M39e1a. Mice ate iron, ATU 1592, 1592A.
.14.17.23.24.27.-.29.31.-.33.
The character claims that the mice ate iron (gold).
Arabs of Morocco, Arameans, Arabs of Syria (?) , Ancient India, Kashmiris, Punjabis (?) , kumaoni (?) , Gujarati, Nias, Moldovans, Bulgarians, Macedonians (?) , (Greeks?) , Ukrainians (Transcarpathia, Ivano-Frankivsk region), Crimean Tatars, Adygs, Karachays or Balkarians, Avars, Kurds, Latvians, Lithuanians (?) , Kazan Tatars, Uighurs (Lobnor).
North Africa. The Arabs of Morocco [a Jew buys iron and says it was eaten by mice; a bribed kadi agrees with him; the sultan appoints man to be the chief of the mice; the houses of Kadia and a Jew died]: Nowak 1969, No. 388 : 327.
Western Asia. Aramei [while leaving on business, the merchant left a load of iron for storage by a friend; he sold it, and told the merchant that the iron had been gnawed by mice; the merchant pretended to believe; when he came to visit a friend, he took him away He hid his little son with him; said that the boy was taken away by a falcon; if mice can eat iron, this is not surprising; an acquaintance promised to give the money he received for iron if the merchant returned him son]: Belov, Wilsker 1960:328-329 (=1972:309-310); Syrian Arabs: El-Shamy 2004, No. 1592:870-871.
South Asia. Ancient India [the story of mice that ate iron is in all versions of Panchatantra and Jataka No. 18 of the Cambridge Edition]: Tawney, Penzer 1926a: 64; Kashmiris: Jason 1989, No. 1592A [ The transformed golden pump]: 52; Knowles 1885 [When leaving home, the owner of the iron entrusted it to a merchant he knew; when he returned a few years later, the merchant who sold the iron said that it they ate rats; the man did not argue, but kidnapped and hid the merchant's son; seeing the parent's grief, the man said that he had seen the boy carried away by a hawk; How can a hawk carry a child? - Just like rats eat iron; one returned iron and the other brought back the boy; the text seems to have been translated from a Persian source, but is well known in Kashmir]: 199-200; Punjab: Jason 1989, No. 1592:52; kumaoni (or himachali plowmen, or rather garvali) [the man left a load of iron to a friend for storage; a few months later he asked for it back, a friend said that insects spoiled the iron; the man stole and hid his friend's little child; he complained to the king; the man said that just as the insects ate the iron, the eagle took the child away; the king ordered one to return the boy and the other to return the iron]: Upreti 1894:403; Gujarati [Adanji Mullah is a merchant from Kambay; Bania came to him and asked him to sell Kankodi powder bags, boxes of soap, and a load of iron when the price was right and take it for yourself commission; he did so, but since B. did not come for a long time, AM decided to take all the money for himself; the worms ate the powder, the soap deteriorated, and the iron was gnawed by the mice; B. did not argue, but lured him AM's little daughter, locked in a room with toys and sweets; told AM that he saw the girl be carried away by a hawk; told the judge that it was as likely as the story about iron and soap; the judge demanded AM's books, found out the fraud, forced B. to return the money, and he returned the girl]: Jethabhai 1903, No. 10:30-36.
Malaysia-Indonesia. Nias [the man went on a trip, left a load of iron for storage to a friend; when he returned, he heard from a friend that the iron had been eaten by rats; the man did not argue and after a while stole this friend's child; he came to him; the man assured him that he saw the child grab an eagle; both friends went to the chief; told him what had happened to everyone; the chief told them to pray for each other friend]: Sundermann 1905, No. 5a: 64-65
The Balkans. Moldovans [the tax collector demanded money from the poor man; he said he prepared paper but they were gnawed by mice; the collector says this does not happen, threatens to sell his property under the hammer; goes to the boyar, he says that his horses were stolen from the meadow; there were iron pads, but they were eaten by mice; the collector agrees that this is quite possible]: Botezat 1981:378-379; Bulgarians [man trusted Nastradin Hoja has a load of iron; he said that the iron was eaten by mice; or Chorbaji (an Ottoman officer) claims, other Chorbaji support him; a poor man passing by notices that his mice ate flour ; Ciorbadzhi says this is incredible]: Daskalova-Perkovska et al. 1994, No. 1592:524; Macedonians [since Bulgarians have a motive, Macedonians also have one]: Uther 2004 (2), No. 1592:325-326) ; (cf. Greeks: Uther 2004 (2), No. 1592:325-326).
Central Europe. Ukrainians (Transcarpathia, Ivano-Frankivsk region) [A mouse that eats iron: a worker claims that the mouse ate the scales entrusted to him; the owner takes the employee's son and says he was taken away by a hawk]: SOUS 1979, NO. 1592:334.
Caucasus - Asia Minor. Crimean Tatars (Miskhor) [the rich man believes that his son is a little touched; when he died, he hid the gold in a bag in the attic and lowered the rope from it; tells his son to choke on it if he goes broke and friends will leave; once a son bought a liver, hung it on a tree, it was carried away by birds; friends said that this could not happen, they did not give him a penny; the young man decided to hang himself, a bag of gold fell on him; one day invited friends to a feast; said that the mice gnawed on his iron sticks; those who came agreed: this happens; the person drove them out of the house]: Zherdeva 2020, No. 39; Adygs [dying, the father advises his son hang himself in a certain place if he squanders his property; the son squanders his inheritance with friends, who then turn away from him; they do not even believe him that the dog can carry meat; he goes to hang himself in the specified place, the beam broke, gold hidden by his father is pouring out of the roof; the young man calls his unfaithful friends for a treat, tells a fairy tale that the mice allegedly ate his rogue (or something else iron); they pretend to believe; the young man drives away unfaithful friends]: Tkhamokova 2014, No. 910D: 183; Kabardian or Balkarians [Umar hid gold in the attic of the iron house; when he died, he told his son stay there if he wasted everything at all; the son wasted it, and when he asked his ex-friends for help, he was refused; he went back to them, promising to bring lamb lungs to eat; but left them in the tree and the birds ate his lungs; they did not believe him and laughed at him; decided to hang himself, fell, money fell out of the hatch that opened; the young man took up his mind, began to work, became rich again; came to his former friends and bitterly reported that his iron plough was eaten by mice; only one poor man doubted and laughed; the young man blames his ex-friends: they did not believe that the birds pecked the lamb's lungs, but they believe that the mice ate the iron; began to live well]: Malkonduev 2017:845-849; Avars [when leaving, the merchant left a load of iron to his neighbor; when he returned, the neighbor said that the iron was gnawed by mice; the merchant pretended to believe it, and he himself quietly took his neighbor's little son; when he came to ask about him, he replied that he saw an eagle carry the boy away; if the mice ate iron, the eagle could even carry an elephant; the neighbor returned the money for the iron sold, and the merchant gave him his son]: Saidov, Dalgat 1965:98-99; Kurds [Alo gave the gold to the Caliph for storage, and when he returned, he said that his money was eaten by mice; Balul-Zana promised help; asked the Caliph to let his children go for a walk with others; locked the Caliph's children and said that they were eaten by hares; the caliph had to return the money]: Rudenko 1970, No. 36:87-88.
Baltoscandia. Latvians [The owner complains that the mice ate three pounds of iron, which was given to him for storage. The blacksmith takes his master's son and says he was taken away by a hawk]: Aris, Medne 1977, No. 1592:362; Lithuanians: Uther 2004 (2), No. 1592:326.
Volga - Perm. Kazan Tatars (1 entry) [the merchant left the hardware in his friend's house; when he returned, he said that the iron had been gnawed by mice; the merchant kidnapped his friend's young son, said that he was taken away by a hawk; the deceiver was guilty, the merchant returned the child]: Zamaletdinov 2009, No. 26:94.
Turkestan. The Uighurs (Lobnor) [the merchant left a thousand iron genies to keep with a friend; returned two years later; a friend said that the iron was eaten by a mouse; the merchant lured and hid his six-year-old child man; the father looked for the boy; the merchant said he saw a hawk take him away; that man gave iron and got a son]: Malov 1956, No. 12:79-80.