REYNARD and BRUIN
by Joseph Jacobs · from Europa's Fairy Book
Adapted Version
Reynard the Fox was very clever. Bruin the Bear was very big. They were friends. Reynard played tricks.
Reynard the Fox saw Bruin the Bear's honey. He wanted it. Reynard said, "I go to a party." He ate honey. Bruin asked, "Baby's name?" Reynard said, "Just-begun." He ate more honey. He said, "Half-eaten." He ate all honey. He said, "All-gone."
Bruin the Bear wanted honey. He saw no honey. Bruin said, "My honey is gone!" Reynard the Fox said, "You ate it." Bruin slept. Reynard put honey on his nose. Reynard woke him. Honey is on you! Bruin thought he ate it.
Reynard the Fox saw a fish cart. He played dead. The Farmer put Reynard in the cart. Reynard threw fish out. He jumped out. He ate fish. Bruin the Bear came. Bruin asked, "Give me fish?" Reynard said, "I fished for them." Bruin asked, "How did you fish?" Reynard said, "Put your tail in the water." "The water is cold," Bruin said. "Wait for fish," Reynard said. Bruin put his tail in the water. It was very cold. Bruin waited and waited. His tail got stuck. Bruin pulled and pulled. His tail came out. It was very short. It was very sore.
Reynard went to the farmer's house. He wanted more food. He saw a cream jug. He tried to take it. The farmer's wife saw him. She threw the jug. It hit Reynard's tail. His tail tip turned white.
Reynard saw Bruin. Reynard limped. "Oh, my leg hurts," Reynard said. Bruin asked, "What happened?" "I fell," Reynard said. "Can you carry me?" Reynard asked. Bruin was kind. Bruin carried Reynard. Reynard laughed. "The big bear helps the little fox," he said.
Bruin heard Reynard. Bruin was angry. "You tricked me!" Bruin said. Bruin put Reynard down. Bruin chased Reynard. Reynard ran into a bush. "Bite my leg!" Reynard said. Bruin bit the bush. He bit a briar root. "Ouch!" Bruin said. Reynard ran away.
A farmer worked in his field. His oxen were slow. "Oh, these oxen!" the farmer said. "I will give them to a bear!" Bruin heard the farmer. Bruin came to the farmer. "Give me the oxen!" Bruin said. The farmer was scared.
Reynard came to the farmer. "I can help," Reynard said. "Give me two geese." The farmer said, "Yes!" Reynard told Bruin, "Run! Dogs are coming!" "Hide in the cart!" Reynard said. Bruin was scared. Bruin jumped into the cart.
The farmer closed the cart. "Go away, bear!" the farmer said. The farmer drove far away. He drove to a new forest. He let Bruin out there. Bruin was lost. Bruin could not find his way home.
The farmer went home. "Where are my geese?" Reynard asked. The farmer's wife came out. She had a bag. "Here are your geese," she said. Two dogs jumped out! They were big hounds. They chased Reynard. Reynard ran fast. He ran to his den.
Reynard was safe inside. "Who helped me run?" Reynard asked. "My legs ran fast." "My eyes saw the way." "My tail just dragged." "You did not help!" Reynard said to his tail.
Reynard put his tail out. "You are bad," Reynard said. The hounds saw the tail. They grabbed the tail. They pulled very hard. Reynard pulled too. His tail came off! Reynard cried. He ran away. He had no tail. Reynard was very sad. He learned that being tricky can make you lose things. It is not good to trick your friends.
Original Story
REYNARD AND BRUIN
You must know that once upon a time Reynard the Fox and Bruin the Bear went into partnership and kept house together. Would you like to know the reason? Well, Reynard knew that Bruin had a beehive full of honeycomb, and that was what he wanted; but Bruin kept so close a guard upon his honey that Master Reynard didn't know how to get away from him and get hold of the honey. So one day he said to Bruin, "Pardner, I have to go and be gossip—that means god-father, you know—to one of my old friends." "Why, certainly," said Bruin. So off Reynard goes into the woods, and after a time he crept back and uncovered the beehive and had such a feast of honey. Then he went back to Bruin, who asked him what name had been given to the child. Reynard had forgotten all about the christening and could only say, "Just-begun." "What a funny name," said Master Bruin.
A little while after Reynard thought he would like another feast of honey. So he told Bruin that he had to go to another christening; and off he went. And when he came back and Bruin asked him what was the name given to the child Reynard said, "Half-eaten." The third time the same thing occurred, and this time the name given by Reynard to the child that didn't exist was "All-gone,"—you can guess why.
A short time afterwards Master Bruin thought he would like to eat up some of his honey and asked Reynard to come and join him in the feast. When they got to the beehive Bruin was so surprised to find that there was no honey left; and he turned round to Reynard and said, "Just-begun, Half-eaten, All-gone—so that is what you meant; you have eaten my honey." "Why no," said Reynard, "how could that be? I have never stirred from your side except when I went a-gossiping, and then I was far away from here. You must have eaten the honey yourself, perhaps when you were asleep; at any rate we can easily tell; let us lie down here in the sunshine, and if either of us has eaten the honey, the sun will soon sweat it out of us." No sooner said than done, and the two lay side by side in the sunshine. Soon Master Bruin commenced to doze, and Mr. Reynard took some honey from the hive and smeared it round Bruin's snout; then he woke him up and said, "See, the honey is oozing out of your snout; you must have eaten it when you were asleep."
Some time after this Reynard saw a man driving a cart full of fish, which made his mouth water. So he ran and he ran and he ran till he got far away in front of the cart and lay down in the road as still as if he were dead. When the man came up to him and saw him lying there dead, as he thought, he said to himself, "Why, that will make a beautiful red fox scarf and muff for my wife Ann." And he got down and seized hold of Reynard and threw him into the cart all along with the fish, and then he went driving on as before. Reynard began to throw the fish out till there were none left, and then he jumped out himself without the man noticing it, who drove up to his door and called out, "Ann, Ann, see what I have brought you." And when his wife came to the door she looked into the cart and said, "Why, there is nothing there."
Reynard in the meantime had brought all his fish together and began eating some when up comes Bruin and asked for a share. "No, no," said Reynard, "we only share food when we have shared work. I fished for these, you go and fish for others."
"Why, how could you fish for these? the water is all frozen over," said Bruin.
"I'll soon show you," said Reynard, and brought him down to the bank of the river, and pointed to a hole in the ice and said, "I put my tail in that, and the fish were so hungry I couldn't draw them up quick enough. Why do you not do the same?"
So Bruin put his tail down and waited and waited but no fish came. "Have patience, man," said Reynard; "as soon as one fish comes the rest will follow."
"Ah, I feel a bite," said Bruin, as the water commenced to freeze round his tail and caught it in the ice.
"Better wait till two or three have been caught and then you can catch three at a time. I'll go back and finish my lunch."
And with that Master Reynard trotted up to the man's wife and said to her, "Ma'am, there's a big black bear caught by the tail in the ice; you can do what you like with him." So the woman called her husband and they took big sticks and went down to the river and commenced whacking Bruin who, by this time, was fast in the ice. He pulled and he pulled and he pulled, till at last he got away leaving three quarters of his tail in the ice, and that is why bears have such short tails up to the present day.
Meanwhile Master Reynard was having a great time in the man's house, golloping everything he could find till the man and his wife came back and found him with his nose in the cream jug. As soon as he heard them come in he tried to get away, but not before the man had seized hold of the cream jug and thrown it at him, just catching him on the tail, and that is the reason why the tips of foxes' tails are cream white to this very day.
Well, Reynard crept home and found Bruin in such a state, who commenced to grumble and complain that it was all Reynard's fault that he had lost his tail. So Reynard pointed to his own tail and said, "Why, that's nothing; see my tail; they hit me so hard upon the head my brains fell out upon my tail. Oh, how bad I feel; won't you carry me to my little bed." So Bruin, who was a good-hearted soul, took him upon his back and rolled with him towards the house. And as he went on Reynard kept saying, "The sick carries the sound, the sick carries the sound."
"What's that you are saying?" asked Bruin.
"Oh, I have no brains left, I do not know what I am saying," said Reynard but kept on singing, "The sick carries the sound, ha, ha, the sick carries the sound."
Then Bruin knew that he had been done and threw Reynard down upon the ground, and would have eaten him up but that the fox slunk away and rushed into a briar bush. Bruin followed him closely into the briar bush and caught Reynard's hind leg in his mouth. Then Reynard called out, "That's right, you fool, bite the briar root, bite the briar root."
Bruin thinking that he was biting the briar root, let go Reynard's foot and snapped at the nearest briar root. "That's right, now you've got me,
don't hurt me too much,"
called out Reynard, and slunk away.
"Don't hurt me too much,
don't hurt me too much."
When Bruin heard Reynard's voice dying away in the distance he knew that he had been done again, and that was the end of their partnership.
Some time after this a man was plowing in the field with his two oxen, who were very lazy that day. So the man called out at them, "Get a move on or I'll give you to the Bear"; and when they didn't quicken their pace he tried to frighten them by calling out, "Bear, Bear, come and take these lazy oxen." Sure enough, Bruin heard him and came out of the woods and said, "Here I am, give me the oxen, or else it'll be worse for you." The man was in despair but said, "Yes, yes, of course they are yours, but please let me finish my morning's plowing so I may finish this acre." Bruin could not say "No" to that, and sat down licking his chops and waiting for the oxen. The man went on plowing, thinking what he should do, when just at the corner of the field Reynard came up to him and said, "If you will give me two geese, I'll help you out of this fix and deliver the Bear into your hands." The man agreed and he told him what to do and went away into the woods. Soon after, the Bear and the man heard a noise like "Bow-wow, Bow-wow"; and the Bear came to the man and said, "What's that?" "Oh, that must be the lord's hounds out hunting for bears." "Hide me, hide me," said Bruin, "and I will let you off the oxen." Then Reynard called out from the wood, "What's that black thing you've got there?" And the Bear said, "Say it's the stump of a tree." So when the man had called this out to the Fox, Reynard called out, "Put it in the cart; fix it with the chain; cut off the boughs, and drive your axe into the stump." Then the Bear said to the man, "Pretend to do what he bids you; heave me into the cart; bind me with the chain; pretend to cut off the boughs, and drive the axe into the stump." So the man lifted Bruin into the cart, bound him with the chain, then cut off his limbs and buried the axe in his head.
Then Reynard came forward and asked for his reward, and the man went back to his house to get the pair of geese that he had promised.
"Wife, wife," he called out, as he neared the house, "get me a pair of geese, which I have promised the Fox for ridding me of the Bear."
"I can do better than that," said his wife Ann, and brought him out a bag with two struggling animals in it.
"Give these to Master Reynard," said she; "they will be geese enough for him." So the man took the bag and went down to the field and gave the bag to Reynard; but when he opened it out sprang two hounds, and he had great trouble in running away from them to his den.
When he got to his den the Fox asked each of his limbs, how they had helped him in his flight. His nose said, "I smelt the hounds"; his eyes said, "We looked for the shortest way"; his ears said, "We listened for the breathing of the hounds"; and his legs said, "We ran away with you." Then he asked his tail what it had done, and it said, "Why, I got caught in the bushes or made your leg stumble; that is all I could do." So, as a punishment, the Fox stuck his tail out of his den, and the hounds saw it and caught hold of it, and dragged the Fox out of his den by it and ate him all up. So that was the end of Master Reynard, and well he deserved it. Don't you think so?
Story DNA
Moral
Even the cleverest trickster can be outsmarted or meet a deserved end.
Plot Summary
Reynard the Fox repeatedly tricks his partner, Bruin the Bear, stealing his honey and later causing him to lose his tail in a frozen river. Reynard continues his deceit, even convincing Bruin to carry him home while mocking him, and eventually orchestrates Bruin's death at the hands of a farmer. However, Reynard's luck runs out when the farmer's wife sends hounds after him instead of geese. After escaping to his den, Reynard punishes his tail for hindering him, leading to his capture and ultimate demise by the hounds, finally receiving a deserved end for his endless trickery.
Themes
Emotional Arc
amusement to comeuppance
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This is a variant of the Reynard the Fox cycle, a collection of medieval European beast fables, often satirizing human society through animal characters. Joseph Jacobs collected and retold many English folk tales.
Plot Beats (13)
- Reynard partners with Bruin to steal his honey, feigning christenings and naming the non-existent children 'Just-begun,' 'Half-eaten,' and 'All-gone.'
- Bruin discovers his honey is gone, and Reynard smears honey on Bruin's snout while he sleeps, convincing him he ate it himself.
- Reynard feigns death to steal fish from a cart, then shares none with Bruin, claiming he 'fished' for them.
- Reynard tricks Bruin into putting his tail in a frozen river to 'fish,' causing it to freeze and be torn off when villagers beat him.
- Reynard raids the fish cart owner's house but is hit by a cream jug, explaining the white tip of a fox's tail.
- Reynard feigns injury, convincing the good-hearted Bruin to carry him home, mocking him with 'The sick carries the sound.'
- Bruin realizes he's been tricked again, chases Reynard into a briar bush, but Reynard tricks him into biting a briar root instead of his leg.
- A farmer, frustrated with his oxen, jokingly threatens to give them to a bear, which Bruin overhears and demands the oxen.
- Reynard offers to help the farmer for two geese, then tricks Bruin into believing hounds are hunting him, convincing him to hide in the cart.
- Reynard instructs the farmer to 'cut off the boughs' and 'drive the axe into the stump,' leading the farmer to kill Bruin.
- The farmer's wife, instead of geese, gives him a bag with two hounds for Reynard, who barely escapes to his den.
- Reynard interrogates his body parts about their help in his escape; his tail admits to hindering him.
- As punishment, Reynard sticks his tail out of the den, the hounds grab it, drag him out, and eat him, ending his reign of trickery.
Characters
Reynard the Fox ★ protagonist
A lean, agile fox, typical size for his species, with a sleek, reddish-brown coat. His build is slender, allowing for quick movements and stealth. He has a distinctive cream-white tip on his tail, a result of being hit by a cream jug.
Attire: None, as he is an animal. His fur is his natural covering.
Wants: To satisfy his desires for food (honey, fish, geese) and to outwit others, particularly Bruin, for amusement and personal advantage.
Flaw: Overconfidence and a tendency to gloat, which eventually leads to his downfall. His deceitful nature also makes him untrustworthy.
He begins as a successful trickster, consistently outsmarting Bruin and others. His arc culminates in his ultimate demise due to his own hubris and the betrayal of his tail, suggesting that even the most cunning can be undone by their own nature or a seemingly insignificant part of themselves.
Cunning, deceitful, self-serving, quick-witted, and manipulative. He consistently outsmarts others for his own gain.
Image Prompt & Upload
A lean, agile fox standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. He has sleek, reddish-brown fur, a pointed snout, bright amber eyes, and sharp, erect ears. His tail has a distinctive cream-white tip. He stands with a sly, confident posture, a hint of a smirk on his face. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Bruin the Bear ⚔ antagonist
A large, powerful black bear, stocky and robust. He is notably missing three-quarters of his tail, leaving it unusually short. His fur is thick and dark.
Attire: None, as he is an animal. His fur is his natural covering.
Wants: To protect his honey, to get food (fish), and later, to seek revenge on Reynard for his repeated deceptions and injuries.
Flaw: His gullibility and lack of cunning make him an easy target for Reynard's tricks. He is also easily distracted by promises of food.
Starts as a trusting partner, becomes a victim of Reynard's tricks, suffers physical harm (loss of tail), and ultimately becomes Reynard's vengeful pursuer, though he is still outsmarted in the end.
Gullible, good-hearted (initially), easily angered, somewhat slow-witted, and prone to trusting others. He is also persistent when seeking revenge.
Image Prompt & Upload
A large, stocky black bear standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. He has thick, shaggy black fur, a broad snout, and small, dark eyes. His tail is unusually short and stubby. He stands with a somewhat bewildered or slightly grumpy expression. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Man (Plowman) ◆ supporting
A sturdy, working-class man, likely with a weathered complexion from working outdoors. His build would be strong and practical, suited for plowing fields.
Attire: Simple, durable peasant clothing appropriate for manual labor in a field. Likely a coarse linen tunic or shirt, sturdy trousers, and practical boots. Colors would be earthy and muted.
Wants: To protect his oxen and himself from Bruin, and to get rid of the bear. Later, to punish Reynard for his deception.
Flaw: Easily frightened by threats, which makes him susceptible to Reynard's manipulation.
Starts as a desperate man facing a threat, becomes an accomplice in Reynard's scheme, and ends by turning Reynard's own tricks against him, showing a learned cunning.
Practical, resourceful (when desperate), fearful (of Bruin), and ultimately vengeful (towards Reynard for the hounds trick).
Image Prompt & Upload
A sturdy adult man standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. He has a weathered, tanned complexion, short brown hair, and practical, determined eyes. He wears a coarse, earth-toned linen tunic, sturdy brown trousers, and practical leather boots. He holds a wooden plow handle in his hands. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Ann (The Man's Wife) ○ minor
A practical, capable woman, likely of a sturdy build, accustomed to household and farm duties. Her appearance would be unpretentious.
Attire: Simple, functional peasant dress, likely made of linen or wool in muted colors, possibly with an apron. Her clothing would be durable and modest.
Wants: To protect her home and family, and to punish those who cause trouble, like Reynard.
Flaw: None explicitly shown, but her directness might be seen as a lack of subtlety by some.
A static character who demonstrates her cleverness by outsmarting Reynard, providing the means for his ultimate downfall.
Resourceful, quick-thinking, and decisive. She is not easily fooled and is capable of devising her own plans.
Image Prompt & Upload
A practical adult woman standing upright, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. She has a plain, honest face, with her brown hair neatly tied back in a bun. She wears a simple, long-sleeved linen dress in a muted blue, with a sturdy cream-colored apron tied over it. Her expression is determined and capable. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
Reynard and Bruin's Shared Dwelling
A simple, rustic dwelling shared by Reynard and Bruin, likely a den or a small, basic cabin in the woods, serving as their home base.
Mood: Initially cooperative, later tense and deceitful
Reynard repeatedly deceives Bruin about christenings to steal honey; Bruin discovers the theft here.
Image Prompt & Upload
A cozy, rustic forest den interior, with rough-hewn timber walls and a packed earth floor. A small, simple bed made of straw and leaves is in one corner. A wooden beehive, slightly ajar, sits on a low stump in another. Soft, dappled sunlight filters through a small opening, illuminating dust motes in the still air. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Frozen River Bank
The edge of a river, completely frozen over with a thick layer of ice, save for a single hole where the water is exposed. The banks are likely covered in snow or frost-covered vegetation.
Mood: Deceptive, cold, painful for Bruin
Reynard tricks Bruin into 'fishing' by freezing his tail in the ice, leading to Bruin's injury.
Image Prompt & Upload
A wide, frozen river stretches into the distance, its surface a smooth, reflective sheet of ice. A single, dark circular hole is visible near the snow-covered bank, where sparse, gnarled willow branches, dusted with frost, lean over the water. The sky is a pale, wintry grey, casting a soft, diffuse light over the desolate landscape. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Farmer's Cart on a Country Road
A simple wooden cart, likely pulled by a horse or donkey, laden with freshly caught fish. It travels along a rural, unpaved road, possibly through a wooded area or open fields.
Mood: Opportunistic, bustling, later empty and surprising
Reynard feigns death to be thrown into the cart, then steals all the fish.
Image Prompt & Upload
A rough, unpaved dirt road winds through a gently rolling landscape, flanked by tall, wild grasses and occasional clusters of deciduous trees. A sturdy, two-wheeled wooden cart, piled high with glistening silver fish, rumbles along the path, pulled by an unseen animal. The sun is high, casting short shadows and highlighting the dusty texture of the road. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Farmer's House and Yard
A modest, rural farmhouse with a yard, likely including a kitchen or pantry where food is kept. The house is where the farmer and his wife Ann reside.
Mood: Domestic, initially unsuspecting, later chaotic
Reynard raids the house for food, is caught with his nose in the cream jug, and is hit by it.
Image Prompt & Upload
A quaint, half-timbered Fachwerk farmhouse with a thatched roof, nestled amidst a small, well-tended garden. A sturdy wooden door stands slightly ajar, revealing a glimpse of a warm, rustic interior. A large ceramic cream jug sits on a wooden table just inside the doorway. The yard is a mix of packed earth and sparse grass, with a few blooming wildflowers. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Plowing Field and Adjacent Woods
A large agricultural field being plowed by a farmer with two oxen, bordered by a dense, dark forest. The field is open and exposed, while the woods offer concealment.
Mood: Tense, strategic, dangerous
Reynard tricks Bruin into being captured and killed by the farmer, using the threat of hounds.
Image Prompt & Upload
A vast, freshly plowed field stretches under a clear morning sky, the dark, rich earth turned in neat furrows. At the far edge, a dense, ancient forest rises, its canopy a deep, impenetrable green. A farmer guides two sturdy oxen pulling a wooden plow across the field, their breath misting in the cool air. Sunlight streams from the left, casting long shadows across the furrows. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
