»What kind of burden are you carrying?» - The hunchback: »Why can't you carry two windows?» (Sometimes bald headed and red-headed men, or people with deformities carry on repartee).
An impostor pretends to make clothes for the king and says that they are visible only to those of legitimate birth. The king and courtiers are all afraid to admit that they cannot see the clothes. Finally a child seeing the naked king reveals the…
by making him expect even larger. In order to make the impression of honesty he delivers the one chest of money. The ten chests which he then receives are filled with stones. [K1667].
A rascal sees robbers dividing their booty. He puts a red string through his only coin (a heller) and slips it into the others' money. He claims the money as his, and says he has marked it with a heller having a red string through it. The robbers…
The well the man has dug falls in. He throws his clothes into the hole and hides. People going to church think that the man is drowned and dig the well out. [K474].
A soldier reproved for playing cards during church service answers thus and shows so cleverly the symbolic meanings of each of the cards that he receives a reward. [H603].
The boy (peasant) promises the soldier what the king has promised to give him. The soldier receives a beating in place of the boy. [K187]. Cf. Types 1642, 1689.
While he is making calculations, he asks the age of his youngest daughter, the elder daughter, and the mother, and always adds this to the number that he has recorded. [J2035].
A priest who has lent money to a Jew, but will not lend to a farmer, on being reproached by the latter, says that the money he lent the Jew was »false». When the Jew gets to know this, he claims that as soon as he heard the money was false he burned…
A borrower returns a pot along with a small one saying that the pot has had a young one. The pots are accepted. He borrows the pot a second time and keeps it. He sends word that the pot has died. [J1531.3].
The borrower of golden pumpkin returns a brass pumpkin and claims that the gold has turned to brass. The lender takes the borrower's son and returns with an ape. He claims that the boy has turned into an ape. [J1531.1].
The trustee claims that mice have eaten the iron scales confided to him. The host abducts the trustee's son and says that a falcon has carried him off. [J1531.2].
Money is left with a banker by three joint depositors. The money is to be delivered only on demand from all three. One of the men steals the money. The others sue the banker for the money. He agrees to deliver it when all three jointly demand it.…
With earth from his own property in his shoes, the man swears, when he is on his neighbor's land, that he is on his own. [J1161.3, K1917.1]. Cf. Types 859A, B, C, D.
Taking advantage of the careless remark made by the hungry son of a merchant (»each spoon of this food is worth a hundred rubles»), the innkeeper demands a large sum of money for the dinner. A clever man saves the situation by catching on the…