ABSTRACT
The fox approaches the wolf with a pact of friendship: both will hoard food together and save it for a rainy day. The sly fox sneaks out at night, however, pretending to act as a midwife, and stealthily raids the provisions. Perhaps an interesting variation is the subterfuge used by the fox, which indicates an intent to dechristianize the tale. Instead of being a godfather, the she-fox claims to be a midwife, a traditional female occupation among Sephardim. A powerful lion falls in love with a beautiful maiden and follows her to her home. To discourage the animal, the girl’s father demands that the lion be declawed, that its teeth be pulled out, and its hairy mane shaved off. As the lion becomes old and lazy, he works out a scheme to provide himself with food without effort, as befits the king of animals. He pretends to be sick and devours all well-wishers coming to pay their respects.
