THE LITTLE OLD WOMAN and HER PIG
by Katharine Pyle · from Mother's Nursery Tales
Adapted Version
A kind Old Woman found a shiny shilling. She wanted a little Pig. She went to the market. She carried a pail for blackberries. She bought a round, pink Pig. It had one black ear. She put her berries in the pail. The Old Woman and Pig walked home.
Soon they came to a stile. The Pig would not go over. "Go, Piggy, go!" said the Old Woman. The Pig did not move. It stood very still. The Old Woman felt sad.
She saw a Dog. "Dog, bark at Pig!" she called. "Pig won't go." Dog did not bark.
The Old Woman saw a Stick. "Stick, tap Dog!" she said. "Dog won't bark." Stick did not move. It lay on the ground. She saw a Fire. "Fire, warm Stick!" she said. "Stick won't tap Dog." Fire did not warm. The Old Woman felt very sad. She saw a friendly Cat.
"Cat, chase Dog!" said the Old Woman. "Dog won't bark." Cat looked at her. "Meow," said the Cat. "I will chase the Dog. But first, bring me milk. Get milk from the Cow."
The Old Woman went to the Cow. "Please, Cow, give me milk," she asked. "Milk for the Cat. Cat will chase the Dog. Dog will bark." Cow said, "Moo. Bring me hay. Get hay from the Haymakers."
The Old Woman went to the Haymakers. "Please, Haymakers, give me hay," she asked. "Hay for the Cow. Cow will give milk." The Haymakers were hot. "Bring us water," they said. "Water from the stream."
The Old Woman poured out her berries. She ran to the stream. She brought cool water. The Haymakers drank the water. They gave the Old Woman hay. She put her berries back.
She took the hay to the Cow. The Cow ate the hay. The Cow gave her milk.
The Old Woman took milk to the Cat. The Cat drank the milk. The Cat felt happy. It ran to the Dog. The Cat chased the Dog.
The Dog barked at the Pig. The Pig gave a loud "Oink!" The Pig ran over the stile. It ran very fast.
The Old Woman and Pig went home. They got home very quickly. They shared sweet blackberries. A little help from friends makes everything better.
Original Story
THE LITTLE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG
One time a little old woman was sweeping her room, and she found in the corner a bright silver shilling. “There!” said the old woman, “Now I can buy that little pig I have been wanting for such a long time.”
She finished her sweeping in a hurry and put on her bonnet and her shawl and started off to market to buy her pig, and she carried a tin pail with her so she could gather blackberries along the way.
The bushes were fairly loaded down with berries, so it did not take her long to fill her pail, and after that she got to market in no time.
At first she could not find just the pig she wanted. Some were too little and some were too big; some were too fat and some were too thin. But at last she found just exactly the right pig; it was round and pink and it had one black ear, and the curliest tail there was in the market. She paid just exactly a shilling for it, and then she tied a rope around its hind leg and started home with it, driving it before her, and carrying the pail of blackberries on her arm.
At first all went well. The little pig trotted quietly along, and the sun shone, and the birds sang, and the little white clouds floated across the sky. But presently they came to a stile, and the pig did not want to go over it. Now, there was no way to go round, and no way to get home except over this stile.
“Go on, piggy,” said the old woman, shaking the rope. But piggy wouldn’t go on. The old woman tried to drive him, and he wouldn’t go, and then she tried to lead him, and then she coaxed him and talked to him, but he just wouldn’t go over the stile.
At last the old woman quite lost patience with him. She saw a dog trotting along the road, and she called to him. “Here! here, good dog; come and bite piggy, for I can’t make pig go over the stile, and at this rate I won’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”
The dog stopped and looked at her and looked at the pig, but he would not bite it.
Close by a stick lay in the road, and the woman called to it (and she was quite cross by this time). “Stick, stick, beat dog; dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t go over the stile, and at this rate I shan’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”
THE PIG WOULD NOT GO OVER THE STILE
But the stick wouldn’t. It lay there quietly in the road just as though she hadn’t spoken to it.
Over in the field a fire was burning, and the old woman called to it, “Fire, fire, burn stick; stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t go over the stile, and at this rate I won’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”
But the fire wouldn’t.
Then the old woman called to a brook near by, “Water, water, quench fire; fire won’t burn stick, stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t go over the stile, and I shan’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”
But the brook wouldn’t.
She saw an ox over in the field. “Ox, ox,” she cried, “drink water; water won’t quench fire, fire won’t burn stick, stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t go over the stile, and I shan’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”
But the ox wouldn’t.
She saw a butcher riding along the road, and she called to him “Butcher, butcher, kill ox; ox won’t drink water, water won’t quench fire, fire won’t burn stick, stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t go over the stile, and I won’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”
But the butcher wouldn’t.
There was a piece of rope twisted about the fence. “Rope, rope,” she cried, “hang butcher; butcher won’t kill ox, ox won’t drink water, water won’t quench fire, fire won’t burn stick, stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t go over the stile, and I shan’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”
But the rope wouldn’t.
Then she called to a rat that lived in a hole under the stile, “Rat, rat, gnaw rope; rope won’t hang butcher, butcher won’t kill ox, ox won’t drink water, water won’t quench fire, fire won’t burn stick, stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t go over the stile, and I shan’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”
But the rat wouldn’t.
A cat was sitting on a gate-post. “Puss, puss, catch rat,” called the old woman. “Rat won’t gnaw rope, rope won’t hang butcher, butcher won’t kill ox, ox won’t drink water, water won’t quench fire, fire won’t burn stick, stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, and I shan’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”
“No,” answered puss, “I am very comfortable sitting here. Why should I disturb myself just to please you. But if you will get the red cow to give you a saucerful of milk for me then I will catch the rat.”
So the little old woman tied the pig to the stile, and then she climbed over the fence into the field where the red cow was standing.
“Please, good cow, give me a saucerful of milk for puss,” she said, “so that puss will catch the rat that won’t gnaw the rope that won’t hang the butcher who won’t kill the ox that won’t drink the water that won’t quench the fire that won’t burn the stick that won’t beat the dog that won’t bite the pig that won’t go over the stile so that I can get home before midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”
Said the cow, “If you will go over yonder to where the haymakers are working and fetch me a wisp of hay to eat, then I will give you the milk.”
So the little old woman went over to the haymakers and said, “Please, good kind haymakers, give me a wisp of hay to give to the cow so that she may give me some milk to give to the cat.”
The haymakers were very hot and thirsty and they said, “Very well; if you will go down to the stream and fetch us a pailful of water we will give you the hay.”
So the little old woman emptied out her blackberries on the ground very carefully and then she hurried down to the stream and brought back to the haymakers a pailful of fresh cool water.
The haymakers drank deep of it and then they gave the little old woman all the hay she wanted. She put the blackberries back in the pail and hurried back to the cow with the hay.
The cow gladly gave her a saucerful of milk in return for the hay.
The old woman took the milk to the cat, and while puss was drinking it the old woman untied the rope that fastened the pig to the stile.
Puss finished the milk and licked up the last drop of it, and then she bounded down beside the stile and began to catch the rat.
The rat squeaked with terror and began to gnaw the rope.
The rope began to hang the butcher, the butcher began to kill the ox, the ox began to drink the water, the water began to quench the fire, the fire began to burn the stick, the stick began to beat the dog, the dog began to bite the pig, and the pig squealed at the top of its lungs and scrambled over the stile and ran for home so fast that the little old woman could hardly keep up with it.
They got home in less than no time; it wasn’t even midday, and the little old woman had her blackberries for dinner, and what was left over she gave to the pig.
Story DNA
Moral
Sometimes, a small act of kindness or a simple exchange can set off a chain reaction that solves a seemingly impossible problem.
Plot Summary
A little old woman buys a pig and is returning home with it and a pail of blackberries when the pig refuses to cross a stile. Frustrated, she tries to enlist the help of various animals and inanimate objects in a cumulative chain, but each refuses to act without a prior condition being met. Eventually, she finds a cat willing to help the rat, but only for milk, which leads her to a cow for hay, and then to haymakers for water. After fetching water for the haymakers, she sets off a chain reaction where each entity performs its task, culminating in the dog biting the pig, and the pig finally scrambling over the stile, allowing the old woman to get home.
Themes
Emotional Arc
frustration to relief and triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This is a classic cumulative folk tale, common across many cultures, often used for teaching sequencing and memory to children.
Plot Beats (13)
- An old woman finds a shilling, buys a pig, and gathers blackberries on her way home.
- The pig refuses to cross a stile, frustrating the old woman.
- The old woman asks a dog to bite the pig, but the dog refuses.
- She then asks a stick to beat the dog, fire to burn the stick, water to quench the fire, an ox to drink the water, a butcher to kill the ox, a rope to hang the butcher, and a rat to gnaw the rope, but all refuse.
- She asks a cat to catch the rat, and the cat agrees, but only if she gets it milk from a red cow.
- The old woman asks the red cow for milk, and the cow agrees, but only if she gets it hay from the haymakers.
- The old woman asks the haymakers for hay, and they agree, but only if she gets them water from the stream.
- The old woman empties her blackberries, fetches water for the haymakers, who then give her hay.
- She takes the hay to the cow, who gives her milk.
- She takes the milk to the cat, who drinks it and then catches the rat.
- The rat gnaws the rope, which hangs the butcher, who kills the ox, which drinks the water, which quenches the fire, which burns the stick, which beats the dog, which bites the pig.
- The pig, scared, finally scrambles over the stile.
- The old woman and the pig arrive home quickly, and she shares her blackberries with the pig.
Characters
The Little Old Woman ★ protagonist
Short and slightly stooped with the typical build of an elderly woman who has lived a life of simple labor. Her movements are generally brisk but show her age when she hurries.
Attire: A practical, dark-colored wool shawl draped over her shoulders, a simple, long-sleeved linen dress in a muted color like grey or brown, and a sturdy, plain fabric bonnet tied under her chin. She wears comfortable, low-heeled leather shoes.
Wants: To get her new pig and her pail of blackberries home before midnight.
Flaw: Her patience wears thin quickly when faced with stubbornness, leading to a chain of demands rather than direct problem-solving.
She starts out focused on her immediate desire (the pig) and becomes increasingly desperate to get home. She learns the value of cooperation and indirect persuasion, ultimately achieving her goal through a complex chain of favors.
Determined, persistent, easily frustrated, resourceful, kind (especially towards the end with the pig).
Image Prompt & Upload
An elderly woman, short and slightly stooped, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. She has a wrinkled face with a determined expression, and her grey hair is pulled back under a simple, dark fabric bonnet tied under her chin. She wears a long-sleeved, muted brown linen dress and a dark grey wool shawl draped over her shoulders. Her feet are in sturdy, low-heeled brown leather shoes. She holds a tin pail filled with dark blackberries in one hand and a thin rope in the other. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Pig ◆ supporting
A small, plump, and healthy pig, round and pink with smooth, clean skin. Its body is compact and sturdy.
Attire: None, as it is an animal.
Wants: To resist being driven over the stile, possibly out of fear or simple piggish obstinacy.
Flaw: Its stubbornness, which causes the entire chain of events. Its fear of the dog is its ultimate vulnerability.
Starts as a docile purchase, becomes the central obstacle, and ends as a terrified but compliant animal, running home quickly.
Stubborn, independent, easily frightened (eventually).
Image Prompt & Upload
A small, round, pink pig standing, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe. It has a smooth, clean body, a typical pig snout, small dark eyes, and one distinct black ear. Its tail is very curly. A thin rope is tied around one of its hind legs. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Cat ◆ supporting
A well-fed, comfortable cat, likely with sleek fur, sitting calmly.
Attire: None, as it is an animal.
Wants: To remain comfortable unless a desirable reward (milk) is offered.
Flaw: Its comfort-seeking nature and desire for immediate gratification (milk).
Starts as an indifferent observer, becomes the crucial turning point in the chain of events by demanding a favor, and then acts decisively once its condition is met.
Lazy, self-interested, opportunistic, effective when motivated.
Image Prompt & Upload
A sleek domestic cat, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe, sitting calmly on a wooden gate-post. It has a relaxed posture, with its tail curled around its body. Its fur is a common tabby pattern with shades of brown and grey. It has bright green eyes and a slightly aloof expression. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Red Cow ◆ supporting
A large, healthy cow with distinctive reddish-brown fur, typical of a dairy breed. Its udder would be full, indicating it can give milk.
Attire: None, as it is an animal.
Wants: To receive hay for food in exchange for milk.
Flaw: Its need for sustenance (hay) makes it amenable to negotiation.
Acts as a link in the chain, providing milk once its own need for hay is met.
Calm, practical, requires fair exchange for its services.
Image Prompt & Upload
A large, healthy dairy cow, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe, standing placidly in a field. It has a reddish-brown coat, a broad, gentle face with large, dark eyes, and small, curved horns. Its udder is full. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Haymakers ◆ supporting
Two or three sturdy, sun-browned men, muscular from physical labor, likely sweating from their work.
Attire: Simple, practical peasant clothing suitable for manual labor in a field: loose-fitting linen shirts (possibly unbuttoned at the collar), sturdy breeches or trousers, and worn leather boots. Perhaps wide-brimmed straw hats to protect from the sun.
Wants: To quench their thirst while working.
Flaw: Their intense thirst makes them willing to trade hay for water.
They provide hay once their thirst is satisfied, continuing the chain of favors.
Hard-working, practical, thirsty, appreciative of help.
Image Prompt & Upload
Two sturdy, sun-browned adult men, facing forward, full body visible from head to toe, standing in a field of cut hay. They have weathered faces with tired expressions and short, practical brown hair. They wear loose-fitting, cream linen shirts with sleeves rolled up, sturdy brown breeches, and worn leather boots. One holds a long wooden rake, the other a scythe. Both wear wide-brimmed straw hats. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
Little Old Woman's Cottage Room
A simple, well-kept room in a traditional English cottage, likely with a stone hearth and small windows. The floor would be swept clean, revealing a corner where a shilling was found.
Mood: cozy, domestic, industrious, hopeful
The old woman finds a shilling, sparking her desire to buy a pig.
Image Prompt & Upload
A sunlit, humble English cottage interior. A worn wooden floor is visible, with a simple hearth in the background. Dust motes dance in the light streaming through a small, leaded-pane window. A broom leans against a whitewashed wall, and a single silver shilling glints on the floor in a shadowed corner. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Road to Market with Blackberry Bushes
A country lane or dirt track, likely winding through fields or along hedgerows, lined with abundant blackberry bushes. The sun is shining, and birds are singing.
Mood: pleasant, bountiful, peaceful
The old woman gathers blackberries on her way to the market, setting a cheerful tone before the conflict.
Image Prompt & Upload
A narrow, well-trodden dirt path winds gently through a vibrant English countryside. On either side, dense hedgerows are laden with dark, ripe blackberries, their thorny branches arching over the path. The morning sun casts long, soft shadows, and the sky is a clear, pale blue with a few wispy white clouds. Wildflowers dot the grassy verges. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Market
A bustling, open-air market in a rural English town, filled with various animals and goods. The pig pens would be a central feature.
Mood: lively, busy, bustling
The old woman finds and purchases her desired pig.
Image Prompt & Upload
A vibrant, bustling open-air market square in a small English village. Wooden stalls are set up, and a section is dedicated to livestock, with various pigs in simple pens made of rough-hewn timber. Sunlight illuminates the scene, highlighting the straw on the ground and the textures of the animals. Villagers mill about, and a specific round, pink pig with one black ear stands out amongst the others. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Stile on the Country Road
A wooden stile, a common feature in English countryside, allowing passage over a fence or wall. It's located on a country road, with fields on one side and the road continuing on the other. A brook, a burning fire, and an ox in a field are nearby. A fence with twisted rope and a rat hole under the stile are also present.
Mood: frustrating, stubborn, eventually resolved
The pig refuses to cross the stile, initiating the chain of requests and the central conflict of the story.
Image Prompt & Upload
A weathered wooden stile stands prominently on a sun-drenched, narrow country lane in rural England. Beyond the stile, a lush green field stretches out, where a red cow grazes peacefully and haymakers work in the distance. A small, controlled fire smolders in a corner of the field, and a clear brook meanders nearby. A sturdy wooden fence, with a piece of twisted rope, runs alongside the road, and a small rat hole is visible at the base of the stile. A cat sits alertly on a gate-post to the side. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
