“There were many encounters that people had with bears back in my hometown. My dad told it to me as if it were true, but it sounds kind of traditional so I have to wonder. So this guy was out somewhere and this bear starts chasing him. To escape, the guy climbed a tree. The bear didn’t want to leave so he was waiting for him under the tree. The bear didn’t want to go away and the guy didnt know what to do. When the bear rushed at him what the guy did was he started peeing right on the bears face, and the bear got so annoyed that he left. So that’s how the guy escaped from that situation. In case you ever need to know how to escape a bear.”

Context: I asked folklore professor Tok Thompson if he could share one of his favorite stories with me and this was one of them. He heard it from his father, who lived in an Alaskan village. This takes place slightly after WW2, before the rise of significant technology.

Analysis: This story is extremely funny, which is probably why it is of interest to share with people. It is a case of a man outsmarting another entity, which seems to be a popular theme people like to share.