μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

The lamb without a heart. Accused of eating the lamb's heart, the thief maintains that it had no heart.

Deceptions. · Thefts and cheats. · Thefts. · Thief escapes detection. · view the constellation · filed as K402

Filed across the traditions
  • 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 tail The 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 dupe Thief 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 man Thief escapes by leaving animal's severed tail and claiming that the animal has escaped and left his tail Thief successfully claims that stolen goods are his own Stolen animal disguised as person so that thief may escape detection Severed limb prevents detection The 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 owner Thief presents alibi. Plays all night for dance while confederate commits actual theft Detection of theft of bull escaped by putting boots on bull Thieves stretch chain across road and evade pursuers Quartered thief's body sewed together to escape detection Marked culprit marks everyone else and escapes detection Repentant thief pretends to have found stolen cow. Upbraids owner for not guarding her better Thief swallows stolen goods to escape detection The owner is duped by thief who gives him the task of solving a riddle about the theft just accomplished Thief escapes detection – miscellaneous
Carried in tale types

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