Are there nine or ten geese? Ten men are called in; each is to take a goose. If all have a goose, there are ten. One man is left without one. Numskull: "You should have taken one before they were all gone." — Mythoi

Motif

Are there nine or ten geese? Ten men are called in; each is to take a goose. If all have a goose, there are ten. One man is left without one. Numskull: "You should have taken one before they were all gone."

The wise and the foolish. · Fools (and other unwise persons). · Absurd absent-mindedness. · Absurd inability to count. · view the constellation · filed as J2032

Cited in the index

general Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 246 No. 143.

Within the index

Filed under Absurd inability to count.

Filed beside it

Counting wrong by not counting oneself. Numskulls conclude that one of their number is drowned Three girls distressed by seemingly impossible task of going and returning together – one in half month, other in fifteen days, other in seven plus eight days The interrupted calculation. While the merchant is making calculations, he asks the age of his youngest daughter, the elder daughter, and the mother, and always adds this to the number he has reached Keeping the measure by stretching out the arms. Numskull goes to buy goods for his wife Numskulls buy things in common: each pays full price

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