μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

The transferred wish. A husband, given three wishes, transfers one to his wife, who wastes it on a trifle; in his anger he wishes the article in her body and must use the third to get it out.

The wise and the foolish. · Fools (and other unwise persons). · Absurd short-sightedness. · Absurd wishes. · view the constellation · filed as J2075

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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.

  • N. Am. IndianThompson CColl II 454.
  • general *Type 750A
  • general *BP II 220, 225
Within the index

Filed under Absurd wishes.

4 finer motifs beneath it
Transferred wish wisely used as well as unwisely. (J2075 contrasted with a married couple in which the wish is wisely used by the wife.)Two transferred wishes used unwisely: redeemed by wise use of third. Wife uses two transferred wishes selfishly. Husband kills wife and uses remaining wish to his advantageWoman disdainfully throws away pills; punished with sores on body, must use the pills to restore herselfWife granted wish for beauty, elopes with prince. Husband wishes her into a pig; son must use third wish to restore her
Filed beside it
Three foolish wishes. Three wishes will be granted: used up foolishlyShort-sighted wishSame wishes used wisely and foolishly. Given to two persons with opposite resultsTwice the wish to the enemy. (The covetous and the envious). A can have a wish, but B will get twice the wish. A wishes that he may lose an eye, so that B may be blindAbsurdly modest wish. Granted any wish, the fool chooses a trifleAbsurd wishes – miscellaneous
Carried in tale types

wander