μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Husband discredited by absurd truth. Wife puts fish in furrow where husband plows them up (or like absurdity). At mealtime the husband says, "Where are the fish?" – "What fish?" – "Those I plowed up." He is laughed to scorn.

The wise and the foolish. · Cleverness. · Clever persons and acts. · Cleverness in the law court. · Cleverness connected with the giving of evidence. · view the constellation · filed as J1151.1.2

Filed across the traditions
  • India Thompson-Balys.
  • general Bédier Fabliaux 196, 436
Within the index

Filed under Testimony discredited by inducing witness to talk foolishly.

Filed beside it
Talkative wife discredited. Husband tells his talkative wife about treasure he has discovered. To discredit her report he tells her also of impossible things (woodcock in the fish net, fish in the bird trap, etc.). She repeats it all and whole story is disbelieved. Husband may keep his treasure The sausage rain. (Or rain of figs, fishes, or milk.) A mother in order to discredit testimony of her foolish son who has killed a man makes him believe that it has rained sausages. When he says that he killed the man on the night it rained sausages his testimony is discredited
Carried in tale types

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