μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Tails in ground. Thief steals animals and sticks severed tails into the ground, claiming that animals have escaped underground.

Deceptions. · Thefts and cheats. · Thefts. · Thief escapes detection. · view the constellation · filed as K404.1

Filed across the traditions
  • Icelandic Sveinsson FFC LXXXIII No. 1004
  • Missouri French Carrière
  • Louisiana Creole Fortier MAFLS II 110 No. 2
  • Indonesia DeVries's list No. 241
  • Africa (Vai) Ellis 249 No. 41
  • American Negro (Georgia) Harris Remus 98 No. 20, Nights 230 No. 39, 241 No. 41, (Virginia): Smiley JAFL XXXII 368, (South Carolina): Parsons MAFLS XVI 31f., JAFL XXXIV 8
  • Bahama Cleare JAFL XXX 228
  • Jamaica *Beckwith MAFLS XVII 252 No. 29
  • Cape Verde Islands Parsons MAFLS XV (1) 109 n. 2, 113.
  • general *Type 1004
  • general BP III 392 n. 1
  • general *Fb "hale" I 537, "svin" III 676a
Within the index

Filed under Thief escapes by leaving animal's severed tail and claiming that the animal has escaped and left his tail.

Filed beside it
Ox's tail in another's mouth. The thief kills one ox and puts the tail in another ox's mouth: the owner thinks one ox has eaten the other Stolen sheep's tails severed and put in tree. Owner made to believe that they have escaped through the air
Carried in tale types

ask the rhapsode about this motif · search the shelf for “underground” · wander