Week 14 Reading Diary B: Santal Folktales continued

Image Information: Red Fox Lying in Snow from Wikipedia page.

Today I've decided to focus on a story that I found particularly cute from the Santal Folktales: A Fox and His Wife. I thought this story was cute because it showed how a quick-witted woman who never bragged about her intelligence was able to out-smart the tiger while her husband, who always bragged about his own wit, cowered and shook with fright.

So in the beginning the story tells about how the Mr. Fox is always bragging to his wife about all of the wit he has (his wit would load twelve buffaloes) and Mrs. Fox never bragging about hers (hers would only fill a small vegetable basket). Then one evening they're on their way home and are stopped suddenly by a tiger who wants to eat them. Mrs. Fox tells him to wait a moment because she and her husband need someone to settle their quarrel about how to divide up their five children and the tiger agrees to help thinking that he will get both foxes and all five of their children if he plays along (plus he's flattered that she's given him an honorable title: uncle). He follows them home to their burrow and Mr. Fox goes in to gather the children, but when he doesn't come back out Mrs. Fox tells the tiger he must not be able to handle them all and she will go help him. She doesn't turn her back on him, however, because she somehow knows that he is planning to swipe her away and eat her if she does, so she backs in backwards. When the tiger asks what she's doing, she says that she couldn't possible turn her back on such an amazing person as he is and he's flattered again and lets her go. After she's safely inside, and - mind you - the hole is really small for the going in and out of the fox den, she calls out to him that he's free to leave now as she and her husband have figured out their dilemma on their own. The tiger realizes he has been fooled and is furious and tries to go in after them but is way too big for the door. So in the end, Mrs. Fox's wit was able to save them all from the tiger's hungry belly.