μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif
Within the index

Filed under Confession obtained by a ruse.

12 finer motifs beneath it
Largest part of a prize to go to the guilty man. In order to obtain the prize, he confesses the earlier crime"Thief has grease from stolen fowl on him": thief begins to feel his beard and is detectedCreditor: "The destroyed bond was a cubit in size." Debtor: "That is a lie; it was only a span.""Guilty man's stick will grow during night." Guilty man chops end off stick"Thief has the feathers sticking on his head": guilty woman immediately passes her hand over her headTo decide which is master and which servant they are to put heads through window and servant's head is to be cut off. Servant draws backWhich is man and which demon in man's shape? Decision to go to whichever can go through end of reedAccused woman to go three times around building naked: guilty one begins to strip off her clothesThief persuaded detective can read thoughts: confesses. (Cf. N275.)Queen flogs suspects telling them to produce stolen gem: thief promises to do soConfession of debt secured by having defendant dispute as to whether cat was present when debt was madeB warns A not to tie his horse near B's. Horses fight and A's is killed. In court B plays dumb. A says B could talk the day before, and repeats conversation. Judge blames A for not taking advice
Filed beside it
Magician assigned three places at a table. He confesses to carrying two persons in his bodyCheaters examined apart; first made to repeat paternoster. Others think that he has confessed and truth is discoveredConfession induced by bringing an unjust action against accused. False message to thief's wife to send the stolen jewel case as bribe to the judge. She doesDetection of theft by finding bag-repairer. Two men are in a lawsuit and before witnesses seal the documents in a bag to await arrival of the king. One of the men cuts the bag open, changes the documents, and has a repairer sew it up again. On the king's arrival the change is discovered. By having a fine carpet repaired the expert repairer is discovered. Confession followsThief's money scales borrowed. A man buries gold and a thief steals it. The owner detects the criminal. He takes some money to the thief and borrows money scales "to weigh so as to bury with the other". The thief decides that he is detected and hastens to return the stolen moneyThief suspected of crawling through hole must take off clothes. He is full of scratches and confessesSilence points to guilt. Important man quarrels with commoner. Asks bystanders: "Who is right?" Silence. Newcomer states that the important man is wrong. "Had he been right the others would have said so."The guilty protests his innocence. Animals put to graze in man's garden. Owner greets everyone with: "I know about you!" No one pays any attention to him except the guilty one who says: "I did not do it." Confesses. (Cf. N275.)Confession obtained by making thief fear for his life. (Told that crossbow would shoot guilty person as he passed before it.)Detection through ruse. Husbands ask suspected priest to talk to wives on tithing, and thus obtain sufficient evidence to convict himGuilty man freed of murder charge is tricked into making a false accusation for which he is sentencedWitness always to answer "No." Thus gets self condemnedMinister threatens divine punishment to thief in congregation. The thief confessesThe thief is tricked into revealing himself in churchThe thief is tricked into betraying himself in supposed ordeal
Carried in tale types

wander