One object thought to be another

Motif

One object thought to be another.

The wise and the foolish. · Fools (and other unwise persons). · Absurd misunderstandings. · One thing mistaken for another. · Objects with mistaken identity. · view the constellation · filed as J1772

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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.

Italian Novella*Rotunda.

Within the index

Filed under Objects with mistaken identity.

14 finer motifs beneath it

Pumpkin thought to be an ass's egg. Numskull thinks he has hatched out an ass's egg. He thinks that the rabbit which runs out is the colt Dog mistakes mussel for an egg. Cuts his mouth Coins thought to be red beans Culture hero's pubic hair thought to be bear hair Man puts food bowl on head thinking it a helmet Fish bones in soup thought to be underdone peas Fools think evening star is morning star. Start morning journey evening before Cotton pods knocked off by bullock thought to be lumps of bullock's fat Excrements thought to be meat and therefore eaten Gun thought to be clarinet: one man blows, another presses the "keys". (Cf. K1057.)Boot mistaken for an axe-sheath Foolish tiger thinks dog's tail is a gun Frog thinks cattle are distant country Eight-oared ferry-boat mistaken for an animal which must have long legs to wade the stream

Filed beside it

Object thought to be animal

Carried in tale types

Other Mistaken Identities · ATU 1319*1 recorded variant
The Sailor and the Oar · ATU 1379**1 recorded variant

wander