C089. Baer (p. 99). How Wattle Weasel Was Caught

This is Chase089.

Types ATU0291 deceptive tug of war
Motifs
K0022 deceptive tug of war
K0331.2.2 guards fatigued by trickster so that they sleep while goods are stolen
K1021.1 tail buried (hair tied)
K0869 deceptive game: tying one another by the tail
Notes
Harris and Gerber both cite Kaffir story; Gerber summary: "A fabulous animal, the Inkalimeva, keeps eating the grease of the other animals. It fools those set to guard it in the same way as in the American story, till the hare binds it by its tail"

The story is in Theal who adds this note: "there is a story very similar to it, in which a pool of water is guarded by different animals in turn, all of which are deceived by the jackal"

Baer cites other variations from Africa.

Klipple puts her 19 versions under AT0035 The Animals Build a Road... Baer simply says this is "not related"

full African sequence is often: 1. animals dig well and trickster refuses to help; 2. trickster steals water; 3. animals set guard; 4. trickster outwits series of guards; 5. trickster is caught (with tarbaby); 6. trickster escapes (briar patch or other false plea); 7. almost recaptured, he escaps with root plea

Baer notes "Theal's and Harris's endings are distinctive in that hare is the captor rather than the thief of the tale; therefore the thief is permanently caught, and rabbit's trickster quality is exhibited by the method of capture."

on weasel: "Werner found that one of the names of the Zulu trickster, Hlakanyana, is Ucakijana, which means Little Weasel."