The Hen And the Hawk
A long time ago, before hens and hawks were foes, they were friends. Sometimes, they even fell in love.
Back then, during one particularly charming sunset, a hawk swooped down from his perch in the trees and landed near an old chicken coop. Hawks are watchful creatures, and this handsome bird had been admiring a hen for several weeks. With the exception of his sweetheart, the rest of the flock had already gone to roost for the evening. Up close, the hawk saw that the hen was even more beautiful than he’d imagined and quickly proposed marriage.
The hen consented, under one condition: She must have wings as striking and magnificent as the hawks.
The hawk agreed and gave his bride a diamond ring, which she proudly displayed around her neck.
Under the cover of darkness, the hen entered the coop and spent the night dreaming of what was to come – powerful wings, flights amongst the clouds, and the freedom she craved.
But the next morning, when the flock scurried outside at break of dawn, the rooster eyed the ring sparkling around her neck. He and the rest of the hens haggled and pecked out her feathers until she could stand no more and flung the ring into the pigpen.
The rooster and the rest of the birds went back to business as usual, but the hen was worried, and rightfully so.
Later that day, the hawk returned with a gorgeous feather cape. The feathers were as shiny and regal as his own, but more importantly, the cape would allow the hen to fly alongside her partner.
The would-be bride was ecstatic. She clucked and danced her approval, but while tying the cape around her neck, he asked, “what happened to your ring?”
The hen stopped dancing and looked down towards her feet. She told the hawk that a snake had taken chase, and in her haste to get away, she’d lost the ring.
Now, a hawk spends his life watching others, so there was no fooling him. He believed her lie to be a sign of betrayal and quickly snatched away the cape.
Heartbroken, the hawk cursed the hen and the rest of the flock. All chickens (be they hen, rooster, or chick) would be forced to spend their days scratching the earth – pulling up root and stone until they produced the missing ring. Even the chicks who are too young to scratch, well, they better watch out.
Consumed with worry, the hen searched and searched, but she never found the ring. To this day, hawks watch the activities of other birds – ready to unleash their wrath upon any hen or rooster that refuses to scratch.
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This retelling was inspired by and adapted from the Visayan folktale by Mabel Cook Cole.
