μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif
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.

  • Italian NovellaRotunda
  • India*Thompson-Balys
  • IndonesiaDeVries's list No. 129.
  • general *Penzer IV 191f. n. 1
  • general Boccaccio Decameron VIII No. 6 (Lee 257)
Within the index

Filed under Thief escapes detection.

6 finer motifs beneath it
Thief accuses his companion of having stolen the gold they have both stolenDupe's food eaten and then blame fastened on him. Trickster eats the common food supply and then by smearing the mouth of the sleeping dupe with the food escapes the blameStolen goods taken to dupe's house so that he is accusedStolen goods left in suitor's room. Impoverished lover falsely accused so as to be rid of himThief makes believe that he has been robbed of money entrusted to himThief successfully accuses owner of having stolen property he covets
Filed beside it
The lamb without a heart. Accused of eating the lamb's heart, the thief maintains that it had no heartThief claims to have been transformed into an ass. While the owner sleeps the thief steals his horse, hitches himself to the wagon, and claims that he is the horse transformed into a manThief escapes by leaving animal's severed tail and claiming that the animal has escaped and left his tailThief successfully claims that stolen goods are his ownStolen animal disguised as person so that thief may escape detectionSevered limb prevents detectionThe stolen cow successively pawned. In one night a thief pawns a cow four times, always stealing it immediately and finally delivering it back to its ownerThief presents alibi. Plays all night for dance while confederate commits actual theftDetection of theft of bull escaped by putting boots on bullThieves stretch chain across road and evade pursuersQuartered thief's body sewed together to escape detectionMarked culprit marks everyone else and escapes detectionRepentant thief pretends to have found stolen cow. Upbraids owner for not guarding her betterThief swallows stolen goods to escape detectionThe owner is duped by thief who gives him the task of solving a riddle about the theft just accomplishedThief escapes detection – miscellaneous

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