The Straw Ox Fairy Tale

Once upon a time there lived a poor old man and an old woman. The old woman said, "Old man, make me an ox out of straw and smear its sides with tar." So the old man made an ox from straw and coated its sides with black tar.

In the morning the old woman took the ox to the meadow and sat down to spin. Out of the forest came a bear. "Little ox, little ox, who are you?" "I am a straw ox with tar on my sides."

"Give me some tar to mend my torn coat," said the bear, and he hooked the ox with his paw. At once his paw stuck to the tar. The old woman saw this and ran to fetch the old man. The old man caught the bear and locked him in the cellar.

The next day a wolf got stuck to the ox in just the same way, the day after that a fox, and last of all a hare. The old man locked them all in the cellar.

When the old man began to sharpen his knife, the bear begged, "Let us go, and I will bring you honey!" The wolf said, "I will bring you sheep!" The fox said, "I will bring you geese and hens!" The hare said, "I will bring you flowers and berries!"

So the old man let them go. And the animals kept their word: the old couple's yard filled up with honey, sheep and birds. They were never poor again and lived happily ever after.