A Parallel to Comeacross and Doublecross

The first myth I will examine is The Fox, the Bear, and the Lion. This myth is about a poor man with a rich elder brother. The poor man's family is starving, and he goes to his brother to ask for assistance. Being a miser and having a bad heart, the brother turns him away with nothing to show for his efforts. The poor man is disgraced by his brother's behavior, and his failure to support his family, and he runs off into the woods.

One night he is sleeping in a secluded mill, when he awakes to hear a lion, fox, and bear talking. They mention various easily attainable riches, as well as the cure for the king's daughter (the aforementioned dog heart). The man succeeds, and finds all the wealth as well as curing the king's daughter. He returns home to his family. His brother is astounded by the sudden turn of fortune and eventually falls into financial trouble himself. The elder brother is forced to ask the younger for assistance that the younger gladly provides. He also does him the (unknowing) disservice of telling him about his encounter at the mill. The brother in a zealous haste runs to the mill. There he hears the three animals once again, this time discussing the loss of their riches. The fox smells the scent of the brother. Thinking that he is the one who took their possessions, they rip him limb from limb.

As one can see, this somewhat tragic story has a clear moral, that of compassion and charity. If the brother in the first place had aided his sibling, he would not have ended up dead. It also teaches against jealousy and blind haste.

Source: _Jewish Mythology_ (http://www.studyworld.com/newsite/ReportEssay/literature/Mythology\Jewish_Mythology-32946.htm)


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Alan D. Corré
corre@uwm.edu