The Book of the Dun Cow Trivia Quiz

Answer: Someone crying outside

"In the middle of the night, somebody began to cry outside Chauntecleer's Coop. If it had been but a few sprinkled tears with nothing more than a moan or two, Chauntecleer would probably not have minded."
Walter Wangerin's "The Book of the Dun Cow" was published in 1978. It won the National Book Award and NY Times "Best Children's Book of the Year" award.

Answer: Mundo Cani the Dog

Mundo Cani has terribly low self-esteem. But he can run faster than the wind, can carry creatures in his mouth, and has one more very important role to play.

Answer: Matins

These are the "Canonic Crows", one of three kinds of crow that Chauntecleer has. He also crows for special events, such as to mourn the death of one of his animals. He later learns a third kind of crow, the "Crow Potens".

The Canonic crows - matins, prime, terce, sexte, none, vespers and compline correspond to the Medieval Liturgical Hours.

Answer: Wyrm

"Sum Wyrm, sub terra." "I am Wyrm below the earth." God had imprisoned Wyrm in the center of the earth, and had appointed the animals his keepers. Wyrm, of course, sought to free himself from his prison.

Answer: his father

Cockatrice was born from the egg laid by the old rooster, Senex, and incubated under a toad. Wyrm had found his escape route.

Answer: Cockatrice killed him.

Senex was old and without heir. Wyrm came to him in dreams, and fathered Cockatrice upon him. On his fiftieth day, Cockatrice first curses, then kills his old father, Senex.

Answer: basilisks

Cockatrice fathers thousands upon thousands of basilisks, poisonous serpents who kill everything in his land.

Answer: Pertelote

Pertelote and the mice flee down the river from Cockatrice's land and come ashore near the Coop.

Pertelote and Chauntecleer are the main characters in Chaucer's "The Nun's Priest's Tale", from "The Canterbury Tales".

Answer: He covered the Earth with clouds.

"God Himself cloaked the entire Earth with cloud. He shut it up. Sadly, he closed it from the rest of creation."

But He didn't leave the Keepers completely alone; he sent them the Dun Cow.

Answer: Ten Pin, Five Pin, and One Pin

Chauntecleer and Pertelote were married in the winter, while the world was still shrouded in clouds. Beryl Hen was the chicks' nursmaid.

Answer: They were killed by basilisks.

The sun had come out, and a holiday was declared. The chicks had gone to Lord Russel Fox's house in the woods, where he told them how to get rid of fleas, and they toddled off to the river to see if his plan worked (and to play in the water). They were all killed by a basilisk - Beryl Hen's neck was broken and the chicks were bitten. Evil was upon the Coop.

Answer: Because Mundo Cani had knocked them away from the basilisks.

Mundo Cani, who can run faster than the wind, ran after the turkeys and knocked them back to the Coop. He saved all but one from the basilisks. But the turkeys were affronted that he'd saved them by bumping them backwards so they pouted.

Answer: John Wesley Weasel

After a basilisk had killed the Wee Widow Mouse, John Wesley Weasel ran amok, killing basilisks in their hundreds.

Answer: iron spurs

Gaff and Slasher were two iron spurs that Chauntecleer had owned since before he came to rule the Coop. He uses them to kill the Cockatrice, then beheads it and throws its head into the river.

Answer: a horn

She broke off a horn for Mundo Cani to use to blind Wyrm.

"The Book of the Dun Cow" is also the English translation of "Lebor na hUidre", which is the name of one of the oldest surviving Irish manuscripts.