Myths and Tales form Greece and Romania May 2012 | Page 113

Danila decides to do that, but on his way to the fair , he falls victim to a string of unfair
exchanges, partly motivated by his naïvite and indolence. When his oxen have some
trouble climbing a hill, he sells them to a passer-by in exchange for a new cart, which he
then proceeds to drag on his way to the fair. He then finds himself facing another slope,
and frustration leads him to sell the vehicle to another peasant, in exchange for a goat.
As the animal keeps twitching about, he sells it for a goose. The bird's loud honks annoy
him, and, once he has reached the fair, Dănilă exchanges it for an empty bag. After
analyzing the chain of events which has led him to transact two oxen for a useless item,
he grows despondent and concludes that "the devil [was] o' top o' me all this bargaining
day".