Valery Carrick’s pitch-coated straw ox, More Russian Picture Tales
Carrick shows the ox constructed from straw, with a dark coating of pitch and visible bundles at the head, legs and tail. This is the speaking ox of the selected tale; the picture does not explain how it comes alive.
Overview
At his wife’s request, an old man constructs an ox from straw and coats it with pitch. She takes it to pasture while spinning flax. The ox answers approaching animals, describing itself as three years old despite its recent manufacture. That age belongs to its speech, not a demonstrated lifespan or biological development. A bear, wolf, fox and grey hare ask for pitch to treat their sides; contact traps them, and the old man carries each home.
The man threatens to skin his captives for clothing, then accepts promises of repayment and releases them. They return separately with honey, sheep, poultry and cabbages. The couple’s prosperity follows those gifts, rather than milk, calves or edible flesh from the manufactured ox. The tale explicitly supplies speech and a role at pasture, but does not explain how the straw body acquires life or assign it a hidden human soul.
Origins & earliest records
More Russian Picture Tales, The Straw Ox, printed pp. 87–102, by Valery Carrick, translated by Nevill Forbes, New York, Frederick A. Stokes Company. The selected printing carries copyright 1914 and 1920; no dated title or named narrator is supplied.
Records & interpretation
The complete selected illustrated English tale supplies the figure’s actions. Its title names Carrick and translator Nevill Forbes, while the copyright notice lists 1914 and 1920. No named oral narrator, collecting site or independently collated Russian original is provided here.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
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More Russian Picture Tales, The Straw Ox, pp. 87–102
Complete tale through all four animals’ repayment and the couple’s final prosperity; no animation mechanism invented.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary textCarrick/Forbes: More Russian Picture Tales, selected title/copyright and complete storyResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationValery Carrick’s pitch-coated straw ox, More Russian Picture Tales
Carrick shows the ox constructed from straw, with a dark coating of pitch and visible bundles at the head, legs and tail. This is the speaking ox of the selected tale; the picture does not explain how it comes alive.
