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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 ...
De heggeköng hadde bued siin nest in de wagenskure. Nu de elders ha boide flioged uut, de wilde fatte enigting to ete for de lit fogels – on de ha lated dem heel alene.
After enig tiid de fader kom weder heem. “Wat ha skied hir?” he segge. “We ha doon ju enigwat, borne? Ji er heel scherriked!”
“Och fader” de segge. “Hir komde so en gröt buseman forbi, he liked so övel on früchtelig. He starede mid siin gröt öges in user nest. Darfor wi ware so früchted.”
“So” de fader segge, “Warto ha he gaan dan nu?”
“Wel” de segge, “He ha gaan to dat siid.”
“Wate hir” de fader segge. “Ig schal ga after hem. Blive stil, ji borne; ig schal fatte hem.” On he flioge after hem.
Waneer he kom rund de hörk, dar ga de leo. De heggeköng is doch nik früchted. He lande up de rüg af de leo on beginne to schelde.
“Warfor ha du komd to miin huus” he segge, “on ha du früchted miin borne?” De leo handele likas he merke nikenting on he ga wider.
Dan de lit skrier ware ennoch rasender. “Du ha nik enigting to make dar, so ig segge di, on waneer du schalde kom weder” he segge “dan du schal se wat skie!”
“Ig do det nik gerne,” he segge “Doch dan ig mot breke diin rüg in two stükke!”
Dan he flioge weder to siin nest. “So, miin borne,” he segge. “Ig ha lerned hem en lektion, he schal nik kom weder hir!”
Frontpage
De heggeköng hadde bued siin nest in de wagenskure. Nu de elders ha boide flioged uut, de wilde fatte enigting to ete for de lit fogels – on de ha lated dem heel alene.