"I cant tell you how many of my wolf friends felt the need to move out of the woods - their home. Due to social pressure, they felt that their presence, no matter how gentle, was very much unwanted..."
For hundreds of thousands of years, the forests of the ancient pastures have been hidden in a beautiful serenity. The wild and spice scented wood from the dark green Scottish trees were home to the bluebirds. The streams of water provided for the goldfish and the swans. within the forest lived many kind folk. One of these little log cabins was filled with bears. 3 of them. What comes to mind when one thinks of bears...
Mr Bear explains here when he kindly allowed sat for a interview
"They think we are evil, honestly! Sometimes i wanted to go to town and fetch my wife some nice cake, or perhaps a new dress. But the amount of hostility i receive when walking into town is absolutely terrible and quite frankly ignorant ..."
He seemed disgruntled when we asked him why, grisly bears receive so much hostility among the other animal folk,...
"I think its to do with that fellow called Hans christian Anderson and those Grimm brothers..." He continues " They did it to the wolf too. When little red riding hood was published, I cant tell you how many of my wolf friends felt the need to move out of the woods - their home. Due to social pressure, they felt that their presence, no matter how gentle, was very much unwanted... It is understandable because you know the story is so scary and especially for children" ...
He continued to explain the impact fairy tales and mythology has had on his family life
"My son, my wife and myself have actually has it better than most others. Its because we live in a family, our situation is more appealing and more approachable for others compared to just a single grisly bear living alone more primitively in his or her cave."
"Actually I know one of those individual bears. My good friend Arthur was personally attacked by a mob of chickens. He lived in a cave and said that he had no problems all his 20 years of living there, but as soon as the tale of the gruffallo was released into press, things turned pretty rough"
"Its destroying our reputation and its really tragic"
We also interview a fox who lived locally to the bear family. We wanted to find out if other animals were also effected and what they thought about the tales in general
Mr Fergus fox told the evening forest papers
"Yeah, i have got that too... Take me for instance, i live here near the pond and there is a bunch of frogs that cross everyday to get there grocery shopping done. Now everyday i give them a lift across the river. No problem, everyone is happy. But then a few years back a story was released by some fancy author and it was about how a sly fox tricks a man made of biscuit into riding on his back. Then the fox eats him. The frogs clearly read it like everyone else, and that was it. They stopped asking me for lifts. I was like "really? after some stupid tale? Like biscuits can even talk?"
He went on to vent his frustrations .
"its so frustrating because i guess everyone thinks foxes are tricksters now that want to eat any small animal in sight. The amount of "fairy tales" that have been written about us eating and tricking others is just wild. Its destroying our reputation and its really tragic. it makes you wonder, why do they hate us so much? What have we done? Like nothing... we don't want to trick anyone. We just get our food fair and square .there is no need to trick others out here in the wild. It just a load of rubbish that goes into these myths. But sadly the impact is real and foxes, bears and wolfs i guess alll have to face loss of friendships, and even livelihoods. I don't need the income from giving lifts to a bunch of frogs. but that isnt't the main thing. I liked the social engagement involved . These mad tales have just robbed of us of something that all animals deserves... community"
"These mad tales have just robbed of us of something that all animals deserve... community"
Eventually we made our way to the village and interviewed a Shopkeeper who lived and worked there . ironically he was a Pig and has a pragmatic view bout fairytales.
"i cannot understand where this all came from. Everyday i great my customers and earn my profit . I am friends with wolves and some jolly good ones too. i am perhaps the only pig in the village with any decency of character left. The fact that pigs actually believe that wolfs can blow down houses and trick them is beyond me. Most wolves are pretty decent fellow to be around .. But the main thing to know is that its illegal to blow down and destroy housing. But sadly these fairy tales have really got in the heads for those who have nothing better to read." Its just a load of fear mongering... all of it. I mean the things that are written are stupid and ridiculous.. A golden hen? A fairy godmother... please! give me a break.
".. I mean the logic is off point in all of them and still people choose believe in them. Like for example in real life little red riding hood would have noticed as soon as she walked in the house that her grandmother was being impersonated by a wolf. Really just saying that makes me laugh. "
we concluded the interview and decided to leave the town. Luckily a nice wolf gave us a lift in his car...
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Yeesh. That's Harsh.