The wolf and the fox (Hungarian folk tale)

A long time ago, the wolf and the fox were in a strong friendship and in a coma. They walked together in the woods and fields, never leaving each other’s side. Well, if they went together, they once fell into a pile together.

The poor people played the organ and shouted, but not a soul came that way. Day after day, night after night passed. Then they perished in the great hunger, because there was no way they could escape.

Once the fox thinks something and says to the wolf:

• I’m telling you something, wolf coma.
• What, fox coma?
• To stand up on your two hind legs, let me see how tall you are. I think – says the sly fox – that you are taller than the bear, and even taller than the lion.

The wolf liked this flattering speech. He stood up on his two hind legs. He stretched so well that all his bones crunched into him.

The fox says to him: – Hey, my wolf coma, what did I think of? I’m going out of my stack and I’m going to pull you out too.

• Fox coma, don’t be silly, because I’ll cut you in the neck! – says the wolf. – How could you get out of here?
• It’s fine! Just let me stand on your shoulders. Even if I can’t go out, I’ll at least see what the weather is like out there.

It’s okay, the wolf allows the fox to stand on his shoulder. After all, the fox coma didn’t need more. He lunged at him from the wolf’s shoulder, jumped out of the pile, and with that – uccu, to him, lose yourself! he didn’t say much, he didn’t say that much to the wolf, he ran to the village, there he lurked until he sneaked into a goose barn and made a big noise there.

But he still remembered the wolf coma. He also brought her a leg of goose. He knocked on the pile and said with a sad face:

• Hey, wolf coma, but I got there. I went into the village to bring you a goose. But when I had just placed myself among the geese and pinched a goose, the farmer hit me, and only this leg of goose remained in my mouth. You see, wolf coma, I brought you this too. Am I a good coma?

“You’re good, good,” says the wolf, “but if you want to be even better, stick your tail in and pull me out of here.”

• Alas, my soul, my coma, I can’t do that, because my weak tail would be torn from its base. But you could also break your neck and fall back. But I’ll bring a twig and pull you out with it.

The fox runs away and brings two twigs: one stronger and one weaker. He handed over the weaker one first, and as soon as the wolf got hold of it, he gave it a big tug. The branch broke in two, and the wolf fell back, strangling himself into it. The wolf howled in bitter agony.

And the fox laughed so much that the forest also rang with him. Then he submitted the stronger branch and pulled the wolf out. When they were both outside, the fox said:

• Jere, my coma, to the village! Just as I walked in, I saw that there was a wedding at a house. Come, let’s have fun too, we’ve been sad enough.

They go into the village. Off to the wedding house. Well, the wedding is in full swing there. Gypsies pull, boys and girls walk. They could not have asked for a better opportunity. They sneaked into the chamber, where they fell in love with a lot of good pork, bacon and whatnot. But even for the wine barrel. They ate, drank, danced. They couldn’t have had a better job in the other world.

But suddenly the fox notices that while they were feasting, someone closed the chamber door on them. He didn’t say anything to the wolf, let them eat and drink, but he looked for an iron nail and started digging with it at the base of the wall.

The wolf asks:

• What are you doing, fox coma?

The fox answered:

• I smell, wolf coma, that we have a rattlesnake tree buried here. This is just the real good wine skate.

The wolf just let him look for the bell doughnut, and he continued to drink. Then he started to dance again and made the fox coma to dance too. He silenced the fox enough so that he wouldn’t dance or roar, because the guests would still hear him, and they would certainly see something ugly, but the wolf couldn’t be handled. He danced, danced, and crooned. He smashed his ankles and his palms.

He shouted loudly:

• Nye, my pleasure, nye!

However, the cunning fox got out of his grasp anyway and continued to dig the hole. When he was done with the hole, he started dancing to his heart’s content. He hunted even bigger ones than the wolf. Well, the wedding people inside heard it.

They ask each other:

• Who can yell out there?

One says one thing, the other says another. At some point, they all say that it can only be a wolf, it was created by such and such. Come on, let’s dance! They are armed, some with axes, some with rifles, some with two-pronged pitchforks.

They open the chamber door. And indeed the wolf is there, still dancing and howling furiously. Ouch! The fox sneaks out of the hole. The wolf also hides after him. But it didn’t fit through the hole anymore. Sup-sup! they beat and beat as hard as they could.

Then the wolf coma thought of one thing, still rushed back out of the hole and ran out the door. During this time, the fox had already gone far from the village, and as he went, he took refuge on the road, once he looked back and saw a cart coming after him, and it was full to the brim with fish. He catches himself and lies down in the middle of the road, closes his eyes, stretches out as if he were dead.

The car arrives, the owner sees the dead fox, picks it up nicely and throws it on the top of the car. The fox didn’t need anything else. While the man walked quietly, sheltered by the oxen, fell upon the fish. He had a good catch and caught a lot of fish.

With that, he jumped off the car and ran in another direction. He didn’t even go a good throw, then the wolf came to meet him with a broken waist and a sad face.

• Well, fox coma, you give it to me!
• What, you’re still talking – snapped the fox – didn’t I tell you not to yell so much?!
• True, true! said the wolf.

They reconciled, formed a great friendship again, and moved on. Yes, but the wolf sees the many fish with the fox and asks him:

• Where did you catch so many fish, fox coma?
• Where is it? In the water, wolf coma.
• Of course, how did you get it?
• How are you? I was fishing.
• Come on, fox coma, teach me to fish too.
• Well, it’s not a great craft. Go to the ice. You stick your tail in a hole. And when the fish are well gathered, you pull them out nicely.

They go on the ice. They will soon find a soul there. The wolf sticks its tail in. He sits there for a while, then wants to pull it out because he already felt that it was heavy. That’s it! It was difficult because it was already starting to freeze.

• Wolf coma, don’t pull it out yet, wait until there are more people on it. When his tail was completely frozen, the fox encouraged him:
• Well, now, my sweet coma, pull!
• I would pull, coma, pull, but I can’t take it.

“That’s good,” says the fox, “there must be a lot of fish on it.” Well, just, my coma, for him, pull as hard as you can!

The poor wolf moaned loudly, sweat dripping from him. But he just couldn’t pull his tail out.

• A hen who has a blessing – says the fox – there is a problem, a coma! God forbid if your dick isn’t frozen.
• Alas, alas – howled the wolf – what should I do, what should I do?!
• You know what, wolf coma, I will chew your tail.
• But I won’t allow that anymore – said the wolf – I’d rather perish.
• It’s fine, coma, I can’t help you otherwise, God bless you!

As soon as the fox left, women came to the ice with clothes to wash it in the juice. They see the wolf from afar and shout to see if it runs away. But of course the wolf didn’t run away. They get closer and see that he is frozen there.

Now the women have dared to do it. They go there and beat the wolf with a chair leg and a mallet. But the wolf didn’t take this as a joke either. He pushed with all his strength, his tail broke into the ice, and with that – uccu, him! – he ran away as if his eyes had been taken.

During this time, the fox went over ditches and bushes, and as soon as he went, he took refuge and came to a pit. This pit was full of dirt, and the fox fell into a coma, lay down in it, and wallowed in it so well that not even his fur was visible from all the white dirt. Then he stretched out as if he had been beaten to death.

Just then the wolf is knocking, sees the fox and asks:

• What happened to you, fox coma?
• Don’t ask, wolf coma, can’t you see that all my bones are broken so that they are sticking out of my fur.
• Well, says the wolf in disgust, – I also left my tail in the hole.

And the fox coma moaned bitterly:

• Alas, my bones, my bones, but they will break!

The foolish wolf fell in love with her. Told him:

• Well, don’t cry, fox coma, let’s go, we’ll hide somewhere in the forest, lie down, and then we’ll get better.

But the fox coma only continued to moan and wail:

• Alas, my soul, my coma, my wolf coma, I would go, but I can’t.
• Okay, okay, I’ll drive you.
• But when I can’t even stand on my feet.
• Well, if you can’t, sit on my back and I’ll take you.

With that, he picked up the fox on his back and carried it very bitterly. As soon as the wolf took refuge, the fox began to say quietly to himself:

• Beaten takes the undefeated, beaten takes the undefeated.

The wolf turns its head and asks:

• What are you mumbling to yourself, fox coma?
• I said that the undefeated takes the beaten, the undefeated takes the beaten.

“Well – the wolf thinks to himself – my ears must have been ringing and I didn’t hear well.” But he barely goes any further, the fox just says to himself again:

• Beaten takes the undefeated, beaten takes the undefeated.

The wolf turns back again and asks:

• What are you muttering to yourself, fox coma?
• Just like that

I muttered to myself, a wolf’s coma: Undefeated takes the beaten, unbeaten takes the beaten.

• But he created such and such – roared the wolf – I heard everything correctly, you made me a fool again!

And with that, he threw the fox off his back in such a way that it just rammed into him.

• Let this be your coma, do you hear me, no more!

But the great friendship and coma were almost over. They had a nasty fight. Then one went right, the other left. Since then, this parable has been around: he faked his coma like a fox.

(Elek Benedek: Hungarian fairy-tale world, volume 2)