M195B. Three dolls. 23.33.

A person puts a needle (thread, stick) in the ear of two or three dolls (skulls). In different dolls or skulls, the object comes out of different holes (or does not go inside at all, remains inside, etc.). This refers to people who react differently to what they hear (inattentive, talkers, wise men).

Ancient India, Punjabi (?) , Bangalis, Kyrgyz, Kazakhs.

South Asia. Ancient India (Panchatantra) ["An Indian tale translated from Persian"; the Raja sent three dolls to the governor asking him to determine the meaning of what was sent; the governor gathered disciples; no one was able to solve the riddle; the poor young brahmana put a waxed thread into the ear of the first doll, which went from one ear to the other, the brahmana threw the doll away with contempt; the second thread came out of his mouth, the brahmana broke doll; the third thread did not come out, the brahman began to caress the doll; explained that the dolls depict three kinds of people; the former are frivolous, with a weak mind and memory; they do not cause harm and their existence insignificant; the latter are hypocritical and cunning, do not keep other people's secrets, cause the fall of states and individuals, so he broke this doll; still others are secret, noble and love laws; the governor awarded brahmana and sent an answer to the sovereign on his own behalf; he expanded his possessions]: Vishnu-Sarma 1803:196-206; Punjabi (attribution is conditional; Urdu translation) [badshah sent three gold to his neighbor Sultan dolls; they were the same but different in price; he asked for an explanation of the difference; a poor young man, imprisoned for an insignificant act, promised to answer; when he saw holes in the dolls' ears, the young man put a stalk in them; the first tip came out of his mouth, the second from the other ear, the third left in his stomach; these are allegories of people; the first is chatty, you can't rely on it; the second is carefree, words they fly into one ear, fly out of the other; the third is a trustworthy person, the price of this doll is the highest; the Sultan returned the dolls to the padshah, writing on them which is more expensive and which is cheaper; the young man released from prisons and brought closer]: Starling and pea 1956:53-55; Bengalis [Rakshas brought Vikramaditya two skulls, asking him to determine in a week which one is male and which is female; on the eighth day he will appear and, if the answer is not found, they will eat all the people and animals in the kingdom; the people fled; the night before the arrival of Rakshasa Kalidas, they found themselves in the forest and climbed a tree; there he heard a pregnant Rakshasi asks her husband when he will feed her properly; Rakshasa explains that tomorrow, because people will not be able to answer his question; a soft wire must be put in the skull's ear; if it is over it gets into the throat, which means the skull is male, and if it comes out of the mouth, it is female, because women cannot keep secrets; K. resorts to V., answers Rakshas in the morning, he left]: Mukharji 1904, No. 9:36-40.

Turkestan. Kyrgyz [one khan sent three identical gold dolls to another, which, however, were different in price; I must explain why; one boy was thrown into the zindan because he accidentally stepped on the rosary mullahs; he promised to answer; began to stick a wire in the doll's ear; one had it out of her mouth: they are talkers; the other came out through the other ear: they only listen to themselves, and what others say in their heads is not lingers; still others think about what they heard, they are the most valuable; the khan made the boy a vizier, an answer was sent to the neighboring khan]: Sulaimanov 1998:59-62; Kazakhs [in Bukhara, ishan went with his students to an old cemetery, piercing the tip of the staff into the holes of the skulls; in some cases, the staff entered the ear and came out of the other; in others it did not penetrate the skull at all; in others it got stuck inside; people the first category did not listen to or remember anything, the second category explained everything, and the others remembered and thought]: Pantusov 1909, No. 1:1-2.