The Annotated African American Folktales

by Henry Louis Gates

  A. B. Frost’s illustrations for Uncle Remus and His Friends (1892) and Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings (1921) became the best-known representations of the characters in Harris’s tales.

  “ ‘Look like you gwineter have chicken fer dinner, Brer Fox,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee.

  “ ‘Yes, Brer Rabbit, dey er nice, en fresh, en tender,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee.

  “Den Brer Rabbit sorter pull his mustarsh, en say: ‘You ain’t got no calamus root,11 is you, Brer Fox? I done got so now dat I can’t eat no chicken ceppin’ she’s seasoned up wid calamus root.’ En wid dat Brer Rabbit lipt out er de do’ and dodge ’mong de bushes, en sot dar watchin’ fer Brer Fox; en he ain’t watch long, nudder, kaze Brer Fox flung off de flannil en crope out er de house en got whar he could cloze in on Brer Rabbit, en bimeby Brer Rabbit holler out: ‘Oh, Brer Fox! I’ll des put yo’ calamus root out yer on dish yer stump. Better come git it while hit’s fresh,’ and wid dat Brer Rabbit gallop off home. En Brer Fox ain’t never kotch ’im yit, en w’at’s mo’, honey, he ain’t gwine’ter.”

  In the tale that opens the cycle, we are introduced to a trio that functions as a family, with Remus as a “kindly,” paternal storyteller, an appreciative little boy, and an approving mother. We have here an ode to plantation life, an idealized, romantic version of evenings in the old South. The phrase “bimeby” (by and by) operates like the “once upon a time” of fairy tales, and the story ends with reassuring words about Brer Rabbit’s ability to survive any of Brer Fox’s traps. In the tale, murderous hostility masquerades as friendship, and we quickly learn that Brer Rabbit’s chief strategy for survival is to feign being “agreeable,” a fact that immediately destabilizes the tender relationship between Uncle Remus and the little boy in the frame narrative. This introductory tale introduces the paradox of what the philosopher Jacques Derrida calls “hostipitality,” a term that reminds us of the contradictory impulses embedded in hospitality and friendship.

  A. B. Frost.

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  1 initiates: Initiation suggests a rite of passage in which the old man serves as mentor for the little boy. The two occupy a space that is removed from reality yet also planted squarely in it. To modern ears, the term sounds odd, for it has overtones that challenge the innocent tenderness of the interactions between the two.

  2 Bimeby: by and by

  3 he ain’t mo’n got de wuds out’n his mouf twel: he had hardly got the words out of his mouth when

  4 Moggin hoss: Morgan horse (often used to draw carriages)

  5 confab: conversation

  6 jubously: dubiously

  7 ’pen’ on you: depend on you

  8 roas’n-years: roasting ears (of corn)

  9 sparrer-grass: asparagus

  10 de cornder: the corner

  11 calamus root: The calamus is a perennial plant that has been used for medicinal purposes and as a substitute for ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

  THE SAD FATE OF MR. FOX

  “Now, den,” said Uncle Remus, with unusual gravity, as soon as the little boy, by taking his seat, announced that he was ready for the evening’s entertainment to begin; “now, den, dish yer tale w’at I’m agwine ter gin you is de las’ row er stumps, sho. Dish yer’s whar ole Brer Fox los’ his breff,1 en he ain’t fin’ it no mo’ down ter dis day.”

  “Did he kill himself, Uncle Remus?” the little boy asked, with a curious air of concern.

  “Hol’ on dar, honey!” the old man exclaimed, with a great affectation of alarm; “hol’ on dar! Wait! Gimme room! I don’t wanter tell you no story, en ef you keep shovin’ me forerd, I mout git some er de facks mix up ’mong deyse’f. You gotter gimme room en you gotter gimme time.”

  The little boy had no other premature questions to ask, and, after a pause, Uncle Remus resumed:

  “Well, den, one day Brer Rabbit go ter Brer Fox house, he did, en he put up mighty po’ mouf. He say his ole ’oman sick, en his chilluns col’, en de fier2 done gone out. Brer Fox, he feel bad ’bout dis, en he tuck’n s’ply3 Brer Rabbit widder chunk er fier. Brer Rabbit see Brer Fox cookin’ some nice beef, en his mouf ’gun ter water, but he take de fier, he did, en he put out to’rds home; but present’y yer he come back, en he say de fier done gone out. Brer Fox ’low dat he want er invite to dinner, but he don’t say nuthin’, en bimeby4 Brer Rabbit he up’n say, sezee:

  A. B. Frost.

  “ ‘Brer Fox, whar you git so much nice beef?’ sezee, en den Brer Fox he up’n ’spon’, sezee:

  “ ‘You come ter my house termorrer ef yo’ fokes ain’t too sick, en I kin show you whar you kin git plenty beef mo’ nicer dan dish yer,’ sezee.

  “Well, sho nuff, de nex’ day fotch Brer Rabbit, en Brer Fox say, sezee:

  “ ‘Der’s a man down yander by Miss Meadows’s w’at got heap er fine cattle, en he gotter cow name Bookay,’ sezee, ‘en you des go en say Bookay, en she’ll open her mouf, en you kin jump in en git des as much meat ez you kin tote,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee.

  “ ‘Well, I’ll go ’long,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, ‘en you kin jump fus’ en den I’ll come follerin’ atter,’ sezee.

  “Wid dat dey put out, en dey went promernadin’ ’roun’ ’mong de cattle, dey did, twel bimeby dey struck up wid de one dey wuz atter.5 Brer Fox, he up, he did, en holler Bookay, en de cow flung ’er mouf wide open. Sho nuff, in dey jump, en w’en dey got dar, Brer Fox, he say, sezee:

  “ ‘You kin cut mos’ ennywheres, Brer Rabbit, but don’t cut ’round’ de haslett,’6 sezee.

  “Den Brer Rabbit, he holler back, he did: ‘I’m a gitten me out a roas’n’-piece,’ sezee.

  “ ‘Roas’n’, er bakin’, er fryin’,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee, ‘don’t git too nigh de haslett,’ sezee.

  “Dey cut en dey kyarved, en dey kyarv’d en dey cut, en w’iles dey wuz cuttin’ en kyarvin’, en slashin’ ’way, Brer Rabbit, he tuck’n hacked inter de haslett, en wid dat down fell de cow dead.

  “ ‘Now, den,’ sez Brer Fox, ‘we er gone, sho,’ sezee.

  “ ‘W’at we gwine do?’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee.

  “ ‘I’ll git in de maul,’7 sez Brer Fox, ‘en you’ll jump in de gall,’ sezee.

  “Nex’ mawnin’ yer cum de man w’at de cow b’long ter, and he ax who kill Bookay. Nobody don’t say nuthin’. Den de man say he’ll cut ’er open en see, en den he whirl in, en ’twa’n’t no time ’fo’ he had ’er intruls8 spread out. Brer Rabbit, he crope out’n de gall, en say, sezee:

  “ ‘Mister Man! Oh, Mister Man! I’ll tell you who kill yo’ cow. You look in de maul, en dar you’ll fin’ ’im,’ sezee.

  “Wid dat de man tuck a stick and lam down on de maul so hard dat he kill Brer Fox stone-dead. W’en Brer Rabbit see Brer Fox wuz laid out fer good, he make like he mighty sorry, en he up’n ax de man fer Brer Fox head. Man say he ain’t keerin’, en den Brer Rabbit tuck’n bring it ter Brer Fox house. Dar he see ole Miss Fox, en he tell ’er dat he done fotch her some nice beef w’at ’er ole man sont9 ’er, but she ain’t gotter look at it twel she go ter eat it.

  “Brer Fox son wuz name Tobe, en Brer Rabbit tell Tobe fer ter keep still w’iles his mammy cook de nice beef w’at his daddy sont ’im. Tobe he wuz mighty hongry, en he look in de pot he did w’iles de cookin’ wuz gwine on, en dar he see his daddy head, en wid dat he sot up a howl en tole his mammy. Miss Fox, she git mighty mad w’en she fin’ she cookin’ her ole man head, en she call up de dogs, she did, en sickt em on Brer Rabbit; en ole Miss Fox en Tobe en de dogs, dey push Brer Rabbit so close dat he hatter take a holler tree. Miss Fox, she tell Tobe fer ter stay dar en min’ Brer Rabbit, w’ile she goes en git de ax, en w’en she gone, Brer Rabbit, he tole Tobe ef he go ter de branch en git ’im a drink er water dat he’ll gin’ ’im a dollar. Tobe, he put out, he did, en bring some water in his hat, but by de time he got back Brer Rabbit done out en gone. Ole Miss Fox, she cut and cut twel down come de tree, but no Brer Rabbit dar. Den she lay de blame on Tobe, en
she say she gwine ter lash ’im, en Tobe, he put out en run, de ole ’oman atter ’im. Bimeby, he come up wid Brer Rabbit, en sot down fer to tell ’im how ’twuz, en w’iles dey wuz a settin’ dar, yer come ole Miss Fox a slippin’ up en grab um bofe. Den she tell um w’at she gwine do. Brer Rabbit she gwine ter kill, en Tobe she gwine ter lam ef its de las’ ack. Den Brer Rabbit sez, sezee:

  “ ‘Ef you please, ma’am, Miss Fox, lay me on de grinestone en groun’ off my nose so I can’t smell no mo’ when I’m dead.’

  “Miss Fox, she tuck dis ter be a good idee, en she fotch bofe un um10 ter de grinestone, en set um up on it so dat she could groun’ off Brer Rabbit nose. Den Brer Rabbit, he up’n say, sezee:

  “ ‘Ef you please, ma’am, Miss Fox, Tobe he kin turn de handle w’iles you goes atter some water fer ter wet de grinestone,’ sezee.

  “Co’se,11 soon’z Brer Rabbit see Miss Fox go atter de water, he jump down en put out, en dis time he git clean away.”

  “And was that the last of the Rabbit, too, Uncle Remus?” the little boy asked, with something like a sigh.

  “Don’t push me too close, honey,” responded the old man; “don’t shove me up in no cornder.12 I don’t wanter tell you no stories. Some say dat Brer Rabbit’s ole ’oman died fum eatin’ some pizen-weed,13 en dat Brer Rabbit married ole Miss Fox,14 en some say not. Some tells one tale en some tells nudder; some say dat fum dat time forerd de Rabbits en de Foxes make fre’n’s en stay so; some say dey kep on quollin’. Hit look like it mixt. Let dem tell you what knows. Dat what I years you gits it straight like I yeard it.”

  There was a long pause, which was finally broken by the old man:

  “Hit’s ’gin de rules fer you ter be noddin’ yer, honey. Bimeby you’ll drap off en I’ll hatter tote you up ter de big ’ouse. I hear dat baby cryin’, en bimeby Miss Sally’ll fly up en be a holler’n atter you.”

  “Oh, I wasn’t asleep,” the little boy replied. “I was just thinking.”

  “Well, dat’s diffunt,” said the old man. “Ef you’ll clime up on my back,” he continued, speaking softly, “I speck I ain’t too ole fer ter be yo’ hoss fum yer ter de house. Many en many’s de time dat I toted yo’ Unk Jeems dat away, en Mars Jeems wuz heavier sot15 dan what you is.”

  A. B. Frost.

  “Sad Fate” wildly understates what happens to Brer Fox. The tale lulls us into the usual sense of faith in harmonious solidarity among animals as they struggle to survive. It quickly takes a bad turn that leads to captivity, betrayal, murder, and near cannibalism. Despite the efforts of European folklorists to relate the tale to “Tom Thumb” (who lands in the stomach of a cow), to “The Juniper Tree” (in which a father devours the remains of his son after they are cooked up by his wife in a stew), or “Open Sesame” (use of a password to enter a forbidden space), the tale’s main features point to African sources. In one African analogue, summarized by the folklorist T. F. Crane, Elephant and Tortoise quarrel. Elephant is determined to kill Tortoise and asks: “Little Tortoise, shall I chew you or swallow you down?” Tortoise asks to be swallowed, enters Elephant’s body, chews up his vital organs, and emerges from the carcass, alive and mobile. In another African variant (included in this volume), Spider and Kwaku Tse cut the meat from inside two cows to provide an endless supply of nourishment for a king. As Alan Dundes observed, “This African/Afro-American tale type has an identity of its own.”

  What does it mean to magically enter another beast and feed surreptitiously on its innards? Why choose such an unappetizing way to acquire food? Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit indulge in an orgy of cutting, carving, slashing, and hacking away, more as if they were at war with the cow than in search of nourishment. The phrase feeding frenzy acquires a new depth of meaning here, almost as if frenzy trumps feeding. If Brer Fox is punished for his invasive actions by nearly being served up to his wife and children for a cannibalistic feast, Brer Rabbit goes free. Perhaps the initial lack of charity and generosity dooms Brer Fox. But is there an actual moral calculus in the tale, or is it instead a grotesque mélange of ritualized violence aimed at one of the perpetrators but mainly at the innocent cow, a female animal that provides a nurturing substance to humans?

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  1 breff: breath

  2 fier: fire

  3 tuck’n s’ply: went and supplied

  4 bimeby: by and by

  5 wid de one dey wuz atter: with the one they were after

  6 haslett: the edible innards of an animal, including the heart, liver, and lungs

  7 maul: stomach lining

  8 intruls: entrails

  9 sont: sent

  10 fotch bofe un um: took both of them

  11 Co’se: Because you see

  12 cornder: corner

  13 eatin’ some pizen-weed: Kwaku Tse tells Spider in the African version of this tale that his mother died by poison.

  14 Brer Rabbit married ole Miss Fox: In some African tales, the trickster hero kills the partner and then marries his surviving widow.

  15 sot: sort

  HOW SPIDER AND KWAKU TSE KILLED THE KING’S COWS AND TOOK HIS WIVES

  (Africa)

  There was a certain king who had two fine cows, and these two cows were in the same town with the king. In this town people often could not get meat to eat, but the king always had meat to eat from the two cows, for they used to void meat every morning.1

  Now, Spider and Kwaku Tse came to that town as strangers,2 and when they came the people had no meat to eat; they had nothing but plantains and dokonno;3 so Spider and Kwaku Tse asked the master of the house in which they lodged, since he had no meat to give them, to show them the house of the king.

  Then Spider and Kwaku Tse went to the king, and said to him: “We are strangers who have come to your town, and tomorrow we will go on our way. We can find no meat to eat, but on the way here, we saw two fine cows.” The king replied: “The cows belong to me, and they are not to be killed.” Spider asked, “Why can’t the cows be killed?” and the king answered, “They supply me with meat.” Then Spider and Kwaku Tse asked the king if he could not give them just a small piece of meat, and the king refused.

  Spider and Kwaku Tse departed and returned to the house in which they were lodging, and they told the owner of the house everything they had said to the king, and how the king had refused to give them even a small piece of meat. They said to the man, “The king said that his two cows supplied him with beef, and that therefore he could not kill them.” Spider said, “My name is Spider, and this man is my namesake Kwaku. Never before have I seen a cow that could supply meat and yet live. I was only passing through here and going on my way, but now I will stay here for a while to see how cows can supply the king with meat.”

  The owner of the house answered, “You won’t be able to see that, for they do it in the king’s private yard.” Spider said, “I am he who is called Kwaku Anansi, and anything in this world that I want to see or want to do and that I am not able to see or do, I have not yet found.” He said, “These two cows of the king. I will kill them, and I will take their heads. I will do that with my friend. We will each kill one, and, as for the heads of the cows, the king will cut them off and give them to us.”

  The owner of the house marveled greatly to hear these words from Spider, and he ran and called his neighbor and said to him, “Come and listen, for the strangers who have come to lodge with me are about to bring great trouble down on me.” When the neighbor arrived, the owner of the house told him, in the presence of Spider, what Spider had said, and Spider gave them a proverb, saying, “If the load on your head is heavy, and it is something to eat, while you are eating it, you are lightening it.” Then Kawku Tse said, “We have said this in your house. It is of no concern to anyone else.”

  Then Spider and Kwaku Tse told the owner of the house that they were going out to see if they could get the heads of the two cows and bring them back. And they left and went to the king’s yard, and it was night t
ime, and they found the place where the cows used to sleep. They had with them a leaf that made people sneeze when they smelled it, and they rubbed the leaf on the noses of the two cows. The cows looked at once as if they were about to sneeze. They opened their mouths wide, and Spider and Kwaku Tse made themselves very small, and each one jumped into the mouth of a cow. And the cows swallowed them up. Then they cut meat from the insides of the cows, but the cows did not die.

  The next morning the king went to his cows to get meat, and the cows voided meat for the king, but this time the meat was not as fresh as usual, because Spider and Kwaku Tse had cut it and left it inside all night. The king said, “I wonder why the meat is not as fresh as usual?” He sent for a medicine man to see if he could cure the cows, for he thought that they were sick. When the medicine man came, he said that the cows must have eaten a bad leaf, and he poured medicine down their throats. Then the medicine purged them, and they voided more meat, but it was all stinking.

  When the king and the medicine man left, and there was nobody left with the cows, Kwaku Tse came out and went into the other cow. When he got there, he found that Spider had done the same thing as he, Kwaku Tse, had done in the other cow. He said to Spider, “I do not know why we cannot make these two cows die. We have cut all the meat inside them. I am going back to my cow, and after I have gone inside, I will cut its belly right through with a knife.”

  Spider answered, “No, do not do that. When you go in, you may cut neither the belly nor the heart.” Kwaku Tse asked, “Why not?” and Spider said, “Because if we kill the cows while we are still inside, we will not be able to get out again, and what will we do then?” Kwaku Tse asked, “Why wouldn’t we be able to come out?” Then Spider said, “Your mother is dead, isn’t she?” and Kwaku Tse answered, “She died by poison.” Spider said, “When she was dead, didn’t a medicine man come and try to make her sneeze or open her mouth. And did he not fail? You must know that if the cows die while we are still inside them, we will not be able to get out. But we can hide and that is what we will do. The king will rip open their bellies to discover the cause of their death. You must chop the meat on one side into small pieces so that they will think that the cows received a blow and died of it. When the king rips open the cow, hide in the stomach, and if you see that they are about to search around there, you must run into the bowels and hide. When you go back into the cow now, after you have chopped the side as I told you, you must look for the heart and cut it down. When you have cut down the heart, the cow will die. And then be careful where you hide so that you escape the knife which they use to open the belly. But before you do this, first run to the man in whose house we are staying and tell him that we are going to the water side to wash up.