Reynard

Reynard the Fox is an epic fable of northern origin, in which animals figure, with the fox as hero. Grimm tells us that all the Aryan races have beast fables, in which connection may be mentioned the cobra stories of Miss Bartle Frere's Old Deccam, Days and Brer Rabbit of the negroes. The Franks introduced Reynard into France, where it somewhat changed its nature and became a satire partly social, partly political. A Low German version appeared at Gouda in 1479, and was translated by Caxton in 1481, and in 1498 Backhuisen, of Rostock, published a poetic version in Low German called Reynke de Vos, founded upon an old Dutch prose version, and relating the adventures of Reynard at the Lion's Court, where his wit and resource carried the day. The fable is also found in Danish, Swedish, and other languages.