Magpie tells man he is to die next day: no tongue and long tail. God pulls out his tongue and makes his tail long for doing this forbidden thing. (Cf. A2344.2.6, A2378.3.1.)

Motif

Magpie tells man he is to die next day: no tongue and long tail. God pulls out his tongue and makes his tail long for doing this forbidden thing. (Cf. A2344.2.6, A2378.3.1.)

Mythological motifs. · Animal characteristics. · Various causes of animal characteristics. · Animal characteristics as punishment. · view the constellation · filed as A2236.4

Filed across the traditions

Finnish Aarne FFC VIII 16 No. 89.

Within the index

Filed under Animal characteristics: punishment for planning man's downfall.

Filed beside it

What creature has sweetest blood: gnat's tongue torn out. Assembly to decide who has the sweetest blood so that it may be the food for the serpent. Gnat discovers that man has the sweetest blood. Rather than let him tell this secret, swallow tears out his tongue. Gnat can only buzz. (Cf. A2344.2, A2426.3.2.) Animal characteristics: punishment for carrying devil into paradise Animal punished for not warning of devil's temptation in Eden Animal punished for not heralding dawn Nit tries to bore through man's head: must remain at edge of hair. (Cf. A2433.5.1.) Jay carries sulphur to devil in hell: must be quiet at noon Cat commanded to pray so as not to slay man: why cat purrs

Travels with (Thompson’s cf.)

Why magpie has no tongue. (Cf. A2236.4.) How magpie got long tail. (Cf. A2236.4.)

ask the rhapsode about this motif · search the shelf for “forbidden” · wander