The Ungrateful Son by The Brothers Grimm

Hello lovelies!

It’s Fairy Tale Tuesday. Another great day for a tale by the Brothers Wilheim & Jacob Grimm.

Today I am writing about The Ungrateful Son. It’s a short fairy tale with a moral weaved throughout it.

It’s a story about a greedy, self serving son who decided not to share his roasted chicken with his elderly father. It’s interesting how some things never change we live in such a materialistic, egocentric world, where generations of adult children have grown up believing they are the centre of the universe, imposed on them by their society, education, media and yes even their own parents.

It was not always like this. Many cultures such as the Asian cultures were reared to take care of their aging parents who raised them from childhood into adulthood. The children are raised to respect their ancestors, a wonderful tradition that I personally would like to see return to Western cultures.

In First Nations tribes the Elders are respected by their youth, Elders are the keepers of the wisdom, traditions and share their oral legends. Their Shaman who sometimes is the Chief upholds their Spiritual wisdom and rituals. Many of the Shamans are also Medicine men or women who perform healing rituals to their own indigenous people. I love this!

Quote of Floyd ‘Red Crow’ Westerman in Public Domain.

Today we see in western culture, many egotistical young adults that direly misuse their aging parents like ATM machines without ever returning any favor.  We witness too many forgotten seniors sent away into Elderly Care institutions, some never to see their families again. Tossed away like a pair of worn out shoes. It breaks my heart. The Poor treatment of elderly parents has been going on before Covid19 so please do not use this virus as an excuse to mistreat Seniors.

Sure, maybe some parents were not the best. I realise that but no parent or person is perfect. It’s time for all of us to respect and include our aging population beginning with our parents and grand parents. There is much to gain from their collective wisdom, history and humor.

Now on with the tale.

 

The Ungrateful Son

A man and his wife were once sitting by the door of their home, they had roasted a chicken it was placed in front of them and were about to eat it together.

Then the man saw that his aged father was walking towards their front door, the man hastily snatched the chicken and hid it, for he did not desire his father to partake of it.

The old man entered his son’s home, took a drink and went away.

Now the son wanted to return the roasted chicken to his kitchen table again, but when he lifted it up, it changed into a great toad, which hopped onto his face and squatted there. The great toad never went away again, and if anyone wished to take it off it looked venomously at them as if it would jump onto their face, so that no one would attempt to grab it.

The ungrateful son was forced to feed the great toad each day, or else it fed itself on his face; and thus the son with the great toad upon his face, went about the world never knowing no rest.

The End

 

Source & Reference:

• Grimm Brothers, The Ungrateful Son https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimmtales.html
• Featured illustration of toad in public domain.