M39b1. They row in both directions, ATU 1276. (.15.) .16. (.15.) .19.20.22.27.28.31.39.
Once in the boat, some people row in one direction and others in the opposite direction, the boat remains in place.
(Maltese), Irish, Dutch, Friesians, (Iraqi Arabs), Wangunu, Santa Isabel, Tokelau, Khmers, Croats, Romanians, Russians (Kazan Gubernia), Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, Westerners Sami, forest and tundra Yukaghirs.
(Wed. Southern Europe. The Maltese [man rows without noticing that the boat is tied]: Mifsud-Chircop 1978, no. 1276:482).
Western Europe. Irish, Dutch, Friesians: Uther 2004 (2), No. 1276:97.
(Wed. Western Asia. The Arabs of Iraq (Basra) [slaves and servants led by Mubarak decided to leave the house of the sheikh, who oppressed them; at night they came to the river, got into a boat, began to row; in the morning the owner went to the river, saw the servants rowing in a boat tied to the shore; M. decided that they had sailed to the owner's relatives, who were visiting them; everything was explained, the owner laughed, became kind to the servants]: Yaremenko 1900, No. 36:178-179).
Melanesia. Wangoon [Kesoko was fishing; saw a hundred giants come out of the forest, lowered the boat; 50 sat aft, 50 on the bow, one forward, the others back, the boat in place; K. showed how to do it; sailed to the island; the giants left it and sailed away, shouted that they would be back in 9 days; K. let the fish rot; the giants returned, thought K. was dead; he sailed away in their boat, shouting that he would be back in 9 days days; when he came back, they all starved to death]: Solomon 1995:77-81; Santa Isabel (bugotu) [the people of the (now extinct) Monggo group went to Nagotano, loading the boat with food; rowing all night, in the morning saw that the boat was tied to a tree and they did not budge; another time, a hundred Monggo men decided to secretly cut down someone else's walnut tree; to make it fall silently, 99 stood under it, preparing to grab it; the hundredth knocked down the tree with an ax, it crushed 99 to death; the owners ran to the noise, the hundredth ran away; the crushed were left under the tree; (p. 350-351: similar stories with monggo fools)]: Bogesi 1948, No. 5:348- 349; (cf. San Cristobal [masi ("fools"; there are many stories about them, Fox 1924:148-154) decided to go by boat; they tied the stern, placing the boat on the edge of the cliff; they hit everyone with oars at once, the rope burst, the boat fell off a cliff, everyone crashed]: Fox 1924:153).
Micronesia-Polynesia. Tokelau [husband and wife both named Sepeka, live in Fiji, have a daughter, Sina; the Chief of Fiji marries, promises that S.'s house will stand in public, she will eat people, S. refuses; the same chief Tonga; Chief Vava'u Tinilau promises to feed his wife fish and birds, she agrees; they have a son in Vava'u; people think S. is sleeping and scolding her because T. did not give gifts either after the wedding or after the wedding the birth of a son; S. grabs a child, says T. that he is leaving him; he calls to accompany her to Fiji; in a boat with Mu and Sausau fish rowers, each rowing in its direction, the boat stands still; T. explained how to row; while sailing along the coast, S. does not answer truthfully where they are going; S.'s parents sent a boat to Vava'u with rich gifts (special mats), and S. and T. stayed in Fiji]: Burrows 1923:157-158.
Burma - Indochina. The Khmers [blind and lame run away from their owners in the boat; they row all night, facing each other; in the morning the owners see their boat at the shore; the lame puts the blind man on his back, they run away by land; the blind man mistakes the tiger for a bull, throws a rope through his nostrils, the tiger runs away in horror; the honey collector gives them manure instead of honey; the blind hears a knock, thinks it is a collector, but there is a woodpecker on the tree; people forced to give the Yakka princess (cannibal giant); blind and lame come to the Yakka house; the yakk comes, demands that the visitor show his liver, heart, hair; the blind man throws the basket, the turtle, the ropes, The yakk runs away in horror; at night, the Yakka's wife comes in, the blind man cuts off her head with a sword; sharing jewelry, friends fight; from the blows the blind saw the light, straightened up lame; the former blind man gets the princess and the kingdom makes the former lame chief adviser]: Gorgoniev 1973:78-88.
The Balkans. Croats, Romanians: Uther 2004 (2), No. 1276:97
Central Europe. Russians (Kazan Gubernia) [Rowing in different directions without moving forward]: Mozharovsky 1882:87 in SUS 1979, No. 1276:278.
Baltoscandia. Norwegians (lots of records) [while sitting in a boat, one person rows one way and the other; they solve the problem in their own way - they usually remove the plug in the bottom of the boat, so one doesn't have to paddle and scoop water;]: Hodne 1984, no. 1276:233; Swedes [a woman is rowing and a boat is tied, or two women are rowing facing each other]: Liungman 1961, No. 1276:280.
SV Asia. Tundra Yukaghirs (p. Andryushkino, Verkhnekolymsky District) [Yongochiliken and Angachiliken decide to rob their neighbors; they get into a boat, each row with their oar in different directions; they think they have sailed to their neighbors, do not recognize their own chum, they kill their sleeping wives, share property; realizing their mistake, they fight, kill each other]: Kurilov 2005, No. 45:377-379; forest yukaghirs (p. Ridiculous Verkhnekolymsky District) [Lopcho's elder brother, middle Loshiya, younger Gin; G. comes out of the plague, takes the stars for Koryak enemies; brothers run to the river, sit on a stone, row; in the morning they take their own house for house Russians, they fire with bows, killing their own wives and children; Lopcho and Loshiya kill Gin for deception, fight, kill each other]: Kurilov 2005, No. 49:389-391 (=Zhukova, Chernetsov 1992:85-87; about the same in Jochelson 1900, No. 16:31-33).