The Rooster Santiclair: Fables for Children

Abstract

Fable is used in an extended sense for these four literary fairy tales. In the first, Santiclair the wise and good rooster uses his bottom to suck a river dry and then to put out an oven's fires and again to suck up a treasure of gold coins and to deposit them when he is beaten. Through these means Santiclair ultimately sees to the death of her harsh mistress, on behalf of her good master. In the second story, Santiclair helps a young commoner win the hand of a princess with the help of a good deal of magic. The third story involves Santiclair suggesting Solomon's solution in a dispute over ownership of a horse: the horse should be split. The trick works again, as the real owner begs for the horse to be spared. In revenge, the evil Big-Ear wants to cook Santiclair in a soup! The rooster's defense involves sucking india ink into his bottom and then releasing it as the flunkies of Big-Ear try to kidnap him. In the fourth tale, the clever rooster remains unnamed and is not at the center of the action. This tale of a young man gifted with understanding animals' languages has perhaps the most sexist ending I have read in a fable book. The English is sometimes a bit surprising in this book. The vocabulary and grammar do not seem those of a normal English speaker. The copy needs a proofreader too, as typos like distrcit (24) show.