M38d2. Coal, straw, bob by the river, ATU 295.
.15.16.23.26.-.32.35.38.
Several characters (usually three), which are small objects, go traveling and must cross the river. This fails.
Catalans, Ladins, French, Flemish, Dutch, Friesians, Germans (Grimms, East Frisia, Schleswig-Holstein, Switzerland), (Baiga), Chinese (?) , Slovenes, Hungarians, Greeks, Slovaks, Luzhitans, Ukrainians (Odessa), Russians (Moscow, Perm), Varnishes, Georgians, Tajiks (Ura-Tyube), Rushans, Baluchis, Faroese, Danes, Estonians, Latvians, Finns, Livs, Komi, Mari, Southern Selkups, Japanese.
Southern Europe. Catalans [when the hostess melted the hearth to cook beans, one straw fell and did not burn; then the coal and then the bean fell out; they went on a journey; when they saw the river, the coal was frightened, and the straw confirmed that it swims well; we agreed that it would first transport the coal and then return for the bean; in the middle of the river, the coal straw caught fire from the heat; the bean laughed so much that his mouth burst ear to ear; cried; passing by (bug?) sewed up a dark trail that had been torn since then on the beans]: Camarena, Chevallier 1997, No. 295:441-442; frets: Brunold-Bigler, Widmer 2004, No. 37 [the coal fell out of the stove, the hostess dropped the straw when kindled the fire, the bean fell out of the pot; they reached the ditch; the straw lay as a bridge; when the coal stepped on it, it caught fire and fell; behind it, a coal fell into the water, died of fear; the bob laughed so much that burst; the tailor sewed it up, the mark of the black thread remained]: 233; Decurtins, Brunold-Bigler 2002, No. 49 [the wasp and the bean went together, reached the stream; the wasp laid a straw as a bridge; they argued who to cross first ; the wasp went, fell into the water; the bean laughed so much that it cracked; since then, it has been like a seam]: 133.
Western Europe. The French [there are two French entries]: Camarena, Chevallier 1997:442; the Flemish [bean, straw, coal set off; the coal goes on a straw, it burns, it falls into the water; the bean laughs so much that there was a black speck left; the monkey looked, lost its hair on its back]: Meyer 1968, No. 295:30; Germans [the old lady was going to cook beans, made a fire; one straw, a coal and a bean fell unnoticed; went on a journey; when they came to the stream, the straw lay down as a bridge; in the middle, the bean got scared and stopped; as a result, the straw caught fire; the bob laughed so much that it burst; the tailor walked past and sewed it up, the trail remained]: Grimm, Grimm 2002, No. 18:64 (=Grimm, Grimm 198:60); Germans (Grimms, East Frisia, Schleswig-Holstein, Switzerland): Uther 2004 (1), No. 295:171; Dutch [ the bean and the straw came to the hearth, a coal fell out of there, all three of them went for a walk; on the way there was a river; bob: let the straw lie like a bridge and we cross it; the coal came first, the wind blew, the straw caught fire, the coal fell, drowned; the bean burst with laughter, so there are stripes on it]: Soer 1979:119; friezes: Uther 2004 (1), No. 295:171.
(Wed. South Asia. Baiga [the ant with the coal went on a journey; after crossing the river, the water in it turned black; the deer drank water; the river said that an ant with coal made it black, and it would make a deer lame; the deer ate the leaves of the mahua tree, it became small; the bird ate the tree's berries but did not eat it; sat on a plum - now these plums will be bitter; the woman tasted the plum, asked why the plums became bitter; plum: and now you will be short; her plowman brothers did not recognize her sister at first, their backs bent; Rani: now you cannot be my protectors; brothers: and now you will be a fart; Rani made a loud sound; and the ploughmen immediately straightened up, etc. - the water became clear, the coal burned down in the forge, and the ant reached its heap]: Elwin 1944, No. XXIV.2 in Zograf 1971, No. 96:339-341).
China - Korea. Chinese (Southern China) [{probably Chinese, since Southern China}]: Eberhard, Eberhard 1976, No. 15 in Uther 2004 (1), No. 295:171.
The Balkans. Hungarians [a bean, a bubble, a straw, a spark set off and approach the river; a straw falls on a bridge, a spark steps on it, but the straw burns and the spark falls into the water; the bean laughed so much that burst; the shoemaker sewed it up, but the seam is now visible; the bubble laughed so much that it burst]: Kovács 1987, No. 295:302; Slavs, Greeks: Uther 2004 (1), No. 295:171
Central Europe. The Luzhitans [Coal, Bubble, Straw are thinking how to cross the trail of a horse digger full of water; The straw lay across, Ugolek went first, burned the Straw, both drowned; The bubble is so laughed that it burst; Pebble: who grieves, who laughs]: Romanenko 1962:132-133; Slovaks: Uther 2004 (1), No. 295:171; Russians (Moscow, Perm), Ukrainians (Odessa) [Bubble, straw and bast: they are trying to cross the river unsuccessfully; {a late literary source is likely}]: SUS 1979, No. 295:101.
Caucasus - Asia Minor. Lucky [a nutshell, a lump of oatmeal and a fly went on a journey; the shell was the first to try to cross the stream, the water carried it; the lump rushed to her aid, melted in the water; the fly flew over to the other side and laughed at her friends; her belly burst with laughter]: Kapiyeva 1974:155 (=Omar-ogly 1868:67; apparently this is the original source); Georgians [bubble, straw, hot coal trying to cross the river unsuccessfully]: Kurdovanidze 2000, No. 295:29
Iran - Central Asia. Tajiks: Amonov, Ulug-zade 1957 [as in Levin et al. 1981, No. 262; corn grain instead of a pea]: 84-85; Levin et al. 1981, No. 262 (Ura-Tyube) [the old woman fried peas; one pea fell out of the cauldron rolled, invited the straw to run together: the old woman would burn it; the light rolled towards them, joined them; a stream on the way; the straw spread like a bridge; the pea crossed; when she went a light, a straw caught fire and both fell into the water; the pea was upset and stared at one point with sadness in her eyes]: 243; Rushantsy [bobbin, stick and coal went for a walk, along the way of a stream; the stick lay down on a bridge, the bobbin and the coal went along it, the wind rose, they fell into the water; the stick and the coal swam out, the bobbin disappeared; then the water dried, the stick and coal saw the sprout, dug it up, took on his back, took it home; they cooked the soup, but the coal was gone; found it in the blacksmith's furnace, returned it; when they went outside, there was no chopstick; they put it with a crossbar on the roof, pressed it with a pole, its bobbin and coal they pulled him out, told him to go home; in each episode, the missing person says he called for help, but did not come to him, while others object: they did not hear anything]: Sokolova 1959, No. 4:14-16; Baluchi [Komok the land came to Kishka, said that he was invited to visit the funeral; Kishka went with him; at the stream, Kishka asked the Lump to jump first; he fell into the water and dissolved; the Gut laughed so much that it burst]: Zarubin 1930, No. 1:653 (=Porozhnyakov 1989:137).
Baltoscandia. Estonians (mostly eastern Estonia) [coal, straw, bean went to travel; the straw lay across the stream as a bridge, coal ran along it; it caught fire and broke, coal fell into the water and hissed; the bob laughed so much that it burst; the tailor sewed it up, but every bean has a black seam mark since then]: Mälk et al. 1967, No. 44:91 (also Kippar 1986, No. 295:180); Faroese, Danes, Finns: Uther 2004 (1), No. 295:171; Livs: Kecskeméti, Paunonen 1974, No. 295:222; Latvians [bean, straw, coal roam the world; straw spread across the world the river was like a bridge; the coal went, it broke and broke, the coal fell into the water, hissed; the bean laughed so much that it cracked from the side; the tailor sewed it up with black thread, the trail remained]: Alksnite et al. 1958:118-119.
Volga - Perm. Komi [bubble, straw and bast are trying unsuccessfully to cross the river]: Korovina 2012, No. 295:78-79; Marie: Kecskeméti, Paunonen 1974, No. 295:222
Western Siberia. Southern Selkups (p. Stepanovka, Verkhneketsky district) [hazel grouse and mouse went hunting, reached the river; mouse: I have no wings to fly over; hazel grouse made a grass bridge; the mouse walked along it, in the middle of the river there is a bridge broke, the mouse swam across the river, got wet; the hazel grouse laughed so much that his goiter burst; the mouse lives, does good]: Porotova 1982:140.
Japan. The Japanese (27 versions from Tohoku to northern Kyushu) [bob, straw, coal go to the temple to worship, either not to be used for their intended purpose, or to see the capital; the straw lies down by a bridge over the river, the coal begins to cross, the straw lights up, the coal falls into the river; the bean bursts with laughter; cries; the girl returns from sewing class, sews the bean's mouth with black thread, the seam is now visible]: Ikeda 1971, #271:67