M198b2. A fortuneteller named Grasshopper.

.14.-.17.23.27.-.31.33.34.

A powerful character invites a person whose name is the name of an insect (most often Grasshopper) to guess what is in his fist (in a box, etc.). The corresponding insect is there. The man says that now he, the name, is caught, others think he guessed it.

Berbers of Morocco, Arabs of Egypt, Algeria, Spaniards, Portuguese, Sicilians, French (Lorraine), Syrian Arabs, Kumaoni, Assamese, Hungarians, Bulgarians, Russians (Vologda, Gorkovskaya, Lipetsk), Ukrainians (Poltava), Poles, Crimean Tatars, Adygs, Abazins, Nogais, Terek Cossacks, Kumyks, Laki, Lezgins, Tabasarans, Georgians, Azerbaijanis, Turks, Kurds, Persians, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Tajiks, Tajiks Sistana, Latvians, Kazakhs (Turgay), Kyrgyz, Mongols.

North Africa. The Berbers of Morocco (Fez) [the maid in the harem is named Grasshopper, her husband is Bird; she sees the gazelle swallowing the pearl necklace of the Sultan's daughter; she said that her husband is a skillful fortuneteller; he pretended to be a fortuneteller, pointed to the gazelle; the bird chased the grasshopper, the sultan covered them with a hat; the vizier advises to check the fortuneteller; he, shaking with fear: you, Grasshopper, would not have been caught without the Bird; The Sultan was delighted; then the viziers advised to bury three vessels: with honey, butter and resin; the fortuneteller muttered the saying: the first is honey, the second is oil, the third is resin; the robbers robbed the treasury; the fortuneteller asks for 40 days to find the culprits and live like a sultan; the wife is with him; the first robber went on reconnaissance and hears: we will kill the first one today, and tomorrow the second (the fortuneteller means rams); tomorrow : we will kill the second and the third tomorrow; the robbers indicated where they hid the gold and added more so that the fortuneteller would not give them away; the Sultan appointed him Grand Vizier; the robbers fled the city; let's leave them to eat iron, and we will eat dates]: El Fasi, Dermenghem 1928:74-80; Egyptian Arabs [the bankrupt merchant and his wife left the country; decided that his name would now be Grasshopper and hers Sparrow; became draw something in the sand in front of the royal palace; the tsar thought it was a fortuneteller, hid the grasshopper and sparrow, told him to guess; the merchant aloud: "Without you, Grasshopper, Sparrow would not be in trouble"; the tsar decided that he guessed right and left it at court; ordered to find the missing on pain of death; the merchant asked for 30 days; the wife brought 30 pebbles, threw one out the window every day; the first pebble hit the one under the window one out of 30 robbers who robbed the treasury; every next day, one more robber comes under the window, and the merchant says: here are 2 out of 30; 3 out of 30; etc.; robbers confess and give it to the fortuneteller treasures so that he does not give them away; the king and the other kings compete - whose fortuneteller is better; three vessels are buried - milk, honey, resin; the merchant to his wife: "The first time cost like milk, the second - like honey, and now there will be resin"; the fortuneteller was awarded]: Cosquin 1887:192-193; Algerian Arabs (Saoura, western Algerian Sahara) [the sultan demands to catch 40 thieves; if Asfour {a local analogue of Haji Nasreddin} will not expose them, he is executed; A. has Gerad's wife ("grasshopper"); A. asks for 40 chickens and 40 servings of barley, each serving for one of the allotted 40 days; every evening he says: one less ( two more, etc.); the robbers think that they are talking about them and in a week they go to A. to agree; the Jew suggests testing A.'s insight, puts a grasshopper and gris-gris {talisman?} , suggests saying what's inside; A.: if it were not for the Grasshopper (referring to his wife, all this would not have happened to Asfour; then the Jew fills the barrel with some resin, some honey, some milk - what's in it? A. utters a poem that mentions resin, honey, milk, wins the dispute]: Scelles-Millie 1963:260.

Southern Europe. The Spaniards [poor Grillo ("grasshopper") decided to become a dreamer; stole a sheet, told the woman where to look, she gave a loaf and sausage; the same with the horse he received a ham; the king sends for G. the ring is missing; K. asks for three days, lives and eats in the palace; a servant comes; K.: here is one (referring to the past day, and the servant is one of the thieves, thinks he is about them); the same second; third; thieves ask them do not give away; they give money and say that they fed the ring to a turkey; the king gave G. richly; while walking he clenched a grasshopper in his fist; G.: the end has come to you, Grasshopper; the king decided that G. guessed, married G. her daughter]: Malinovskaya 2002:214-217 (summary in Hernández Fernández 2013, No. 1641:248); Portuguese: Braga 2002 [Rat or Cricket]: 270-271; Cardigos 2006, No. 1641 [peasant by named Cricket (or Mouse) finds a missing horse (ox) because when a servant enters, he accidentally says "this is the first" (then "second", etc.); the servants confess to the theft, thinking they have been exposed; to test the guesser, the king asks what he has in his hand; the farmer exclaims "Poor Cricket!" , referring to himself, and the king thinks he has guessed it; (and similar options)]: 337; Sicilians [a peasant named Grasshopper decided to become a fortuneteller; the officer saw him, hid the grasshopper and demanded guess what's in there; peasant: "What hands are you in, Grasshopper!" ; an amazed officer took him on duty; he accidentally correctly predicted that his wife would give birth to a son and daughter; when the Queen's diamond ring was stolen, the Grasshopper was summoned; he talks to himself while dries wet clothes by the fireplace; the servants who stole the ring understand his words as incriminating them; ask them not to be given away; the grasshopper ordered the ring to be fed to the black goose and told the king where it is]: Benfey 1875 in Cosquin 1887:189; Italians [there's even an expression: 'Guess it, Cricket! '] : Gubernatis in Braga 2002:271.

Western Europe. The French (Normandy, Lorraine) [think of the man he is a clairvoyant, although he is not; when the lady's ring disappeared, the king ordered him to be found; the man asked for three good ones for it dinner; when the servant brought in dinner, the man said, "That's the first one!" The servant, who was one of the thieves, thought it was him; the same with the second and third the following days; the servants asked them not to give them away; the man told them to feed the ring to the rooster; announced that it was in the stomach rooster; to test the guesser, the king covered the grasshopper with a bell and told him to say what was under him; "Here you are, grasshopper," said the man (that's a local proverb); the king is happy, otherwise shot a man]: Cosquin 1887, No. 60:187-188, 188 [almost identical story in Normandy].

Western Asia. Syrian Arabs: Abu Risha 2015 [a lumberjack named Asfour ("bird") has a wife named Jaradeh ("grasshopper"); she accidentally saw a duck on the lake grab and swallow the king's ring when he took it off to wash himself; told her husband to dress as a dervish and come to the palace as a clairvoyant; the ring was in the duck's stomach, A. was awarded; the king asks if his wife would give birth to a son or daughter; J. advises tell her husband that sometimes he thinks that a girl will be born, and sometimes a boy; the queen has given birth to twins - a son and a daughter; the king calls A. to the bathhouse; he decides to kill the king, knocks him to the floor and drags him out of one rooms in another; at that moment the roof of the building collapsed; the king believes that A. saved his life; once decided to catch a grasshopper to test A.'s insight; at that moment she tried to grab the grasshopper the bird, the king covered both with a turban; A.: if it were not for the Grasshopper, the bird would not have been caught; he means his wife and himself; the king gave A. half his kingdom and promised not to use him as a clairvoyant anymore]: 61-64; Kuhr 1993 [husband's name was Lark, wife Grasshopper; wife told her husband to find a job, he became a teacher; wife decided to set up school at their home; husband criticizes the plan; then his wife advises him to pretend to be a fortuneteller; the king's treasures were stolen; the vizier suggests contacting Sheikh Lark; the wife tells the king to ask the king for 40 camels to write down the names of the thieves with their blood; we will eat a camel every day; the chieftain sends eavesdrop on thieves one by one every evening; Lark says - here's the first (second, etc.); he means camels, and thieves think it's about them; on the 40th evening, the chieftain comes, and at night the thieves bring treasures; Lark reports that the case has been solved; the vizier is jealous, suggests determining what is in closed cauldrons in the bazaar; the wife was led to answer: the first is innocent as white milk, in the second bitter as aloe ; there was milk in the first pot, aloe in the second; then the king put a grasshopper in the box, asking what was there; the wife tells her husband to tell their story as a last resort; say: if it were not for the grasshopper, I would he was not in this position; the king understood that the Lark had guessed about the grasshopper; the Lark asked not to give him gold, but to allow him to be a teacher again; he and his wife went away]: 357-363.

South Asia. Kumaoni [grandmother's fool: if my mother-in-law asks me what I ate, how do I answer? grandmother: say that hichadi (spiced chowder) and repeat along the way; a fool sees a person's birds pecking rice, says "hee, chadi" (eat, bird!) ; the man beat him, tells him to say, "go, fall into the net"; he says this to thieves; those: you must say "come and get it"; he says this to the participants in the funeral procession; those, I must say, "whatever Who did not happen to"; he said this to the participants of the wedding procession; everyone beat him; hid in his father-in-law's house; saw what the children were eating; at home he said: I know everything who ate what; the news of his knowledge spread; The king summoned him, hid a grasshopper in his fist, told him to say what was there; fool: Oh, Pilagant, your death has come! ("pilaganta" means "grasshopper" and was also the name of a fool); the king tells us to find the missing necklace; P.: Oh, Chunia, oh, Munia! and that was the name of the maid thieves; they said where the necklace was, the tsar awarded the fool]: Minaev 1966, No. 29:78-80; the Assames [a peasant named Foring ("Grasshopper") went to get rice; one person checked rice; when he finished, F. pretended to have colic, began rolling on the ground, the grains stuck to his clothes, he brought them to his wife; his wife baked cakes, but ate most of them; said that someone in the morning he would get up first, let him eat a third and the other two thirds; F. got up, surprised that there were so few cakes, and in the footsteps on the board he counted how many there were, and said it to his wife; she was shocked by his ingenuity. told her neighbors; the cow was missing, and F. just saw it; pretended to determine where the cow was, thanks to his ability as a predictor; his fame spread, his name was Sarabjan ("The Soothsayer"); the king asks to find the missing precious necklace; the king's wife Madoy and the younger Hadoy, the necklace was stolen by H.; doy (cottage cheese) was brought to Palace S., he exclaimed Ham doy! ("Alas, Doy"), and H. heard and decided that she was exposed, admitted that S. told her to put the necklace in its place; said that the necklace was in the box; his fame became immense; one day the king clutched a grasshopper in his fist and asked S. to guess; S. thinks out loud: once he guessed it, two, three, and now you, the Grasshopper, are caught; the king did not know that the real name of the imaginary soothsayer was Grasshopper, and rewarded him again]: Borooah 1916:75-83 ( about the same in Goswami 1960:98-99).

The Balkans. Hungarians [two crooks Bumblebee and Mokhnach deceive each other; they see gallows; they are executed fortunetellers who could not find the missing royal ring; Bumblebee points his finger at books says white, here's black, here's red; three servants with similar names who stole the ring think the fortuneteller has exposed them; Bumblebee says, "this is the first one," referring to the waiting day and the lunch he has they brought it; the thieves take over again; the servants returned the ring, paid the money, and the Bumblebee told them to feed the ring to the royal peacock; the queen caught the bumblebee: what's in her hand? Bumblebee about himself: here, Bumblebee, got caught; Queen decided he guessed right; again: who is in the hole; Bumblebee: no matter how the fox dodges, but gets caught; Queen: yes, there is a fox; Bumblebee: you can't guess more than three times; Bumblebee and Mokhnach came to the forest, saw the robbers loading treasures; they pretended to be dead rebels, the robbers ran away, friends shared the treasures and parted]: Ortutai 1974, No. 32:372-382; Bulgarians [a drunkard's wife advises her husband to pretend to be a fortuneteller (or pop and Sly Peter decide to become fortunetellers); first, the fortuneteller steals cattle and determines where it is hidden; the king demands find the missing ring (diamond, gold), otherwise he executes him; the fortuneteller counts the days out loud (hours, how many times a rooster shouts), and thieves take it as relevant to them, confess and report where the stolen ; the fortuneteller tells the king that the ring, etc. was swallowed by a goose, in a flower pot, in a well, etc.; the last test: the fortuneteller must say that the king has a fist (in a bag, etc.); the fortuneteller allegorically laments, referring to himself (the first time the fox jumped, the second, and the third time he was caught; or, if his name is Beetle or Grasshopper, then "caught, Beetle (Grasshopper)", and there is just a beetle or grasshopper in his fist ); the fortuneteller sets fire to his house to say that his books have burned down and he can no longer guess; the tsar rewards him generously]: Daskalova-Perkovska et al. 1994, No. 1641:539-541.

Central Europe. Russians (Vologda, Kirillovsky district) [the old woman advises her husband to steal a cow, tie it in the forest, they will look for a cow, and the old man will pretend to be knowledgeable; after that, the master asks to know who the lady will give birth to; the old man: he will lead from the shop to the door - girl, from door to shop - guy; master: I know this myself; the lady gave birth to twins: a boy and a girl; the king lost his ring, the old man was summoned and put in the kitchen; he aloud: both to the ridge, then to the belly; and from two cooks, one called Krebto and the other Belly; they were guilty; the old man ordered to feed the ring to the goose, and they found it there, the king rewarded him; towards the boyar with a beetle in his hand: what do I have? old man: a bug hit the boyar's hands; in the carriage, the old man and his wife were put on a pillow, and the coachman gave a damn under her; and his wife's name was Domna; old man: sit down, Domna, on thick crap; the coachman was guilty, asked not tell]: Sokolov, Sokolov 1981, No. 55:209-210; Russians (Gorkovskaya) [a man nicknamed Bug stole canvas from Aunt Daria; said he knew how to bewitch; brought canvas, got money; stole the master's three; "found", received the money again; the king lost his wedding ring; the bug was put in a separate room; he decided to run away after the third roosters; in the morning he sang alone; J.: thank God there is one; the thief at the door will eavesdrop, rushes to his comrades; after the third roosters, J. opened the door, and the thieves fell at his feet and gave the ring; J. fed the ring to the dog and shouted not to be missed; the dog stabbed, found the ring; the tsar is walking around the garden: guess what's in his hand; "Still, you're caught, Bug"; a bug in his hand; the tsar awarded J. and let him go]: Eremina et al. 1979, No. 26:209-210; Russians (Lipetsk, Krasninsky district, s. Sotnikovo) [Brothers Ivan and Gregory live poorly, does Ivan work as a groom for his master? offers his brother to steal the stallion, because dogs know him. The brothers cannot decide how much to sell the stallion for (if they ask a lot, they will say they stole it), they tie him to a tree in the forest. Ivan tells the master that he was good and knows where the stallion is, but he does not know who stole it. He brings a stallion, the master gives one hundred rubles and writes in the newspaper that Ivan is a Russian healer. A count from another country learns about him, calls him to come, find the stolen goods and thieves. Ivan agrees, asks to provide him with a room with wine and treats and not to disturb him. Thieves find out about the arrival of the healer, are afraid of him and sneak up on the house. The thief takes the rooster's cry as a sign that the healer recognized him and runs away. The rooster screams three times, and the thieves decide that the healer recognized them all, can't stand it and come to him themselves, tell him where they hid the loot, ask him not to give them away. Ivan finds the stolen goods, the count promises to give him half of the estate, but doubts. He asks Ivan the last riddle, catches a fly and asks what's in his fist. Ivan thinks that the count has guessed that he is not a real witch doctor and says "How long does a fly fly fly around the world, but a master in his hands." The count gives him half of the estate]: Kretov 1977, No. 44:107-108; Russians (no place of recording) [a man nicknamed Bug stole a woman's canvas and hid it in straw; bragged about what he could do to bewitch; the woman came, he repaid her for a pound of flour and a pound of butter; told her where the canvas was; then took the stallion away from his master and tied her to a tree in the forest; forgave for a hundred rubles, told her where the stallion was, and eventually became famous; the king lost his wedding ring; he ordered the man to be brought and told him to find out where the ring was by morning; man: "I'd better wait until midnight and run away wherever my eyes looked; this is how others sing roosters, now I'll give traction!" ; the ring was stolen by a footman, a coachman and a cook; the footman went to eavesdrop on what was going on in the man's room; the roosters sang, the man said: "One is already there, we have two left to wait"; the footman took it personally he was frightened; then there were similar situations with the coachman and the cook; all three ran into the man's room, begged for mercy and gave him the ring; the man threw it under the floorboard; when the king came, he said that the ring rolled under her; the king rewarded him, went to the garden; picked up the beetle, came back and asked the man, "Well, if you're a witch doctor, then find out what I have in my hand?" ; the man, frightened, said to himself: "What, Bug, is in the hands of the king!" ; the tsar rewarded him even more and let him go home]: Afanasiev 1985 (3), No. 381:96-97; Ukrainians (Poltava, Romensky): Gnedich 1916, No. 1497 [A man by last name (nickname?) A bug comes to the doctor (paramedic), complains of sore teeth, he opens his mouth, "wipes his spoon with cotton wool", writes a prescription "Go to yourself" (?). On the way back, the pain goes away, the man decides that he can be a healer, sells the estate, invites patients to see. A master comes to him, whose horses have been stolen, repeats the actions of a paramedic, the patient is given a laxative at the pharmacy, he takes it, goes, opens the door - from there horses (? Where from? From the bathroom? not clear), the master pays the healer half the cost of horses. The sick father comes to the healer, he wipes his spoon, orders him to go home, at home he finds his recovered daughter, and the healer is rewarded. The pan, whose cash register was stolen, wants to check the healer, brings a beetle in his fist, asks the healer what is there, he replies that he does not know that the Bug (i.e. he) fell for Mr.'s trick ("If I fall into the pen, don't virvesya"). Pan takes the healer to him, believing that he will find the stolen goods, he says that he will stab himself when he hears the third cry of the rooster - he is afraid that he will fail, it is the thieves who find out about him and take turns coming to his window, They hear him count cock screams - they decide that he thinks they are thieves. They come to him and confess where the money is hidden - "in gnoi." In the morning, the witch doctor points to the manure and gets half of the stolen goods], 1507 [Poor people say they can do magic, steal a rooster from their husband's brother, and tie them to a barn. The brother asks to figure out where his rooster is, the poor man puts a candle over a bucket of water, wax drips, he caresses, reads a book and guesses where the bird is, he is rewarded with 3 pounds of flour. The poor man's wife steals oxen and ties them in the forest, the brother again asks the poor man for help - he points out the place, warns him to hurry, because the robbers have left for a short time. They give him 10 pounds of flour. Years of poor witchcraft go by. A man from a foreign county asks for help finding his box, the poor man is afraid that his deception will be revealed, he will be brought to Mr.'s house. The sorcerer imitates a divination, thieves are afraid of exposure, reveal to him where the money is hidden, ask him to share it, he agrees. In the morning, he tells Mr. where the money is hidden and gets 2,000. Pan catches a beetle in his hands and asks what it is, the sorcerer replies "Got caught the Pan Bug in his hands," he lets him go. The sorcerer burns down his old hut with his book - he says he can no longer bewitch. Builds a new house]: 25-26, 32-33; Poles (many records) [a peasant named Cricket buys a cloak or pretends to be a priest; he is told to find thieves in three days; he comes on the first day the first servant, who was among the thieves, and takes Cricket's words, "Here's the first one"; to verify the fortuneteller's abilities, he is given a closed bowl and asked to answer what's inside; he exclaims, "Poor Cricket" and there was a cricket]: Krzyżanowski 1963, No. 1641:111-112.

Caucasus - Asia Minor. Crimean Tatars (Yevpatoria) [in the bathhouse, the padishah's wife dropped her diamond earring; the poor man's wife noticed that she had been carried into the sewer; told her husband to pretend to be a fortuneteller; they found the earring; when the padishah's things began to disappear, they turned to the fortuneteller again; he asked for 40 days, put 40 beans in the box; when they ran out, he would be beheaded; in the evening, the fortuneteller says that one out of 40 has come; the thief listens outside the window, decides what's wrong with him; the next day, two; the thieves are guilty; while hunting, the padishah caught a grasshopper and asked the fortuneteller what he has in his hand; old man: the grasshopper jumped once, twice, and the third was caught; the old man did not wonder anymore]: Zherdeva 2020, No. 64; Adygi: Kapiyeva 1991 [old man Pchau ("grasshopper") agreed to tell the mullah where his horse had gone; he accidentally guessed; the prince's wife was missing the ring, called P.; the maid who stole the ring was frightened, asked P. not to give it away; he told her to feed the ring to the goose, said that the goose had swallowed the ring; another prince came to visit and wanted to test P.; P.: unfortunate Grasshopper, you can't jump out now; the prince unclenched his fist, there is a grasshopper; P.: but I can't guess anymore; my grandfather rewarded this gift and said that he was only for three occasions]: 68-72; Kardanov 1961 (Kabardian people) []: 73-77; Abazins [poor widower Grasshopper saw a saddled horse without a rider; tied it in a secluded place; the nobleman asks if he saw a horse; K. promises to tell the truth the next day he indicated the place; the nobleman paid well, K. became famous; the girl asked to find the ring; the thief appeared herself; K. ordered to feed the ring to the goose, said that the goose had swallowed the ring; the prince promises to expose the deceiver, clenched a grasshopper in his fist, told him to say what was there; the old man: jumped once, jumped twice, and the third, the Grasshopper, was caught; the old man meant himself, and the prince thought that the grasshopper had he is in his fist; the prince, as promised, gave K. half of his property]: Tugov 1985, No. 116:327-329 (a variant that includes only an excerpt about a grasshopper in the owner's hand, in Japua, Chekanov 2019, No. 16:125); Nogais [a poor man named Shegertki ("grasshopper") stole a horse from bay Akmak; came with fortunetellers and indicated where the horse was; A. gave S. ten horses; a gold ring was stolen from the bay; three brothers found out about Sh. who stole the ring; first came to eavesdrop on Sh's conversation with bai; the first rooster sang, S.: first came! the same second (second rooster), the third; the brothers asked not to give them away; S. ordered to give the ring to the goose and break his leg; Sh. Bayu: the ring was stolen by a lame goose; bai gave S. gold; A. spoke about Sh. Bayu Koybagar; if S. guesses, K. will give half of the property to A., if not, A. will give it to K.; K. caught a grasshopper: what do I have in my hand? Sh.: The first time Grasshopper jumped and escaped, the second time he escaped, the third time he was caught; he means himself, and the khan thinks he gave half of his wealth to the grasshopper]: Aliyeva 2013, No. 41:197-198; Terek Cossacks (art. Ardon) [the thief ties the stolen bulls in the forest; agrees with the mother that he will bring the owner to her, and she will pretend to be a sorceress; they do this several times; the mother is known as a good sorceress; the landowner, who was stolen money, turns to her for help; sets the condition: to guess the thieves within three days; the sorcerer comes to him; on the third day, grooms who stole the money come to her room; the rooster screams, the sorcerer says: "Yeah, thank God there is one"; the first groom bounces off the wall and repeats: "There is one"; the sorceress hears another cock scream and says: "Yeah, thank God, there is another"; the second groom:" I guessed the other one too!" ; there is a cock scream again; the sorcerer: "Here's the third one!" ; third groom: "Trouble, I guessed it too!" ; decides, together with the other two, to confess to the theft; they tell the landowner that the money is hidden in the manure; the landowner digs it up and arranges a feast; at the table one master catches the bug and turns to the sorcerer: "Find out what is in your hand"; noticing his prank, the sorcerer replies: "Oh bug, bug! You're sitting in Mr.'s hand!" ; the master puts chicken eggs under her seat; she notices this too; says, "So I'll sit on my eggs and be like a quochka!" ; guests reward her with money]: Gusev 1893:352-354; Kumyks [the shepherd Grasshopper's wife wants him to become a kadeem; Khan jokingly makes him a kadiem for a week; tells him to find the missing camels; at night K. decided to run, accidentally came across those camels, said that he found out everything from books; then the khan lost his treasury; the thieves, believing in K.'s gift, came to him with a request not to extradite them; he ordered the treasury to be taken to the cave, again said that he had learned about the cave from books; the former kadiy advises Khan to check K. again; he saw the grasshopper, grabbed it a third time, held it in his fist, said that the grasshopper escaped twice, and I got caught on the third, asked K. what was in his fist; K. repeated the khan's words, referring to himself; K.'s fame became immense, the theft stopped]: Aliyeva 2013, No. 37:173-175; Lucky [the wife of the poor man The name Locust was beaten in the bathhouse; she began to beat her husband - be a fortuneteller; the jeweler lost a jewel from the ring of the padishah's daughter; S. tells me to look for houses, the jeweler found a stone among the garbage, paid 50 coins ; the padishah's treasury disappeared, the Locusts were told to find it in 40 days; he tells his wife to buy 40 dates, give one a day; the chieftain sent the youngest to eavesdrop; after eating the first date, S. says that he came the most small, 39 left; so every day for a thief; on the 40th day, the chieftain came, admitted; S. ordered to bury the treasury on the mountain under a stone; the padishah gives S. half of the treasury; the padishah tests again: caught and clenched the locusts in his fist; S.: your end has come, Locusts; the padishah decided that S. guessed right, stopped making S. guess over trifles]: Aliyeva 2013, No. 39:185-188; Lezgins [shepherd Tsitsali's wife (" grasshopper") is dissatisfied that Kadia's wife is respected, but not; tells her husband to learn to read and write; accidentally saw how the padishah's camel drowned; the Shah gathered scientists, only C. said that the camel was in the river, received gold; stole the treasury of the padishah; the thieves themselves came to C.; C. padishah: the treasury was stolen not by people, but by evil spirits, dig in the cemetery; the padishah made Ts. Kadiem; while walking he grabbed a grasshopper and asked what in his hand; C.: Now you're dead, Tzitz! the padishah decided that C. guessed right]: Aliyeva 2013, No. 38:178-181 (=Khalilov 1965, No. 74:233-236; Tabasarans [Ahmed's wife complains that she is not respected, tells him to become a mullah or a kadir; spread the rumor, that her husband had received a gift; he was called Mullah the Grasshopper; the padishah's treasury was robbed, A.'s wife tells him to ask for 40 days of respite; baked 40 chureks, gives one every evening; each of the 40 robbers comes to eavesdrop; "Here is the first one"; "Here is the second"; A. counts chureks, and the robbers think they are; the leader decides to confess; A. reports that the treasury is buried in a forest in a clearing; the padishah took the mullah to the palace; one day he knocked down the golden crown from him - there was a snake in it; another time he kicked the padishah, who flew to the side and at that time the wall collapsed; while walking, the padishah caught and held a grasshopper in his fist; mullah out loud: the first time you were not caught, the second time you didn't figure it out, and the third time you, the Grasshopper, got caught; the padishah thought the mullah had guessed it; one night a man came to the mullah: I am your happiness, I set it all up; but when I destroyed the wall, my hump began to grow as a result of being hit by a stone, and I would soon die; after that, the mullah could not guess anything and was kicked out]: Aliyeva 2013, No. 40:192-195; Georgians [the king lost his diamond; wife lazy: the husband is a good fortuneteller, but he must be beaten; the lazy person is told to find a diamond; to test it, the king tells you to say that there are grasshoppers in the box; lazy: ride, grasshopper, woe to you, wife, why killed; the king hears about the grasshopper; the wife brought her husband pies: nine, the tenth ate on the way; nine embezzlers eavesdrop, think about them; ask them not to destroy them; the imaginary fortuneteller tells them to feed goose diamond; tells the king to slaughter the goose; thieves did not remain in debt]: Kurdovanidze 1998 (2), No. 145:289-290; Azerbaijanis [Chekulchek ("dragonfly") was completely impoverished, wanted to drown himself; Iki-Gully's wife ("two flower") advised me to collect and sell firewood, buy a book, gave her treatment (women's headdress), let C. become a fortuneteller; he accidentally noticed how the boys played ashigami {=alchiki?} and one rolled between the stones; pretended to be guessing, "found" ashig; among the players were the prince and the children of the vizier, C. brought to the king; he ordered to find the missing horse; C. thought that he had come to the mares in the herd, it turned out; then accidentally found the royal wife's ring, which she dropped in the bathhouse; the king wants to test the fortuneteller; they picked two flowers, wrapped them in paper; C.: it's all because of you Iki-Gully; dragonfly: Oh, C., they didn't catch the first time, the second, the third, and the fourth time they caught it! those who caught the dragonfly confirmed that they had caught it on the fourth attempt; the king ordered C. to read prayers in the mosque; to avoid exposure, C. grabbed the king by the throat, intending to kill him, and pulled the mosque out the door collapsed; C. said that Gabriel came and ordered the king to be saved; the king helped C. to death]: Bagriy, Zeynally 1935:481-489; the Turks [seeing the wife of a court stargazer in the bathhouse, the poor man's wife tells him take this position himself, otherwise he will leave him; the owner of the bathhouse teaches what to do; the man is illiterate, but sits in front of the bathhouse with a pen and paper like a fortuneteller; the hostess stole a ring from the stargazer's wife, hid it in the trash, said to the imaginary Hajj; he says where the ring is awarded; now the Sultan Khanim has lost his ring; the sultan tells me to find it until morning; the slave brings the ring, asks not to give it away; imaginary Khoja tells me to feed the ring to the goose; points to the goose in front of everyone; sultan: what do I have in my hand? Hoja: jump once, grasshopper, jump twice, get caught third! a grasshopper in the Sultan's hand; the man was made a court stargazer]: Tsvetinovich 1959:228-231 (=Dmitriev 1967, No. 74:387-390); Kurds [the wife advised the old man to earn money by becoming imaginary a fortuneteller; he first sees how the alchik of the padishah's son rolled into the crack, then how the vizier's daughter picked up and hid the pearl of the padishah's daughter; both times she pretends to guess right and receives a reward; 7 thieves robbed the treasury; the old man is sitting at home, sees two of his seven chickens crawl through the hole in the room, says that two have already arrived; this is heard by two thieves who climbed onto the roof to eavesdrop; then and the rest come to listen, and at this time the other 5 chickens came; the thieves confess to what they did, ask not to give them away, the padishah gets the treasures back; standing on the ivan, the padishah and his wife go down to the old man, because they thought he was calling them; at that time Ivan collapsed, they believed that the fortuneteller had saved them; another padishah sent a box in which he put earth and a rose, demanding to guess what was inside; old man: Oh, Gole! ("ah" is land, "gole" is a rose, as well as the name of the old man's wife; everyone thought that the old man guessed right; he said that his saint forbade him to guess more, released with a rich reward]: Rudenko 1970, No. 15:40-43.

Iran - Central Asia. The Persians [the poor man's wife laments that she is beautiful, but there is no money, while the ugly wife of the chief fortuneteller is solemnly taken to the bathhouse as a servant; tells her husband to sell the spade and shovel, buy old ones books; the merchant's camel with the money loaded on him is missing; the poor man points the direction at random, the servant finds a camel; the merchant made him the chief fortuneteller; 40 thieves robbed the treasury; the wife commands ask for 40 days of delay, buy 40 dates, eat one each day; a servant comes in, the fortuneteller eats the date and says that this is the first of 40; the servant takes what has been said personally, he is one of robbers; like this every day; the robbers ask not to extradite them, indicate where they buried the treasury; the fortuneteller and his wife think how to get rid of their duty; wife: the merchant will go into the bathhouse, break in and drag him out you will be mistaken for a madman; he did so, after which the bathhouse collapsed; next time your wife told you to steal a merchant with a chair; a scorpion was under the chair; the merchant called the fortuneteller to hunt, clenched his fist grasshopper, offered to guess what was there; fortuneteller: this time you're caught, grasshopper (name means yourself); you won't go against God's desire]: Christensen 1971, No. 6:60-68; Tajiks [the poor man went to Maktab, took the book and thought he had become a mullah; his wife advised me to sit at the crossroads and pretend to read (my husband could not read); saw a crow pulling a stolen bull to the cave, and then the owner of the bull; the man pretended to find out what had happened in the book; the owner gave the cloth, the wife made a turban out of it for her husband; next time he told the caravan where his camels were; robbed the Shah's treasury, called everyone together fortunetellers; man and wife are locked in waiting for him to identify thieves; wife gives three grenades one after another; husband eats, says there is one; thieves hear, think about them; thieves asked them do not betray, the fortuneteller told them to take the treasury to where he was; the Shah decides to test the fortuneteller for the last time, asks what is in his fist (there is a grasshopper there); the man says out loud: he jumped once, jumped twice, and he got caught on the third; the Shah thinks he is talking about a grasshopper, made him the eldest sheikh; when he enters the mosque, he does not know what to do; he began to shout, Allah is great! and left the mosque; people followed him, after which the roof collapsed; the Shah richly rewarded the fortuneteller and his wife and they returned home]: Amonov 1972:260-265; Tajiks Sistan [the poor man found a donkey in the middle of the ditch, tied his legs with a white rope, then sat down and began to read the book; told the man that he was a fortuneteller; he asked him to find his donkey; the poor man say that he was in a ditch, his legs were tied with a white rope; the fortuneteller became famous, the king called him; 40 thieves robbed the treasury; the king orders them to be found in 40 days; the fortuneteller asks to bring a date every day; the wife brought the first, the fortuneteller says that one already exists; he meant a date, and the thief overheard, thought it was about them; the chieftain was convinced that it was; the robbers returned the treasures; the king paid the fortuneteller, the vizier was jealous; when hunting, he advises the king catch a grasshopper and ask the fortuneteller what he had in his hand; the poor man decided to confess: once the grasshopper jumped, the second, and the third one was caught; the king understood that the fortuneteller found out that he had a grasshopper in his hand]: Grunberg, Steblin-Kamensky 1981, No. 12:149-152; Uzbeks [a mullah fortuneteller died, a widow gave his divination book to a friend for her poor illiterate husband; he accidentally guessed where the missing horse was ; summoned to the king to determine who robbed the treasury; he asks for a 40-day deadline, his wife brings a jug of food every day; 40 thieves watch the fortuneteller; hearing him talk about jugs ("One appeared," "The Second.." etc., they think he is talking about them thieves; thieves report where they hid the money, the fortuneteller has been rewarded; the king decided to test him, held locusts in his hand; fortuneteller: once the locusts jumped, jumped twice, and now caught; the fortuneteller was awarded again]: Afzalov et al. 1972 (2): 289-300 (=Konovalov, Stepanov 1986:276-288, =Rogov 1980:276-288, =Sheverdin 1984:100-112).

Baltoscandia. Latvians [the old man promises to find the master's missing ring, tells him to feed him for three days; after the first day: eat one! the old man meant that they were fed all day, and the servants said that he had already identified one thief; also after the second day; on the third day, the servants asked them not to be extradited, because they thought that the old man had exposed them; they gave them to him good money, the old man hid the ring; to do this, he fed him to a turkey and bread; told the master that the ring had swallowed the turkey; received an award; but the master decided to try it again; put a cricket under the mug - what's there; old man out loud: oh, cricket, you hit your pole; the master thought the old man was a great sorcerer]: Alksnite et al. 1958:465-466.

Turkestan. Kazakhs: Ethnographic Materials 1898, No. 2 (Turgay) [two brothers are rich, and the youngest has only one argamak; brothers tell shepherds to drive around herds; the shepherd reports that the argamak has visited the end, but let the poor man not betray him, but say that he saw it in a dream; the poor man became famous as a clairvoyant; the khan lost a bag of gold, the brothers said that the poor man could find the thief; intending to flee, the poor man asked for a yurt to be placed at a distance; the same thief came to rob the yurt, the poor man grabbed him; the thief confessed and asked not to give him away; the poor man indicated where the gold was; the next time the khan's horse was stolen; the poor man decided to run away, came across a horse tied by a thief; one day a grasshopper jumped into the khan's cup with koumiss; the khan caught him on the third attempt and ordered him to say what was in his fist; poor man: once he escaped deaths, two, the third was caught; the khan killed the grasshopper and was going to reward the poor man; he told everything; the khan awarded him, the brothers made him servants]: 9-12; Sidelnikov 1958 [the poor man has a good horse; the poor man asked two rich men to let the horse into their herd by autumn, and he hired a laborer; one man told him that the rich had driven his horse almost to death, advised him to pretend clairvoyants - they say, he guessed the horse's condition best; the people forced the rich to give the poor 10 best pacers in exchange; the khan lost a gold bar, the rich said that the clairvoyant would be able to find it; the poor man asks him to put a kibitka for the night, hoping to escape unnoticed; the thief who stole the ingot accidentally came across a kibitka, the poor man grabbed him and he told him where the ingot was buried; the khan richly gifted clairvoyant with cattle; the khan demands to find the stolen horse; the poor man runs into the gorge; the thief also accidentally brought the horse there and fell asleep; the poor man rode this horse to the khan; he wants to test for the last time clairvoyant; grabbed a grasshopper, suggests saying what is in his fist; poor man: left once, left twice, and found death on the third; Khan decided it was about a grasshopper, let the poor man go home with gifts; brothers- the rich died of grief]: 399-405 (=Zhanuzakova 1977:236-240); Kyrgyz [Khan Omorbek has lost his treasury; he promises half of his wealth to whoever returns it, but executes everyone if the treasury is not found; people asked Alymkul for help; he took 40 apricots and asked him to leave him in the room for 40 days; every day one of the 40 robbers overhears; A. eats apricots: here is the first one (the next day - second); the third robber asks not to extradite them, says where the treasury is buried; the khan is happy, but does not want to pay; asks to know where the horse has gone; the shepherds told; the khan catches a fly, tells him to say that he has in his hand; A. out loud: once he escaped, the second, and the third was caught like a fly; the khan invited A. to the bathhouse; A. hit his head against the lintel, the roof collapsed and failed the khan]: Brudny 1954:95-99 (=Brudny, Eshmambetov 1977:212-215); Uighurs (Lobnor) [the king caught a tadpole (frog), put it in a hole, covered it with felt, and told the fortuneteller to say what was under the felt; young man: the frog jumps once, jumps twice and jumps to the hole; the king thinks that the young man guessed that there was a frog under the felt, gave the young man a thousand money and ordered him to be a fortuneteller among the people; the young man paid nine respects to the king; the king gave him a pair of fur foxes, a pair of leopards, a pair of wolves, a pair of otters; gave the young man a certificate with a seal]: Malov 1956, No. 6:50-51.

Southern Siberia - Mongolia. The Mongols [Tsartsa Namgil ("tsartsa" is a locust family) did not master the wisdom of monastic, he was expelled; goodbye, the Lama advises to closely monitor what is around him; C. repeats the bird's cry "Tsva-a, uva-ah", the cry of the antelope "Joron, Joron", the squeak of the mice "Buvs, Buvs"; Chinese merchants tried to ask what piece of meat Ts wanted, for this they raised their thumb up, lowered their little finger down; C. nothing understood, but remembered the gesture; Khan tells C. to find the missing ring; C. tells him to leave it for three days with plenty of food; he is eavesdropped; he repeats what he heard from birds, etc., this is understandable as a sign of his wisdom; C. is full, says: you don't care, your stomach, comes to an end; the pregnant maid who stole the ring returns it, asks you not to give it away; llamas ask how big the world is, etc., and C. moves the big one with a finger and little finger, everyone is surprised by his wisdom; the khan caught locusts on the third time, clenched it in his fist, asks C. to say what he has; T.: the first time the khan did not catch locusts, the second time and caught the third; Ts. means himself, Khan is a locust; made C. a court sage]: Mikhailov 1962:35-38.