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

In our texts — keyword-matched, unreviewed
Filed across the traditions
  • Lithuanian Balys Index Nos. 1691*, 1691A*
  • Spanish Boggs FFC XC No. 1363A
  • Chinese Eberhard FFC CXX 286
  • India *Thompson-Balys
  • Japanese Ikeda
  • Indonesia Coster-Wijsman 54ff. Nos. 79–82
  • Africa Werner 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 actions Literal 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 wrong Literal numskull laughs at his child's death Master tells servant (sarcastically) to take a year to do errand. Servant stays away a year and then returns to claim salary Numskull 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 buy Literal fool: fool told to follow his nose in a journey, runs head against tree, climbs it To sell some cloth for four rupees. Fool refuses to take six rupees for it Asking favor when master is in good humor. Fool waits till master is laughing at servant's stupidity Numskull 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 literally The foolish bride The 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 instructions Literal following of the count Instructions followed literally – miscellaneous
Carried in tale types

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