# The Animals’ Winter Quarters explained — Russian Folktales

> Chapter companion for Russian Folktales by A. N. Afanasyev.

## What happens

An Ox, Ram, Pig, Goose, and Cock set out to seek summer in winter. The Ox builds a hut, but the others refuse to help, each boasting they can survive the cold on their own. When winter comes, they beg for shelter, threatening to damage the hut if refused. The Ox lets them in, and they live together until a Fox, Bear, and Wolf try to attack. The animals defend their home, goring and tearing the predators, who flee in terror.

## Themes in this chapter

### Trickery and Cunning

The Fox uses cunning to lure the Bear and Wolf to attack, but the animals' collective defense outwits the predators.

### Social Class and Hierarchy

The animals' initial refusal to help and later threats reflect social dynamics and the necessity of mutual aid.

## Character check-ins

### The Bull

Builds the izbá and reluctantly shelters the other animals after they threaten to destroy it.

### The Ram

Initially boasts about his warm shúba but later seeks shelter and threatens to dislodge the joists.

### The Pig

Claims he will burrow into the ground but later threatens to drill the uprights with his snout.

### The Goose

Says he will sleep on one wing and cover with the other, then threatens to pluck moss from the walls.

### The Cock

Sings merry songs in the hut; later helps defeat the Fox by pecking and crowing.

### The Fox

Tricks the Bear and Wolf into attacking the hut, but is gored, sat upon, torn, and blinded by the animals.

## Key lines

> I am seeking summer in winter

I am looking for warmth and comfort during the cold season.

_The refrain expresses the animals' shared goal of escaping winter's harshness._

> We will build an izbá, and we shall not freeze during the winter.

We will construct a log cabin so we can survive the winter without freezing.

_The Ox proposes a practical solution, contrasting with the others' boasts._

> The Bull gored him with his horns to the wall, and the Ram sat on his flanks, and the Pig tore him to atoms, whilst the Goose flew on to him and picked out his eyes.

The Bull impaled the Fox with his horns, the Ram crushed him, the Pig shredded him, and the Goose pecked out his eyes.

_The animals cooperate to violently repel the Fox, showing their united defense._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/russian_folktales_se/chapters/the-animals-winter-quarters
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/russian_folktales_se
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