Trickster Tale
A long time ago there lived a rabbit and an old, big turtle that resided in a pond next to the rabbit’s house. Rabbit and turtle were great pals and enjoyed pulling tricks on a fox that lived in a nearby bush and this act really annoyed the fox, who decided to get even with the two. Since the fox knew very well that he could not catch the rabbit at any given point, he decided to get even with the old turtle. He began his venture by walking around the pond each and every morning with the hope of finding the old turtle out of the pond. He did that for several days till he became lucky one morning.
On that fateful morning while the fox was taking a stroll around the pond, he noticed the old turtle sitting in the middle of the road and he looked uneasy and bothered. He showed his fury by shaking all over and moving his head back and forth. The fox immediately knew that something was amiss. “How are you old turtle?” the fox exclaimed. The old turtle just gazed at him and said nothing. “What is bothering you?” the fox asked. The old turtle responded in pain and explained to him what had happened. The turtle explained that while he was taking a stroll in the garden beside his pond, the owner of the garden came and set the garden ablaze. Despite his efforts to run as fast as he could, the fire seemed to spread much faster than he could run. On realizing this, the turtle decided to curl up in his shell as the fire passed over him. He further moaned that his shell was now extremely hot and the hotness was extending to his skin.
The fox then pretended to be concerned for the old turtle and asked the turtle to let him look at the skin and the hot shell. The old turtle immediately let his tail lose and poked his skin from his shell. Without wasting a single second, the fox grabbed the old turtle’s tail and started swinging the turtle off the ground. “I will now get even with you old turtle!” the fox cried. The fox further told to the old turtle that he was set to revenge and get even with him for pulling tricks on him. The old turtle cried in pain and begged the fox to let go of him but the fox did not heed to any of his words. He did not even show the slightest sign of remorse. His heart was stone cold and set to do the task that was at hand. The old turtle begged the fox not to drown him because he preferred to go back to the fire now that he had gotten used to the fire.
As the fox was trying to make a decision on the next step to take and the most appropriate way to make the turtle pay, he kept swinging the old turtle by the tail back and forth. The fox figured out that returning the old turtle back to the burning field was tempting. He however remembered the way the old turtle was curled up in his shell for the fire not to catch his skin. This thought made the fox not to return the old turtle to the fire since it was not good enough. His rationale was that since the old turtle would be curled up in his shell, it was impossible for the fire to burn him.
The fox finally decided that the best way to make the old turtle pay was to drown him. He therefore tucked him under one of his arms and took him by the pond. “Please have mercy on me, do not drown me!” the old turtle begged. The fox retorted that he was not there to make any promises because the old turtle had played very many tricks on him and hence deserved to suffer. The fox immediately thrust the old turtle into the water and made him bounce up and down. The old turtle cried and begged the fox not to let go of his tail because he was drowning. The fox shouted back at him and told him that that was his plan and he let go off the tail and the old turtle was immersed deep down in the pond. The fox could hear the old turtle laughing from the bottom of the pond and that is when he remembered that the pond is where the old turtle lived and hence, it was impossible for him to drown.
As the fox went round and round in fury, he heard a group of frogs shouting from the other side of the pond claiming that the water was knee-deep. So the fox figured out that if the water was knee-deep, then it would be much easy for him to catch the old turtle. The fox went to the edge of the pond and saw his reflection. Thinking that the reflection was that of his brother, the fox jumped into the pond excited that the two of them would outsmart the old turtle. The fox realized that the frogs had made a fool out of him and that the old turtle was there to make him pay. He swam as fast as he could and managed to make his way out of the pond. From that day henceforth, he ceased messing with the old turtle.
This tale fits the characteristics and features of a trickster as will be illustrated below. One of the characteristics of trickster tales is that they entail an animal that makes use of cunning skills to outsmart another animal. The same case applies to our tale where the old turtle outwits the fox who initially thinks to be cleverer. The other characteristic associated with trickster tales is that animals are portrayed as having the ability to speak and act like humans. This is the case with the above tale where the old turtle seems to communicate or speak with the fox on various occasions. In this case, the old turtle is the trickster since he defeats the fox that appears to be much strong and clever.
Trickster tales are an illustration showing the way weaker or smaller animals utilize cunning in order to outsmart or outwit a powerful and stronger animal. This is what happens in this tale because the old turtle is much weaker compared to the fox. The frogs are also less powerful compared to the fox but they manage to trick and outsmart the fox. Hence, it is evident that the above tale fits into the trickster genre.
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