μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif
Scholars’ trail — 2references

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.

  • Irish mythCross
  • India*Thompson-Balys.
Within the index

Filed under Bungling fool.

4 finer motifs beneath it
The fool accidentally kills his child and loses the bodyThe fool seeks a midwife. Accidentally strikes the dog dead, drowns the midwife, and kills the childOne woman to catch squirrel; the other to get the cooking pot. One falls from the tree and kills herself; the other breaks the potThe boy's disasters. Foolishly kills his horse and throws his axe into the lake to kill a duck. Undresses to recover axe. Clothes stolen. Goes into barrel of tar to hide. In tar and feathers
Filed beside it
Sent back for the rest of the money. A fool finds a treasure and takes some of it to a judge so as to purchase influence. The judge sends him back for the restThe awkward servantThe bungling speakerThe fool testifies: "I had been drinking and was lying on the bench asleep. I saw him hit him over the head with an axe but don't know whether he hit him or not."The fool betrays his brothers. They escape but he is captured and stupidly betrays their hiding placesThe forgetful foolThe stolen bedcover. A man hears a noise outside the house at night. He wraps a bed cover about him and goes to investigate. The robbers take the bed cover and flee. The wife asks what the debate was about. "About the bed cover. When they got it, the quarrel was over."Bungling rescuer caught by crab. He tries to rescue woman caught by crab. Is caught himself and found in embarrassing positionBuyer draws picture of grindstone on his order list. The grocer sends him a cheese. The buyer has forgotten to draw the hole

wander