μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif
In our texts — keyword-matched, unreviewed
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.

  • general **Aarne FFC XXVI 74ff.
Within the index

Filed under Metaphorical riddles.

4 finer motifs beneath it
Riddle: tree with twelve branches, each with thirty leaves, black and white. Year, month, days and nightsRiddle: tree with leaves white on one side and black on other. Year made up of nights and daysRiddle: twelve cypresses with thirty boughs each. Years and monthsRiddle: palace consisting of 8760 stones; twelve trees, thirty branches, each with black and white cluster of grapes. Year, months, days, hours
Filed beside it
Riddle of the day and night. (Cf. H721.1, H721.2, H721.4.)Riddle of the course of the sunRiddle: who are the real travellers? The son and the moonRiddle of king and courtiersRiddle: what is the mother who devours her children when they grow up? (Ocean and rivers.)Riddle white field, black seed. (Paper with writing.)Riddle: two legs, three legs, four legs. (Man, three-legged stool dog.)Riddle: four hang, four walk, two show the road, one wags behind. (Cow's teats, feet, eyes, tail.) (Other answers: cat, dog, horse, hog, etc.)Riddle: six legs, four ears, two faces, etc. (Horse and rider.)Riddle: bill white, horns on feet, knob on head (cock)Riddle: who of fourfold beard is he, of azure foot and neck so ruddy? ArrowRiddle of the Sphinx: what is it that goes on four legs in the morning, on two at midday, and on three in the evening. (Man, who crawls as a child, walks in middle life, and walks with a stick in old age.)Riddle: what is the creature that is of all countries, that is loved by all the world, and that has no equal? (The sun.)Riddle: the father not yet born, the son already at the top of the house. (Flame and smoke.)Riddle: bird without feathers flies on tree without leaves. (Snow falls on bare tree.)From wooden spring iron bucket makes stones from which water flows. (Metal stick picks stone from eye. If you rub lids with it, tears come.)

wander