A fire origin adaptation - "How Polecat Found Fire"
This is my adaption of the North American “How Rabbit Stole Fire” - adapted more for UK / Europe
Stories have been passed along throughout time with each storyteller telling it in their own way!
Feel free to adapt this story as you wish! This is a great story to tell children and you can have lots of fun with it.
Click here to go back to the Stories overview with links to other stories and my telling of "How Rabbit Stole Fire"
Stories have been passed along throughout time with each storyteller telling it in their own way!
Feel free to adapt this story as you wish! This is a great story to tell children and you can have lots of fun with it.
Click here to go back to the Stories overview with links to other stories and my telling of "How Rabbit Stole Fire"
A long long time ago
The world was cold
The animals were cold
The animals did not have fire to warm them
The Mountain People had fire
High up in the mountains
And jealously guarded it from the animals
“Who will steal the fire?” asked the animals
when the leaves began to fall and the cold winds blew
Auroch was strong
Wolf cunning
Bear brave
Wildcat fierce
Eager little mouse squeaked “Me me”
“You’re too small mouse!” shouted the animals
Mouse stuck her tongue out, scurried off and busied herself
Polecat leader of them all in mischief made herself a wonderful costume
With a very tall fantastical hat made of sticks, ferns and stuffed with birch bark
“Here I go” said Polecat in her crazy looking Hat
And off she went up the mountain
As she went she sang
“oh I am going to fetch the fire
To fetch the fire
To fetch the fire”
For that was what she was going to do
“Here is Polecat” muttered the mountain people as they saw Polecat march towards them
“What is she up to!? Dressed like that! What a ridiculous hat!
She is a trickster and chief mischief-maker
Do not trust her!” they shouted
“Hey up mountain people” said Polecat
“I have come to teach you a new dance
Look at my spectacular outfit and hat!
It is a dance to bring fruit on the brambles
It is a dance to guide fish to your nets”
So spoke Polecat
And with her words she soothed the Mountain People
She charmed them
She flattered them
They forgot she was a mischief-maker
And welcomed her into their encampment where fire was blazing and dancing and sparking
“Polecat shall lead us into the dance” they shouted
So Polecat led the dance
Round and round fire she danced
Round and round danced the Mountain People
Round and round danced Polecat
Wearing her wonderfully crazy hat!
And as she danced she bent low
Singing her song
The mountain people danced low also
Round and round the fire danced Polecat
Closer and closer to the fire she danced
And very low she bent
Until
Whoosh!
The crazy hat of sticks and bark and ferns caught fire
And away raced Polecat
Out of the camp and down the mountain
“We have been tricked” screamed the mountain people “Polecat has stolen fire!”
“Catch her!”
Polecat ran and the mountain people chased
They conjured a great rain, but the birch bark in the hat continued to burn
They magicked thunder and lightning, but the hat continued to burn
They unleashed sleet and snow but the extraordinary hat continued to burn brightly
Polecat began to tire and spotted Squirrel with her bushy red straight tail as they were in those days
“Squirrel! Take the hat” she gasped and Squirrel took the burning hat and scampered away
The heat made her tail curl up over her back
And so are squirrels to this day
Squirrel soon tired
She squealed to Crow who was brightly white as they were in those days
“Crow! Take the hat”
Crow took the hat and flew and as he flew the smoke turned all his feathers black
As are Crows to this day
Crow could fly no more
He spotted Badger with his white face
“Badger! Take the hat” he cawed
Badger took the hat and ran
As he went the Ash burned stripes into his face
As are badgers to this day
Badger was feeling bad tempered
And shook his head in irritation and the fire began to die
Deer was nearby with her long tail swishing
And called out “Quick badger set my tail alight”
And so did Badger and Deer fled off into the woods with her tail blazing alight
Deer ran so fast through the woods
She made a wind to fan the flames
Deer cried to the trees as she passed
Flicking her tail this way and that
“Trees hide fire!”
The trees took fire and hid it in their wood
But fire had burned off most of Deer’s tail
And so are Deer to this day
The mountain people could not find fire
For Wood had hidden fire
The mountain people returned to their camp high in the mountains
Their fire was no more as there had been no one to tend to it
And the Mountain People did not know how to find fire
They had taken fire for granted
And forgotten how to find fire
But Polecat, leader in mischief knew
For she remembered!
She remembered the old stories
So it was Polecat who showed the other animals how to welcome fire
By rubbing wood together to coax fire out of hiding
So she asked the other animals for help
And they worked together
They found a straight stick from the Hazel tree as Hazel grows straight and true
And a branch from the Willow
And they found a bow and shell that the Mountain People had dropped
Working together with Polecat instructing
They made the Hazel stick pointy at one end
They wrapped the bow string around the Hazel
They pressed the shell down onto the top of the Hazel with the bottom of the stick on the Willow
And together with all the animals helping they pulled the bow to and fro
Shouting encouragement to fire as they went
Hazel span around
Smoke spiralled up
They cut a little notch where a burnt circle had formed
And they continued to bow
Smoke continued to spiral
Dust filled the notch and blackened
Eventually a little red glow appeared
The animals roared and squeaked and cawed and squealed in great delight
Mouse came scurrying up very proud of herself with a nest of dry grass lined with fine thistle down
Which she had been busying herself with
The animals all smiled in adoration of mouse
Polecat gently took the small glowing orb and placed in the nest
Polecast asked all the animals to blow in turn
And they each blew
The red orb grew bigger and brighter
And hotter
And with Auroch’s final big breath
The nest of grass burst into flame
The animals had welcomed fire !
Fire danced and crackled triumphantly
The animals cawed and roared and squeaked and danced in joy
And fed fire with more sticks
Fire danced higher sending bright fire sprites high into the sky
The animals danced around the fire
Now the animals had fire
To warm the cold winters
And light to brighten the dark nights
And they learnt how to look after fire
And the animals even went back to the Mountain People
For the Mountain People had learnt their lesson
And they showed the Mountain People how to find and welcome their own fire
The mountain people listened carefully
And made sure that the story of how to welcome fire was passed along
So that no one would go cold again
But you know what – eventually everyone did forget
And took things for granted again
And the stories stopped being told
And people forgot how to find fire the old way
Until now!
So now we need to retell the stories to ensure no one forgets again!
The world was cold
The animals were cold
The animals did not have fire to warm them
The Mountain People had fire
High up in the mountains
And jealously guarded it from the animals
“Who will steal the fire?” asked the animals
when the leaves began to fall and the cold winds blew
Auroch was strong
Wolf cunning
Bear brave
Wildcat fierce
Eager little mouse squeaked “Me me”
“You’re too small mouse!” shouted the animals
Mouse stuck her tongue out, scurried off and busied herself
Polecat leader of them all in mischief made herself a wonderful costume
With a very tall fantastical hat made of sticks, ferns and stuffed with birch bark
“Here I go” said Polecat in her crazy looking Hat
And off she went up the mountain
As she went she sang
“oh I am going to fetch the fire
To fetch the fire
To fetch the fire”
For that was what she was going to do
“Here is Polecat” muttered the mountain people as they saw Polecat march towards them
“What is she up to!? Dressed like that! What a ridiculous hat!
She is a trickster and chief mischief-maker
Do not trust her!” they shouted
“Hey up mountain people” said Polecat
“I have come to teach you a new dance
Look at my spectacular outfit and hat!
It is a dance to bring fruit on the brambles
It is a dance to guide fish to your nets”
So spoke Polecat
And with her words she soothed the Mountain People
She charmed them
She flattered them
They forgot she was a mischief-maker
And welcomed her into their encampment where fire was blazing and dancing and sparking
“Polecat shall lead us into the dance” they shouted
So Polecat led the dance
Round and round fire she danced
Round and round danced the Mountain People
Round and round danced Polecat
Wearing her wonderfully crazy hat!
And as she danced she bent low
Singing her song
The mountain people danced low also
Round and round the fire danced Polecat
Closer and closer to the fire she danced
And very low she bent
Until
Whoosh!
The crazy hat of sticks and bark and ferns caught fire
And away raced Polecat
Out of the camp and down the mountain
“We have been tricked” screamed the mountain people “Polecat has stolen fire!”
“Catch her!”
Polecat ran and the mountain people chased
They conjured a great rain, but the birch bark in the hat continued to burn
They magicked thunder and lightning, but the hat continued to burn
They unleashed sleet and snow but the extraordinary hat continued to burn brightly
Polecat began to tire and spotted Squirrel with her bushy red straight tail as they were in those days
“Squirrel! Take the hat” she gasped and Squirrel took the burning hat and scampered away
The heat made her tail curl up over her back
And so are squirrels to this day
Squirrel soon tired
She squealed to Crow who was brightly white as they were in those days
“Crow! Take the hat”
Crow took the hat and flew and as he flew the smoke turned all his feathers black
As are Crows to this day
Crow could fly no more
He spotted Badger with his white face
“Badger! Take the hat” he cawed
Badger took the hat and ran
As he went the Ash burned stripes into his face
As are badgers to this day
Badger was feeling bad tempered
And shook his head in irritation and the fire began to die
Deer was nearby with her long tail swishing
And called out “Quick badger set my tail alight”
And so did Badger and Deer fled off into the woods with her tail blazing alight
Deer ran so fast through the woods
She made a wind to fan the flames
Deer cried to the trees as she passed
Flicking her tail this way and that
“Trees hide fire!”
The trees took fire and hid it in their wood
But fire had burned off most of Deer’s tail
And so are Deer to this day
The mountain people could not find fire
For Wood had hidden fire
The mountain people returned to their camp high in the mountains
Their fire was no more as there had been no one to tend to it
And the Mountain People did not know how to find fire
They had taken fire for granted
And forgotten how to find fire
But Polecat, leader in mischief knew
For she remembered!
She remembered the old stories
So it was Polecat who showed the other animals how to welcome fire
By rubbing wood together to coax fire out of hiding
So she asked the other animals for help
And they worked together
They found a straight stick from the Hazel tree as Hazel grows straight and true
And a branch from the Willow
And they found a bow and shell that the Mountain People had dropped
Working together with Polecat instructing
They made the Hazel stick pointy at one end
They wrapped the bow string around the Hazel
They pressed the shell down onto the top of the Hazel with the bottom of the stick on the Willow
And together with all the animals helping they pulled the bow to and fro
Shouting encouragement to fire as they went
Hazel span around
Smoke spiralled up
They cut a little notch where a burnt circle had formed
And they continued to bow
Smoke continued to spiral
Dust filled the notch and blackened
Eventually a little red glow appeared
The animals roared and squeaked and cawed and squealed in great delight
Mouse came scurrying up very proud of herself with a nest of dry grass lined with fine thistle down
Which she had been busying herself with
The animals all smiled in adoration of mouse
Polecat gently took the small glowing orb and placed in the nest
Polecast asked all the animals to blow in turn
And they each blew
The red orb grew bigger and brighter
And hotter
And with Auroch’s final big breath
The nest of grass burst into flame
The animals had welcomed fire !
Fire danced and crackled triumphantly
The animals cawed and roared and squeaked and danced in joy
And fed fire with more sticks
Fire danced higher sending bright fire sprites high into the sky
The animals danced around the fire
Now the animals had fire
To warm the cold winters
And light to brighten the dark nights
And they learnt how to look after fire
And the animals even went back to the Mountain People
For the Mountain People had learnt their lesson
And they showed the Mountain People how to find and welcome their own fire
The mountain people listened carefully
And made sure that the story of how to welcome fire was passed along
So that no one would go cold again
But you know what – eventually everyone did forget
And took things for granted again
And the stories stopped being told
And people forgot how to find fire the old way
Until now!
So now we need to retell the stories to ensure no one forgets again!