the buffalo."

On hearing this, the jackdaw approached a cow and said, "Give me milk to feed the dog who will kill the buffalo for me and give me his horn to dig the earth I shall give to the potter to make me a jar with which I shall draw water to wash my beak with and then eat the tipasi."

The cow replied, "I am getting old now and I have not had a good feed of grass for a long time; if you can get me some good grass, I shall give you as much milk as you like."

Then the jackdaw addressed the grass, saying, "Give me some grass to feed the cow who would give me milk for the dog who will kill the buffalo for me and give me his horn to dig the earth I shall give to the potter to make me a jar with which I shall draw water to wash my beak with and then eat the tipasi."

The grass replied, "How could I give you some myself? You are welcome to cut and take it."

He then went to the blacksmith and called out from outside, "Brother Smith, are you in?"

The blacksmith replied, "Yes, Brother Daw, what brings you here?"

The jackdaw replied, "Give me a spud [spade]. I want to cut some grass to feed the cow who would give me milk for the dog who will kill the buffalo and give me his horn to dig the earth I shall give to the potter to make me a jar with which I shall draw water to wash my beak with and then eat the tipasi."

The blacksmith said, "The fire has gone out; if you can get some fire, I shall make you a spade most gladly."

The jackdaw happening to look round saw some smoke on the other side of the water. No sooner he saw it, he flew to the other side and found an old woman boiling some paddy [unmilled rice]. He approached her and asked for some fire.

The old woman said, "How will you carry it?"

The jackdaw replied, "Well, tie some to my wing."

The old woman did so. The jackdaw crossed the sea and when he was flying across, the wind blowing hard, his wings caught fire and he dropped onto the water and was drowned.

And now the tipasi was all along noticing what the jackdaw was doing from beginning to end. He, on witnessing such an end of the jackdaw, flew away in great delight from his perch to a branch of another tree.

I too had to return as my clothes had to be sent to be washed. The Dhekia plant opened out its ear and my tale has come to an end. The betel-nut has opened its flower; who will go where? The black cat's white ears... and call out the name of Rama.

July 6. Story of the Day: Ram in the Chile Patch

This story is from Folktales of Mexico by Americo Paredes. The story was collected from Maria del Refugio Gonzalez of Tepatitlan in Jalisco. I have paraphrased the story in my own words, emphasizing the formulaic elements.

The story is an example of ATU 2030. The Old Woman and her Pig, but instead of a pig who won't jump over a stile, this is a ram who won't get out of the chile patch. Another distinctive feature is the dialogue at the end with the final character in the chain.

The version here is not cumulative, although it would be easy to make a cumulative version, having either the little boy or his animal helpers recite the chain of failures before the final success.

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

THE RAM IN THE CHILE PATCH

(retold by Laura Gibbs)

(chiles)

There was once a boy, and he had a patch of chile peppers; he earned his living selling chiles.

Then one day a ram got into the little boy's chile patch and started eating the chiles. So the boy yelled, "Ram, hey ram, get out of my chile patch."

"You rude boy!" replied the ram. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay right here and eat all the chiles."

The little boy tried to push the ram out of the chile patch, but the ram pushed right back. The boy pushed the ram again, and this time the ram kicked the boy and knocked him down. The little boy got up and then ran out of the chile patch, crying.

A cow saw him crying and asked, "What the matter, little man?"

The boy told the cow, "A ram knocked me down."

"Why did he do that?"

"Because I tried to make him leave the chile patch. The ram's in the chile patch, and I can't make him go out!"

The cow then went into the chile patch and mooed, "Ram, hey ram, you need to get out of that boy's chile patch."

"You big fat cow!" replied the ram. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay right here and eat all the chiles."

The cow used her horns to try to push the ram out, but the ram pushed back and drove that cow right out of the boy's chile patch.

Meanwhile, the boy kept on crying because the ram was eating all the chiles in his chile patch.

The dog saw what happened, so he went into the chile patch and barked, "Ram, hey ram, you need to get out of that boy's chile patch."

"You worthless dog!" replied the ram. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay right here and eat all the chiles."

The dog snarled at the ram to try to make him leave, but the ram used his horns to push that dog right out of the boy's chile patch.

Meanwhile, the boy kept on crying because the ram was eating all the chiles in his chile patch.

The rooster saw what happened, so he went into the chile patch and crowed, "Ram, hey ram, you need to get out of that boy's chile patch."

"You noisy rooster!" replied the ram. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay right here and eat all the chiles."

The rooster pecked the ram to try to make him leave, but the ram used his hooves to push that rooster right out of the boy's chile patch.

Meanwhile, the boy kept on crying because the ram was eating all the chiles in his chile patch.

The burro saw what was happening, so he went into the chile patch and brayed, "Ram, hey ram, you need to get out of that boy's chile patch."

"You ugly burro!" replied the ram. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay right here and eat all the chiles."

The burro rushed at the ram to try to make him leave, but the ram pushed back and drove the burro right out of the boy's chile patch.

Meanwhile, the boy kept on crying because the ram was eating all the chiles in his chile patch.

Finally, a little ant came and saw what was happening. The boy said to the ant, "Ant, hey Ant, if you will get the ram out of the chile patch for me, I will give you lots of corn."

"How much corn?" asked the ant.

"A bushel of corn!" said the boy.

"Oh, that's too much," replied the ant.

"Half a bushel," said the boy.

"That's too much," replied the ant.

"A kilo of corn," said the boy.

"Still too much," replied the ant.

"A handful of corn," said the boy.

"That sounds good," said the ant.

The boy went away to grind the corn while the ant went into the chile patch. The ant didn't say anything; she just walked up to the ram, step by step by step. The ram didn't even see her. Then the ant crawled up one of the ram's legs, step by step by step. The ram didn't even feel her. And then the ant crawled right up to where she could sting the ram's butt. 

And as soon as the ant stings the ram, the ram jumps and runs, shouting, "Oh no, oh no, something stung me in the butt.  Oh nooooooo!"

And that is how the ant was able to drive the ram out of the boy's chile patch at last.

July 1. Story of the Day: Kid Do Go

This item comes from The Passover Song of the Kid and an Equivalent from New England by William Wells Newell (and for the Passover song referred to in the title, see this post: Chad Gadya - One Goat).

This is another example of ATU 2030. The Old Woman and her Pig, with a stubborn little goat instead of a pig. Newell details his source in the note below, dating back to around the year 1800 (or older, of course).

For audio, see the bottom of the post, and for more stories, here are the previous Stories-of-the-Day.

KID DO GO

Old London Bridge in 1745 by J.J. Dodd

As I was going over London Bridge,
I found a penny ha'penny, and bought me a kid.
Kid, do go.
Know by the moonlight it's almost midnight,
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago.

Went a little further, and found a stick.
Stick, do beat kid,
Kid won't go.
Know by the moonlight it's almost midnight,
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago.

Went a little further, and found fire.
Fire, do burn stick,
Stick won't beat kid,
Kid won't go.
Know by the moonlight it's almost midnight,
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago.

Went a little further, and found water.
Water, do quench fire,
Fire won't burn stick,
Stick won't beat kid,
Kid won't go.
Know by the moonlight it's almost midnight,
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago.

Went a little further, and found ox.
Ox, do drink water,
Water won't quench fire,
Fire won't burn stick,
Stick won't beat kid,
Kid won't go.
Know by the moonlight it's almost midnight,
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago.

Went a little further, and found butcher.
Butcher, do kill ox,
Ox won't drink water,
Water won't quench fire,
Fire won't burn stick,
Stick won't beat kid,
Kid won't go.
Know by the moonlight it's almost midnight,
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago.

Went a little further, and found rope.
Rope, do hang butcher,
Butcher won't kill ox,
Ox won't drink water,
Water won't quench fire,
Fire won't burn stick,
Stick won't beat kid,
Kid won't go.
Know by the moonlight it's almost midnight,
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago.

Rope began to hang butcher,
Butcher began to kill ox,
Ox began to drink water,
Water began to quench fire,
Fire began to burn stick,
Stick began to beat kid,
Kid began to go.
Know by the moonlight it's almost midnight,
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago.

NOTES

I now print for the first time a version obtained by myself, many years ago, from the recitation of Miss Lydia R. Nichols of Salem, Mass., at the time aged 88 years, who retained the words as a reminiscence of her earliest infancy; the date of the rhyme therefore goes back to about 1800.

~ ~ ~

Here's an audio recording by yours truly :-)

June 28. Story of the Day: Sparrow and Bush

This story is from Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales by R. Nisbet Bain with illustrations by Noel L. Nisbet. You can read about the Cossacks at Wikipedia, and you will also see a reference to Tatars (Tartars) in the story.

This is classified as ATU 2030. The Old Woman and her Pig. In this case, the starting point is an obstinate bush that will not swing the sparrow. Notice how the story has two different ways of repeated the accumulation: the sparrow is the one who repeats the request and the explanatory chain as you would expect, but at one point you'll see that the pattern shifts where the narrator repeats the chain and brings it on back down to the bush, and then the bush tells the sparrow where to go next. It's as if the poor little sparrow needed a break to catch is breath before resuming his quest!

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

THE SPARROW AND THE BUSH

(house sparrow)

A sparrow once flew down upon a bush and said, “Little bush, give good little sparrow a swing.”

“I won’t!” said the little bush.

Then the sparrow was angry, and went to the goat and said, “Goat, goat, nibble bush, bush won’t give good little sparrow a swing.”

“I won’t!” said the goat.

Then the sparrow went to the wolf and said, “Wolf, wolf, eat goat, goat won’t nibble bush, bush won’t give good little sparrow a swing.”

“I won’t!” said the wolf.

Then the sparrow went to the people and said, “Good people, kill wolf, wolf won’t eat goat, goat won’t nibble bush, bush won’t give good little sparrow a swing.”

“We won’t!” said the people.

Then the sparrow went to the Tartars and said, “Tartars, Tartars, slay people, people won’t kill wolf, wolf won’t eat goat, goat won’t nibble bush, bush won’t give good little sparrow a swing.”

But the Tartars said, “We won’t slay the people!” and the people said, “We won’t kill the wolf!” and the wolf said, “I won’t eat the goat!” and the goat said, “I won’t nibble the bush!” and the bush said, “I won’t give the good little sparrow a swing.”

“Go!” said the bush, “to the fire, for the Tartars won’t slay the people, and the people won’t kill the wolf, and the wolf won’t eat the goat, and the goat won’t nibble the bush, and the bush won’t give the dear little sparrow a swing.”

But the fire also said, “I won’t!” (they were all alike) –– “go to the water,” said he.

So the sparrow went to the water and said, “Come water, quench fire, fire won’t burn Tartars, Tartars won’t slay people,  people won’t kill wolf, wolf won’t eat goat, goat won’t nibble bush, bush won’t give good little sparrow a swing.”

But the water also said, “I won’t!”

So the sparrow went to the ox and said, “Ox, ox, drink water, water won’t quench fire, fire won’t burn Tartars, Tartars won’t slay people, people won’t kill wolf, wolf won’t eat goat, goat won’t nibble bush, bush won’t give little sparrow a swing.”

“I won’t!” said the ox.

Then the sparrow went to the pole-axe and said, “Pole-axe, pole-axe, strike ox, ox won’t drink water, water won’t quench fire, fire won’t burn Tartars, Tartars won’t slay people, people won’t kill wolf, wolf won’t eat goat, goat won’t nibble bush, bush won’t give little sparrow a swing.”

“I won’t!” said the pole-axe.

So the sparrow went to the worms and said, “Worms, worms, gnaw pole-axe, pole-axe won’t strike ox, ox won’t drink water, water won’t quench fire, fire won’t burn Tartars, Tartars won’t slay people, people won’t kill wolf, wolf won’t eat goat, goat won’t nibble bush, bush won’t give little sparrow a swing.”

“We won’t!” said the worms.

Then the sparrow went to the hen and said, “Hen, hen, peck worms, worms won’t gnaw pole-axe, pole-axe won’t strike ox, ox won’t drink water, water won’t quench fire, fire won’t burn Tartars, Tartars won’t slay people, people won’t kill wolf, wolf won’t eat goat, goat won’t nibble bush, bush won’t give little sparrow a swing.”

“I won’t!” said the hen, “but go to the sparrow-hawk, he ought to give the first push, or why is he called the Pusher!”

So the sparrow went to the sparrow-hawk and said, “Come, pusher, seize hen, hen won’t peck worms, worms won’t gnaw pole-axe, pole-axe won’t strike ox, ox won’t drink water, water won’t quench fire, fire won’t burn Tartars, Tartars won’t slay people, people won’t kill wolf, wolf won’t eat goat, goat won’t nibble bush, bush won’t give little sparrow a swing.”

Then the sparrow-hawk began to seize the hen, the hen began to peck the worms, the worms began to gnaw the pole-axe, the pole-axe began to hit the ox, the ox began to drink the water, the water began to quench the fire, the fire began to burn the Tartars, the Tartars began to slay the people, the people began to kill the wolf, the wolf began to eat the goat, the goat began to nibble the bush, and the bush cried out:

“Swing away, swing away, swi-i-i-i-ing!
Little daddy sparrow, have your fli-i-i-ing!”

Parker. The Female Quail

From Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon by H. Parker, volume 1, 28.

This is yet another example of ATU 2030. The Old Woman and her Pig. 

THE FEMALE QUAIL

(quail hen in India)

A female Quail having laid an egg on a rock, went to eat food. Then the [overhanging] rock closed over it, and when the bird returned there was no egg. "Ando! There is no egg," she said.

Well then, she went to the Mason. The Mason said, "Sit down, O Bird."

"What is [the use of] sitting and staying? What is [the use of] betel leaf and areka nut at the corner of the bed? Cut the rock, and give me the egg, O Mason," she said.

The Mason said, "I will not."

From there she went to the Village Headman. The Village Headman said, "Sit down, O Bird."

"What is the use of sitting and staying? What is the use of betel leaf and areka nut at the corner of the bed? O Village Headman, tie up the house-door of the Mason, the Mason who did not cut the rock, and give me the egg," she said.

The Village Headman said, "I will not."

From there she went to the Pig. The Pig said, "Sit down, O Bird."

"What is the use of sitting and staying? What is the use of betel leaf and areka nut at the corner of the bed? O Pig, feed in the rice field of the Village Headman, the Village Headman who did not tie up the house-door of the Mason, the Mason who did not cut the rock, and give me the egg," she said.

The Pig said, "I will not."

From there she went to the Vedda. The Vedda said, "Sit down, O Bird."

"What is the use of sitting and staying? What is the use of betel leaf and areka nut at the corner of the bed? O Vedda, shoot (with bow and arrow) the Pig, the Pig who did not feed in the rice field of the Village Headman, the Village Headman who did not tie up the house-door of the Mason, the Mason who did not cut the rock, and give me the egg," she said.

The Vedda said, "I will not."

From there she went to the Timbol creeper [which has long, sharp thorns]. The Timbola said, "Sit down, O Bird."

"What is the use of sitting and staying? What is the use of betel leaf and areka nut at the corner of the bed? O Timbola, prick the body of the Vedda, the Vedda who did not shoot the Pig, the Pig who did not feed in the rice field of the Village Headman, the Village Headman who did not tie up the house-door of the Mason, the Mason who did not cut the rock, and give me the egg," she said.

The Timbola said, "I will not."

From there she went to the Fire. The Fire said, "Sit down, O Bird."

"What is the use of sitting and staying? What is the use of betel leaf and areka nut at the corner of the bed? O Fire, burn the Timbola, the Timbola that did not prick the body of the Vedda, the Vedda who did not shoot the Pig, the Pig who did not feed in the rice field of the Village Headman, the Village Headman who did not tie up the house-door of the Mason, the Mason who did not cut the rock, and give me the egg," she said.

The Fire said, '' I will not."

From there she went to the Water-pot. The Water-pot said, "Sit down, O Bird."

"What is the use of sitting and staying? What is the use of betel leaf and areka nut at the corner of the bed? O Water-pot, quench the Fire, the Fire that did not burn the Timbola, the Timbola that did not prick the body of the Vedda, the Vedda who did not shoot the Pig, the Pig who did not feed in the rice field of the Village Headman, the Village Headman who did not tie up the house-door of the Mason, the Mason who did not cut the rock, and give me the egg," she said.

The Water-pot said, "I will not."

From there she went to the Elephant. The Elephant said, "Sit down, O Bird."

"What is the use of sitting and staying? What is the use of betel leaf and areka nut at the corner of the bed? O Elephant, make muddy the Water-pot, the Water-pot that did not quench the Fire, the Fire that did not burn the Timbola, the Timbola that did not prick the body of the Vedda, the Vedda who did not shoot the Pig, the Pig who did not feed in the rice field of the Village Head- man, the Village Headman who did not tie up the house- door of the Mason, the Mason who did not cut the rock, and give me the egg," she said.

The Elephant said, "I will not."

From there she went to the Rat. The Rat said, "Sit down, O Bird."

"What is the use of sitting and staying? What is the use of betel leaf and areka nut at the corner of the bed? O Rat, creep into the ear of the Elephant, the Elephant who did not make muddy the Water-pot, the Water-pot that did not quench the Fire, the Fire that did not burn the Timbola, the Timbola that did not prick the body of the Vedda, the Vedda who did not shoot the Pig, the Pig who did not feed in the rice field of the Village Headman, the Village Headman who did not tie up the house-door of the Mason, the Mason who did not cut the rock, and give me the egg," she said.

The Rat said, "I will not."

From there she went to the Cat. The Cat said, "Sit down, O Bird."

"What is the use of sitting and staying? What is the use of betel leaf and areka nut at the corner of the bed? O Cat, eat the Rat, the Rat who did not creep into the ear of the Elephant, the Elephant who did not make muddy the Water-pot, the Water-pot that did not quench the Fire, the Fire that did not burn the Timbola, the Timbola that did not prick the body of the Vedda, the Vedda who did not shoot the Pig, the Pig who did not feed in the rice field of the Village Headman, the Village Headman who did not tie up the house-door of the Mason, the Mason who did not cut the rock, and give me the egg," she said.

The Cat said "Ha'' (Yes).

Well then, the Cat went to catch the Rat, the Rat went to creep into the ear of the Elephant, the Elephant went to make muddy the Water-pot, the Water-pot went to quench the Fire, the Fire went to burn the Timbola, the Timbola went to prick the body of the Vedda, the Vedda went to shoot the Pig, the Pig went to feed in the rice field of the Village Headman, the Village Headman went to tie up the house-door of the Mason, the Mason went to cut the rock, and take and give the egg.

Here the story ends.

"Was the egg given?" I asked.

"It would be given," the narrator said.

"No, he gave it," said a listener.


NOTES

North-western Province. In a variant which I heard in the Southern Province, a bird laid two eggs in a crevice between two stones, which drew close together. She went to a Mason or Stone-cutter; (2) to a Pig; (3) to a Hunter; (4) to an Elephant, which she requested to kill him; (5) to a Lizard (Calotes), which she told to crawl up the Elephant's trunk into its brain; (6) to a Jungle Hen, which she told to peck and kill the Lizard; (7) to a Jackal, who, when requested to kill the Jungle Hen, at once agreed, and said, " It is very good," and set off after her.

In Wide-Awake Stories (Steel and Temple), p. 209—Tales of the Punjab, p. 195—there is a variant. While a farmer's wife was winnowing corn, a crow carried off a grain, and perched on a tree to eat it. She threw a clod at it, and knocked it down, but the grain of corn rolled into a crack in the tree, and the crow, though threatened with death in case of failure, was unable to recover it. It went for assistance, and requested (1) a Woodman to cut the tree; (2) a King to kill the man; (3) a Queen to coax the King; (4) a Snake to bite the Queen; (5) a Stick to beat the Snake; (6) Fire to burn the Stick; (7) Water to quench the Fire; (8) an Ox to drink the water; (9) a Rope to bind the Ox; (10) a Mouse to gnaw the Rope; (11) a Cat to catch the Mouse. "The moment the Cat heard the name Mouse, she was alter it, for the world would come to an end before a Cat would leave a Mouse alone." In the end the Crow got the grain of corn, and saved its life.

In Indian Folk Tales (Gordon), p. 53, there is an allied variant. A bird had bought three grains of corn for three cowries, and while she was on a new cart eating them one fell into a joint of the cart where she was unable to get it. She appealed to (1) the Carpenter to take the cart to pieces, so that she might obtain it; (2) the King to make him do it; (3) the Queen to persuade the King; (4) a Deer to graze in the Queen's garden; (5) the Stick to beat the Deer; (6) the Fire to burn the Stick; (7) the Lake to quench the Fire; (8) the Rats to fill up the Lake; (9) the Cat to attack the Rats; (10) the Elephant to crush the Cat; (11) an Ant to crawl into the Elephant's ear;" (12) the Crow, "the most greedy of all creatures," to eat the Ant. The Crow consented, and the usual result followed.