μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif
In our texts — keyword-matched, unreviewed
Within the index
23 finer motifs beneath it
Bluff: provisions for the swimming match. In a swimming match from a ship the hero takes a knapsack of provisions on his back. His rival is afraid and gives upBluff: climbing the mast. In a contest in climbing the mast the hero falls into the rigging. "You do the same thing," he challenges. The sailors are persuaded of his expertnessBluff in court: the stone in the purse. A poor man has a stone in his purse to throw at the judge if he is sentenced. The judge thinks that he has money to use as a bribe and acquits himTrickster's boasting scares his powerful opponent from contestGoat singing a threatening song bought off with food and jewelsBluffing threatPretended angerKing persuades men to follow him, pretending that he is going to make peace with his brothers, instead battleBluff: insult repeated as harmless remark. The trickster makes an insulting remark, but when called on to repeat what he said he changes it so as to turn aside wrathBoast where the master cannot hear. The servant boasts that he has scolded his masterWhen he is looked at too threateningly hero feigns failing ability to go on horsebackThreat to build a church in hell. When the man makes this threat, he is let out of hellBluff: wealth gained by seeming to be in the king's confidence. Courtier asks the king for a reward that will cost nothing. He gets permission to listen to the king's devotions. He now receives bribes because of his apparent influenceShoemaker offers to trim the peasant's feet to fit the shoes. The peasant prefers to accept the ill-fitting shoesHerdsman threatens invasion with enormous herds: bought off. He hires himself as herdsman of all his master's flocks for ten years. He then sends notice to surrounding peoples that he is coming with his master's flocks to graze. They bribe him to stay awayMiracle must wait till one man is sacrificed. No one volunteers and it does not need to be performedBluff: the rare vintages. Host serves many rare vintages and gets a reputation for his wine cellar. But there is only a small jug of each vintageMan falsely claims to have killed elephant with his flat hand. RewardedFox threatens to catch bird, who feeds him her young as appeasement. He threatens to push down tree or to flySham duel in order to bring about recognitionFeigned ignorance about person's identity in order to tell one's frank opinion of himIlliterate man pretends to be weeping because he cannot make others understand the book he is readingWoman frightens robber away by telling him parrot's cry is husband's voice

wander