• Beggar wants bread. A numskull tells his mother that a beggar is below asking for bread. Mother: "Tell him I am not at home." Numskull: "He doesn't want you, he wants bread." J1332
• The double fool. A numskull caught changing meal from others' sacks into his own. Miller asks him what he is doing. "I am a fool." "Why then don't you put your meal into their sacks?" "I am only a simple fool. If I did that I should be a double fool." J1393
• The shoes carried into the tree. Tricksters induce a numskull to climb a tree, planning to steal his shoes. He takes them in his belt with him. "Perhaps I shall find a nearer road home up there and shall need my shoes." J1521.1
• Numskulls go a-travelling. (Cf. J1742.) J1711
• 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
• 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
• Numskulls surprised at news that God has a son. J1738.3
• Numskulls surprised to hear that God's son has died. J1738.4
• 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
• Numskull thinks fireflies are mosquitoes carrying lanterns to find victims. J1759.3
• Fish thought to be chewed sugar-cane. Numskulls therefore throw away their fish. J1761.4
• Living toad or beetles thought to be lost food and therefore eaten by numskulls. J1761.7
• 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
• Excrement thought to be berries. Numskull tries to sell it. J1772.9.1
• Numskull thinks his shadow is a man pursuing him. J1790.1
• Drinking the moon. The numskull sees a cow drink from a pool where the moon is reflected. The moon goes under a cloud. He thinks the cow has eaten the moon and slaughters her to recover it. J1791.1
• Rescuing the moon. A numskull sees the moon in the water and throws a rope in to rescue it, but falls in himself. He sees the moon in the sky. At least the moon was saved! J1791.2
• Numskull referring to a forgotten name keeps saying "I have lost it." People dive into tank to recover treasure they think he has lost. J1805.3
• Seeds rattling in pods thought to be insults. Numskull burns field. J1812.1
• Numskull thief thinks snoring sleeper is asking for food. J1812.5.1

all 188 in the index →

• Tales of the North American Indians · Tale 86 LXXXVII. THE CLEVER NUMSKULL 298

• ATU 1218 Numskull Sits on Eggs to Finish the Hatching
• ATU 1260B* Numskull Strikes all Matches in Order to Try Them [J1849
• ATU 1273A* Bailing Out the Stream (previously Numskull Bailes Out the Stream)
• ATU 1287 Numskulls Unable to Count their own Number
• ATU 1288 Numskulls Cannot Find their Own Legs
• ATU 1288A Numskull Cannot Find the Donkey he Is Sitting On
• ATU 1293 A Long Piss (previously Numskull Stays until he has Finished)
• ATU 1349* Miscellaneous Numskull Tales