The Saint who Ran Away (previously The Escaped Saint.) A saint’s picture is stolen from a church. The clergyman thinks that the saint ran away because he was a bad clergyman. Cf. Type 1572A*. In some variants, a clergyman and a sexton remove a…
The Clergyman Has no Need to Preach. A clergyman (often a layman, Nasreddin Hodja) asks his congregation whether they know what his sermon will be about. They do not know, so he berates them for their stupidity. He repeats his question the following…
Fire in the Boots. A clergyman, often a layman, serving mass tells his congregation to do as he does. By accident, coals fall out of the censer into his boots. He stamps his feet and then lies down on the floor and kicks. The parishioners imitate…
The Sawed Pulpit. This tale exists chiefly in three different forms: (1) A clergyman, often a layman, promises his congregation that they will witness a miracle. Secretly, he saws the pulpit almost through. When in his next sermon he refers to the…
Preaching as the Congregation Wishes (previously “I Preach God’s Word.”). This tale exists chiefly in three different forms: (1) A congregation (master) requires that the clergyman preach an impromptu sermon on a text that has been placed in the…
Preaching the Truth (previously The Parson Drunk). A congregation complains about their clergyman to the bishop. The bishop comes for a surprise visit. Before the service begins, the clergyman, who pretends to be asleep, witnesses the bishop…
The Farmer as Clergyman. This type consists of three introductory episodes in which an unqualified person takes over the office of the clergyman but cannot fulfill his duties [K1961.1]. (1) A congregation is no longer able to pay the clergyman and…
Parody Sermon. This miscellaneous type consists of various parodies of sermons. They range from rhymes with absurd contents to improvised sermons (delivered by the clergyman or by someone disguised as a clergyman). Some of them are critical of the…
Jokes about Baptism. This miscellaneous type consists of various anecdotes about comical events at a child’s (seldom adult’s) baptism. For example, the clergyman misunderstands the Latin instructions and hops around. Or, he mistakes the midwife’s…
Equivocal Blessings. (Including the previous Type 1822A.) This miscellaneous type consists of various anecdotes that include ambiguous blessings. In some variants, the clergyman blesses the spring fields, saying they should be as fruitful as a nut…
Naming the Child (Baptism). (Including the previous Type 1821A.) This miscellaneous type consists of various anecdotes in which the godparent who is to give the child its name does not know what to say. Cf. Type 1823. (1) The godparent says, “Name…
Bride and Groom at Wedding Ceremony. (Including the previous Type 1684B*.) This miscellaneous type consists of various anecdotes about weddings in which the couple to be married give absurd answers to the clergyman’s questions or otherwise behave…
The Patience of Job. A clergyman preaches about the exemplary patience of Job. His wife tests him by saying that the kitchen maid has wasted the wine supply (he discovers that she spoiled a cheese or let the beer run out). The clergyman becomes angry…
Vow Not to Drink from St. George (April 23) to St. Demetrius (October 26). A man has vowed not to drink from St. George to St. Demetrius. Instead of the period between the two saints’ days, he interprets this to mean he cannot drink between two…
Jokes about Religious Vows. This miscellaneous type consists of various anecdotes with ambiguous interpretations of religious vows, in which someone who has taken a vow profits from a misunderstanding.
Anecdotes about Catechism. This miscellaneous type consists of various anecdotes that are structured as a series of questions and answers about religious subjects. The clergyman tests the knowledge of one or more of his parishioners. The humor comes…
“Who Has Lost This?” A man comes to confession with a purse of money which he has found (a clergyman finds such a purse). In order to return it to its owner, the man is supposed to announce his finding in the city, but he speaks so softly (has hidden…
Sleeping with God’s Daughters. For his penance, a man is required to abstain for four weeks from eating flesh and drinking liquor, not to sleep in a feather bed, and to abstain from sexual relations with women. He goes to a convent where he is…
“The Owner Has Refused to Accept It.” A thief (Gypsy) steals the clergyman’s gold watch (snuffbox). The thief confesses that he stole a watch and offers to give it to the clergyman, who refuses it saying that the thief should return it to its owner.…
The Equivocal Confession. A thief (Gypsy) who has stolen a piece of bacon from the clergyman’s soup (the clergyman’s fur coat or hat) tells the clergyman in confession that he drove a hog out of the vegetables (rescued someone from a bear, or tipped…