The wise and the foolish

3,525 motifs · page 11 of 18

• Stupid wife. J1701
• Extravagant woman whose husband continually finds fault with her. J1701.1
• Stupid husband. J1702
• Town (country) of fools. J1703
• Stupid classes. J1705
• Stupid peasant. J1705.1
• Stupid (ignorant) Brahmin. J1705.2
• Foolish pundits. J1705.3
• Foolish king. J1705.4
• Stupid animals. J1706
• Tiger as stupid beast. J1706.1
• Association with fools. J1710
• Numskulls go a-travelling. (Cf. J1742.) J1711
• Animals helpless in sea-voyage together. Sheep, duck, and cock in peril The duck swims; the cock flies to the mast. J1711.1
• Numskulls quarrel over a greeting. Three men greeted by a stranger. Quarrel as to whom he greeted. "I greeted the biggest fool among you." A contest is held in which tales are told to decide which is the biggest fool. J1712
• Foolish married couples. (Cf. J1701, J1702.) J1713
• How he knew she was baking cakes. Husband actually knows from observation but wife thinks he has supernatural knowledge and spreads his fame. J1713.1
• Association of wise men with fools. J1714
• A wise man follows a fool against his better judgment. Both are put to death for their foolishness. J1714.1
• The wise man and the rain of fools. A wise man is persuaded to taste water which has turned many persons into fools. He also becomes a fool. J1714.2
• When with fools, act foolish. A wise man refuses to join a foolish crowd who stayed out in an unexpected rain after a long drought. He is punished by them for being a fool. J1714.3
• Forty wise men foretell violent rainstorm. Failing to convince people, they go into a cave. After the shower they come out. The people call them fools. J1714.3.1
• Author believes that his book must be stupid. Stupid people and gossipers are praising it. J1714.4
• Old man silent in king's presence asks king what he himself does when in company with a fool. [Inadvertant duplication of J1369.5.] J1714.5
• A fool objects to fools as companions. Leaves when placed between two fools at table. J1715
• Three silly pundits sent to a raja as the two-footed cattle he had demanded. J1717
• Absurd ignorance. J1730
• Hero does not learn his name until after first adventure. J1730.1
• The city person ignorant of the farm. J1731
• The city girl: Do turnips grow in the ground or on trees? J1731.1
• Man wants roasted honeycomb. Unwilling to admit that he does not know what a honeycomb is, a stupid man asks the innkeeper's wife to roast a slice of honeycomb. J1731.2
• Ignorance of certain foods. J1732
• Fool unacquainted with sausage. He squeezes the inside out and takes the covering for a sack. J1732.1
• Fool is unacquainted with bananas, throws away the fruit, finds the rest bitter. (Similar for watermelon, plums.) J1732.2
• Woman is unacquainted with tea, serves the boiled leaves with butter. J1732.3
• Why the pigs shriek. The sheep does not understand why the pig being carried to slaughter shrieks. J1733
• Layman's ignorance of medicine. J1734
• Urine diagnosis to tell where a man comes from. A farmer takes some of his master's urine for examination. The doctor asks where the man comes from. "You will soon see," says the man, expecting the analysis to tell. (Cf. K2321.1.) J1734.1
• Fool cannot tell his right hand in the dark. J1735
• How to tell the right hand in the dark. Numskull keeps the candle at his right side as he goes to bed so that he can do so. J1735.1
• Fools and the unknown animal. J1736
• Fools do not know what a crayfish is. Shoot it and build a rampart around it. J1736.1
• Fools do not know what an owl is and attack it. J1736.2
• Unknown animal: a pig captured in a pit. J1736.3
• Foolish lover ignorant of mistress's flaws. J1737
• Foolish lover does not know that his mistress lacks an eye. Only after his return from an absence does he notice it. J1737.1
• Ignorance of religious matters. J1738
• Ignorant priest forces rolls of cloth instead of bread down a dying man's throat. J1738.1
• Living crucifix chosen. Peasants take their old crucifix to an artist for a new one. The artist asks them whether they want a living or dead crucifix. Argument: living God takes less for upkeep and he can be killed later. J1738.2
• Numskulls surprised at news that God has a son. J1738.3
• Numskulls surprised to hear that God's son has died. J1738.4
• Standing up for the friendless. Preacher in backwoods asks congregation members who are friends of Jesus to rise. No one rises. "What, are there no friends of Jesus in this house?" A cowboy rises to his feet: "Stranger, I don't know who this man Jesus is. I never heard of him before, but I'll stand up for any man who hasn't got any more friends than he has." J1738.5
• Letting in the light. Backwoods preacher tells couple that they are living in darkness. The woman responds that she has been trying for years to get her husband to cut a window in the house. J1738.6
• Ignorant people told religious holiday is coming the next day: camel appears and is feasted. J1738.7
• Men hide so that God will not see their sin. J1738.8
• Priests (schoolmasters) ignorant of Latin. J1741
• Evangelium secundum Pergamum. Pergamus, a rival city of Luca, objects to the reading of the Evangelium secundum Lucam, insisting that it be "secundum Pergamum". J1741.1
• "Agnus dei" as a prayer for money. An ignorant schoolmaster interprets many of the texts of scripture as commands for the priests to live lives of luxury. J1741.2
• Prearranged answers in Latin not always successful. (Essentially same as X111.9.) J1741.3
• Stupid scholar memorizes set answers to oral examination in Latin. The questions are not given in the order he expects; comic results. J1741.3.1
• The countryman in the great world. J1742
• Countryman expects to find persons from his own village when he travels to another land. J1742.1
• His address: a big high house. Mayor asked about where he lives, names his village and directs the enquirer to a big high house. J1742.2
• Peasants in city inn order whole portion of mustard. J1742.3
• Countryman visiting rich relative in the city refuses to eat dessert: "No, I am not hungry." J1742.3.1
• Peasant surprised that king is not larger than other men. J1742.4
• Countryman misunderstands comforts of city. Thinks latrine is kitchen, refuses to take a walk because he fears high houses will fall upon him, etc. J1742.5
• Boy who has never seen a real carpet, hops around the side of the room to avoid stepping on the cloth on the floor. J1742.5.1
• Ignorance of dates. J1743
• All sins since the birth of Christ. A stupid man at confession says, "I confess myself guilty of all sins that I have committed since Christ's birth." "Are you so old?" "Yes, and I have a brother who is three years older than I." J1743.1
• Family do not realize that Lent has arrived until it is Palm Sunday. Then they explain that Lent will be short because it has been a short winter. J1743.2
• Wash Bee Day. Woman misinterprets calendar notation "February 22, Wash. B'day." Washes their bee-hives. J1743.3
• Ignorance of marriage relations. J1744
• Bridegroom does not know what to do on his wedding night. J1744.1
• Bridegroom gets into bed. The numskull groom on his wedding night does not know how to get to the bed, the curtains being drawn. He scales one of the posts, clambers to the canopy, falls upon his bride below, who screams for help. J1744.1.1
• Absurd ignorance of sex. J1745
• Fool cannot tell sex of nudes, since they have no clothes on. J1745.1
• Foolish girl ignorant of what is happening at her first menses. J1745.2
• Ignorance of reading. J1746
• Fool weeps each time he reads a book to see how small letters have become: at school they were big and fat. J1746.1
• The archbishop's wife and family. Fool asks what he is to talk about when guests arrive. Is told: "Their wives and family." He asks the archbishop about his family. (Cf. J2461.2.) J1747
• Absurd ignorance of the use of spectacles. J1748
• Absurd ignorance – miscellaneous. J1749
• Fool thinks that "aforesaid" is a title of honor. J1749.1
• Ignorant notary cannot draw up document. The names of the participants are not the same as those in his sample form. J1749.2
• One animal mistaken for another. J1750
• Dungbeetle thought to be bee. "I know you well enough, you have put on a blue coat." J1751
• Wolf thought to be colt. In the man's absence eats the mare. J1752
• Bear thought to be dog. J1753
• Ass thought to be hare. J1754
• Earthworm thought to be snake (or other monster). J1755
• Other animals thought to be a giant cat. Hero in search of monster brings home a dog, zebra, etc. thinking it is the animal he seeks. J1756
• Rabbit thought to be a cow. Servant sent to bring in cows is found chasing rabbits. J1757
• Tiger (lion, etc.) mistaken for domestic animal. J1758
• Tiger mistaken for goat. Fool trying to steal goat in dark catches thieving tiger. J1758.1
• Fool rides tiger thinking it to be a big male-goat. J1758.1.1
• Tiger thought to be dog. J1758.2
• Tiger mistaken for ass. J1758.3
• Thief mistakes leopard for calf (ass). J1758.4
• Lion thought to be donkey: drunkard rides it. J1758.5
• Thief thinks lion is horse. Rides him. J1758.5.1
• Stupid husband mistakes tiger-cubs for jungle cats despite wife's judgment. J1758.6
• Other mistaken animals. J1759
• Scotsman thinks moose is a mouse, asks what rats look like in this country. (Cf. X1423.) J1759.1
• Hunter mistakes louse on his eyelash for game. He shoots several times before he notices the trouble. J1759.2
• Numskull thinks fireflies are mosquitoes carrying lanterns to find victims. J1759.3
• Bull mistaken for horse. J1759.4
• Calf mistaken for colt. J1759.4.1
• Cat's tail mistaken for worm. J1759.5
• Animal or person mistaken for something else. J1760
• Animal thought to be object. J1761
• Whale thought to be island. Sailors light a fire on his back. J1761.1
• Turtle thought to be an island. J1761.1.1
• Serpent is taken for island. J1761.1.2
• White mare thought to be church. J1761.2
• Glowworm thought to be a fire. The bird who tries to keep the monkeys from this error is killed for her pains. J1761.3
• Fish thought to be chewed sugar-cane. Numskulls therefore throw away their fish. J1761.4
• Wolf thought to be log of wood. J1761.5
• Snake thought to be flute. Bites tiger who tries to play flute. J1761.6
• Snake mistaken for a whip by a blind man. J1761.6.1
• Living toad or beetles thought to be lost food and therefore eaten by numskulls. J1761.7
• Man mistakes dragon for log, sits on it. (Cf. B11.) J1761.8
• Bear mistaken for a floating log (blanket). J1761.9
• Blind men and elephant. Four blind men feel an elephant's leg, tail, ear and body, respectively, and conclude it is like a log, a rope, a fan, and something without beginning or end. J1761.10
• Fool mistakes dung-beetles for fruit: eats them. J1761.11
• Animal thought to be a person. J1762
• Animals mistaken for messengers. J1762.0.1
• Goose mistaken for a tailor. In a ghost house he is thought to be a tailor who snips the devil with his scissors. J1762.1
• Crab mistaken for tailor. J1762.1.2
• Bear on haywagon (on horse) thought to be the preacher. J1762.2
• The bear mistaken for a saint. The godless man is cheated and attacks a bear thinking it is a saint, and barely escapes with his life. J1762.2.1
• Crab caught on tiger's tail thought to be pursuing man. J1762.3
• Deer thought to be man with basket on head. J1762.4
• Bees (wasps) mistaken for Jutlanders, etc. J1762.5
• Dressed up monkey thought to be a nobleman. J1762.6
• Lobsters mistaken for Norwegians. J1762.7
• Bear mistaken for a foreigner. The strong man meets a bear in the forest, takes it for a German and struggles with it. Having strangled the bear, fears he has killed a man. J1762.8
• Foolish wife believes goats' heads are human heads. J1762.9
• Person thought to be an object. J1763
• Small priest covered with large hat thought to be a hat. J1763.1
• Girl mistaken for stone. J1763.2
• Sleeping soldier thought to be recumbent statue in chapel. J1763.3
• Person thought to be animal. J1765
• Shepherd taken to be she-ass. J1765.1
• Man taken to be sheep. (Cf. X424.) J1765.2
• One person mistaken for another. J1766
• Horsemen thought to be men mounted on cattle. J1766.1
• Other creatures with mistaken identity. J1769
• Giant thought to be a hill. J1769.1
• Dead man is thought to be alive. J1769.2
• Dead mistaken for the living. Man with abhorrence for corpse sleeps with one thinking it alive. (Cf. H1410.) J1769.2.1
• Fool lays his hand on demon in the dark, believing it is male goat he has come to steal. J1769.3
• Objects with mistaken identity. J1770
• Object thought to be animal. J1771
• Big tree thought to be snake. Killed with guns and spears. J1771.1
• Old sausage (roll) taken for frightening animal. J1771.2
• Object thought to be a turkey. J1771.3
• Bush thought to be elephant. J1771.4
• Island thought to be large dog. J1771.5
• One object thought to be another. J1772
• Pumpkin thought to be an ass's egg. Numskull thinks he has hatched out an ass's egg. He thinks that the rabbit which runs out is the colt. J1772.1
• Boy thinks terrapin hatches from bedbug eggs. Small boy examines bedbug eggs under pillow every morning. One morning he finds a terrapin there. "I don't see how we raised this so quick." J1772.1.1
• Potatoes mistaken for "irregular eggs", or "eggs of the earth." J1772.1.2
• Dog mistakes mussel for an egg. Cuts his mouth. J1772.2
• Coins thought to be red beans. J1772.3
• Coins thought to be uncooked cakes. J1772.3.1
• Culture hero's pubic hair thought to be bear hair. J1772.4
• Pubic hair of ardent husband's wife thought to be calf's tail by peasant in tree. J1772.4.1
• Man puts food bowl on head thinking it a helmet. J1772.5
• Fish bones in soup thought to be underdone peas. J1772.6
• Fools think evening star is morning star. Start morning journey evening before. J1772.7
• Cotton pods knocked off by bullock thought to be lumps of bullock's fat. J1772.8
• Excrements thought to be meat and therefore eaten. J1772.9
• Excrement thought to be berries. Numskull tries to sell it. J1772.9.1
• Gun thought to be clarinet: one man blows, another presses the "keys". (Cf. K1057.) J1772.10
• Boot mistaken for an axe-sheath. J1772.11
• Foolish tiger thinks dog's tail is a gun. J1772.12
• Frog thinks cattle are distant country. J1772.13
• Eight-oared ferry-boat mistaken for an animal which must have long legs to wade the stream. J1772.14
• Things thought to be devils, ghosts, etc. J1780
• Objects thought to be the devil. J1781
• Steamship thought to be the devil. J1781.1
• Watch mistaken for the devil's eye. Knocked to pieces. J1781.2
• Glowing wheel supposed to be the devil. J1781.3
• Things thought to be ghosts. J1782
• Robber or dog in church thought to be a ghost. J1782.1
• Cows in church thought to be ghost. J1782.1.1
• Dropping dough thought to be a ghost. It drops on the floor and the man thinks the place is haunted. J1782.2
• Sound of water dripping on dinner pail thought to be ghost using pick in mine. J1782.2.1
• Noise in house thought to be ghost. J1782.3
• Man sleeping in stable (abandoned cabin) thinks entering animals are ghosts: kills them. J1782.4
• Animal with lighted candle thought to be ghost. (Cf. K335.0.5.1.) J1782.5
• Person in white thought to be ghost. J1782.6
• Sleep-walker thought to be a ghost until discovered. J1782.7
• Person in haunted house shoots off all his toes thinking they are ghosts. (Cf. J1838.) J1782.8
• Thing thought to be corpse. J1783
• Butter cask thought to be a dead man. Fools knock it in two. J1783.1
• Things thought to be spirits. J1784
• Laughter of boy thought to be spirits' laughter. J1784.1
• Animals thought to be the devils or ghosts. J1785