C004. Baer (p. 32). How Mr. Rabbit Was Too Sharp for Mr. Fox

This is Chase004.

Types. 1310A Briar-patch punishment for Rabbit.

Motifs. K581.2

Notes. See Man and Turtle in Angola (Chatelain 17). Ellis saw this as parallel to Tortoise escaping from Elephant, and Weeks sees Leopard and Gazelle parallel. Weeks: "when Brer Rabbit was thrown among the leaves of the briar bush he unsticks from the Tar-baby, and in the Leopard sticking to the Nkondi the Gazelle 'cuts some leaves and made a charm to set the Leopard free'". There is a Jamaica parallel also, and in Antigua Rabbit is born and bred in the brambles.

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MY NOTES

See notes collected at Diigo: Chase004

Additional notes from ATU references:

There is a great variety of stuff at ATU1310, including variation A.
1310 Drowning the crayfish as punishment.
1. A small water animal (turtle, crayfish, toad) has made an enemy of a big land animal (monkey, fox, lion, elephant) or of a man. The small animal, condemned to death, begs not to be drowned. Thereupon it is thrown into the water and escapes.
2. Numskulls find a crayfish. Because of its claws, the fools mistake the unknown animal for a failor and put it on a piece of cloth which it is to cut up. The crayfish ruins the cloth. He is condemned to be drowned an dis thrown into the water. When the animal swims with difficulty, one of the fools says, "See how it suffers."
3. Numskulls set out pickled herrings in their pond and hope the fishes will propagate. When the fools drain the pond, they find a big eel which they suspect has devoured the herrings. As a punishment the eel is to be drowned.
1310A. Briar patch punishment for rabbit. A rabbit (fox, jackal) who has stolen food is caught and is to be punished. It pretends to be afraid of being thrown into a briar patch and thus induces its captor to do just that. The rabbit runs off.
1310B. Buring the mole as punishment. Numskulls catch a mole which has devastated a meadow (field, garden). They consider how to punish the unknown animal and decide to bury it alive. The mole escapes.
1310C. Throwin gthe bird from a cliff as punishment. A captured bird (insect) which is to be punished for some misbehavior (e.g. steadling grain, stinging) pretends to be afraid of being thrown into an abyss. The man (animal) who caught the bird throws it down from a cliff (tower) and the bird flies away.