M114D. Boiled eggs: eaten a year ago, ATU 821B

.15.16.26.-.32.

A person eats boiled eggs and leaves without paying. Much later he returns to repay the debt. The owner demands money for chickens that would hatch from those eggs, become chickens that also lay eggs, etc. Someone comes to court and pretends to cook seeds for sowing. The judge agrees that boiled eggs will not hatch chickens.

Spaniards, Aragon, Catalans (Balearics), Portuguese, Galicians, Basques, Italians (Veneto, Moscana, Molise), Ladins, Scots, Irish, Bretons, French, Frisians, Dutch, Germans (Schleswig-Holstein), Chinese (province not specified), Croats, Bulgarians, Macedonians, Greeks, Hungarians, Romanians, Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Kashubians, Ukrainians (Eastern Slovakia, Ugric Russia, Transcarpathia, Hutsulshchina, Bukovina, Poltava), Belarusians, Abazans, Georgians (?) , Azerbaijanis (?) , Turks, Kurds, Persians, Lithuanians, Latvians, Livonians, Estonians, Veps, Finns, Swedes, Danes, Icelanders, Maris.

(The texts of the Kazakhs and Mehri referred to by Uther 2004 do not contain this motive).

(Wed. North Africa. Libyan Arabs: El-Shamy 2004, No. 821B: 450; al-Shami, number 821B, also includes a Mehri text that does not contain this motive; see our motive K27u1; most likely, it does not exist in the Libyan Arab traditions).

Southern Europe. The Portuguese [many years after a guest ate 12 boiled eggs, the host demands a lot of money from him for chickens to hatch, chickens, and any eggs they would lay; is hell and tells the owner to cook peas for planting]: Cardigos 2005, No. 821B: 197; Catalans: Oriol, Pujol 2008, No. 821B [references to sources only]: 827; Vries 1928 [motif known in the Balearics]: 241; Spaniards (Murcia) [the owner demands money from the guy for eggs he ate last year and for which he did not pay; these eggs would hens, lay more eggs, etc.; In court, the defendant refers to his knife as a defender and says that he cooked beans for sowing; plaintiff: boiled beans will not grow anything; guy: chickens will not hatch from boiled eggs either]: Herná ndez Fernández 2012, No. 821B: 146; Portuguese [After a few years, after a person ate 12 boiled eggs and did not pay, the owner demands a huge amount from him, because of those eggs during this time chickens would hatch, become chickens, etc.; hell comes and asks him to cook peas for sowing; the inn owner has to give up his demands]: Cardigos 2006, No. 821B: 197; Galicians [the driver spent the night in the inn, ordered scrambled eggs; could not pay and promised to bring money later; when he crossed the bridge, he always praised God, but the devil too; four years later I was back at the inn and was going to pay for that scrambled eggs; the hostess shouted that during that time those eggs would hatch into chickens, become chickens, bring more eggs, etc.; demanded a lot of money; hell promised to help; came to court and said that he was roasting chestnuts in order to grow trees from them; and since trees did not grow out of roasted chestnuts, chickens would not hatch from scrambled eggs either]: Contos 1972, No. 150:140-142; Aragon [the king is going to cut off his wife's head if she gives birth to a daughter; the queen changes her daughter for the son of a peasant woman; the man buys or eats boiled eggs or scrambled eggs, promises to pay later, but does so only after many years; he is required to pay unthinkable interest for those chickens that would hen and lay eggs; it comes to the king; the queen's daughter (i.e. supposedly the daughter of a peasant woman) and the son of a peasant woman (supposedly a prince) wittily prove that chickens would not be bred from boiled eggs]: González Sanz 1996, No. 920A: 102; ladins [the poor man went to inherit ; at the tavern he ordered two boiled eggs, promising to pay on the way back when he received the inheritance; when he returned, the owner gave him a huge bill: the chickens would grow up, rush themselves, from these eggs would also be chickens, etc.; the lawyer came to court very late: he was going to sow millet and cooked seeds for sowing; chickens cannot get out of boiled eggs]: Decurtins, Brunold- Bigler 2002, No. 31:94-95; Basques, Italians: Uther 2004 (1), No. 821B: 460

Western Europe. Freezes [the sailor ordered 6 boiled eggs from the tavern, but forgot the money; the owner allowed him to pay later; the sailor went sailing, was captured by pirates, returned 5 years later; the owner demanded a lot of money: eggs would hatch into chickens, become chickens, lay new eggs, etc.; upon learning about this, the peasant comes to the judge and asks for permission to defend the sailor; but he only has little time : he set the beans to boil, they will cook them soon, he will sow them; judge: boiled beans are not sown; peasant: boiled eggs will not hatch chickens; sailor saved]: Mürk 2014:75-78; Dutch [sailor told the farmer how 5 years ago he ate 6 eggs in a tavern, but could not pay; the owner allowed him to pay when he returned; now he demands an incredible amount based on the assumption of how much if chickens were born from these eggs, they would become chickens, they would have their own chickens, etc.; the peasant asks the judge if he can also insert the word, but only quickly: he has just cooked the beans, they need them sow; and if the boiled beans do not sprout, chickens will not hatch from boiled eggs either]: Soer 1979:82-84; Bretons [the sailor ordered 12 boiled eggs from the tavern, promising to pay in a couple of years for on the way back; when he paid his debt, the hostess began to count how many chickens would hatch during this time, they would grow up, new chickens in turn laid eggs; demanded a lot of money; to the sailor St. Eve, promised to help; came to the end of the trial; said he checked the field where he sowed boiled beans; the hostess admitted that the eggs eaten by the sailor were also boiled]: Delarue, Tenèze 1985, No. 821B: 262-265; French people (Niverne et al.) [plot known]: Delarue, Tenèze 1985:266; Scots, Irish, Germans (Schleswig-Holstein): Uther 2004 (1), No. 821B: 460.

China - Korea. Chinese [at the tavern, a peasant paid for 5 boiled eggs and gave the same amount for those he ate for free 25 years ago; owner: over the years, they could hatch many chickens and chickens they would lay mountains of eggs, we had to pay for everything; he took the peasant to court; he was late: my brother and I cooked peas and waited for them to cool down to sow; judge: boiled peas would not sprout; peasant: from boiled peas there will be no eggs]: Riftin 1957:126-128 (=Osipov, Riftin 1962:55-57).

The Balkans. Bulgarians [traveler (Nastradin Khoja) ate boiled eggs, promising to pay later; when he brought the payment, the kochmar demanded a huge amount - eggs would hatch chickens, become chickens, etc.; gypsies ( Nastradin Hoxha, Sly Peter) acts as a defender, offering to sow boiled grains or beans]: Daskalova-Perkovska et al. 1994, No. 821B: 286-287; Macedonians, Greeks, Hungarians, Romanians: Uther 2004 (1), No. 821B: 460; Croats [motive known]: Vries 1928:241.

Central Europe. Czechs, Slovaks: Uther 2004 (1), No. 821B: 460; Poles, Kashubians [Kochmar wants to be paid for chickens that would grow from boiled eggs; in response, the person suggests germinate boiled peas]: Krzyżanowski 1962, № 875*: 268-269; Ukrainians (Eastern Slovakia, Ugric Russia, Transcarpathia, Hutsulshchina, Bukovina, Poltava), Belarusians [Damn Witness ( lawyer): "Cooked groin can grow as well as chickens hatch from boiled eggs"]: SUS 1979, No. 921B: 207.

Caucasus - Asia Minor. Abazins [Khoja ordered 30 boiled eggs from the tavern; the owner said that H. ruined him, the embassy would make chickens, demanded payment for the chickens; came to the judge; H. said he should run away home, otherwise the corn kernels for sowing, delivered to cook, will be digested]: Tugov 1985, No. 166:359-369; Georgians, Azerbaijanis [according to the Georgian text in Kurdovanidze 2000, his the content is not clear; the Azerbaijani version has been published in Azerbaijani; since the Turks, Kurds and Persians have a motive, we can really talk about ATU 821B]: Uther 2004 (1), No. 821B: 460; Turks [the merchant forgot to pay for the egg he ate at the tavern; the owner demands a lot of money for a chicken that would hatch, become chicken and lay many eggs; at first no one can resolve the dispute; the child says the egg is boiled; the padishah offers to grow the crop from boiled grain]: Eberhard, Boratav 1953, No. 295:338; the Kurds [the merchant sent the servant to buy 40 boiled eggs from the old woman, and the money I forgot to give them away; decided to let them grow and then return them with interest; the old woman is happy; her neighbor persuaded her to demand much more: eggs would hatch chickens, chickens would bring others, etc.; Kazi ordered to give the merchant all his property; Balul-Zana ordered the merchant to start sowing boiled wheat in the kazi yard; Kazi admitted that boiled eggs would not hatch, the merchant regained all the goods]: Rudenko 1970, № 34:84-85.

Iran - Central Asia. Persians [the man forgot to pay for 10 boiled eggs and a year later came to give the money; the owner of the tavern demands unthinkable money for chickens that would hatch from eggs and lay new eggs; man I agree to pay only if the cooked seeds germinate]: Marzolph 1984, № 821B: 147.

Baltoscandia. Latvians [Litigation over boiled eggs. The poor man steals two boiled eggs from the owner and eats them. Once rich, he wants to pay his owner for eggs. The owner estimates that these eggs could contain many chickens and eggs. It requires a large amount of money. The former poor man proves with the help of a witness that the eggs were boiled]: Aris, Medne 1977, No. 821B: 324; the Swedes [the man ate a couple of eggs in the tavern and did not pay; after a few years, the owner demands him a huge sum for all the chickens and roosters that would come from the chickens that hatched from those two eggs; the devil, acting as the defendant's lawyer, was delayed: he cooked peas for sowing; judge: from boiled peas won't grow anything; hell: boiled eggs won't hatch chickens either]: Liungman 1961, No. 821B: 220; Estonians (probably Sangaste) [the man ate 6 boiled eggs in the tavern but brought money for them only six years later; the owner demanded a thousand rubles: these eggs would make chickens, lay eggs themselves, etc.; going to court, the man met a peasant, he promised to help; he came to court late and said that he cooked peas for sowing; and if they don't, chickens from boiled eggs would not hatch either]: Mälk et al. 1967, No. 113:379; Veps: Kecskeméti, Paunonen 1974, № 821B: 237; Lithuanians , Livonians, Finns, Danes, Icelanders: Uther 2004 (1), No. 821B: 460.

Volga - Perm. Marie: Kecskeméti, Paunonen 1974, No. 821B: 237