Story of the Day. Why the Bear Hibernates

This is a story that Emma Backhus collected in North Carolina in 1898. And yes, there are bears in North Carolina. Here are some more of Backus's stories from North Carolina and Georgia, plus some more Bear stories.

bear by Jon Niola

WHY THE BEAR HIBERNATES

When the animals was young, Brer Bear, he never sleep in the winter, no more than the rest. The way it was in them days, old man Bear was flying round more same than the other critters, and he was the meanest one in the lot, and 'cause he the biggest he get in he mind that he king of the country, and the way he put on the animals was scandalous, that it was.

Well, they was all crossways with the old man a long time, but they bound to step up when he tell 'em, cause you can see in these times old Brer Bear ain't a powerful man, but he just ornery side what he was in the old times. Appears like all the animals is getting mighty low down these here times, except old Sis Coon, and sure you born she get more heady every year.

Well, they talk it over 'twixt themselves many and many a day, how they going take down Mr. Bear. They know he mighty man to sleep in the dark, and one day Brer Rabbit allow that they stop the old man up when he sleep in a dark tree; he take a mighty long nap, and they get a little comfort.

So they all watch out, and when the old man sleep that night in a hollow tree they all turn in and tote rocks and brush, and stop up the hole.

And sure 'nough, when morning come, Brer Bear don't know it, and he just sleep on; when he wake up he see it all dark, and he say day ain't break yet, and he turn over and go sleep, and there the old man sleep just that a way till the leaves turn out the trees, and I expect the old man been sleeping there to this day, but the animals, they all hold the old man dead for sure, and they just feel a meddlesomeness to move them rocks.

And when they let the light in, old Brer Bear he just crack he eye and stretch hisself and come out, and when he see the spring done come he say, the old man did, that he done had a mighty comfortable winter, and from that time every year, when the cold come, old Brer Bear go to sleep.



Story Title: How Come Brer Bear Sleep in the Winter
Article Title: Animal Tales from North Carolina, in Journal of American Folklore v. 11
Author: Backus, Emma
Published: 1898
Rights: CC0 Public Domain
Online Source: Hathi Trust
Process: Eye-dialect removed, plus editing for paragraphing and punctuation.