μῦθοι Mythoi
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.

  • English romanceMalory passim
  • IcelandicBoberg.
Within the index

Filed under Hospitality. Relation of host and guest.

3 finer motifs beneath it
Host treats guest with food and everything possibleGuests fed before being questionedGuests' life inviolable
Filed beside it
Hospitality for a whole winterHospitality for (three) yearsSalt of hospitality. Eating a man's salt creates mutual obligationGuest given refuge. Murderer of a man's father takes refuge in his house and is saved by himHosts refrain from telling guest of death in householdHost surrenders his wife to his guest. The guest unwittingly falls in love with the wife. The host, on being informed, out of pure generosity repudiates the wife and has her marry the guest. (Often joined with P315.)If host does not return, the house shall belong to the guest. So declares the host as he departs on a mission for the guestBarmecide feast. Host places imaginary feast before guest, who accepts it in the same spirit. Guest's courtesy is rewarded by real feastStrangers entertained by family to whose hitching-ring they happen to tie their horses. Thus confusion avoided as to where strangers are to be entertainedRefusal to receive preferred help until series of stories has been toldSelfish guest expels host. Porcupine asks rabbit for hospitality. When rabbit complains of being pricked, porcupine tells him to leave if he does not like itShabby hospitality forces guests to leavePoor person makes great effort to entertain guestsKing demands work, sport or entertainment from winter guestsSitting in a circle of feasts

wander