"Slipp granrot og ta i revefot!" is a Norwegian fairy tale from Asbjørnsen and Moe's Norwegian Folk Tales (1841-1844). The original was found at Project Runeberg and translated to English by me for E2.

Note that the fox in Norwegian fairy tales is called Mikkel Rev, and the bear is called Bamse Brakar.

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There was once a bear who was slumbering in a sunny slope. A fox walked by and noticed it.

"If it isn't old lazy granddad," said the fox. "I'll play a little prank on you," Mikkel thought to himself. Then he found three forest mice and carefully positioned them on a stump right under the bear's nose. "Oh, Bamse, Per the hunter is lying behind the stump!" he shouted into the bear's ear, and then he ran off as fast as he could into the forest.

The bear woke up, and seeing the three mice, he thought they had shouted in his ear. He got so mad that he lifted a paw to hit them.

But then he saw Mikkel's tail between the bushes at the edge of the woods, and ran after him, crashing through the undergrowth, and the bear was right behind Mikkel and managed to grab one of his rear feet, right as he was about to dive under a spruce root. Mikkel was stuck, but he knew what to do, he shouted: "Let go of the spruce root and grab the fox's foot!" and the bear let go in confusion. But the fox laughed from within the hole he found and said: "I fooled you again, granddad!"

"Hidden is not forgotten," said the bear, seething with rage.

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More fairy tales here!

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