C006. Baer (p. 33). Mr. Rabbit Grossly Deceives Mr. Fox

This is Chase006.

Types. 4 Carrying the sham-sick trickster
72 Rabbit rides fox a-courting

Motifs. K1241 Trickster rides dupe horseback.
K1241.1 Trickster rides dupe a-courting

Notes. In book's introduction, Harris notes South American Indian tale collected by Herbert Smith in Brazil and the Amazons, and then he quotes Smith: "One thing is certain. The animal stories told by the Negroes in our Southern States and in Brazil were brought by them from Africa. ... Whether the Indians got them from the Negroes ... is ... uncertain."

In the intro to Nights, Harris notes that Harrt, in Amazonian Tortoise Myths, supported Harris's African origins and Indian borrowing.

Dundes later writes (African and Afro-American Tales): "the logical presumption would be that the tale is an African tale type which moved to the New World. ... we have convincing evidence of an African origin, not a European origin for this tale type"

Ellis notes How the Tortoise Rode the Elephant, and Chatelain has Angola variant with Frog making Elephant his riding horse. Johnston has a Hausa tale.

In Virgin Islands Anancy says Tukoma was his father's riding-horse. In Parson's tale from Nevis, Rabbit makes Fox his riding horse, afer which Fox chases Rabbit into a tree with Buzzard as guard, etc. See Christensen's version where Type 72 is followed by Type 66B Shame Dead Animal Betrays Self.

Swanton has four versions: three Creek and one Natchez. In the Natchez it goes Type 4, then Type 1310A, then Type 73 (gurad is Owl blinded with tobacco juice).


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MY NOTES

See notes collected at Diigo: Chase006

Additional notes from ATU references:

ATU4. Sick animal carries the healthy one. A fix tricks an injured wolf (bear) into carrying him on his back by pretending to be injured himself. While he is being carried, the fox says, "The sick animal carries the healthy one" ("the one who was beaten carries the one who was not"). When the wolf asks about his chant, the fox changes the words around or threatens the wolf (by saying that dogs are chasing them).

ATU72. Rabbit rides fox a-courting. A fox (tiger, jaguar, alligator wolf, hyena elephant) and a rabbit (hare, fox, jackal, tortoise) both woo the same woman, who prefers the fox. The rabbit tells her that the fox is only his horse and promises to prove it. He pretends to be sick and convinces the fox to carry him. The fox lets the rabbit put a bridle on him and ride (whip) him. When the woman sees this, she decides to marry the rabbit.