From childhood, we remember the famous words “a fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it, a lesson for good fellows”. This expression very accurately describes the important role of a fairy tale in raising children. After all, together with your favorite characters it is much more interesting to learn the world and understand what is good and what is bad. Tales of animals are especially interesting for kids, and the bear is one of the most popular characters of not only Russian, but also many other folk and author's tales.
Why a teddy bear?
Why is a teddy bear a favorite fairy-tale hero and one of the most popular toys from kids around the world? Anthropologists have tried to answer this question. In their opinion, the muzzle of a teddy bear resembles the face of a child. Big eyes, small mouth and nose. A baby bear resembles a man with an amusing cross over on two legs, like a baby who only learns to walk and is endlessly naughty. This is the opinion of modern scientists.
Bear in Slavic tales
In Russian epics and legends, the bear was often called a forest peasant and revered as the owner of the forest. Therefore, fairy tales about animals, where the bear appears as a formidable, but the most wise and fair character, were not rare among the Slavs. In tales of a later period, the clubfoot threw off the mysterious halo of a magical and harsh master of nature and adopted more human qualities. Many of these tales have survived to this day. Modern authors also know the addictions of babies and do not change traditions. Therefore, another tale about a teddy bear is always perceived with interest by the children's audience. Let's recall some of our favorite stories about a little clumsy hero who teaches children the best human qualities.
About the Bear
It was the first spring in the life of the teddy bear, he timidly clung to his mother bear, walking along the edge of the forest. Everything around looked, smelled and sounded unfamiliar, causing delight and alarm at the same time. The she-bear noticed the fear of her baby and said that he is a brown bear, belongs to the family of the most powerful and respected inhabitants of the forest, which means that he should not be afraid.
Teddy bear listened carefully to the mother’s story about the great and formidable tribesmen and really wanted to be like them. Suddenly, something terribly rattled loudly, the bear squinted and tried to be brave, but fear got the better, and the baby rushed to his feet. He fled with his eyes closed, and when he stopped, he realized that he was lost.
The bear is no longer a coward
For a while he called his mother, then, exhausted from a cry, decided to take a break and search for his own way home. So, he wandered through the forest and calmed his fear, recalling the words of his mother that the brown bear should not be afraid. Of course, a tale about a teddy bear might not be so interesting if he had not met friends.
The first clubfoot traveler met a little squirrel. She cried, sitting on a branch, because she did not listen to her mother, who, taking care of nuts, asked not to protrude from her native hollow. Sitting in the dark was boring, and the squirrel chased after a beautiful butterfly, and when she came to her senses, she realized that she was lost. Then, in a misfortune comrades, a bunny was met, followed by a hedgehog. Curiosity brought these kids away from home. So, a small company continued on through the forest.
Suddenly, the comrades heard the flapping of wings over their heads. A big black raven sat on a branch and shouted loudly. The company of small animals frightened in a heap, clinging to the trunk of a pine tree. Only a teddy bear, remembering his mother’s words about brown bears, came forward, covering his comrades with his back. Seeing the brave pose of the bear cub, the raven laughed at first, and then said that it had long been looking for babies at the request of their worried parents. The wise bird said that friends stay in place and go after their parents. By nightfall, everyone was already at home, and the bear mother, listening to the teddy bear’s story, thought about how her brave son, a real brown bear, was growing.
Curious teddy bear
This tale is in many ways similar to the previous one, only the little bear got lost not because of fear. Curiosity was the cause of his adventures. Having woken up earlier in the den before the mother of the bear, he decided to explore the world around him. After all, falling asleep, my mother talked so much about an amazing place called a forest. What fairy tale about a teddy bear can do without a wise friend?
Fortunately for the little ranger, he met an old uncle moose. He told the teddy bear about green trees, bushes, grass and berries that will appear in the spring. While it was too early to walk through the forest, the trees were without foliage, and snow lay on the ground. This meant that the teddy bear woke up much earlier than the due date and he had to go home until his mother discovered the loss. They returned to the den on time, mom was already starting tossing and turning and could wake up at any moment, then the fidget would surely have gotten it. Everything worked out, the little bear said goodbye to a new friend and fell asleep sweetly in anticipation of a warm spring.
The tale of two greedy cubs
A family of bears lived in a magical forest. Having matured, two teddy bears decided to go on a trip to get to know the world around them better. The mother-bear did not argue and, in parting, asked her sons in everything to be support for each other. The cubs went on the road. While they came across bushes with berries and sweet roots, the path was cheerful and carefree, but time passed, and food became less and less. The stomach rumbled unpleasantly and the thoughts were only about food.
Suddenly, in a forest glade, one of the brothers found almost a whole head of cheese. Most likely, one of the peasants lost her, returning home through a forest from a neighboring village. The find was indeed successful, and it remained only to divide it equally. But it seemed to everyone that only he would share honestly, and a dispute arose between the cubs.
This tale about a teddy bear and his brother, like many others, could not do without a sly fox. She ran from the forest to the noise made by the brothers. Having learned what was the matter, the cheat decided to profit at the expense of stupid cubs and offered her help in the section of a delicious find. The cubs agreed. The fox broke the cheese into two pieces, one was large and the other was very small. The brothers began to scold the redhead that the divide was unequal, and the cheat promised to fix it. She bit off a large piece, but the parts were still not equal, which caused the outrage of the cubs. The fox continued to bite, over and over, until two small but equal slices remained from the large head of cheese. She gave them to the amazed cubs, and she, well-fed and contented, quickly ran into the forest. The brothers remained hungry and realized that with their empty stomach they were punished for greed.
The Adventures of Umka
The tale of a white teddy bear named Umka is well known to us thanks to the wonderful Soviet cartoon that told about his adventures. About how Umka tried to catch a seal, about a sad fish-sun and star bears. And most importantly, that friendship works wonders. Funny phrases from this fairy tale went to the people, and to this day, the lullaby of the dipper mothers sing to their babies.