M187A. Fish race. .15.16.20.31.
Two fish (fish and whale, dolphin, squid and dolphin, etc.) agree to race.
Spaniards (Murcia), Catalans, Frisians, Flemish, Germans (Rügen Island, Mecklenburg), Irish, Yap, Palau, Ponape, Kusaye, Truk, Kapingamarangi, Latvians, Finns, Finnish Swedes, Westerners The Sami.
Southern Europe. Catalans (Mallorca included) [bream and whale agree to race; bream clings to the whale's fin, turns out to be the winner]: Oriol, Pujol 2008, No. 250:56-57; Spaniards (Murcia) [ the squid (or raspallón) and the dolphin agreed to race; the squid clung to the dolphin's fin, won]: Hernández Fernández 2013, No. 250:81.
Western Europe. Friezes: Uther 2004 (1), No. 250:156; the Flemish [flounder and herring decided to race; both sailed fast, but the herring was ahead of the flounder; she screamed, "Herring", the mouth remained big skewed]: Van den Berg 2000, No. 136:149; Germans (Rügen Island) [the fish agreed to make the fastest king; flounder was late and told that herring had become king; flounder was surprised asked again, at which time the rooster shouted and the flounder's mouth remained skewed]: Haas 1903, No. 180:163; the Germans (Mecklenburg) [the fish decided to choose the one who swims faster as king; the flounder also swam ; hears: and the herring is ahead! flounder: who is ahead? - Herring. - Is this naked herring? At this time, a bell rang in a nearby church and the flounder's mouth remained skewed]: Bartsch 1879, No. 26:518; Irish [Swimming match of the fish]: Suilleabháin, Christiansen 1963, No. 250: 56.
Micronesia-Polynesia. Yap [needlefish argues with the hermit cancer who is faster; he puts another cancer at the end of the race; the fish swims to the finish line, but the hermit cancer is already there; when it swims back, dies of fatigue]: Mitchell 1973, No. 11:39-41; Palau, Ponape, Kusaye, Truk, Kapingamarangi ["Race won by deception: relative helpers" is better known parts of Micronesia with minor variations]: Mitchell 1973:247.
Baltoscandia. Finns: Schreck 1887, No. 12 [ruff and salmon are arguing who will overcome the waterfall faster; the ruff grabbed the salmon's tail, shouted "I'm here" at the top of the waterfall]: 238-239 (quoted in Dähnhardt 1912:92); Rakhimova 2000 [the farmhand put a seine on Tulijärvi ("Lake of Fire"), but pulled out only a ruff and threw the catch in her hearts; then the lake was drained, the ruffs went to live elsewhere; at the Merikoski waterfall the ruff argued with the salmon who would be at the top faster; quietly grabbed the salmon's tail, and when the salmon called out to him, the ruff was in front; he bet off the barrel of beer, the foam ran off his mouth, so the ruff sticky]: 181; Finnish Swedes [ruff and pike agree to race to the island; ruff clung to the pike's tail, argued mulled wine, got drunk, smeared, now slimy]: Dähnhardt 1912:92; Western Sami [salmon sees sea bass at the waterfall, speaks contemptuously of it; totre says there is fat in his head, offers to race; overcomes the waterfall unnoticed grabbing the salmon tail; says it's hard to catch it and any woman will catch salmon in the river]: Poestion 1886, No. 4:23-24 (retelling in Dähnhardt 1912:91-92); Swedish Sami [pike and snake decided to compete in speed, the loser would go to live on land; luckily the pike won - it would be more dangerous than a snake on land]: Simonsen 2014:90; Latvians (Valmiera) [ruff and herring decide to swim racing; the loser must leave Lake Burtnetsky; the ruff clings to the herring's tail, which admits defeat, so the herring does not live in the lake]: Pogodin 1895:443 (=Dähnhardt 1912:92-93).