μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

"I don't know" thought to be a person's name. A man in a country that cannot speak his language hears "I don't know" so frequently that he thinks it must be the name of the owner of all the places he inquires about.

The wise and the foolish. · Fools (and other unwise persons). · Literal fools. · Literal fool – miscellaneous. · view the constellation · filed as J2496

Filed across the traditions
  • Africa (Gold Coast) Barker an Sinclair 95 No. 18.
  • general *Type 700*
Within the index

Filed under Literal fool – miscellaneous.

2 finer motifs beneath it
Boy who worked for "nothing at all" goes to town and demands "nothing at all." (Cf. J2489.10.) Misunderstandings because of lack of knowledge of a different language than one's own
Filed beside it
Clothing the servant. The master is to clothe the servant (at his expense). The servant insists that his master shall put on his clothes for him Putting fear into him. A plaintiff insists that the judge shall put some fear into the defendant debtor. The judge puts his fingers over the eyes of the defendant and cries, "Boo! Now give him his money." Names of dogs literally interpreted. The names are "The Shepherd" and "Get the stick". When the man calls his dogs to dinner, the thief thinks that he is telling the shepherd to get a stick Getting a box on the ears. The man, advised to cure his wife with a box on the ears, goes to the pharmacy and gets one. He cures his wife Religious words or exercises interpreted with absurd literalness "Honey is sweet." A wayward son, asked by his mother to give her a sweet word, thus answers Repeating the ceremony. Fool told to repeat part of the ceremony at baptism persists absurdly in repeating every remark Literal fool – additional motifs
Carried in tale types

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