Person does not know himself

Motif

Person does not know himself.

The wise and the foolish. · Fools (and other unwise persons). · Absurd absent-mindedness. · Uncertainty about own identity. · view the constellation · filed as J2012

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In our texts — keyword-matched, unreviewed

Scholars’ trail — 3references

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.

India*Thompson-Balys.
general Fb "selv"
general L. Schmidt Oesterr. Zs f. Vksk. 1954, 129ff.

Within the index

Filed under Uncertainty about own identity.

6 finer motifs beneath it

Numskull's beard cut off: does not know himself Woman's garments cut off: does not know herself Woman in tar and feathers does not know herself Fool in new clothes does not know himself Man does not know himself from another identically clad Fool at baths believes he is someone else. Sees everybody naked. Puts straw on his shoulder to identify himself. Straw floats to another bather. "You are me and I am you!"

Filed beside it

Man made to believe that he is someone else Fool does not recognize his own house and family His pupils grab a dog's tail and think it is their master's Man does not recognize his name when it is called: he is accustomed to hear his nickname. (Cf. K1984.3.)

Carried in tale types

Person Does Not Know Himself · ATU 12841 recorded variant

wander