μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Thief frightens owner from goods.

Deceptions. · Thefts and cheats. · Thefts. · Means of hoodwinking the guardian or owner. · view the constellation · filed as K335

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“She began to sew her moccasins, and all at once she stuck the awl in one of her fingers. The woman threw it away, and it came back and said: “Brother Turtle, I hurt a woman badly. She was using me while she was sewing her moccasins, and I stuck one of her fingers; she threw me away.” “Well done, brothers, now it is my turn,’ said the turtle. The turtle went into camp, and people saw him and said: “What does this mean?”

— Tales of the North American Indians, Tale 38 · served from our shelf  receiptuncorrected OCR — being verified against the scan

Attested across traditions
Scholars’ trail — 6references

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.

  • India*Thompson-Balys
  • ChineseGraham
  • N. Am. Indian*Thompson Tales 303 n. 109b
  • American Negro (Georgia)Harris Remus 98 No. 20, Nights 61 No. 12.
  • general Type 1166**
  • general Africa (Ibo, Nigeria): Basden 278, (Gold Coast): Barker and Sinclair 52 No. 6, (Wakweli): Bender 63
Within the index

Filed under Means of hoodwinking the guardian or owner.

14 finer motifs beneath it
Owner frightened from goods by report of approaching enemyOwners frightened away from goods by report of deadly epidemic. Poor parson thus rids himself of unwelcome guests; they leave food they have broughtTrickster quarrels with owner of goods, feigns death, and frightens owner awayOwner frightened away from goods by a bluffOwner frightened from goods by apparitions of the dead. (Cf. K335.1.2.)Owner frightened from goods by trickster's ferocious animal. Pretended dog is really a lionThief frightens away guards of his father's corpse by impersonating demonsTown crier is frightened by the voice of a cleric robbing a graveDelivery boy is frightened into giving up his chickens. Trickster upturns his eyelids and puts on boar's tusksTrickster lights torches and bluffs old woman into giving him money. Torches alleged to belong to man coming to collect damages from herServants frightened by ferocious actions of robbers; give up masters' foodOwner frightened away by thief disguised as devilOwner frightened from goods by trickster's summons of wild buffalo herdRobbers frightened from goods. Trickster steals the goods
Filed beside it
Man gulled into giving up his clothesGoods stolen while owner sleepsTheft by making owner drunkTheft from blind personOwner gives up goods through flatteryHouse filled with smoke so that owner gives trickster lodgingOversalting food of giant so that he must go outside for water. Meantime his goods are stolenThief ties owner's hair while he escapes with goodsOwner's interest distracted while goods are stolenThief as umpire in contest. Three men are quarreling over the possession of a rescued girl. The umpire will give her to the one who soonest returns with the arrow he shoots. While they run, he takes the girlThief advises owner to go away; meantime steals the goodsOwner persuaded that his goods are spoiled. (Cf. K355.)Sympathetic helper robbedThief trusted to guard goodsCozening. Trickster's claim of relationship causes owner to relax vigilance. Goods stolenTrickster causes owner and another to fight over goods. Meantime he steals it
Keeps company with — shares receipted episodes
Trickster's burnt flesh becomes gum on treesTransformation to be put in food-bagTransformation to seduceMagic treasure animal killed. (Goose that laid the golden egg)Magic garment (robe, tunic)Magic reawakening of memory. (Cf. D1360, D1910.)Killed game revives and flies awayDisintegration: man eats himself up or dismembers himselfPerson eats self upTrickster joins bulrushes in a dance. He thinks they are dancing when he sees them wavingPerson frightened into falling down a cliffDeceptive scratching contest
Carried in tale types

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