Post by Ro on Apr 7, 2002 17:32:56 GMT
I had and idea that I would like to submit to you: being of so many different places certainly everybody knows some nice folkloric stories about cats, other animals or even something else. What about telling them here ? As a sample let me begin with
Going as toad
There is a popular saying in Brazil refering to someone who goes to a party, class, picnic or other event without being invited or enroled – it is said that he/she is “going as toad”. There is even a verb “to toad”: EX – I didn’t know you were taking this course…? – Oh, I’m not ,I’m just “toading” around…<br>The origin of these expressions comes from a folkloric story I’m going to tell you here: “The toad who went to a party in heaven”.
Once upon a time there was to be a big party in heaven ( in portuguese “céu” means both heaven and sky) and all birds had been invited. There were some uncertainity as to bats should attend it or not but as no formal invitation had been made to them they choosed not to go. All other animals envied the winged ones. - “ Heaven ? – hissed the jaguar whipping his tail and pretending not to know – what kind of silly place is that ?”<br>- “ If it only weren’t sooo far – sighed the monkeys – we would certaily find a way to go. We climbed the hightest Jequitibá (one of the tallest trees in the Amazonian forest) but heaven was still far away…”
- “ Did, did, didn’t they invite us because we can’t fly ? – stuttered the not very bright tapir.”<br>“What a brilliant idea ! – mocked the monkeys – really, who except you would be able to think of this…”
-“I’m going to be there – said the toad inflating his belly – mark my words !”<br>-“Ha! Ha! Ha! – answered everybody else.”<br>And so among teasings and arguments the long awaited day came at last. All birds, some in flocks some alone, departed in front of the many wistful eyes. Also the Urubú (big black vulture, not very pretty, but a master in the art of flying) took his guitar and flew away.
There were so many arriving in heaven that nobody could tell where he had come from – but there he was – the toad ! Not shy at all, he asked the heron for a dance, joined the choir of singing birds in a way only toads are able to and even dared to criticise the Uirapurú’s solo (Uirapurú, a small amazonian bird is said to be the best of all singers and legend has it that all birds are silent when the Uirapurú sings) saying that himself could do better. Hours passed and the toad meddled in everybody’s talk and business. When the eastern hirizont began to turn pink and orange, bird after bird began to fly home and also the Urubú picked up his guitar and began to fly. But… what was that curious noise inside his guitar ?… didn’t it sound like snoring ? The Urubú took a look inside – and who do you guess was there ? The toad !
-“ Aha! – the Urubú said – that’s how you came to the party and nobody saw you ! But never mind ! let’s see now how toads can fly !” he turned his guitar and the toad fell out of its hole. Looking down while falling the toad saw lots of big pointed stones beneath but so boisterous he was that he shouted –“ Look out stones ! Run or I’m going to smash you !” The stones didn’t move and the poor toad landed on them and was teared in many pieces. It happened that Yara, the amazonian river goddess took pity of the silly boisterous one (in some no doubt never versions it was Saint Mary) , mended the teared parts together again and gave him his life back. That’s the reason why toads have so many scars on their skin and the reason why people who go without invitation where tey have no business to do are called toads.
Going as toad
There is a popular saying in Brazil refering to someone who goes to a party, class, picnic or other event without being invited or enroled – it is said that he/she is “going as toad”. There is even a verb “to toad”: EX – I didn’t know you were taking this course…? – Oh, I’m not ,I’m just “toading” around…<br>The origin of these expressions comes from a folkloric story I’m going to tell you here: “The toad who went to a party in heaven”.
Once upon a time there was to be a big party in heaven ( in portuguese “céu” means both heaven and sky) and all birds had been invited. There were some uncertainity as to bats should attend it or not but as no formal invitation had been made to them they choosed not to go. All other animals envied the winged ones. - “ Heaven ? – hissed the jaguar whipping his tail and pretending not to know – what kind of silly place is that ?”<br>- “ If it only weren’t sooo far – sighed the monkeys – we would certaily find a way to go. We climbed the hightest Jequitibá (one of the tallest trees in the Amazonian forest) but heaven was still far away…”
- “ Did, did, didn’t they invite us because we can’t fly ? – stuttered the not very bright tapir.”<br>“What a brilliant idea ! – mocked the monkeys – really, who except you would be able to think of this…”
-“I’m going to be there – said the toad inflating his belly – mark my words !”<br>-“Ha! Ha! Ha! – answered everybody else.”<br>And so among teasings and arguments the long awaited day came at last. All birds, some in flocks some alone, departed in front of the many wistful eyes. Also the Urubú (big black vulture, not very pretty, but a master in the art of flying) took his guitar and flew away.
There were so many arriving in heaven that nobody could tell where he had come from – but there he was – the toad ! Not shy at all, he asked the heron for a dance, joined the choir of singing birds in a way only toads are able to and even dared to criticise the Uirapurú’s solo (Uirapurú, a small amazonian bird is said to be the best of all singers and legend has it that all birds are silent when the Uirapurú sings) saying that himself could do better. Hours passed and the toad meddled in everybody’s talk and business. When the eastern hirizont began to turn pink and orange, bird after bird began to fly home and also the Urubú picked up his guitar and began to fly. But… what was that curious noise inside his guitar ?… didn’t it sound like snoring ? The Urubú took a look inside – and who do you guess was there ? The toad !
-“ Aha! – the Urubú said – that’s how you came to the party and nobody saw you ! But never mind ! let’s see now how toads can fly !” he turned his guitar and the toad fell out of its hole. Looking down while falling the toad saw lots of big pointed stones beneath but so boisterous he was that he shouted –“ Look out stones ! Run or I’m going to smash you !” The stones didn’t move and the poor toad landed on them and was teared in many pieces. It happened that Yara, the amazonian river goddess took pity of the silly boisterous one (in some no doubt never versions it was Saint Mary) , mended the teared parts together again and gave him his life back. That’s the reason why toads have so many scars on their skin and the reason why people who go without invitation where tey have no business to do are called toads.
