μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Marooned man reaches home and outwits marooner.

Deceptions. · Deceiver falls into own trap. · Deceiver falls into his own trap – miscellaneous incidents. · view the constellation · filed as K1616

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“So Wemicus lay down and the man started to pick the lice. He took the cranberries from inside his shirt and each time he pretended to catch a louse, he cracked a cranberry and threw it on the ground, and so Wemicus got fooled a second time that day. Then they went home and Wemicus said to his son-in-law, “There are a whole lot of eggs on that rocky island where the gulls are. We will go get the eggs, come back, and have an egg supper.’’”

Tales of the North American Indians, Tale 46 · served from our shelf  receiptuncorrected OCR — being verified against the scan

Attested across traditions
Within the index

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

2 finer motifs beneath it
Marooned egg-gatherer. The father-in-law has the youth hunt eggs on an island and deserts him, but the youth outwits himMarooned man hides himself in ogre's clothes and outwits him
Filed beside it
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 deceivedMessage 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 moccasinsSubstituted 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
Keeps company with — shares receipted episodes
Means of inducing magic sleep. (Cf. D1364.)Hero hidden and ogre deceived by his wife (daughter) when he says that he smells human bloodSuitor tests. A suitor is put to severe tests by his prospective bride or father-in-lawToboggan test. Attempt to kill hero on dangerous tobogganOgre's own moccasins burned. The ogre plans to burn the hero's moccasins while they are camping together, but the hero exchanges the moccasins

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