Yu.E. Berezkin, E.N. Duvakin

Thematic classification and distribution of folklore and mythological motifs by area

Analytical catalogue

Introduction
Bibliography
Ethnicities and habitats

M137. A weak predator imitates a strong one, ATU 47D.

.12.-.15.21.23.27.-.33.

A

weaker predator tries to imitate a stronger one, but cannot do things that a powerful one does easily.

Mukulu, Sarah, Zaghawa, Berbers of Morocco, Spaniards, Catalans, Tibetans, India (Jataki), Sinhalese, Pardhan, Ancient Greece, Hungarians, Bulgarians, Greeks, Poles, (Russians), Ukrainians ( Hutsulshchina, Podolia, Kievskaya), Belarusians, Kalmyks, Ingush, Kumyks, Archins, Kurds, Tajiks (Kashka-Darya), Pashtuns, Turkmens, Lithuanians, Latvians, Finns, Kazan Tatars, Bashkirs, Kazakhs.

West Africa. Mukulu [the hyena went to giant Banjeri for a spinning wheel; she was offered soup, she flopped into it, decided it was a bathing pond; and the pot was a mountain; B. asks if the hyena would sleep with him or with his mother; hyena: I came to see a man; but when B. breathes in, he swallows a hyena, and when he exhales, he spits out; I had to go to his mother; to get in, I had to cut my pubic hair with an ax B.'s mothers; in the morning we went to B. in the field, but the hyena could not drag anything - everything was too heavy; B. set traps and told the hyena to go to the people working in the field and tell them that their joba was just as wide like B.; they rushed to the hyena and fell into traps; when the hyena went home, it could not lift B.'s spindle, he only had to give him a small piece; the hyena brought the dog to him; repeats everything B. did and required the dog to speak like it, the hyena, spoke to the giant; the dog tells the elephants that their ass is like B.; they almost trampled it; then the dog went home]: Jungraithmayr 1981, No. 41:192-198

Sudan - East Africa. Sarah (mbai) [Iron Pin (JSH, verge-de-fer) called Su to hunt elephants; climbed a tree, sent Su to the elephants to say that his uncle was calling an elephant; Su rejects everyone, says for himself big that his uncle calls him; when the elephant is under the tree, the JS rushes from above, cutting the elephant in half; it starts to rain; the JS throws a pumpkin seed on the ground; gives orders, every time repeating "If you are my ancestors' calebass, do this and that"; tells Su not to take the Kalebas seed himself; the calebas has grown up, opened her mouth, JSH and Su hid inside; the rain is over, the JSH tells the calebass open their mouth, they went out; JS tells Su to move away: when he gnaws on the bones, the fragment may fall on Su; he is not far away, a bone fragment has cut off his head, the JSH glued it back; Su takes to hunt The toad tries to repeat everything; throws a mortar at the elephant that comes up, but only the Toad kills the elephant with his sword; deliberately throws the Toad's bone; cannot glue his head, ties it (since then on his head toads dent); they climbed inside the calabasses, but cannot go out; Calebas did not open her mouth, broke away from the vine, rolls into the river; JSH tells her to stop and open her mouth; reminds Su that he warned him not take a seed]: Fortier 1967, No. 18:269-273; zagawa [lion and jackal friends; while the lion is in the cave, the jackal climbs the rock and tells us who is approaching; the lion is only interested in camels; jackal: sheep are coming ; lion: let them be my father's sheep; cows, donkeys, horses are the same; someone with a long neck and long legs; lion: that's what I need; the lion killed the camel, the jackal cut it, heated the stone, wrapped it in fat, offered the lion, threw it in its mouth, the lion died; the jackal left the corpse in place and told the panthers and hyenas that the meat belonged to the lion; they immediately left; the jackal took the lion's place in the cave, and told the hedgehog from the top rocks to say who is approaching; hedgehog: cows; jackal: let them be my father's cows; hedgehog: someone with a long neck and long legs; the jackal threw himself on the camel's back, he carried him; a branch knocked him to the ground; The jackal came back and saw the hedgehog laughing; the jackal texted him in his mouth and left]: Tubiana, Tubiana 2004 (1), No. 4:44-46.

North Africa. The Berbers of Morocco: Laoust 1949, No. 17 in Uther 2004 (1), No. 47D: 43

Southern Europe. Spaniards [the fox asked the wolf to be her son's godfather; wolf: when the fox grows up, let him come and teach him how to hunt; the young fox has come; the wolf: the cows are coming - no need, they have horns; the sheep are with them dogs; horses - now; the wolf knocked down the mare; the fox called his mother to show him how to hunt; took the same position, a mare appeared, he threw himself around her neck, but could not bite through the skin, she clamped it herself with teeth; mother: leave her; son: yes, but she doesn't leave me]: Camarena, Chevalier 1997, No. 47D: 81-82; Catalans [dog imitates a wolf (source mentioned in Spanish index)]: Oriol, Pujol 2008, no. 47D: 30.

Tibet is the Northeast of India. Tibetans: Hoffmann 1965, No. 19 in Uther 2004 (1), No. 47D: 43

South Asia. Ancient India (jataki), Sinhalese [jackal imitates a lion, cannot kill an animal or is killed himself]: Bødker 1957, No. 939:93; pardhan [fox and his mother are starving, coming to a tiger; the tiger picked up a cow for them, the fox watched him do it closely; attacked the horse believing it was an ox; the horse kicked the fox and killed its mother; the fox goes to another village where there is a tiger in the cage; the tiger persuaded the brahmana to let him go and then he was about to eat it; the buffalo and the ox reply that people are ungrateful; the Sun says that people are shamelessly relieved in his presence; the tiger eats the brahmana]: Elwin 1944, No. 18.1:397-398.

The Balkans. Ancient Greece: Gasparov 1968, No. 355 (20) [Perry 1952, No. 394; when hunting, a fox scouts prey for a lion, envies a lion; attacks the herd alone; gets to hunters]: 167; 1991, No. 55 (14) [ The fox's son Benidictul becomes a student of the wolf; when he saw him kill the horse by clutching its face, he decided that he had learned enough; he grabbed the horse's face, but she rode to the shepherds and they killed the fox's son ]: 258-260; Hungarians [the godson wolf teaches the fox godson; tells the wolf to watch and let you know when shepherds chase animals; the wolf does not like pigs, oxen, sheep for various reasons; when horses appeared, wolf he grabbed one of them in the face, failed and began to eat; deciding that he now knew everything, the young fox was going to show his mother how to hunt horses; he also lets pigs in, etc., rushes to the horse; the horse brought him to the shepherds, they killed the fox and skinned him; the fox mother grieves: the son did not learn properly]: Kovács 1987, № 47D*: 256-257; Bulgarians [the wolf teaches the fox (jackal) to hunt; when a horse appears, the fox asks if his eyes are bleeding, if his ass is trembling; then the horse fails; the fox imitates the wolf, asks the same questions, the horse hits him; now not only the eyes, but the whole The fox's face is covered with blood and the ass is trembling]: Daskalova-Perkovska et al. 1994, No. 47D: 49; Greeks: Uther 2004 (1), No. 47D: 43.

Central Europe. Poles: Shcherbakov 1980 [the fox did not eat meat before; the wolf promises to teach him; asks if his eyes are burning; whether his hair stands on end; whether the tail is spinning; lifted up his horse; the fox decided that he has learned butcher the case, promises to teach the hare; asks him what the wolf asked him about; rushed to the horse, he killed him with a hoof; hare: it's better to chew the kidneys]: 22-24; Krzyżanowski 1962, No. 107 [ an old dog, a wolf's assistant, imitates him, attacks a horse and dies from its hoof]: 59; Russians (the correlation table does not take into account: Afanasiev 1958, vol. 1, No. 59:84-85; the place of reserve is not a decree., others records - outside the main territory of Russians in Eastern Siberia and Lithuania), Ukrainians (Hutsulshchina, Podolia, Kievskaya), Belarusians [The dog imitates a wolf (bear): digs the ground with its paws, growls; the mare is not frightened, hits her with a hoof and kills her; the cat, looking at the killed dog, admits that it has achieved its goal - it has "learned": the eyes are red and the tail is swollen]: SUS 1979, No. 117*=47D=AA *119=K107: 69-70; Belarusians [the dog came to live with the wolf, watches him hunt; about geese, pig: there is a lot of trouble, but not enough to live; when he saw a horse, he fell out in the sand: did I pretend to be great? went to the horse from the front, shook himself off, ran over the horse; the dog went with the cat, imitates a wolf, came in from behind, he killed her with a hoof]: Vasilenok et al. 1958:25-26.

Caucasus - Asia Minor. Kalmyks: Uther 2004 (1), No. 47D: 43; Kumyks [the wolf asks the lion for a piece of meat; the lion generously offers much more; teaches me to hunt; asks: has my mane risen? Did the tail become round like a bagel? Do your eyes spin? after that, the lion kills the horse; the wolf decides to show everything to the fox (has the mane risen? etc.); the fox doubts; the horse hits the wolf with its hoof; fox: now the eyes are spinning and you are all like a bagel]: Ganiyeva 2011a, No. 48:157-158; Ingush: Sadulaev 2004, No. 15 [the fox is starving, the wolf is leading teach her how to hunt; they see a horse; the wolf asks if his eyes are burning, if his hair is sticking out, if his tail is spinning; he rushed to the horse and killed; the wolf went to bed, and the fox went hunting; seeing a hare, who eats the bark, explains to him that he could eat meat and not be so cowardly; shows him everything the wolf showed her, rushes at the horse, he kicked her and killed her; the hare almost died with fear]: 41-42; (cf. Malsagov 1983, No. 150 [the wolf replies to the fox that she is not his match - he is used to the pen, and he is used to horns; the fox decided to watch the wolf hunt; he rushed at the bull, the bull killed him; the fox decided to limit himself feathers]: 287-288); Archins [when the fox came to the ram to eat it, he advised him to bring the cauldron to cook its meat, ran away himself; the goat advised me to go get a razor to shave it; the fox met a wolf, complained that she was starving; the wolf decided to show how he would fail his horse; - Do your eyes spin? Is there wool on the back of the neck? the fox got its part for itself and the foxes; met a hare, decided to show him how to kill a horse; the horse suggests that it is better to take a piece of gold out of its hoof and sell it; hit the fox with a hoof; fox: why am I Did you go to get the boiler? why shave a goat? why does the fox need gold? and then the shepherd threw a stone and hit it; there is no happiness; the fox ran away]: Dirr 1920, No. 33:155-157; Kurds [when hungry, the wife asks the fox to go to his uncle lion to ask for something; lion asks for information if the fox sees prey; shows how it is preparing to attack (his eyes are bleeding, his mouth is numb, the belly goes down and rises); killed a camel, brought a carcass to the fox; next time a fox decided to be like a lion himself; asks his wife if his eyes are filled with blood, etc.; the wife replies no; yet he catches himself at the bull, he killed him; wife: now your eyes are bleeding, fall in foam, and the belly is swollen]: Jalil et al. 1989, No. 170:475-676.

Iran - Central Asia. Tajiks: Amonov, Ulug-zade 1957 [as in Levin et al., lion instead of wolf]: 39-40; Levin et al. 1981, No. 371 (Kashka-Darya) [the wolf shows the fox how to hunt horses; it sees that the tail the lion is bent, its ears are sticking out, his eyes are like fire; the fox undertakes to show the other, lame, fox how to hunt; asks if its tail is bent, etc.; but when it tried to approach the horse, it was hit hoof and died; limping: now your tail is bent, your ears are sticking out, your eyes are red]: 279-280; Pashtuns [others call one evil jackal a tiger; he thought he was strong; other jackals: yours our eyes are burning, hold our sheep; the jackal lifted up two lambs; he is praised again, asked to lift his horses, barely survived; said that God forbid if someone with glittering eyes is told about it at the wrong time]: Lebedev 1958:139-140; Turkmens [did the lion take pity on the hungry fox, showed how to hunt kulans; asks her: did the mustache stand up? Are your eyes bleeding? the fox confirms; the lion ate a little and left the carcass to the fox; the fox is weaned; seeing a herd of kulans, asks the other foxes: is the mustache sticking out? Are your eyes bleeding? rushes to the biggest fest, which killed her with a hoof blow; other foxes: that's what kulan hunting is like! and ran away]: Fur Fair 1980:66-68.

Baltoscandia. Lithuanians [a dog learns from a wolf to lift horses; wolf: am I puffed up a lot? glaring eyes? Did your hair stand on end? Will the tail be stretched out? are your teeth grinned? the wolf lifted up the horse; on the third day there are only bones, the wolf does not want to go anymore; the dog takes the cat, asks him like the wolf asked her (puffed up a lot? etc.); rushed to a horse and killed it with a hoof]: Kerbelite 2014, No. 31:72-75; Latvians [The wolf walks around a herd of horses three times, asks the dog if his eyes are red. After stabbing a horse, he leaves it to the dog. The dog is trying to imitate a wolf. A horse kills her]: Aris, Medne 1977, No. 119C: 258; Finns: Concca 1993 [a farmer was carrying a cart of fish; the fox pretended to be dead; he picked it up, she dropped the fish and ran away; tells the bear that caught it with its tail in the ice-hole; the bear's tail froze, the fox called people; the women began to beat the bear, the tail came off, since then only a stump; the fox ate butter from the buttermilk, smeared with cream, since then the breast is white; the hostess threw a pestle at it, which touched the tip of its tail, since then it has been white; the fox tells the bear that her brains are out; the bear put the fox on his back, she says, "Lucky healthy patient"; replies that he is talking; the bear threw off the fox, but she asks to take it to the haystack to die; the bear fell asleep in the hay, the fox set it on fire, since then the bear has been brown; the wolf tells the fox that jumped on a horse, grabbed the tail and bit; the fox grabbed the horse by the tail, it carries it, the hare laughs, the lip burst; the fox: the jaw breaks sooner than the horse's tail]: 165-169; Krohn in Dä hnhardt 1912 [the fox sees the bear eating the horse and asks how he got it; bear: clutched his teeth to the tail and bit; the fox grabs the horse by the tail, it jumps away, dragging the fox; the hare laughing at the lip burst]: 235; Norwegians [the bear teaches the fox to kill the horse; if it lies and basks in the sun, you have to grab its tail and cling to its leg; the fox does so, the horse drags it over stones and stumps; the hare sees it, laughing has burst his lip]: Asbjörnsen, S. 62, no. 74 in Dähnhardt 1912:238.

Volga - Perm. Kazan Tatars [an ox shows a hungry dog how to bite a horse; asks if his eyes are bulging; dog: oh yes; lifted up a horse, fed the dog; the dog himself teaches another dog how to bite horse; asks for bulging eyes; another dog replies that they are not bulging; the horse kicked the dog; another dog: your eyes are bulging now]: Zamaletdinov 2008a, No. 14:51-52; Bashkirs [owner drove the dog away, the wolf called it to him; tells him to say when his eyes will turn red; the dog said, the wolf rushed and picked up the horse; the dog went and met the puppy; tells me to say when her eyes turn red; puppy: turned red; dog rushed to the horse, got hit by its hoof; puppy: now the eyes are really red]: Barag 1989, No. 108:425-426.

Turkestan. Kazakhs [wolf to dog: I'll eat you; dog: feed you first; the wolf brought her to a herd of cows; asks what his eyes, ears, mouth, tail are; dog: his eyes are burning, his ears are pressed, his mouth is open, the tail is tucked; the wolf rushed to the calf and fed the dog; it met a cat: I'll eat you; cat: feed you first; dog: what are my eyes, ears, mouth, tail? cat: eyes are dull, ears are hanging, tongue sticking out, tail down; the dog rushed at the camel, which kicked her and killed her]: Sidelnikov 1958:199-200.