M164A. The smell from the lion's mouth, ATU 51A.
.14.-.16.22. (.23.) .27.28.30.31.
Asking animals if his mouth really smells bad (or if his lair is dirty), the predator (lion, wolf) kills both those who answer honestly and flatterers. The cunning man says he can't answer - he has a runny nose (forgot his glasses).
Tunisia, Spaniards (Asturias), (Latins), Catalans, French, Dutch, Frisians, Germans (Mecklenburg), Burmese, (Pakistan), Greeks, Hungarians, Croats, Poles, Tajiks, Finns, Estonians, Latvians.
North Africa. Tunisia: El-Shamy 2004, No. 51A: 19
Southern Europe. The Spaniards (Asturias) [the lion tells the lioness that he wants to part with her, because her mouth stinks; the lioness is indignant; they ask the donkey, the pig and the fox to judge them; the donkey says it stinks terribly, The lioness killed him; the pig claims not - the lion killed her; the fox refuses to judge - she has a runny nose]: Camarena, Chevaller 1997, No. 51A: 96-97; Catalans [the lion tells the lioness he wants to break up with her, for her mouth stinks; the lioness is indignant; they ask the ox, the horse and the fox to judge them; the ox says it stinks, the lioness killed him; the horse claims that no - the lion killed her; the fox refuses to judge - she has runny nose]: Oriol, Pujol 2008, No. 51A: 31; (cf. Latins (a fable known from the Wissenburg manuscript of the 10th-11th centuries and probably goes back to Phaedra; Aesop does not have this fable) ["When the lion became king over animals, he wanted to gain fame royally justice: having renounced his past deeds, he changed his temper and swore a sacred and unbreakable oath not to kill more cattle and to be content with bloodless food. But then, unable to change his nature, he began to repent of what he had done. Deceptively taking the animals one by one to a secluded place, he asked them if his mouth smelled; and then, whether they were telling the truth or lying, he killed them and was fed up. After dealing with so many, he also asked the monkey if his mouth was smelly? She said, "Your mouth smells like kinnamon, like the altars of gods." Leo felt ashamed: and in order to execute the smoothie, he pretended to be sick, even though he was healthy. Healers, the best doctors, immediately came, looking for where he was hurting and how it hurt. And since the bleeding in all his veins was unheard of, they advised him to eat something to calm him down to relieve his anguish, for kings were allowed to do anything. And he said, "I haven't tried monkey meat, and I'd like to see what it tastes like." As soon as he said this, the sweet-mouthed monkey was immediately killed, brought to him on his orders, and he immediately tore it to pieces"]: Gasparov 1962, No. 70:80 (Perry 1965, No. 514).
Western Europe. French, Dutch, Friesians, Germans (Mecklenburg): Uther 2004 (1), No. 51A: 47.
Burma - Indochina. Burmese [Leo appoints Bear, Monkey, Rabbit as ministers, but then looks for an excuse to eat them, asks what his mouth smells like; Bear says the smell is bad (eaten), Monkey says the smell is bad (eaten), Monkey - that thin (accused of hypocrisy, also eaten), Rabbit - that he has a runny nose, asks to let him go home for a few days; Lev lets go]: Aung 1957:12-13 (Kasevich, Osipov 1976, No. 88:247-248).
(Wed. South Asia. Pakistan ["About the Lion and the Cunning Fox"; link to Jason 1989:18, page numbers calculated from the Internet; "Urdu translation"; no other data; origin is questionable, other parallels in South Asia not found]: Klyagina-Kondratyeva, Krasheninnikov 1958:109-110).
The Balkans. Greeks, Hungarians, Croats: Uther 2004 (1), No. 51A: 47
Central Europe. Poles: Simonides 1979, No. 292; Uther 2004 (1), No. 51A: 47.
Iran - Central Asia. Tajiks [animals dismissed lyava from his post as padishah because he constantly killed them; his mouth began to stink from hunger; the lion asks the camel if his mouth stinks, he says yes ; then asks the elephant - he flatters and says that the lion's breath is fragrant; the lion demands judgment, the animals first sentenced the camel, then the elephant to death, the lion ate them; the cat replied to the lion that from birth has no sense of smell and cannot answer; the lion promises that no one else will eat, the animals made him a padishah again; he picked up his horse, he was forgiven; ate the fox; after that, the animals had great difficulty killed a lion; everyone walked around wherever they wanted]: Levin et al. 1981, No. 378:288-290.
Baltoscandia. Finns: Uther 2004 (1), No. 51A: 47; Estonians [animals have come to the lion (bear); he asks what his breath smells; the bear says it stinks, the wolf flatters, the lion kills both; The fox replies that she has a runny nose and stays alive]: Kippar 1986, No. 51A: 64; Latvians [Bear, wolf and fox visiting a lion. The bear says it smells bad in the lair; he's being kicked out. The wolf says it smells nice; he's also being kicked out. Lisa states she has a runny nose and doesn't feel anything; stays visiting]: Aris, Medne 1977, No. 51A: 253.