Why the Cat Kills Rats

Nigeria
Ansa was King of Calabar for fifty years. He had a very faithful cat as a housekeeper, and a rat was his house-boy. The king was an obstinate, headstrong man, but was very fond of the cat, who had been in his store for many years.
The rat, who was very poor, fell in love with one of the king's servant girls, but was unable to give her any presents, as he had no money.

At last he thought of the king's store, so in the nighttime, being quite small, he had little difficulty, having made a hole in the roof, in getting into the store. He then stole corn and native pears, and presented them to his sweetheart.
At the end of the month, when the cat had to render her account of the things in the store to the king, it was found that a lot of corn and native pears were missing. The king was very angry at this, and asked the cat for an explanation. But the cat could not account for the loss, until one of her friends told her that the rat had been stealing the corn and giving it to the girl.
When the cat told the king, he called the girl before him and had her flogged. The rat he handed over to the cat to deal with, and dismissed them both from his service. The cat was so angry at this that she killed and ate the rat, and ever since that time whenever a cat sees a rat she kills and eats it.

Read more...

Why the Vulture is Bald

Burma
The vulture was originally a humble old bird, and rather stupid. His plumage was not exceptionally beautiful, but quite passable. One day, however, the noticed that his feathers were falling off. He consulted other birds, who told him that he was merely moulting, and new would grow later. But the vulture was pessimistic, and soon became thin and sickly with worry about his plumage. At last the other birds took pity on him, and each gave him a feather to stick on his body. When all the birds had given his their feathers, the vulture looked a wonderful bird with a plumage of all colors.

The vulture now became conceited. He strutted about in his borrowed feathers, and declared that he was the most beautiful of all the birds. He became more and more proud until he asked the birds to recognize him as their king. At this insolence, the birds pecked off, no only the feathers that they had given the vulture, but also the vulture's own feathers. So when the birds had finished with him, the vulture looked old and ugly and bald. That is why even at the present day the vulture is a sour and ugly old bird.

Read more...

Why the North Tower of Saint Stephen's Cathedral Remains Unfinished

Austria
Hans Puchsbaum, a journeyman mason in the Viennese Cathedral Construction Guild of Saint Stephen, was in love with Maria, the beautiful daughter of Master Builder Hans von Prachatitz, who since the year 1430 had been directing the construction of the south tower. The proud builder had selected the son of a wealthy burgher to marry his daughter and was thoroughly opposed to her affinity for Hans Puchsbaum.

"If you can finish the north tower at the same hour that I complete the south tower, then you may take Maria to wife," thundered hard-hearted Prachatitz to his journeyman. This condition was practically impossible. No one would be able to complete such a construction project in so short a time. The hopes and dreams of poor Puchsbaum disappeared. In despair he stood there and murmured to himself: "Only the devil could complete such a masterpiece. I shall leave this city, and Maria will belong to another man."
He had scarcely spoken these words when the Evil One appeared before him. "I will help you build the tower, but during the entire construction time you may not utter the name of God nor that of any of any of His saints, otherwise your soul will belong to me," was the offer made to him by the Spirit of Hell.
Plagued with a bad conscience, Hans asked himself if he should build a house of God with the help of Satan. But his love of Maria conquered all doubts, and he entered into the pact with the devil.
The townspeople of Vienna watched in amazement as the north tower scaffolding grew upward and the construction advanced rapidly. Puchsbaum himself was the most industrious of all the workers. Day and night he mixed mortar and set stones into place. The tower, growing ever higher, was decorated by the most glorious stone figures. Puchsbaum adhered rigorously to the conditions set by the devil, and it appeared less and less likely that the builder would have to surrender his soul.
Then the Evil One resorted to trickery. Assuming Maria's shape, he walked across Saint Stephen's Square with his head bowed. Hans Puchsbaum, who was standing high above on the scaffolding, recognized Maria. Forgetting his oath, he called out her name. Immediately the heavy beams broke apart and Puchsbaum fell to the ground. The tower remained unfinished. No one dared continue with the devil's work.

Read more...

Why the Tower of Wasserburg Church Remains Unfinished

Bavaria
The Wasserburg town hall was built more than 600 years ago. A legend is connected to the history of this building.
At Wasserburg they were building a church and a town hall at the same time. Thus they engaged many masons and construction workers, and instructed the masters to not delay.

Two diligent stonemasons, named Hans and Stephan, took charge of the work. The older one, Hans, supervised the construction of the church; the younger one, Stephen, the town hall. Both were experienced in the art of building, having participated together in the construction of many a marvelous structure, also in southern Europe. They proceeded once again together with the plans, extending to one another the hand of true friendship and swearing that they would help each other like good brothers, without hate and without envy.
Because every good work should be rewarded, if it is to advance and succeed, the man who finished his project first was promised a reward, provided that the work was worthy and without blemish.
Do you want to know what kind of reward it was to be? A very unusual reward, neither of gold and silver, nor a medal of honor: It was the mayor's beautiful daughter.
Both stonemasons had cast their eyes on the girl at the same time, and this was no secret to her father. Because both were skilled and upright people, the mayor did not care if his daughter would take the one or the other as a bridegroom. Thus he promised her to the one who would first complete his building. However, the bride-to-be was not consulted in this matter. In her heart she had already chosen Stephen, the younger man.
As luck would have it, Stephan completed his building first. The town hall was finished, but the church tower's steeple was still missing. The competition was over. Stephan was to take home the mayor's wealthy and beautiful daughter as his bride.
This was a difficult test of friendship. Hans accepted his fate without envy and complaint, devoting himself to his friend as before. But Stephan could not see it the same way. He did not feel right surrounded by good fortune while his friend was unhappy. Thus he walked about sadly and despondent, thinking to himself how he might be freed of his misery.
One day he disappeared. In his room, instead of himself, there was a stone statue of him and a written message, in which he extended his final greetings to his friend and to his bride-to-be. He revealed to them his decision to join a distant monastery.
The legend does not tell us if Hans took home the abandoned bride. However, the friend appears to have lost all joy in his work, because the church tower's steeple is missing even today.
The statue of loyal Stephen is still preserved in the town hall of Wasserburg.

Read more...

Why the Tower of Wasserburg Church Remains Unfinished
Bavaria
The Wasserburg town hall was built more than 600 years ago. A legend is connected to the history of this building.
At Wasserburg they were building a church and a town hall at the same time. Thus they engaged many masons and construction workers, and instructed the masters to not delay.

Two diligent stonemasons, named Hans and Stephan, took charge of the work. The older one, Hans, supervised the construction of the church; the younger one, Stephen, the town hall. Both were experienced in the art of building, having participated together in the construction of many a marvelous structure, also in southern Europe. They proceeded once again together with the plans, extending to one another the hand of true friendship and swearing that they would help each other like good brothers, without hate and without envy.
Because every good work should be rewarded, if it is to advance and succeed, the man who finished his project first was promised a reward, provided that the work was worthy and without blemish.
Do you want to know what kind of reward it was to be? A very unusual reward, neither of gold and silver, nor a medal of honor: It was the mayor's beautiful daughter.
Both stonemasons had cast their eyes on the girl at the same time, and this was no secret to her father. Because both were skilled and upright people, the mayor did not care if his daughter would take the one or the other as a bridegroom. Thus he promised her to the one who would first complete his building. However, the bride-to-be was not consulted in this matter. In her heart she had already chosen Stephen, the younger man.
As luck would have it, Stephan completed his building first. The town hall was finished, but the church tower's steeple was still missing. The competition was over. Stephan was to take home the mayor's wealthy and beautiful daughter as his bride.
This was a difficult test of friendship. Hans accepted his fate without envy and complaint, devoting himself to his friend as before. But Stephan could not see it the same way. He did not feel right surrounded by good fortune while his friend was unhappy. Thus he walked about sadly and despondent, thinking to himself how he might be freed of his misery.
One day he disappeared. In his room, instead of himself, there was a stone statue of him and a written message, in which he extended his final greetings to his friend and to his bride-to-be. He revealed to them his decision to join a distant monastery.
The legend does not tell us if Hans took home the abandoned bride. However, the friend appears to have lost all joy in his work, because the church tower's steeple is missing even today.
The statue of loyal Stephen is still preserved in the town hall of Wasserburg.

Read more...

Why The sky is so high

Long ago, the Sky was quite low. If you stood on a stool and stretched your hands up as high as they would go, you could touch the Sky.
At that time, far on the Horizon, where the Sky was always especially low, there was a village. In that village, in a little mud hut thatched with straw, there lived a bent Old Woman.

This bent Old Woman was the oldest woman in that village, possibly the oldest woman in the world. She was so old she no longer remembered any other way of being. She lived all alone in her little mud hut, for she had neither friend nor family left in this world. She had nowhere to go and no one to talk to. So all day long, she would potter round her hut, first cleaning this corner, now dusting that, now scrubbing this bit of floor, now sweeping that. The bent Old Woman thought of nothing else any more, except more and more ways of sweeping and scrubbing her little mud hut.
One hot summer, the land was dry with thirst. There was dust everywhere - on the trees, on the roofs of huts and houses, in people's throats and eyes, even in the air. All over the village people were coughing and sneezing and choking with the dust. Even the poor old Sky was not spared - it was so close to the ground that the slightest bit of wind would set it coughing with the dust that rose from the parched land.
The bent Old Woman's hut too was covered with dust. The old woman swept and swept and swept the little hut with her broom. She swept the inside of her hut, she swept the outside of her hut, she swept the front step and she swept the front yard. But the dust rose all around her in great brown clouds - the more she swept and plied her broom, the more the dust that rose from the earth.
The poor Sky began to choke with all the dust that the bent Old Woman was raising with her broom. The dust got into its throat and tickled its nose and made it sneeze - a great big sneeze that shook the world with its thunder. People covered their heads and ran indoors in fright. But the bent Old Woman barely noticed - she kept on sweeping with her broom.
The Sky sneezed again - the dust was becoming unbearable. It got into its eyes and made them water - so that great heavy drops of rain began falling into the dry dust below. The bent Old Woman barely noticed - till finally a big splodgy raindrop fell right on to the patch she had just swept.
The bent Old Woman glared at the Sky and scrubbed the splodgy raindrop away. But then another raindrop fell, and another, till her swept and scrubbed front step was blotchy with raindrops.
This was more than the bent Old Woman could bear. She stood up as straight as she could with her bent old back and shook her fist at the Sky yelling at it to stop raining on
her nice clean front step. She cursed the Sky and threatened it, but the poor old Sky couldn't stop raining - its eyes were still so full of dust with all her sweeping.
At last, the bent Old Woman was so angry, that she picked up her broom, and thwacked the Sky with it.
The Sky gave another great sneeze and jumped out of her way. But the bent Old Woman kept thwacking it with her broom, again and again and again.
Finally the Sky could take it no more - the dust, the Old Woman's cursing, and especially her broom, thwacking it again and again and again. Sneezing and coughing, thundering and raining, the Sky flew up, up and away - out of reach of the Old Woman's broom and swore never to come down again.
So that is why the Sky is so high. Even on the Horizon, where it seems to be touching the earth, it really isn't any more.

Read more...

Why Opussum's Tail Is Bare

A long long time ago Opossum's tail was long and bushy.
He loved his tail and spent all day cleaning and brushing it. When anyone came to visit him, he made them listen to his latest song or poem about his tail. And when all the animals got together for a dance he demanded a special seat so everyone could admire his beautiful tail.
Wow! He was so boring!

Rabbit couldn't stand it any more. He decided to play a trick on Opossum. The next dance was booked for tomorrow night. He went to Opossum's house to invite him personally. "I must have a special seat" said Opossum "Everyone must be able to see my beautiful bushy tail".
"Of course you'll have a special seat"said Rabbit. "Everyone will see and admire your tail. No other animal has one as beautiful as yours."
Opossum swished his tail proudly, not realising Rabbit was making fun of him.
"As a special treat" said Rabbit, "Cricket the barber will comb and trim your tail tomorrow afternoon, so it will look more beautiful than ever." Opossum was very pleased and Rabbit ran off as fast as he could, because he couldn't stop laughing.
The next day Cricket came to Opossum's house. "Thank you for letting me groom your beautiful tail, Opossum. I will be able to tell my grandchildren."
"Yes, combing my tail is a great honour for your family" said vain Opossum.
Cricket took his comb and scissors and a long shiny red ribbon from his bag. "This is special ribbon" said Cricket. "When I've combed and trimmed your sumptuous tail I'll wrap it in this ribbon so it won't pick up any dust on your way to the dance".
"That's an excellent idea" said Opossum "My tail mustn't get dirty."
Cricket's gentle combing of his tail soon made Opossum sleepy.
He started to snore loudly and didn't stir until Cricket woke him. Opossum looked at the bright shiny ribbon wrapped around his tail. "All the other animals will envy my beautiful tail when I unwrap it" he said.
When he arrived at the dance, Rabbit led Opossum to his special seat. When the music started he stood up and said to the others "When I remove this ribbon, you can admire my beautiful tail as I dance. There is no other tail as beautiful as mine."
Without looking behing him, Opossum loosened the ribbon, wriggled his tail free and then vainly pranced around the dance floor in time to the music.
Rabbit put a hand over his mouth to smother his laughter. Cricket began to laugh in his little high pitched voice and all the other animals joined in. Finally vain Opossum could hear them over the music.
He looked at the other animals. They were laughing and pointing at his tail! He looked down, horrified. His long beautiful bushy tail was now as bald and scaly as a lizard's tail. Cricket had cut off every hair with his sharp scissors.
Opossum was so surprised and embarrassed he couldn't speak. All he could do was roll over on his back - which is what Opossums do today if you surprise or embarrass them.
THE END

Read more...