M39a7. Misunderstood instructions: washing with boiling water, ATU 1013. (.13.) .14.-.17.21.23.27.-.30. (.31.)

When instructed to wash the old man with warm water, the fool steams him with boiling water.

(Sudanese Arabs), Egyptian Arabs, Basques, Italians (Valle d'Aosta, Veneto, Tuscany, Calabria), Maltese, Spanish, Germans (Pomerania), Palestinians, Ao, Meitei, Santals, Greeks, Western and Northern Ukrainians, Belarusians, Megrelians, Georgians (Imereti), Turks, Persians, (Latvians).

(Wed. Sudan - East Africa. Arabs Sudan [scalded child]: El-Shamy 2004, No. 1013:697).

North Africa. Egyptian Arabs: El-Shamy 2004, No. 1013:697.

Southern Europe. The Basques [when they left, two brothers told the third fool to wash the sick mother in warm water; he threw her into boiling water, dressed her corpse and put her in bed; when they found the dead mother, the brothers went on a journey, spent the night in a tree; robbers are located under the tree; the fool wrote, they think that fat is dripping from the sky; brothers something (el portón is the door?) dropped, thieves ran away leaving money]: Barandiaran 1962a, No. 24:95-97; Italians (Valle d'Aosta, Veneto, Tuscany, Calabria): Cirese, Serafini 1975, No. 1013:; Maltese [text no retold; references to similar ones from Spaniards, Italians and Greeks]: Mifsud-Chircop 1978, No. 1013:425.

Western Europe. Germans (Pomerania): Uther 2004 (2), No. 1013:14-15

Western Asia. Palestinians: El-Shamy 2004, No. 1013:697.

Tibet is the Northeast of India. Ao [the father is dead, the brothers are left with the mother; the youngest weeds instead of weeds; when instructed to wash the mother, pours boiling water on her to death; does not bury her, but leaves the corpse on the road; Buries alive a man who was drinking water in a spring; crumbling his mother's corpse to pieces; the older brother was sleeping, a worm crawled on him, the younger shot a worm, killing his brother; then killed a tiger with a gun]: Smith 1926, No. 20:384-385; the Meitei [the widow's eldest son is clever, the youngest is stupid; when leaving for the field, the elder asks the younger to tie the calf when the sun rises to the top of the bamboo and wash the mother with warm water; fool tied the calf to the top of the bamboo, let it go, the calf hangs, suffocating; poured boiling water on his mother, she died, her mouth was open; the fool thought she looked at him with pleasure; put sugar in her mouth cane; went to the bazaar, the elder told us to take salt home; leaving out of need, the youngest put a bag of salt in the water, the salt dissolved; the fool stole the royal jewelry; the clever told me not to talk about it , hid himself in the barn; the fool answered those who came looking for them: my brother told me not to say that I had stolen them and that he was in the barn himself; my brother was thrown into prison; the fool relieved the turtle, saw that his the bunch moves by itself to the river; next time he spoiled his mother-in-law's house; began to beat his bowel movements, the whole room was ruined; (and other episodes); then his mother-in-law taught him how to behave correctly]: Singh 1985:251-258.

South Asia. Santala [Bajun is the elder brother, he is married, Jhore is the youngest; B.'s wife is ill; he tells D. to cook food with three cups (rice) in the pot; he cooks the cups; B. tells me to go plow if the plough will catch on the roots, cut it with an ax; D. cuts the legs of oxen; B. tells the patient to be washed with warm water, he scalds her, she dies; B. chases D., he picks up his goat's stomach, hides in the hollow; B. pokes colom, his stomach falls out, B. thinks it's D.'s stomach, leaves; when B. offers memorial food, D. climbs to the roof, tells him to give it to him; takes all the food, runs away, offers everyone; thieves take him to themselves; they enter the house, and D. beats the drum; next time they climb into the stable, the tiger also climbed there; thieves saddled horses, and D. rode a tiger, which ate it in the forest]: Bodding 1927, No. 25:3-19 (translation in Zograf 1971, No. 75:275-281).

The Balkans. Greeks: Uther 2004 (2), No. 1013:14-15

Central Europe. Ukrainians (Volyn, Pokutye), Belarusians ["Bathe (keep warm) your grandmother": puts it in boiling water or in an oven]: SUS 1979, No. 1013:257.

Caucasus - Asia Minor. Georgians (Imereti) [Garkom is the elder brother, the fool Kant is the youngest; orphans, they came to work for the landowner; K. began to herd sheep, climbed a pear, threw pears to the sheep, telling them to hide them them for him; the sheep scattered; K. killed them, leaving one goat with a pear stuck between its horns; the brothers ran away, hired a nobleman; G. bathed his old father, and K. carried firewood; once they changed, K. put the old man in a bath of boiling water, then put the corpse in bed; began to stuff porridge into the dead man's mouth; the brothers ran away again; in the forest G. asked K. for a burka, who cut it off piece by piece, and at night G. froze to death; K. found a jug of money, but saw his shadow and thought it was chasing him; he threw money at her, then hit the shadow on the head with a jug; came to the mosque, became ugly there, Azerbaijanis beat him to death]: Kagan 1989a, No. 82-85; Megrelians [the fool stayed with the shepherd, and the clever older brother moved on; the fool drove the sheep, the apple tree to the pasture; he climbed on it, began to shake and shout to the sheep: leave my share, or I'll take off my head; when I cried, I saw that the rams ate all the apples, only two got an apple stuck between their horns; the fool killed everyone but these; then the older brother came up and told to run - the owner will punish; in the city she gave a fool to the service of an honest man; the fool was told to wash the owner's mother; he put her in boiling water, the old woman cooked; the fool, as ordered, gave her food from milk and flour; the old woman does not eat, the fool yelled at her, the older brother told her to run, the fool took with him a pot full of food; the brothers climbed the tree to sleep; they sat under the tree robbers; the fool threw the cauldron, the robbers ran away, leaving the brothers good; three apples, three pomegranates]: Gachava et al. 1890:12-14; Megrelians [smart older brother, younger strongman and fool; went to sell ox; the tree shook in the wind; the fool decided that it wanted to buy an ox for 25 rubles; tied it up, promising to return for money; the next day there was no ox at the tree; the fool pulled out the tree in anger and found money under his roots; he took 25 rubles, did not touch the rest; the elder brother took the money; both went and were hired by a giant - a fool as a shepherd of goats, and a clever servant of a giant's mother; once the fool was not given lunch for his wrongdoing; he climbed the apple tree, began to shake off the apples; the goats ate them, only two had an apple left between their horns; the fool did not touch these, and cut the rest of the goats; the brother became to scold the fool, sent the giant's mother to buy it in milk; he poured hot, the woman cooked; the giant did not immediately realize that his mother was dead, the brothers managed to escape, climbed a tree for the night; the fool had with him scrap, he dropped it on the travelers who had gathered under the tree; they ran away; the brothers went down to pick up the goods, but the giant came running; the clever brother knocked over the pot of soup; the fool thought the giant was to blame and killed him]: Gachava et al. 1890:15-16; Turks: Eberhard, Boratav 1953, No. 323 [the fool is told to wash and feed the old mother; he scalded her with boiling water, filled her mouth and nose with food], 324.III (same): 357, 359.

Iran - Central Asia. Persians (Mazendaran) [mother washed with boiling water, she died]: Marzolph 1984, No. 1000:184

(Wed. Baltoscandia. Latvians [devil (master) tells the farmhand to wash the children, he steams them with boiling water]: Aris, Medne 1977, No. 1013:339).