Folklore Database · Browse

Stith Thompson Motif Index

About this index and how to read it

Stith Thompson's Motif-Index of Folk-Literature classifies recurring narrative elements in folktales, myths, legends, ballads and related traditional narratives. Each entry below gives Thompson's motif reference and the description recorded in the index.

The index is large, so this browser displays 250 entries per page. You can search by motif reference or by words in the description, restrict the results to one of Thompson's main letter categories, and click motif references mentioned inside descriptions to follow cross-references. Individual motif pages also show any ATU tale types whose concordance explicitly cites that Thompson reference.

All A Mythological Motifs B Animal Motifs C Motifs of Tabu D Magic E The Dead F Marvels G Ogres H Tests J The Wise and the Foolish K Deceptions L Reversals of Fortune M Ordaining the Future N Chance and Fate P Society Q Rewards and Punishments R Captives and Fugitives S Unnatural Cruelty T Sex U The Nature of Life V Religion W Traits of Character X Humor Z Miscellaneous Groups of Motifs

46,221 motifs

Page 157 of 185 · 250 per page
Thompson reference Description ▲
X1424 The great mushroom. (First ed. X1024.3.) Type 852; *BP II 516.
J1322 The great thirst.
X1233.1.2 The great wild-boar. Tusks go through tree and come out on other side. (First ed. X1021.4.) *Wesselski Bebel II 137 No. 114.
J1473 The greedy dreamer. He dreams that he receives nine coins. He demands ten. He wakes and finds that he has dreamed. He is willing to accept the nine. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 206 (No. 5); Spanish Exempla: Keller.
J1562 The greedy host.
J1563.1 The guest who could not keep warm. He keeps calling for more bed clothes. The host finally piles a ladder, a trough, etc., on top of him until he calls for help. Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 259 No. 200; Wesselski Arlotto I 130 No. 51.
J1141.9 The guilty protests his innocence. Animals put to graze in man's garden. Owner greets everyone with: "I know about you!" No one pays any attention to him except the guilty one who says: "I did not do it." Confesses. (Cf. N275.) Italian Novella: Rotunda.
F451.2.4 The hair of dwarfs.
T202 The happy couple: wife blind, husband deaf. Italian Novella: Rotunda.
J1085.1 The happy friar becomes unhappier as he receives ever more and more money. Gets rid of money and is happy as before. *Type 754; *Toldo Zs. f. Vksk. XIII 420; *Crane Vitry 162 No. 66; Herbert III 281; Alphabet No. 276; Scala Celi 80b No. 459; Nouvelles Récréations No. 19; Chinese: Eberhard FFC CXX 258 No. 204.
J1551.6 The hare at third remove. A man receives a present of a hare. Later a crowd comes to him for entertainment saying that they are friends of the man who presented the hare. This happens a second time. He serves them clear water. "It is the soup from the soup of the hare." *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 234 No. 97.
H1558.4 The hare with many friends. In the final test none help and only her legs save her. Jacobs Aesop 216 No. 70.
U242.1 The hare's last will. Surrounded by hunters and hounds, the hare considers to whom each of his members will be allotted. Succeeds in escaping. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 160*; Prussian: Plenzat 8.
V211.7.1 The harrowing of hell. Irish myth: *Cross.
J2616 The hawk frightened at the snipe's bill. The snipe: "It is a bill, but it is good for nothing (weak)." The hawk is no longer afraid. Type 229*; Russian: Andrejev No. 229.
J1411 The hay wagon and the gate. A parson arriving late at a city gate asks if he can get in. Guard sees that he is fat and in fun says that he doesn't know. The parson: "Why not; doesn't the hay wagon get in?" *Wesselski Arlotto II 265 No. 209; Italian Novella: *Rotunda.
A790 The heavenly lights.
A2426.1.4 The hedgehog's cry. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. *278.
K446 The heller thrown into others' money. A rascal sees robbers dividing their booty. He puts a red string through his only coin (a heller) and slips it into the others' money. He claims the money as his and says that he has marked it with a heller having a red string through it. The robbers divide. *Type 1615; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 197 No. 387; Chauvin V 254 No. 151 n. 2, VII 153; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 566.
Z39.5 The hen lays an egg, the mouse breaks it. Sorrowing over this mishap, all show extraordinary behavior; the master puts an end to it. Final formula: hen strips off feathers, rubbish heap catches fire, oak falls to ground, hare drowns self, magpie twists leg, ox breaks horns, river flows blood, maid breaks pails, housewife scatters dough. Master locks up wife and maid, goes to seek people more foolish. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 2022*; Russian: Andrejev No. 241 III*; Rumanian: Schullerus FFC LXXVIII No. 1963*.
A2494.13.10 The hen's enemies.
P16.1.3 The higher the office held in this world, the heavier the judgment of God: Cuchulinn's reason for abjuring kingship. Irish myth: Cross.
J1179.2 The hog belongs to whichever place he goes of his own accord. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 121.
X415 The hog in church. Locked in church all week by mistake. When the congregation comes, the hog runs between the parson's legs and carries him out. *Type 1838; Fb "svin".
J1875.3 The homesick wave. Numskulls try to take home a wave of the sea in a bamboo rod. At home when it refuses to wave they say that it is homesick for its mother, the sea. Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 252.
X212 The honest miller. Baker cannot understand how a man who has been a miller can be a beggar. It is a wonder that the farmers are not beggars instead. Wesselski Bebel I 118 No. 3.
K362.9 The hood for the robe. Thief steals lawyer's scarlet robe. Later he returns and tells lawyer's wife that her husband had sent him for the hood for the robe. He obtains the hood and escapes. Spanish: Childers.
K134.2 The horse swifter than the rain. Caught in the rain, a trickster finds that his horse will not budge. He undresses, puts his clothes under the horse's belly and keeps them dry. When he reaches the king, he reports that his horse has run so fast that he has had no time to get wet. The king buys the horse. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 228 No. 72.
J2481 The horse that went like a ship. Men have been assured that a horse will "go like a ship". When they spur the horse, it will not move. A man takes a pole and hits the horse. It goes. "See, it goes like a ship. It is started by a pole, not by spurs." *Wesselski Arlotto I 188 No. 9.
Z45 The Horseshoe Nail. For want of a nail the shoe was lost, for want of a shoe the horse was lost, for the want of a horse the rider was lost .... and all for the want of a horseshoe nail. (First ed. Z41.9.) *Taylor JAFL XLVI 87 No. 2039; *BP III 335—37.
Z51.1 The house is burned down.—That is too bad.—That is not bad at all, my wife burned it down.—That is good.—That is not good, etc. (First ed. Z23.1.) Type 2014; *Taylor JAFL XLVI 81 No. 2014; Nouvelles Récréations No. 75.
Z44 The house that Jack built. Final formula: This is the farmer that sowed the corn that fed the cock that crowed in the morn, that waked the priest all shaven and shorn, that married the man all tattered and torn, that kissed the maiden all forlorn, that milked the cow with a crumpled horn, that tossed the dog, that worried the cat, that caught the rat, that ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack built. *Taylor JAFL XLVI 86 No. 2035; *BP II 108; Köhler-Bolte I 517f.; Kristensen Danske Dyrefabler 132ff. Nos 272, 295; *Fb "hus" I 687a, IV 229.—India: Thompson-Balys; Africa (Fang): Nassau 245ff. No. 11, (Zulu): Callaway 38.
Z44.1 The house the old man was to build. The woman for whom he is to build the house has some beans for him. The goat eats these up. Cumulative search. Final formula: Smith give me my iron, iron which belongs to the man, man who ate up my fish, fish which belongs to the sea .... sea—shirt—washerwoman—soap—woman—wood — press — grease — herder — cheese-frame — fig-tree —horn—goat—beans. *Taylor JAFL XLVI 86 No. 2035A; *Parsons JAFL XXV 219, XXVII 222, XXXIII 40, MAFLS XV (1) 207 n. 1.
J2483 The house without food or drink. A fool and his son meet women mourning a dead man. "He goes to the place where there is darkness and nothing to eat or drink." The son: "They must be coming to our house." *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 262 No. 229; India: *Thompson-Balys.
X142 The humor of small stature. (Cf. F535.1.) Italian Novella: Rotunda.
X135 The humor of stuttering. U.S.: Baughman; Italian Novella: Rotunda.
J2066.1 The hungry fox waits in vain for horse's scrotum (lips) to fall off. Type 115.
X431 The hungry parson and the porridge-pot. Overnight at the peasant's house. The hungry parson hunts the porridge in the dark, guided by a rope the sexton has given him. Series of accidents. *Type 1775; Fb "seng" III 187a.
J2474 The hunter's mass. A count instructs his chaplain to read a hunter's mass (i.e., a short one). The chaplain searches the prayerbook in vain for a hunter's mass. *Wesselski Bebel I 175 No. 19.
K1514.1 The husband in the chicken house. The husband returns unexpectedly and surprises his wife with her lover. She makes the husband believe he is pursued and hides him in the chicken house. (Cf. K1514.9.) *Type 1419A; **Schofield Sources and History of the 7th Novel of the 7th Day in the Decameron (Harvard Studies and Notes II); Bédier Fabliaux 450; Boccaccio Decameron III No. 4 (Lee 213); Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles No. 88; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; India: Thompson-Balys.
K1511 The husband locked out. An adulteress returns home late at night and her husband refuses to admit her. She threatens to throw herself into the well. The husband goes after her. She enters the house and bars him out. *Type 1377; *Basset 1001 Contes II 128; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 185 No. 350; *Campbell Sages xc (Puteus); Chauvin VIII 184 No. 224, IX 23; Alphabet No. 538; Hdwb. d. Märchens I 95b; Dunlop-Wilson II 111f.; Boccaccio Decameron VII No. 4; Spanish Exempla: Keller; Italian Novella: *Rotunda.
K1561 The husband meets the paramour in the wife's place. Beats him (or cuts off privates). *Wesselski Bebel II 149 No. 161; Nouvelles Récréations No. 60; N. A. Indian (Malecite): Mechling GSCan VI 83 No. 21, (Fox): Jones PAES I 145.
K1558 The husband prepares to castrate the crucifix. The artist's wife's paramour poses as a crucifix when caught. When he sees the husband's preparations, he flees naked. *Köhler-Bolte II 469; Spanish: Espinosa II No. 42; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; India: Thompson-Balys.
K1554 The husband sets house afire and ousts hidden paramour. Type 1406*; von der Hagen II *xxxvi No. 41.
T254.1 The husband shows his wife poison to avoid: she takes it and dies. Chauvin II 155 No. 27; Krappe Bulletin Hispanique XXXIX 38; Spanish Exempla: Keller; Italian Novella: *Rotunda.
K1516 The husband's good eye covered. The wife holds a cloth in front of his one good eye, so that he cannot see the paramour. *Type 1419C; *Bédier Fabliaux 119, 466; *Chauvin IX 20 Nos. 7, 8; *Wesselski Märchen 187 No. 2; *Jellinek Euphorion IX 162f.; Alphabet No. 536; Hdwb. d. Märchens I 94b; Scala Celi 86b No. 505; Oesterley No. 123; von der Hagen II xxixff.; Dunlop-Wilson II 13; Heptameron No. 6; Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles No. 16; *Krappe Bulletin Hispanique XXXIX 27; Italian Novella: *Rotunda.
K1516.1 The husband's good eye treated. The wife pretends to treat his one good eye, so that he cannot see the paramour. *Chauvin IX 20 Nos. 7, 8; Alphabet No. 535; Scala Celi 86b No. 504; Oesterley No. 122; Hitopadesa (ed. Morley) 66; Mensa Philosophica No. 49; *Krappe Bulletin Hispanique XXXIX 27; Spanish Exempla: Keller.
A2494.3 The hyena's enemies.
T263 The hypocritical wife. Shows what she has done for her husband, but not what she has done for herself. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 569.
J2498.1 The imitative choir. Minister tells congregation that he has forgotten his spectacles, that he cannot line out the hymn as he customarily did. The choir sings his words. He tries to explain, apologizes. The choir repeats the apology in song. U.S.: *Baughman.
J2222 The inconvenience of having a father: The numskull to his father: "If you had never been born I would get my grandfather's estate." Clouston Noodles 4.
X909.1 The incorrigible liar. U.S.: *Baughman.
V211.1.8 The Infant Jesus. Irish myth: Cross.
A2494.14 The insects' enemies. (Cf. A2494.13.3, A2494.13.10.2, A2494.13.11.1.)
J2035 The interrupted calculation. While the merchant is making calculations, he asks the age of his youngest daughter, the elder daughter, and the mother, and always adds this to the number he has reached. Type 1592*.
J1671 The inventive coachman. Makes the horses run by binding a bundle of hay to the shaft. Type 1576*.
J1170.2 The Irish Solomon (Cormac mac Airt). Famed for his clever decisions. Irish myth: *Cross.
J1531.2 The iron-eating mice. Trustee claims that mice have eaten the iron scales confided to him. The host abducts the trustee's son and says that a falcon has carried him off. *BP II 372; Chauvin II 92 No. 37; B[ö]dker Exempler; Spanish Exempla: Keller; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; India: *Thompson-Balys, Penzer III 250, V 62, *64; Indonesian: DeVries's list No. 299.
A2494.5 The jackal's enemies.
J1179.9 The judge pays fine himself. Tires of the bickering of two men over a trifling sum. Italian Novella: Rotunda; Spanish: Childers.
J2372 The judge wants to know how the theft was committed. The witness tells. The judge: "You are wonderful; I have tried it thirty times and succeeded only once." Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 266 No. 248.
N136 The judge's bad-luck bringing boots. The wealthy merchant becomes a beggar, due to the judge's boots he acquired through exchange (theft). Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 2447*.
J829.1 The king and the cheap slippers. Steward buys the king a pair of slippers. King thinks not enough has been paid for them and refuses them. Steward buys another like the first and charges a good price. Learns that this is the way to deal with kings. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 162.
J1827 The king no priest's son. A pope in writing to a king says, "To our dear son Frederick." Upon hearing this the fool cries out, "That is a lie; he is no priest's son. I knew his father and mother and they were both honest people." *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 51.
K1068.1 The laborer teaches his master birds' talk. Puts him in a sack and beats him. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 2443*.
J1391.2 The ladder market. A thief climbs over a wall by means of his ladder. When caught in the garden he says that he is a seller of ladders. Owner: "Is this a ladder market?" "Can't one sell ladders everywhere?" Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 210 No. 18.
K402 The lamb without a heart. Accused of eating the lamb's heart, the thief maintains that it had no heart. *Type 785; *BP II 149, 153; Wienert FFC LVI 40, 107; Oesterley No. 83; Herbert III 205; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 57; Penzer V 130 n. 1; India: *Thompson-Balys.
X434.1 The large loaves need a large oven. Parson says that the loaves with which Jesus fed the people in the wilderness were as large as the mountains. The mason asks what kind of oven they were baked in. Type 1834*.
G303.19.1 The last belongs to the devil. BP III 14; Fb III 196b; Swiss: Jegerlehner Oberwallis 327 No. 37.
J1169.5 The laughing ass. King has trickster's horse's tail cut off. Trickster retaliates by cutting off part of upper lip of king's ass. At trial the animals are brought forth. Everyone laughs at the ass. Trickster: "If everyone laughs at the ass, how could the ass help laughing at her companion without a tail?" Freed. *Wesselski Gonnella 116 No. 12; U.S.: Baughman.
K1655 The lawyer's mad client. (Pathelin.) On the advice of a lawyer, the client feigns insanity when arraigned in court. When the fee is demanded, he still feigns insanity. *Type 1585; *Prato RTP IX 537; *Dubsky RTP XXIII 427; Köhler-Bolte I 362; **Oliver JAFL XXII 395; *Bolte Wickram's Rollwagenbüchlein 371 No. 36; Scala Celi 8a No. 51.—Italian Novella: *Rotunda; India: Thompson-Balys; Africa (Gold Coast): Barker and Sinclair 139 No. 26; West Indies: Flowers 542.
J1612 The lazy ass repaid in kind. Loaded with salt, he falls down in the river and lightens his burden. His master then loads him with sponges so that the next time the ass tries the trick he increases his load. Type 211***; Wienert FFC LVI 72 (ET 372), 98 (ST 126); Halm Aesop No. 322.
Z41.9 The lazy servant and the grain. "Lentils, lentils, get into my sack!" Final formula: the hungry hawk attacks the hens, the hens the worms, the worms the stick, the stick the ox, the ox runs to the water, the water attacks the fire, the fire the hunters, the hunters the wolf, the wolf the goat, the goat the willow, the willow the cat, the cat the mice, the mice the lentils, the lentils go whoosh whoosh into the sack. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 2011*.
W111.2 The lazy servant. India: Thompson-Balys; West Indies: Flowers 581.
W111.3 The lazy wife.
H1440 The learning of fear. Missouri French: Carrière; Japanese: Ikeda.
A2494.2 The leopard's enemies. Benga: Nassau 163, 226 Nos. 20, 33; Congo: Weeks 211 No. 7.
K223 The level bushel. The student is to come into the devil's power if at the end of a year he does not at least return for the heaping bushel of gold a level one. The student forthwith hands back the level bushel and keeps the surplus. *Type 1182; *BP III 14 n. 3, 364.
A876.1 The leviathan that surrounds the globe. Irish myth: Cross; Jewish: Neuman.
X909.2 The liar outdoes the tricksters who try to catch him in a lie. He continues the lie the tricksters have made up to catch him. (Cf. K306, L142.1.) U.S.: Baughman.
X904.1 The liar reduces the size of his lie when his brother steps on his toes to remind him of his lying habits. U.S.: *Baughman.
X905.4 The liar: "I have no time to lie today"; lies nevertheless. Type 1920B; India: Thompson-Balys; Chinese: Eberhard FFC CXX 308ff. No. 18, FFC CXXVIII 260ff. No. 160.
J1456 The liar. A man attempts to lie out of having called another a liar: "You lie if you say that I said you lied." The other: "It's a good thing for you that you didn't call me a liar." (Cf. J817.) *Wesselski Bebel I 204 No. 85.
J1343 The liking for food and drink.
J1454 The lion and the statue. A man points out the statue to show the supremacy of man. The lion: "If it had been a lion sculptor, the lion would have been standing over the man." Wienert FFC LVI 70 (ET 343), 101 (ST 145); Halm Aesop No. 63; Jacobs Aesop 208 No. 35.
B751.4 The lion blows first life into its cubs three days after their birth. Zs. für deutsche Philol. XXVI 25.
A2494.7 The lion's enemies.
J811.1 The lion's share. Ass divides booty equally between himself, fox, and lion. Lion eats ass. Fox then divides: gives lion meat and he takes bones. *Type 51; Wienert FFC LVI 59 (ET 213), 110 (ST 220); Halm Aesop No. 260; Jacobs Aesop 200 No. 4; Herbert III *14, 39ff.; *Crane Vitry 199 No. 158. — Spanish Exempla: Keller; Italian Novella: Rotunda; American Negro: Harris Nights 334 No. 58.
K1984.1 The lisping sisters. The girls have been warned against speaking, but forget and are found out. *Type 1457; *BP III 237; *Bolte Zs. f. Vksk. III 58, VII 320; Japanese: Ikeda.
J2476 The literal host: bread and salt. Guest finds that his host spoke literally when he invited him to share his bread and salt. Later, when the host threatens an importunate beggar, the guest advises the beggar to flee since the host means what he says. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 240 No. 532.
J1341.8 The little lumps of sugar are sweeter, says the hostess. The servant says that he doesn't like sweets and takes the large lumps. Type 1389*.
Z49.14 The little old lady who swallowed a fly. She swallows a spider to eat up the fly, a bird to eat up the spider, a dog to eat the bird, a cow to eat the dog. "The little old lady swallowed a horse—she died, of course." U.S.: *Baughman.
E422 The living corpse. Revenant is not a specter but has the attributes of a living person. He wanders about till his "second death", complete disintegration in the grave. (Cf. E261.1.3, E268, E461.) *Naumann Primitive Gemeinschaftskultur (Jena, 1921) 18ff.; *Wimberly 229, 239, 256ff.; *Klare Acta Philologica Scandinavica VIII 1—56; *Gould Scandinavian Studies and Notes IX 167; *Fb "spøgelse" III 519b; Estonian: Loorits Grundzüge I 70—152; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 3590, Ghosts; Finnish-Swedish: Wessman 21 No. 199; Finnish: Holmberg Finno-Ugric 3f.; Irish: *Cross, Baughman; North Carolina: Brown Collection I 682; New York: Jones JAFL LVII 239f., 243; West Indies: Flowers 430; Africa: Werner African 180f., (Ekoi): Talbot 7 (dies a second time and becomes more dead).
A1311.1 The lizard hand. Man's hand is modeled on that of the lizard.—N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 288 n. 59; Calif. Indian: Gayton and Newman 56.
J2271.1 The local moon. Numskull greets old moon as if it were new. "I haven't seen it before, for I have just come to the city." (Each town thought to have a different moon.) *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 218 No. 52; India: *Thompson-Balys.
J2466.3 The long day. If the clock is still striking it must be 50 o'clock. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 207 No. 9; Scotland, U.S.: Baughman.
K1271.5 The Lord above will provide. A youth and maid come under tree. "Who shall provide for our child?" "He above (God) will take care of it." The man in the tree: "I will do nothing of the kind!" Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 2912*; Rumanian: Schullerus FFC LXXVIII No. 1654*.
K1525 The Lord above; the lord below. A husband returning home surprises a woman and her paramour and a numskull who has blundered in. The woman hides the numskull in the bed and the paramour under it. The husband, who is leaving on a journey, lifts his hands to heaven and says, "I commend you to the Lord above." — The numskull: "Commend her rather to the lord below!" *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 271 n. 1, Bebel II 99 No. 2, Morlini 286 No. 30; *Bédier Fabliaux 453; Rumanian: Schullerus FFC LXXVIII No. 1380 II*; Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles No. 34; Italian Novella: Rotunda.
J1823.1.3 The Lord has departed. Maidservant on way to church on Palm Sunday meets priests leading ass on which Jesus rode. The maid runs home and tells her mistress that the Lord has mounted and has just gone away. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 865.
J1399.1 The Lord has Risen. A parson hides his money in a holy place and leaves a sign, "The Lord is in this Place." A thief takes the money and leaves a sign, "He is risen and is no longer here" Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 74.
J2137.1 The louse invites the flea. The flea bites the man and jumps away. The bed is searched and the louse killed. Chauvin II 89 No. 27; Spanish Exempla: Keller; B[ö]dker Exempler 283 No. 29; India: *Thompson-Balys.
K1322.1 The lovely ascetic (girl in man's clothes) wins love of a rich woman. *Loomis White Magic 111.
K1581 The lover's gift regained. **J. W. Spargo FFC XCI; *F. N. Robinson Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer 838a. (Shipman's Tale).
K1517.1 The lovers as pursuer and fugitive. The wife is visited by two gallants. When the husband approaches, one goes out with drawn sword; the other hides in the house. She convinces her husband that she has given refuge to a fugitive. *Type 1419D; *Bédier Fabliaux 229ff.; *Basset 1001 Contes II 143; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 186 No. 351; *Chauvin VIII 39 No. 7, IX 21 No. 8; Boccaccio Decameron VII No. 6 (Lee 203); von der Hagen II xxxii ff; Dunlop-Wilson II 114ff.; Hdwb. d. Märchens I 99b. — Spanish Exempla: Keller; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; India: Thompson-Balys.
N135.3 The luck-bringing shirt. The king is to become lucky when he puts on the shirt of a lucky man. The only man who says that he is lucky has no shirt. *Type 844; **Köhler Aufsätze 119ff.; H. C. Andersen's "Lykkens Galocher"; Edwin Markham's "The Shoes of Fortune."
N251.6 The luckless son and his envious father. Seeing a luck-bringing animal at his son's house, the wizard father orders it to be destroyed, but the grandchildren eat of its meat and become fortunate. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 738*.
K1151 The lying goat. A father sends his sons one after the other to pasture the goat. The goat always declares that he has had nothing to eat. The father angrily sends his sons from home and learns, when he himself tries to pasture the goat, that he has been deceived. *Type 212; *BP I 346.
J1887 The mad wheelbarrow. Fools chain a wheelbarrow, bitten by a mad dog, lest it bite others. Field Pent Cuckoo 15.
A104 The making of gods.
K1971.7 The man behind the crucifix says "Good Evening" to the drunk man, who thinks Christ is speaking to him. Type 1324*.
K192 The man helps the horse against the stag. The horse must agree to be saddled and bridled. The man then refuses to release him. Wienert FFC LVI *71 (ET 356), 108 (ST 208); Halm Aesop No. 175; Herbert III 9; Crane Vitry 182 No. 110; Jacobs Aesop 208 No. 33.
J1511.12 The man in place of a watch-dog. The master orders his serf to watch the manor at night in place of the dog. When the thieves come, the serf barks: "Dress, dress .... They take, take .... They lead, lead .... " The master does not understand the barking and pays no heed to it — is robbed of his property. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. *2421.
J2521.1 The man is accused of maintaining a brothel. He has a bull for breeding purposes. *Wesselski Bebel I 141 No. 53.
L471 The man scorns the storm: killed by it. Type 933*.
W123.1 The man who only tasted wine. Will not drink but gets drunk nevertheless by frequent tasting. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 246.
X1653.3 The man who sold dried snow for salt. (First ed. X944.) Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 747.
J2188 The man who wanted to be dead one day. A husband tells his wife that he has provisions for every day in the year but one. He proposes to play dead for that one day, thinking that the servants will be overcome with grief and cannot eat. After brief mourning, however, they eat more than usual. The man then thinks to frighten them by rising from the dead. One servant thinking the dead man suffering from devils kills him. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 176.
J1919.8 The man without a member: foolish wife gives her husband money to buy himself one. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. *2911; Estonian: Aarne FFC XXV No. 1543*.
K1543 The marked coat in the wife's room. A procuress obtains a woman for her client by leaving a marked coat in her room. The husband drives the wife away and she joins her lover. The procuress then goes to the husband and alleges that she lost a coat with certain marks. The husband is deceived and takes the wife back. *Bédier Fabliaux 443; **Eberling Auberée, altfranzösische fabel etc. (Berlin, 1891); Spanish Exempla: Keller.
X754 The meal of beans. One of the old maid's three teeth breaks off. Type 1478.
J2192 The messenger without the message. A fool is told that he is to go to a neighboring castle the next morning. He is to take letters, but the next morning without reporting for instructions the fool goes on the journey. He is given a bag of stones to carry back. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 731; Christensen DF XLVII 201 no. 38, 204, 221; India: Thompson-Balys.
A1095 The Messianic Age. Jewish: **Neuman.
J1632 The minstrel repays the cobbler. The cobbler learns the minstrel's songs and sings them so that the minstrel loses his trade. He in turn sews the cobbler's leather into crazy shapes. He has done no worse than the cobbler, who marred his songs. When they sing together the people realize the contrast and patronize the minstrel. Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 139 No. 1695A*, Keller.
N1.2.1 The miracle of broken die at gambling saves man. Krappe Hispanic Review XIV (1946) 164ff.
J344.1 The monkey and the lost lentil. Lets all others he has in his hand fall in order to search for it. *Chauvin II 104 No. 67; Bødker Exempler 302 No. 70; Spanish Exempla: Keller.
V412.2 The more bread (flour) the monks give to the poor the more God places in their bins. (Cf. D1652.1.1.) Spanish Exempla: Keller.
A1282 The mother of men. Calif. Indian: Gayton and Newman 93.
X756 The mother trains the old maid to speak properly. Absurd results. Types 1485*, 1486*.
Z41.4 The mouse regains its tail. The cat bites off the mouse's tail and will return it in exchange for milk. The mouse goes to the cow for milk, the farmer for hay, the butcher for meat, the baker for bread. Other persons mentioned are the locksmith and the miner. *Taylor JAFL XLVI 86 No. 2034, Hdwb. d. Märchens II 185b; *Wesselski Hessische Blätter f. Vksk. XXXII 28; *Newell JAFL XVIII (1905) 34 n. 1; BP II 107—8; Basset Contes Berbères No. 45, Nouveaux Contes Berbères No. 168.—England, U.S.: *Baughman.
J2328 The moving church tower. To see whether the church is moving someone lays down his coat in front of it. It is stolen. They think that the church has passed over it. Type 1326; Köhler-Bolte I 324; Christensen DF L 218 No. 79.
L465 The mule's double ancestry. When well fed says, "My mother was a thoroughbred horse." Later, hard worked, says, "My father was a miserable ass." Wienert FFC LVI 64 (ET 275), 94 (ST 80); Halm Aesop No. 157.
J2211.3 The murderous master. Dogs flee from their master because in time of famine he has killed his cattle. If he kills the cattle, he will surely kill the dogs. Wienert FFC LVI 73 (ET 377), 106 (ST 189); Halm Aesop No. 95.
B848.1 The musician in the wolf-trap: meets wolf already trapped, and saves himself by playing music. (Cf. K551.3.1.)—Lithuanian: Balys Index No. *168; Estonian: Aarne in FFC XXV No. 2002.
T253 The nagging wife. India: *Thompson-Balys.
X1132.1 The nailed wolf's tail. Wolf's tail nailed to tree. Wolf runs away and leaves his skin hanging. (First ed. X922.) Type 1896; U.S.: *Baughman.
V211.1 The Nativity of Christ. Irish myth: Cross.
U230 The nature of sin.
J1921 The needle (or the like) falls into the sea: sought the next summer. Type 1280.
J1289.4 The needy philosopher. Philosopher asks ruler for money Ruler says that philosophers do not need money. Philosopher: "If I am rewarded, I will say that you are right; I will no longer need money." Italian Novella: *Rotunda.
T271 The neglected wife. Italian Novella: Rotunda; Icelandic: *Boberg.
A465.0.1 The Nine Muses, patronesses of the arts. Greek: Fox 239, Grote I 10.
A651.1.6.1 The nine ranks (orders) of heaven. Irish myth: Cross (A651.1.2.1.).
J2478 The numskull buys water at market. He looks at bread. The merchant: "It is as good as butter." He decides on butter. The merchant: "It is as sweet as oil." He decides on oil. The merchant: "It is as clear as water." He decides on water. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 241 No. 536.
K1841.1 The nun who saw the world (Sister Beatrice). The Virgin takes the place of the nun in the nunnery while the latter is living a life of shame. *Type 770; **Watenphul Die Geschichte der Marienlegende von Beatrix der Küstnerin (Neuwald, 1904); Toldo Zs. f. Vksk. XV 129ff.; *Bolte ibid. XV 136; *Gröber Beiträge zur romanischen und englischen Philologie, Festgabe für W. Förster 421ff.; Ward II 659 No. 27, 723 No. 35, Herbert ibid. III 342; Maeterlinck's S[oe]ur Beatrice; *Wesselski Mönchslatein 46 No. 39; Alphabet No. 468.
K1115 The oath on the iron. The trickster takes an oath by touching iron (a trap). The dupe imitates but hits the iron so hard that he gets caught. *Type 44; *Köhler-Bolte I 408f.
J2523 The obedient husband: the leave of absence. His wife says, "You may go away for a little while." He stays away for days and then sends a messenger to his wife asking if he has been away long enough. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 232 No. 84; India: Thompson-Balys.
J1828 The obedient log. A fool sees a boat (with rowers) obedient to commands, "Right! Left!" etc. He asks what kind of wood the boat is made of. Later he gets a log of that wood and tries to make it obey commands. Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 258.
T255 The obstinate wife or husband. (Cf. J2511.) *Type 1365; India: *Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Ikeda.
T255.2 The obstinate wife sought for up-stream. When she falls into the stream, the husband concludes that she would be too obstinate to go with the current. *Type 1365A; *Crane Vitry 225f. No. 227; Köhler-Bolte I 506 n. 1; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 270 No. 276; *Moe Samlede Skrifter I 212; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 142; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; India: Thompson-Balys.
T255.1 The obstinate wife: cutting with knife or scissors. At the end of the argument the man throws his wife into the water. As she sinks she makes with her finger the motion of shearing with the scissors. *Type 1365B; *Köhler-Bolte I 136; *Taylor Washington Univ. Studies IV 181 n. 28; *Crane Vitry 223 No. 222; Bédier Fabliaux (1895) 46ff.; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 595; Moe Samlede Skrifter I 209ff.: Spanish Exempla: Keller.
T255.4.1 The obstinate wife: insists on eating three of the five eggs. Italian Novella: *Rotunda.
T255.3 The obstinate wife: sign of the louse. She calls her husband a lousy head. He throws her into the stream. As she sinks she makes a sign of cracking a louse. *Type 1365C; *Crane Vitry 222f. No. 221;. *Bédier Fabliaux 46; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 872; Herbert III 17; Italian Novella: *Rotunda.
T255.4 The obstinate wife: the third egg. The husband and the wife dispute as to who shall eat the third egg. She pretends to die. At the grave she asks him, "Do I eat two of the three eggs?" and he gives his consent. She jumps up and cries out "I eat two!" and everyone flees except a lame man who exclaims, "Poor me and the other one!" Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 123 No. 1365D*.
C13 The offended skull (statue) (Festin de Pierre). A skull (statue) is invited to dinner. Attends the dinner and takes his host off to the other world.—*Type 470; **D.E. MacKay The Double Invitation in the Legend of Don Juan; *BP III 483 n. 1; *Wesselski Märchen 241 No. 51; Armeto La Leyenda de Don Juan (Madrid, 1908); *DeCock Studien en Essays 108—152, 308ff.; *Lancaster PMLA XXXVIII 471 n. 1; G. de Bevotte La Legende de Don Juan (Paris, 1906) (bibliography pp. 517—521); Manning PMLA XXXVIII 479; *Waxman JAFL XXI 184; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) no. 561; *Fb "menneskehoved" I 579b; Hartland Science 167; Sébillot France IV 132; Klapper Erzählungen des Mittelalters 157 No. 164; Gering Islenzk Aeventyri I 97 No. 34.
J2171.1.2 The ogre tars the hero's boat, thinking to injure him. Type 1156.
Z62.1 The old and the new keys. Hero marries his first sweetheart according to the proverb that the old key is better than the new. (Cf. L214.) *Type 313; *BP II 59, 246, 335, 516ff., III 40; *Fb "nøgle" II 511b; Rumanian: Schullerus FFC LXXVIII No. 906*.
J1811.1.1 The old maid answers the owl's hoot, saying "Anybody, Lord!" or giving the name of the young man she wants. (Cf. X750.3.) U.S.: *Baughman.
X752 The old maid in bed. On one side is a bundle of straw (her husband) and on the other a dog (her child). She gives the straw bundle a push and thereupon falls on the floor herself. Type 1480*.
C11 The Old Man and Death. Weary old man wishes for death. When Death appears at the summons he asks for help with the load.—Halm Aesop No. 90; Wienert FFC LVI 81 (ET 468, 469), 109 (ST 212, cf. ST 109, 115, 141, 342); *Jacobs Aesop 216 No. 69; *BP III 294; Italian Novella: Rotunda; U.S.: Baughman; India: *Thompson-Balys.
J1521.2 The old man nods "Yes". A monk at an old man's deathbed asks if he hasn't promised this and that to the church. The old man from weakness rather than understanding nods "Yes". The son standing by asks, "Shall I throw this fellow down stairs?" The old man nods "Yes". *Wesselski Bebel I 154 No. 81; Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 497.
Z41 The old woman and her pig. Her pig will not jump over the stile so that she can go home. She appeals in vain for help until the cow gives her milk. The final formula is: cow give milk for cat; cat kill rat; rat gnaw rope; rope hang butcher; butcher kill ox; ox drink water; water quench fire; fire burn stick; stick beat dog; dog bite pig; pig jump over stile. (Various introductions.) (First ed. Z41.1.) *Taylor JAFL XLVI 84 No. 2030; *BP II 104, 108; **Goebel Hdwb. d. Märchens s.v. "Birnli" I 256ff.; *Emeneau JAFL LVI 272; Clouston Tales I 289; Köhler-Bolte I 136; Parsons JAFL XXXIII 34; Montet RTP VI 102; *Fb "and" IV 12;—Missouri French: Carrière; Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 155 Nos. 2030A, B, C, D; India: *Thompson-Balys; Indonesia: DeVries Volksverhalen I 364 No. 21; Africa (Benga): Nassau 200 No. 30, (Hottentot): Bleek 33 No. 17, (Gold Coast): Barker and Sinclair 177 No. 35, (Ila, Rhodesia): Smith and Dale II 392 No. 17, (Thonga): Junod 223; Jamaica: Beckwith MAFLS XVII 286 No. 138.
A1904 The oldest bird. Irish Myth: Cross.
C651 The one compulsory question. Percival must ask the meaning of the strange sights he sees; else the Fisher King will not be healed.—Voretzsch Altfranz Lit. 325 (Chretien de Troyes Conte del Graal).
C671 The one compulsory song. Beer cannot be brewed until an old man sings the song of the origin of beer.—Finnish: Kalevala rune 20.
C650 The one compulsory thing. Unless one does this one thing, misfortune comes. (Sometimes one is under magic compulsion.)—**Reinhard the Survival of Geis in Mediaeval Romance.—Irish myth: Cross, MacCulloch Celtic 177ff., passim, *Schoepperle Tristan and Isolt II 307; Beal XXI 312.
J1355 The one exception. "You are a good man; there is not your equal on the earth. You have everything for yourself alone; only your wife is public property." Wesselski Bebel II 135 No. 104.
G612 The one eye of the three giants stolen. Type 328*.
C619 The one forbidden place—miscellaneous.
C610 The one forbidden place. Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "interdits". —Irish myth: Cross; India: *Thompson-Balys; Jewish: *Neuman; Calif. Indian: Gayton and Newman 86; Africa (Luba): DeClerq Zs. f. KS. IV 219; Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 70, 186; Marquesas: Handy 36; New Hebrides: Codrington 385; Tuamotu: Stimson MS (z—G 13/317).
C644 The one forbidden thing: returning to home country after marrying fairy. India: Thompson-Balys.
P11.2.3 The one of two giant brothers who gets the most skillful princess elected as king. Icelandic: Boberg.
P11.2.2.1 The one of two giant brothers who performs the greatest feat and procures the wildest dog elected as king. Icelandic: Boberg.
J1382.1 The one to blow the whistle. Many persons request a man on the way to market to buy them a whistle. Finally one hands him a coin with the request. "You are the one who shall blow the whistle." *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 246 No. 146.
J1618 The one word petition. A guardian of monks in need of food approaches the prince The prince is busy and says that he will permit the guardian but a single word. The guardian says, "Soup", and secures all the food he wants from the prince. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 64.
V523 The only king ever saved in spite of himself. Irish myth: Cross.
J753.1 The only person in the bath. Servant reports to master that there is but one person in the public bath Master finds three hundred. Only one person had removed stone from his path; rest had stubbed toes. He was only one worthy of the name of man. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 604.
K1661 The order for six loads of snow. The order is given by the king in winter. The courtier waits until summer to present the order. Gets money as substitute. Chauvin VIII 149 No. 149.
G303.1 The origin of the devil and his companions. Jewish: *Neuman.
K455.4 The other man to pay the bill. Three feast at an inn and each makes the host believe that one of the others will pay. None has money and the host is cheated. *Bédier Fabliaux 447; Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 150 No. 1848. Cf. Wesselski Bebel II 136 No. 111.
X1862 The over-hasty toad (beetle). Is years ascending steps. On last step falls and curses haste. (First ed. X938.) Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 38 No. 288C*, Espinosa Jr. Nos. 59, 60; West Indies: Flowers 585.
T252 The overbearing wife.
J1901.1 The overfed hen. A woman wants her hen to lay many eggs. Overfeeds her and she stops laying altogether. Wienert FFC LVI 72 (ET 362), 106 (ST 184); Halm Aesop No. 111.
J1302 The overloaded mule. Priest complains that miller's mule is overloaded. "No, he isn't; he can still carry all your and your brothers' patience." *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 473.
K2052 The oversensitive bride.
K2052.4 The oversensitive or hypocritical widow. Italian Novella: Rotunda.
A1958.0.1 The owl is a baker's daughter who objected to the size of the dough put into the oven for Jesus when he appeared in her house as a beggar. Type 751A (woodpecker). (Cf. A1710.) England, U.S.: Baughman.*
K418 The owner is duped by thief who gives him the task of solving a riddle about the theft just accomplished. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 1635*; Russian: Andrejev No. 1545*.
X452 The parson has no need to preach. Those who know may teach those who don't know. *Type 1826.
X434 The parson put out of countenance.
X436 The parson sings like a goat. The parson sees an old woman weeping and believes that she is touched by his singing. When spoken to she says that she has been reminded of her old goat which she has lost. *Type 1834; Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 243 No. 539; *Crane Vitry 157 No. 56; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 576; Fb "prædiken" II 882; Scala Celi 25a No. 164;—Italian Novella: Rotunda; India: Thompson-Balys.
X425 The parson who said there is no devil. The bear-showman lets the bear climb up the pulpit. The parson thinks the bear is the devil. Type 1745*.
J1269.1 The parson's share and the sexton's. During the sermon the parson bids the sexton see if anyone is coming. The sexton: "A man is coming with a wheel on his shoulder"—Parson: "God gives it to you." — Sexton: "Now a man is coming with half a hog on his shoulder." — Parson: "God gives it to me." Type 1829*; Russian: Andrejev No. 1829*.
J1562.2 The peasant's share is the chicken. He serves small birds and a roast chicken to his guests. Guests each take a small bird, leaving only the chicken when the plate reaches the host. He takes the whole chicken saying: "Since everyone has a bird, I must have one too." Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 583.
J1582.1 The penny baked in the wafer. A peasant always puts a bad penny into the offering. The priest has a penny baked in a wafer and gives it to the peasant at communion. The peasant, unable to swallow it, thinks that he is possessed of the devil. The priest asks whether he has ever done wrong with a penny, secures confession and a pledge of reform. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 73.
J1904.2 The pent cuckoo. Fools build an enclosure to keep in the cuckoo. She flies over the hedge. They say that they have not built the hedge high enough. **Field Pent Cuckoo; Clouston Noodles 27; England: Baughman.
J2087 The persuasive auctioneer. The auctioneer praises the man's worthless cow so much in his speech that the man takes her back himself. Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 276 No. 309; Clouston Noodles 72; U.S.: Baughman.
J2377 The philosophical watchman. A master sets his servant to keep watch over his horse at night. He soon asks the servant if he is asleep. "No, I was thinking of who created so many stars in the sky." The second time the servant answers, "No, I was thinking of who dug the sea. Where did he put the soil?" The third time: "I was wondering who would carry the saddle now that the horse is stolen." *Zachariae Zs. f. Vksk. XXX-XXXII 51; *Krappe Bulletin Hispanique XXXIX 23.
K218.5 The picture of the Virgin Mary saves the priest. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 3268, Legends No. 410ff.
A663 The plains of heaven. Irish myth: Cross.
A780 The planets (comets, etc.).—*Normann Mythen der Sterne (Gotha 1925).—Chinese: Graham.
J2516.3.2 The polite rescuers. Pupils are taught to clap their hands and say "God bless you" when one sneezes. As they are rescuing a drowning man by a rope he sneezes. They all clap their hands and he falls back into the water. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 227 No. 477.
J2184 The polluted clothes. A Brahmin washes clothes to purify them. As they hang to dry, a dog walks under them and the Brahmin fears that they are polluted. By putting himself on all-fours like a dog and fastening a leaf like a dog's tail he experiments and decides that the dog must have touched the clothes. He therefore destroys them instead of rewashing them. Clouston Noodles 176.
K344.1.1 The polluted fish. Servant places his one fish with Brahmin's entire catch; receives all since Brahmin considers all polluted. India: *Thompson-Balys.
V294 The Pope. Irish myth: Cross.
J1511.6 The porter's revenge for the three wise counsels. A man offers a porter three wise counsels for carrying his goods. "When anyone tells you that hunger and satisfaction are the same, don't believe him." The second and third are similar and equally valueless. The porter throws down the load: "When anyone tells you that any part of this load is not broken, don't believe him." *Basset 1001 Contes II 391; Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 260 No. 211; Chauvin VIII 139 No. 136; *Fb "sandhed".
J1531.3 The pot has a child and dies. A borrower returns a pot along with a small one saying that the pot has had a young one. The pots are accepted. He borrows the pot a second time and keeps it. He sends word that the pot has died. *BP II 372 n. 2; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 213 No. 35; DeVries FFC LXXIII 273 n. 1; Rumanian: Schullerus FFC LXXVIII No. 1705*; India: Thompson-Balys.
T85.3 The Pot of Basil. Mistress keeps murdered lover's skull in flower-pot. *Belden PMLA XXXIII 327ff.; Boccaccio Decameron IV No. 5 (Lee 136); Italian Novella: Rotunda.
U130 The power of habit. Wienert FFC LVI 111.
J310 The present preferred to the past.
K261 The price of a lump of gold. A trickster asks a goldsmith what he would pay for a lump of gold of a certain size. Believing that the man has such a lump, the goldsmith pays him a large sum. Type 1541****.
K261.1 The price of mink skins. Man asks peddler what he pays for mink skins. Peddler says he will pay ten dollars. The man tosses a skin into the cart, receives ten dollars. The next day the peddler protests that the man has sold him a cat skin. The man says that he had not said that the skin was a mink skin and that, anyway, the cat's name had been "Mink." U.S.: Baughman.
J1551.10 The priest administers to a man sick with infectious disease. Shows him the Host through window, and says: "Have hope and imagine you receive it." The man shows the priest a coin through the window, and repeats the same phrase. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. *1844.
K455.5 The priest as surety. Feasters are imprisoned because of failure to pay for the food. They name the priest as surety and are released. The priest has been told that the host is possessed and agrees to come to heal him in two weeks. The host loses the money. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 646.
K262 The priest made sick of his bargain: three words at the grave. A poor man in return for a steer gets permission from the priest to speak three words at the burial of his enemy, the rich man. Priest: "From earth are you come." Man: "Now the steer is dead." Priest: "In earth shall you remain." Man: "Father, do you want the meat?" Priest: "I wish you were in hell!" etc. Danish: Kristensen Vore Fædres Kirketjeneste 139ff.; 152ff.
J1624 The priest makes the omen come true. A woman crosses herself when she meets a priest, as if he were the devil. She says that meeting a priest always brings her bad luck. The priest knocks her down and steps on her. "As ye believe, so shall it be." Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 151.
K2137 The priest's guest and the eaten chickens. The servant who has eaten the chickens tells the guest to flee because the priest is going to cut off his ears, and he tells the priest that the guest has stolen two chickens The priest runs after him. *Type 1741; *BP II 129; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 364; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 245 No. 543; Chauvin VI 179 No. 341; *Fb "[ö]re" III 1181a; India: Thompson-Balys.
J1289.6 The prince's excuse. King to son who has been accused of rape: "I never did anything like that." Prince: "Your father was not king!" King: "Your son will never be one if you keep that up!" Spanish: Childers; Italian Novella: Rotunda.
J1369.2 The prodigy's retort. An old man says of a youthful prodigy: "He will be an idiot in old age because perfection before maturity brings on deterioration of the mind." Youth: "You must have been very wise in your youth!" Italian Novella: *Rotunda.
J1169.8 The prophet's first disciple. Judge demands that a pseudo-prophet show a miracle. Latter offers to cut off judge's head and resuscitate him. Judge agrees to be the first disciple. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 257 No. 197.
J1476 The proud hide humbled. A hide is in the river. River: "What is your name?" Hide: "Hard hide." River: "Hunt another name; I'll soon soften you." Wienert FFC LVI 75 (ET 403), 101 (ST 148); Halm Aesop No. 381.
F481.0.1.2.1 The purchased cobold discarded. On way home man believes himself cheated, and throws box with fly or piece of charcoal away. Later passing same place he finds a heap of corn or money. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 3463; Estonian: Aarne FFC XXV 125 No. 55.
J1021 The quarreling sons and the bundle of twigs. Peasant puts twigs together and cannot break them. Separately they are easily broken. His sons apply the lesson. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 861; Wienert FFC LVI 83 (ET 491), 111 (ST 228); Halm Aesop No. 103; Jacobs Aesop 217 No. 72.—Jewish: *Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Ikeda.
T256 The quarrelsome wife or husband. Penzer II 159f., 180; India: Thompson-Balys.
X1115.1 The rabbit-catch: rabbits freeze feet fast to ice at night. (First ed. X921.2.) Type 1891.
A2494.6 The rabbit's enemies.
K334.1 The raven with cheese in his mouth. The fox flatters him into singing, so that he drops the cheese. *Type 57; *Basset RTP VI 244 n. 4; Crane Vitry 172 No. 91; Wienert FFC LVI 52 (ET 121), 97 (ST 115); Halm Aesop 204; *Chauvin III 76 No. 49; Jacobs Aesop 202 No. 8; *Krappe Bulletin Hispanique XXXIX 17 No. 11. —Spanish Exempla: Keller; India: Thompson-Balys; Korean: Zong in-Sob 29 No. 12.
J2466.2 The reckoning of the pot. A man counts the days of the fastmonth by throwing a pebble each day into a pot. His daughter throws a handful of pebbles in. Asked the day of the month, he says that it is the 125th. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 207 No. 9.
J2212.4 The reef is old, the ship new. They think the vessel will endure the shocks better than the reef. Type 1277*.
J1923 The rejected bread resought. Numskull looks for bread that he threw away a year before. Africa (Zulu): Callaway 359.
T2 The relative pleasures of love. Do men or women have the greater pleasure in sexual intercourse? Man who has been transformed to woman answers that women have the greater pleasure. The goddess blinds him as punishment. Krappe Science of Folklore 6f.; Penzer VII 227; Greek: Frazer Apollodorus I 367 n. 1; India: Thompson-Balys.
G303.11 The relatives of the devil. Irish myth: Cross.
V144.2 The relics of saint protect horses from the attack of wild beasts. *Loomis White Magic 106.
J1919.1 The remodelled stork. A trickster cuts off the bill and legs of a stork to make him look more like a real bird. Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 213 No. 37.
T317 The repression of lust. (Cf. D1356.) Spanish Exempla: Keller.
J1613 The rescuers' Sabbath. A Jew, fallen into a pit, refuses to be rescued on Saturday, his Sabbath. The next day he calls for help but the Christians refuse to rescue him on Sunday, their Sabbath. Wesselski Mönchslatein 100 No 84; Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 389.
K2376 The returned box on the ears. At table each gives his neighbor a box on the ears. The soldier is to give it to the king, but he returns it to the courtier from whom he has received it. Anderson FFC XLII 360; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 924B*; Russian: Andrejev No. 1637*.
Q172.2.1 The rich man's trial in heaven. A piece of bread given to a beggar is placed on the scales. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 802A*; Prussian: Plenzat 46.
J1171.1.1 The ring to be cut in two and divided between quarreling persons: real owner laments the waste of the gold. India: Thompson-Balys.
J1314 The road to Heaven. To doctor: "If this is the way to get to Heaven (drinking) I don't want to know any other!" Italian Novella: Rotunda.
J1261.2.1 The sacrament for sale. Sick woman calls the parson but recovers meanwhile He insists on her taking the sacrament and charges for it. "Set it here on the table; perhaps I can sell it again." *Wesselski Bebel II 110 No. 36.
P319.4 The sacred partnership. Man is abducted by pirates and kept in slavery forty years. Upon his return his friend divides his earnings with him. Italian Novella: *Rotunda.
K231.3.3 The sacrifice of the cock is at last carried out. Postponed until a hawk carries off the cock. Then the woman says, "O holy St. Martin, I have long owed you a living sacrifice. Take the cock as sacrifice, and may it be pleasing to you." Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 320.
J1265.3 The same company of fools. An abbot calls the monks together and asks, "Whom from all you fools can I appoint as steward?" A monk answers, "That should not be difficult since an abbot was found from the same company of fools." Wesselski Bebel II 119 No. 58.
J1151.1.3 The sausage rain. (Or rain of figs, fishes, or milk.) A mother in order to discredit testimony of her foolish son who has killed a man makes him believe that it has rained sausages. When he says that he killed the man on the night it rained sausages his testimony is discredited. Chauvin VI 126, VIII 35, 69; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 184, 195, 204 Nos. 347, 383, 407; *BP I 527; Italian: Basile Pentamerone I No 4; India: *Thompson-Balys.
T70 The scorned lover. Chinese: Graham.
J2422 The scythe cuts one man's head off. All have theirs cut off. *Type 1203.
F420.1.5.3 The seas become heavy without natural cause. (Cf. F420.2.4.) German: Meier 73 (No. 78).
X907.1 The second liar corroborates the lie of the first. Canada, U.S.: Baughman.
J2215.2 The servant of God beaten. A man who says that he is the servant of so and so is treated with great consideration. His companion, who says that he is a servant of God is put to work. He cannot understand why God's servant should not be more important than the other. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 249 No. 162.
J2464 The servant to improve on the master's statements. The wooer makes boasts to the girl and the servant always doubles the master's boast. Finally the master says, "I have poor eyesight." — The servant, "You don't see at all." (Or the master coughs and apologizes; the servant says that he coughs all night.) *Type 1688; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 221; Scala Celi 126b No. 688; Bolte Zs. f. Vksk. IX 88 No. 46; French Canadian: Barbeau JAFL XXIX 24.




If you wish to get access to data for projects and research, then please contact us, we do our best to help

How to cite: Fielder-White, Jonathan (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com ORCID iD 0009-0006-1672-4451
Please cite the relevant sources, catalogues, and classification systems, including the Folklore Database, Berezkin-Duvakin Catalogue, ATU, Thompson, alongside the page accessed and the last time accessed. Please respect copyright and licenses.

Editorial annotations and database enhancements © Jonathan Fielder-White licensed under CC BY 4.0. Berezkin-Duvakin derived narrative and metadata licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Full rights information can be found here.
All rights are reserved in the database structure, selection, arrangement, metadata, classifications, software, interface design, and original editorial content.

Important: The Folklore Database expressly reserves all rights in relation to text and data mining, automated extraction, scraping, machine learning, dataset creation, and the training, development, validation, or improvement of artificial intelligence technologies or systems. No part of this website or database may be scraped, copied, reproduced, harvested, downloaded in bulk, or otherwise used for AI training or commercial data extraction without prior written permission.

Designed and Developed by Jonathan Fielder-White.
© 2024–2026 Crecganford / Jonathan Fielder-White. All rights reserved.