The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse” is a Norwegian folktale. There are also a lot of other stories pretty similar stories of two mice or rats that live opposite lifestyles. Aesop and Horace both have a story that is also called “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse.” There is a Romanian folktale called “The Story of the Town Mouse and the Field Mouse” and La Fontain has written “The Town Rat and the Country Rat.” The story in this podcast, however, is the only one of these versions that takes place during Christmas.
Aesop's version is pretty similar. Here the town mouse told his country mouse cousin that he didn't like the country way of life and he invited him to the town. The mice are attacked by the two dogs of the city mouse's house and the country mouse said that he preferred his own life. Horace's version can be described as the rhyme variant of Aesop's version. Jean de La Fontaine’s version is also a rhyme variant of the story, but with rats instead of mice. The Romanian folktale seems similar to the Norwegian folktale, except for it’s tragic ending. The field mouse had never met a cat. The town mouse hid when the cat came in and told the field mouse that it was a priest and that she should go and kiss its paw. The field mouse didn’t know better and did as she was told. The cat killed her and the town mouse went to empty the field mouse’s storage.
Always keep believing in your fairytale!
Kim
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