M39a6g. Six loaves (four coins), ATU 921A,
Th H585.1. .11.-.17.22.23.28.-.32.36.
Theperson explains that he lends part of his earnings, and pays the debt in the other part, i.e. raises children and supports parents.
Swahili, Hausa, Arabs of Sudan, Algeria, Egypt, Berbers Morocco, Portuguese, Catalans, Spaniards, Sicilians, Maltese, French, Dutch, Friesians, Flemish, Germans (Schleswig- Holstein), Irish, Arabs of Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Palestinians, Karen, Kumaoni, Hungarians, Croats, Slovenes, Serbs, Bulgarians, Macedonians, Albanians, Greeks, Luzhitans, Czechs, Slovaks, Russians (Terek coast, Arkhangelsk, Olonetskaya, Smolensk), Ukrainians (Eastern Slovakia, Transcarpathia, Galicia, Bukovina, Pokutye), Belarusians, Adygs, Karachays or Balkarians, Ingush, Georgians (Kumyks), Kurds, Pashtuns, Finns, leaders, Livonians, Lithuanians, Latvians, Komi, Chuvash, Kazan Tatars, Bashkirs, Central Yakuts.
Bantu-speaking Africa. Swahili (Zanzibar): El-Shamy 2004, No. 921A: 593-594.
West Africa. House [hunter Sani killed four guinea fowls; Musa asks to give one to him; S. refuses: one guinea fowl will pay off the debt (to parents), he will lend the other (to the children), eat the third himself, and I'll throw out the fourth (to my wife, she will repay with ingratitude)]: Laptukhin 1964:86-87.
Sudan - East Africa. Sudanese Arabs: El-Shamy 2004, No. 921A: 593-594.
North Africa. Algerian Arabs, Moroccan Berbers (South and North), Egyptian Arabs: El-Shamy 2004, No. 921A: 593-594.
Southern Europe. Portuguese: Braga 2002 []: 292-295; Cardigos 2006, No. 921A [the king likes the farmer's answer to his question how he manages to live on such a modest income: he earns enough to invest (in their children) and pay off old debts (i.e. support their father)]: 234-235; Catalans (including Mallorca) [the king asks the coal miner how he manages to feed on such modest money; he replies that he pays debts, invests money in interest, and throws some money out the window; explains that he supports parents, sleeps two sons and a daughter, who will leave home when married]: Oriol, Pujol 2008, No. 921A: 184; Sicilians: Cirese, Serafini 1975, No. 921A: 234; Sicilians [Gonz., no. 50; the peasant answers the king that he earns 4 carlini: one eats, the second gives growth, the third pays the debt and the fourth throws away; this means that he spends the first on himself, the second on his children, the third on his father, and the fourth on his wife; the king asked the peasant should not tell this riddle until he sees his face a hundred times; he made a wish to the courtiers himself; one of them found this peasant and gave him a hundred coins, each with the image of a king; king told the court that he could only find out the answer from the peasant; the peasant was summoned, he explained how it was; the king awarded the peasant]: Crane 1885:309-311; the Maltese [the king asks peasant, how much does he earn; farmer: three pence a day, I invest to get interest; later grown children will repay the debt]: Mifsud-Chircop 1978, No. 921A: 359; Spaniards: Uther 2004 (1), No. 921A: 546.
Western Europe. The French (Languedoc, Dauphine, Niverne) [the king took a walk and asked the day laborer about his life; he, without recognizing the king, replied that it was difficult to cultivate the land and his income was unreliable; but he still did not recognize the king you can live, let me live (the wife is sick and cannot work herself), pay debts (parents), let money grow (raises her son), and throw it away (raises her daughter)]: Tenèze, Bru 2000, No. 921A: 123-125; Dutch, Friesians, Flemish, Germans (Schleswig-Holstein), Irish: Uther 2004 (1), No. 921A: 546.
Western Asia. Arabs of Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Palestinians: El-Shamy 2004, No. 921A: 593-594.
Burma - Indochina. Karen [the king asks the poor man if he has enough to live; he replies that he even manages to save a little; he divides this money into four parts; one to secure his future life, the other to creditors, the third throws to the wind, the fourth gives it to the enemy; when the courtiers have left, the poor man explains: to religious rituals, parents, alcohol, gives the last part to his wife; the king forbid the poor man to explain to others, wrote down questions and promised the rank to whoever guessed; the poor man's wife asked him for answers, came to the king; he had to welcome her rank, but he realized that the last the answer is correct: the wife was ready to kill her husband]: Zapadova 1977:131-133.
South Asia. Kumaoni [the person replies that after buying six loaves, he eats one by himself, throws one away, lends two and pays two; this means that he gives one bread to his mother-in-law, two to his children, and two to his children, and two - parents]: Minaev 1966, No. 40:100; {there are no links to other South Asian texts in Thompson, Roberts 1960}.
The Balkans. Hungarians, Croats, Slovenes, Serbs, Bulgarians, Macedonians, Albanians, Greeks: Uther 2004 (1), No. 921A: 546.
Central Europe. Russians (Arkhangelsk, Olonetskaya, Smolensk), Ukrainians (Eastern Slovakia, Transcarpathia, Galicia, Bukovina, Pokutye), Belarusians [Where money is spent: when asked by the Tsar the peasant mysteriously replies that he spends part of his money to pay off the debt (supports his parents), lends some (supports his son), lets some into the water or throws it out the window (supports his daughter); the king asks these riddles are courtiers; they cannot guess and buy the answer from the peasant; brought to account by the tsar for this, he justifies himself thanks to his wit]: SUS 1979, No. 921A: 232; Russians ( Terek coast) [The man distributes six loaves of bread: I eat one myself, two I pay my debt, etc.]: Balashov 1970, 8 in SUS 1979, No. 921A**: 233; Belarusians [senators cannot answer Peter's question, how high is the sky and the earth is deep; plowman: the sky is near, the thunder is heard, and his grandfather was buried 60 years ago, there is still no news; senators go to the peasant, pay him money for this wisdom; Peter asks him how much does he charge per day for plowing; 8 hryvnia: 2 - I repay the debt (to parents), 2 I lend (to sons), 2 to the wind (daughters), 2 to him and his wife for food; senators again cannot understand the meaning of the answer, pay a man for an explanation]: Vasilenok et al. 1958:213-214; Luzhitans, Czechs, Slovaks: Uther 2004 (1), No. 921A: 546.
Caucasus - Asia Minor. Adygi [when asked by a passerby what a peasant spends money on, he replies that he spends part on paying off a debt (supports parents), lends (supports sons), throws some into weeds ( supports a daughter), etc.]: Tkhamokova 2014, No. 921:184; Karachays or Balkarians [the tsar goes to see how the people work; asks the farmhand what he spends money on; I throw one part into the water, I repay the debts from the rest, I lend the other share to people myself, and my wife and I eat what is left; the king asks me to explain what I said, but tells me not to tell anyone else; I buy salt and throw it in soup (i.e. in water); I feed my parents, spend it on children; the king says that whoever solves the riddle will receive half the kingdom; the owner of the farmhand promised to give him 6 pieces of gold, and 3 pieces of gold as king; the owner came to the king; he decided to hang the farmhand for not keeping his word and talking; farmhand: you told me to remain silent until the first meeting with me, and I have met you many times (portrait on coins); the king gave him 3 more pieces gold, but drove the owner away]: Malkonduev 2017:926-928; Ingush [a neighbor asks why a woman always bakes 6 chureks; she explains: I lend two (to children), two to pay a debt (to my father-in-law and husband) ), I throw away one (mother-in-law), eat one]: Sadulaev 2004, No. 53:139; Georgians [answering the tsar's questions, the peasant says that he pays the debt (i.e. supports his parents), invests money, hoping for interest (raises sons), throws money out the window (raises daughters); the king demands an explanation, rewards the peasant]: Kurdovanidze 2000, No. 921A: 76; (cf. kumyks [biy was driving with the viziers, met an old man, who was rocking wheat; biy's conversation with the old man: - Did it snow on the mountain? - And bad weather enveloped the plain. - What do you eat? - I chew bread with meat. - What are you doing? - I lent and I repay the debt. - If I gave you two fat utons, what would I do? - I would pluck and leave no fluff; Biy promises to drive away the viziers if they do not understand what they were talking about; they return to the old man, who tells them to give their horses, clothes and money; snow on the mountain is gray hair, bad weather on the plain - my eyes can't see; I don't have teeth, I chew my gums; I lend and repay - I sowed wheat in the fall, now I'm harvesting; plucked ducks are you]: Aliyeva 2013, No. 3:45-46); Kurds: Jalil et al. 1989, No. 93 [the peasant replies that he lives well: I pay debts (to my parents), I lend (to my children), I live for the rest myself]: 399-400; Farizov, Rudenko 1959 [the padishah gives the young vizier a ram, tells me to cook roast, weave a carpet out of wool and return a live ram; the vizier goes on a journey, an old man went with him; the vizier proposes to build a bridge by the river, the old man does not understand; wading across the river and going to grief, the vizier offers to cut down the stairs; asks if there is a caravanserai in the city (there are many of them); at home, the old man tells his daughter about his companion's strange proposals; she listened and gave her father four bread and 12 eggs, tells the young man to be taken to the caravanserai; after receiving the package, the vizier asks: is your year 11 months old and 3 weeks in a month? daughter: you ate one bread and one egg! asks to bring a young man to her; the girl is slightly slanting; the vizier: the house is good, but the window is crooked; the girl: only the smoke comes out straight; tells her to give her a ram; explains to his father that the young man offered to brighten up the way with a conversation; wanted stay in an old man's house, not in a caravanserai; the girl scoped the ram and fried her testicles, weaved a carpet out of her trimmed wool; after learning how it was, the padishah tells me to bring the girl to marry her; the girl demands dowry: 20 rams, 30 bulls, 40 lions, 50 wolves, 60 foxes, 70 old skins; does the padishah understand? he's already 70! then the vizier married; the girl demands to solve the riddle: a person earns 5 kurush; one pays a debt, the other lends, the third throws it to the wind, the remaining two live with his wife; the vizier: supports parents, son, daughter; wedding]: 132-135.
Iran - Central Asia. Pashtuns [the text is the same as the Kumaoni text]: Lebedev 1955:124.
Baltoscandia. Lithuanians [the king asks the man how much he earns; he says that he pays 50 rubles to the king (file), pays 50 rubles (he has an old father), borrows 50 (raises a son) and 50 rubles throws away the swamp (daughters for a dowry); the king promises to reward the man on the condition that he does not tell anyone else the answer; asks ministers; the senior minister finds a man, gives money to he figured it out; the man sees the king's face on the coin and tells him how he would; the king has nothing to answer; asks why the hair is gray and the beard is black; man: the beard is 20 years younger; is the sky high? man: no, go to heaven, you'll hear me knock on the ground right away; the earth is deep: my grandfather spent 25 years ago, but he hasn't returned yet; (etc., the man got the general's estate)]: Lebite 1965:309- 313; Latvians [a peasant mysteriously answers the master (tsar) when asked where he puts his money - throws it out the window, gives loans, etc.]: Aris, Medne 1977, No. 921A: 332; Finns, Lives: Uther 2004 (1), No. 921A: 546; Counselors: Kecskeméti, Paunonen 1974, No. 921A: 239.
Volga - Perm. Chuvashi [patsha asks the stonecutter how he spends his money; he replies that he divides his earnings into 4 parts; he pays one for debts, throws the other out on the street, the third on the street, the third, and the fourth spends on himself and his wife; explains what it means (feeds parents, daughter and son); Patsha promises to send him wild geese - to pluck their fluff without touching their feathers; sends three nobles with orders to solve the mystery of the stonemason; from each side of money; patsha to the stonecutter: plucked geese? - Pooh took off naked, but did not touch his pen]: Eisin 1993:319-321; Komi-Zyryans: Kecskeméti, Paunonen 1974, No. 921A: 239; Kazan Tatars [the sower throws the first handful to pay off the debt, the second - lends, the third for dear guests; the young man guessed: this is for parents, sons, daughters (they will visit and marry)]: Zamaletdinov 2010, No. 7:42-43; Bashkirs [the tsar sentenced the man to be hanged; the princess objects: the witnesses conspired; the tsar ordered to wait for the execution, went for a walk with the vizier, began to talk to the plowman; - How much do you divide the income from the field by? - Five: I spend one part to pay off the debt, I waste the second, I lend the third, throw the fourth to the wind, and feed the fifth. - I'll send you an important bird, will you be able to pluck it? - And there will be no fluff left; the king tells the vizier that if he does not understand what he was talking about tomorrow, he would be hanged instead of that man; the vizier's mother advises him to take a barrel of silver to the ploughman and a barrel of gold; having received a receipt that the vizier gave everything himself, the ploughman explains: the first part to his parents, the second to his wife, the third to his son, the fourth to his daughter, the fifth to himself; the vizier is that bird; the vizier a ploughman was expelled to his place; he judges again, each witness tells differently (the murder took place either at the foot of the mountain, or on a slope, the slopes are different, etc.); the accused was acquitted, false witnesses were fined]: Barag 1990, No. 32:84-88.
Eastern Siberia. Central Yakuts (a summary of two texts, one of which is archival; at least central) [God asks the blacksmith why he works hard; Blacksmith: we eat half with an old woman myself, I throw one quarter into the water (to my daughter), I lend the other (to my son); then God blessed me to work only for myself, since then the blacksmiths have become poor]: Ergis 1967b, No. 245:228.