ESTONIAN DROODLES

3 variants

Question: How can a man take a wolf, a goat and a cabbage over the river? What does the man have to do?
Answer: At first the man takes a goat over the lake by boat, because the wolf doesn’t eat cabbage. The man returns by boat and next takes the cabbage over. Coming back, he brings the goat back again. Then gets the wolf and takes it over the lake. The cabbage and the wolf have been taken on the other side of the lake. Now the man goes and brings the goat, too, over the lake.
Archive reference: RKM, KP 19, 278 (5)
Location: Mär Märjamaa Kk, 10. kl
Date: 1992
Subject: man, goat, cabbage, wolf
Question: A gaffer needs to take a ram, a cabbage and a wolf over the river. How can he get them over the river, if the boat takes only one at a time.
Answer: First he takes the ram over, then takes the wolf and brings the ram back, then he takes the cabbage and then returns again for the ram.
Archive reference: RKM II 347, 222/3 (28)
Location: Räp
Date: 1980
Subject: man, goat, cabbage, wolf
Question: How can a man take everything over the lake so that they wouldn’t eat each other? There is room only for one at a time.
Answer: First he takes the goat over, then the wolf, brings the goat back. Takes the cabbages over and then the goat.
Archive reference: RKM KP 36, 111 (16)
Location: Trt Tartu 2. Kk, 7. kl
Date: 1992
Subject: man, goat, cabbage, wolf