B50. A bloodsucker's lie.

.16.17.27.-.36. (.40.) .41.-.45.48.56.66.

A dangerous character wants to ask a bloodsucker insect where it drank blood or whose blood (flesh) tastes better; the insect deliberately lies or another character prevents him from telling the truth (pulls his tongue out). Due to this, a dangerous character chooses animals or plants rather than humans as the object of his aggression.

*: The motive is related to the story of Noah's Flood (see motive C3); †: There are both versions that present the motif separately and those that include it in the story of Noah's Flood.

French, Palestinians, Serbs, Bulgarians*, Romanians (Muntenia) *, Aramians, Poles, (Slovaks), Ukrainians*, Belarusians, Crimean Tatars, Kalmyks, Stavropol Turkmens, Ossetians, Ingush, Karachay*, Kabardians*, Abkhazians†, Abazins, Nogais, Kumyks, Lacks, Megreli†, Armenians†, Pamiris {conditionally Shugnans}, Latvians*, Lithuanians, (Estonians), Udmurts, Chuvashi*, Mari†, Kazan Tatars, Nogai Karagashi*, Bashkirs*, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz*, Uighurs*, Dungans (Ningxia), Altaians, Khakas, Baikal Buryats, Tofalars, Mongols (Khalkha), Mongols (Ordos), Oirats (including Durbuts), Dagurs , Forest Nenets, Evens, Tanaina, Taltan, Eyak, Thompson, Shuswap, Lillouet, Kalapuya, Western Marsh Cree (North Manitoba), Northern Ojibwa (Sandy Lake), Chippewa, Naskapi, Mikmak, Shasta, Vintu, Maidu, Yaruro, characterbet.

Western Europe. The French (Burgundy) [After the animals left the ark, the snake sent the mosquito to find out whose blood tasted better; the mosquito found out that it was human, but the swallow bit off its tongue; the snake pulled out swallow tail feathers]: Pitrè 1912:44-45 (=Kabakova 1998, No. 49:64).

Western Asia. The Palestinians [Iblis tried to enter paradise, bribed the Serpent with the promise of the sweetest food in the world, she let him in, hiding it in a cavity in her tooth; this is how I. managed to seduce Eve; the Serpent demanded a favor the right to eat human meat; Adam said that no one has tried this meat before, we need to know if it is the sweetest, let Komar fly to find out and say it a year later; a year later, Komar flew to the Snake, answered the Swallow who met him that man was the sweetest; the Swallow asked again, pulled out the Mosquito's tongue; the Mosquito was just squeaking, the Swallow explained that frog meat was sweeter; the Snake rushed to the Swallow, but only pulled the feathers out of the middle of her tail]: Hanauer 1935:212-213 (=Hanauer 2009:261-262; =Bushnaq 1987:223-225).

The Balkans. Serbs (Pirot, West 1922) [The wolf asks Komar what he eats; the mosquito replies that there is no point in eating a person, only ribs; therefore wolves rarely attack humans]: Zlatkovich 2005, No. 20:29; Bulgarians (Rhodopes) [the mouse began to gnaw at the bottom of the ark, the cat ate the mouse, so cats should not be tortured or killed; the snake in the ark got hungry and sent the beetle to find out whose meat was the most in the ark sweet; the beetle found out that it was human, but the swallow pecked his tongue so that he could not tell the snake about it; therefore, it is a sin to destroy swallows' nests]: Georgiev 1906:175-176 in Belova 2004a: 269; Romanians (Muntenia) [Ionescu, Legende, 32, translated by N.G. Golant; The bottom of Noah's Ark was gnawed by a mouse and water came through the resulting hole. The snake plugged the hole on the condition that they give it something. After the flood, she asked for the best (tasty) blood, and the mosquito was sent to look for it. When he came back to say that a person had the most delicious blood, the swallow cut off (pulled it out?) his language. Since (the mosquito) could no longer speak, he pointed to his mouth and swallow. The snake wanted to swallow the swallow, but could only grab it by the tail. The feathers from the middle of her tail remained in her mouth, and since then the swallow has an incised (jagged) tail]: Brill, Ispas 2005, No. 11366:227; the Aromanians [the snake caught the mosquito, let go for promising to find out whose blood tastes better; he found out that human blood met a swallow on the way back, told her that she bit off his tongue; since then, snakes have been chasing swallows, and they have been nesting near a person's home; a mosquito but only beeps]: Dähnhard 1910:214-215.

Central Europe. Ukrainians (Kyiv Oblast) [God sent a flood on sinful people; Noah's wife did not want to enter the ark, Noah swore, Come in, Satan! She came in, the devil came in with her, made a hole, and then plugged her; God sent a dove to search for land, the dove came back with nothing; sent a dove that brought a flower; after the flood he asks to be paid with blood; God sends a mosquito to find out whose mosquito is sweeter, he said it was human; God asked again, and the wolf began to shout that it was a toad; for this, the wolf was assigned one cattle out of ten]: Belova 2004a, No. 578:270-291; Belarusians [animals decide to find out whose meat and blood are the most delicious; the mosquito found out that they are human, but the swallow pecked the mosquito, the animals did not recognize this news, so not all of them attack humans]: Federowski 1897:187 in Belova 2004a: 271, in Grynblat, Gurski 1983, No. 36:53, in Kuznetsova 2017:187; the Poles [by order of the snake (God, Noah) went to search for the one whose blood is sweeter; found out that it was human; the swallow saved people by pulling out the mosquito's tongue, which could not answer the question clearly; God heard that the toad had the best blood, prescribed toads to eat snakes]: Belova 2004a, No. 578:41; (cf. Slovaks [The bear asks Komar whose blood is sweeter; he replies that it is human; The bear went to look for a man, asks the boy, then the old man, if he is human; I will be human; Was man; the hussar replies that he is human; the bear rushes at him, gets hit with a sword; tells Komar that he does not like human blood, the person has a long and sharp tongue]: Bogatyrev 1955: 170-171, =Gorbova 1949:171-172).

Caucasus - Asia Minor. Crimean Tatars [the snake instructed the swallow and fly to find out that the blood tastes better; the fly was convinced that it was human; when the swallow learned about this, the swallow pulled out her tongue and, when she came to the snake, reported that the frog's blood tastes best; the fly began to complain about the swallow with signs; the snake rushed to the swallow, but only pulled out the middle of its tail; since then flies do not speak, the swallow has a split tail, snakes prefer frogs]: Kondaraki 1875:133-134; Kalmyks: Basangova 2002:200 [=2017, No. 21:63-65; option B No. 22, 23:65-67, 67-69; Khan Serpent sent a mosquito to find out whose blood is the most delicious; urged Komara, asked if snakes should eat mosquitoes? The mosquito flew all over the earth, told the Swallow that man had the most delicious blood; the Swallow pulled out Komar's tongue; when Komar flew to the serpent Khan, he only squeaked, the serpent Khan heard the word "frog"; since then snakes feed on frogs, and mosquitoes have grown a sting in place of her tongue, so his squeak is plaintive], 200-202 [the Shulmusky woman has a son Komar; she sent him to find out who has better blood; he found out that humans, on the way back, I met Swallow, she asked him to show his tongue, uprooted him; Komar stood in front of his mother on two legs, she realized that he wanted to name the person; she composed a magtal (praise) in son's honor], 202-203 [The serpent tasted the blood of all creatures except man; sent Komar to humans; on the way back, the Swallow pretended not to believe that Komar had a tongue; he showed it, she bit it off; The mosquito flew to the Serpent, who realized that Swallow was to blame, but only shot it in the tail; since then it has been split, and people have not ruined swallow nests], 203-204 [the lord was the black-striped Zugan snake Ubush, with a hanging tail and sweeping wings; sent Komar to suck people's blood, they were losing their strength; once Komar carried blood in his mouth for memory; the Swallow bit off his tongue, but the Mosquito carried blood; it was the blood of a hero lying in the steppe; Zou liked her very much, but Komar could not tell whose she was; The Swallow called Khan Garudi for help, she began to fight with ZU, threw her into the sea; the noise of the wings of HG Kalmyks embodied burial trumpet singing]; Jimbinov 1962 [(zap. B. Mayorov in the Dolbansky aimak of Yandyko-Mochazhny Ulus; first published in the Folk Art of Kalmykia 1940:274-275); Khan Serpent tells Komar to find out whose blood tastes better; The mosquito learns that it is human, flies back, the Swallow pulls out his tongue; The mosquito is squeaking, the khan thinks he is talking, Frogs, now snakes eat frogs (=Basayev 2004, No. 158:259-260)]: 128-129; Nogais [The Black Snake sends The mosquito finds out if a person's blood is really the most delicious; when he flies back, the Swallow asks him to show his tongue, pulls it out; when the numb Mosquito points to the Swallow, she says like a Mosquito has a cold and wants to say that a frog has the most delicious blood; The snake manages to pull the Swallows feathers out of its tail, has been eating frogs ever since]: Nogai 1979, No. 2:12-13 (same or similar text in Kapaev 2012:232-233 ); Stavropol Turkmens [(former teacher of Blagodarinsky City School A. Volodin; from materials by L.G. Lopatinsky); Ishang (snake) sends a mosquito servant to find out that blood tastes better; The mosquito finds out what is human; on the way back, the Swallow asks to give her a delicious blood, bites off the Mosquito's tongue; he is speechless, explains to I. in signs that the Swallow bit off his tongue; I. grabs the Swallow by the tail, now it is split; swallows chase mosquitoes]: Bagriy 1930 (1): 70; Ossetians [the snake sent a fly to find out whose blood tastes better; after flying around several worlds, the fly found that the meat of an infant tastes best; the swallow pulled out its tongue; the snake fights the swallow, grabs by the tail; since then, the fly has been buzzing, and the swallow's tail is split]: Salbiev 2015:90 in Basangova 2019:53; Karachays and/or Balkarians: Dzhurtubayev 1991 [fell from the board in the bottom of Nuh's ship knot; the Serpent agreed to plug the hole, Nuh promised her the blood of the animal she would choose; the Serpent sent the Mosquito to find out whose blood was sweeter; he found out what was human, said it, the Swallow heard chased, tore off his tongue; the mosquito mooed "Ah-ah" (Adam), and the Snake realized that "makah" (a frog); the Snake bit the Swallow's tail, since then it has been split]: 50-51 (=2007:10-11); Malkonduev 2017:45 in Basangova 2019 [the snake asks the wasp to taste the blood of all animals, and the swallow accompanies the wasp as its assistant; the wasp learns that the sweetest blood is human; the swallow has bitten off the wasp's tongue since then buzzing; the snake tried to bite the swallow to take revenge on it, but only pulled out the feathers from its tail, since then it has been split; the swallow told the snake that the frog has the most delicious blood since then snakes have swallowed frogs]: 52-53; Kabardian people (Lesbos) [after the flood, the Serpent received the right to eat human beings; when all the creatures gathered, people expressed their concern to Solomon; he decided: let the Mosquito try, Whose blood tastes better, that Snake will eat; the mosquito found out that it was human, met the Swallow, told her, she asked again on purpose, pulled out his tongue, flew after him; the mosquito just squeaked, Swallow explained to Salomon that Frog's blood tastes best; S. told snakes to eat frogs; the Snake tried to grab the Swallow, but only pulled the feathers out of its tail]: Dähnhardt 1907:332-333; Ingush [the serpent who guarded paradise sent one bird to find out whose meat was sweeter; when it returned, carrying a piece of man to test the snake, the swallow took it away from it; the snake managed to bite the swallow's tail, now he fork]: Potanin 1883, No. 14:768; Abkhazians: Bgazhba 1983 [God asked the Snake what she wanted to eat; the Snake promised to answer in a few days, tasted different foods, decided what tasted best human; sent the Beetle to tell God about her choice; the Swallow asked the Beetle where he was flying when he heard the answer, asked him to show his tongue, pinched it off, flew to God herself, said that the Serpent had chosen frogs; the Snake managed to rip Swallow's feathers out of its tail]: 94; Chursin 1956:138 [1) Kodori County; Noah's ark was damaged, the Serpent plugged the hole for promising to allow it to eat what it found tastier; sent Noah the Beetle to say he was human; the Swallow asked him to show his tongue, pulled it out, told Noah that the Snake liked frogs best; for this, the Snake pulled out the Swallow's tail; 2) Lykhny; God asked the Serpent what it wanted to eat; the snake ate the meat of different animals, chose a person; sent a Beetle to tell God about its choice; the Swallow asked him to show his tongue, tore it off; God cursed the Beetle and The Snake, the Snake, ate frogs for food; the Snake pulled out the Swallow's tail; The Swallow is a friend of man]; Shakryl 1975, No. 93 [after learning about the flood, the prophet Nyah negotiates with four carpenters to build a ship, everyone wants for work, daughter N., he has only one daughter; the forest wears adaui; agrees to say before eating, God forbid, my mercy, food does not run out; God turns N.'s donkey, dog and cat into girls; according to them behavior after marriage, N. guesses who is who; takes a real daughter and son-in-law on the ship; The mouse gnawed a hole, the Snake plugged her tail, N. agreed to give her what she wants; the Eagle does not returned, the Raven eats carrion, the Dove tells us where the earth has hardened; the Serpent sends the Beetle to tell N. that he wants to eat human; the Swallow managed to snatch the Beetle's tongue, the Serpent knocked the feather out of its tail with its tail ; N. tells the Snake to eat frogs; after the flood, a neighbor who fed carpenters escaped]: 400-407; Abaza [seven-headed Ablativa sent birds, animals, insects to find out whose meat tastes better and blood sweeter; The Swallow met the Snake, she said she was human; the Swallow pretended not to believe, asked for the sting, cut it; the Snake managed to snatch the middle of the Swallow's tail; since then, only hisses]: Pershitz 1989:223; Kumyks [the mosquito, following the order of the snake, learns that a person has the sweetest blood; the swallow pulled out the mosquito's tongue, flying to the snake, it just squeaked; the swallow named it herself the frog's blood is sweet; the snake has managed to snatch three feathers from its tail; since then, the mosquito has been squeaking, the snake eats frogs, the swallow's tail is split]: Gamzatov, Dalgat 1991:361; lucky [the ajdaha snake sent creatures find out whose blood is sweeter; the mosquito found out that a person, the Swallow had time to bite off his tongue, and Azhdaha snatch the feathers from the swallow's tail, now he is forked; the swallow makes nests near a person's home, because man does not let snakes near]: Ganiyeva 2011a, No. 68:188-189; Megrelia: Kobalia 1903 [The serpent was an angel, for a misdemeanor God hit her with a stick, turned her into a snake; she sends a Bee and a Swallow ask God to give her food; God tells them to try everything, to determine what tastes best; the bee told the Swallow that the baby in the cradle tastes best; the Swallow asked her to stick out her tongue bit it off; explained to God that frogs taste best, God prescribed them to eat snakes (retelling in Chursin 1956:139)]: 118-119; Mashurko 1903 [(=Virsaladze 1973, No. 103:158-159); in Noah's Ark a leak formed, the Snake promised to stop it if it was fed delicious meat; N. sent the Beetle to determine whose meat tasted better; the Beetle found out what was human, told the Swallow; she asked her to taste too meat, instead stick out your tongue to determine the taste of Beetle's meat; bit off his tongue; before Noah, the Swallow answered for the Beetle that the Snake should eat frogs; the Snake grabbed her tail, pulled out the middle]: 78-79; Armenians: Ganalanyan 1979, No. 293 [=Harutyunyan 2007:43; snakes send Komar to find out whose blood tastes better; when he flies to say that it is human, the Swallow kills him]: 115; Lalayants 1904, No. 1 [stinging insects and reptiles were going to decide who had the sweetest blood to sting it the most; they sent a mosquito to find out what a person had; the swallow found out the mosquito's intentions and killed it], 2 [=Harutyunyan 2007: 37; the mouse gnawed a hole in the ark; Noah offered to plug the hole, only the snake could do it; after the flood, N. offered the snake a reward, which stuck out its tongue and demanded human blood; swallow rushed, bit her tongue, since then he had been forked; one drop of blood from the snake's tongue fell on N., turned into a louse; the second fell on a snake, became a flea]: 203, 203-204.

Iran - Central Asia. Pamiris {when counting, the text is conditionally compressed to the Shugnans} [The snake told Wasp to determine whose meat and blood are sweeter; the Wasp tried and found out that they were human; flew to report it to the Snake so that She hunted people; she met Swallow on the way; when she learned about Wasp's intentions, she cut off her tongue with her tail, thus saving people from destruction]: Yusufbekov 2009.

Baltoscandia. Latvians: Pogodin 1895:434 [there was a hole in the ark; the Serpent covered it with her body for promising to allow it to eat whatever meat she chose after the flood; the mosquito flew to look for whom blood tastes better; on the way back, he answered Swallow that the man had; she asked again, pulled out half of his trunk, the Mosquito was just squeaking; the Swallow told the Snake that the Mosquito had found the most delicious blood in the frog; The serpent has covered the middle of Swallow's tail; since then, snakes have been hated and swallows loved], 435 [Noah forgot to drive a nail into the hole; the ark leaked; the serpent plugged the hole with its tail, God rewarded it the right to choose food; the Snake sent the Mosquito to find out whose meat tastes better; Komar said that a person, but his tongue was confused, only Man and Swallow understood; The Swallow tells Komar that he has a splinter in tongue, pulled out her tongue; The snake lied as if Komar said that a frog had the most delicious meat]; Lithuanians: Kerbelite 2001:102 [a mosquito sent by a snake found out that human blood is the most delicious; a mosquito reported this to the swallow, which pulled out the mosquito's tongue; the swallow told the snake that the frog's blood was the most delicious; that's why snakes and snakes swallow frogs; he grabbed the mosquito by the tail and pulled it out; angry he pulled it out part of the feathers from the swallow's tail], (cf. 77 [The mosquito lied to man; God was angry, cut off his tongue; therefore, the Mosquito is angry with the man]); (cf. Estonians (Kose, Harjumaa) [The bear asks Komar whose blood tastes better; he replies that a person, but difficult to reach, is dangerous; the bear wants to try, is wounded by a bullet, has been afraid of people ever since ]: Kippar 2010, No. IX.5:120-121).

Volga - Perm. The Udmurts [The serpent sent Komar to find out whose blood was sweeter; he flew in, replied that it was horse; the Serpent sent him again; the mosquito returned, began to say that he was human, but the Swallow managed to bite him off nose; The serpent rushed to the Swallow, but only pulled the feathers out of its tail, since then it has been forked]: Vereshchagin 1886:72 (=1995:95-96; =Kralina 1960, No. 19:67); Klabukov 1948, No. 17:56 (168: "Similar stories of a fairy tale no")]; Chuvash: Vardugin 1996 [(=Sidorova 1979:20, =Eisen 1993:12); The mouse gnawed Noah's ark, the Serpent plugged the hole; grateful Noah sent Horsefly to bring food to the Snake; he brought human blood The swallow had time to bite off his tongue when Horsefly was about to talk about his impressions; the Snake bit through the middle of Swallow's tail]: 249; Egorov 1995 [Tour ă reported in a dream The righteous old man was told that there would be a flood to take a couple of living things on the ship; Shuittan taught the elder's wife not to board the ship until he swore, Get on, Shuittan! S. in the form of a mouse snuck onto the ship, gnawed a hole; he shut it up with his head; after the flood, the ship landed on Mount Ama Tu; T. decided to reward the snake with delicious food; they sent a mosquito to search for it; he I tried the blood of all animals, decided that the human being is sweeter than everyone; I wanted to tell T., but the swallow managed to bite off his tongue; he attacked the swallow, managed to pinch off the tip of his tail]: 132; Kazan Tatars (Simbirsk, probably Mishari; village. Kiv Tarkhan, Simbirsk Province, 1906-1908) [There was a mouse in the ark; it gnawed a hole in the bottom; water began to fall into the ark; the serpent curled up and lay on the hole, and thus held the water; because of this, Nuh fell in love with the snake and told it that if it If he wants the meat or blood of any animal, he will give it; the snake sent a mosquito to taste which animal has the most delicious blood to notify it; the mosquito seemed to be the most delicious human blood; returning to the snake, the mosquito met the swallow; it asked where it was flying; the mosquito told me everything; the swallow asked to show its tongue, and when the mosquito did, it bit its tongue out of its mouth; both returned to the snake; the mosquito kept repeating: băjj-băjj; the swallow said: "He says that the frog's blood was the most delicious"; the snake got angry, wanted to catch the swallow, grabbed it, but only pinched a piece from the end of the tail]: Meszarosh 2000:92-93; Kazan Tatars [when the flood began, Nukh and his wife sat down in the ark and took a pair of every living creature with them; the mouse gnawed at the bottom of the ark; the snake curled up and closed the hole; asked N. for provisions for her service and said she wanted delicious blood; N. sent a crow first, then a mosquito, but they did not return; then he sent a swallow; she met a mosquito returning; he said that he had not found blood tastier than human blood; the swallow pecked out his tongue; when they returned, the mosquito squeaked, and the swallow explained that he had recently said to her: "There is nothing tastier than frog blood"; N. punished the snake to eat frogs; it attacked the swallow, pulled out part of its tail; so it is forked]: Gilyazutdinov 2015, No. 281:276-278; marie [1) archive; village Kairakovo; One man survived the flood, sailing on a boat. There was a hole in the boat, where he put his snake's tail down. A mosquito flew in. A person asks who has the most delicious blood. The mosquito says it's human. At this time, a swallow arrives and grabs the mosquito by the tail. At this time, the snake grabs the swallow by the tail. The end of the swallow's tail breaks off. Thus, the swallow's tail became forked; 2) the MPE-RB archive, village. Akbulatovo, Ishimovo; Serpent Gorynych sends a mosquito to find out whose blood is the most delicious. The mosquito found out that it was human blood. The swallow found out about this, asks the mosquito: "Whose blood is the most delicious?" The mosquito says it's human. The swallow asks, "Where is your tongue filled with blood? I'll look at human blood." The mosquito showed its tongue and the swallow bit it off. After that, the mosquito only emits "me-th". When he came to Zmey Gorynych, he could not say anything. This is how the swallow saved a person]: Yuzieva 2016:141; Nogais Karagash (Astrakhan Region, 1974) [the prophet made a boat; put those who agreed to become Muslim in it; also took cattle, a mouse, a cat, a wolf; one day the boat was supposed to sink, but the snake lowered its tail into the water and dammed it; after This boat landed on a big mountain; the prophet said, "Serpent, we should have drowned, but you saved us, what do you want?" ; she replied: "My desire is that whose blood is sweeter, I will drink from him"; the prophet sent a mosquito to find out whose blood is sweeter; the mosquito tasted from everyone, found out that the sweetest blood is human; swallow asked him whose blood tasted better; the mosquito stuck out his tongue, the swallow pulled it out; the mosquito flew to the prophet, began to buzz; the swallow said that it understood the buzz; to free the man from the snake, she said, that the most delicious blood is frog blood; the snake got angry, tore off part of the swallow's tail; the tail remained so]: Arslanov 1992, No. 12:94-95; the Bashkirs [Nukh Paigambar built during the flood a huge boat, took each creature in a pair; The mouse gnawed a hole in the bottom, the Snake plugged its head; grateful N. sent Komar for food for the Snake; the mosquito bit everyone, found out that the most delicious blood at the man; opened his mouth to report it, but the Swallow tore off part of his sting; the mosquito began to buzz incomprehensibly, the Snake rushed to the Swallow, having managed to bite off her middle tail]: Barag 1987, No. 110:98.

Turkestan. Kazakhs: Kaskabasov et al. 1979, No. 16 [The serpent sent Komar to find out whose meat tastes better; the mosquito found out that it was human, he talked to the Swallow on his way back; she bit off part of his sting; The mosquito did not can say nothing to the Snake, the Swallow says he understands him, he wants to say that the most delicious meat is snake; the Serpent snatched the middle of the Swallow's tail]: 45-46; Sidelnikov 1971 (2) [Idahar sends a snake The mosquito finds out whose blood is sweeter; when he flies back, he tells the Swallow that it is human; when Komar tries to tell A., the Swallow pinches his tongue, says that Komar was going to say "snake"; A. tries to grab the Swallow, but only pulls the feathers out of the middle of its tail]: 165-166, (3) [The snake cries that it does not fly, the beasts choose her queen; it wants to feed on creatures that have the sweetest blood, sends Komar and Gadfly to find out whose blood is sweeter; the Mosquito could not fly against the wind, the Gadfly returns with the news that man's blood is sweeter than all, brags about it to the Swallow; she asks to be allowed try, tears off his tongue; The gadfly only buzzes, the Snake tears off the Swallow's feathers in the middle of its tail]: 221-223; Kyrgyz [the mouse gnawed a hole in the ark, the snake plugs the hole with its body, Suleiman allowed her to ask for any reward; the Snake always wanted to drink the most delicious blood; S. sent Horsefly to find out which one tasted better; flew back to say it was human; the Swallow asked me to give her a try Horsefly tore off her tongue; Horsefly could not tell Suleiman anything, the snake took revenge on the Swallow by eating her chicks, the Swallow began to nest near human habitation]: Brudny, Eshmambetov 1989: 369-370; Uighurs [the padishah gathered the animals, sailed with them on the ship; the mouse gnawed a hole; the serpent plugged the hole with its tail, the padishah promised her any reward; the Snake asked for permission to try it herself sweet blood; sent Komar to find out whose blood was sweeter; on the way back, Komar told the Swallow what was human; she invited him to show her tongue, bit off; announced to the Snake that the Mosquito was squeaking trying say that a frog has the sweetest blood; snakes have been eating frogs ever since]: Kabirov 1963:200-202; Dungans (Ningxia) [the sage read the Koran in the mosque; the Serpent crawled in and asked what creature's flesh most delicious; the sage promised to send Komar to find out, told the blacksmith to forge a sharp nose; tired of waiting in the company of the Snake, sent the Swallow to hurry up the Mosquito; the mosquito told her that man tasted best; The swallow bit off his tongue; when he arrived at the Snake, the Mosquito only squeaked, and the Swallow explained that mice tasted best; the sage called Swallow a friend of people and told her to live next to them]: Shujang Li, Luckert 1994:439 -440.

Southern Siberia - Mongolia. Altaians [Delbegen sends Bumblebee to find out whose meat is sweeter; he finds out that a person is; people ask the bumblebee not to tell Delbegen anything, but he refuses; then the hero Sartapkai cut off bumblebee tongue; when flying to D., Bumblebee only buzzes]: Garf, Kuchiyak 1978:49-50; Khakas, Baikal Buryats [Bee (in the versions of Gadfly, Komar) are commanded (Khakas: Aina; Buryats: 12-headed serpent; Erlen Nomon Khan, No. 24) find out whose blood is sweeter; she liked human blood, she hurries to inform her lords about it; to save a person, the Swallow pulls out the Bee (Gadfly, Mosquito) language; since then she has been speechless and buzzing]: Barannikova et al. 2000:14; Trans-Baikal Buryats (Selenginsky; probably Tabanguts) [the bird-king Garuddi instructed the bee to find the most delicious food; the bee was convinced that it was human blood; on the way back I met a bird that asked her questions; the bee told me everything; the bird: "I can't marvel at your speeches: like this You're small and your language is so big and you're so smart and good at speaking!" ; wanting to brag, the bee stuck out its tongue, and the bird turned it off to the very bottom and ate it; the bee became dumb and only buzzed; the bird offered its help and flew with the bee to G.; said G. that the bee found the most delicious meat in a snake, but also tasted human blood, which caused it to be poisoned and left without a tongue; G. believed and began to eat only snakes; since then that bird called a swallow; it still hates bees, constantly kills them and feeds them to chicks]: Smolev 1902b, No. 2:46-48; Buryats: Barannikova et al. 2000, No. 24 (recorded by S.P. Baldaev, the place is unknown; most likely the Baikal ones) [The gadfly was huge; Erlen Nomon Khan asks him whose blood is sweeter; he replies that he has not yet tried human and monkey; EN sent him to try; the monkey seemed bitter, human tasty; the Gadfly tells the Swallow about this on the way back; she asks to show her tongue, bites it off; the gadfly chased her, bit through her tail (now it is split); the Gadfly only buzzed at EN; EN in anger broke it into small parts - the current gadflies; the lexeme tunee used in the text is found in the dialect of the Baikal Buryats]: 91-93, 273; Tugutov, Tugutov 1992, No. 21 (no place of recording; Baikal region? published in the Buryat language in the newspaper "Buryaad Unen", Ulan-Ude, No. 298, February 21, 1975) [The king of birds The Eagle sends the Swallow and the Wasp to find out whose meat tastes better; the wasp confesses to the Swallow that the human Swallow asks her to show her tongue, pulls it out; tells the Eagle that the most delicious meat is snake meat; Eagle feeds on snakes, the Wasp only buzzes], 22 (Olkhon) [the thunderer Hugde-Mergen sends a wasp to the owner of the land Ulgen to find out who to thunder; he replies that he is a person; the wasp meets the Swallow, that asks to repeat what W. said; tears off Ose's tongue; explains H. that Wasp wanted to say that larch has delicious juice; since then, lightning has hit trees]: 78-79, 80; Baikal Buryats ( Alar) [a flying serpent (nidhe mogoy) sends a bee to find out whose meat on earth is the most delicious; the bee meets the swallow, tells her that it is human; the swallow asks the bee to show its tongue and then pulls it out; the serpent does not understand what the bee is talking about; the bee chases the swallow; she flies to the Burkhan and talks about what happened; he tells her to live in a yurt in the child's shaky; she says that it will be better on the pillars; the burkhan agrees; the swallow flies into the yurt, the bee pulls feathers from the middle of its tail; therefore, the swallow nests and hatches chicks on the crossbars in yurts and has split tail]: Khangalov et al. 1889, No. 31:122; Khakas: Alekseev 1980 [there was a mosquito with a horse's head; Aina sent him to find out whose blood was sweeter; he scouted it, told on the way back The swallow, which is human and that he carries it in his tongue to A.; The swallow asked to show her his tongue, pulled it out; the mosquito managed to tear her tail; when he flew to A., the Mosquito only buzzed; P. broke it in anger into small pieces, they turned into mosquitoes]: 103; Katanov 1907, No. 582 (Kachins) [first it was a duck; having made another friend, she sent her to the bottom of the river for sand; she brings it three times and gives it to the first; to the third once some of the sand was left in its mouth, this part became stones; the first duck scattered the sand, crushed for nine days, the earth grew; the mountains grew after the messenger duck spit the stones out of its mouth; because the first refuses to give her land; agrees to give land the size of a cane; the messenger pierces a hole in the ground, goes into it; the rest sends the swallow for the human soul, telling the dog to watch and bark at Erlik Khan; E. created winter, gave the dog a fur coat, spat on man; God poured his soul on man, made him a wife out of a rib; ordered him to eat red currants at sunrise, but not at sunset; wife broke the ban and ate, God wrote it down in a book; a woman with a child and a mare and a foal eat grass, a woman has crossed seven slides, a mare over one; God has decided that if people eat with grass, they will eat it all; God gives the moon and sun to Erlik Khan; it becomes dark; God gathers birds, tells us not to laugh if the Corncrake comes; the head of the birds, the Stork, laughed; the corncrake was offended and left; sent the Owl to overhear what the Corncrake is talking at home; Let Erlik Khan catch the echo of the rocks, his shadow, the tramp of a hundred horses; E. is forced to return the sun and moon because he could not fulfill God's requests; God sent Swallow to steal Erlik Khan's flint; she stole it, meets Komar on the way back; he says that E. was sent to find out whose blood is sweeter is human; the Swallow asks him to show him tongue, bites off; The mosquito only buzzes; E. chases the Swallow, tears off its middle tail; she threw half the flint on the rock; the young man was guarding the door to God; Erlik Khan came: what do I eat? God replies that old and old women, and the young man said that trees are rotten; next time: children are young willow branches; young people are dried and hardened trees; for the fourth time E. breaks into God; everything was explained, E. now eats everyone, and the young man was driven to the ground]: 522-527 (=196:154-156; quail in Troyakov 1995:6-7); Mindibayeva et al. 2016, No. 1 (Kachins) [a naked man lived on earth without a soul; Khuday went for his soul, put a naked dog to the man; when he left, Irlik Khan came, the dog did not let him in; he covered it with hair, she let him go to the man; Irlik Khan spat on the man; Khudai returned, did not managed to cleanse the man, turned him inside out, drooling inside; Thin breathed soul into the man; then I. began to ask X. for land; he does not give it; that I. fall behind, H. gave land to stick a stake; I. The stake pulled out, the snakes crept out of this place; so the snakes and other reptile worms spread; giving soul, H. made man a herbivore; let a mare with a foal and a woman with a child into the steppe; the mare pinched the tops of the grasses, and the woman ate the grass along with the ground; H. sees: after a woman, even the grass will not grow; then H. made the man eat wheat; the ear grew from the very root; the woman baked bread, the child got dirty; she wiped it off with pancake pancakes; H. began to cut off his ear, but the dog howled what it would eat; H. felt sorry for her, left the tip of the ear - the dog's share; the man knew the time of death; one should have die in the fall, began to make a grass hedge - enough for his life; H. decided that this way a person would drink everything, he would leave nothing to the children; made it so that now a person does not know about the time of his death; Irlik- Khan sent a mosquito the size of a bull to the ground to find out whose blood tasted better; it turned out that a person had a mosquito; the mosquito sat down to rest, the swallow asked to show his tongue, tore it off; the mosquito tried to grab it, but only tore off part of his tail, now it is split; the mosquito flew underground, but could not tell Irlik Khan anything; he got angry, hit him, told him to become a thousand mosquitoes; this is how mosquitoes appeared]: 77-81; Radlov 1907:523-524; Troyakov to Paderina, Plitchenko 1986 [Irlykhan sent Komar to find out whose blood tastes better; he flew back to say it was human; he met the Swallow, she asked to show this blood She bit off Komara's tongue; since then, he has only been squeaking, afraid of the Swallow, which feeds on mosquitoes]: 157; (cf. khakas [the boy goes to hire; at the fork, the batozhok says that buy to the left with his seven daughters, to the right is Death; the boy goes to the left, works at the bay, wants a daughter to pay, that is his drives away; the boy walks along the right road; towards the Old Man Death, goes to the gods to find out who is; the boy offers to run away instead of him; the gods tell him to eat thin old men for three years, the boy says Death, as if they told me to eat tree bark for three years; next time the gods tell them to eat children for three years, the boy tells Death to eat seaweed; three years later Death has difficulty climbing the boy into heaven stairs; he says that there is a human in his snuffbox; invites Death to turn to the mosquito, get into the snuffbox; slams it shut; comes to the bay who deceived him, releases Death, asking them to eat everyone fat]: Balter 1955 in Dachshunds 1988:224-228); Tofalars: Rassadin 1996, No. 26 [aza (devil) sucked blood from people, Burkhan forbade him to do so; aza sent a bumblebee to bring blood to people; burkhan I met him, caught him, pulled out his tongue; when she sees a man, the bumblebee only buzzes]: 56; Sherkhunaev 1975 [Damn sends Fly to man; she drinks his blood, flies back; God asks where she is going; I will give blood to the Devil; God snatched her tongue when she flew to the Devil, she just buzzed]: 254; Buryats: Barannikova et al. 2000, No. 24 [The gadfly was huge; Erlen Nomon Khan asks him whose the blood is sweeter; he replies that he has not yet tried human and monkey; EN sent to try; the monkey seemed bitter, human tasty; the Gadfly tells the Swallow on the way back; she asks to show her tongue, bites it off; The gadfly chased her, bit through her tail (now it is split); EN's Gadfly only buzzed; EN broke it into small pieces in anger - the current gadflies]: 91-93; Tugutov, Tugutov 1992, No. 21 [The king of birds Eagle sends the Swallow and the Wasp to find out whose meat tastes better; The wasp confesses to the Swallow that the human Swallow asks her to show her tongue, pulls it out; tells Orel that the most delicious meat is - snake; The eagle feeds on snakes, the Wasp only buzzes], 22 [the thunderer Hugde-Mergen sends a wasp to the owner of the land Ulgen 'u to find out who to thunder; he replies to a person; Wasp meets Swallow, she asks her to repeat what W. said; tears off Ose's tongue; explains H. that Wasp wanted to say that larch has delicious juice; since then, lightning has hit trees]: 78-79, 80; Mongols (khalha): Benningsen 1912 (Dunsurun) [Bird King Khan Garudi sent Swallow and Wasp to find out whose flesh tasted best; The swallow flew across the sky, the Wasp bit everyone; told the Swallow what tasted best man; The swallow asked her to show her tongue, bit it off; so the Wasp did not sing, but buzzing; HG could not understand what Wasp was saying, asked Swallow; she replied that the most delicious meat was snake meat; HG began to eat serpent; now only the Kite remains on earth, he also loves snakes]: 21; Potanin 1881, No. 15 (western from the Khalkhas family Baru from the mouth of Orkhon) [king bird Khan Garudi sent two birds to Uran-Shiba ( remez) and Altyn-Haratsi (swallow) and a bee on the ground to taste whose meat tastes better; when they returned, they were met by a burkhan and asked whose; they said it was human; to save man, Burhan persuaded them not to talk about it HG; the birds agreed; fearing that the Bee would reveal the secret, they cut out her tongue; told HG that the snake had the most delicious meat; the bee could only publish something incomprehensible rebellion]: 159; Taube 2004, No. 9 [Bird Khan Jangar sent Swallow and Wasp to find out whose blood is sweeter; Swallow flew just like that, and Wasp came back and told her that human blood was sweetest; The swallow asked show her tongue, tore it off; Dzhangara explained that snakes are the sweetest; Kite (Milan) is the last descendant of Dzhangar, so kites catch snakes]: 21-22; Mongols (Ordos) ["Ordos ardyn ulger". Hohhot 1992. P. 301; the Garudi bird took the title of Khan; sent the bumblebee to look for a good place to live, clean water and find out which food tastes better; the bumblebee learned that it is best to live on Mount Muni near the red rocks, and it tastes better all human; answered the swallow's question; to save people, she asked for her tongue, pulled it out; when he flew to Khan Garudi, the bumblebee could not say anything; swallow: he drank by the sandalwood seawater and ate big snake meat, it is the most delicious; Khan Garudi began to eat snakes, and swallows began to nest near human habitation]: Egupova 2012:25-26; Oirats: Popov, Basangov 1936 [ Bird Lord Han-Kardae tells Osa and Swallow to sting everyone to see whose blood tastes better; Wasp stung, Swallow sang songs; on the way to HC Wasp replies to Swallow that humans have the most delicious blood; Swallow asks to show how Wasp drank blood, bites off her sting; HC Wasp was only buzzing, Swallow retold her speech like the most delicious blood was a snake; Han-Karde and the kites coming from him began to catch snakes ]: 31-32; Potanin 1883, No. 14 (durbuts) [Khan of Shulmusov (demons) sent Wasp to find out whose meat tastes better; she bit everyone, decided that man tasted better; on the way back she met the Swallow; she asked Wasp show her tongue, bit off; when she arrived at Khan, Wasp only bunchala]: 183; Oirats [in ancient times Khan Garudi, calling on a golden eagle and a bee, ordered them to find the most delicious meat on earth; upon returning home the golden eagle and the bee met and exchanged views; the bee thought human meat was the most delicious, and the golden eagle thought snake meat was the most delicious; they quarreled, and the golden eagle cut off the bee's tongue; then returned to Khan Garudi; the bee did not I could say nothing, only buzzed, but the golden eagle, expressing its opinion, saved humanity; therefore, the ban on hunting it is being observed]: Erdenebold 2012:75; Dagurs [the king of birds sent a bee and the swallow to find out which creature's meat tastes best; by evening the bee told the swallow that she was flying idle, and she, the bee, found out what was the most delicious human; the swallow asked her to open her mouth bit off her tongue; explained to the king: the bee wants to say that snake meat tastes best; that's why eagles catch snakes]: Stuart et al. 1994:83; Oirats (Xinjiang) [B50 and B51A motives correspond to a fairy tale" Swallow" from the collection "Betege caγān boqširγ", published in 1981 in Urumqi in the series "Xinjiang Oirat Folklore" {no details; original verification required}]: Ubushiyeva, Damrinjav 2020:18.

Western Siberia. Forest Nenets [the devil asked the mosquito which animal blood is better; the mosquito drinks the blood of the Nenets (forest), tundra Nenets, Khanty, deer, bears, foxes, arctic foxes, birds; returning, it met a bird; her question answers that the blood of various animals - Nenets, Russians, Khanty - is good; the bird asks the mosquito to stick out its tongue and cut it off to the ground; when it reached the plague, the mosquito could only buzz]: Verbov 1973: 168-169 (inaccurate retelling in Pushkareva 2003, No. 224A*).

Eastern Siberia. Evens [the serpent king told the mosquito that if he did not want snakes to feed on mosquitoes, let him fly and find out whose blood is the most delicious; on the way back he met a swallow, replied that he was human; she doubted if he had eaten all the people, asked them to show their tongue, bit it off; when he flew to the snake, the mosquito only squeaked; the snake thought he was saying "frog"; since then, snakes have been eating frogs, and the mosquito has grown a sting instead of a tongue]: Robbeck 2005:190.

Subarctic. Tanaina [Kuzhagaken wanders, a giant takes him as his companion; they come to people who cook blood; K. lies to Woodpecker like it's fir juice; because of this, woodpeckers are hammering trees, not people]: Tenenbaum 1984:73-75; taltan [The mosquito lies to the Woodworm that it drank the blood of trees; if he told the truth, the Woodworms would eat people]: Teit 1919, no. 22:243.

NW Coast. Eyak [Mosquitoes were flying above the water; the Water Beetle asked where they had drunk blood; they pointed to black ground (Do you see that younger that land? It appears black}; The Water Beetle said they would get enough there too; this is how the Mosquitoes saved people]: Johnson 1978:70; (cf. Nootka [Hee-e-tlik does not eat what his mother gives him, feeds on the smell of pine trees; becomes a friend of the thunder bird Tutuch, turns into a lightning snake, flies with T. wrapped around it body; when T. hunts whales, H. kills them and T. takes them home]: Webber 1936:29).

The coast is the Plateau. Thunder wants to know where Komar drank blood; at the top of the tree; if Komar were to tell the truth, lightning would hit people, not trees. Shuswap: Teit 1909a, No. 35:709; Thompson: Teit 1898, No. 11:56; lillouette [Mosquitoes lived in the upper world, their leader sent them to earth to drink blood; one drank a man's blood, spewed into a vessel, Komarich called; another sucked the genitals of sleeping women, filled a vessel for male mosquitoes; Thunder asks where the Mosquitoes got the blood from; they answer that they sucked trees and rocks; otherwise Thunder would now killed people]: Teit 1912b, No. 12:311-312; Kalapuya [The mosquito always replies to Thunder that he drank blood from white fir trees; (this text ends)]: Jacobs 1945, No. 12:132.

The Midwest. Northern Ojibwa (Sandy Lake) [Black Flies overwinter in Thunder's nest; he asks where they suck blood; At tall trees; Thunders crush trees]: Ray, Stevens 1971:92; chippewa [Lightning asks Komar where he ate; He ate tar at the top of a pine tree; so lightning strikes trees, not people]: Barnouw 1977, No. 42:158; Western Marsh Cree (northern Manitoba) [ {European borrowing, faithfully, with some local motives}; The snake was big; Wesukechak demanded that it stop eating people; she says that the blood of other animals gave her bad; V. sends Komar to find a creature whose blood tastes like human blood; The mosquito returns, tells the Snake that a frog's blood looks like a human; the Snake pulls out his tongue in anger, he cannot tell V.; V. tells Komar to bring someone with whom he shared his discovery; he leads the Swallow, but the Snake pulls out her tail feathers so that the Swallow cannot fly; the mosquito leads V. to lying Swallow; V. repairs her tail, but the fork remains; The Swallow tells everything; V. inserts a straw into her mouth to make it easier to suck blood; makes the Snake small, it is even difficult for her to catch frogs]: Clay 1978:81-84.

Northeast. Naskapi [hungry Thunder asks Komar what he eats; the mosquito hides the truth, says he eats wood resin; Thunder still destroys trees but finds nothing]: Millman 1993:100; mikmaq: Parsons 1925, No. 17 [The mosquito replies to Thunder that it drank blood from the trees; because a porcupine was sitting under the pine tree, Thunder received some blood by hitting the pine tree; it ate fish, hitting the river and the sea]: 84-85; Whitehead 1988 [Thunders ask Komar where he drank such tasty blood; By the trees; They try, say he's lying; he invites them to try another tree; a chipmunk sat under him; They did not like the animal's blood; the mosquito offers them blood with fish, lightning strikes the river, the sea; the Thunders turned the Mosquito into a hailstone, but never learned about human blood]: 158-159.

California. Shasta [The gadfly answers Thunder that it has sucked blood from trees and from the ground; Thunder destroys all kinds of trees, finds no blood; but Gadfly insists; he fears that otherwise the Thunder will destroy people ]: Curtis 1976 (13): 206; screw [The mosquito sucked blood, shared it with Thunder; answers him that it sucked trees; Thunder destroys trees, not people]: Dubois, Demetracopoulou 1931, No. 70:393; Maidu : Curtis 1976 (14) [The girl has her first period; she does not go to the hut, but goes with her husband for cones; he climbs a pine tree, sheds her bumps; to see if they are mature, she splits the cone with a stone hits the finger, licks the blood; she likes the taste, she devours herself from foot to waist; the husband jumps quietly to the ground, leaving his voice responsible for him, runs away; the girl hits the pine tree with thunder, then she catches up with her husband, strikes again; the husband is thrown into the air, he falls dead; both rise to the sky, turn into thunder; when Mosquitoes bring blood to the Thunder woman, they say that they extracted it from oaks; therefore, the Thunder woman infects trees, otherwise she would kill people]: 176; Dixon 1912, No. 8 [Thunder asks her relative Komar where he sucked blood; The mosquito replies that the trees have , and it's better not to touch people; chiefs hire Toyesköm to look at the meat; this makes it slightly black; the Coyote wants real fire; the Lizard's two brothers notice smoke aside Coastal Ridge; owned by Thunder; The mouse gnaws on the ties on the aprons of Thunder's daughters, hides the coal in the flute, runs away; Thunder with two daughters chases, but the girls' aprons fall; Dog Thunder throws fire into a bush, Deer throws fire on a chestnut tree; Thunder decides to live in the sky]: 151-173 (the Komar episode on pp.151-161); Shipley 1991 [(long text about Old Thunder and the theft of fire; on pp.161-167 The mosquito for a long time explains to Grom that he should not touch people]: 154-175.

Llanos. Yaruro [Komar marries Thunder's daughter; he asks what her husband tattoos with; Komar replies that with the tar of trees; if he said that with the blood that sucks people, lightning would hit people with blood us, not into trees]: Wilbert, Simoneau 1990c, No. 52:82.

Montagna - Jurua. Characterbet [blood-sucking insects ask Thunder (Uperax) to give them a bag to bring blood; they do, but decided to say they took blood from trees; otherwise Thunder will kill all people and mosquitoes will have nothing to eat; Thunder has been destroying trees ever since]: Calífano 1995, No. 18:186.