μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Drop of honey causes chain of accidents. Hunter drops honey in a grocery; weasel eats honey; cat chases weasel; dog chases cat; grocer kills dog: all the cause of a bloody feud between villages.

Chance and fate. · Unlucky accidents. · Other unlucky accidents. · view the constellation · filed as N381

ask the rhapsode about this motif →

Scholars’ trail — 5references

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.

  • Spanish ExemplaKeller.
  • general *Taylor JAFL XLVI 87 No. 2036
  • general BP II 104 n. 2
  • general *Wesselski Hessische Blätter f. Vksk XXXII 21
  • general Chauvin VIII 41 No. 9
Within the index

Filed under Other unlucky accidents.

1 finer motif beneath it
Ant pinching frog causes chain of accidents
Filed beside it
Fugitive slave takes wrong road and is caughtMan falls dead from sudden realizationDeath from fright. (Cf. N383.3.)Unintentional injuries bring unfortunate consequences. (Sometimes the injuries are mere breeches of tabu.)Lover's wound breaks while he is in bed with mistress. He bleeds to death (or is discovered because of the blood)Feud starts over trifleBlind men accidentally hurt each other. (Trying to kill pig, or the like.)Lover who is detained away beyond stipulated time returns to find fiancée marriedRobber attempting to steal cow at night seizes thieving tiger. Great fight in stableDelay in bringing pardon allows deserved execution. Messenger, ignorant of contents of message, stops to view culprit's executionMan blinded trying to heal girl. Powders blow into his one good eyeThe sleeping guard. Watchman falls asleep as enemy approachesAccidental self-injuryMistake in interpreting prophecy (oracle) brings misfortuneAdditional unlucky accidents
Carried in tale types

wander