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What’s with this “Wren” thing?
The oldest extant version of the fable
we
are presenting here appeared in 1913 in the first volume of a two-volume anthology
of Low
Saxon folktales (Plattdeutsche
Volksmärchen “Low German Folktales”)
collected by Wilhelm Wisser (1843–1935). Read
more ...
Þá wæs wrenna þe in wægnhúse nestlode. Hé þǽr wunode mid his cynne. Sume dæge
éode hé út and his gemaca tó sécenne fódan tó bringenne hira briddum, léton
hira briddas ǽne.
“Gé cildru ábídaþ hér,“ sægde se fæderwrenna. “Ic gá, him tó lǽrenne,
swá þæt hé nǽfre forgiete! Ne sorgiaþ, cildru. Ic hine finde.“ Þus dráf hé
þone áglǽcan.
Hé bíegde ymbe hwamm and seah léon forþgangendne, ac hé him ne dréd. Hé
lendde rihte on léonbæc and ongann him tó giellan. “Hwá þencst þu tó béonne
on eorðan, mid þý þe þu cymst tó mínum neste and egsast mín cildru þearle?!”
Se muntléo ne híerde ac þǽm wrennan tó, ac férde forþ.
Þæt tínde se wrenna éac furðor, and ongann sóðlíce giellan tó muntléon.
“Þu næfst náne race tó cumenne tó mínum neste, and gif þu eft cymst,” sægde
hé, “þonne leofast þu þæt tó hréowenne. Ic nelle þearllǽcan,” sægde hé, hóf
his scancan in þá lyfte, “ac ic brece þínne hneccan in bearhtmhwíle!”
Þǽm gesægdum, fléw hé on bæc tó his neste.
“Nis nú náht tó sorgienne, cildru,“ sægde hé. “Ic tǽhte him láre. Hé ne
cymþ eft ongéan.”
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