Here is a collection of some tales of cows rather than cows with tails! I like telling these as we walk around the fields of West Town.
Balor (Ireland)
In the north east of Ireland are two rocks of granite one bigger than the other – they are called the cow and calf and this is the reason why!
There was a very famous cow called Glas Gablin belonging to Ulster. She could fill any bucket however big with rich creamy milk. She lived about the time that the De Dananns were in Ireland.
Balor of the Evil Eye, one of the De Danann Chiefs, wanted this cow for himself. He liked rich creamy milk very very much
Any why was he called Balor of the Evil Eye? He had only one eye and that was in the middle of his forehead. The eye was evil and could turn people to stone
So Balor and his servant went to the Mourne Mountains where Glaas Gavelin was grazing with her calf. He got the servant to drive the cow and her calf to to Wicklow, where he had his castle.
Keep the calf in front so that the cow does not look back and realise she is leaving her Ulster her home.
The servant did as he was told and everything went well until they crossed the great River Boyne.
- then the servant got careless
- he let the calf to walk behind the cow OH NO
- SO the cow missed the calf and she looked behind her to see where she had gone OH NO
- the cow saw the Mourne Mountains far away to the north, and knew that she was very far far away from from her native Ulster
- AND she gave a terrible scream the like of which was never heard before.
- Balor heard the roar and he understood there was something wrong OH NO
- SO he turned to see what was wrong …
- BUT he had forgotten to cover his eye OH NO
And so immediately the cow and calf were turned into stones one bigger than the other
The two rocks stand today as Balor left them – the cow on the south side and the calf on the north side. You can go and see them if you like.
GNS 1937-'38 Recorded by Mary Halligan, Strand St. Died 1906 Aged 89. From the archives of Skerries Historical Society.
Silver Cow (Wales)
A boy, his cows, his harp and a beautiful silver cow
Check out this page https://enthusied.org.uk/wonder/wiki/silver-cow
50 50 (India)
Two Aunties their cow, blanket and apple tree
Check here https://enthusied.org.uk/wonder/wiki/50
Mouse Deer and the King’s Birthday Cake (Indonesia)
The stories of Mousedeer are from Indonesia and are wonderful short tales of the trickery of Mousedeer as she finds so many ways to avoid being eaten by Tiger.
The King’s Birthday Cake involves Mousedeer, Tiger and a very large cake shaped chocolate looking cow pat. You can probably guess what happens. Other classics are The Kings Drum, The Kings Belt and the King’s Bridge!!
Aaron Shepherd has collated Mouse Deer stories here along with a whole host of other tales. A very good resource http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/R01.html “Mouse Deer is the favorite trickster of Indonesia and Malaysia, two countries of Southeast Asia. But what is a mouse deer? It is an animal about the size of a cat, and it lives in the jungles of Africa, Asia, and many Pacific islands. It has the legs and the tail of a deer, and the face and the body of a mouse—but it is not really a mouse or a deer. The mouse deer eats only plants, but lots of animals eat the mouse deer. To stay alive, it must be quick and smart. That is why the Indonesians have made Mouse Deer their favorite trickster. Any of their boys or girls can tell you tales about him.”
One man and his precious cow (Nigeria)
I have never found the right time and the right way to tell this one. Maybe sometime?
There was a man with three sons and a precious cow. The man was was very proud of his cow because she gave birth to a healthy calf every year. One day, the man asked his eldest son to take the cow grazing. The son took the cow to the fields where green grass grew and then to the water-hole for a nice long drink.
Later, the man asked his cow, Cow, did you have enough to eat?
Hmm. Your wicked son took me to the wilderness where no grass grows. Then he tied me up and went to sleep.
The man was angry with his eldest son and sent him away from home.
The eldest son wandered until he arrived at a farmhouse. There he met a kind farmer who taught him how to farm in both dry and wet seasons.
The farmer told the boy, One day I will have to send you back to your father, so you can teach him how to farm. Then he can depend less on that wicked cow
Meanwhile, the boy’s father had called his second son. “Go and graze the cow. She must be well fed and washed.” The second son took the cow to the green fields where she grazed. Then he gave her a bath and tied her to a tree to dry. As he waited for the cow to dry, he dozed off.
The father came by to see how his cow was doing.
Have you eaten? the man asked the cow.
Hmm. Your wicked son took me to the wilderness where no grass grows. Then he tied me up and went to sleep
The man was again very angry. He grabbed a big stick and woke his son up. Then he chased him away.
The second son wandered for days until he came upon the house of a blacksmith. The blacksmith taught him how to make hoes and matchets for farming as well as bows and arrows for hunting.
The blacksmith told the boy, One day, I will have to send you back to your father so you can teach him how to make these tools. Then he can depend less on that wicked cow
The father had now called his third and favorite son. “Go and graze the cow. Be sure to take good care of her for it will break my heart to send you away like your brothers” he warned his son.
The son took the cow to the green fields where she grazed and bathed. Then he tied her to a tree to dry. Just then the father arrived.
Cow did you have enough to eat?
Hmm. Your favorite son is just as wicked as his brothers. He took to the wilderness where no grass grows. Then he tied me up here to die
The man was very sad to hear this but still sent him away just like his brothers before him.
The third son wandered for many days until he reached the house of a great scholar. There he learned to read and write.
The father who was now alone took the cow grazing. He took the cow to a pasture where she ate plenty of lush grass and drank plenty of water while the man dozed under a tree. When the man woke up, he asked the cow,
Are you full?
The cow laughed.
You’re just like your sons. You took me into the wilderness. You gave me no food and no water. Then you ask me if I’m full?!
The man couldn’t believe what he heard. “Ahh, you’ve been lying to me all along”, he wailed. “I sent my sons away because of your lies.”
The man wandered from village to village looking for his sons but with no luck. After many years, he returned home a sad and tired old man.
One market day, he decided to go to the market to buy himself some food. When he got to the edge of the market, he was tired that he slumped and fainted. People ran to help him. The noise attracted everyone. Everyone including .. .. the eldest son who had come to sell some of his farm produce .. the second son who had come to sell the tools he made .. third son who had accompanied his teacher to the market to buy some food.
The boys noticed that that was their father who had fainted and at the same time, they found one another. They were overjoyed.
When the old man was revived, he wept with joy at seeing his sons once again. He asked for their forgiveness and pleaded with them to come back home.
My eyes were opened long ago. You are more precious to me than a cow
I had never heard this story until I read it in the book and I found it pretty amusing initially. When I thought about it some more, I realized that it is about a man’s attachment to his wealth. It is also about the man’s enslavement to a pastural lifestyle where the cow was king.
Creative Storytelling