The death of the little hen. She is characteristically mourned by objects and animals; e.g., flea, door, broom, cart, ashes, tree, girl

Motif

The death of the little hen. She is characteristically mourned by objects and animals; e.g., flea, door, broom, cart, ashes, tree, girl.

Miscellaneous groups of motifs. · Formulas. · Cumulative tales. · Chains involving a single scene or event without interdependence among the individual actors. · view the constellation · filed as Z32.2

Filed across the traditions

Missouri French Carrière
India *Thompson-Balys.
general *Taylor JAFL XLVI 82 No. 2022A
general *BP I 293
general Parsons JAFL XXXIII 37

Within the index

Filed under Chains involving a death: animal actors.

1 finer motif beneath it

The death of the little hen described with unusual words. Each act of mourning described by a neologism: the table untables itself. (Cf. X1506.)

Filed beside it

The funeral procession of the hen. Animals one by one join the procession. The funeral carriage breaks down or the procession drowns Little ant finds a penny, buys new clothes with it, and sits in her doorway. Various animals pass by and propose marriage. She asks what they do at night. Each one replies with its characteristic sound, and none pleases her but the quiet little mouse, whom she marries. She leaves him to tend the stew, and he falls in and drowns. She weeps and, on learning the reason, bird cuts off its beak, dove cuts off its tail, etc Cumulative: master to kill hen. She begs off; he goes to kill rooster .... goose, rabbit, toad, tiger Mourning about the dead ass (Tulsi Das): from washerman to the queen. "But who is Tulsi Das?" The report is traced back to the washerman, who says: "He was my ass."

Carried in tale types

The Death of the Little Hen · ATU 2022 1 recorded variant

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