The Liar Reduces the Size of his Lie. A liar agrees with his friend that the friend will step on his toes if he begins to lie excessively. When this happens it causes the liar to end his story with exaggerated smallness rather than largeness. For…
“That Is a Lie!” (previously The Master and the Farmer). A master offers a reward to anyone who can tell such a lie that he interrupts him and accuses him of lying. His farmhand tells a story in which he claims that the master owes him a large…
“I Have No Time to Lie.” A habitual liar is asked to tell a lie. He says he has no time for that now because he has to go to a neighboring town where there has been a huge catch of fish [X1150.1] (cf. Type 1960C) to buy some cheap (where children…
“The Sea Burns.” Miscellaneous Type with diverse contents. Three main themes can be distinguished: (1) A man brags that he shot a single arrow through the hoof and the ear of a deer, so that the hoof remained stuck to the ear [N621]. When hearers…
Contest in Lying. This miscellaneous type comprises various tales in which two or more people compete to see who can tell the biggest lie (in a believable manner). Often the narrator induces someone to say, “That is a lie!” The animals, plants,…
The Stretching and Shrinking Harness. A man driving a heavy wagon in the rain comes to a hill. The horse climbs up the hill, but the wagon is so heavy that the harness stretches, leaving the wagon back at the foot of the incline. The man unharnesses…
The Breathing Tree. A hunter cuts down a tree packed so full of animals that a crack opens when the animals inhale and closes when they exhale [X1116].
Horse’s New Backbone. A horse (other pack animal) breaks its spine. A man repairs it with a stick. A tree grows out of it [X1721.1]. Cf. Types 1889D, 1961. In some variants, a sheep’s hide is laid on a horse which has been skinned and left for dead.…
The Bear (Wolf) Harnessed. (Including the previous Type 166B4.) A wild animal (bear, wolf, lion, snake) or a mythical creature (dragon, div, devil) kills (devours, dismembers) a tame animal (ox, cow, horse, donkey, mule, deer). The dead animal’s…
How a Man Came Out of a Tree Stump (Marsh) [X1133.4]. Cf. Type 1875. This tale exists chiefly in two different forms: (1) A man falls into a hollow tree where he finds honey (bear cubs), but he cannot get out. When a bear comes, he grabs its tail…
The Man Nails the Tail of the Wolf to the Tree. A man nails the tail of a wolf (bear, fox, sable) to a tree (shoots a fox with a nail that sticks in a tree) and beats the animal. The wolf jumps out of its skin and runs away [X1132.1]. Cf. Types…
A Man Wading in Water Catches Many Fish in his Boots. A man (merchant, hunter) goes wading. When he comes back to the shore, his boots are full of fish [X1112].
A Man Shoots a Ramrod Full of Ducks. (Including the previous Type 1896*.) A man sees a flock of wild ducks (wolves) on a pond. He tries to shoot them but his ramrod is still in his gun. The whole flock of ducks is speared by the ramrod (by a single…
Wolf Made into Cheese. A wolf falls into a vat of milk which is made into cheese. When the cheese is cut by the farmhands at harvest time, the wolf jumps out of the cheese. His tail catches on a scythe and as he runs away, he mows the meadow.
The Trained Horse Rolls in the Field. A horse comes into a field. A tree (willow, oak, buckwheat, oats) grows from its flank. The farmer fastens a sickle to its tail (throws a sickle that sticks into its backside). The horse rolls over, killing…
Catching a Rabbit (previously The Great Rabbit-Catch.) (Including the previous Types 1891A*, 1891B*, 1893, and 1893A*.) This miscellaneous type comprises various tall tales dealing with hunting rabbits (hares), such as the following examples: (1) A…
Shot causes a Series of Lucky or Unlucky Accidents (previously Lucky Shot: Miscellaneous Forms). (Including the previous Types 1890A–E.) This miscellaneous type comprises various tall tales dealing with an amazing shot (a gun that shoots by…