B104. The chicken turns into a turtle.. 15.16.27.-.29.

A guest came, the owner hid the chicken, and when he wanted to eat it, it turned out that it turned into a turtle.

Sardinians, French, Serbs, Ukrainians (Kiev), Abkhazians, Megrelians, (Rushans of the Huf Valley).

Southern Europe. Sardinians [the chicken ran to the neighbor, the owner went to look, the neighbor said he knew nothing; in fact, he fried it and was going to eat it, but covered it with a plate; said that there was a turtle under the plate ; the chicken really became a turtle]: Kabakova 2006, No. 62:114-115.

Western Europe. The French (Albrey) [when their husband's parents came to the young, the wife had just cooked the chicken; they decided to hide it, put it between two plates; when they opened it, there was a turtle]: Kabakova 1998, No. 46:62.

The Balkans. Serbs [a man ate fried chicken with bread, a godfather appeared in the doorway; to hide the chicken, the owner put it on bread, covered it with a wooden cup; when the kum left, it turned out that the chicken, bread and the cup turned to a turtle]: Karadzic 1818:328-329 in Chursin 1956:137, in Dähnhardt 1912:264.

Central Europe. Ukrainians (Kiev, Kanevsky district) [the stingy girl hid the meat from her father in a clay bowl, covered it with a plate; the meat with the plate turned into a turtle]: Chubinsky 1872:66 in Chursin 1956:137; Dragomanov 1876, No. 31 (the place of recording is not specified; Eastern Ukrainians?) [about the same]: 10.

Caucasus - Asia Minor. Abkhazians (Bzybskaya, Abzhu) [the wife cooked chicken, suddenly her brother arrives, she covered the chicken with a plate, fed her brother regular food; when her brother left, her husband returned, she wanted to give it to him chicken, but it became a turtle along with the plate]: Chursin 1956:137; megrels [the woman cooked chicken for her lover, but then her brother arrived; when her brother left, it turned out that the chicken was with a plate went into the swamp as a turtle; since then, only women have a special rash called "nameless"; women are not allowed to pronounce the word "turtle"]: Kobalia 1903:119 (=Chursin 1956:137; =Chikovani 1985, No. 90:145; similar variant in Virsaladze 1973, No. 90:145); (cf. Kurds [when her mother-in-law fell ill and asked for grilled meat, her daughter-in-law fried a frog for her; she threw it away; she died soon; her daughter-in-law grew old, her son had a wife; she asked a young woman to fry her meat; she complied with the request, but there was a frog on the plate]: Jalil et al. 1989, No. 113:429).

(Wed. Iran - Central Asia. Uzbeks (near Pskent) [Turtles used to be merchants who hung people, and for this God swat them with scales]: Andreev 1953:227).