FOLKTALES ABOUT TAXES |
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FOLKTALES ABOUT TAXES Stories, Folktales, Folklore, Fairy Tales, Legends, Myths, History, Nursery Rhymes, Fantasy & Facts Scroll down or click on your choice below • SOS: Searching Out Stories/Info-Folktales/Taxes Advice, Comments and References from Storytellers, Teachers and Librarians |
SOS: SEARCHING OUT STORIES AND INFORMATION - FOLKTALES AND TAXES
Advice, Comments and References from Storytellers, Teachers and Librarians
(excerpts from Storytell posts plus original research)
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1) Query: Does anyone know any folktales about taxes? I have the nursery rhyme "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "William Tell," and "Oh-Oka and the Pickpockets." Any others?
Responses:
a) Here are a couple of Hodja tales:
Timur was known for disagreeing with his tax collectors. It was never a good idea to make such a despot unhappy. With tax collectors, his favorite punishment was to "make the tax collector eat his words" by ordering the unfortunate man to chew & swallow all his records. You can imagine the Hodja's distress when Timur fired the tax collector for Akshahir & promptly appointed his friend, the little Hodja. Now some say the idea was the Hodja's, but I really think he just told his wife why he was so upset. However it came to be, she baked sheets of her thinnest cookie dough & the Hodja kept all his tax records on the cookies. When Timur became dissatisfied with the Hodja's results, it was a sweet final job he had eating his words.
"Give me your hand and I will help you in the boat." The man refused and was about to drown when Peter asked the Hodja for help. Jesus said, "Take my hand and I will help you in the boat." When the man responded and was saved, Peter said "Miracle of miracles! You have saved that man." The Hodja said, "Mo miracle, I just used the right words. He is a tax collecter."b) I'll suggest a couple of Hodja stories. In "The Hodja Rescues the Tax Collector" the Hodja happens by the river, where the village tax collector has fallen in. Other people are shouting "Give me your hand!" but the victim ignores them. The Hodja reaches out from the bank and shouts "Take my hand!" The tax collector, of course, never gives anything but is happy to take the Hodja's hand. Later in the story cycle the Hodja himself is made the tax collector.
c) I found the following through Google: According to some traditions the men of Gotham pretended to be quite mad and stupid to avoid the costs that would have been entailed in hosting King John, who reigned from 1199 to 1216. King John might either build a hunting lodge or buy a castle and grounds around that place. Versions differ. The townsmen had no desire to be saddled with this expense, and therefore when the royal messengers appeared, wherever they went they saw the people occupied in some idiotic pursuit. The king was then told of it, abandoned his intention, and the "wise men" of the village remarked, "We know there are more fools that pass through Gotham than remain in it."
*Another version: The king was making his way towards Nottingham. His route would have taken him directly through land owned by the village of Gotham. At this time it was believed that wherever the King made his way would become a public highway. Thus, when the King's herald arrived in the village, he found those who lived there, engaged in various acts of apparent insanity. And since people thought madness was contagious at that time, King John changed direction to avoid them all.
* Now paying for a public highway is certainly taxation, and I think building a hunting lodge or castle would also count as taxes. So you can use any of the many Gotham stories, plus the explanation of their folly. And the line mentioned above: "There are more fools that pass through Gotham than remain in it" is too good to leave out of the story or stories.
We tell about the wise men of Chelm. However I never saw any version of the Chelm stories that showed the wise men as wisely tricking the king.Hodja collections:
• http://www.readliterature.com/hodjastories.htm
• http://u.cs.biu.ac.il/~schiff/Net/front.html
• http://www.story-lovers.com/listshodjastories.html
• http://www.e-citadel.com/HodjaFiles/index.html
• http://www.focusmm.com/kids/story_1.htm
Created 2004; last update 12/13/09
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