DER FALKE UND DER HAHN
by Friedrich Giese · from Türkische Märchen
Adapted Version
A Falcon talked to a Rooster. "You are a bird," the Falcon said. "You look friendly. But you are not friendly inside. Your heart is not loyal. You are not good. You are not thankful. Why are you like this?" The Falcon asked. The Rooster listened. "We falcons are loyal," the Falcon said. "We stay with our friends. We help them. But you chickens? You run away. You do not help each other. You are not loyal like us." The Rooster shook his head. "We are loyal," he said. "We are afraid. We see what happens to us. We see our friends disappear. We see the roasted chicken on the table. We know we could be next. That is why we run. That is why we are scared.
We see the farmer's big hands. We hear the sharp knife. Our friends are gone. One day they are here, the next day they are food. We run to stay alive. We run to keep our chicks safe. We want to live. Is that not loyal to ourselves? Is that not loyal to our family?
The Falcon was quiet. He had never felt such fear. He hunted for food. He was strong. No one hunted him. He did not know what it was like to be weak. He did not know what it was like to be prey. His life was different. He flew high and free. He chose his fights.
"I hunt," the Falcon said slowly. "I am strong. I do not fear. But you are different. Your life is hard. You see danger every day. Maybe your loyalty is different from mine. Maybe you are loyal to life itself. To survival."
The Rooster nodded. "Yes," he said. "We want to live. We want our children to live. That is our loyalty. We do not fight big hands. We run. We hide. It is how we survive. It is how we stay with our family. We protect them by running. We protect them by hiding."
The Falcon looked at the Rooster. He saw a different kind of bravery. He saw a different kind of loyalty. It was not like his own. But it was real. He flew away, thinking about the Rooster's words. He understood a little more now. He understood that loyalty can look different for everyone.
Original Story
48. DER FALKE UND DER HAHN
Ein schneller Falke stritt sich einst mit einem lautkrähenden Hahn: „Du bist ein Vogel, der äußerlich zwar sanft, von Natur aber wild ist, freundlich erscheint, aber Feindschaft nährt. Warum habt ihr im Herzen keine Zuverlässigkeit und Treue. Was ihr tut, ist nur Unaufrichtigkeit und Undankbarkeit.“ Der Hahn antwortete: „Was für Treulosigkeit und Undankbarkeit hast du an uns gesehen?“ Der Falke sagte: „Gibt es wohl größeren Undank? Die Menschen sind zu euch so freundlich und bereiten euch euer Essen, daß ihr, ohne euch abzumühen, euer Leben lang ausreichend habt, sie kümmern sich immer mit derselben Sorgfalt um euch und beschützen euch, so daß ihr unter ihrem Schutz ruhig leben könnt. Wenn sie euch aber rufen, so flieht ihr und fliegt von Dach zu Dach. Wir Falken, die wir doch wilde Tiere sind, sind, wenn wir nur einige Tage mit den Menschen zusammen sind, dankbar und bringen ihnen die Beute, die wir gemacht haben, und wenn wir sehr weit von ihnen sind, fliegen wir auf einen Ton zu ihnen zurück.“ Der Hahn antwortete: „Du hast recht, aber euer Gehorsam und unser Ungehorsam kommt daher, daß ihr noch nie einen von euch in der Pfanne habt braten gesehen. Wir aber haben unsere Artgenossen am Roste braten gesehen. Wenn ihr das gesehen hättet, würdet auch ihr die Menschen meiden und, wenn wir von Dach zu Dach flüchten, würdet ihr von Berg zu Berg flüchten.“
Story DNA
Moral
One's perception of loyalty and gratitude is heavily influenced by their own experiences and the perceived intentions of others.
Plot Summary
A Falcon confronts a Rooster, accusing chickens of being ungrateful and disloyal to humans despite receiving food and protection, contrasting their behavior with the loyalty of falcons. The Rooster concedes the Falcon's point about their differing behaviors but explains that chickens flee because they have witnessed their own kind being roasted. He concludes that if falcons had experienced such a fate, they too would avoid humans, thus justifying the chickens' apparent disloyalty as self-preservation.
Themes
Emotional Arc
accusation to justification
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Fables often use animal characters to convey moral lessons, a common literary tradition across many cultures.
Plot Beats (9)
- A Falcon confronts a Rooster, accusing chickens of being outwardly gentle but inwardly wild, treacherous, and ungrateful.
- The Falcon questions why chickens lack reliability and loyalty, citing their insincerity and ingratitude.
- The Rooster challenges the Falcon to specify the treachery and ingratitude he has witnessed.
- The Falcon argues that humans provide chickens with food and protection, yet chickens flee when called.
- The Falcon contrasts this with falcons, who, despite being wild, show gratitude by bringing prey to humans and returning to them from great distances.
- The Rooster concedes the Falcon's point about their respective behaviors.
- The Rooster explains that falcons are obedient because they have never seen one of their own roasted.
- The Rooster states that chickens, however, have seen their kind roasted on a spit.
- The Rooster concludes that if falcons had witnessed such a fate, they would also avoid humans, fleeing from mountain to mountain instead of just roof to roof.
Characters
Der Falke
A swift and powerful bird of prey, approximately 45-50 cm tall with a wingspan of about 100-120 cm. Lean and muscular build, designed for aerial hunting. Sharp talons and a hooked beak.
Attire: Natural plumage of a falcon: dark slate-grey feathers on the back and wings, lighter underparts often barred with darker streaks. No artificial clothing.
Wants: To understand and critique the perceived ingratitude and disloyalty of the chickens towards humans, and to highlight the superior loyalty of falcons.
Flaw: Naivety regarding the true nature of human-animal relationships from the perspective of prey; a lack of empathy for the chicken's fear.
Does not change significantly, but its perspective is challenged by the Hahn, revealing a blind spot in its understanding.
Perceptive, loyal (to humans), critical, disciplined, proud of its own species' conduct, somewhat self-righteous.
Der Hahn
A robust and somewhat stocky bird, approximately 60-70 cm tall, with a prominent comb and wattles. Strong legs and a powerful, if not graceful, build.
Attire: Natural plumage of a rooster: often iridescent green-black tail feathers, glossy red-gold hackle feathers around the neck, and various shades of red, brown, and black on its body. No artificial clothing.
Wants: To defend its species' behavior and explain the underlying reasons for their perceived disloyalty, based on their lived experience.
Flaw: Fear of humans due to past experiences, which dictates its behavior and prevents deeper trust.
Does not change, but successfully defends its position and provides a new perspective to the Falke.
Defensive, pragmatic, cynical, observant of human behavior towards its kind, fearful, realistic.
Locations
Farmyard
A typical German farmyard, likely with a mix of dirt and cobblestones, surrounded by various farm buildings.
Mood: Initially calm, then tense due to the argument.
The Falke and the Hahn have their initial argument about loyalty and ingratitude.
Rooftops of a German Village
The varied rooftops of a German village, featuring red clay tiles and possibly some thatched roofs, providing a vantage point for the chickens.
Mood: Safe, elevated, a place of refuge from humans.
The Hahn describes how chickens flee to the rooftops to escape humans.
Kitchen Hearth with Roasting Spit
A warm, rustic kitchen interior with a large stone hearth, where a chicken is being roasted on a spit.
Mood: Warm, but also foreboding and dangerous from the perspective of the chickens.
The Hahn explains their fear by referencing seeing their kind roasted on a spit.