C056. Baer (p. 74). How Brother Rabbit Frightened His Neighbors

This is Chase056.

Types
Motifs K0547 escape by frightening would-be captors
Notes
Owens has a version where only Wolf is waiting for Rabbit, and Rabbit had purchased the tinware specifically for frightening the wolf.
Baer cites version from Area, "a tale about hare and hyena, one day the hare covered his body with ashes and put an eggplant over his eyes" ... also Ellis's Gold Coast story of Spider and Farmer: "Spider saw a "something" with snail shells hanging from it, and their rattling in the breeze frightened him." (see Ellis for a note about scarecrows as scaring people).

Baer concludes: "The tinware and coffee-pot are certainly local elements and with two versions it is safe to call it an American Negro tale, with a possible African source."

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MY NOTES

The frame for the story reminds us of the will-o-the-wisp story earlier when Rabbit accidentally got in the honey and leaves. That story certainly could have prompted this one about another "monstrous" rabbit.