M177. And he didn't have a heart, ATU 52.
.11.-.17.23.27.29.30.32.33.
Aweak predator eats a part of the victim's body and explains to the strong that the victim did not have that part at all (otherwise he would not have come to the place where it was supposed to be eaten).
Swahili, Dan, Somalis, Sakho, Amhara, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Berbers (and Arabs?) Morocco, Spaniards, French, (Walloons), Germans (Grimms), Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Qatar, Ancient India, Punjabi, Sinhales, Ancient Greece, Kalmyks, Ossetians, Avars, Lezgins, Tabasarans, Kurds, Ishkashim, Bartangans, Pashtuns, Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Karakalpaks, Kyrgyz. Wed. ATU 785 (Who Ate the Lamb's Heart?) , SUS 785 (Who ate the swirl? ).
Bantu-speaking Africa. Swahili (Zanzibar): Bateman 1901 [A monkey eats Kooyoo tree nuts; treats his friend a shark with them; a shark invites a monkey to his house to thank him; halfway through a shark tells the monkey as a friend that she tricked her into water, because the only cure for the deadly disease of the shark sultan is the monkey's heart; the monkey says it left its heart in the crown kooyoo trees; animals come back; a monkey climbs a tree, refuses to return and tells the shark the story of a washer's donkey killed because he returned to the lion's lair for the second time; the monkey refuses to repeat the donkey's fate]: 17-30; Olderogge 1959 [E. Steere 1871, Swahili tales, p.viii,1; The monkey drops the fruits of the fig tree to the Shark, became friends with her; The shark invites her to visit puts it on his back; on the way he says that their sick sultan needs to eat the heart of a monkey; the monkey explains that she left his heart on the tree; from the tree he tells the Shark that she is not the Donkey of the Water Carrier; says how the Donkey ran into the forest, got fat; the Hare saw her, promised to bring her to the sick Leo; says Donkey that Leo is marrying her; the Hare left the Donkey to Leo, left; the donkey managed to escape by kicking and injuring Leo; when Leo recovered, the Hare went to "marry" the Donkey again; Leo killed her, allowed the Hare to eat meat, and he only needed ears and heart; the Hare himself ate his ears and heart, said that the Donkey did not have them, since she, despite her experience, she returned to Leo again; Leo agreed]: 97-100 (text mentioned in Werner 1909:438 and 1933:311; in Wright 1960:105).
West Africa. Dan [when the gazelle husband returned home, the wife lamented that the fire had gone out; the husband sent his youngest child to the panther for fire; the panther ate him; then the other three, his wife, took turns walking by himself; the panther's wife prepared the murdered gazelles; the panther husband asks his wife where the male gazelle's heart is; wife: he didn't exist, otherwise he would not have sent children and wife here and would not have come here himself]: Tiémoko 2019:12-13.
Sudan-East Africa. Somalis [the dog warns the donkey not to scream, he screams, three lions came running, killed a donkey, told the dog to cut the carcass; she cut but ate the heart; said that there was no heart, otherwise a donkey would not lead them to this dangerous place (the heart is considered the receptacle of the mind)]: Kapchitz 1997, No. 45:39; sakho (Somali-Saho) [the antelope went with the lion, the hyena, the jackal, but ran away; the lion promises a reward to the one who would bring her back; the jackal found the antelope and explained that the hyena wanted to honor her, not eat her at all; after much persuasion, the antelope returned and was torn to pieces; the jackal quietly took it heart; lion: where is the heart? jackal: if the antelope had it, would it come back; the lion agreed]: Reuss-Nliba, Reuss-Nliba 2016:35-36; amhara: Anpetkova-Sharova 2010 [a dog and a hyena killed a donkey, began to cook meat; the dog ate the heart quietly; the hyena looked for it, the dog replied that the donkey did not have a heart - if it could think, it would not have come here (the heart is considered the center of mind)]: 373; Tyutryumova 1991 [seven lions invited the bull to a feast; he only pretends to eat meat but thanks the lions; now the bull has invited lions, offered grass; lions: you should be eaten for such an insult, but since you are ours friend, let's eat only one of your legs; having lost a leg, the bull died, the lions ate it, the fox took your heart unnoticed; the lions doubted whether the bull had a heart; the fox: it was, but there was no mind, otherwise he would not hang out with you]: 62; Ethiopian 2002 [the dog and the donkey are gone from the ungrateful owner; the dog is hungry and the donkey stings the grass; the dog tells him not to scream, he does not listen; the hyena has lifted up the donkey; to please her , the dog offered to carry her pieces of donkey meat; ate the heart itself; the hyena asked where it was; the dog: the donkey had no heart, otherwise what had happened to him would not have happened; told the hyena everything story]: 15-16.
Southern Europe. Spaniards (medieval sources): Goldberg in Uther 2004 (1), no. 52:48.
Western Europe. French, German (Grimms): Uther 2004 (1), No. 52:48; (cf. walloons [the peasant sold the cow to the butcher on condition that he would receive a heart; he sold the heart and said that the cow did not have it; the peasant: I willingly believe it was completely insensitive]: Laport 1932, No. *1218:91).
North Africa. Tunisian Arabs [the hedgehog and the donkey cultivated the field together; the donkey ate the entire crop; the hedgehog goes to the leopard, promises to bring the donkey for lunch; leads the donkey to the mosque, but leads to the leopard, which kills donkey; leopard asks where the heart {apparently the hedgehog ate it}; hedgehog: if a donkey had a heart, it wouldn't come here; puts palm fibers in its food, the leopard dies]: Nowak 1969, No. 18:59; Berbers Morocco (western 1950) [the lion became weak, asked the hedgehog to get him meat; he persuaded the donkey to go to the lion; lion: his head hurts; the hedgehog: touch his head; the lion rushed at the donkey, but only tore off his ear; the hedgehog came back to the donkey, began to speak that he misunderstood everything, and brought it back; the lion killed the donkey; leaving for a while, told the hedgehog to guard the meat, especially the heart; the hedgehog ate it immediately; told the lion who returned that the donkey had no heart at all - otherwise he would he did not come a second time]: Leguil 1988, No. 33:227-231; Algerian Berbers, Arabs of Morocco (?) , Algeria (?) , Egypt: El-Shamy 2004, No. 52:19-20.
Western Asia. Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Qatar: El-Shamy 2004, No. 52:19-20.
South Asia. Ancient India (Panchatantra) [while fighting an elephant, the lion is injured, cannot hunt; therefore, his servant is a jackal without food; lion: bring the beast, and I can kill it; the jackal persuades the donkey promises hearty grass and three donkeys; the lion rushed at the donkey, but did not calculate well, jumped over, the donkey ran away; the jackal: it was a donkey, she cannot live without you; the donkey comes again, the lion kills him, goes to take a bath; the jackal eats his ears and heart; replies to the lion that the donkey had no ears or heart, otherwise he would not have come again]: Syrkin 1962:373-377; Punjabi [tiger is starving; jackal persuades The donkey goes to the forest, but when he sees the tiger, he rushes back to the house; the jackal again persuades him to say that it was only a tiger's ghost; the donkey goes again, the tiger tore it to pieces; went to the stream for a drink, at which time the jackal ate heart; a returning tiger asks where it is; jackal: if a donkey had a heart, would he agree to go to the forest again]: Swynnerton 1892, No. 67:268-269; Sinhalese [the jackal promises an aged lion bring the boar to his cave; tells the boar that the lion is going to hand over power to him; the lion rushed at the boar, but he escaped and ran away; the jackal persuaded the boar to come again, the lion killed him, the jackal advised he should go to wash himself, at that time they ate his brains; replies to the lion that the boar did not have brains, otherwise he would not have allowed himself to be deceived twice]: Parker 1910, No. 68:359-361 (translated to Volkhonsky, Solntseva 1985, NO. 9:42-43).
The Balkans. Ancient Greece [Perry 1952, No. 336; the lion is sick, lies in a cave, instructs the fox to lure a deer to him; the fox tells the deer that the lion left him king over animals, advises to be with the lion at an hour death; the deer comes to the cave, the lion only manages to tear the deer's ears; the deer runs away; the lion asks the fox to lure the deer with a new trick; the fox asks the hunters if they have seen the bloody deer; finds a deer; says that the lion did not want to eat it, but to give advice in his ear; the deer believes and goes to the cave; the lion eats the deer; the fox eats the deer's brain; tells the lion that the deer did not have a brain (since he allowed himself to be fooled twice)]: Gasparov 1968, No. 313:153-154.
Caucasus - Asia Minor. Kalmyks: Basangova 2002 [the fox, wolf and bear caught the camel; the wolf and bear went hunting again, told the fox to cook meat; she ate the scar and oil seal; replied that the camel did not have consciousness, so there was no omental seal, no mind, no scar]: 189-190; Vatagin 1964 [leopard, wolf, fox and camel are starving in winter; the fox offered to eat the camel, he agreed; while the leopard was gone, the fox ate fat scar; explains: the camel was stupid, but stupid people do not have a scar; the same with interior fat; the same is the tsagan mahan; the returning leopard believes that the stupid did not have scar or fat; the fox teaches the wolf: when the leopard ask about the tsagan mahan, let the wolf nod at her; fox: he ate the tsagan mahan himself, and nods at me; the leopard chased the wolf, the fox hid the meat in the hole; said that the camel came to life and went underground, out the tail sticks out (stump); the leopard began to pull, burst from strain]: 256-258; Ossetians [bear, wolf, fox, badger, camel live together; in winter, the fox offers to slaughter the camel; promises the camel to resurrect it, when grass appears; the camel agrees to be eaten; the fox and the badger wash their giblets, the fox eats the heart, gives the badger a piece; tells them to be silent when the wolf and bear ask; they think that the heart ate a badger, but they forgive him; they send him to burn his camel's head; the fox eats the brains; says they didn't exist, otherwise the camel would not agree to be eaten]: Britaev, Kaloev 1959:19-20; Avars [ a bear, a wolf, a fox, a camel live together; in winter, they decide who agrees to be eaten to give seven lambs next winter; the camel agreed; when cutting the carcass, the fox quietly ate the heart; replies to the bear that if the camel had a heart, he would agree to be killed; the wolf ate the kidneys, the bear chased him and killed him, the fox hides the meat in the hole; tells the bear that the camel came to life and left; herself hides in a hole; says she will meet a bear when the camel is resurrected]: Ganiyeva 2011a, No. 16:88-89; Lezgins [camel, fox, wolf, bear meet, go to spend the winter; the fox promises arrange for a bear and a wolf to eat a camel; invites him to agree to be slaughtered, and for this he will receive barley next year; the fox leads the bear to wash his insides, offers to eat; he fears that the wolf will be dissatisfied; the fox tells the bear to look at him when the wolf asks; explains to the wolf that if the camel had a heart, he would not let himself be slaughtered; the bear is silent, the wolf He is chasing him, the fox hides the meat, the wolf climbs into the hole, he comes out from the other side, slowly eats the wolf from behind; wolf: my eyes are good fat, eat in front; fox: I'll get there too, before the end of winter far away]: Ganiyeva 2011a, No. 15:86-87; Tabasarans [camel, fox, wolf and bear walked together for the winter; the fox invited the wolf and bear to slaughter the camel; then told the camel that winter would be harsh, so they would exchange its meat for barley (the camel will have barley next year); the camel agreed, he was stabbed; the bear and fox went to wash their intestines, demands, heart and liver; hungry, They ate the heart and then the guts; the fox assured the bear that it would find something to answer to the wolf; the wolf asked where the heart went; the fox: "If he had a heart, would he kill himself?" ; the wolf asked where the guts had gone; the bear looked at the fox, which said, "You ate it, why are you looking at me?" ; the bear ran, the wolf rushed after him; the fox dragged the camel meat into its hole; the wolf came back and asked where it had gone; after chasing the fox, he got stuck in its hole; the fox came from behind and began to nibble at it ; wolf: "Eat behind my eyes, I have fat pieces of meat behind my eyes"; fox: "Winter is long, I'll eat them too"]: Uslar 1979, No. XIV: 488-497; Kurds [(false story); lion is old, fox accidentally came in into his cave; pretends to be upset by his sight; promises to bring a donkey; promises to take him to a place where he can eat to his heart's content; the lion coughed, the donkey ran away; the fox tells the donkey that this lion was a scribe recording those who come to the pasture; the donkey comes again, the lion kills him; while washing his face, the fox ate the donkey's ears and heart; replies that he did not have them, otherwise the donkey would not have come a second time]: Jalil et al. 1989, No. 177:486-487.
Iran - Central Asia. Pashtuns [the tiger is old, tells the fox to bring him someone to eat; the fox invites the donkey to move to a rich pasture; the donkey responds with the story of his father, who first envied the horses from the royal stable, and then was happy with his fate when he saw the horses returning from the battlefield; the donkey and the fox continue to tell each other parables, but in the end the donkey agrees Go with her; the tiger rushed at the donkey, but he managed to escape; the tiger does not believe that the fox will be able to lure the donkey again, but she made him believe that there was only a stuffed tiger; the tiger kills the donkey, goes for a drink water; at this time, the fox eats the donkey's heart; tells the tiger that the donkey did not have a heart, otherwise it would not have come twice]: Lebedev 1972, No. 36:244-248; Ishkashim [the bear fell ill; the fox persuaded the donkey go with her to a place where there is water and grass; the bear rushed at the donkey, but he ran away; the fox persuaded the donkey to come again, and this time the bear killed him; tells the wolf to divide the meat; the wolf does not divide well, the bear killed him; the fox separated but ate the heart and liver; bear: where are they? fox: if a donkey had them, it would not have come to you]: Pakhalina 1959, No. 3:121-123; Bartangans [the lion has a stomachache, he asks the fox for help; fox: you need a donkey's liver and heart; the fox persuaded donkey come to the lion; donkey: my name is Shar; lion: my name is Cher; the lion managed to grab the donkey and kill it; after so much effort, the lion fell asleep, asking the fox to leave him the donkey's heart and liver; the fox ate them: The donkey had no heart or liver, so he came; when he learned this, the lion gave up his breath; the fox ate both the donkey and the lion]: Sokolova 1960, No. 4:25-29.
Volga - Perm. The Bashkirs [a camel and a donkey escaped from their owners; they were caught, a tired donkey was brought on a camel; the camel had to work even harder; he runs away, meets a fox, a wolf, a tiger; suggests that it was eaten because it does not have the strength to spend the winter; the fox offers the tiger to eat its entrails, and if the wolf protests, slaughter it; eats the brain, the tiger eats the heart; explains to the wolf that the camel does not I had brains, otherwise I would not let myself be slaughtered; the tiger is silent, the wolf chased him; the fox hides the meat; says that she is another fox, reads a book, offers to teach cubs; eats them; says again that she another fox, weaving a basket, promises to teach the wolf and let him get inside; hunters come, the fox ran away, the wolf forcibly escaped from the basket; the fox says that she is a miller, advises the wolf to climb into grain structure above the millstones; the wolf hardly jumped out; since then he feared the fox]: Barag 1989, No. 89:398-401 (=Yukhma 1990:115-118).
Turkestan. Kazakhs [fox, wolf, lion and camel have begun to live together; the fox promises the wolf and lion that the camel will agree to be eaten on its own; camel: if you agree, we will bring you 12 rams in the spring; while the lion washes its insides, the fox persuades the wolf to eat its eyes and eats the brain itself; replies to the lion that the camel did not have a brain, otherwise he would not agree to be eaten in exchange for 12 rams; the wolf cannot answer, the lion is chasing him, while the fox hides the meat, tells the returnees that the camel was offended, did not believe that he would be given 12 rams, and left]: Kaskabasov et al. 1979, No. 40:83-86; Kalakalpaks : Sheverdin 1960:135ff in Uther 2004 (1), No. 52:48; Kyrgyz [lion, fox and camel were wandering; camel fell behind; gladly accepted the fox's proposal: slaughter it now and revive it in spring; lion I went to the river to wash my camel's stomach; at this time the fox ate the brain, and the wolf ate the camel's heart {no wolf is mentioned before}; lion: where are the heart and brain? fox: there was no brain, otherwise he would not have agreed to be slaughtered; the wolf is silent; the fox to the wolf: knew how to eat, know how to answer the lion hero; the wolf ran, the lion behind him, the fox hid the meat in the hole; when the lion returned, the fox said that the camel came to life and left, saying: If you quarrel over me, how will I believe you will revive it later; the fox got all the meat]: Muchnik 1944:24 (apparently the same in Brudny, Eshmambetov 1962, No. 52:48ff ).