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Below you will find three different Hare stories (or Rabbit stories; some traditions see the trickster as rabbit, and others as hare). The first story (in three parts) might be familiar to you already: this is an African version of the famous tar-baby story. In this story, you'll see that Hare has to confront another great African trickster, Tortoise; I have a page of Tortoise stories ready now too. The second story is about Hare and the Lion-King. The third story (in three parts) is about Hare and his friend Elephant... but being friends with Hare is a dangerous business, as you will see.
The Drought
The Drought
There was a terrible drought. Elephant, Jackal, Lion, all the animals decided to dance in the dry riverbed to pound out the water.
"That's ridiculous!" said Hare. "I'm not going to dance."
"Then you won't get any water," said Lion, who was their king.
The animals danced. Finally the water flowed again, and the animals drank happily.
All except Hare.
Then in the night Hare came and drank the water too.
In the morning, they saw Hare's footprints in the riverbank.
"I told you not to drink the water!" roared Lion.
Hare just laughed. "You can't stop me! I'm Hare!"
Hare and Tortoise
Hare and Tortoise
"We must stop Hare!" said Lion, but none of the animals knew how.
"I know how!" said Tortoise. "Cover me with tar so I'll look like a stone by the river's edge. Hare will step on me and get stuck."
"How kind of them!" Hare thought when he saw the stone. "They have given me a stepping-stone so I won't wet my feet."
Hare stepped. His foot stuck.
"Let go!" he yelled. "Or else I'll kick you!" Other foot stuck.
"Let go! Or else I'll headbutt you!" Hare's head stuck.
Then Hare heard Tortoise laughing.
The animals had caught him!
Hare's Punishment
Hare's Punishment
Hare's head and feet were stuck in the tar.
Tortoise then stood up and waddled over to the other animals.
King Lion pulled Hare off Tortoise's back and waved him in the air, shouting "How shall we punish him?"
"Burn him!" yelled Jackal.
"Burning's fine," said Hare. "Just don't whirl me by my tail against a stone."
"Drown him!" yelled Elephant.
"Drown me please," said Hare. "Just don't whirl me."
Lion roared and whirled Hare by the tail against a stone.
But Hare's tail came off, and he scampered away, laughing as he ran.
That's how Hare lost his tail.
That story about Hare came from South Africa, and the next story is also from South Africa:
Hare and Lion
Hare and Lion
Someone was stealing corn from the fields.
"I will catch and kill the thief!" roared King Lion.
He lay in wait, and he caught Hare.
"I'm no thief!" protested Hare. "I came to give you this crown!" He showed Lion a crown. "Lean against this tree, and I'll crown you."
Hare then parted Lion's mane to make room for the crown, and thus he tied Lion's hair to the tree.
Lion was trapped!
Then Hare scattered corn husks around Lion.
"Thief!" Hare yelled. "Come see the thief!"
All the animals came and beat Lion to death for stealing their corn.
This next story comes from central Africa around Lake Victoria Nyanza:
Hare and Elephant
Hare and Elephant
Hare and Elephant were best friends.
One day they heard music.
"The people are having a party," said Hare. "Let's go." Elephant agreed, and they went to the people's party.
"Let's dance!" said Hare. Elephant agreed, and they danced.
The people applauded Hare. "You're a good dancer!" But they laughed at Elephant.
"It's because you are too big to dance," said Hare. "I'll cut off some of your fat."
"Okay," agreed Elephant, "but you must give it back later."
Hare cut off Elephant's fat.
Then while Elephant was dancing, Hare ran off.
Elephant and Hare were not friends after that.
Hare and Buffalo
Hare and Buffalo
Elephant was angry. "Go get my fat from Hare!" Elephant told his friend Buffalo.
Hare welcomed Buffalo to his house. "I just made soup!" he said, and he gave Buffalo some elephant-fat soup.
"This tastes delicious!" said Buffalo. "What is it?"
"I made it with meat I found in a hole," said Hare. "There's lots more. I'll show you!"
Hare led Buffalo to a deep hole. "Go down there and take all you want!" he said.
When Buffalo got in the hole, Hare threw a boulder on his head and killed him.
Then he threw Buffalo in the soup-pot too!
Elephant keeps sending one animal after another to Hare, and Hare kills them all. Finally Elephant sends Leopard. Leopard manages to jump fast enough to escape the boulder, and then he plays dead in order to catch Hare. Here's what happens next:
Hare and Leopard
Hare and Leopard
Leopard played dead to catch Hare.
"Fine meat!" Hare chortled. "And fine fur!"
He tied Leopard's body with rope and made a head-pad of grass to carry the load.
As Hare walked, Leopard dug his claws into Hare's head.
"What sharp thorns that grass has!" Hare thought.
Leopard kept clawing, and Hare kept groaning.
Wolf came running. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Help me carry this load," said Hare, "and I'll give you half."
Wolf put the load on his head.
Leopard started clawing Wolf!
Wolf groaned, and Hare ran off, laughing.
Then Leopard broke free, grabbed Wolf, and ate him.
Author's Notes. I have told these stories in 100-word style, and I hope to make a whole book of Hare/Rabbit stories from Africa as a follow-up to the book of Brer Rabbit stories that I am working on right now (if you're curious, here is a Brer Rabbit Storybook I made for this class two years ago) . As folklorist Florence Baer demonstrated in her book, Sources and Analogues of the Uncle Remus Tales, the majority of the Brer Rabbit stories come from African storytelling traditions.
Because of the short style, these stories do not have all the fun details of the original versions, but you can consult the bibliography below for links to the stories online. I chose to use public-domain online sources so that you would be able to click and read the originals if you want. In the story of the drought, for example, it is fun to listen to the animals arguing about just how best to punish Hare. In the story of Hare and Lion, there are all kinds of great details about how Hare deceives both the Lion-King and the other animals. In the story of Hare and Elephant, Hare uses a more elaborate trick to get Buffalo down in the hole, telling him that if he gets in the hole and sticks his horns out, animals will just jump right on his horns and impale themselves, so when Hare rolls a boulder down the hill, Buffalo thinks it is animals running to come jump on his horns.
Hare knows how to use all kinds of tricks to get his way, playing on his victim's greed, ego, etc. And, of course, Hare knows how to do that because he is very greedy and egotistical himself!
Bibliography. The story of Hare and Tortoise comes from South African Folktales by James Honey (online). The story of Hare and Lion comes from The Life of a South African Tribe by Henri A. Junod (online). The story of Hare and Elephant comes from Kiungani, or, Story and History From Central Africa by A. C. Madan (online).
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