C022. Baer (p. 47). A Story about the Little Rabbits

This is Chase022.

Types none
Motifs H1023.2.1 Task: carrying water in leaky vessel

Notes

Baer notes three African analogue for carrying water in leaky vessel; Baer cites Chatelain 21: "in that tale Leopard sets Monkey three tasks: building fire, breaking sugar-cane, and carrying water in fish trap. Leopard's goal was to get Monkey killed."

Baer then comments, "While the Uncle Remus version is still a curious metamorphosis, the Angolan tale seems a more likely source than just fairy tales in general. As far as the helpful bird singing advice goes, this too occurs in Angolan tales although not in this one."

Also: "The tasks in this Uncle Remus tale seem frivolous and arbitrary until seen in light of the Angolan tale where they fit in to the story line and the landscape. The inclusion of those particular tasks in one story would indicate a mutual origin, in this case: Africa."