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.

C005. Baer (p. 32). The Story of the Deluge

This is Chase005.

Types. none

Motifs. A1061.1 Flood from animals boring into ground.

Notes. Baer provides this excerpt from a Harris letter: "The crayfish story was told me by negroes on the Turner Plantation many times during the war period. It was recalled to me by a suggestion from the Editor of the Savannah Daily News, who overheard it on the coast, and by other friends, and I then searched for it until I found it among the negroes of this - the Northern - section of teh state. Since the publication of the book I have found a variant in which the Mud Turtle is substituted for the Crayfish."

See the Swahili story by Alice Werner (p. 254), and in Mofokeng (p. 160). There is a drought and Elephant, then others, stamp on sand to bring up water but no success. Then Tortoise tries and water fills the well. Mofokeng notes that frog or crab (crayfish) can replace tortoise in the race-by-trick story. Baer concludes "It could well be that the American Negro versions represent a splitting off of the motif of Mud Turtle (tortoise) loosing the underground water with the etiology of the flood a later addition."

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MY NOTES

See notes collected at Diigo: Chase005

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.

C003. Baer (p. 31). Brer Possum, Brer Coon, and Brer Dog

This is Chase003.

Types
(none)

Motifs
A2466. Why opossum plays dead when caught

Notes

Gerber associates the story with the Aesop's fable about the friends and the bear, commenting that it appears "in Noah Webster's spelling-book, and on that account has been enjoying the widest circulation in the South."

The Aesop fable is ATU0179 What the Bear Whispered in his Ear. Baer is not convinced by the analogy. See also a version by CJJones, and Parsons also found two "Tickling Possum" stories in North Carolina.


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MY NOTES

See notes collected at Diigo: Chase003

Baer wants to call this an indigenous American Negro tale, but I think it is surely connected to the Aesop's fable; the story is too odd on its own, and is far too similar to Aesop IMO.

C002. Baer (p. 29). The Wonderful Tar Baby Story

This is Chase002.

Types
ATU0175. The Tar-Baby and the Rabbit.

Motifs
K741. Capture by Tar-Baby.

Notes
Gerber mentions link connecting this story to the jataka of the demon with the matted hair, but does not endorse. In versions from Mauritius and South Africa, tortoise puts sticky stuff on back to catch animal stealing water from well. William Owens in Folklore of the Southern Negroes includes version of this story which is closer to the African stories: tar is to catch thief of well-water.
There are lots of possible variants:
Gold Coast Spider and Farmer  / Sea Islands Rabbit, Wolf, and Tar-Baby
Angola story has leopard using gummy dolls, and Week suggests it is a fetish called Nkondi "by its own magical powers could hold tightly its victim"
Many of the West Indian versions include ATU1737 Parson in the Sack to Heaven.
Scholars are divided on the significance of the jataka / Indian origin.
Mooney considered the Cherokee and other Native American versions to be borrowings from African-American story.
Espinosa bases his claim to Hispanic origin on the lack of female tar-baby, which he claims is characteristic of African versions (although Baer says this is not the case). Uncle Remus does refer to the tar-baby as she, and Baer remarks: "Espinosa never noticed. Instead, he based his conclusions on his own faulty translation." (Use Espinosa with caution, Baer advises.)


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MY NOTES

See notes collected at Diigo: Chase 002

The jataka is Pañcāvudha-Jātaka.

Additional notes from ATU reference:

In the ATU listing for 175, it says compare 159: Captured wild animals ransom themselves. An old couple spread pitch on a straw calf. One after another, a bear, a wolf, a fox, and a hare touch the calf and stick to it. In return for not being slaughtered, they promise to bring cows, horses, geese, and cabbage. Thus, the animals random themselves and the old people get rich.

C001. Baer (p. 28). Uncle Remus Initiates the Little Boy

This is Chase001.

Types
ATU0122 The Wolf Loses His Prey. Escape by false plea.

Motifs
K0757 Capture by feigning illness.
K0567 Escape by pretending to perform errand (do work) for captor.
K0653 Escape because of plea that leaves means of egress open

See also
Friends 8 = Chase127.
Nights 65 = Chase099.

Notes
Type is widespread in Europe, but the motifs are not European; Thompson references West Indian, North American Indian, and African
"For a persuasive argument that non-European motifs which occur in both North American Indian and African tales are of African origin, see Dundes 1965."
(essay in Mother Wit from the Laughing Barrel)
Type 122: large/powerful character corners small/weak character who escapes by using its wits
compares Aesop's fable about lion and bull (Perry 143)
"Rabbit escapes by pretending to believe the wolf's pretense that they are going to eat chicken, and he is simply going to fetch calamus root to improve the feast"
Baer adds K653 in the notes and comments: "Although Thompson includes only India under this motif number, it is of frequent occurrence in African tales."


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MY NOTES

See notes collected at Diigo: Chase001

I find the first half of the story puzzling: what was Fox's plan when he came to Rabbit's house at dinnertime? and why did Rabbit's little song put him off so that he left? It seems like a turn-about is fair play type of story somehow (like the fox and stork inviting each other to dinner), but I'm not really sure.

Additional notes from ATU reference:

Here is a list of the variations in Type122:
122 animal loses his prey because his victim can escape by false plea
122A the wolf (fox) seeks breakfast. A wolf (fox) threatens to eat various animals (hog, sheep, horse), but they ask for a last favor. On ehas to baptize his children, a second one wants to squeal before the wolf eats him up, so that help comes, and one wants to finish his prayer. The wolf stays hungry (is killed).
122B The rat persuades the cat to wash her face before eating. A cat catches a rat (sparrow, squirrel) and is about to eat it. The rat tells the cat that no one eats a meal without having washed his mouth. The cat cleans her mouth and the victim escapes. The cat promises himself to clean her mouth only after a meal.
AssC The sheep persuades the wolf to sing before he eats him. The wolf starts to howl (play the flute), so that the dogs come and farmers beat up (chase away) the wolf.
122D Caught animal promises captor better prey. A captured hare (sheep, rooster, blackbird, fox) pretends to help a wolf (fox, lion) and promises a more desirable victim. Thus the hare escapes.
122E. Wait for the fat goat. Three goats (billy goats) have to pass a bridge where a troll keeps guard, or they meet a wolf who wants to eat them. He lets the two small ones pass in order to get the biggest one, who throws him into the river.
122F Wait till I am fat enough. A captured animal (hog, sheep, dog) persuades his captor (wolf) to wait until he is fat enough to eat. Then he escapes.
122G Wash me / Soak me before eating. A wolf (jackal, fox) wants to eat a piglet (crabs and fish). The sow persuades the wolf that she has to wash the piglet first, and pulls the wolf into the water. OR A turtle explains to a jackal that he has to be soaked in water in order to soften his shell. Thus he escapes.
122H Wait until I get dry. A monkey is pulled from mud by a tiger who wants to eat him. He asks the tiger to be allowed to dry in sun before being eaten. Thus he escapes.
122Z. Other tricks to escape being eaten. This miscellaneous type consists of various tales about other tricks of animals to escape being eaten by the wolf (fox, etc.)
[the type is clearly a big mess with all these subtypes!]
122B* The squirrel persuades the fox to pray before eating. It escapes.
122D* To make a bird tastier. A fox puts a bird into the hub of a wheel to make it tastier.
122K* The wolf as judge. A wolf meets two rams (goats) and wants to eat one of them. They ask him to settle a quarrel between them about the owndership of a meadow. The wolf will eat the loser. The animals run to the wolf from both sides of the meadow and hit him with their horns. The wolf is killed, or the animals can escape while the wolf is unconscious.
122I* Blind wolf keeps guard over a captive ox. A blinded wolf guards an ox. The ox's legs are tied together. The ox begs the wolf to free them because the bonds are too tight. Then he gives the wolf wooden sticks to hold instead of his feet, and runs away.
122M* The ram run straight into the wolf's stomach. A wolf wants to eat a ram. The ram asks him to open his mouth wide so that he can just right into it. He butts the wolf with his horns and escapes.
122N* The donkey persuades the wolf to ride on his back to the village. A wolf wants to eat a donkey, but the donkey persuades him that the villagers want the wolf as their mayor. The wolf rides on the back of the donkey to the village, and the villagers beat the wolf with sticks.