Criminal confesses because he thinks himself accused

Motif

Criminal confesses because he thinks himself accused.

Chance and fate. · The ways of luck and fate. · Crime inevitably comes to light. · view the constellation · filed as N275

ask the rhapsode about this motif →

Scholars’ trail — 2references

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.

India*Thompson-Balys.
general *BP II 534, 412

Within the index

Filed under Crime inevitably comes to light.

5 finer motifs beneath it

Criminal confesses because of misunderstood animal cries Criminal confesses because of misunderstanding of a dialect Detection by accidental remark. Wife misunderstands husband's remark and confesses Thief imagines that group of people in street are talking and laughing at him; he confesses Criminal in church mistakes words of service as accusation. (Cf. Type 1833.)

Filed beside it

Murder will out [First Edition: N276. Thief finally discovered when he pawns stolen goods.]Oxen bear dead usurer to gallows to be buried. They are allowed to go where they will Supernatural voice points out criminal [First Edition: N290. Luck and fate – miscellaneous motifs.]

Travels with

Thief persuaded detective can read thoughts: confesses. (Cf. N275.)The guilty protests his innocence. Animals put to graze in man's garden. Owner greets everyone with: "I know about you!" No one pays any attention to him except the guilty one who says: "I did not do it." Confesses. (Cf. N275.)

wander