Oath taken on boy's head: boy to die if false

Motif

Oath taken on boy's head: boy to die if false.

Tests. · Tests of truth. · Other tests of truth. · view the constellation · filed as H252.4

Scholars’ trail — 1reference

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.

IndiaThompson-Balys.

Within the index

Filed under Act of truth. Person asserts a thing as true declaring: "If my words are true, may this or that happen."

2 finer motifs beneath it

Act of truth: boy falls dead though what has been said is the truth; when lie is told he is resuscitated Women swear falsely by their husbands and children, who immediately fall dead

Filed beside it

Test: telling true stories Placing hand on genitals as test of truth Amount of blood in spittle as test of complete subjection. Incomplete till all is blood If oath is false, fruit will fall. (Cf. H251.3.10.)Act of truth: island sinks into sea, after hanging of man who has appealed to God to cause the phenomenon as indication of his innocence. (Cf. F948.)Act of truth: cursed church clock never runs correctly

wander