Corn Carried Away One Grain at a Time. (Including the previous Type 2301A.) A master (rich farmer) promises his daughter in marriage to whoever can tell a tale without an end. Many suitors try and fail (and are put to death). One young man says, “A…
Endless Tales. (Including the previous Types 2280 and 2301B.) Miscellaneous type. The narrator reports on something that takes a long time and says that he will continue the tale when it is completed. The following is the most common version: a…
Trick Stories (previously I Give you the Story of the Green Pig). Miscellaneous type. The narrator asks the listeners a question and expects a particular answer. The dialog continues until the answer is given. For example, “I’ll tell you the story…
Mock Stories for Children. Miscellaneous type. When children annoy their parents by persistently demanding a story, the latter retaliate by telling a brief “mock story”. For example, the parents tell about people (animals), of whom the third is named…
The Golden Key. A boy finds a little box and keeps it. Later he finds a little key. He discovers that the key fits the lock on the box. When he opens the box, he finds a calf’s tail (mouse’s tail, fur) inside. If the tail had been longer, so would…
The Rabbit’s Tail. When he dies, the king leaves a great mountain to his three sons. They dig into it and find a big iron box with a frying pan inside it, and a little rabbit under that. The rabbit has only a stump for a tail. If his tail had been…
Unfinished Tales. Miscellaneous type. The narrator tells about someone who has found something, but stops just as the tale gets interesting. “If the found object had been longer, so would my tale.” [Z12].
“Come Here, Lean!” Three girls find three coins and use them to buy three pigs, named Lean, Fat, and Tail. They call their pigs: “Come here, Lean!” – “I can’t, I am too lean.” – “Come here, Fat!” – “I can’t, I am too fat.” – “Come here ...” to the…
The Dog’s Cigar. A man in a train smokes a cigar (pipe), which falls out of the train. His dog jumps out after it, and is waiting at the next station when the train arrives there. “What do you think he had in his mouth?” – “The cigar?” – “No, his…
Teller Is Killed in his own Tale. The narrator relates a dramatic event that supposedly happened to himself. The listener is induced to ask a question about what happened further, to which the narrator replies that he was killed [Z13.2].
Catch Tales. Miscellaneous type. The manner of telling forces a listener to ask a particular question (to complete something that is missing). The narrator gives him a ridiculous (obscene) answer [Z13].
Pulling Up the Turnip. A man attempts to pull up a turnip. He cannot do it alone, so he calls his wife to help him: she pulls on him, he pulls the turnip, but still the turnip will not come out of the ground. More people and animals are brought in to…
“Where is the Warehouse?” (previously A game, song, or rhyme composed of questions and answers that lead to the next question. For example, Where is the warehouse (God’s house)? – The fire burned it. – Where is the fire? – The water quenched it. –…
Trial among the Animals. (Including the previous Types 2042B*–2042D*.) This miscellaneous type consists of various chain tales in which an animal is injured by another animal (accidentally or on purpose). The injury causes a series of accidents in…
Chain of Accidents (previously Chain of Accidents: the Ant (Crab) Bite and its Consequences). This miscellaneous type consists of various chain tales in which a minor incident (insect sting, snakebite) causes a series of other events leading to…
The Bird Indifferent to Pain. A man catches a bird eating mangoes and strikes it against the roots of a mango tree. The bird says that it was not hurt. In turn, the man puts it in water, strikes it again, singes its feathers, cooks it, and eats it.…
The Climax of Horrors. A man who has been away for a long time asks an acquaintance for news from home. The acquaintance tells him that his dog (raven) is dead. The man asks why, and is told that that it ate too much horse (camel) flesh. The horse…
The Horseshoe Nail. A merchant on his way home stays at an inn and someone tells him that one of the nails is missing from one of his horse’s shoes. At the next inn the shoe has fallen off. Nevertheless, the merchant rides on. The horse becomes lame,…
A Drop of Honey Causes Chain of Accidents. A hunter is about to buy some honey, but he drops it. A weasel eats the honey and is chased by a cat. The hunter’s dog kills the cat, and the grocer beats the dog to death. This causes a bloody war between…
The House that Jack Built. This chain tale leads step by step to the following conclusion: This is the farmer that sowed the corn, that kept the rooster that crowed in the morn, that waked the priest all shaven and shorn, that married the man all…
The Wormwood Does Not Want to Rock the Sparrow. A bird perches on a branch (blade of grass) and wants it to rock him. The plant refuses (says that there is no wind). The bird threatens to bring the goats (hares) to eat the plant; then it threatens…