Tale Summary
There was once a tough and clever cat, who had one ear, who belonged to a farmer. The man wished for a soft kitten instead, and so stuffed the clever cat into a sack and threw it into the forest. He clawed his way out and decided to find a good spot to lord over, thinking that he would like to live as royalty does. He stayed for some time at an abandoned hut, but grew annoyed that he had to hunt, as it was not befitting a lord to work for his food. He met a pretty gray young fox named Lisabet who greeted him politely, thinking he was quite handsome. He introduced himself as the new Lord of the Forest, Cat Ivan, sent from farthest Siberia to rule. He was invited to her home, and there they decided to get married and had a wedding supper. Lisabet went hunting for her new husband the next day and met her friend, a dashing young wolf, and announced that she had been married to royalty, demanding respect. The wolf wished to be acquainted with the new Lord, and agreed to bring a sheep for him when Lisabet suggested it, as well as to keep hidden while he did. The fox strolled peacefully knowing that the wolf would do her hunting for her. She then met another friend, a bear, who also wanted to pay his respects to her new husband, and agreed to leave a calf for him. Both the fox and the bear were terrified of the new lord, as Lisabet had warned them of his terrible temper. They left their kills outside for him, and asked a rabbit to present their gifts to the new Lord while they hid themselves; the fox hid under some leaves and the bear climbed up a tree, out of sight. Cat Ivan devoured the meat ferociously, and the bear was astonished that, hearing a purr for the first time, he thought that the cat complained that still it was “pooor-r-r-r pr-r-r-rovisions”. The wolf strained to get a good look at Cat Ivan and shook the leaves from his eyes, the sound of which the cat mistook for mice and pounced on the pile. The terrified wolf ran away, and Cat Ivan was so shocked that he sprung up into the nearest tree, where the hiding bear panicked at being found. He jumped from the tree and ran away. Lisabet, being clever, shouted after him to run because the cat was close behind. Ever since, Lisabet and Cat Ivan have lived in luxury, with fresh meat delivered to their door daily.
Fairy Tale Title
The Cat Who Became Lord of the Forest
Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)
André Bay, Marie Ponsot
Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)
Adrienne Ségur
Common Tale Type
Tale Classification
Page Range of Tale
pp. 11-15
Full Citation of Tale
“The Cat Who Became Lord of the Forest.” The Snow Queen and other tales : a selection of traditional Russian fairy tales, André Bay, Marie Ponsot, New York: Golden Press, 1962, pp. 11-15.
Original Source of the Tale
A traditional Russian tale.
Tale Notes
Research and Curation
Kaeli Waggener, 2024
Book Title
The Snow Queen and other tales : a selection of traditional Russian fairy tales
Book Author/Editor(s)
André Bay, Marie Ponsot
Illustrator(s)
Adrienne Ségur
Publisher
Golden Press
Date Published
1962
Decade Published
1960-1969
Publisher City
New York
Publisher Country
United States
Language
English
Rights
Copyright not evaluated
Digital Copy
Book Notes
A collection of fairy tales from different countries centered around winter, snow, and the Christmas season.