Why the Hare's Nose is Slit

Summary

In this enchanting tale, Little Jan and his friends gather around Outa, who narrates a story about the moon's message to mankind. The moon enlists the crocodile to deliver a message about life and death, but the lazy creature is outsmarted by the quick-witted hare, who alters the message. The moon's anger at the hare's deceit results in a chase and a fight, leaving the hare with a slit nose and the moon's face forever scarred. The story serves as a lesson on the consequences of deceit and the futility of violence.

Takeaways

• 🌕 The story revolves around Little Jan's curiosity about the moon and a traditional tale told by Outa.
• 🌙 The moon is personified as a lady who is both beautiful and sometimes cruel, reflecting its waxing and waning phases.
• 🐊 The moon sends a message to humans via the crocodile, illustrating the moon's cycles of life and death.
• 🦝 The hare, NE HOSA, tricks the crocodile into giving him the message to deliver, showcasing cunning and deceit.
• 💬 The message 'as I die and dying live, so also shall you die and dying live' is a profound statement about life's cyclical nature.
• 😱 The humans react with fear to the message, experiencing goosebumps and hair standing on end, symbolizing their mortality.
• 😜 Outa teases the children with the story, hinting at the deeper meaning behind the tale.
• 🤕 The moon attempts to punish the hare for his trickery, leading to a fight that results in the hare's slit nose.
• 🌗 The moon's scars represent the lasting impact of conflict, emphasizing the story's moral about the consequences of fighting.
• 📖 The story concludes with a moral lesson about the futility of fighting and the importance of peace.

Q & A

Why does the story mention the moon being 'slit'?

The story uses the term 'slit' to describe the nose of the hare, which is a result of a fight with the Moon. This is a metaphorical way to explain the hare's physical feature.

What is the significance of the moon's phases in the story?

The moon's phases symbolize the cycle of life and death in the story. The moon grows and shrinks, representing its 'life' and 'death', which is a message it sends to mankind through the crocodile.

Why does the Moon choose the crocodile to deliver her message?

The Moon chooses the crocodile because she believes pinching his tail will make him move quickly. However, the crocodile is depicted as slow and not very efficient, which leads to the message being delivered incorrectly.

What message does the Moon want to send to mankind according to the story?

The message the Moon wants to send is 'As I die and dying live, so also shall you die and dying live.' It is a metaphor for the cycle of life and rebirth.

How does the hare alter the Moon's message?

The hare changes the message to 'As I die and dying perish, so shall you also die and come wholly to an end,' which is a much more ominous and frightening message.

What happens when the hare delivers the altered message to mankind?

When the altered message is delivered, mankind becomes frightened and their hair stands on end, symbolizing their fear of death and the end of life.

Why does the Moon become angry with the hare?

The Moon becomes angry with the hare because he has altered her message and caused fear among mankind, which was not her intention.

What is the consequence for the hare after the Moon's anger?

As a consequence, the Moon tries to punish the hare by hitting him with a big stick, which results in the hare having a slit nose.

What moral does the story convey about fighting?

The story conveys that fighting is a miserable thing that leaves lasting marks and pain, even after the fight is over, and that it's best to avoid conflict when possible.

How does the story end, and what is the message to the listeners?

The story ends with a moral lesson about the consequences of fighting and the Moon's scars as a reminder. The message to the listeners is to avoid conflict and seek peace.

Outlines

00:00

🌕 The Tale of the Moon's Cruelty and the Hair's Slit Nose

In this paragraph, the story is set under the full moon where little Jan and Carol are captivated by its beauty. Jan wonders about the moon's distance and beauty, prompting the old native Outa to explain. Outa tells a tale about the moon being both beautiful and cruel, likening it to the natural order of things. The story shifts to a time when the moon sought a messenger for humans. She chose the slow crocodile, pinching his tail to make him move faster. The crocodile, however, was lazy and slow, leading to a humorous encounter with the hare, who mocked the crocodile's slow pace. The tale serves as a lesson about the moon's influence and the consequences of laziness and cruelty.

05:01

🐇 The Hare's Deception and the Moon's Revenge

This paragraph continues the story where the hare, Ne Hossa, tricks the crocodile into giving him the moon's message to deliver. The message is a profound one about life and death, mirroring the moon's phases. The hare, however, mischievously alters the message, causing fear among the humans who receive it. The moon, angered by the hare's deception, attempts to punish him but he escapes, only to be struck on the nose, leaving him with a permanent slit. The story concludes with a moral about the lasting impact of fights and the importance of peace, as the hare's nose and the moon's face bear the scars of their encounter. The paragraph ends with a call to subscribe for more stories, wishing the audience good night and sweet dreams.

Keywords

💡Moon

The Moon is a celestial body that orbits the Earth and is a central figure in the story. It is personified as a 'lady' in the narrative, symbolizing the cyclical nature of life and death. The Moon's phases are used to illustrate the message she sends to humans: 'as I die and dying live, so also shall you die and dying live.' This conveys the idea of rebirth and the eternal cycle of existence.

💡Crocodile

The crocodile in the story is depicted as a slow and somewhat lazy creature, initially chosen by the Moon to deliver her message to humans. However, his sluggish nature and the subsequent encounter with the hare lead to a change in the message's delivery, emphasizing the theme of procrastination and the consequences of not fulfilling one's duties promptly.

💡Hare

The hare, or 'little hair,' is a trickster figure in the story. He outsmarts the crocodile by taking over the task of delivering the Moon's message. The hare's actions lead to a humorous twist in the narrative, showing the cleverness and cunning that can sometimes disrupt plans, and also highlighting the theme of trickery and its outcomes.

💡Message

The message that the Moon wants to convey to humans is a profound one about the cycle of life and death. It is a central element of the story, reflecting on the inevitability of change and the continuity of life. The message is distorted by the hare, which adds a layer of irony and commentary on the unreliability of communication and the potential for misinterpretation.

💡Transformation

Transformation is a key theme in the story, represented by the Moon's phases and the hare's actions. The Moon's transformation from full to new and back again symbolizes rebirth and renewal. The hare's transformation of the message and his subsequent punishment by the Moon illustrate the consequences of one's actions and the transformative power of deception.

💡Punishment

Punishment is a significant concept in the narrative, as it is the Moon's response to the hare's deceit. The hare's slit nose serves as a physical reminder of the consequences of his actions, emphasizing the moral that one's deeds have repercussions. This punishment also adds a cautionary element to the story, teaching a lesson about honesty and the importance of integrity.

💡Cycle

The cycle is a recurring motif in the story, evident in the Moon's phases and the hare's eventual punishment. It underscores the idea that life is a series of recurring events and that actions have a way of coming full circle. The cycle of the Moon's phases is used to explain the concept of life, death, and rebirth, while the hare's cycle of trickery and punishment illustrates the circular nature of cause and effect.

💡Serenity

Serenity is a quality attributed to the Moon in the story, as it sails 'serenely in the cold sky.' This tranquility contrasts with the dynamic actions of the story's characters, particularly the hare. The serene Moon serves as a backdrop to the tale, providing a calm counterpoint to the lively and sometimes chaotic events that unfold beneath it.

💡Courage

Courage, or the lack thereof, is subtly addressed in the story through the characters' reactions to the Moon's message. The humans' fear and the hare's eventual flight from the Moon's punishment reflect different facets of courage. The story suggests that true courage is not merely about facing physical danger but also about accepting the truths and consequences of one's actions.

💡Fairy Tale

The story is presented as a fairy tale, a genre known for its magical elements, moral lessons, and imaginative storytelling. The use of a fairy tale framework allows for the exploration of complex themes like life and death, honesty, and the consequences of one's actions in an accessible and engaging way for the audience.

Highlights

Little Jan's contemplation of the full moon and its serenity.

The old native outa's explanation of the moon's distance and beauty.

The moon's cruelty and its connection to the hare's slit nose.

The tale of the moon's message to men, delivered via the crocodile.

The crocodile's slow journey and the moon's attempt to motivate him.

The hare's encounter with the crocodile and his mockery of the moon's message.

The hare's quick delivery of the moon's message to men.

Men's reaction to the moon's message and their fear of death.

The hare's deception of the moon about delivering her message.

The moon's anger and her attempt to punish the hare.

The hare's escape from the moon's punishment and his resulting slit nose.

The moon's scars as a result of the hare's retaliation.

The moral of the story: the consequences of fighting and the lasting marks it leaves.

The storyteller's invitation for the audience to subscribe for more tales.

The storyteller's wish for the audience's good night and sweet dreams.

The anticipation for the next story in the series.

Transcripts

story why the hair's nose is slit the

curtains had not yet been drawn nor the

shutters closed and little Jan looked

with wide serious eyes at the full moon

sailing serenely in the cold

Sky then he sighed as though thoughts

too big for expression stirred within

him and turned absently towards the

purring

fire and why does the big man make such

a sign asked out a Carol

it is like the wind in the mey land at

Sun

under little Jan's eyes slowly withdrew

their gaze from some inward vision and

became conscious of the old native outa

he said why is the moon so far away and

so beautiful and so

golden at to hear him now how can out to

tell it is mar so just like grass is

green and fire is hot so the the Moon is

far away and beautiful and

golden but she is a cruel lady sometimes

too and it is through her that the poor

little hair runs about with a slit in

his nose

today tell us outa little Jan dropped

onto the rug beside the basket of melee

cobs and the others edged

nearer and why do you call the moon a

lady asked Pai of the inquiring mind

but doesn't Basha know that the Moon is

a lady oh yes and for all her beauty she

can be cross and cruel sometimes like

other Ladies as you will

hear long long ago when the world was

quite young the lady Moon wanted someone

to take a message to men she tried first

one creature and then another but no

they were all too busy they couldn't go

at last she called the

crocodile he is very slow and not much

good but the lady Moon thought she would

pinch his tail and make him go

quickly so she said to him go down to

men at once and give them this message

as I die and dying live so also shall

you die and dying

live bajis know how the Moon is

sometimes big and round so and out 's

diminutive hands described a Wide Circle

and remained suspended in the air like

she is now in the sky then every night

she gets smaller and smaller so so so so

so till Clap The Crooked fingers come

together with a bang there's no more

Moon she is

dead then one night a silver horn hangs

in the sky thin very thin in it is the

new moon that grows and grows and gets

beautiful and

golden by the aid of the small claw-like

hands the moon grew to the full before

the children's interested eyes and so it

goes on always living and growing and

dying and living again so the lady Moon

pinched old o crocodile's tail and he

gave one jump and off he started with

the

message he went quickly while the moon

watched him but soon he came to a band

in the road round he went with a great

turn for a crocodile's back is stiff

like a plank he can't bend it and then

when he thought he was out of sight he

went slower and slower drift draff

drippity drift draff drift draff

drippity drift draff like a knee

haltered horse he was Tosh to too lazy

all of a sudden there was a noise shush

H HHH and there was the little

hair ha ha ha he laughed what is the

meaning of this drift draff drippity

drift

draff where are you going in such a

hurry o crocodile I can't stop to speak

to you NE HOSA said um crocodile trying

to look busy and to hurry up

the lady moon has sent me with a message

to men and what is the message o

crocodile it's a very important one as I

die and dying live so also

shall you die and dying live a but that

is a stupid message and you can't ever

run o you are so

slow you can only go drift draff

drippity drift draff like a knee

haltered horse but I go shush H HHH like

the

wind give the message to me and I will

take it very well said the lazy

crocodile but you must say it over first

and get it right so neas said the

message over and over and then shush

hhhh he was off like the

wind here he was there he was and you

could only see the white of his tail and

his little behind legs getting small in

the

distance at last he came to men and he

called them together and said listen

sons of the baboon a wise man comes with

a

message by the lady Moon I am sent to

tell you as I die and dying perish so

shall you also die and come holy to an

end then men looked at each other and

shivered

all of a sudden the Flesh on their arms

was like Goose flesh what shall we do

what is this message that the lady moon

has sent as I die and dying perish so

shall you also die and come wholly to an

end they shivered again and the goose

flesh crept right up their backs and

into their hair and their hair began to

rise up on their heads just like a no

but out forgets these bajes don't know

how it is to feel

so and the wide smile which accompanied

these words hid the expression of slight

teasing which sparkled in out's dancing

black eyes for he knew what it was to be

taken to task for imputing the courage

of his young

listeners but NE HOSA did not care he

danced away on his behind legs and

laughed and laughed to think how he had

cheated men then he returned again to

the moon and she asked what have you

said to men oh lady Moon I have given

them your message like as I die and

dying perish so also shall you die and

come wholly to an end and they are all

stiff with

fright ha ha ha husa laughed at the

thought of it what cried the lady moon

what

did you tell them that child of the

devil's donkey you must be punished a

but the lady moon was very

angry she took a big stick a Ki much

bigger than the one outa used to kill

lions with when he was young and if she

could have hit him then outa shook his

head hopelessly there would have been no

more little hair his head would have

been cracked right through but he is a

slim

curl when he saw the big stick coming

near 1 2 3 he ducked and slipped away

and it caught him only on the nose Foy

but it was sore NE HOSA forgot that the

moon was a lady he yelled and screamed

he jumped High into the air he jumped

with all his four feet at once and

scratch scratch scratch he was kick in

and hitting and clawing the moon's face

till the pieces

flew then he felt better and ran away as

hard as he could holding his broken nose

with both

hands and that is why today he goes

about with a split nose and the golden

face of the lady moon has long dark

scars yes baji fighting is a miserable

thing it does not end when the fight is

over afterwards there is a sore place a

for so long and even when it is well the

ugly marks remain to show what has

happened the best my little Masters is

not to fight at all Quote thank you for

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