The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin
"The Book of the Dun Cow," written by Walter Wangerin, Jr., is a richly imaginative tale that blends elements of humor and horror within an animal-centric narrative. At its heart is Chauntecleer, a proud yet irritable rooster who leads a diverse group of characters in a peaceful community. However, this tranquility is threatened by Wyrm, a malevolent force trapped beneath the earth, who seeks to unleash chaos and destruction. The story escalates with the emergence of Cockatrice, a sinister creature born from Wyrm's influence, leading to a series of catastrophic events that endanger Chauntecleer's realm.
As the plot unfolds, themes of good versus evil become apparent, with characters like the Dun Cow and Mundo Cani playing crucial roles in the struggle against Wyrm and Cockatrice. This narrative is marked by intense battles and character development, as Chauntecleer grapples with both external threats and internal doubts. Ultimately, the story explores resilience, sacrifice, and the quest for peace amidst overwhelming darkness, making it a compelling read for those interested in allegorical tales.
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The Book of the Dun Cow
First published: 1978
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—animal fantasy
Time of work: Undefined, with echoes of both medieval and modern times
Locale: Earth and the netherworld
The Plot
In this story of hilarity and horror, Walter Wangerin, Jr., creates a delightfully varied, though temperamental, menagerie that exists more or less peacefully under the wings of the great Chauntecleer, its irritable but responsible leader. The hilarity flows out of the colorful personality clashes, wit, and foibles of these furry creatures and fowl. Hilarity gives way to horror when Wyrm, condemned to live deep below the earth’s surface, becomes bent on destroying all that is good by unleashing his forces of madness and mayhem.
The pending threat to Chauntecleer’s community, and thereby the earth’s civilization, develops gradually but insistently. Underneath the Chicken Coop lurks Ebenezer Rat, who sneaks up in the night and sucks the hens’ eggs. On a more cosmic scale, although he is buried in the bowels of the earth by God’s decree, Wyrm still has power to affect affairs on the surface. The result is the birth of Cockatrice. This wholly evil offspring, hatched by a toad and in a form that is half rooster and half dragon, kills his own father and, in the service of Wyrm, sets out to launch a deadly attack on the peaceable kingdom of Chauntecleer.
In that kingdom, Chauntecleer has succeeded in neutralizing Ebenezer Rat, the presence of evil inside the Coop, but the Lord of the Coop discovers the consequence of another evil beyond the Coop in the churning of the swollen river: All manner of debris, a “spinning cemetery of bones.” Cast upon the shore, barely alive, is a Hen. Chauntecleer finds himself powerfully attracted to this bedraggled but beautiful Hen with vermillion at her throat, though she has been traumatized nearly to madness and death. She can only scream again and again the name of the cause of all the havoc and horror, “Cockatrice!” She finds healing in Chauntecleer’s Coop, and eventually Chauntecleer gets his Pertelote. All is well in his domain, but not for long.
Far away, Cockatrice is pursuing his works of darkness. Thousands of eggs are hatching Basilisks, serpent-like birds that rise from the rivers and sting to death whatever they touch. Wyrm, the evil mastermind, is preparing to break through the earth’s crust, gradually softened by the rains that are slowly flooding the land. Wyrm’s goal is nothing less than to destroy the very fabric of this humanlike community and challenge God himself.
At that point, God sends the Dun Cow as messenger to Chauntecleer and his Earth-keepers. When the Basilisks make their appearance and threaten annihilation, the Dun Cow bestows on Chauntecleer the gifts essential to confronting and defeating the enemy. The battle that ensues is terrifying and indecisive until its climax in a chilling duel between Cockatrice and Chauntecleer. The treacherous Cockatrice is finally vanquished, but the bloodied victor also feels defeated. Again it is the ministry of the mysterious Dun Cow, with the help of the self-effacing dog, Mundo Cani, that revives the spirit of Chauntecleer. When the earth opens and Wyrm himself begins to make his move, Chauntecleer feels powerless. The Dun Cow sends the lowly Mundo Cani to fight the last battle. In a breathtaking climax, Mundo Cani dives into the gorge and plunges the horn of the Dun Cow into Wyrm’s eye. The earth closes upon both of them. Peace can now return, but the cost has been enormous.