μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Compassionate executioner: substituted heart. A servant charged with killing the hero (heroine) substitutes an animal, whose heart he takes to his master as proof of the execution.

Deceptions. · Escape by deception. · Death order evaded. · view the constellation · filed as K512.2

ask the rhapsode about this motif →

Scholars’ trail — 18references

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.

  • SpanishBoggs FFC XC No. 706C*
  • Missouri FrenchCarrière
  • French CanadianSister Marie Ursule
  • IndiaThompson-Balys
  • JewishNeuman (S350)
  • ChineseGraham
  • JapaneseIkeda
  • general *Types 671, 709
  • general *Böklen Sneewittchenstudien 79ff.
  • general *BP I 450ff., 463
  • general *Aarne FFC XXIII 57, MSFO XXV 181
  • general *Prato RTP IV 178
  • general Chauvin V 208 No. 120
  • general *Cox 474
  • general *Saintyves Perrault 68
  • general Fb "hjaerte" I 631a, "lever" II 404b, "tunge" III 894a. Icelandic: Boberg
  • general N. Am. Indian (Shuswap): Teit JE II 730 No. 50
  • general S. Am. Indian (Quiche): Alexander Lat. Am. 172.
Within the index

Filed under Compassionate executioner. A servant charged with killing the hero (heroine) arranges the escape of the latter.

7 finer motifs beneath it
Compassionate executioner: substituted brains (other animal for helpful animal)Eyes of animal substituted as proof for eyes of childrenEyes, ears, fingers of corpse substituted for those demanded of victimAnimal substituted for child served at mealCompassionate executioner: substituted child. The servant charged with sending the hero to executioners sends his own child insteadCompassionate executioner: substituted puppet drownedCompassionate executioner: mutilation substituted for death
Filed beside it
Compassionate executioners. Slaves charged with killing (drowning) the infant heroine are touched by her "laughing smile" and put her in a calfshed (hollow tree), where she is found by cowherds, who rear her"Prince will soon want me back." Executioner persuaded to let hero goCompassionate executioner: bloody coat. A servant charged with killing the hero smears the latter's coat with the blood of an animal as proof of the execution and lets the hero escapeCompassionate executioner: feigns to torture victimCompassionate executioner: sleeping potion supplied instead of poison
Carried in tale types

wander