The Bremen Town Musicians
Here we have another tale with humor in our year-long #GRIMMread2019.
I never read this story to my children, but I would imagine it would have tickled their funny bones. My son especially enjoyed stories where the underdog tricks the bad guys, especially when it was funny. Add talking animals to the mix and it’s a winner.
Where does the humor lie in this story?
Crafty innocence combined with mistaken identity, culminating in one big raucous scene.
This story reminded me of movies like the animated film Over the Hedge and the live-action movie Furry Vengeance.
Crafty Innocence
You have these animals, who, seeing their usefulness to their owners rapidly declining, run away with the donkey to fulfill a new dream to become town musicians.
- The donkey—after tirelessly carrying sacs to the mill, his master will no longer feed him
- The hunting dog—too old to hunt, so his owner plans to kill him
- The cat—too old to chase mice, so his mistress wants to drown him
- The rooster—is going to be made into soup the next day
We are instantly sympathetic with them because they are no longer wanted. And however unlikely their dream is, we root for them.
Side note on funny names. Kids love funny names. My kids have never forgotten that President George Washington gave his dogs unusual names like Sweet Lips and Gus. Cracks them up to this day. So, when the donkey names the others Grab-Hold (dog), Beard-Licker (cat), Red-Head (rooster) and they call him Gray-Horse, well, that’s just a bonus to delight the audience.
Mistaken identity
Here’s where the comedy really takes off. The animals come across a robber’s den. (Instant tension when you say the word “robber” to a kid.) And they hatch a plan to gain entrance. Everyone piles up on the donkey, who puts his front feet up on the window. They start to sing and then crash through the window. The robbers think a ghost has come in and they run away!
Oh, but it’s just getting started…
The animals eat their fill, then spread out to sleep for the night.
The robbers rethink their exit and send a scout back to check things out.
Here’s where things go wild:
One big raucous scene
"The one they sent found everything still, and went into the kitchen to strike a light. He mistook the cat's glowing, fiery eyes for live coals, and held a sulfur match next to them, so that it would catch fire. But the cat didn't think this was funny and jumped into his face, spitting, and scratching."
- The Bremen Town Musicians
Things go from bad to worse at each animal takes a turn pummeling the robber.
"Then the robber ran as fast as he could back to his captain and said, "Oh, there is a horrible witch sitting in the house, she blew at me and scratched my face with her long fingers. And there is a man with a knife standing in front of the door, and he stabbed me in the leg. And a black monster is lying in the yard, and it struck at me with a wooden club. And the judge is sitting up there on the roof, and he was calling out, 'Bring the rascal here.' Then I did what I could to get away."
- The Bremen Town Musicians
Notice the escalation in absurdity? Well done, Bremen Town Musicians! They never do make it to town, as they’ve found the place they were looking for, where no one will bother them any more.
