μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

"Don't eat too greedily." Fool starves himself at table. Later hunts food in house and gets into trouble.

The wise and the foolish. · Fools (and other unwise persons). · Foolish extremes. · Foolish extreme. · view the constellation · filed as J2541

Filed across the traditions
  • India *Thompson-Balys. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 1691*, 1691A*
  • Spanish Boggs FFC XC No. 1363A*
  • Chinese Eberhard FFC CXX 286. Cf. the same story with risque ending: U.S. (Ozarks): Randolph Who Blowed Up the Church House (New York, 1952) 16, 185.
Within the index

Filed under Foolish extreme.

Filed beside it
The silence wager. A man and his wife make a wager as to who shall speak first (close the door). The man (woman) becomes jealous and scolds; loses the wager The fool and the visitor's large nose. The fool asks where he got the large nose. Is removed from the room. He comes back to mend matters. He says, "What a small nose you have!" He is again taken from the room. The third time: "What difference does it make whether you have a nose or not?" Plenty of holy water. A fool hearing of the effectiveness of holy water for the forgiveness of sins pours the whole supply over himself Sickle bought at great cost given back. In a land where the sickle is not known the new sickle cuts off the head of a man and is thereupon given back to the original owner Directions followed literally to the sorrow of the giver Couldn't wait to dress. The overzealous visitor rides naked to see his friends Absurd extreme of discouragement Extreme prudery Breaking the glassware to prevent others from doing so. A king thus removes temptation from his subjects The obedient husband: the leave of absence. His wife says, "You may go away for a little while." He stays away for days and then sends a messenger to his wife asking if he has been away long enough Fool liking salt decides to eat nothing else Fool will not drink from a river because he cannot drink it all Equal share in the bed. Wishing to prove their equality twelve fools sleep on the ground and put their feet on the one bed provided for the chief Thief out of habit robs from his own purse Letter believed against clear evidence. Fool believes letter apparently reporting his uncle's death, though he has just seen uncle Bureaucrats debate as to who shall put out palace fire: meantime palace burns
Carried in tale types

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