Once upon a time there was a dear little chicken named Chicken Little.
One morning as she was scratching in her garden, a pebble fell off the roof and hit her on the head.
"Oh, dear me!" she cried, "the sky is falling. I must go and tell the King," and away she ran down the road.
By and by she met Henny Penny going to the store. "Where are you going?" asked Henny Penny.
"I'm going to tell the King the sky is falling," answered Chicken Little.
"How do you know the sky is falling?" asked Henny Penny.
"Because a piece of it fell on my head," she replied. "May I go with you?" begged Henny Penny. "Certainly," answered Chicken Little, and she hastened on, followed by Henny Penny.
Continue with Chicken Little, Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Ducky Daddles, Goosey Poosey, Turkey Lurkey, Gander Pander, Foxy Loxy and the King. The Chicken Little story was one of the Jakata tales from Buddhist Indian folklore.Sometimes it really does feel like the sky is falling.
76 comments:
Does that mean you are getting more and more of that white stuff falling!!
Beautiful photos and I hope that's all it means....well not all, that's a lot but you know...hope all is well.
Is this a metaphor for snow or ...??
I never knew it was from a Buddhist folktale. I'll have to look up some of the others to see which ones are vaguely familiar. For now, it is off to work under a clear, crisp sky.
That jug is adorable - rather a delicate handle though!
(Pssst - the last thing we want to do is tell the king. You know what happens then.)
Nice old jug you have there Ruth, but I really love the red table too!
My youngest used to LOVE the Chicken Little film and story - never knew it was from India!
:D
Beautiful close-up snaps....
Oh, you stinker! You knew I would love that pitcher! Is that a recent find or has it been in your family for a long time? There must be a story. Spill it!
I loved the Chicken Little story and The Little Red Hen when I was little. I even named two of my hens Henny Penny and Little Red. Thank you for giving me a sweet little lift this morning!
Sure the sky is falling! Tell that to the dinosaurs.
Oh wait a minute, the sky did fall on them!
Auntie Sandy! No no, it's not about winter. Well it can be about anything you want it to be. But I posted Chicken Little because of the economic times.
Sanna, no not snow, more like the end of the world. Well, it feels like that for some. I'm so thankful to have a job, and for Don to have a job. I'm miserable for the folks who don't and are really struggling. So, I don't mean to make light of any of it by posting Chicken Little, but sometimes I wonder how it will all turn out.
The little pitcher is one of my favorites.
Loring, what? Maybe nothing?
Nah, you're a good role model for telling the King.
Stiggy my friend, thanks, this little pitcher is one of my favorite things. I keep my makeup brushes in it. :| So I get to see it close up every morning.
I haven't seen the movie "Chicken Little." I was surprised too about the origin. Does your youngest call any of your chickens Chicken Little?
Hi there, Deepak, thank you. I love the cracked glaze in the pitcher.
Dear Susie Q, ha! Well, I'm wracking my brain for a good story, but I'm afraid there isn't one about this pitcher. I'm glad you love it too. I think I just nabbed it at an antique store. I love everything about it, especially the crackled glaze.
I know, as kids, those repetitive stories are so effective, aren't they?
Barry, I was picturing that when I posted this actually. Not the dinosaurs, but the meteor shower. Just as a metaphor for our dreadful state of affairs in the economy of course.
Cute story. I didn't know it had Buddhist roots
That is such a cute creamer.
Every kid in India reads or hears all the Jataka tales and Panchatantra tales growing up :). Or atleast used to.
Panchatantra was my favorite though. The story goes that a King vexed with his sons' foolish behavior finally sends them to a sage. So they could be made ready for their duties. And the sage, to hold their interest in the lessons, made up the stories, there's 84 tales in all, to teach them a sensible way of living.
Somedays it feels like the sky is falling that's why the gods invented wine.
Darling pitcher. I love little pitchers and have a collection of tiny Niloak ones. I had forgotten about that little story. Reminds me of my Granny. She used to read it to me.
Stop by and get your award!
Hi, Kanmuri, I wonder if these tales made it to Japan?
Mystic! So nice to see you. You see, there is another layer of Indian culture I have to learn.
Cathy, ha! It's true for me, because it just makes me sleepy, and then I'm not thinking about it all.
Jill, I had never heard of Niloak before your comment, so I Googled it. I've never seen it before either! I have a pitcher collection too, mostly white ones. I use them for cream, sauces, flowers. Nothing like a tiny one filled with grape hyacinth and mini daffodils.
Thank you so much for the award!
I love that pitcher. Where did you find it?
Debbie, I think it was at a local antique store. There are no markings on the bottom, so I'm guessing it's one of a kind.
Such a charming little pitcher!
I love old vintage pieces and this is so sweet. Is a family heirloom?
The sky is falling and we can feel it too! Holding on to Hope:)
Hi there, Anet! It is something my dad would have loved, but no, I picked it up a decade ago somewhere in Williamston, I think, maybe at the big antique mall there.
I'm holding on with you, dear Anet.
Beautiful shots, love the contrast with the red table, and yes the sky actually feels like it is falling sometimes,lol.
What a wonderful post...the first thing it made me think of was our economic situation...Thanks for introducing me to the Jakata tales!...it is interesting how fairy tales evolve with different cultures and times..
Love the photos!
Ruth,
I never knew the origin of the Chicken Little tale; thanks for enlightening me (we are more global than perhaps we realize).
Cute pitcher, too.
Yep, and it's for real this time.
Our dept. just laid off 5 people this week, and in dec they laid off many more.
Here's hoping things get better soon, but we know it will be a year or longer before something starts to show......positive, I hope.
This is a bad time, but a time when the less fortunate people are better off. They have nothing to lose ;O)
Seeing that there is no light at the end of the tunnel, Purtle Turtle says, "When will it stop?"
My DH and I are OK... but I worry about our children and our grandbabies. Recently someone offered my recently retired DH a part-time job. He did not hesitate. He took that job not for us...but for the part of the sky that might fall on ours.
Take care! Keep the faith!
Always loved that story.
With the sky falling maybe we will all return to basics and stop living beyond our means. Learn how to save for things we might like to have instead of buy now and pay later.
I feel we will have sunny days and starry nights again, but its going to take at least 18 months to 2 years before we see improvement. After all this was years in the making.
Loved the old tale of Chicken Little and yes sometimes this world feels like its falling apart and the sky is falling too. Great photos of your charming pitcher.
Hey Ruth! Thanks for leaving me a comment! Love the pitcher. I feel like I've seen it before. I used to love the story of Chicken Little. Still do actually. It has so many meanings behind it. When I was younger I really thought the sky was falling and would run in the house. I remember hearing somewhere that it was a Jakata tale, but never thought to much about it. Thanks for bringing back those memories!
I think I can relate to chicken little. Endless snow!! Love the story..and your accompanying w-a-r-m images!!!
Yes this could mean so many things.. whatever our dear little minds will lead us.. and it does want to lead us ... especially after hearing this or that... or reading this or that or... almost anything these days..
we have to all hang on and work through it....
and that pitcher is so cute... and you know how much I love chickens!!!
Hey Ruth you are something else lol, the sky is falling all the time here, just kind of white. Nice pics, I love those cups with decorative handles. I remember once I worked at this place, and there was this guy from hippy era that used to carry thig cup with handle being a naked woman, lol. He was really cool guy, lol. Excellent post. Anna :)
Chief Vitalstatistix lived with the fear of sky falling on his head, those who are familiar with Asterix comics would be smiling now Ruth.
Hi Bob! That old red farm table has been a great find for us. Sometimes the sky is falling, and you have a piece of it!
Thanks, Oliag! Did you know that the word "pyjamas" came from Hindustani, but originated from Persian?
I know, DS, it's true. We absorb constantly without realizing it. I love the Oxford English Dictionary, which gives the full etymology of words. So fascinating.
Coffee Messiah, oh, I'm sorry. We have to dig in and be patient. I wish the stimulus package wasn't happening, I think we just need to wait it out.
Just greetings to you from Joensuu and me of course!
I feel tired after rolling down and reading all your comments, so, I think, I have to go and rest a little :)
Happy Sunday to you, ours is almost over!
Babs, there is that. If I take pleasure and satisfaction in the small and mundane, it helps keep expectations down to earth.
CottageGirl, we need to adjust to harder times, I don't think we'll ever have the boom again, which is fine. I hope we can get to a point of simple, sensible living.
Hi, Dakota Bear, we are such a quick fix culture, aren't we? In the history of our country, change has been constant, and I think it's part of our psyche. We need patience, you're right. I wish our President could resist the stimulus idea, because I really don't think it will help much, and we just have to ride it out.
Oh, Be One, did something hit you on the head when you were little outside? I had a terrible dream once that all the planets had come closer overnight, you could almost reach out and touch them.
Hi, Marcie! I haven't seen you in ages, since I stopped at Flying. I hope all is well with you.
Dear Gwen, now more than ever we are learning what we are made of, personally. In the worst times our true colors surface. I also wonder if there is a genetic tendency toward the positive or the negative, or maybe how we're raised. I think it's a very good thing to learn how to work smarter and maybe harder, and understand cause and effect. We have been living in Lala-land long enough.
Anna, potters can be so creative, can't they? Ha, well the hippie guy had his hands on a naked woman every day, hope he was happy and cool, hehe.
rauf, once again you stumped me. So I Googled Vitalstatistix and found a round colorful guy! Maybe you read Asterix as a kid. I never even heard of it. :|
My dear Leena, just do what I do, and take a few at a time. :)
I'm so glad to see you, I hope everyone is staying warm and happy.
interesting story. but didn't the chicken little cartoon has the same opening? hmm..
anyway i love ur header. they give me inspiration to write haiku!
Hi Ruth.
Of course the sky is falling.
Be sure not to miss ANY news broadcasts,or you may not realize what new disaster is befalling us.
Besides,the world will come to an end for each of us eventually.
I cannot change the world,but I have found that I can send out little ripples of Hope and Love.
I think they travel on almost forever like radio waves.
dear Ruth, i cannot stump you as Cricket is not played in the US.
Stumping is a smart and very fast piece of wicket keeping when the batsman steps out of his batting crease (line) to hit a spinner (bowler) misses the ball and the wicket keeper whips the bails in a flash. Stumps are the tree sticks at each end. The batsman stands in a state of shock given out stumped.
Hi Ruth. Yes, something did fall on me when I was younger...Leaves hahaha everytime the leaves fell I thought the sky was falling, but my mom cleared that up for me. Hope all is well!
Welcome, Renaye. I imagine the cartoon feature did have the same opening, I haven't seen it though. Apparently the story has been around quite some time.
I'm glad the header inspired you to write haiku! Hope you'll share it.
Carl, ain't it the truth!? Sometimes I get sucked into a blog or article or video and I have to shake myself free from the doom and gloom. I want to be realistic, obviously, but as Daniel Schorr just said, maybe talking about it all the time isn't helping!
I feel that you're right, we can make heaven here.
rauf, oh! That was kind of fun getting stumped this time. Goodness, I'd love to see you play cricket.
Be One . . . CUTE!
Everything is fine, thanks! Sun is shining, temp is above freezing.
and rauf, maybe 'stumped' orginated with cricket? I mean the way I used it?
Yes, the sky is falling in many ways. Let's just hope it will never fall in reality (meaning environmental problems). Children's stories are so wise.
i don't think the word originated from Cricket Ruth though i would like to believe it to be so. Some times 'stumped' is used when confused and not knowing what to do or finding no way out. But mostly i have seen the word being used when some one out-smarts you or surprises you with some sharp and and intelligent work when least expected. i googled and checked. i got nowhere. Cricket is mentioned in the origin of the word along with other possibilities.
Childhood memories. Chicken Little, The Little Red Hen, Little Black Sambo ... poor Sambo has gotten a bad rap ... he was Indian ... love the pitcher, too ... reminds me of one I got from my grandmother ... and I broke it. :(
Helena, I found many versions of Chicken Little online, and most of them all the little farm animals end up somewhere unknown with Foxy Loxy - not with the King. Old children's stories are pretty gruesome.
rauf, I wish I had an Oxford English Dictionary, well I can go to the library and look up the history of the word. There is also the 'stump' for when a politician campaigns, 'stumping' for votes.
I looked at cricket rules and setup at wiki, and I enjoyed all those bails and stumps and wickets. Looks a bit more alive than baseball.
Oh, MORNA, I didn't know Sambo was Indian. East Indian, or Native American I wonder?
Oh dear, sorry to remind you about the broken one.
You've obviously never watched cricket - alive? - the games last for hours, days even. It is interminable. They have tea breaks in the middle because it goes on for so long.
Sanna, oh. I've only seen video clips, and they look so aggressive! But yeah, if they go on for days, then we shouldn't complain about baseball's extra innings.
A lovely story, unfortuately illustrating something not quite so lovely!
Peter, now I'm wondering what was happening at the time this fable was written.
It caught my attention is because the other day i watched chicken little
BPO work from home
I read one of the Jataka Tales blocked in below and I turned on a libght bulb.
Here's the story:
The Future Buddha as Judge
A woman, carrying her child, went to the future Buddha's tank to wash. And having first bathed the child, she put on her upper garment and descended into the water to bathe herself.
Then a Yaksha, seeing the child, had a craving to eat it. And taking the form of a woman, she drew near, and asked the mother, "Friend, this is a very pretty child. Is it one of yours?" And when she was told it was, she asked if she might nurse it. And this being allowed, she nursed it a little, and then carried it off.
But when the mother saw this, she ran after her, and cried out, "Where are you taking my child to?" and caught hold of her.
The Yaksha boldly said, "Where did you get the child from? It is mine!" And so quarreling, they passed the door of the future Buddha's Judgment Hall.
He heard the noise, sent for them, inquired into the matter, and asked them whether they would abide by his decision. And they agreed. Then he had a line drawn on the ground; and told the Yaksha to take hold of the child's arms, and the mother to take hold of its legs; and said, "The child shall be hers who drags him over the line."
But as soon as they pulled at him, the mother, seeing how he suffered, grieved as if her heart would break. And letting him go, she stood there weeping.
Then the future Buddha asked the bystanders, "Whose hearts are tender to babes? Those who have borne children, or those who have not?"
And they answered, "Oh sire! The hearts of mothers are tender."
Then he said, "Who, think you, is the mother? She who has the child in her arms, or she who has let go?"
And they answered, "She who has let go is the mother."
And he said, "Then do you all think that the other was the thief?"
And they answered, "Sire! We cannot tell."
And he said, "Verily, this is a Yaksha, who took the child to eat it."
And he replied, "Because her eyes winked not, and were red, and she knew no fear, and had no pity, I knew it."
And so saying, he demanded of the thief, "Who are you?"
And she said, "Lord! I am a Yaksha."
And he asked, "Why did you take away this child?"
And she said, "I thought to eat him, Oh my Lord!"
And he rebuked her, saying, "Oh foolish woman! For your former sins you have been born a Yaksha, and now do you still sin!" And he laid a vow upon her to keep the Five Commandments, and let her go.
But the mother of the child exalted the future Buddha, and said, "Oh my Lord! Oh great physician! May your life be long!" And she went away, with her babe clasped to her bosom.
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Source: Buddhist Birth-Stories; or, Jataka Tales, edited by V. Fausbøll and translated by T. W. Rhys Davids (London: George Routledge and Sons, 1925), pp. xiv-xvi. First published 1880.
This story in a mythic form seems exactly transcribed in the Old Testament in King Solomon awarding a baby to the real mother willing to sacrifice her child than to seem the child cut in half. Same wisdom. Blending of sources? How are these stories related. Where are they threaded?
Edward, these old myths are fascinating, how they pop up in different literatures. Like the flood.
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