quotes_feb15_2004.htm

…’Well, suppose you say that I said that she said something quite different, I don’t see that it makes any difference; because if she said what you said I said she said, its just the same as if I said what she said she said. On the other hand …’

This is from “The Beginning of the Armadilloes” in Just So Stories. Slow-and-Solid Tortoise and Stickly Prickly Hedgehog are using their wits to escape from Painted Jaguar. The technique for catching Slow-and-Solid (who can swim) doesn’t work for Stickly Prickly (who can curl up), so they are baffling Painted Jaguar by not telling him which is which. His Mother has given him some shrewd advice which may enable him to get them. They respond by merging themselves into a new creature, the Armadillo, who can both curl up and swim.

He took the Elephant – All-the Elephant-there-was – and said, ‘Play at being an Elephant, and All-the Elephant-there-was played. He took the Beaver – All-the-Beaver-there-was – and said, ‘Play at being a Beaver’, and All-the-Beaver-there-was played. He took the Cow…

This is from “The Crab that Played with the Sea” in Just So Stories. In the Very Beginnings the Eldest Magician is getting things ready, giving all the animals their tasks, and making them obedient to Man; but Pau Amma the great King Crab goes away and hides in the deep waters. He causes terrible problems for the Man by playing with the sea, and making the waters flow up and down every time he goes in or out of his vast hole. The Master Magician catches him, and makes him tiny, so that he can cause no more trouble, and gives him a pair of scissors to protect himself with. Now he can hide in any tiny hole.

…he went on between the lilies and the loquats and the roses and the cannas and the heavy-scented ginger-plants that grew in the garden, until he came to the great camphor-tree…

This is from “The Butterfly that Stamped” in Just So Stories. Suleiman bin Daoud (King Solomon) goes into his garden, much plagued by his quarrelsome wives. He has been unwilling to cow them by showing off his magical powers, but later in the tale he does so, just to help make peace between a butterfly and his own quarrelsome wife. Peace reigns.