Why the Camel Rolls in the Ashes

sore loser?

A long time ago the names of the animals representing the twelve years of the Mongolian calendar, that is the buddhist calendar, were being chosen and eleven names were called at once. But then there was the question which animal should begin the circle of the twelve years. The camel and the mouse both proposed their names and quarreled about who should be included in the circle. Not wanting to offend either of them, Buddha said: “Settle this between yourselves!” And so the two animals made a bet to decide who would have the honour to start the calendar: Whoever saw the first rays of the rising sun the next morning, would start the twelve years.
The camel, sure to win, faced East where the sun would rise and waited. But the mouse quickly climbed upon the camel’s hump and stared unwaveringly at the mountain peaks in the West. When the sun rose, the first rays were reflected from the snow-covered peaks of the eastern mountains and so the mouse was the first to see them crying: “The sun is rising!”
The camel became so angry to have lost the bet, that it wanted to trample the mouse to death. The mouse quickly crawled beneath a pile of ashes hiding there.
Since then whenever a camel sees a pile of ashes it wants to trample down the hated mouse and starts trampling and rolling in the ashes.
In the meantime, it was the mouse that got included in the circle while the camel was left out. But although the camel wasn’t included in the calendar as such, its body bears the distinctive features of the twelve animals of the circle. These features are:
1. the ears of the mouse
2. the belly of the cow
3. the paws of the tiger
4. the lips of the hare
5. the body of the dragon
6. the eyes of the snake
7. the mane of the horse
8. the wool of the sheep
9. the hump of the monkey
10. the comb the cock
11. the legs of the dog
and
12. the tail of the pig
*****
I realise just now that I should have posted this yesterday what with the number twelve being central to this legend and yesterday having been my 12th post. But okay. Didn’t happen.

Read More

The Fox and the Grapes by Aesop

One evening in autumn, a mouse and a sparrow sat beneath a grape-vine chatting about this and that. Suddenly, the sparrow chirped to his friend: “Hide yourself, the fox is coming!” And he himself quickly flew up into the vine’s foliage.

trying to get to those grapes

The fox sneaked closer and closer to the grape-vine, his eyes longingly on the fat, blue, overripe grapes. Carefully he peeked into all direction. Then he pounced, put his fore-paws against the vine’s stem, stretched his body and tried to catch a few grapes with his mouth. Alas, they were hanging too high. Somewhat angered, he tried his luck again. This time he took a giant leap but again he only caught empty air.
He tried a third time and he tried as hard as he could, jumping with all his might. Almost beside himself with greed, he snapped after the juicy grapes and stretched and stretched until fell down on his back. Not a single leaf had moved.
The sparrow who had silently observed the fox’s attempts until now, could no longer contain himself and chirped cheekily: “Mister fox, you have your sights set too high!”
The mouse peeked out from her hiding place and piped up: “Do not bother, you will never get the grapes.” And like an arrow she shot back into her mouse-hole.
The fox bit his teeth, turned up his nose and said loftily: “They are simply not ripe enough yet. I don’t like my grapes sour.” And with his head held high he pranced back into the forest.
Copyright for this fable’s translation: TaleTellerin
Copyright for image used: The Fox and the Grapes, from ”The Æsop for Children”,
*****
Re-reading this fable, I’m wondering about hens and eggs. Because has this one become a classic because it successfully and entertainingly embodies the lesson about over-ambition and pride which is at the heart of Western societies. Or has this critical stance on ambition and pride become central because it has been advocated in central socio-cultural texts such as these? Huh.

Read More

Fox and Crane

When fox with her pointed muzzle and bushy tail one day came back from hunting, she met crane with her long legs and narrow, long beak. “Dear Mrs. Crane, what are you searching for that you are bending down again and again?” asked fox.
„I turn the sky into my horse, the steppe into my ger and search for insects to turn them into food to fill my belly. Fox, dear old madam, what are you searching for sniffling along?” replied crane.
„I’m on the hunt, too, and when my muzzle and my nose have become greasy, I will head home. You who I have just met in the steppes and thus come to know, please honor me with a visit,” said fox and after thus inviting crane, she went on.
On the next day, the long-legged, narrow-beaked crane happily came to the pointy-muzzled, bushy-tailed one.
„Ah, my friend, the way here surely has tired you,“ said fox and led crane into her ger where she served a thin, steaming hot soup on a flat plate. “Please enjoy!” said fox and gave her the plate.
Crane with her long, narrow beak and her long legs could not find a way to eat the hot, thin soup from the flat plate; she circled the plate, her beak watering to no avail. Fox saw this and asked: “What are you examining? Don’t be shy, eat, eat!” Fox had slurped her soup all up and was licking the plate clean, so people say. Crane, though, could not eat anything and so she got up and went home with her belly still empty.
“Dear madam fox, please pay me a visit tomorrow,” crane invited her.
And so on the next day, fox came with her pointed muzzle and the bushy tail, all dressed up, to the long-legged, narrow-beaked one.
„Ah, my friend, the way here surely has tired you,“ said crane and led fox into her ger where she served fragrant rice in a narrow-necked vase. “Please enjoy!” said crane and gave her the vase.
But even though fox pushed her pointed muzzle into the vase, her tongue could not reach the rice. Since she could not, she circled the vase, licking here and there. Crane saw this and said: “My food is good, is it not? Why are you so shy?” She had already picked up and eaten her own rice, so it is told.
Fox, though, could not eat a single, tiny grain of rice and so she went home with her belly still empty, so it is told.

Read More

The Fox and the Little Birdie

just imagine the fox instead of the confused cows

Once upon a time, a little birdie had become friends with a fox and he adored him very much. But the fox had a cunning character and thought all the time, how to outsmart him. One day, the fox said: “Let’s sow wheat, the two of us together. We will share the work equally and the wheat as well.” People say, the birdie agreed. And off they went to the cornfield as it was time to sow the grain. But since the fox was unbelievably lazy, he outfoxed the birdie.
“Oh, this does not look good at all. The sky is about to crumble. I will hurry to climb that mountain and brace the sky. If I don’t do it, then the sky will surely fall down and crush out cornfield,” he told the birdie and the little birdie believed him.
“My friend, how will you be able to do that all by yourself? Can you then lift the sky?” he asked in worry.
“How I will do it? What can I do but to give my very best so that we may live,” said the fox. And so the cunning fox climbed upon the mountain, lay down with his legs folded comfortably beneath him and slept the day away. Meanwhile, the poor birdie did all the hard work – he scattered the grain, he sowed the wheat.
When the seasons turned to fall and it was time, to cut the wheat, the fox helped himself to another trick. “Oh,” he said, “this does not look good at all. It is surely about to rain. And then our wheat will be spoiled. I will have to go again and fence the clouds.” And the birdie believed him again.
“My dear friend, how will you do that all by yourself? Can you really just fence the clouds?” he asked concerned.
“How I will do it? can I do but to give my very best so that we may live,” the fox replied and off he went until he was out of the birdie’s sight. Then he stretched himself and said himself down comfortably, so people say.
The poor little birdie who did not doubt the fox at all, worked in a great to hurry to harvest the wheat. When the time came to bring the cut wheat into their barn, the fox found another excuse.
“If I don’t protect it from the wind, it will surely be blown away!” he announced and went off. And so the poor birdie again worked hard the whole day to bring the cut wheat into the barn and to separate it from the chaff, so it is told. Meanwhile, the fox was lazy and lie in the sun. After the little birdie had finished fanning the wheat and had done away with the chaffs, it called for the fox: “Fox, my dear friend, please come here! Now we want to share the wheat.”
Hearing this, the fox hurried back. When the little birdie saw him, it asked: “Fox, my friend, how will we share the wheat between us?”
The fox pretended to think about and then he said: “I will take nine parts out of ten. I will give you that tenth part. It is so because my work was harder than the work you did. Not everybody can brace the sky, fence the clouds and hold off the wind.”
“That is very true,” said the birdie and gave him nine parts out of ten. But since the tenth part that remained for the little birdie was all too small, it started to cry. When a guard dog saw it crying so bitterly, it came over and asked: „Little birdie, why are you crying? Who has wronged you?”
And so the birdie told him all that had happened. After the dog had heard his tale, he became very angry. “Why have you become friends with a fox who is such a bad, bad animal? Oh well, I will think of something and teach him a lesson!”
When the fox came to see after his wheat the next day to get it grinded, a big ear peaked out from the pile. The fox thought this would be a tasty meal. But when he bit into the ear, the big dog jumped up from beneath the wheat, pounced on him and grabbed him.
“You can’t outfox me the way you did the poor birdie again and again!” he said. The fox was suddenly very afraid and as soon as the dog let him go he raced off as fast as his legs would carry him.
And this is the story of how the dog helped the birdie. Together they brought the wheat home that the fox had obtained by his trickery, so people say. And from this time on, the little birdie is no longer friends with the fox.

Read More

The clever little hedgehog

Once upon a time, a Wolf, a Fox, and a Hedgehog lived together on the rolling steppes of Mongolia. One day, a long caravan of camels bearing all manner of goods from faraway lands passed near their home. When the dust raised by the caravan had settled, the three firends discovered a little plum that had fallen from one of the many sacks.

The animals had heard about plums, but none had ever seen one, let alone tasted one. They began to discuss which of them should have the priviledge of eating this exotic fruit: there was only enough for one.

After a long debate, the friends finally agreed to a contest. It was the Wolf who had the idea:

“I know!” he cried. “I think the one who gets drunk on airak the quickest should have the pleasure of eating this plum!”

Thinking, of course, that he would win, the Wolf continued:

“As for me, I get drunk after just one sip of airak!”

“The Fox was next to speak, and knowing that he was much smarter than the Wolf, he said: “That’s nothing! I get drunk just by smelling airak!”

The last to speak was the Hedgehog, whom the others looked down upon because he was so small. He told his friends:

“Well, its very said for me, but I get drunk just by hearing about airak!”

And with that, the Hedgehog swayed as if he were drunk.

The other animals had to admit that this clearly made the Hedgehog the winner. But before the Hedgehog could open his mouth to eat his prize, the envious Fox shouted:

“Wait! I have another idea. We need a second contest. I think that the one of us who runs the fastest should get to eat the plum!”

They all agreed to this second match, and prepared themselves for the race. The Hedgehog, who knew he stood no chance of winning because of his short legs, had already thought of a trick.

As the Wolf and the Fox took off in a cloud of dust, the Hedgehog caught hold of the fluffy tail of the Fox, and held on tight.

Just before the speedy Fox crossed the finish line, he stopped and looked back to check where the others were. At that moment, the little Hedgehog dropped off his tail, scurried under his belly, and from the winning side of the finish line called out:

“Well, hello there Mr. Fox! Hello Mr. Wolf! I see you’ve finally arrived! What took you so long?”

This is how the Hedgehog also won the second contest.

As the Wolf and the Fox looked on enviously, the clever little Hedgehog gobbled up the plum.

And a plum never tasted better.

Read More

The Khulan and the crow and the wolf

In times long ago, a khulan – that is a Mongolian wild ass –, a crow and a wolf lived together as brothers. One day they went in search of a new place to live and the crow said: “There is this place where every one of us would find plenty to eat. But there lives a skilled hunter with his bow and his traps. The traps would be a danger for us.”

little khulan all relaxed

The wolf thought: “If the khulan would happen to get caught in one of the hunter’s traps, I could eat as much as I want.” So he said out loud: “Let’s move to this beautiful place and live there. Or are you afraid of one hunter?”

Therefore the three friends moved to that place and for a while they lived there in peace. But one day the khulan got caught in a trap. As soon as the wolf heard about it, he hurried to get to the trapped animal before the crow would find him. When he arrived there, the wolf asked the khulan: “How did this happen?”

“How did I got caught in this trap? I don’t really know. I was just walking along when I suddenly fell into it,” the khulan answered, “How will I get out of it again?”

The wolf told him: “Jump up and down! You will surely be able to free yourself that way!” And with that the wolf left the khulan alone. He thought it would be better to wait a bit longer before eating the khulan and so he hid himself behind a bush.

But just then the crow came flying along and when she saw the khulan she asked her friend: “Why are you jumping up and down like that?”

“Why do I do it? I got caught in one of the hunter’s traps and the wolf came along and said: ‘Jump up and down and you will be free soon!’ That’s why I jump like this. But now my legs are hurting and I’m very tired,” the khulan said.

The crow gave him the following piece of advise: “Stop jumping up and down. You will break your legs and then you will probably die soon. You mustn’t move at all! Play dead! When the hunter believes that you’re dead already, he will set you free. And when he does, then you can flee. But you will have to run as fast as you can.” The khulan nodded and did what the crow had told him.

The crow flew up into the air, ever higher, and started circling above the ger of the hunter croaking to draw his attention. The experienced hunter thought: “Oh, an animal must have gotten caught in my trap.” And so he took his bow and his quiver and went to take a look.

In the meanwhile the wolf thought: “That annoying crow has come and opened the khulan’s eyes.” He got up to get back to the still trapped khulan when he caught sight of the approaching hunter. “Now the time has come to fill my belly,” the wolf said to himself and crouched behind the bush again.

When the hunter saw that it was a khulan who he had caught, he was very happy. And since he believed that the animal was dead, he set him free. Then he sat down to smoke his pipe. At this moment the khulan jumped up and ran away as fast as he could. The hunter shot many arrows after him. But because the khulan had run into the direction of the bush behind which the wolf hid himself, the arrows didn’t hit the khulan but the wolf who died when one of them hit him fatally at the head.

Read More

The Dumb wolf

Once upon a time a wolf was wandering about when he saw a black pudding lying right in his path. The wolf wanted to eat it at once but the black pudding asked: “Mister Wolf, do not eat me! A little further ahead a three-year old mare is stuck in the mud. Why don’t you go there and eat her instead?”

hunting a wolf the early modern European way

The wolf followed the black pudding’s advice and there really was a mare stuck in the mud. When the wolf saw her, he wanted to eat her but the mare said: “Mister Wolf, if you want to eat me, you’d better pull me from the mud first.” So that was what the wolf did.

He pulled the mare from the mud and was just about to eat her, when the mare said: “Oh, but I am covered in mud. You should lick me clean first before you eat me.” Once again the wolf did as the mare told him and licked her clean.

But when he wanted to eat her, she said: “There is something written on the hoof of my hind leg. Wouldn’t you like to read it before you eat me?” When the wolf went to her hind legs to read what was written there, the mare kicked out. She hit his neck and ran away. The wolf, though, lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

When he came to again and looked about, the mare was already far away. So he got to his feet and with his nose sniffing at the ground he ran to and fro between the bushes and the hills. He could scarcely believe his luck when found a one year old calf on one of the hills.

The wolf went to the calf wanting to eat it but the calf said: “If you eat me up here on the hill, the humans will see you. It would be better if you’d bring me to a small gorge and eat me there!” When the wolf made to do as the calf had said, the little calf said: “Mister Wolf, you seem to be tired and exhausted. Sit on me and I will carry you!” And so the wolf climbed on top of the little calf and let himself be carried.

“When we climb down into the gorge, you’d better close your eyes so you won’t get dizzy,” the calf suggested. And so the wolf closed his eyes. The calf, though, carried the wolf right in front of the ail, an assembly of ger, of a family of Mongolian nomads. Screaming and shouting, the people beat the wolf up and then chased him away.

The wolf fled and thought to himself:
“What am I doing in the distant mountains?
What am I doing near the humans?
I was a fool going along this way.
I was a block head to be tricked by a black pudding.
Am I the owner that I pulled the horse from the mud?
Am I the mother to lick the mare clean?
When did I even learn to read and write?
Do I not have legs of my own to walk with?
I am dumb and now I am dying…”

Read More