- Genre
- Animal tale
- Source status
- variant tradition
- Motifs
- fox, black grouse, false peace, testing a promise
The tale: an editorial retelling
A black grouse sat in a tree. A fox came up and greeted him warmly. “The moment I saw you, I hurried over to ask how you were.” The grouse thanked her for remembering him.
The fox pretended she could not hear. “What did you say? Come down closer. I have plenty of news.” The grouse said he was afraid to leave the tree. “Surely you are not afraid of me?” asked the fox. “Not of you—of the other animals,” he replied.
“There is nothing to fear! An order was issued today: animals must no longer attack one another.” The grouse sounded delighted. “How fortunate! I can see dogs coming. Yesterday you would have had to run, but today you can stay quite safely.”
The fox heard the barking and prepared to leave. “Why hurry? The dogs will not attack you!” called the grouse. “Who knows? Perhaps they have not heard about the order,” said the fox, and ran into the forest. The grouse stayed in the tree, laughing as he watched her go.
About this version
Tale 14 in volume III of Lietuvių tautosaka was reprinted from a 1937 periodical identified in the source note as Auš, number 38, page 596. This is a Lithuanian version of an internationally shared animal-tale plot.
The fox’s behaviour disproves her promise. The grouse does not descend to test whether the order is real: he puts the fox in a position where she would have to trust it herself.
Telling and discussing the tale
Contrast the fox’s sweet greeting with the bird’s calm answers. Which sentence reverses their positions? The grouse needs no long argument: announcing the dogs is enough.