Thorne-Thomsen - Bruin and Reynard Partners - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

I've been telling a lot lately about Harvest time. (It's popular with groups wanting to avoid Halloween.) That earlier post about Harvest includes some of the stories told. There's a story I call "Tops and Bottoms" but pioneer storyteller, Gudrun Thorne-Thomsen links to that traditional trickster, Reynard, the fox.  There are many versions of this story, but she boils down to its essential elements in her wonderful little book, East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon . While she was born in Norway and takes their traditional stories and presents them, as her Foreword says to "retain the conversational style of the teller of tales. .  . translated into the atmosphere of the old-time story-hour." That's spoken as the storytelling pioneer and Chicago librarian she definitely was. 

 

(No illustrations were found, so this is AI)

Bruin and Reynard Partners

Once on a time Bruin and Reynard owned a field in common. They had a little clearing up in the wood, and the first year they sowed rye.

"Now we must share the crop as is fair and right," said Reynard. "If you like to have the root, I'll take the top."

Yes, Bruin was ready to do that; but when they had threshed out the crop, Reynard got all the corn, but Bruin got nothing but roots and rubbish. He did not like that at all; but Reynard said that was how they had agreed to share it.

"This year I have the gain," said Reynard, "next year it will be your turn. Then you shall have the top, and I shall have to put up with the root."

But when spring came, and it was time to sow, Reynard asked Bruin what he thought of turnips.

"Aye, aye!" said Bruin, "that's better food than rye," and so Reynard thought also. But when harvest time came Reynard got the roots, while Bruin got the turnip-tops. And then Bruin was so angry with Reynard that he put an end at once to his partnership with him. 

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Be sure to look at that other Harvest post here. 

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This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, “Keeping the Public in Public Domain.” The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated. I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20^th century. My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them. I hope you enjoy discovering them.

At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.

See the sidebar for other Public Domain story resources I recommend on the page “Public Domain Story Resources."