μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif
Scholars’ trail — 1reference

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.

  • IndiaThompson-Balys.
Within the index

Filed under Escape by false plea. A captive makes a request or proposes an action that permits him eventually to escape.

2 finer motifs beneath it
Jackal in tiger's house has permission to sit with tail hanging down between bamboo stems. Enlarges gap thus made and escapesTortoise persuades tiger captor to put him in pocket with hole, escapes
Filed beside it
Escape by equivocal oath. (Cf. K475.)Respite from death granted until particular act is performed"Wait till I get fat." Captured person (animal) persuades his captor to wait and fatten him before eating himExecutioner kept busy or interested until rescue comes. Sometimes until he changes his mindDeath cheated by moving bed. The man who has chosen Death as his godfather has his bed turned around when he sees Death standing at the foot of his bed. He thus escapes deathMan allowed to pick out tree to be hanged on. Cannot find oneEscape by persuading captor to talkRat persuades cat to wash face before eating: escapesThumbling in animal's belly persuades latter to go to his father's house for plunder: rescuedAss begs wolf to pull thorn out of foot before eating him: kicks wolf in mouthEscape by pretending to perform errand (do work) for captorEscape by pretending to dance so as to be untiedEscape from captor by means of flatteryEscape by asserting that captor will have ill luck after killing victimEscape by false prophecy: if corpses are buried in city, it will become a ruin: king releases condemned manTo get out of thieves' clutch, man reports high prices in another town

wander