M182a1. Animals pay off, ATU 159. .28.29.31.32.
A person catches several wild animals and lets them go for promising to bring gifts or be useful. Animals keep their promise.
Russians (Arkhangelsk, Novgorod), Ukrainians (Poltava, Kharkiv, Chernigov), Belarusians, Kumyks, Avars, Rutulans, Turks, Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Setus, Karelians, Finns, Marie, Bashkirs. {The reference to the Tajik version in Uther 2004 is wrong, there is a different story}
Central Europe. Russians (Novgorod), Ukrainians (Poltava, Kharkiv, Chernigov), Belarusians ["Goby Resin Barrel": Animals (bear, wolf, fox) stick to it; they they pay off a person and bring him horses, cows, sheep for their liberation]: SUS 1979, No. 159:79; Russians (Arkhangelskaya, Pomors) [the old man made a bull, stuffed it with straw, smeared it with resin; goby: let me go for a walk; a fox stuck in the forest, a goby brought her to her grandfather; the fox begged me not to kill her, brought a herd of geese and chickens; the wolf did the same (a herd of rams); a bear (a herd of cows); they began to live- happily ever after. They ate simply, but lived for up to a hundred years]: Razumova, Senkina 1987:11-12; Ukrainians (Poltava, c. 1878) [The poor woman asks her husband to view their straw bull, the next day she takes him to the grave graze, falls asleep for yarn. The bear asks the bull who he is, he replies that the bear wants to patch up the bull's torn side, gets his teeth stuck in straw and drags him into the forest. The grandmother wakes up, sees a bear and a bull, says that the bull brought the bear, sends his grandfather to pick him up, the grandfather puts him in the cellar. The next day, everything is repeated with the wolf, then with the fox, with the hare. The grandfather sharpens the knife, says that he takes off the bear's skin, he promises to bring honey, he is released, the wolf promises to bring sheep, the fox - geese and chickens, the hare - earrings and ribbons. In the morning, grandparents and women receive all the gifts promised by animals, they sell sheep, buy oxen, get rich, the goby melts in the sun]: Rudchenko 1870, No. 7:13-16; Ukrainians (Chernigov, Nezhinsky, etc.) [the grandfather dug a hole, her animals fell, each brought a ransom; the wolf - a hundred horses, a bear - honey, a hare - a bag of money, a fox - geese; the fox stayed with her grandfather; says her name is home; the child was named top; then Seredinka; Scraper; grandfather went to get honey - empty; each of the animals says he did not take it; fox: let's jump off the bench, whoever feathers ate honey; everyone feathered except her; grandfather drove everyone away] : Malinka 1902, 36:316-317.
Caucasus - Asia Minor. Kumyks [Chaltuk-Ahmed notices that his horse is wounded; he catches a wolf, a bear, a wild boar, a fox that scratched it at night; the wolf promises to bring sheep, the boar to plow the field, the bear - show a hollow of honey; the fox does not promise anything, but asks to let her go; the wolf, the boar keeps the promise, the bear leads the CHA to the tree, begins to strangle; the fox calls CHA, shouts that hunters are coming, they need bear skin; the bear asks him not to betray, to say that he has a block in front of him, not ears, but branches, asks him to hit him easily with an ax; CHA hits with all his might, kills a bear, collects honey together with the fox]: Kapiyeva 1974:126-128; Avars: Atayev 1972, No. 25 [Gelega forester sees that the mare was weaning him; watching; at night, a wolf, a fox, a boar and a bear ride it; G. caught them, began to beat them; wolf: I'll bring you fat ones rams; wild boar: I'll dig up a vegetable garden for you; bear: I'll show you a hollow with honey; fox: I'll help you in difficult times; wolf, boar fulfilled my promise; the bear took me to the forest, said he would eat it now; the fox pretends to be it Khan's nuker - Khan is getting married, he needs bear skin, haven't you seen a bear? bear: tell me you didn't see; G.: didn't see; fox: what's in front of you? bear: say that a stump; G.: stump; fox: why does the stump have ears? bear: say it's branches; fox: hit between branches; bear: quietly; G. kills a bear with an ax; since then, a fox's friend]: 32-33; Saidov, Dalgat 1965 [poor Chakarilav notices that his horse is thin, back in sores; at night he watches: wolf, bear, boar, fox ride it; C. rushed and caught animals; let go after the fox promised to help, and the rest returned with gifts; the wolf brought sheep, boar plowed the ground, and the bear led to the tree where honey was going to eat; suddenly the voice: C., the khan's servants are looking for a bear, the skin is needed, did you not see it? a frightened bear tells C. what to say to him; C.: did not see; fox: Who is next to you? C.: block; fox: Does a block have ears? C.: this is a branch; fox: Hit the fox between the branches with an ax; Bear: Only quietly; C. split the bear's head, hugged and kissed the fox]: 138-140; Rutultsy: Ganiyeva 2011a, No. 105 [Urdukhan notices that his the beloved horse loses weight; watches, sees how at night the bear climbs on the horse and drives it; then the jackal, the boar and the fox do the same; W. instructs a gun; the bear promises to bring honey, the jackal to bring the chicken coop birds, wild boar - dig up a plot and remove stones from it, the fox says it will be useful; the jackal and the boar keep their promises; the bear orders to take honey vessels, leads to the mountain to the tree, where, supposedly, honey; someone asks: Grandpa W., what is this near you? The bear tells me to answer that it is a trap; - Why does he have ears? - These are locks; - Hit the trap between the locks with an ax; W. does so, the bear is dead; the fox comes out, says that the bear wanted W. to get honey (the tree is tall, the bear could not reach it himself), and then was going to kill him; teaches him to make a smoky fire, smoke bees, get honey], 106 [Fatma's evil wife torments the poor man; he found a deep well in the forest; called F. to help bring firewood and lowered him into the well; children they ask where his mother is; the poor man decided to pull F. out; a fox, a wolf, a bear, and then F. jumped out of the well; the fox brought chickens, the wolf brought two sheep, the bear a bull; and F., from whom the animals panicked hid, began to chase her husband with a stick]: 253-254, 256-257; Turks [the man left a sick black horse in the field, anointed his back with resin so that the wounds would not fester; a fox, then a wolf, a bear, they try to ride a horse, they stick; the horse comes home, the owner is going to kill the animals, they ask them to let them go, promise gifts; the wolf brings the stolen sheep; the bear leads to the chestnut tree, but he is going to kill a person; the voice of a "hunter" (this is a fox) sounds: who is sitting on a person; man: this is my fur coat; "hunter": you have to pick up my fur coat, put it in a bag; the bear allows himself to be killed; so the fox repaid kindly]: Eberhard, Boratav 1953, No. 40:53-54.
Baltoscandia. Lithuanians: Kerbelite 2014, No. 22 [18 options; grandfather poured resin on a bunch of firewood; a fox came: as soon as I hit you with my leg, you will fall; hit and stick; the same hare, wolf, bear; old man sharpens a knife ; the fox promises to bring geese, the hare promises to bring hares, the wolf the sheep, the bear to bring honey; the old man let the animals go, they have fulfilled their promises], 23 [just like in Lebit, animals deceive the elderly]: 60-61, 61-64; Love 1965 [the poor man's wife complains that they don't have a bull; the old man makes the figure of a bull, smears it with resin; the bear wants to eat it, the goby sings a song, invites him to jump over it, the bear sticks; the same with fox, hare; a goby brings animals home, an old man sharpens a knife, animals ask them to let them go, promise gifts; a bear brings a cow's head instead of a herd of cows, a fox brings a long-plucked goose instead of a herd of geese , the hare is a bush of hare cabbage; the old woman grieves, the goby has fallen apart]: 48-51; (cf. Kerbelite 2014, No. 95 [nine brothers leave home, the eldest puts a gold ring on his sister Onutte's finger; O. grows up, her mother lets her look for her brothers; The hare asks to take him with him, sits down with her in a cart; laume is swimming in the sea, the name is O., they say that there is a river of milk behind them, and wine is oozing from the shore; the hare explains that it is a river of tears, and blood is pouring from the shore; Laume stretches out his back leg in anger; the same with another laume, she throws the Hare off the cart; the third makes O. swim with her; turns her into a louse, herself into a flea, whoever jumps out of the water first wears beautiful clothes, and the other wears an old one leather; O. puts on clothes, but O. still has the ring; they come to 9 brothers, O. sends them to watch the horses; O. talks about what happened to his skate, the older brother hears it, tells O. wash his hair, sees the ring; O. washes, dresses beautifully; the brothers put a horse in the doorway, smear it with resin, the name is Laume, she sticks with one hand, leg, other, stomach; the horse is whipped, she Laumer-baby storygo is thrown against a rock, half falls into the water, half on land; so the skull]: 213-217 (=Schleicher 1857 in Espinosa 1930:148-149); Latvians [Animals pay off; bull brings various animals to the stable: a ram, a dog, a horse, a bee, a wolf, etc.; a person wants to slaughter them; animals promise to bring meat, honey, etc.]: Aris, Medne 1977, No. 159:260; set [from the poor man goby covered with resin; the owner gave him hay, went to the bathhouse himself; wolf: why do you eat my hay? jumped on a bull and stuck; the same bear, fox, hare; the owner is going to cut everyone's throat; the wolf promises to bring sheep, the bear to bring the hive to honey, the fox to get chickens, the hare promises to bring cabbage; everything is done promise, the poor man got rich]: Mägiste 1990:65-70; Estonians (mostly Setu's plot, but there's one recording from Harjumaa) [animals riding a goby stick to him when his back is smeared with resin; the old man let them go, and for this everyone brought roast: squirrel - nuts, hare - cabbage, fox - chickens, wolf - sheep, bear - honey]: Kippar 1986, No. 159:120-121; Karelians (Kalevalsky district) [ the old woman tells her husband to slaughter the bull; he asks him better to pear his back, take him to the forest; the bear stuck, the bull brought it to the old man, he killed the bear; then the same fox; the hare; the man also stabbed the bull, took off his skins, sold at a high price, healed well]: Onegin 2010, No. 8:108-110; Finns: Uther 2004 (1), No. 159:112.
Volga - Perm. Cf. Motive K133. Marie [the old man makes the figure of a bull, covers it with resin; the goby grazes in the meadow, sings a song, invites the bear to sit on it; the bear sticks, the goby brings it to the old man, he puts the bear in underground; the same wolf, fox; old man sharpens a knife; for a promise not to cut it, a bear brings two horses, a wolf a cow, a fox a festive outfit; for this purpose she comes to dance, dress her, she runs away with an outfit and gives it to an old woman]: Aktsorin 1984:260-264; Bashkirs [daughter asks to buy her a calf, her father makes tar; the girl grazes it in the meadow; the bear wants to eat it, sticks, asks him to let go - will bring meat and honey; the calf lets go; the same wolf promises to pay off with meat; the hare - a chest of gifts; bears brought honey, wolves brought meat, hares - a chest of gifts; the old man and the old woman invited guests]: Barag 1989, No. 118:443-444