The Rat And The Owl

: TALES ACCOUNTING FOR THE ORIGIN OF PHENOMENA.
: Aino Folktales

An owl had put by for next day the remains of something dainty which he

had to eat. But a rat stole it, whereupon the owl was very angry, and

went off to the rat's house, and threatened to kill him. But the rat

apologised, saying: "I will give you this gimlet and tell you how you

can obtain from it pleasure far greater than the pleasure of eating the

food which I was so rude as to eat up. Look here! you must stick the

imlet with the sharp point upwards in the ground at the foot of this

tree; then go to the top of the tree yourself, and slide down the

trunk."



Then the rat went away, and the owl did as the rat had instructed him.

But, sliding down on to the sharp gimlet, his anus was transfixed, and

he suffered great pain, and, in his grief and rage, went off to kill the

rat. But again the rat met him with apologies, and, as a peace-offering,

gave him a cap for his head.



These events account for the thick cap of erect feathers which the owl

wears to this day, and also for the enmity between the owl and the

rat.--(Written down from memory. Told by Ishanashte, 25th November,

1886.)



[B] The Aino name here used (ahunrashambe) denotes a horned species.