Reading Notes, Italian Popular Tales, Part B: The Cock That Wished to Become Pope

A chicken.

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

There once was a cock that wanted to go to Rome and get elected as the Pope. He set off for Rome and on his way, he found a letter. His hen came with him and asked where he was going. He told her that he was going to Rome to be Pope. She asked if he would her with him. He said, "I have to look at my letter first. He looked at it and said, "Okay you can come. If I become Pope, you can be the Popess."

They continued the journey to Rome and they met a cat that asked where they are going. "We are going to to be Pope and Popess." The cat asked if he could come. The cock said, "Wait, let me look at my letter." He looked at it and said, "Okay, come along. You can be our maid." After a while they met a weasel that asked where they were going.They said they were going to Rome and the weasel asked if he could come. The cock said he had to look at his letter first. He looked at it and said, "Okay, you can come."


They all continued towards Rome until they came across a little house where lived an old witch but she wasn't home so each animal chose a place to hang out in the house.The weasel sat in the cupboard, the cat on the hearth in the warm ashes, and the cock and the hen flew up on the beam over the door.

When the witch came home, she opened the cupboard, and the weasel hit her in the face with his tail. She needed light so she went to go light the heath. She thought the glowing eyes of the cat were live coals so she tried to light the match by them and hit the cat in the eyes. The cat jumped in her face and scratched her. When the cock heard all the noise he began to crow loudly. The witch took a stick and beat all four animals out of the house.

The cat and the weasel didn't want to continue their journey, but the cock and hen continued towards Rome. When they got there, they entered an open church, and the cock said to the sexton: "Have all the bells rung, for now I will be Pope." "Good!" answered the sexton; "come in this room and we will get your fitted for your robes." He led the cock and the hen into the sacristy, shut the door, and he caught them. He twisted their necks and put them in the pot and ate them for dinner with is friends. 

Story source: Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Frederick Crane (1885). The Cock That Wished to Become Pope