DER ESEL in DER LÖWENHAUT
by Friedrich Giese · from Türkische Märchen
Adapted Version
Once, there was a man. He had a donkey. The donkey was very hungry. It was very weak. The man was poor. He had no food for the donkey.
The man felt sad for his donkey. Wild animals lived outside. They could hurt the weak donkey. The man had a big lion's skin. It was brown and furry. He put the skin on the donkey.
The man let the donkey go. It walked to the green fields. The donkey ate grass there. It ate many good plants. The donkey was free to eat.
Other animals saw the donkey. They saw the lion's skin. They thought it was a real lion. They were very scared. They ran away fast. The donkey ate much food. It became big and strong.
One day, the donkey walked. It found a nice garden. The donkey went inside. The Gardeners worked there. They saw the big furry animal. They thought it was a lion. They were very afraid. They climbed a tall tree.
The donkey ate many plants. It ate all the good food. The Gardeners stayed in the tree. They watched the big 'lion'. They were very, very scared. They did not move.
Some other donkeys walked by. They were outside the garden. They made loud, long donkey sounds. They called out to each other. Their sounds were clear.
The donkey heard the sounds. It forgot its lion's skin. It forgot it was a 'lion'. The donkey made a loud sound. It was a donkey sound. It was not a lion's roar.
The Gardeners heard the sound. They knew it was a donkey. It was not a lion. They understood the trick. The big animal was not scary.
The Gardeners came down. They took off the lion's skin. They scolded the donkey. They made it work hard. They put a saddle on its back. The donkey carried heavy things. It worked every day.
It is always best to be yourself. A trick will always be found out.
Original Story
35. DER ESEL IN DER LÖWENHAUT
In alten Zeiten lebte ein Kaufmann, der sehr reich war. Nach Gottes Ratschluß ging aber sein Reichtum von Tag zu Tag zurück, so daß ihm das Notwendigste fehlte. Nur einen Esel besaß er noch, der vor Hunger so schwach und elend geworden war, daß er sich nicht mehr bewegen konnte. Da sagte er aus Mitleid mit seinem Esel zu sich: „Anstatt ihn verhungern zu lassen, will ich ihn ins freie Feld lassen zum Grasen. Vielleicht hilft das ihm.“ Aber aus Furcht, daß die wilden Tiere wegen seiner Schwäche ihm leicht ein Leid zufügen konnten, legte er ihm ein Löwenfell auf den Rücken und ließ ihn so frei laufen.
Die wilden Tiere hielten den Esel für einen Löwen und flohen vor ihm. Nach einiger Zeit war der Esel ganz fett geworden. Als er einmal wieder herumstreifte, traf er einen Garten, in den er hineinging. Als die Gärtner den Esel sahen, hielten sie ihn für einen Löwen und kletterten auf einen Baum, während der Esel rechts und links alles fraß, was er im Garten fand. Währenddessen gingen draußen vor dem Garten einige Esel vorüber und schrieen; als der Esel im Löwenkleid die Stimmen seiner Genossen hörte, ließ er sein widerwärtiges Geschrei erschallen.
Als die Gärtner seine Stimme hörten, sahen sie, daß es ein Esel war und erkannten, daß ein Mensch in seiner List so gehandelt habe. Sie stiegen sofort von dem Baume, nahmen dem Esel das Löwenfell ab, verprügelten ihn ordentlich, legten ihm einen Tragsattel auf und beluden ihn.
Story DNA
Moral
One's true nature will always be revealed, no matter how elaborate the disguise.
Plot Summary
A once-wealthy merchant, now poor, dresses his starving donkey in a lion's skin to protect it. The disguised donkey scares away wild animals and even gardeners, allowing it to eat its fill. However, when it hears other donkeys braying, it instinctively brays back, revealing its true identity. The gardeners then remove the disguise, beat the donkey, and put it to work as a beast of burden.
Themes
Emotional Arc
fear to false confidence to humiliation
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Fables often served as moral instruction in pre-industrial societies, using animal characters to illustrate human flaws and virtues.
Plot Beats (10)
- A wealthy merchant loses his fortune and is left with only a starving donkey.
- The merchant, fearing for the donkey's safety in the wild, dresses it in a lion's skin.
- The disguised donkey is released into the fields to graze.
- Wild animals mistake the donkey for a lion and flee, allowing it to eat its fill and grow fat.
- The donkey wanders into a garden, scaring the gardeners who climb a tree, believing it to be a lion.
- The donkey enjoys the garden's bounty while the gardeners hide in fear.
- Other donkeys pass by the garden and bray loudly.
- The disguised donkey instinctively brays back, revealing its true identity.
- The gardeners, hearing the bray, realize the deception.
- They descend from the tree, remove the lion's skin, beat the donkey, and put a saddle on it to carry loads.
Characters
The Merchant
A man of average height and build, likely showing signs of worry and hardship due to his dwindling wealth. His hands might be calloused from work, despite his former riches.
Attire: Simple, practical clothing made of coarse linen or wool, reflecting his reduced circumstances. Perhaps a tunic and trousers, in muted earth tones, showing some wear.
Wants: To survive his financial ruin and ensure the well-being of his last possession, the donkey.
Flaw: His dwindling wealth and inability to provide for himself and his animal without resorting to clever, but ultimately temporary, solutions.
He initiates the central conflict by disguising the donkey, but his personal arc is not explicitly detailed beyond his initial act of compassion.
Compassionate, resourceful (in his attempt to protect the donkey), pragmatic, and responsible (even in poverty, he considers his animal's welfare).
The Donkey
Initially very weak and emaciated, with ribs showing and a dull coat. After grazing, it becomes fat and healthy, with a glossy coat. It is a typical domestic donkey, greyish-brown with a lighter muzzle and belly.
Attire: Initially nothing, then a large, shaggy lion's pelt covering its back, and finally a heavy pack saddle.
Wants: To survive and eat. Later, to indulge its newfound freedom and appetite.
Flaw: Its true nature as a donkey, which it reveals through its braying, and its susceptibility to human punishment.
Transforms from a starving, weak animal to a fat, disguised 'lion', then reveals its true nature through foolishness, and finally becomes a beaten, working beast of burden.
Initially helpless and starving, then becomes arrogant and greedy (eating everything in the garden), and finally foolish (braying) and submissive (after being beaten).
The Gardeners
Men of varying builds, likely sturdy and tanned from working outdoors. Their hands would be rough and strong from manual labor.
Attire: Simple, durable peasant clothing suitable for manual labor, such as linen tunics, trousers, and possibly leather aprons, in practical earth tones. They might wear sturdy boots or go barefoot.
Wants: To protect their garden from what they perceive as a lion, and then to punish the donkey for its deception and theft.
Flaw: Their initial fear makes them vulnerable to deception.
They transition from being victims of deception to agents of justice, revealing the donkey's true nature and punishing it.
Initially fearful, then observant, clever (deducing the trick), and punitive (beating the donkey). They are practical and quick to act.
Locations
The Merchant's Diminishing Estate
The impoverished merchant's property, where his last possession, a starving donkey, resides. The area is likely barren or neglected, reflecting his dwindling wealth.
Mood: Desolate, melancholic, reflecting the merchant's misfortune and the donkey's weakness.
The merchant, out of pity, decides to release his donkey into the wild, disguising it with a lion's skin.
The Open Field
A vast, open expanse of land where the donkey, disguised as a lion, roams freely and grazes. It's a place of initial deception and the donkey's recovery.
Mood: Initially fearful due to the 'lion's' presence, later peaceful and abundant for the donkey.
The donkey, wearing the lion's skin, scares away wild animals and grows fat from abundant grazing.
The Gardener's Orchard/Garden
A well-tended garden filled with various plants and trees, providing ample food for the donkey. It features trees tall enough for the gardeners to climb.
Mood: Initially fearful and tense due to the perceived lion, then shifts to surprise and anger.
The donkey enters the garden, scaring the gardeners, but its braying reveals its true identity, leading to its punishment.