Bearskin
Introduction
We retell Bearskin as a fable because, at its core, it is a lesson about judging by looks. An old Chinese saying runs: "You cannot judge a person by his face, just as you cannot measure the sea with a bucket." Bearskin is the perfect example — filthy, ugly, frightening, yet his heart stays clean. A fable works by typing its characters: the greedy Devil, the vain sisters, the faithful youngest girl. Each one can be summed up in a single sentence, so a child can tell right from wrong at a glance. The whole plot turns on one small object: a ring broken in two. The faithful find each other by the token, while the faithless are swallowed by their own envy. Readers familiar with the Grimm version will notice that we kept every turn of the plot — the wager, the bearskin cloak, the seven years of wandering — but told it in shorter, plainer sentences, the way a storyteller speaks by lamplight. In the original tale the ending is just as dark: the proud sisters destroy themselves, and the Devil counts two souls instead of one. Two questions may help you read together. First, why does Bearskin accept such a dangerous wager? Second, why is the youngest sister so sure he is a good man? When your child can answer both, the fable has done its work.
Vocabulary from "Bearskin"
12 key words from this story with definitions and original context sentences for language learners.
Small metal objects that are fired from a gun.
子弹；枪弹。
He was brave in every battle and always ran ahead when bullets fell like rain.
从前有个年轻人去当兵，打起仗来从不怕死，枪林弹雨里总是冲在最前头。
Not kind; without care or pity for others.
铁石心肠的；冷酷无情的。
His brothers were cold-hearted men.
他父母早已过世，无奈去投奔几个哥哥。哥哥们都是铁石心肠：“我们留你何用？自己挣饭吃去。”
A wide open area of rough land with low bushes and few trees.
荒原；石南丛生的荒地。
That day he came to a lonely heath.
这一日，他走到一片荒原，四下里只有一圈老树。
Split into two parts, like the hoof of a goat or cow.
（蹄子）分瓣的；裂开的。
The man looked grand, but one of his feet was a cloven hoof.
回头一看，一个穿绿衣的陌生人站在面前，衣着华贵，脚下却生着一只难看的蹄子。
Running quickly and forcefully toward someone or something.
猛冲；扑向。
A huge bear was charging at him with a roar.
“当兵的若是怕死，还叫什么当兵的？你尽管试。”年轻人话音未落，那人说：“回头看。”一头大熊正张牙舞爪地扑来。
Pointed a weapon at a target before firing.
瞄准；对准。
He raised his gun, aimed at the bear's nose and mouth, and shot it dead with one shot.
年轻人不慌不忙，举起枪来对准熊的鼻口，一枪便结果了它。
Disappeared suddenly and completely.
消失；不见了。
With that, the devil vanished.
话说完，魔鬼便不见了。
An imaginary creature that is very ugly or frightening.
怪物；怪兽。
By the second year he looked like a monster.
头一年，他的模样还算周正。到第二年，便渐渐不成人形了：头发遮住了大半张脸，胡子像粗毡一般乱，指甲长成了爪子，身上的泥垢厚得能种出水芹来。
Rough and not smooth or soft to touch.
粗糙的；粗硬的。
His hair hid all but a small part of his face, his beard stuck out like coarse felt, his nails had grown into claws, and the dirt on his skin was so thick that cress could have grown on it.
头一年，他的模样还算周正。到第二年，便渐渐不成人形了：头发遮住了大半张脸，胡子像粗毡一般乱，指甲长成了爪子，身上的泥垢厚得能种出水芹来。
Crying in a noisy way, with short breaths.
啜泣；抽噎着哭。
An old man sat there, sobbing and wringing his hands.
屋里坐着个老人，一把鼻涕一把泪。
A small bag used to carry money.
钱袋；钱包。
He called the landlord, paid the bill, and slipped a purse of gold into the old man's pocket.
熊皮人当即唤来店主，结清账目，又塞给老人一袋金子。
Walked from place to place without a fixed plan or home.
流浪；漫游。
All those years Bearskin wandered the world.
这些年，熊皮人走遍四方，逢善便行，照样慷慨周济穷人，好让他们为他祷告。
Reading Together & Learning More
The Moral
Do not judge a person by his looks, for a faithful heart is worth more than a handsome face. The faithful are rewarded in the end, while the envious and the vain are undone by their own hearts.
Educational Value
Children learn to look past appearances to the heart, to see the weight of a kept promise, to understand how envy harms the envious, and to feel the strength of staying kind and faithful to the end.
Tips for Parents
This tale includes a pact with the Devil and the two sisters' deaths, so focus on 'do not judge by looks; faithfulness is rewarded.' Compare the three sisters' different choices with your child, and count the good deeds Bearskin does along the way.
Talk About It
- Bearskin was dirty and ugly, yet the youngest sister saw at once that he was a good man. What did she judge him by? When you make a friend, what do you look at — the face or the heart?
- The Devil offered mountains of gold in exchange for seven hard years. If you were Bearskin, would you accept the wager? Why or why not?
- The two sisters looked down on Bearskin's ugliness, and in the end their own envy cost them their lives. What do you think led them, step by step, into the Devil's hands?
- The youngest kept her half of the ring and waited for three long years. What makes keeping a promise so hard? And what makes it so valuable?
- The Devil never kept his word, yet Bearskin stayed faithful to the end. In this fable, who 'means what they say,' and who does not?
