μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Lending and repaying: progressively worse (or better) bargain.

Miscellaneous groups of motifs. · Formulas. · Cumulative tales. · Chains with interdependent members. · view the constellation · filed as Z41.5

Filed across the traditions
  • Lithuanian Balys Index No. 2009*
  • Africa (Tonga) Torrend Specimens of Bantu Folklore (New York, 1921) 169ff., (Ila): Smith and Dale II 392ff. No. 17, (Pende): Frobenius Atlantis XI 265 No. 4, (Bassari): ibid. 97ff. No. 12, (Ashanti): Rattray 268 No. 73.
  • general Type 2034C*
Within the index

Filed under The old woman and her pig. Her pig will not jump over the stile so that she can go home. She appeals in vain for help until the cow gives her milk. The final formula is: cow give milk for cat; cat kill rat; rat gnaw rope; rope hang butcher; butcher kill ox; ox drink water; water quench fire; fire burn stick; stick beat dog; dog bite pig; pig jump over stile. (Various introductions.)

Filed beside it
Woman has meat (liver) stolen by bird. Recovery chain (similar to Z41) Crow must wash his bill in order to eat with other birds. Asks water; water must first have horn from stag, who must first have milk from cow, etc Conflict between fowl and thistle. Wind obeys and breaks the chain The mouse regains its tail. The cat bites off the mouse's tail and will return it in exchange for milk. The mouse goes to the cow for milk, the farmer for hay, the butcher for meat, the baker for bread. Other persons mentioned are the locksmith and the miner Bird's pea gets stuck in socket of mill-handle. She goes to carpenter, king, queen, who refuse to help. She asks snake to bite queen, stick to beat snake, fire to burn stick, etc. Final formula: cat eats mouse, mouse cuts plant creeper, creeper snares elephant, elephant drinks up sea, sea quenches fire, fire burns stick, stick beats snake, snake bites queen, queen speaks to king, king chides carpenter, carpenter cuts mill handle, and pea is extracted. Questions in rhyme The wormwood does not want to rock the sparrow. Final formula: the worms begin to gnaw the rods, the rods to beat the oxen, the oxen to drink the water, the water to quench the fire, the fire to burn the hunters, the hunters to shoot the wolves, the wolves to kill the goats, the goats to gnaw the wormwood, the wormwood to rock me – it rocked and rocked me to sleep Pulling the needle out of the seamstress's hand. Final formula: That was just what the cat was waiting for – it sprang to devour the mouse, the mouse to tear the spider's web, the spider to entangle the dog, the dog to eat the goat, the goat to gnaw the rushes, the rushes to grow in the stream, the stream to quench the fire, the fire to burn the stone, the stone to beat the axe, the axe soon pulled out the needle that was stuck in the seamstress's hand The lazy servant and the grain. "Lentils, lentils, get into my sack!" Final formula: the hungry hawk attacks the hens, the hens the worms, the worms the stick, the stick the ox, the ox runs to the water, the water attacks the fire, the fire the hunters, the hunters the wolf, the wolf the goat, the goat the willow, the willow the cat, the cat the mice, the mice the lentils, the lentils go whoosh whoosh into the sack
Carried in tale types

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