M163B. The money is thrown into the sea. (.27.28.31.)
A person gets advice to throw money into the water and take only what comes up. This makes him happy.
Serbs, Russians (Vologda), Icelanders, Western Sami.
The Balkans. Serbs [a person worked for a year, asked for a salary, received pfenning; decided that if a coin drowned in a stream, he did not earn it, and if it pops up, he earned it; the coin went to the bottom; he returned to the owner, returned the pfenning and worked for another year; the same; after the third year, pfenning surfaced; the man gave it to a merchant who was going overseas - let him buy something for pfenning, which then he will sell; he bought a cat, which the children were going to drown; the storm brought the ship to a distant country; there is no remedy for rats and mice; the merchant released the cat, which killed the rodents, for which the local king loaded his ship was gold and silver; but the man was told that he had bought a marble slab for his pfenning; he made a table out of it and it turned into gold; the man ran to the merchant, but he said that gold was rightfully belongs to him; he gave him the treasures he brought and gave him a daughter]: Eschker 1992, No. 22:117-121
Central Europe. Russians (Vologodskaya) [An unknown person is hired to serve a wealthy merchant, serves for a year, then asks for a calculation. The merchant wants to pay properly, but the employee takes only one penny, throws it into the water and says that if he works faithfully, a penny will not sink. A penny is sinking. He serves there for another year and history repeats itself. He works for another year, and the merchant gives him more money "for his hard service" than before. The employee again takes only one penny and throws it into the water - all three come up. He takes them and, returning to his place, meets that merchant on his way to dinner. He gives him one penny and asks him to light a candle for him. In the church, a merchant takes candles with his own money, accidentally dropping a penny - it lights up a fire. People are surprised, they light candles for a penny. An employee meets another merchant on his way to the fair, gives him another penny and asks him to buy something at the fair. A merchant buys a cat for a penny, swims to trade and sails to a state that suffers from a "gnat". The cat eats the gnat, the king wants to buy it and asks for the price - the merchant says that the cat is not his and lies, that it costs three ships. The king gives ships for the cat. The merchant returns, the worker finds him, gets three ships. He swims to the island, climbs to spend the night on an oak tree and hears Yerakhta bragging below that he is going to kidnap the king's daughter, and his comrades threaten to beat him with iron bars if he fails. A worker comes to the king, the last penny lights up, preventing Yerakhta from implementing his plan. Comrades whip Yerakhta, and the worker marries the princess]: Burtsev 1895, No. 30:139-142
Baltoscandia. Icelanders [the ambassador of the father's death told his son in a dream that he made money dishonestly; let the son give half to the poor and pour the other into the sea; what comes up can be taken; the young man came in; 6 shillings wrapped in paper came up; the young man went on a journey, spent the night in the house and saw an unusual animal; he was told it was a cat; he bought it for 6 shillings; the next night he was advised to go to the king, who is hospitable; the king has no escape from rats; the cat jumped out, gnawed through many rats, and the others fled; the king invited the young man either to become first minister, either marry his daughter and inherit the throne; the young man chose the latter; after becoming king, the young man appointed the peasant who sheltered him as first minister]: Poestion 1884, No. 11:80-84; Western Sami [after the merchant's death, each of the two sons got a barrel of money; the youngest poured his money into the sea: honest money would come up; two shillings surfaced; when he learned of this, the older brother told the younger brother to get away away - he will ruin him too; the youngest hired a cocom ship; gave the captain his three shillings to buy something with them; he bought a kitten; in the other scarecrow there is no escape from mice; the young man gives the grown up the cat was borrowed for 50, then 100, 500 thalers; and elsewhere; the young man became rich; when he returned home, he saw his impoverished brother; he digested cod liver blubber]: Kohl-Larsen 1982, No. 17 : 116-124