μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

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.)

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

Filed across the traditions
  • N. Am. Indian (Zuñi) Cushing 411.
  • general *Taylor JAFL XLVI 85 No. 2032
  • general *BP II 107
  • general Norlind Svenska Allmogens Liv 2d ed. (Stockholm, 1925) 613 "Tupen och hänen"
  • general Haavio FFC LXXXVIII 89 n. 1
  • general RTP XV 220. Russian: Andrejev No. 241 I
Within the index

Filed under Chains with interdependent members.

6 finer motifs beneath 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 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) 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
Filed beside it
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.) Stronger and Strongest. The frost-bitten foot. Mouse perforates wall, wall resists wind, wind dissolves cloud, cloud covers sun, sun thaws frost, frost breaks foot The house that Jack built. Final formula: This is the farmer that sowed the corn that fed the cock that crowed in the morn, that waked the priest all shaven and shorn, that married the man all tattered and torn, that kissed the maiden all forlorn, that milked the cow with a crumpled horn, that tossed the dog, that worried the cat, that caught the rat, that ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack built The Horseshoe Nail. For want of a nail the shoe was lost, for want of a shoe the horse was lost, for the want of a horse the rider was lost .... and all for the want of a horseshoe nail The climax of horrors. The magpie is dead? – Overate on horseflesh. – Horses dead? – Overworked at fire. – House burned down? – etc Series of trick exchanges Miscellaneous interdependent chains
Carried in tale types

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