μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Animal thought to be object.

The wise and the foolish. · Fools (and other unwise persons). · Absurd misunderstandings. · One thing mistaken for another. · Animal or person mistaken for something else. · view the constellation · filed as J1761

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Filed under Animal or person mistaken for something else.

11 finer motifs beneath it
Whale thought to be island. Sailors light a fire on his back White mare thought to be church Glowworm thought to be a fire. The bird who tries to keep the monkeys from this error is killed for her pains Fish thought to be chewed sugar-cane. Numskulls therefore throw away their fish Wolf thought to be log of wood Snake thought to be flute. Bites tiger who tries to play flute Living toad or beetles thought to be lost food and therefore eaten by numskulls Man mistakes dragon for log, sits on it. (Cf. B11.) Bear mistaken for a floating log (blanket) Blind men and elephant. Four blind men feel an elephant's leg, tail, ear and body, respectively, and conclude it is like a log, a rope, a fan, and something without beginning or end Fool mistakes dung-beetles for fruit: eats them
Filed beside it
Animal thought to be a person Person thought to be an object Person thought to be animal One person mistaken for another Other creatures with mistaken identity
Carried in tale types

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