μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Choice: free poverty or enslaved wealth.

The wise and the foolish. · Wise and unwise conduct. · Choices. · Choice between evils. · view the constellation · filed as J211

Within the index

Filed under Choice between evils.

2 finer motifs beneath it
Philosopher chooses poverty with freedom Town mouse and country mouse. Latter prefers poverty with safety
Filed beside it
Four choices, all of which are evil; man to make one choice only Choice: plainness with safety or grandeur with danger Choice: loss of beauty or speech. Latter chosen Choice: suffering in youth or old age Present evil preferred to change for worse Choice of deaths Captivity preferred to death Enemies make peace rather than slay each other Choice: small injustice permitted rather than to cause troubles of state Rescue alone from shipwreck chosen over drowning with goods Choice between evils: pay tribute or lose both money and life Choice: apparent injustice over greater wrong Difficult choice between relatives Death preferred to other evils Choice between evils – miscellaneous
Carried in tale types

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