THE STRAW OX
by Unknown · from Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales
Adapted Version
Once, an old man and woman lived. They were very poor. They had little food. They had old clothes. Their life was hard.
One day, the old woman had an idea. "Make me a straw ox," she said. "Put tar all over it." He wondered. But he made the ox. He put sticky tar on it. The ox was big and dark.
She took the ox to a field. She sat down near it. She began to spin her flax. Then she fell asleep.
A big bear came out of the woods. He saw the ox. "Who are you?" he asked. He touched the tar. His paws stuck fast. He pulled and pulled. He could not get free. The ox dragged him home.
The old woman woke up. She saw the bear. "Come quick!" she called to the old man. The old man came out. He put the bear in the cellar.
The next day, a grey wolf came. He saw the ox. He bit the tar. His teeth stuck fast. He could not get free. The ox dragged him home too. He put the wolf in the cellar.
On the third day, a fox came. She bit the tar. She got stuck. Then a hare came. He touched the tar. He got stuck too. He put them both in the cellar.
The old man sat down. He began to sharpen his knife. The bear asked, "What is the knife?" The old man said, "Jacket from your fur." The bear was very scared.
"Please let me go!" said the bear. "I will bring you lots of honey." The old man said, "Very well." He let the bear go.
Then the old man sharpened his knife again. The wolf asked, "What is the knife?" The old man said, "Hat from your fur." The wolf was very scared.
"Please let me go!" said the wolf. "I will bring you many sheep." The old man said, "Very well. Bring me sheep." He let the wolf go.
Then the old man sharpened his knife again. The fox asked, "What is the knife for?" The old man said, "I will make soft trim from your fur." The fox was very scared.
"Please let me go!" said the fox. "I will bring you hens and geese." The old man said, "Very well." He let the fox go.
Then the hare asked, "What about me?" The old man said, "I will make warm gloves from your fur." The hare was very scared. "I will bring you cabbage!" said the hare. The old man let him go.
Very early the next morning, someone was at the door. It was the bear. He brought a big pot of honey. Then the wolf came. He brought many sheep. Then the fox came. She brought hens and geese. Last came the hare. He brought cabbage and good food.
The old man and the old woman were so happy. They were not poor anymore. They had food. They had animals. Their clever idea made them rich. The straw ox stood in the sun. Soon, it fell apart. Its work was done.
Original Story
THE STRAW OX
THE STRAW OX
There was once upon a time an old man and an old woman. The old man worked in the fields as a pitch-burner, while the old woman sat at home and spun flax. They were so poor that they could save nothing at all; all their earnings went in bare food, and when that was gone there was nothing left. At last the old woman had a good idea. “Look now, husband,” cried she, “make me a straw ox, and smear it all over with tar.”––“Why, you foolish woman!” said he, “what’s the good of an ox of that sort?”––“Never mind,” said she, “you just make it. I know what I am about.”––What was the poor man to do? He set to work and made the ox of straw, and smeared it all over with tar.
The night passed away, and at early dawn the old woman took her distaff, and drove the straw ox out into the steppe to graze, and she herself sat down behind a hillock, and began spinning her flax, and cried, “Graze away, little ox, while I spin my flax! Graze away, little ox, while I spin my flax!” And while she spun, her head drooped down and she began to doze, and while she was dozing, from behind the dark wood and from the back of the huge pines a bear came rushing out upon the ox and said, “Who are you? Speak and tell me!”––And the ox said, “A three-year-old heifer am I, made of straw and smeared with tar.”––“Oh!” said the bear, “stuffed with straw and trimmed with tar, are you? Then give me of your straw and tar, that I may patch up my ragged fur again!”––“Take some,” said the ox, and the bear fell upon him and began to tear away at the tar. He tore and tore, and buried his teeth in it till he found he couldn’t let go again. He tugged and he tugged, but it was no good, and the ox dragged him gradually off goodness knows where. Then the old woman awoke, and there was no ox to be seen. “Alas! old fool that I am!” cried she, “perchance it has gone home.” Then she quickly caught up her distaff and spinning-board, threw them over her shoulders, and hastened off home, and she saw that the ox had dragged the bear up to the fence, and in she went to the old man. “Dad, dad!” she cried, “look, look! the ox has brought us a bear. Come out and kill it!” Then the old man jumped up, tore off the bear, tied him up, and threw him in the cellar.
Next morning, between dark and dawn, the old woman took her distaff and drove the ox into the steppe to graze. She herself sat down by a mound, began spinning, and said, “Graze, graze away, little ox, while I spin my flax! Graze, graze away, little ox, while I spin my flax!” And while she spun, her head drooped down and she dozed. And, lo! from behind the dark wood, from the back of the huge pines, a grey wolf came rushing out upon the ox and said, “Who are you? Come, tell me!”––“I am a three-year-old heifer, stuffed with straw and trimmed with tar,” said the ox.––“Oh! trimmed with tar, are you? Then give me of your tar to tar my sides, that the dogs and the sons of dogs tear me not!”––“Take some,” said the ox. And with that the wolf fell upon him and tried to tear the tar off. He tugged and tugged, and tore with his teeth, but could get none off. Then he tried to let go, and couldn’t; tug and worry as he might, it was no good. When the old woman woke, there was no heifer in sight. “Maybe my heifer has gone home!” she cried; “I’ll go home and see.” When she got there she was astonished, for by the palings stood the ox with the wolf still tugging at it. She ran and told her old man, and her old man came and threw the wolf into the cellar also.
On the third day the old woman again drove her ox into the pastures to graze, and sat down by a mound and dozed off. Then a fox came running up. “Who are you?” it asked the ox.––“I’m a three-year-old heifer, stuffed with straw and daubed with tar.”––“Then give me some of your tar to smear my sides with, when those dogs and sons of dogs tear my hide!”––“Take some,” said the ox. Then the fox fastened her teeth in him and couldn’t draw them out again. The old woman told her old man, and he took and cast the fox into the cellar in the same way. And after that they caught Pussy Swift-foot[16] likewise.
So when he had got them all safely, the old man sat down on a bench before the cellar and began sharpening a knife. And the bear said to him, “Tell me, daddy, what are you sharpening your knife for?”––“To flay your skin off, that I may make a leather jacket for myself and a pelisse for my old wife.”––“Oh! don’t flay me, daddy dear! Rather let me go, and I’ll bring you a lot of honey.”––“Very well, see you do it,” and he unbound and let the bear go. Then he sat down on the bench and again began sharpening his knife. And the wolf asked him, “Daddy, what are you sharpening your knife for?”––“To flay off your skin, that I may make me a warm cap against the winter.”––“Oh! don’t flay me, daddy dear, and I’ll bring you a whole herd of little sheep.”––“Well, see that you do it,” and he let the wolf go. Then he sat down and began sharpening his knife again. The fox put out her little snout and asked him, “Be so kind, dear daddy, and tell me why you are sharpening your knife!”––“Little foxes,” said the old man, “have nice skins that do capitally for collars and trimmings, and I want to skin you!”––“Oh! don’t take my skin away, daddy dear, and I will bring you hens and geese.”––“Very well, see that you do it!” and he let the fox go. The hare now alone remained, and the old man began sharpening his knife on the hare’s account. “Why do you do that?” asked puss, and he replied, “Little hares have nice little soft warm skins, which will make me gloves and mittens against the winter!”––“Oh! daddy dear! don’t flay me, and I’ll bring you kale and good cauliflower, if only you let me go!” Then he let the hare go also.
Then they went to bed, but very early in the morning, when it was neither dusk nor dawn, there was a noise in the doorway like “Durrrrrr!”––“Daddy!” cried the old woman, “there’s some one scratching at the door, go and see who it is!” The old man went out, and there was the bear carrying a whole hive full of honey. The old man took the honey from the bear, but no sooner did he lie down than again there was another “Durrrrr!” at the door. The old man looked out and saw the wolf driving a whole flock of sheep into the yard. Close on his heels came the fox, driving before him geese and hens and all manner of fowls; and last of all came the hare, bringing cabbage and kale and all manner of good food. And the old man was glad, and the old woman was glad. And the old man sold the sheep and oxen and got so rich that he needed nothing more. As for the straw-stuffed ox, it stood in the sun till it fell to pieces.
Story DNA
Moral
Cleverness and resourcefulness can overcome poverty and bring unexpected fortune.
Plot Summary
A poor old couple struggles until the old woman devises a plan to build a straw ox covered in tar. She takes it to graze, and one by one, a bear, a wolf, a fox, and a hare get stuck in the tar and are dragged home by the ox. The old man puts them all in the cellar. He then sharpens his knife, threatening to skin each animal, prompting them to promise valuable goods (honey, sheep, poultry, vegetables) in exchange for their freedom. The animals deliver on their promises, making the old couple rich, and the straw ox eventually falls apart.
Themes
Emotional Arc
suffering to triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This tale reflects the struggles of rural poverty and the value placed on cleverness and resourcefulness in pre-industrial societies.
Plot Beats (14)
- An old, poor couple lives in hardship, barely surviving on their meager earnings.
- The old woman proposes making a straw ox covered in tar, which the old man reluctantly creates.
- The old woman takes the straw ox to graze in the steppe and dozes off while spinning.
- A bear approaches the ox, gets stuck in the tar, and is dragged home by the ox.
- The old man secures the bear in the cellar.
- The next day, a wolf approaches the ox, gets stuck, and is also dragged home and put in the cellar.
- On the third day, a fox and a hare approach the ox, get stuck, and are likewise captured and put in the cellar.
- The old man begins sharpening his knife, telling the bear he intends to flay it for a jacket.
- The bear offers honey in exchange for freedom, and the old man releases it.
- The old man tells the wolf he will flay it for a cap; the wolf offers sheep and is released.
- The old man tells the fox he will flay it for trimmings; the fox offers hens and geese and is released.
- The old man tells the hare he will flay it for gloves; the hare offers vegetables and is released.
- The next morning, the bear delivers honey, the wolf delivers sheep, the fox delivers poultry, and the hare delivers vegetables.
- The old couple sells the goods, becomes rich, and no longer needs the straw ox, which falls apart.
Characters
The Old Woman
A small, perhaps slightly stooped elderly woman, with the weathered hands of someone who has spent a lifetime spinning flax and working hard. Her build is likely thin from a life of poverty.
Attire: Simple, practical peasant clothing typical of Eastern European folklore, likely a homespun linen chemise, a dark wool skirt, and a plain apron, all in muted, natural colors. She carries a distaff and spinning-board.
Wants: To improve her and her husband's impoverished circumstances and secure their future.
Flaw: Can be a bit overconfident in her plans, leading her to doze off, but her plans always work out.
She begins as a poor, resourceful woman and ends as a wealthy, content woman, having successfully executed her clever plan.
Clever, resourceful, determined, practical, a bit bossy towards her husband, and ultimately kind-hearted.
The Old Man
An elderly man, likely lean and strong from a lifetime of physical labor as a pitch-burner. His hands would be calloused and rough.
Attire: Simple, practical peasant attire, such as a coarse linen shirt, rough wool trousers, and sturdy leather boots. His clothes would be patched and worn from work.
Wants: To provide for himself and his wife, and to follow his wife's lead to improve their situation.
Flaw: Lacks initiative and is easily swayed by his wife's plans, even if he initially doubts them.
He begins as a poor, compliant husband and ends as a wealthy man, having followed his wife's clever plan.
Compliant, hardworking, initially skeptical but ultimately trusting of his wife's ideas, practical, and capable of decisive action (like tying up animals).
The Straw Ox
A life-sized ox figure, meticulously crafted from straw and completely covered in a thick, sticky layer of black tar. Its form is solid and sturdy enough to withstand animals tugging at it.
Attire: Its 'skin' is its defining feature: a uniform coating of black, glistening tar.
Wants: To serve its purpose as a trap, as intended by the Old Woman.
Flaw: It is an inanimate object, unable to move or defend itself actively.
It begins as a newly made object and fulfills its purpose, eventually falling to pieces from standing in the sun after its job is done.
Passive, unreactive, silent, yet incredibly effective as a trap.
The Bear
A large, shaggy brown bear, described as having 'ragged fur,' suggesting a somewhat unkempt or wild appearance.
Attire: Its natural fur coat, which is in a 'ragged' state.
Wants: To patch up his ragged fur, likely for comfort or appearance.
Flaw: His impulsiveness and inability to let go once he's latched onto something.
Starts as a free animal, becomes trapped, and is released after promising honey, fulfilling his promise.
Curious, somewhat vain (wants to patch up his fur), impulsive, and easily trapped by his own greed.
The Wolf
A grey wolf, likely lean and powerful, with a coat that he fears dogs will tear.
Attire: Its natural grey fur coat.
Wants: To tar his sides to protect himself from dogs.
Flaw: His fear of dogs and his inability to let go once stuck.
Starts as a free animal, becomes trapped, and is released after promising sheep, fulfilling his promise.
Cautious (fears dogs), opportunistic, and easily trapped by his own desire for protection.
The Fox
A typical fox, likely reddish-brown, with a 'nice skin' as described by the old man.
Attire: Its natural fur coat.
Wants: To smear her sides with tar to protect her hide from dogs.
Flaw: Her cunning fails her when she gets stuck in the tar, and her inability to let go.
Starts as a free animal, becomes trapped, and is released after promising fowl, fulfilling her promise.
Cunning, cautious (fears dogs), opportunistic, and easily trapped by her own desire for protection.
The Hare
A small, soft-furred hare, described as 'Pussy Swift-foot,' indicating speed and agility.
Attire: Its natural soft fur coat.
Wants: To avoid being skinned for gloves and mittens.
Flaw: His fear and small size make him vulnerable.
Starts as a free animal, becomes trapped (though the method isn't explicitly stated, it's implied by the old man's actions), and is released after promising vegetables, fulfilling his promise.
Timid, quick-witted (to offer a bribe), and easily frightened.
Locations
Old Couple's Humble Home
A very poor dwelling where an old man and woman live. It has a cellar for storage and a yard with a fence.
Mood: Initially poor and simple, later becoming prosperous and joyful.
The old woman conceives the idea for the straw ox; the animals are brought here and imprisoned in the cellar; the old man sharpens his knife here; the animals return with their offerings.
The Steppe Pasture
A vast, open grassland with scattered hillocks or mounds, bordered by a dark wood of huge pines. It's where the straw ox is left to graze.
Mood: Quiet, expansive, initially peaceful but quickly becomes a place of capture and struggle.
The straw ox is left to graze; the bear, wolf, fox, and hare each encounter and get stuck to the ox here.