The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

BEAR

THIS TOOK PLACE IN THE SMOKEY MOUNTAINS. A GIRL
WEARING HER LONG HAIR IN PIGTAILS, WAS SLEEPING
OUT IN HER SLEEPING BAG ONE NIGHT. IN THE
MORNING, WHEN SHE AWOKE, ONE OF HER PIGTAILS HAD
BEEN CHEWED OFF TO EAR LEVEL.

Submitter comment: HALF-SAID IN BELIEF, BUT STILL INCREDULOUS TO
HAVE HAPPENED

Where learned: NATURE STUDY CLASS

Date learned: 05-03-1969

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TINY TOM

TINY TOM WAS SENT TO A CHILDLESS COUPLE WHO LIVED IN A SMALL TOWN
IN ITALY. THE CHILD WAS SENT BECAUSE THE MAMA PRAYED TO THE
VIRGIN FOR A CHILD. HE CAME IN A PEA POD.
TOM NEVER GREW BIGGER THAN A THUMBNAIL, EVEN AFTER HE WAS SEVEN
YEARS OLD. ONE DAY HIS MAMA WAS BAKING AND TOM WAS SITTING ON
THE WINDOW SILL. HIS FATHER'S COW WAS SITTING OUTSIDE THE WINDOW.
HIS MAMA SNEEZED AND BLEW TOM OUT THE WINDOW AND HE FELL ON THE
COW'S TONGUE. TINY TOM SLIPPED DOWN THE TONGUE AND INTO THE COW'S
STOMACH.
IT WAS DARK INSIDE AND TOM WAS FRIGHTENED. HE CALLED OUT TO HIS
MAMA BUT SHE DID NOT HEAR HIM. WHEN HIS PAPA CAME HOME FOR DINNER
FROM THE FIELDS, TOM'S MAMA DISCOVERED THAT TOM WAS NOWHERE TO BE
FOUND. THEY FRANTICALLY SEARCHED EVERYWHERE, BUT TOM COULD NOT BE
FOUND ANYWHERE.
FOR TWO DAYS TOM'S PAPA AND MAMA LOOKED EVERYWHERE. THEY WERE
JUST TOO WORRIED OVER TOM TO WORK. THEY HAD NOT EVEN MILKED THEIR
COW WHO GROANED IN PAIN. BUT AFTER THAT MUCH TIME, PAPA AND MAMA
WERE READY TO GIVE UP.
THE COW KEPT MAKING SO MUCH NOISE THAT MAMA REALIZED SHE HAD NOT
BEEN MILKED. SO PAPA MILKED THE COW. WHILE HE WAS MILKING THE
COW, PAPA HEARD, "HELP! MAMA, PAPA! HELP!"
PAPA, HEARING THIS, LOOKED DOWN AND BY GOLLY, THERE WAS TOM
FLOATING ON A LEAF THAT HAD FALLEN INTO THE BUCKET OF MILK.
TOM'S PAPA SWOOPED HIM UP AND CARRIED HIM LOVINGLY TO THE HOUSE.
WHEN MAMA SAW TOM, SHE ALMOST CRIED.
ALL THREE HAD A PARTY THAT NIGHT AND FROM THEN ON, WHENEVER TOM
SAT ON THE WINDOW SILL, HIS MAMA TIED A THREAD AROUND HIM AND
ANCHORED HIM DOWN SO THAT IF HE FELL HE COULD CLIMB BACK UP THE
THREAD. FROM THEN ON TINY TOM, HIS MAMA, AND PAPA LIVED HAPPILY
EVER AFTER.

Submitter comment: HE HEARD THIS FROM HIS MOTHER AND SHE LEARNED THE STORY FROM
ITALY.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Date learned: 10-25-1967

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TINY TOM

TINY TOM WAS SENT TO A CHILDLESS COUPLE WHO LIVED IN A SMALL TOWN
IN ITALY. THE CHILD WAS SENT BECAUSE THE MAMA PRAYED TO THE
VIRGIN FOR A CHILD. HE CAME IN A PEA POD.
TOM NEVER GREW BIGGER THAN A THUMBNAIL, EVEN AFTER HE WAS SEVEN
YEARS OLD. ONE DAY HIS MAMA WAS BAKING AND TOM WAS SITTING ON
THE WINDOW SILL. HIS FATHER'S COW WAS SITTING OUTSIDE THE WINDOW.
HIS MAMA SNEEZED AND BLEW TOM OUT THE WINDOW AND HE FELL ON THE
COW'S TONGUE. TINY TOM SLIPPED DOWN THE TONGUE AND INTO THE COW'S
STOMACH.
IT WAS DARK INSIDE AND TOM WAS FRIGHTENED. HE CALLED OUT TO HIS
MAMA BUT SHE DID NOT HEAR HIM. WHEN HIS PAPA CAME HOME FOR DINNER
FROM THE FIELDS, TOM'S MAMA DISCOVERED THAT TOM WAS NOWHERE TO BE
FOUND. THEY FRANTICALLY SEARCHED EVERYWHERE, BUT TOM COULD NOT BE
FOUND ANYWHERE.
FOR TWO DAYS TOM'S PAPA AND MAMA LOOKED EVERYWHERE. THEY WERE
JUST TOO WORRIED OVER TOM TO WORK. THEY HAD NOT EVEN MILKED THEIR
COW WHO GROANED IN PAIN. BUT AFTER THAT MUCH TIME, PAPA AND MAMA
WERE READY TO GIVE UP.
THE COW KEPT MAKING SO MUCH NOISE THAT MAMA REALIZED SHE HAD NOT
BEEN MILKED. SO PAPA MILKED THE COW. WHILE HE WAS MILKING THE
COW, PAPA HEARD, "HELP! MAMA, PAPA! HELP!"
PAPA, HEARING THIS, LOOKED DOWN AND BY GOLLY, THERE WAS TOM
FLOATING ON A LEAF THAT HAD FALLEN INTO THE BUCKET OF MILK.
TOM'S PAPA SWOOPED HIM UP AND CARRIED HIM LOVINGLY TO THE HOUSE.
WHEN MAMA SAW TOM, SHE ALMOST CRIED.
ALL THREE HAD A PARTY THAT NIGHT AND FROM THEN ON, WHENEVER TOM
SAT ON THE WINDOW SILL, HIS MAMA TIED A THREAD AROUND HIM AND
ANCHORED HIM DOWN SO THAT IF HE FELL HE COULD CLIMB BACK UP THE
THREAD. FROM THEN ON TINY TOM, HIS MAMA, AND PAPA LIVED HAPPILY
EVER AFTER.

Submitter comment: HE HEARD THIS FROM HIS MOTHER AND SHE LEARNED THE STORY FROM
ITALY.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Date learned: 10-25-1967

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Little Rabbit Foo Foo/Hopping through the forest/picking up the field mice and bopping them on the head.
 Then down came the good fairy and she said/Little rabbit Foo Foo I don't want to see you picking up those field mice and bopping them on the head/I'm going to give you three more chances and if you continue I'm going to turn you into a GOON.

Same except for 2 then 1 then no more chances [sic].

Now I'm going to turn you into a GOON..."poof!"

Moral: Hare today, Goon tomorrow.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs and BN added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Submission Card was located in a pile marked To Be Classified.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; animal fable ; Fable ; Fairy ; Moral ; Rabbit ; THE RABBIT THAT WAS CHANGED INTO A GOON

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Bunbuku Chagama

There lived an old man and an old woman in the small village of Japan. One day, the old man caught a racoon and hung it from the ceiling to make racoon soup. But the grandmother who was very sympathetic and warm-hearted took the rope off the racoon and helped it. A few days after, the racoon visited her and walked a tight rope taking the form of a kettle and danced very well to entertain her. It is said that he wanted to return her kindness.

Data entry tech comment:

Informant and collector are the same person.
Informant probably first learned this in Hiroshima City, Japan.

Where learned: JAPAN ; TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE ; HIROSHIMA CITY

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