Once upon a time, in a small village by the river, lived an old man and his wife. One frosty, sunny day, the grandfather decided:
– I fancy fish for supper!
He went fishing. He chopped a hole in the ice, sat with his rod—and soon had a whole cartload of fresh fish! As he headed home, rejoicing, he spotted a fox lying on the road, seemingly dead.
What luck! thought the grandfather. I’ll give the old woman a fox-fur collar!
He scooped up the creature and tossed it onto the cart, then walked ahead, unaware the fox was pretending. While he trudged along, the fox carefully tossed fish out of the cart—one by one, until none remained. Then it slipped away.
When the grandfather returned, he announced proudly:
– Wife, I’ve brought you a collar!
– Where? – the grandmother wondered.
– On the cart!
She went to look—no fish, no fox. She scolded him:
– You’ve been fooled again!
The grandfather realized:
– That sly fox tricked me!
He rushed outside, searching everywhere. But neither the fox nor the fish were found. He grieved and grieved, but it was too late to fix anything.
Meanwhile, the fox gathered the fish scattered along the road. It sat eating, licking its chops. Suddenly, a wolf appeared:
– Greetings, friend! Share some fish!
– Catch your own, – replied the fox.
– I don’t know how, – the wolf whined.
The fox narrowed its eyes cunningly:
– I’ll teach you. I caught these. Go to the river, dip your tail in the ice hole—that’s how you’ll catch them. Just sit there a good long while!
The wolf ran to the river, sat by the hole, and stayed all night. As the water froze, he thought: "The fish must be biting my tail."
"I’ll sit longer to catch more," he reasoned.
He might have stayed, but then he saw women approaching with buckets, shouting:
– A wolf! Beat him!
Terrified, the wolf tried to yank his tail free—but it was frozen solid. The women rushed over and thrashed him. He pulled and pulled, to no avail. Finally, he yanked with all his might, tore free—leaving his tail behind—and fled. As he ran, he fumed:
"That fox tricked me! I’ll teach her a lesson!"
Meanwhile, the fox craved more treats. It sneaked into a village hut where pancakes were baking, the window left open—and plunged snout-first into a dough tub. Panicked and smeared, it scrambled out and bolted to the woods.
Running along, it met the wolf:
– So, this is how you taught me, friend? Look—I’m bruised all over!
– Ah, dear wolf, – sighed the fox, – I was beaten worse! You have bumps, but my head’s split open. I’ll never make it home…
The wolf eyed the fox’s dough-caked head and thought: "She truly had it rough."
– Climb on my back. I’ll carry you, – he offered.
The fox hopped on, riding him and whispering:
"The beaten carries the unbeaten… The beaten carries the unbeaten…"
– What’s that you’re muttering, friend? – asked the wolf.
– I said, "The beaten carries the beaten," – lied the fox.
– Yes, friend… yes… – sighed the wolf.
He carried her to her den and left. The fox rejoiced at outsmarting everyone again. It decided to raid the village for chickens—but as it neared the fence, hounds burst out. The fox barely escaped, reaching its den battered and hiding to recover. The dogs had mauled it badly. This time, the fox learned: cunning alone isn’t enough to stay well-fed.
Key Themes for Discussion
Cunning and Gullibility
– The fox embodies cleverness and deceit, tricking the grandfather and wolf for gain.
– The wolf and grandfather, trusting blindly, become victims of her schemes.
Consequences of Deception
– The fox gains short-term rewards but must constantly devise new tricks.
– Trusting the fox leads the wolf into painful, humiliating situations.
