μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif
Scholars’ trail — 8references

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.
  • general *Type 785
  • general *BP II 149, 153
  • general Wienert FFC LVI 40, 107
  • general Oesterley No. 83
  • general Herbert III 205
  • general *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 57
  • general Penzer V 130 n. 1
Within the index

Filed under Thief escapes detection.

3 finer motifs beneath it
The goose without a leg. Accused of eating the goose's leg, the thief maintains that it had no leg, and cleverly enforces his point by showing geese standing on one leg. (Usually the master confounds the rascal by frightening the geese so that they use both legs)The bird without a tail. Thief maintains that the bird had no tailThe ass without a heart. The ass as toll-gatherer is killed by the lion for asking for toll. The fox eats the ass's heart. When the lion asks for it, the fox replies that the ass could have had no heart since he was such a fool as to ask the lion for toll
Filed beside it
Blame for theft fastened on dupeThief 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
Carried in tale types

wander