“Big John de Conquer”

“Big John de Conquer is the culture hero of the American Negro folk tales. He is Jason, or Ulysses, of the Greeks; Baldur of the Horse tales;Jack the Giant Killer of European mythology. He is the story that all weak people create to compensate for their weakness. He is a projection of the poor and humble into the realms of the mighty. By cunning or by brute might he overcomes the ruling and utterly confounds its strength. He is among men what Brer Rabbit is among animals. The strongest herb used in Hoodoo is called John de Conquer root. Nothing is suppose to stand against it.”

- Zora Neale Hurston, Go Gator and Muddy the Water

“Why the Gator is Black” *

This character demonstrates the “Trickster’” archetype. Another figure that fits in this category is Brer Rabbit. Seldom does rabbit find himself in a losing situation, and he can enact violent lessons just as often as he can escape them. In the Uncle Remus fables Brer Rabbit comes upon Brer Gator napping by the river, shiny white skin glistening in the sun. Brer Rabbit chufs at Gator for being so comfortable in a vulnerable position and warns of trouble. This makes Gator laugh, and reply that if he ever met trouble he’d greet them warmly. Rabbit replies “"He come upon you, Brer Gator, when you been have you eye shut; he come upon you from the other side.” This prompts Gator to chuf again and nap. Rabbit wants to teach him a lesson so he lights everything on fire around Gator, who is still asleep. Gator smells himself burning and wakes up in a frenzy, jumping into the water. Rabbit laughs and watches as he runs away and dives into more water, skin now black from the fire.

This fable is paraphrased from “Uncle Remus Tales”