Tales of lazy people in folklore and literature

In the literature of various countries, there are many tales (popular and literary) about good and evil, strong and mean, brave and stupid ... Among them are tales of lazy people. Probably, this is not accidental, because laziness is one of the most "glorified" properties of human nature along with courage, dexterity, cunning. And some tales of lazy people admire this quality quite literally. And in some, even popular characters are those who do not like to work.

Russian fairy tales about lazy people. Names and characters

Among Russian folk creations, a vivid example is "By the Pike's Command." Emelya, the protagonist of the fairy tale, is certainly the very personification of this human property. The folk work tells of a man who does not want to work, lying on the Russian stove for days on end (some researchers of folk art view the stove as a symbol of laziness). What happens next? Emelya accidentally catches the pike, which for its liberation offers the protagonist the fulfillment of all his desires "by the pike command." They go home buckets without splashing water. Go sled themselves. And then on the Russian stove Emelya comes to the very king, where with the help of pike magic makes the Princess Mary love him. Indignant king orders to roll in a barrel of young. But here, too, luck is on Emelya's side. "By the pike command" again everything is formed as best as possible: Emelya not only miraculously escapes with the princess, but becomes rich and beautiful (and the tsar himself already recognizes and is afraid of it).

"Lazy wife"

But Russian tales of lazy people not only praise this property of a human nature. In some of them, for example, "The Lazy Wife", laziness is condemned, and a person acting in this way is liable to be punished and punished. This work tells of a wife who did not work at home, did not weave, like other women (as was customary). From his duties a lazy wife constantly shirked and was justified. Then the husband decided to teach him a careless spouse and pretended that he was dead. And there's nothing to bury her husband about! After all, a lazy wife did not pull anything. First she wraps her husband with threads, then with blankets brought by others. And then suddenly he "resurrects". The wife is frightened, punished and now weaves the cloth, like all obedient women.

Literary tales

Not only in Russian folklore, fairy tales about lazy people (their names are all heard: "12 months", "Morozko", "Two Frosts") enjoyed immense popularity. For example, the great Russian poet AS Pushkin made a great contribution to this literary genre. The poetic tale "On the Priest and His Worker Balde" can rightly be considered one of the best works on this topic. By the way, it will be interesting to learn that folk folklore "Batrak Shabarsh" (published and recorded by fairy tale collector Afanasyev) was the basis of the literary work written by Pushkin. In the poems of the poet are opposed the hard-working Balda and the lazy master - pop. The farmer performs all the whims of the minister of the cult in exchange for food and calculation at the end: three clicks on the forehead. Balda - skillful, brave, strong, such that devils can overcome. Pop is cunning, lazy, greedy. But retribution for him is not far off. Balda requires a stipulated payment, and the lazy master has to substitute his forehead for clicks, which he can not stand and dies.

Names of famous fairy tales about lazy people

Many peoples have such works - literary processed and folklore. These include the Japanese work "Veer Tengu", the French "The Cat in Boots" (literally retold by Charles Perrault), Grimma's "The Lazy Heinz", the Indian fairy tale "About the Lazy Cuckoo", the Bashkir "About the Lazy Girl" and many others. All these works can be said that these are tales of lazy people.