The Fox Turned Shepherd
by Unknown · from Tales of Laughter: A third fairy book
Adapted Version
Once upon a time, a farmer's wife needed a shepherd for her animals.
The Farmer's Wife went out. She rode her horse. She needed a shepherd. Her sheep needed care. She looked for a good one.
She met a big Bear. "Where do you go?" asked the Bear. "I need a shepherd," she said. "I can be one," said the Bear. "Call the sheep," she told him. The Bear growled, "Grrr! Grrr!" "No," she said. "You cannot."
Then she met a Wolf. "Where do you go?" asked the Wolf. "I need a shepherd," she said. "I can be one," said the Wolf. "Call the sheep," she told him. The Wolf howled, "Awooo! Awooo!" "No," she said. "You cannot."
Next she met a clever Fox. "Where do you go?" asked the Fox. "I need a shepherd," she said. "I can be one," said the Fox. "Call the sheep," she told him. The Fox cried, "Baa! Baa!" It was a good call.
"Yes," she said. "I will hire you." She took the Fox home. He was her new shepherd. She trusted the clever Fox.
The Fox went to the field. He was the shepherd now. On the first day, he watched the goats. He was a bad shepherd. The goats were all gone. The clever Fox ate them. He was very hungry.
On the second day, he watched the sheep. He was still a bad shepherd. The sheep were all gone. The clever Fox ate them all. He was still very hungry. He liked the taste of the sheep. The Farmer's Wife did not know.
On the third day, he watched the cows. He was a very bad shepherd. The cows were all gone too. The clever Fox ate them all. He was full now. All the farm animals were gone. The Farmer's Wife would be sad.
The Farmer's Wife came home. "Where are my animals?" she asked. The Fox smiled a sly smile. "Their heads are in the brook," he said. "Their bones are in the bushes."
The wife went to look. She made butter earlier. A big tub of cream sat there. The Fox saw the cream. He drank it all up.
The wife came back. The cream was gone. She saw the Fox. She was very angry. She found some cream. She threw it at the Fox.
The cream hit his tail. It made a white tip. The Fox ran away fast. He never came back.
This is why fox tails are white. The wife learned a lesson. Be careful of clever words.
Original Story
The Fox Turned Shepherd
There was once a farmer’s wife who rode out to try and find a shepherd. She happened to meet a bear on the way, and the bear inquired whither she was going.
“Oh, I’m going to hire a shepherd,” answered she.
“Will you take me for a shepherd?” asked the bear.
“Yes,” said the woman, “provided you can call the sheep properly.”
“Ho—o—y!” growled the bear.
“No,” said the woman on hearing this, “I can’t hire you,” and on she went.
Soon after she met a wolf. “Where are you going?” asked the wolf.
“Oh, I’m going to hire a shepherd,” answered the woman.
“Will you take me for a shepherd?” asked the wolf.
“Yes, if you can call the sheep properly,” replied the woman.
“Uh—uh!” howled the wolf.
“No, I can’t hire you,” said the woman.
A little farther on she met a Fox. “Where are you going?” asked he.
“Oh, I’m only going to hire a shepherd,” answered the woman.
“Will you take me for a shepherd?” asked the Fox.
“Yes, provided you can but call the sheep properly,” replied the woman.
“Dil—dal—holom!” cried the Fox in a pretty, proper tone.
“Yes, I will hire you,” said the woman; and she took him for a shepherd to watch over the cattle.
The first day, on driving the cattle to the meadows, the Fox 445ate up all the goats. On the second day he made a dainty meal upon the sheep, and on the third day it was the turn for the cows to be eaten.
On returning home in the evening, the woman asked him where he had left the cattle. “Their heads are in the brook, and their bones are in the bushes,” replied the Fox. The farmer’s wife was just then at the butter-tub, busy making butter; still, she wanted to go and see for herself how things stood. While she went to look, the Fox put his head into the butter-tub and drank up all the cream.
When the woman came back and saw what he had done, she was so exasperated that she seized a clot of cream that still remained in the tub and flung it at the Fox, so that it made a spot upon his tail. And this is the reason why the Fox’s tail has a white tip.
Story DNA
Moral
Be wary of those who appear charming but have ulterior motives.
Plot Summary
A farmer's wife searches for a shepherd, rejecting a bear and a wolf, but is charmed by a fox's proper call and hires him. The cunning Fox then systematically devours all her livestock over three days. Upon returning home, the Fox also drinks all the cream from her butter-tub. Enraged, the woman throws a clot of cream at the Fox, leaving a permanent white tip on his tail, which explains this characteristic of foxes.
Themes
Emotional Arc
hope to exasperation
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Reflects common fears of predators (foxes, wolves, bears) in agricultural societies and often serves as an etiological tale explaining animal characteristics.
Plot Beats (12)
- A farmer's wife rides out to find a shepherd.
- She meets a Bear who offers to be a shepherd, but his call is unsuitable, so she rejects him.
- She meets a Wolf who offers to be a shepherd, but his call is also unsuitable, so she rejects him.
- She meets a Fox who offers to be a shepherd and makes a charming, proper call.
- Impressed, the woman hires the Fox as her shepherd.
- On the first day, the Fox eats all the goats.
- On the second day, the Fox eats all the sheep.
- On the third day, the Fox eats all the cows.
- The woman returns home and asks the Fox about the cattle, to which he gives a cryptic, dismissive reply.
- While the woman goes to check on the cattle, the Fox drinks all the cream from her butter-tub.
- The woman returns, discovers the Fox's theft, and in her anger, flings a clot of cream at him.
- The cream leaves a white spot on the Fox's tail, explaining why foxes have white-tipped tails.
Characters
The Farmer's Wife
A sturdy, practical woman of average height and build, likely with hands calloused from farm work. Her complexion would be weathered from outdoor life.
Attire: Simple, durable peasant clothing typical of Northern European folklore, such as a long-sleeved linen blouse, a practical wool skirt in muted earth tones (brown, grey, dark green), a sturdy apron over it, and perhaps a plain headscarf or cap. Her shoes would be practical, likely leather or wooden clogs.
Wants: To find a competent shepherd to care for her farm's livestock.
Flaw: Her initial trust in the Fox's deceptive charm and inability to discern his true nature.
She begins as a trusting woman seeking help and ends as a wiser, albeit exasperated, woman who has learned a harsh lesson about judging character.
Practical, diligent, trusting (initially), exasperated, decisive, hardworking.
The Bear
A large, powerful brown bear, covered in thick, shaggy fur. Its build is robust and muscular, typical of a wild bear.
Attire: None, as it is a wild animal.
Wants: To be hired as a shepherd, though its true intentions are unclear beyond the initial offer.
Flaw: Its inability to produce a gentle, proper call for sheep, revealing its wild nature.
Remains unchanged, simply a brief encounter.
Curious, eager, but ultimately unsuitable for the task due to its natural growling voice.
The Wolf
A lean, grey wolf with powerful legs and a bushy tail. Its fur would be a mix of grey and brown, providing camouflage.
Attire: None, as it is a wild animal.
Wants: To be hired as a shepherd, likely with ulterior motives related to the sheep.
Flaw: Its inability to produce a gentle, proper call for sheep, betraying its predatory nature.
Remains unchanged, simply a brief encounter.
Cunning, opportunistic, but also unsuitable due to its natural howling voice.
The Fox
A sleek, reddish-brown fox with a bushy tail. Its build is slender and agile.
Attire: None, as it is a wild animal.
Wants: To gain easy access to the farmer's livestock for food, and to consume as much as possible.
Flaw: Its insatiable appetite and overconfidence, leading to its discovery.
Begins as a cunning trickster, successfully deceives the farmer's wife, and ends with a permanent mark (white tail tip) as a consequence of its gluttony and deceit.
Cunning, deceptive, gluttonous, intelligent, charming (when it wants to be), remorseless.
Locations
Winding Country Road
A narrow, unpaved path winding through a rural landscape, likely flanked by fields or sparse woods, where the farmer's wife encounters various animals.
Mood: peaceful, bucolic, initially hopeful
The farmer's wife searches for a shepherd and interviews the bear, wolf, and fox.
Meadows with Brook and Bushes
Expansive green pastures where cattle graze, featuring a flowing brook and dense bushes along its banks or at the edge of the field.
Mood: deceptively serene, later revealing a scene of destruction
The Fox 'shepherds' the animals, eating them one by one, and later disposes of their remains.
Farmer's Wife's Kitchen/Dairy
A rustic, functional interior of a farmhouse, featuring a large wooden butter-tub, likely with other simple kitchen implements and a hearth.
Mood: cozy, domestic, but quickly turns to anger and chaos
The farmer's wife confronts the Fox about the cattle, and the Fox drinks the cream, leading to the iconic white tip on his tail.