μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Substituted caps cause ogre to kill his own children. The hero and heroine change places in bed with the ogre's children and put on them their caps so that the ogre is deceived.

Deceptions. · Deceiver falls into own trap. · Deceiver falls into his own trap – miscellaneous incidents. · view the constellation · filed as K1611

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Scholars’ trail — 8references

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.

  • French CanadianBarbeau JAFL XXIX 22
  • India*Thompson-Balys
  • N. Am. IndianThompson CColl II 358ff.
  • Cape Verde Islands*Parsons MAFLS XV (1) 73 n. 3
  • JamaicaBeckwith MAFLS XVII 267 No. 77.
  • general *Types 327, 1119
  • general *BP I 124 n. 1
  • general (Northern Paiute [Paviotso]): Lowie JAFL XXXVII 226 No. 10
Within the index

Filed under Deceiver falls into his own trap – miscellaneous incidents.

5 finer motifs beneath it
Substituted string causes ogre to be killed. Intended victim of cannibal is marked by thread around ankle. Changed in night to hostGuest to be killed suspects plot and forces host to sleep in his bed. Brothers come home and kill their fatherGirl takes place of impostor in marriage bed; impostor's mother beats her, thinking she is heroineNoose changed so that ogre's daughter is dragged to deathKid puts one of tigress's cubs in his place: she eats the cub
Filed beside it
Message of death fatal to sender. (Gang nach dem Eisenhammer.) A man is sent by the king to burners of a kiln who have been instructed to throw the first arrival into the fire. The intended victim goes elsewhere and the king's son (or the man's accuser), who next arrives, is burned insteadPoisoner poisoned with his own poisonFather delivering daughter to be eaten by cannibal is himself eatenOgre's own moccasins burned. The ogre plans to burn the hero's moccasins while they are camping together, but the hero exchanges the moccasinsMarooned man reaches home and outwits maroonerSubstituted arrows. Hero given arrows with soft points and sent after dangerous enemies. The deception discovered and the enemy discomfitedDeceiver in swinging contest killed. Old woman planning to kill hero in swinging game by cutting rope is killed when hero cuts the rope firstTiger in sheep's clothing stolen by sheep-thiefThief climbing rope discovered and rope cut. He has tricked the guardian of the food-supply in the tree (by imitation of the owner's voice or the discovered pass-word) to let down the ropeLawyer agrees to pay debt on winning his first case. He refuses to plead so as not to pay. Debtor sues him for double the amount due him. If he wins he has to pay and if he loses he has to pay double. He settles debtWoman who engages false bridegroom for her daughter has plans go astray. Daughter is seducedMonkey instead of girl in floating basket: hermit made laughing-stock. He has persuaded girl's foolish father to place her in the basket. Prince takes girl and leaves monkey in her place. (Cf. K1333, K1674.)Would-be killers killedSons have servant impersonate dead father and falsify his will. Servant deceives them by favoring himselfThe bribed boy sings the wrong song. The sexton steals the priest's cow. The next day the sexton's son sings, "My father stole the priest's cow." The priest pays the boy to sing the song in church. But the sexton teaches the boy a new song, "The priest has lain with my mother," and this is sung in churchFox leads ass to lion's den but is himself eaten. When he gets there the ass kicks him so that he falls on the lion's bed
Carried in tale types

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