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

(maxpixel)

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.

June 14. Story of the Day: Grandchild and Crow

This comes from an old booklet by George Alexander Kohut: Some Passover rhymes and their parallels. In his discussion of Had Gadya, he offers a version from Thailand ("far-off Siam" as he says in his note).

The story refers to teelseed, which is another word for sesame seed; find out more at Wikipedia. Here is a Sudanese farmer harvesting sesame:

The story would be classified as ATU 2030. The Old Woman and her Pig, although in this case the difficult animal is the crow who is eating the crops. A distinctive feature of the resulting chain is the "strand" (beach, shoreline) which is asked to "hem in" the water, and then the elephant is asked to stomp on the strand. Usually the elephant is the one who is asked to drink up the water, but including the strand adds a new link to the chain!

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

THE GRANDCHILD AND THE CROW

Once grandmother and grandfather planted beans and teelseed and made the grandchild keep watch. The grandchild did not keep watch. Then the crow came and ate seven grains and seven measures of grandmother and grandfather's beans and teelseed; grandmother came, grandmother scolded, grandfather came, grandfather beat. 

"Go, go visit Brother Hunter." 

"O Brother Hunter, please, Brother Hunter, help to shoot the crow; the crow ate seven grains and seven measures of grandfather and grandmother's beans and teelseed; grandmother came, grandmother scolded, grandfather came, grandfather beat."

"What is that to me? Don't know, don't care. Go, go visit Brother Mouse." 

"O Brother Mouse, please, Brother Mouse, help to bite the bowstring of Brother Hunter. Brother Hunter does not shoot the crow; the crow ate seven grains and seven measures of grandfather and grandmother's beans and teelseed; grandmother came, grandmother scolded, grandfather came, grandfather beat."

"What is that to me? Don't know, don't care. Go, go visit Brother Cat." 

"O Brother Cat, please, Brother Cat, help to bite the mouse. The mouse does not bite the bowstring of Brother Hunter; Brother Hunter will not shoot the crow; the crow ate seven grains and seven measures of grandfather and grandmother's beans and teelseed; grandmother came, grandmother scolded, grandfather came, grandfather beat."

"What is that to me? Don't know, don't care. Go, go visit Brother Dog." 

"O Brother Dog, please, Brother Dog, help to bite the cat. The cat does not bite the mouse; mouse will not bite the bowstring of Brother Hunter; Brother Hunter will not shoot the crow; the crow ate seven grains and seven measures of grandfather and grandmother's beans and teelseed; grandmother came, grandmother scolded, grandfather came, grandfather beat."

"What is that to me? Don't know, don't care. Go, go visit Brother Earpick." 

"O Brother Earpick, please, Brother Earpick, help to clean the ear of the dog. The dog does not bite the cat; the cat will not bite the mouse; the mouse will not bite the bowstring of Brother Hunter; Brother Hunter will not shoot the crow; the crow ate seven grains and seven measures of grandfather and grandmother's beans and teelseed; grandmother came, grandmother scolded, grandfather came, grandfather beat." 

"What is that to me? Don't know, don't care. Go, go visit Brother Fire." 

"O Brother Fire, please, Brother Fire, help to burn the earpick. The earpick does not clean the ear of the dog; the dog will not bite the cat; the cat will not bite the mouse; the mouse will not bite the bowstring of Brother Hunter; Brother Hunter will not shoot the crow; the crow ate seven grains and seven measures of grandfather and grandmother's beans and teelseed; grandmother came, grandmother scolded, grandfather came, grandfather beat." 

"What is that to me? Don't know, don't care. Go, go visit Brother Water." 

"O Brother Water, please, Brother Water, help to extinguish the fire. The fire does not burn the earpick; the earpick will not clean the ear of the dog; the dog will not bite the cat; the cat will not bite the mouse; the mouse will not bite the bowstring of Brother Hunter; Brother Hunter will not shoot the crow; the crow ate seven grains and seven measures of grandfather and grandmother's beans and teelseed; grandmother came, grandmother scolded, grandfather came, grandfather beat." 

"What is that to me? Don't know, don't care. Go, go visit Brother Strand." 

"O Brother Strand, please, Brother Strand, help to hem in the water. The water does not extinguish the fire; the fire will not burn the earpick; the earpick will not clean the ear of the dog; the dog will not bite the cat; the cat will not bite the mouse; the mouse will not bite the bowstring of Brother Hunter; Brother Hunter will not shoot the crow; the crow ate seven grains and seven measures of grandfather and grandmother's beans and teelseed; grandmother came, grandmother scolded, grandfather came, grandfather beat." 

"What is that to me? Don't know, don't care. Go, go visit Brother Elephant."

(elephant in Thailand)

"O Brother Elephant, please, Brother Elephant, help to put down the strand. The strand does not hem in the water; the water will not extinguish the fire; the fire will not burn the earpick; the earpick will not clean the ear of the dog; the dog will not bite the cat; the cat will not bite the mouse; the mouse will not bite the bowstring of Brother Hunter; Brother Hunter will not shoot the crow; the crow ate seven grains and seven measures of grandfather and grandmother's beans and teelseed; grandmother came, grandmother scolded, grandfather came, grandfather beat." 

"What is that to me? Don't know, don't care. Go, go visit Brother Gnat." 

"O Brother Gnat, please, Brother Gnat, help to sting the elephant's eye. The elephant will not put down the strand; the strand will not hem in the water; the water will not extinguish the fire; the fire will not burn the earpick; the earpick will not clean the ear of the dog; the dog will not bite the cat; the cat will not bite the mouse; the mouse will not bite the bowstring of Brother Hunter; Brother Hunter will not shoot the crow; the crow ate seven grains and seven measures of grandfather and grandmother's beans and teelseed; grandmother came, grandmother scolded, grandfather came, grandfather beat." 

"All right. Ugh! Come on." 

The gnat went to sting the eye of the elephant. Then Brother Elephant said, "Don't sting me, please. Your servant will go and put down the strand." 

The strand then said, "Don't put me down, please. Your servant will hem in the water, when the water will extinguish the fire, and the fire will burn the earpick, and the earpick will clean the ear of the dog, and the dog will bite the cat, and the cat will bite the mouse, and the mouse will bite the bowstring of the hunter, and the hunter will shoot the crow." 

The crow said, "Don't shoot me, please. The crow will undertake to give back the beans and teelseed one hundred thousand fold and more." 

Little grandchild at last did its work well, and then the story comes to an end.

NOTES

Out of the many curious analogues to "Had Gadya" I select the following from far-off Slam, first printed in Truebuer's Record for February, 1890.


CHAIN: crow - hunter - mouse - cat - dog - earpick - fire - water - strand - elephant - gnat

June 4. Story of the Day: Ehad mi-Yode'a.

In a previous post, I had shared the story of Chad Gadya, the Jewish Passover song about the goat. Today is another Passover item, a question-and-answer chain based on numbers. The English rendering below comes from an old booklet by George Alexander Kohut: Some Passover rhymes and their parallels. You can find out more at Wikipedia, where there are different versions in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish: Echad Mi Yodea.

This item has its own classification as ATU 2010 Ehad mi yodea, and you can find other number-based religious items there, like the wonderful Christmas carol Children, Go Where I Send Thee! Meanwhile, the "Twelve Days of Christmas" carol is a subclass of this same type: 2010A (which also contains secular number-series like The Gaping, Wide-mouthed, Waddling Frog).

EHAD MI-YODE'A

(ONE: who knows?)

Who knows what is just ONE?
I know of one. ONE is the God of the world.

Who knows what are just TWO?
I know two. There were TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the world.

Who knows what were just THREE?
I know three. The three Patriarchs.
THREE Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the world.

Who knows what were just FOUR?
I know four. There were the four Mothers of Israel.
FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the world.

Who knows what are just FIVE?
I know five. There are five Books of Moses.
FIVE Books of Moses, FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the world.

Who knows what are just SIX?
I know six. There are six Books of the Mishnah.
SIX Books of the Mishnah, FIVE Books of Moses, FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the world.

(Behrman House video)

Who knows what are just SEVEN?
I know seven. There are seven days of the week.
SEVEN days of the week, SIX Books of the Mishnah, FIVE Books of Moses, FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the world.

Who knows what are just EIGHT?
I know eight. There are the eight days of initiation.
EIGHT davs of initiation, SEVEN days of the week, SIX Books of the Mishnah, FIVE Books of Moses, FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the world.

Who knows what are just NINE?
I know nine. There are the nine Moons of Birth.
NINE Moons of Birth. EIGHT davs of initiation, SEVEN days of the week, SIX Books of the Mishnah, FIVE Books of Moses, FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the world.

Who knows what are just TEN?
I know ten. There are the ten Commandments.
TEN Commandments, NINE Moons of Birth. EIGHT davs of initiation, SEVEN days of the week, SIX Books of the Mishnah, FIVE Books of Moses, FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the world.

Who knows what are just ELEVEN?
I know eleven. There are the eleven stars (in Joseph's dream).
ELEVEN stars (in Joseph's dream), TEN Commandments, NINE Moons of Birth. EIGHT davs of initiation, SEVEN days of the week, SIX Books of the Mishnah, FIVE Books of Moses, FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the world.

Who knows what are just TWELVE?
I know twelve. There were the twelve tribes of Israel.
TWELVE tribes of Israel, ELEVEN stars (in Joseph's dream), TEN Commandments, NINE Moons of Birth. EIGHT davs of initiation, SEVEN days of the week, SIX Books of the Mishnah, FIVE Books of Moses, FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the world.

Who knows what are just THIRTEEN?
I know thirteen. There are thirteen attributes of God.
THIRTEEN attributes of God, the TWELVE tribes of Israel, ELEVEN stars (in Joseph's dream), TEN Commandments, NINE Moons of Birth. EIGHT davs of initiation, SEVEN days of the week, SIX Books of the Mishnah, FIVE Books of Moses, FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the world.

CHAIN: 1 god - 2 tables - 3 patriarchs - 4 matriarchs - 5 Torah books - 6 Mishnah books - 7 days of week - 8 days of initiation - 9 moons - 10 commandments - 11 stars - 12 tribes - 13 attributes

May 30. Story of the Day: The Little Ant That Went to Jerusalem

Today's story is an item in old booklet by George Alexander Kohut: Some Passover rhymes and their parallels. This is Kohut's English translation of the French nursery rhyme known as La petite fourmi qui allait à Jérusalem; for the French original, see the bottom of the page. I also found a YouTube video with the French story.

This is an example of ATU 2031. Stronger and Strongest. To get a sense of the variety of stories included in this type, see the Korean story, A Bridegroom for Miss Mole.

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

THE LITTLE ANT THAT WENT TO JERUSALEM

(book cover by Pierre Denieuil)

There was once a little ant that went to Jerusalem. She met the snow, and the snow froze off the paw of the little ant that went to Jerusalem. 

Oh! snow, how strong you are, you who freeze off the paw of the little ant that goes to Jerusalem. 

And the snow answered: Much stronger is the sun that melts me. 

Oh! sun, how strong you are, you who melt the snow that freezes off the paw of the little ant that goes to Jerusalem. 

And the sun answered: Much stronger is the cloud that hides me. 

Oh! cloud, how strong you are, you who hide the sun, that melts the snow, that freezes off the paw of the little ant that goes to Jerusalem. 

And the cloud answered: Much stronger is the wind that drives me away. 

Oh! wind, how strong you are, you who drive away the cloud that hides the sun, that melts the snow, that freezes off the paw of the little ant that goes to Jerusalem. 

And the wind answered: Much stronger is the mountain that stops me. 

Oh! mountain, how strong you are, you who stop the wind, that drives away the cloud, that hides the sun, that melts the snow, that freezes off the paw of the little ant that goes to Jerusalem. 

And the mountain answered: Much stronger is the mouse that pierces me. 

Oh! mouse, how strong you are, you who pierce the mountain, that stops the wind, that drives away the cloud, that hides the sun, that melts the snow, that freezes off the paw of the little ant that goes to Jerusalem. 

And the mouse answered: Much stronger is the cat that eats me. 

Oh! cat, how strong you are, you who eat the mouse, that pierces the mountain, that stops the wind, that drives away the cloud, that hides the sun, that melts the snow, that freezes off the paw of the little ant that goes to Jerusalem. 

And the cat answered: Much stronger is the dog that frightens me. 

Oh! dog, how strong you are, you who frighten the cat, that eats the mouse, that pierces the mountain, that stops the wind, that drives away the cloud, that hides the sun, that melts the snow, that freezes off the paw of the little ant that goes to Jerusalem. 

And the dog answered: Much stronger is the stick that strikes me. 

Oh! stick, how strong you are, you who strike the dog. that frightens the cat, that eats the mouse, that pierces the mountain, that stops the wind, that drives away the cloud, that hides the sun, that melts the snow, that freezes off the paw of the little ant that goes to Jerusalem. 

And the stick answered: Much stronger is the fire that burns me. 

Oh! fire, how strong you are, you who burn the stick, that strikes the dog, that frightens the cat, that eats the mouse, that pierces the mountain, that stops the wind, that drives away the cloud, that hides the sun, that melts the snow, that freezes off the paw of the little ant that goes to Jerusalem. 

And the fire answered: Much stronger is the water that quenches me. 

Oh! water, how strong you are, you who quench the fire, that burns the stick, that strikes the dog, that frightens the cat, that eats the mouse, that pierces the mountain, that stops the wind, that drives away the cloud, that hides the sun that melts the snow, that freezes off the paw of the little ant that goes to Jerusalem. 

And the water answered: Much stronger is the cow that drinks me. 

Oh! cow, how strong you are, you who drink the water, that quenches the fire, that burns the stick, that strikes the dog, that frightens the cat, that eats the mouse, that pierces the mountain, that stops the wind, that drives away the cloud, that hides the sun, that melts the snow, that freezes off the paw of the little ant that goes to Jerusalem. 

And the cow answered: Much stronger is the man that kills me. 

Oh! man, how strong you are, you who kill the cow, that drinks the water, that quenches the fire, that burns the stick, that strikes the dog, that frightens the cat, that eats the mouse, that pierces the mountain, that stops the wind, that drives away the cloud, that hides the sun, that melts the snow, that freezes off the paw of the little ant that goes to Jerusalem. 

And the man answered: Much stronger still is God, who created the man, that kills the cow, that drinks the water, that quenches the fire, that burns the stick, that strikes the dog, that frightens the cat, that eats the mouse, that pierces the mountain, that stops the wind, that drives away the cloud, that hides the sun, that melts the snow, that freezes off the paw of the little ant that goes to Jerusalem.

~   ~  ~

You can see a French-English interlinear version of the nursery rhyme here: Hachette's illustrated French primer.

With a video from Anna Urbani:

CHAIN: snow - sun - cloud - wind - mountain - mouse - cat - dog - stick - fire - water - cow - man - God

Kohut. Dic mihi: quid est unus?

This comes from an old booklet by George Alexander Kohut: Some Passover rhymes and their parallels. The complete Latin is below, and for the English I've just included the top verse.

This is ATU 2010 Ehad mi yodea.

DIC MIHI: QUID EST UNUS?

TELL ME: WHAT IS ONE?

Tell me, what are TWELVE?
Twelve Apostles,
Eleven Stars, seen by Joseph,
Ten Commandments of God,
Nine Angel choirs,
Eight Beatitudes,
Seven Sacraments,
Six urns of wine at the marriage feast in Galilee,
Five Books of Moses,
Four Evangelists,
Three Patriarchs,
Two Testaments,
ONE IS GOD, who reigns in Heaven.

(by William Blake)

Dic mihi: quid est unus?
Unus est Deus,
Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt duo?
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt tres?
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt quatuor?
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt quinque?
Quinque libri Moisis,
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt sex?
Sex sunt hydriae,
   Positae in Cana Galileae,
Quinque libri Moisis,
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt septem?
Septem sacramenta,
Sex sunt hydriae,
   Positae in Cana Galileae,
Quinque libri Moisis,
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt octo?
Octo beatitudines,
Septem sacramenta,
Sex sunt hydriae,
   Positae in Cana Galileae,
Quinque libri Moisis,
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt novem?
Novem angelorum chori,
Octo beatitudines,
Septem sacramenta,
Sex sunt hydriae,
   Positae in Cana Galileae,
Quinque libri Moisis,
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt decem?
Decem mandata Dei,
Novem angelorum chori,
Octo beatitudines,
Septem sacramenta,
Sex sunt hydriae,
   Positae in Cana Galileae,
Quinque libri Moisis,
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid sunt undecim?
Undecim stellae,
  A Josepho visae,
Decem mandata Dei,
Novem angelorum chori,
Octo beatitudines,
Septem sacramenta,
Sex sunt hydriae,
   Positae in Cana Galileae,
Quinque libri Moisis,
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

Dic mihi: quid duodecim?
Duodecim apostoli,
Undecim stellae,
  A Josepho visae,
Decem mandata Dei,
Novem angelorum chori,
Octo beatitudines,
Septem sacramenta,
Sex sunt hydriae,
   Positae in Cana Galileae,
Quinque libri Moisis,
Quatuor evangelistae,
Tres sunt patriarchae,
Duo sunt testamenta,
Unus est Deus,
   Qui regnat in coelis.

May 24. Story of the Day: Chad Gadya (One Goat).

I probably should have done Chad Gadya as the very first story-of-the-day for this project as it is the chain-tale story (song) that is most alive in the world today, being part of Passover Seders in Jewish homes every year. It is not an ancient Jewish story, but instead a story that someone devised during the European diaspora, perhaps in the 15th century, and it then made its way into the Haggadah. I'm not going to even try to summarize the attempts scholars have made to trace its more specific origins; to find out more about that, one useful place to start is here: Had Gadya - Jewish Music Research Center.

The English version I've used below comes from an old booklet by George Alexander Kohut: Some Passover rhymes and their parallels.  For the Aramaic/Hebrew words, see Wikipedia.

As folklore, this is usually classified as ATU 2030 The old woman and her pig, although there is no explanation found in this song for what the goat is obstinately refusing to do; see my ATU 2030 page for other obstinate goats. Want more chain tales? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

And Nina Paley (yes, the same Nina Paley of Sita Sings the Blues!) has provided an embroidered animation for this song as part of her newest film, Sedermasochism. Here is her version of Chad Gadya... embroidered. To learn more about the "embroidermation" process, check out this blog post from Theo Gray, co-creator of this wonderful video project:

CHAD GADYA

A kid, a kid, my father bought
For two pieces of money:
A kid, a kid.

Then came the cat and ate the kid
That my father bought
For two pieces of money.

Then came the dog and bit the cat
That ate the kid
That my father bought
For two pieces of money.

Then came the staff and beat the dog
That bit the cat
That ate the kid
That my father bought
For two pieces of money.

Then came the fire and burned the staff
That beat the dog
That bit the cat
That ate the kid
That my father bought
For two pieces of money.

Then came the water and quenched the fire
That burned the staff
That beat the dog
That bit the cat
That ate the kid
That my father bought
For two pieces of money.

Then came the ox and drank the water
That quenched the fire
That burned the staff
That beat the dog
That bit the cat
That ate the kid
That my father bought
For two pieces of money.

Then came the butcher and slew the ox
That drank the water
That quenched the fire
That burned the staff
That beat the dog
That bit the cat
That ate the kid
That my father bought
For two pieces of money.

Then came the Angel of Death and killed the butcher
That slew the ox
That drank the water
That quenched the fire
That burned the staff
That beat the dog
That bit the cat
That ate the kid
That my father bought
For two pieces of money.

Then came the Holy One, blessed be He, and killed the Angel of Death
That killed the butcher
That slew the ox
That drank the water
That quenched the fire
That burned the staff
That beat the dog
That bit the cat
That ate the kid
That my father bought
For two pieces of money.

(Jewish Music Research Center)

CHAIN: kid - cat - dog - staff - fire - water - ox - butcher - Angel of Death - God