The Fox and the Crane

Once upon a time Mister Fox and Miss Crane were friends. They would always pass the time of day when they met by the lake or in the field. One day Mister Fox asked Miss Crane to come to his house for lunch.

"Please come, Miss Crane," he said. "I will prepare a delicious meal."

Miss Crane accepted the kind invitation and went to visit Mister Fox. Mister Fox had made an excellent kasha, which he brought to the table on a platter.

Miss Crane bent over the platter but, with her long beak, she was unable to get one bit of kasha. She bent her head this way and that, but could not pick up anything at all.

Mister Fox licked away until the kasha was all gone and, when the platter was clean, he said, "It was good of you to come and visit me. I hope we can do this again very soon."

"Thank you for everything, Mister Fox," said Miss Crane. "Tomorrow you must come and visit me for lunch."

"Thank you, Miss Crane," said Mister Fox. "I will be there."

Next day Mister Fox arrived at her home to find a delicious smell of cooking in the air. "What a lovely aroma that is," he said. "We are indeed going to have a fine meal."

When Miss Crane served the food she put it in a long thin pot with a narrow neck. "Help yourself, Mister Fox. Do not be shy," she said.

Mister Fox tried to put his paw into the pot, but it would not go in far enough. He tried to put his long nose in, but all he could do was peer into the pot and sniff the food. Miss Crane put her long beak down into the pot and had the meal all eaten up in no time at all.

When the food was all gone, Miss Crane said, "It was good of you to come and visit me. I hope we can do this again very soon."

Mister Fox was so embarrassed and angry that he left without saying a word.

From that day to this, Foxes and Cranes have not been the best of friends.

 

For more Ukrainian Folk Tales please visit Mr. Evanishen’s Webpage:

Ethnic Enterprises publisher of Ukrainian stories in english.

Telling Tales

by, Daniel W. Evanishen

First Published in the Summer, 1999 issue of Contact, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, British Columbia Newsletter

Storytelling is an art that is in sad neglect these days. In the old days, people constantly told stories and folk tales, but these days, not many people even know the stories any more. In the past in Ukraine, people told folk tales as a normal part of their lives. For the most part, the parents in any given family were away working in the fields, and the children were left in the care of Baba and Dido, who told stories to the children to entertain and teach them. These stories served to teach the children most of what they knew of the world. They learned how to behave, how to get along with other people, and why certain things in nature occurred. They also learned about their culture, their traditions, and the values of their society. Of course, it was not only the children who heard the folk tales. Most people never left the area of the village in which they were born, and, not being able to read, they learned most of what they knew of the outside world from wandering storytellers.

These storytellers traveled to many places and heard many stories, which they adapted for their audience at home, which partly explains why we find similar stories in many different cultures. The storytellers were important and highly-regarded individuals, and their arrival was always a cause for joy. Often the entire village would gather to hear the stories and the news. My project is to collect all the Ukrainian folk tales in Canada and retell them in English, so that the children of today can finally hear or read the stories. Most often, the children have never heard the tales, and this project will give them a direct link to their culture. Folk tales are important, as they tell us much of who we are and where we come from. How important is it to understand these things? As a wise person once said, "If you know where you have come from, you have a better chance of knowing where you are going."

Following is a sample of the folk tales I have been collecting and retelling. As of 1999, I have published six volumes of folk tales, as well as several other books on Ukrainian pioneers and other subjects.

Zhabka:

One day long ago, Zhabka, the little frog, was hopping about in the wide world looking for adventure. Coming upon a wooden bucket filled with fresh cream, he jumped in to see what kind of thing this was. He smiled to himself, because the funny white water felt so cool and silky against his skin. He swam and splashed and dove until he had enough. He was tired of the white water, and he wanted to go home and go to sleep. But then, Zhabka found he could not get out of the bucket. The cream was too deep for his legs to reach the bottom and jump, and the sides of the bucket were too slippery to climb out. Zhabka was thunderstruck. It was hard to believe that a moment ago he was having such a good time! He could not bear the thought of drowning, so he kept swimming, hoping that he would think of something. The little frog swam to his left; he swam to his right; and he swam around and around until he was too tired to move. He began to sink but, as he dropped beneath the surface, he spluttered, "No, I will not quit!" And he began to swim once more.

When he became too tired to move, Zhabka stopped to rest again and, once more, he sank beneath the surface. But, once more, he rose up and carried on swimming. This happened several times until, one time when he sank, he felt something beneath his legs. He pushed down and hopped straight out of the bucket. Without knowing what he had done, Zhabka had churned the cream so long that he had made a large, firm, yellow ball of butter beneath his legs!

Taken from "Zhabka and Other Ukrainian Folk Tales Retold in English," written by Danny Evanishen and published by Ethnic Enterprises, Box 234, Summerland, BC, V0H 1Z0

by, Daniel W. Evanishen

From "Feet on the Pillow and Other Ukrainian Folk Tales Retold in English," the eighth volume in the series, written by Danny Evanishen and to be published in May of 2001 by Ethnic Enterprises http://www.ethnic.bc.ca.

In the old days, the rich landlords owned everything and the poor peasants worked the land, earning barely enough to survive. Often, the starving peasants would go into the woods and gather firewood, mushrooms or acorns, knowing full well that the landlord could have them severely punished for theft.Petro was a young man who had been caught many times by the landlord and his guards. The landlord finally decided that, since nothing would stop Petro from his behavior, he must be put to death.On the day of his hanging, a large crowd gathered in the yard of the landlord. Petro was well-known to all the villagers, and they were sorry that it had come to this. Before the rope was put on him, the landlord asked if Petro had one last request. I do, Your Honor, said Petro. I would like one last look at this beautiful world. The request being granted, Petro stepped into the middle of the yard, while the people stood back to make room for him. What a beautiful sky this is, cried Petro. What beautiful clouds and sun! Soon my young eyes shall see thee no more! No more will my ears hear the whisper of the breeze or the babbling of the brook! Petro carried on at some length, and the crowd became quite emotional. Some were openly weeping, and others stood looking at their feet. Petro slowly made his way to the edge of the crowd, speaking all the while of how he would miss the world when he was gone.Suddenly, he leaped the fence and was gone, as fast as his feet would carry him. At first, no one realized that he was gone and, by the time the guards came to their senses, it was too late. Petro was no longer there. Petro ran for all he was worth and finally came to his hut. He rushed in the door and flopped himself on his reed bed. His surprised wife saw him come running, and when she followed him into the house, she saw him on the bed with his feet on the pillow and his head at the other end. What is happening? she cried. Are you crazy? Why are your feet on the pillow? Petro smiled and replied, If it were not for my feet, this crazy head would not be on my neck. They saved my life, so they deserve the pillow, and they shall have it!

 

 

Eve of St. Andrew's Day

(Andrzejki)-November 29th

Polish Folklore

by, Michael Bezinka

Young Polish girls who wish to find a husband set this day aside. On the Eve of St. Andrew’s Day and into the next morning, fortunes are told. The results of these fortunes are taken very seriously. Fortunes could be told in many ways but some are as follows.

The most popular is by melting wax and pouring it into a bowl with cold water. The hardened wax is then picked from the water, raised to a light, and then the girls try to see the similarities of it a potential husband. Depending on the shapes, fortunes are told the following year. If nothing meaningful is found, there is the chance a girl will dream of something important dealing with her future. In another tradition of telling fortunes, girls stand in a circle leaning over a bowl of water with a floating walnut shell containing a lighted candle. Each girl puts a piece of paper with the name of a potential husband inscribed on the edge of the bowl. Whichever name the lighted candle sails to and burns, a marriage proposal would be in her future. During this day another story is told that a girl counts to the fourteenth post on a fence to see what her future husband may look like. If the post is strong and fresh, she can expect a lean, strong young man, if short and fat, her chances of gaining an older not as desirable husband could be in her future. In a game to predict marriage on St. Andrew’s Day, a ribbon, kerchief and a rosary are put separately under three plates. Blindfolded, a young girl turns around three times while other girls rearrange these plates. If the kerchief is drawn, it denotes marriage; if the ribbon is drawn, she will remain single for yet another year but if she were to draw the rosary, her choices were not considered good, she would either spend the rest of her life as an unmarried woman, or she would enter a convent and become a nun.

King Matthias

Hungarian Folklore

by, Lisa Miasto

Long ago, when the Turkish controlled Hungary there was a brave warrior called Hunyadi Janos. The Turks ruled over most of Hungary and parts of Europe for two centuries. After Hunyadi died the nobility thought his sons would not make good kings because of the family's reputation of honesty and dislike of the rich nobility. Hunyadi had two sons; the eldest was strong and a great warrior as was his father. The nobility put Matthius, the youngest son, in prison and sentenced Laszlo, the oldest, to death. Laszlo had a very strong body and neck with long thick hair. When the nobles tried to cut off his head they couldn't. They tried a second time, which was against all laws. If he didn't die with the first try, he was supposed to be released. A revolt almost started, as the people loved the Hunyadis. The nobles decided to hide what they had done and released Matthius from jail to be made King. Because he was a timid man, they decided they could do whatever they wished.

During these days, the rich were abusing the peasants. To seek the truth of what his people were treated like, Matthius would dress so that no one would recognize him. One day he went to work in the fields. At the end of this day of long labor, when he asked for his payment, he was brutally whipped. On the following morning he went back as King and gave the same whipping to the man who had cruelly whipped him the day before. Matthius would do many things such as working in the fields and over time his life was in danger of assassination by the rich nobles. He trusted no one but his Kuvaszok. He bred the best bloodlines and treated them with kindness and love. The dogs were always at his side and protected him. These dogs always sat at the foot of his throne and would sleep at the foot of his bed. These dogs were his most trusted bodyguards. They watched over the castle, guarded his livestock and in times of crisis, he took them with him to fight wars. Matthius was to become the most powerful, loved, respected and honest King in Hungarian history. When Matthius died, the people were heard to chant in their mourning "Matthius is dead and so is all truth and honesty from now on."

Below are some names, which can be found in Slavic mythology. Many of these names are mentioned in folk tales, literature and song. Some regions have certain dances that are performed using one or more of these characters as a major theme.

The regions that these particular characters can be found are numerous. Most of the names below are found in present day Eastern Europe, the Carpathian Mountain regions, Ukraine and Russia. Many in peasant society during a former era knew of one, or more of these characters and the folk tales associated with them. Some of these characters are still known today to modern day individuals of many Slavic heritages who reside in remote villages. The notation of (Slavic) after the name of the character is given to denote that this particular character has been found in folk tales of different Slavic heritages. Where a particular heritage is mentioned, that character had a major emphasis in that culture.

Ajysyt The goddess of birth of the Yakuts of Siberia.

Baba Yaga (Jezi Baba) (Slavic) The grandmother of the devil; a terrible man-eating female demon; her mouth stretched from the earth to the gates of hell. 

Bugady Musun Siberian goddess, mother of all animals.

Colleda (Koliada) Serbian goddess of the winter solstice.

Dazhbog (Slavic) Also known as Dabog (Serbs) and Dazbog (Poles). The sun god. Son of Svarog (god of the sky), and brother of Svarazic (god of fire). He rode through the sky on his diamond chariot, starting out in the morning as a new-born and ending the day as an old man. Sometimes said to be married to Myesyats (the moon).

Dolya (Slavic) The goddess of fate who lived behind the stove. When she was in a good mood, she was called Dolya, the old lady who brought good luck; when annoyed, she was Nedolya, the poorly dressed old hag of bad luck. Sometimes she appeared as a young woman rather than the gray-haired old woman; in either condition she presided over birth.

Dunne Enin An important goddess in Siberia; she ruled the clan territory.

Elena Heroine that is featured in a popular Russian folktale about the firebird. 

Erce (Slavic) The earth mother honored each spring by the pouring of water, milk and flour into the turned furrows of the tilled farm.

Leshy (Slavic) Also known as Lesiye or Lesovik. Spirit of the forest who led hunters astray. He had a long, green beard, and offered no shadow in the sun. He could become small as a mouse or tall as the biggest tree.

Mati Syra Zemlya (Slavic) The goddess of the earth.

Myesyats (Slavic) The moon deity. In some myths he is the bald-headed uncle of the sun-god Dazhbog. In other myths she is a beautiful woman, the consort of Dazhbog and mother by him of the stars.

Perunu (Slavic) Called Pyerun in Russia, Piorun in Poland. The thunder god. He was a chief and creator god.

Rusalki  The Rusalki were water spirits and can be found in both Slavonic and Russian mythology. They were the spirits of drowned girls. In south-eastern Europe, they were pictured as beautiful creatures who would attempt to lure passers-by into the water with their magical song. In northern Europe, they were considered unkempt and unattractive creatures. They would grab travelers from the river bank and drag them into the river to drown them.

Svantovit (Svantevit) (Slavic) The god of war. Worship of this god included human sacrifice. Some tales tell that he was the supreme deity and father of all other gods. Worship of this god ceased after Christianity but, folk tales are still told about him.

Svarazic (Svarozic, Svarogich) (Slavic) The god of fire. He was the son of Svarog and brother to Dazhbog. He was pictured wearing a helmet, carrying a sword and on his chest was a bison's head. Human sacrifices were made to him.

Triglav A three-headed god of war of the Slavs in Poland.

Veles (Volos) (Russia) God of the flocks and herds.

Xatel-Ekwa (Hungarian) The sun goddess who rode through the sky on three horses.

Xoli-Kaltes (Hungarian) The dawn goddess. A young woman who baked men who came to court her.

Yarovit (Slavic) God of all victories.

Ynakhsyt (Siberia) Goddess of all cattle.

Ziva (Siva) (Slavic) Goddess of all life.

Zorya (Slavic) There were three Slavic dawn goddesses. There was Utrennyaya, the morning star; Vechernyaya, the evening star; and the midnight star was Zorya. All have the same duty, to guard a chained dog from eating the constellation Ursa Minor, the little bear. If the chain should break and the dog became loose, the universe will end. Due to this the Zoryas are guardians.

Zvezda Dennitsa (Slavic) Goddess of the morning star. The wife of the man in the moon.

The Cycle of Life

(Eastern European Customs)

by, Yelena Simrenko

Various customs and stories abounded within Eastern Europe and still do to this day. Some of these are common and some are unique depending upon region and heritage. Since many heritages lived side by side, it was not uncommon someone of one heritage to end up with practices of another. Most customs were in reference to the human condition and the events that take place within individuals lives. The customs and stories were offered to the author by immigrants and their children who remembered seeing their parents and grandparents practice these customs. The heritage of the person relating their particular story is offered to give readers a better idea of which heritage celebrated these customs and what they were meant to define.

BIRTH

Carpatho-Rusyn

When a child was born, the first thing was to check to see that the child was perfect. Any defects were corrected if possible. If a child’s ears were too large or if they stuck out, the midwife or woman in attendance would pin his or her ears back to make them look more normal. After this was done, the child was "blessed" with holy water and wrapped as much as possible in linen to a point where it was more or less "tied up." It was felt that the child would not harm itself in this way, as it was not used to being "free" yet. If the child were to have suffered any defects, it was said this was due to the mother seeing something unpleasant or being afraid or "shocked." If the child were to be born with red marks, it was thought that the mother had seen fire and been frightened by it while still pregnant. It was also thought that if a mother had seen someone who was blind, or lame a short time before giving birth the child would also have that condition later in life. If the child were healthy plans would be made immediately to have the child baptized. If the child seemed ill or weak, one of the women in attendance would baptize the child in case of emergency with the rest of the service being performed later when the child was stronger by a priest. 

BAPTISM

Polish

When a child was taken to be baptized before it left the house the father would say a prayer over the child that it would return home safely again. After the service in church the child would be brought home and placed on the doorstep to the home with the door closed. On the other side, the woman would stand and the eldest would say through the closed door to the newly baptized child "you left this house a devil, now that you are baptized enter our home as an angel and may your life be long and healthy so that you may serve God."

WEDDING

Jewish

The Jewish wedding would traditionally start with the signing of the marriage contract or Ketubbah. The Ketubbah is a document that outlines the rights and obligations of the bride and groom. After signing the contract the groom goes before his bride and gazes into her face. Having confirmed that she is the woman he chosen to marry, he lowers a veil over her face. This is a symbolic representation and retells the story of Jacob who was tricked into marrying Leah instead of Rachel. The wedding ceremony is held under the Huppah (wedding canopy). The Huppah is supported by four poles, which are held by friends or family during the ceremony. Custom for this wedding is that all of the immediate family is part of the wedding group. Sisters and brothers of the bride and groom may be attendants and grandparents sometimes according to some customs have a place in the procession. During the service there are many rituals that have specific meanings. The ring is placed on the bride’s right index finger due to the fact that this is the finger of intelligence (it is the finger that points to the words when reading the Torah). After the service is completed the groom breaks the glass with his foot. This custom is done to remind those present of the destruction of the Temple and also, another custom has this to imply that the broken glass shows how fragile life is.

WEDDING

Ukrainian

It was a custom, even in America, for a potential groom to give his future bride a little gift to show that she belonged to him. These gifts were different and varied depending upon the financial condition of the future groom. Many times, it may only be a piece of ribbon for his bride’s hair, but at other times it could be a gift of jewelry, or even a new piece of clothing. Before the young bride was to be married, her mother and other female relatives would help her to dress and style her hair. It was not permitted for the groom or any of his male relatives to see her on the day of marriage before she arrived at the church for the ceremony. Many times, before she left the home for the church, the bride’s mother would stand before her and while she knelt, the mother would pray over her daughter that her new life would be on of peace and happiness. It was custom in some families to give as a gift a beautiful pysanka to both sets of parents as they were losing something precious and this gift was to make up for their loss. Another custom was the bridal dance where the bride would stand in the middle of a circle and the groom would try to "get her back." This custom dance was not only limited to the Ukrainian heritage but to other Slavic heritages as well.

DEATH

Carpatho Rusyn

 

There were many customs regarding death for the Rusyn people. Some of the more common are still followed today. When someone died in the home, the first custom was to open the nearest window to let the "soul" leave the home to travel to its next life. Another custom was to cover any mirrors in the home. An interesting custom was a prayer being said over the deceased while binding the jaw with a piece of linen so that any evil spirits would not "enter" the body and thereby take it over to live in the world. While the body was prepared it was custom to call the priest to offer prayers and rites of the church. As the priest entered the home custom dictated that they greet him with a lighted candle and lead him to the deceased. Some customs dictated that items of particular favor were placed in the coffin. This could be a favorite prayer book, a violin if the deceased was a musician, a favorite piece of jewelry or other items. It was considered important for those who were very religious to place an icon of the resurrection in the hands of the deceased. This was to show God the deceased individuals hope in the resurrection. During the 40-day period between death and this final day when according to church rites the soul of the deceased would be judged, nothing in the home that had been the deceased individuals would be touched. It was believed the soul of the deceased was still among the living, visiting places that he or she knew and loved. It was custom not to talk negatively about the deceased during these 40 days for fear that the soul of the newly departed would bring bad luck and hardship upon the family.

"The Devils Rock"

A Folktale from the Village of Hajtovka

The following folktale has been told for generations in the village of Hajtovka, which is located in Eastern Slovakia. Hajtovka is a small village (population was approximately 116 people during 1970) near the Poprad River and the Polish boarder. This folk tale is still told in Hajtovka and its beginning origins are unknown. During time stories passed from individual to individual evolve and change. This folktale is a good example of this progression as through time it has become actually three stories combined into one tale about a specific subject. This folktale was re-told by a present day resident of the village of Hajtovka.

Down the hill from the cemetery and along the Poprad river in Hajtovka is a large rock formation, which is called "The Devils Rock." This rock is a large limestone outgrowth that is seen above ground. There are a few of these outgrowths in this area. One of the more famous which is classified as an ecological reserve are the formations found in the village of Udol which is the village next to Hajtovka. The explanation the residents of Hajtovka gave to this rock centuries ago tell of a folktale regarding this rock formation. It is said that this rock was carried by the Devil himself as he flew through the air. The Devil was carrying this rock as he planned to drop it on Lubovna Castle, which is not far from Hajtovka. While the Devil was flying over Hajtovka midnight neared. The church bells in Hajtovka began to ring at midnight and were very loud. When the Devil heard the sound coming from the church he lost all of his powers. The Devil then dropped the rock from the sky in Hajtovka where it is located today near the Poprad River. There also is a part of this rock, which dropped in a low valley below the church behind a grove of trees. During the centuries many children have asked their parents where they came from. The children in Hajtovka are told that they were found at this rock behind the grove of trees by their grandmothers. Their grandmother then took them home to live with their parents and that is how they came to live in Hajtovka. There is another story also about this rock. It is told that an old servant wanted to find out how the children came from this rock. It was said he was not normal in his mind. This servant would go to the rock and look for a "door". He thought since the grandmothers came to get the children, they must live inside of the rock. He visited the rock once a day to try and find the door in the rock. He could not figure out how the children came out of the rock to be brought to the village and therefore, kept looking for a door in the rock until the day he died.

The Fly and the Millet

Once there lived an old man and an old woman.  They had a young son, and all were so poor that they often had trouble finding food.  Times were so bad that finally they had only one grain of millet left to eat.  Ivan, take the millet to the miller and have it ground into meal, said the woman to her son.  Ivan went to the mill and had the millet ground into meal.  The old woman cooked the millet and put it into a bowl to cool.  Ivan, you guard the millet while your father and I have a rest, said the old woman, as she sat down for a nap.  The father stretched out to nap on the bench, while the old woman sat in a chair.  Young Ivan took his job very seriously; he stood over the bowl with a large stick, ready to take care of anybody who would dare to distrub their meal.  A hungry fly buzzed into the house and made straight for the bowl of millet.  As soon as Ivan saw the fly, he said to himself "just lok at that fly! I will fix her for trying to spoil our millet!  He sneaked up on the fly and swung the stick mightily.   

He missed the fly, but he did not miss the bowl of millet, which shattered and flew into pieces all over the room.  I will get even with that fly, thought Ivan.  Spying it in the air near the old woman, he again swung his stick.  He missed the fly again, but he did not miss his mother.  She fell to the floor, truly asleep, with a big bump on her head.  Now look what you have done, you naughty fly, cried Ivan as he redoubled his efforts to catch her.  The fly sat on the forehead of the sleeping old man, and Ivan again swung his stick.  Once more, he missed the fly.  But, he did not miss the innocent old man, who also fell into a deeper sleep with a big bump on his head.  Ivan chased the fly all over the house, breaking and upsetting everything.  Finally, he threw his stick at the fly.  He missed the fly, but he did not miss the window.  The stick went through it, and the fly followed right after.

From "Yalynka and Other Ukrainian Folk Tales Retold in English" by Danny Evanishen, to be published in May, 2002.http://www.ethnic.bc.ca
 

Send mail to webmaster with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2003 T.C.C.