μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Animal captor persuaded to talk and release victim from his mouth. Usually cock and fox, fox and wolf, or mouse and cat.

Deceptions. · Escape by deception. · Escape by false plea. · view the constellation · filed as K561.1

Filed across the traditions
  • Russian Andrejev No. 241 I*
  • Breton Sébillot Incidents s. v. "coq"
  • India *Thompson-Balys
  • Japanese Ikeda
  • Africa (Hottentot) Bleek 23 No. 12
  • American Negro (Georgia) Harris Nights 146 No. 27
  • Cape Verde Islands Parsons MAFLS XV (1) 326 No. 110
  • Jamaica *Beckwith MAFLS XVII 239f. No. 12.
  • general *Type 6
  • general *BP II 207
  • general *Chauvin II 200 No. 39
  • general *Fb "ræv" III 113b
  • general **Dargan MPh IV 39
  • general *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 743
  • general *Graf FFC XXXVIII 39f.
  • general *F. N. Robinson Works of Chaucer 858 (Nun's Priest's tale). Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 239*
Within the index

Filed under Escape by persuading captor to talk.

2 finer motifs beneath it
Cat fails to be beguiled into releasing mouse. The mouse tells the cat a tale. The cat answers at last, "Even so, I eat you up." Frog escapes after telling crow to sharpen his bill before eating him
Filed beside it
Attempted escape by persuading captor to talk fails Sheep persuade the wolf to sing. Dogs are summoned Crocodile persuaded to open his mouth. When he does, he shuts his eyes automatically and monkey escapes
Travels with (Thompson’s cf.)
Contest: pulling on steak with teeth. Two men take an end of a steak in their teeth; each attempts to pull it away from the other. After each has a good hold, the Irishman says (with clenched teeth) "Noo're ready?" The Dutchman says, "Yah!", loses the steak. (Cf. K22, K561.1.)
Carried in tale types

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