μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Tabu: kissing. Usually causes disenchantment or magic forgetfulness. (Cf. D735, D2003.)

Tabu. · Sex tabu. · Tabu: kissing. · view the constellation · filed as C120

ask the rhapsode about this motif →

“"I have a great fish-pond," said the King. " Thou must go to it to-morrow morning and clear it of all mud until it is as bright as a mirror, and fill it with every kind of fish." The next morning the King gave him a glass shovel and said, " The fish-pond must be done by six o'clock." So he went away, and when he came to the fish-pond he stuck his shovel in the mud and it broke in two, then he stuck his hoe in the mud, and broke it also.”

— Grimm's Household Tales: With the Author's Notes, Tale 113 · served from our shelf  receiptuncorrected OCR — being verified against the scan

Attested across traditions
Scholars’ trail — 2references

The index’s own references — the collections where scholars sighted this story-shape, tradition by tradition. Titles on our shelf are live links; the rest is the frontier, not yet shelved.

  • Italian NovellaRotunda.
  • general *Type 313C, 410. – Grimm Nos. 113, 186, 193
Within the index
2 finer motifs beneath it
Tabu: kissing supernatural husband. (Cf. C32.)Tabu: kissing fairies. This puts one in their power. (Cf. C112.)
Travels with
Forgotten fiancée. Young husband visiting his home breaks tabu and forgets his wife. Later she succeeds in reawakening his memory. (For details of the ways in which the memory is lost and regained see D2004 and D2006Disenchantment by kiss
Keeps company with — shares receipted episodes
Magic forgetfulness for breaking tabuTransformation: man to rosebushMagic charm summons dwarfs. (Cf. D1273.)Giant carries man in his pocket (glove, bosom). (Cf. F531.5.3.)Giant carries man on brim of his hatBride helps suitor perform his tasksTasks performed with help of old womanTask performed by dwarfs. (Cf. F451.5.1.)Task: stacking wood from felled forest in one dayTask: bailing out a pondBailing out pond with thimbleTask: filling twelve bed-ticks with feathers. Done by helpful birds

wander