Enigmatic counsels of a father. Taken literally bring trouble, but when properly interpreted are valuable

Motif

Enigmatic counsels of a father. Taken literally bring trouble, but when properly interpreted are valuable.

Tests. · Tests of cleverness. · Riddles. · Enigmatic statements. · view the constellation · filed as H588

Filed across the traditions

Icelandic Hervarar saga 36–39, 116–18, *Boberg
India Thompson-Balys, (Kashmir): Knowles 243
Indonesia De Vries's list No. 232
Chinese Eberhard FFC CXX 256 No. 200.

Within the index

Filed under Enigmatic statements. Apparently senseless remarks (or acts) interpreted figuratively prove wise.

22 finer motifs beneath it

Father-in-law gives daughter-in-law enigmatic permission to go home Father's counsel: walk not in sunshine from your house to your shop. (Attend to business, rising early and retiring late.) Father's counsel: let pilav be your daily food. (Eat frugally.) Father's counsel: marry a new wife every week. (Do not see your wife too much.) Father's counsel: on wishing to drink wine go to the vat and drink it. (Stench in vat so great that desire for wine is turned to loathing.) Father's counsel: if you want to gamble, then gamble with experienced gamblers. (If you see how wretched professional gamblers are you will not want to gamble.) Father's counsel: dress up the trunks of trees, cover the road. (Plant the road with fruit trees and betel between the trees.) Father's counsel: find treasure within a foot of the ground. (Sons dig everywhere and thus loosen soil of vineyard, which becomes fruitful.) Father's counsel: the four wells. Three empty and one full (3 sons and father). Full one can fill the three empty but the three when full cannot fill the one when empty (sons when scattered will not support the father) Father's counsel: dam up the outlets. (Keep expenditures down – not outlets of rice-field as son-in-law thinks) Father's counsel: don't stay too late with a concubine, nor tell her any secret Always eat bread with "honey". (Working diligently, your bread will be as sweet as honey.) "Never greet anyone." (Start your work the earliest, so that not you but others may greet you.) "Always wear new shoes." (Walk the fields bare-footed, wearing your shoes only when nearing the town.) "Have a black look" (frown) "Bite the ear" (do state affairs secretly) "Take people by the locks" (use your influence to make people subservient to you) "If you have to go to a prostitute, go early in the morning." "When you go to the bazar, eat your morning meal first." "A father should always check and never forgive; a mother should always forgive and never check." "Do not plant a thorny tree." Enigmatic advice: take only salt and water as food

Filed beside it

Girl given enigmatic commands must do the opposite Three young men arrested tell who they are Riddling answers betray theft or adultery Clever youth (maiden) answers king's inquiry in riddles. (Cf. H561.4.) Other riddling answers Enigmatic conversation of king and peasant Riddling remarks of traveling companion interpreted by girl (man) at end of journey King gives enigmatic order to minister Extraordinary actions explained Enigmatic statement made clear by experience Suitors receive enigmatic answers. Girls answer in single words, which, when arranged in certain order, show that they accept Inhospitality reproved enigmatically Enigmatic welcome of host. Sounds very inhospitable but properly interpreted makes guests welcome Enigmatic counsels of relatives (other than father) Other enigmatic statements

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