Status: 09.08.2024 10:45 a.m.
It seems to be a deep desire of humans to understand animals. Talking animals have always existed: in ancient myths, legends and fables. A brief look at history from Bugs Bunny to the Cheshire Cat.
“Cheers, hustle and bustle, cheerfulness,” demands Bugs Bunny. “Be ready for cheerfulness. I feel sorry for anyone who wastes a pleasant hour thinking about yesterday or tomorrow’s worries. My name is Rabbit, I know.” Mindfulness and real life advice: The cartoon rabbit and his wisdom are among the classics when it comes to talking animals. Cheeky and with an ironic undertone. And the fact that it is “only” a rabbit who, with a slightly smart-ass undertone, suggests that we should take life a little easier is probably the secret of his TV success, which has lasted for over 80 years.
Everyone knows the story of the hare and the hedgehog. So here’s an unscrupulous spoiler: The hare is defeated by the hedgehog’s cunning. Fables, talking fairy tale animals and of course the humanized animals from Disney films are an integral part of cultural history – and psychologically they work brilliantly.
People like to identify with animals
Talking animals also play an important role in the Brothers Grimm fairy tales.
Stories in which animals speak are among the most popular genres of all. Why? Because the animals are so close to us? Or are they different? Or both? The folklorist Fritz Dichtl investigated these questions in his doctoral thesis on talking animals and wrote: “Animals cannot speak. Nevertheless, literature, from ancient Indian fables to fairy tales, children’s stories, novels and stories to the stage and screen, is full of animal actors who announce from their mouths and snouts, throats and beaks what their author has given them in the text. Animals have no ethical concerns, can be exaggerated in a caricature style and have great entertainment potential.”
Scaredy cats with bear-like appetites and dachshund eyes, who shed crocodile tears while whining and bleating, are just a few examples of how much we humans identify with animals. The only difference is that they are usually as silent as a stockfish, or at least we don’t understand their barking, meowing, twittering or growling.
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Since 1984, the eccentric old man and his cheeky cat have been delighting readers worldwide with their adventures. A visit to the author Sven Nordqvist. more
Faithful companions from childhood
In ancient Greece, animals taught moral lessons in Aesop’s fables. A concept that has been successful to this day. Without moralizing, but no less fascinating: “Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll lets Alice meet numerous talking animals in a surreal story – like the Cheshire Cat.
Animals have their own way of communicating. Monkeys and parrots even seem to have developed a rudimentary form of language. They can’t really speak. In addition to Bugs Bunny, there were also rabbits and wolves, who were loyal companions to everyone who grew up in the GDR.
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Radio plays, reports, book tips and much more – Mikado offers an exciting program for children every day. more
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NDR Kultur | The Afternoon | 09.08.2024 | 14:20
