μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

What should I have done (said)? The mother teaches the boy (the man his wife) what he should say (do) in this or that circumstance. He uses the words in the most impossible cases and is always punished.

The wise and the foolish. · Fools (and other unwise persons). · Literal fools. · Literal obedience. · view the constellation · filed as J2461

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In our texts — keyword-matched, unreviewed
Scholars’ trail — 13references

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.

  • LithuanianBalys Index Nos. 1691*, 1691A*
  • SpanishBoggs FFC XC No. 1363A
  • ChineseEberhard FFC CXX 286
  • India*Thompson-Balys
  • JapaneseIkeda
  • IndonesiaCoster-Wijsman 54ff. Nos. 79–82
  • AfricaWerner African 217f.
  • general *Type 1696
  • general *BP I 315, III 145
  • general *Taylor JAFL XLVI 78 No. 1696
  • general **Haavio FFC LXXXVIII 94ff.
  • general *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 251f. No. 169
  • general *Fb "tosse" III 831b
Within the index

Filed under Literal obedience.

9 finer motifs beneath it
Literal following of instructions about actionsLiteral following of instructions about greetings. Numskull gives wrong greeting and is told how to give the correct one. When he tries it, however, the conditions are wrongLiteral numskull laughs at his child's deathMaster tells servant (sarcastically) to take a year to do errand. Servant stays away a year and then returns to claim salaryNumskull told not to forget to get the handsel (a little token extra in the bargain); brings it but leaves what he has been sent to buyLiteral fool: fool told to follow his nose in a journey, runs head against tree, climbs itTo sell some cloth for four rupees. Fool refuses to take six rupees for itAsking favor when master is in good humor. Fool waits till master is laughing at servant's stupidityNumskull told to attract girl's attention by throwing pebble at her flings large stone which breaks her head
Filed beside it
Disastrous following of misunderstood instructions. (To burn land, then sow seed. Opposite done.)Foolish bridegroom follows instructions literallyThe foolish brideThe servant to improve on the master's statements. The wooer makes boasts to the girl and the servant always doubles the master's boast. Finally the master says, "I have poor eyesight." – The servant, "You don't see at all." (Or the master coughs and apologizes; the servant says that he coughs all night.)Disastrous following of instructionsLiteral following of the countInstructions followed literally – miscellaneous
Carried in tale types

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