LL-L "Folklore" 2006.02.02 (08) [E]

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02 February 2006 * Volume 08
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From: Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "Folklore" 2006.02.02 (04) [E]

Hi Ingmar, Tom, Ron

Subject: LL-L "Folklore"

> (Anansi) The spider involved is a
>large nephilid with a vast web commonly called a 'Money Spider'.
>Anthropologists claim that West African slaves brought the tales to the
USA
>but as this spider was not apparent in their new areas they attached to
>stories to a common animal and hence arose Brer Rabbit. There is a lot of
>similarity between the spider stories and those of the bad bunny which are
>now known worldwide.

Pardon, Tom. Brer Rabbit is a long-standing denizen of Bantu myth,
originally the spring-hare, probably originally Khoisan, where he has a very
high profile, & from which community I first made his acquaintance. That
same Uncle Remus tale about Brer Rabbit, Brer Elephant & Brer Whale is told
of Springhare, Elephant & Hippo this side of the Atlantic. So it goes.
Anansi belongs to a pure Negro myth (West African). Brer Rabbit  & Uncle
Remus were Bantu (probably Angolan). You tell the experts that.

Yrs,
Mark

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From: Ingmar Roerdinkholder <ingmar.roerdinkholder at WORLDONLINE.NL>
Subject: LL-L "Folklore" 2006.02.02 (04) [E]

Better watch out that the noble Brits on this list don't hunt you down
(or the French catching the Ron in a bird-net)...

Ingmar

Monsieur le Renard a écrit:
By the way, Ingmar ... Did you think it's a coincidence that the fox,
>long a symbol of "very clever, though just the right degree of naughty,"
and I are namesakes?  I should hope not.

I wrote:
>By the way, in the Lowlands area, Reinard (!) the Fox plays the same role
>as Anansi traditionally. In my mother's home area, Hulst in Zeeuws-
>Vlaanderen, there is a statue of "Reintje de Vos", he seems to originate
>from this town, according to its inhabitants.

>Regards
>Ingmar

----------

Hi, Ingmar!

> Better watch out that the noble Brits on this list don't hunt you down
> (or the French catching the Ron in a bird-net)...

Oh, sure!  I'm really worried.  NOT!

Talking about foxes and rabbits, there are two things I need to announce:

(1) Below please find a version of a tale of the Ahniyvwiya (Tsalagi, 
Cherokee) people.

(2) Thanks the good facilitation and word-processing services of our Mike 
Szelog, there is now a Tsalagi (Cherokee) version of the wren story at our 
anniversary site
(http://www.lowlands-l.net/anniversary/). (One way of finding it qwuickly is 
to click on the link "What's new?")

Enjoy!
Reinhard/Ron

***

WHY RABBIT HAS A SHORT TAIL

[Ahniyvwiya Folktale translated from Tsalagi (Cherokee)]

Back when the world was young, Rabbit had a very bushy tail. In fact his 
tail was much bushier than Fox's tail. Rabbit was very proud of his tail and 
he was constantly telling the other animals about his tail. After a while, 
Fox had finally had enough of Rabbit's bragging and he decided to put an end 
to it. The weather was getting colder and finally the lakes and streams 
froze over. One day Fox went down to the lake carrying four fish. When he 
reached the lake, he cut a hole in the ice, tied the fish to his tail and he 
sat and waited for Rabbit to pass by, and soon he did.

When Fox saw Rabbit coming he quickly dropped his tail into the water. 
Rabbit jumped right down to Fox and said, "What are you doing?" "I'm 
fishing, Rabbit," answered Fox. "With your tail?" Rabbit asked. "Oh yes, it 
is the best way to catch the most fish." Rabbit asked how long Fox had been 
fishing and he responded by pulling his tail out of the water to show off 
the four fished tied to his tail and said, "Only fifteen minutes."

"What do you plan to do with the fish you catch?" asked Rabbit. Fox 
answered, "Well, I figure I'll fish for a week, then take the fish down to 
the Cherokee village and trade them for a pair of beautiful tail combs." Fox 
knew what Rabbit was thinking and he knew his plan was working. Rabbit 
thought to himself, "If I fished all night, I bet I would have enough to get 
those tail combs for myself."

Fox said, "Well it's getting late and I'm getting cold. I think I will come 
back in the morning." As soon as Fox was out of sight, Rabbit dropped his 
tail into the icy hole. Brrrr it was cold he thought, but those combs are 
worth anything. He sat down and fished all night long. Soon after the sun 
came up, Fox loped over the ridge and ran up to Rabbit. He said, "What are 
you doing, Rabbit?" Rabbit's teeth began to chatter. "I'm ffiisshing, Ffox." 
"Have you caught any fish?" Fox inquired. Rabbit couldn't move, and he said 
to Fox, "Ffox you've gotta helpp me. I'mmm ssttuck." So Fox with a big smile 
on his face walked behind Rabbit. He gave Rabbit one mighty big shove. 
Rabbit popped out of the hole and landed clear across and other side of the 
lake… But his tail…was still stuck frozen in the water. And even today, 
Rabbit still has a very short, short tail.

[_Cherokee Phoenix_, January 2004.
http://www.cherokee-people.org/Phoenix/2004/images01/JAN04.pdf] 

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