μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Deceptive tug-of-war. Small animal challenges two large animals to a tug-of-war. Arranges it so that they unwittingly pull against each other (or one end of rope is tied to a tree).

Deceptions. · Contests won by deception. · Athletic contest won by deception. · view the constellation · filed as K22

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Scholars’ trail — 5references

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.

  • Africa (Mpongwe)Nassau 37 No. 5, (Ibo, Nigeria): Basden 277, Thomas 145, (Ila, Rhodesia): Smith and Dale II 377 No. 2
  • American Negro (Georgia)Harris Remus 124 No. 26
  • BahamaParsons MAFLS XIII 74 No. 34, Edwards MAFLS III 65
  • West IndiesFlowers 495ff.
  • general South American Negro: C. F. Hartt Amazonian Tortoise Myths (Rio de Janeiro, 1875) 20, Cape Verde Islands: Parsons MAFLS XV (1) 83 No. 27
Within the index

Filed under Athletic contest won by deception.

Filed beside it
Race won by deceptionWrestling match won by deceptionBoxing match: fatal boxer defeated. All comers are challenged and all are killed until the hero defeats the challenger. (Argonauts and Amycus.)Rowing contest won by deception. The boat is already sawed throughClimbing match won by deceptionDiving match won by deceptionJumping contest won by deceptionThrowing contest won by deceptionDeceptive shinny matchDeception in swinging contestFlying contest won by deceptionBlowing contest won by deceptionRiding contest won by substitutionTournament won by deception on borrowed horse
Travels with
Contest: pulling on steak with teeth. Two men take an end of a steak in their teeth; each attempts to pull it away from the other. After each has a good hold, the Irishman says (with clenched teeth) "Noo're ready?" The Dutchman says, "Yah!", loses the steak. (Cf. K22, K561.1.)
Carried in tale types

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