Part Two

The Folktale from Ireland to India

III – The Simple Tale

2. Animal tales

A. The Literary Fable

Of the five or six hundred fables belonging to the two literary traditions of India and of Greece, [330] fewer than fifty seem to have been recorded from oral story-tellers, and most of these are of relatively rare occurrence. Even when stories of this kind are actually taken up from unlettered persons, one must be very careful in assuming that they have had any considerable history as oral tales. The cheap fable collections have doubtless been the most important element in preserving these stories and handing them on.

If it is understood that in nearly all instances the relation of these fables to actual folklore is very limited, there can be cited as having at some time been recorded in the folklore of one or more countries the following: [331] The Animal Who Saves Himself by Making His Captor Talk (sometimes told of fox, or cock, or mouse); Fox Climbs from Pit on Wolf's Back; Wolf Descends into Well in One Bucket and Rescues Fox in Other; Fox Plays Dead and Is Thrown out of Pit; Wolf Dives into Water for Reflected Cheese; Bear Persuaded to Stick Claw into Cleft of Tree; Wolf Overeats in Cellar; Horse Kicks Wolf in Teeth; The Sick Lion; The Lion's Share; Fox Deceives Magpie Who Is Avenged by Dog; Fox and Crane Invite Each Other; Peace Among the Animals; More Cowardly than the Hare; Hare Will Not Build House in Good Weather, Cannot in Bad; Mouse Rescues Lion; Crane Pulls Bone from Wolf's Throat; Stag Admires Himself; The Cat's Only Trick; Belling the Cat; Country Mouse and City Mouse; Wolf Put Off till Children Are Baptized; Sheep Persuade Wolf to Sing and Summon Rescuers; Advice of the Fox; Ungrateful Serpent Returned to Captivity; Splinter in the Lion's Paw; Learning to Fear Men; Grateful Animals and Ungrateful Man; Cat Loses Dog's Certificate; Lean Dog Prefers Liberty to Abundant Food and Chain; Two Stubborn Goats Push Each Other into Water; Wren Elected as Bird King; Crane Flies with Fox and Lets Him Fall; Raven in Borrowed Feathers; Hunter Bends the Bow; Ape Likes Her Own Children Best; Ant and Lazy Cricket; and Little Fish Slip through the Net. [p. 219]

[330] A good listing of the Oriental fables will be found at several points in Chauvin's Bibliographie des ouvrages arabes. For the Graeco-Roman fable, see W. Wienert, Die Typen der griechisch-römischen Fabel (FF Communications No. 56, Helsinki, 1925).

[331] Since the fables are well known, only a brief indication of them will be given. In the order in which they appear, they bear the following numbers in The Types of the Folk-Tale: 6+61+122+227, 31, 32, 33, 34, 38, 41, 47B, 50, 51, 56B, 57, 60, 62, 70, 72**, 75, 76, 77, 105, 110, 112, 122A, 122C, 150, 155, 156, 157, 160, 200, 201, 202*, 221, 225, 244*, 246, 247, 249, 253.

6+61+122+227, 31, 32, 33, 34, 38, 41, 47B, 50, 51, 56B, 57, 60, 62, 70, 72**, 75, 76, 77, 105, 110, 112, 122A, 122C, 150, 155, 156, 157, 160, 200, 201, 202*, 221, 225, 244*, 246, 247, 249, 253