Nut hits cock in head: he thinks world is coming to an end. He sends the hen to tell the duck, the duck to tell the goose, etc. Final formula: – Fox, who told you? – Hare. – Hare, who told you? – Goose. – etc. For sequel see Type 20C. Sometimes the animals have queer names (cf. Z53) — Mythoi

Motif

Nut hits cock in head: he thinks world is coming to an end. He sends the hen to tell the duck, the duck to tell the goose, etc. Final formula: – Fox, who told you? – Hare. – Hare, who told you? – Goose. – etc. For sequel see Type 20C. Sometimes the animals have queer names (cf. Z53).

Miscellaneous groups of motifs. · Formulas. · Cumulative tales. · Chains with interdependent members. · view the constellation · filed as Z43.3

Filed across the traditions

Lithuanian Balys Index No. 2033
Africa (Kaffir) Kidd 240 No. 9
American Negro (Georgia) Harris Nights 108 No. 20.
general Taylor JAFL XLVI 85 No. 2033, Hdwb. d. Märchens II 185a
general *Wesselski Hessische Blätter XXXII 19
general Cowell Jātaka III 49 No. 322
general Fb "høne" I 750. – Danish: Danske Dyrefabler 103ff. Nos. 177–85

Within the index

Filed under The cock's whiskers. A mouse throws a nut down and hits the cock on the head. He also steals the cock's whiskers. The cock goes to get an old woman to cure him. The final formula is: Fountain give up water for forest, forest give up wood for baker, baker give up bread for dog, dog give up hairs to cure the cock. (Variant: mouse loses tail.)

Filed beside it

Toad asks magpie in tree to throw down a chestnut. Magpie refuses, saying it might break its beak. Toad promises, if that happens, to get a horsehair to tie it up again. Magpie throws chestnut and breaks beak. Toad asks ass for hair, but ass first demands grass; mower demands sheep; shepherd, pup; mother dog, bread; baker, stumps. Toad cuts the stumps and gets the hair The cock strikes out the hen's eye with a nut. The cock blames the hazel bush for tearing its knickers, the hazel bush the goat for gnawing at it, the goat the shepherd-boy for not tending it, the boy his mistress for not baking him a bun, the mistress the pig for eating up the dough, the pig the wolf for killing its young Fly frightens snake; snake frightens rats; rats frighten monkey, etc Boy changes self to nut; fowl eats nut; bush cat eats fowl; dog eats cat; dog swallowed by python Man invites animals to come and work in his field. Rooster kills beetle; cat kills rooster; dog kills cat; leopard kills dog; hyena kills leopard; buffalo kills hyena; elephant kills buffalo, and lion chases elephant so that both fall into trap. Man calls wives to see meat he has killed

Carried in tale types

The Animals Flee in Fear of the End of the World · ATU 20C 1 recorded variant

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