ת ▁ ש ו ע ל י ם ", ▁in ▁later ▁works ▁" מ ש ל י ▁ ש ו ע ל י ם "), ▁in ▁the ▁tract ate ▁San hed rin : ▁ ▁R ashi ▁as ▁the ▁first ▁literary ▁reference ▁may ▁reflect ▁the ▁well - known ▁be ast ▁f able ▁tradition ▁of ▁French ▁fol kl ore ▁or ▁a ▁more ▁obsc ure ▁such ▁tradition ▁in ▁Jewish ▁fol kl ore ▁( see ▁also ▁the ▁tradition ▁in ▁Bere chia h ▁ha - N ak dan ); ▁the ▁near - cont empor ary ▁Ira qi ▁ra bbi ▁H ai ▁Ga on ▁also ▁re construct ed ▁this ▁Rab bi ▁Me ir ▁tale , ▁sharing ▁some ▁elements ▁of ▁R ashi ' s ▁story , ▁but ▁with ▁a ▁l ion ▁caught ▁in ▁a ▁tra pping ▁pit ▁rather ▁than ▁a ▁w olf ▁in ▁a ▁well ▁– ▁however , ▁R ashi ▁may ▁have ▁act ively ▁" ada pt ed ▁contemporary ▁[ F rench ] ▁fol kl ore ▁to ▁the ▁[ T ] alm ud ic ▁passage ", ▁as ▁was ▁hom ile t ically ▁pract iced ▁in ▁different ▁Jewish ▁communities . ▁Though ▁the ▁tale ▁itself ▁is ▁probably ▁of ▁non - J ew ish ▁European ▁origin , ▁R ashi ' s ▁form ▁and ▁elements ▁are ▁likely ▁closer ▁to ▁the ▁original ▁in ▁or al ▁fol kl ore ▁than ▁the ▁somewhat ▁later ▁variation ▁recorded ▁featuring ▁Reyn ard . ▁R ashi ' s ▁version ▁already ▁includes ▁the ▁fo x , ▁the ▁w olf , ▁the ▁well ▁and ▁the ▁Moon ▁that ▁are ▁seen ▁in ▁later ▁versions .