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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 ...
Fering North Frisian (of the North
Sea Island of Feer/Föhr,
Schleswig-Holstein, Germany)
A wonterköning hed sin neest uun’t waanjhüs. Iansis wiar a ualen ütjflaanjen. Jo wul för jar letjen wat tu iidjen haale an hed jo gans alianing leet.
Beeft en sküür kaam a ual weder tüs.
„Wat as heer do luas weesen?“ fraaget hi. „Hoker hee ham jam wat den, jongen? Jam san jo stif ferfiard!“
„Ach, aatj,“ saad jo, „heer kaam jüst eewenst en graten buschemaan loongs. De siig so arig an skrekelk ütj! Hi glöret mä sin grat uugen iin uun üüs neest. Diarfaan san wi so baang wurden!“
„Na,“ saad a ual. „Huar as hi do ufblewen?“
„Ja,“ saad jo, „hi as diar loongs gingen.“
„Teew’em!“ saad a ual, „diar wal ik beeft efter. Jam täär ei muar baang wees. Ham wal ik wel fu.“ An so floog hi beeft uun.
Üüs hi am a huk kaam, lep diar en löw. A wonterköning wiar ei ferknöt an seed ham deel üüb a rag faan a löw an begand tu kiiwin. „Wat heest dü bi min hüs tu schüken,“ saad hi, „an min jongen so’n skrek üübtujaagin?!“
De löw kiard ham diar goorei am an lep man widjer.
Diar begand det letj, drist mantje iarst rocht tu kiiwin. „Goor niks heest dü diar ferleesen, sai’k di! An wan dü noch ens weder komst,“ saad hi, „do könst dü wat belewe. Ik du at ei hal,“ saad hi an laft do en bian ap, „man ik breeg di a rag troch!“
Diarbeeft floog hi weder turag tu sin neest.
„So, jongen,“ saad hi, „ham haa ik winj faan föören den. Hi komt ei weder.“
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