All About the Rooster...

So, the use of a rooster in "Hans My Hedgehog" has really got me wondering. Why, out of every animal that could possibly be used, would you choose a rooster? Maybe it has some special meaning or something like that... I did a little researching and here's what I found.

The rooster is actually a motif in Maltese idioms and the bird is described as prideful and arrogant. These are things that is represents when it is used in stories and such. Another thing it tends to represent is luck, or is a symbol of good luck in greek and medieval history. Generally the story with that goes, "someone is about to die, but if the dead rooster stands and crows, then the life will be spared. And of course, it does stand up and crow!"

Still not sure though on why it might have been used in the story. Maybe it was meant to bring luck to the ugly hedgehog...