M156A. Responsible Items.

.12.13.21.-.24.26.29.30.32.-.34.36.

A dangerous animal is going to kill a person or another animal that helped it. The predator and the victim agree to ask the oncoming people (passing by, swimming by) who is right. Among those who answer are inanimate objects (usually a tree).

Nupe [mat, cloth], Malagasy [wood], Tibetans [wood], Liang Mai [wood], Naga of Burma [wood, road], Viet [wood], Ancient India [wood], Punjabis [wood, road], Kumaoni [river], Uttar Pradesh (Hindi) [wood], Nepalese [wood], Santals [wood, water], Kho [wood], Marathas [wood], Assamese [wood, river], Bengali [wood, dam], Tamils ​​[wood], Oraons [wood], Pardhan [sun], Kondas [wood], Oriya [wood], Sinhalese [wood], Malays [wood, road], Simalur [wood], Lampung [stupa, koekoesan ], Rejang [corn, wood], Javanese [leaf bag, basket, mat], Bali [wood], Minahasa [tree], Koreans [tree], Nogai [tree], Rutuls [tree], Megrels [tree], Turks [tree, river], Persians [tree, water], Turkmens [tree, water], Uzbeks [tree], Tajiks [tree, water], mountain Tajiks [tree], Shugnans [tree], Parachi [tree], Bashkirs [coat collar], Kazakhs [tree], Uighurs [tree], Tofalars [leather bed], central(?) Yakuts [tree].

West Africa. Nupe [crocodile left on the beach, hunter drags it back to Niger, crocodile grabs his leg, drags him to the bottom; old mat , old clothes , old mare say that good is repaid with evil; the hunter has promised meat to the civet; she pretends to want to see how it was; the hunter leaves the crocodile on dry land]: Klipple 1992: 89.

Sudan - East Africa. Malgash (Sakalava) [during a forest fire, the Rakakabe monster gets stuck between two tree trunks; a man frees R., it wants to eat him; they decide to ask others if this is fair; the tree replies that people are ungrateful (it gives them shade, and they then cut its branches); the ox - the same; the shepherd pretends not to believe that R. could be trapped between the trunks; he gets trapped again, the people leave him there]: Haring 2007, no. 32: 40-42.

Tibet - Northeast India. Tibetans [a tiger was caught in a trap, a traveler Basan agreed to release it; the tiger was preparing to eat it; B. asked them to first ask those they met if it was fair; the tree replied that people were being unfair - they were hiding under it from the rain and then cutting down its branches; the hare said that he must first see for himself; tells the tiger to put his paw in the trap again; wait for the hunter]: Cassis 1962: 73-75; liangmai [the tiger persuaded the hunter to release it from the trap and was about to eat it; the buffalo and the banyan tree decide in favor of the tiger; the fox pretends to be slow-witted, asks the tiger to climb into the hole again; the animals of the forest took revenge on him by tearing him to pieces]: Miri 2006, no. 25: 88-89; Naga of Burma [the young man Supo agreed to open a trap in which a tiger was caught; the tiger is going to eat him; the road , the tree say that people are ungrateful; the fox wants to see how it was at first; the tiger climbs into the trap, stays in it]: Kasevich, Osipov 1976, No. 10: 50-53.

Burma - Indochina. Viet [Mac Tu was walking through the forest carrying a book box on his back; a leopard asked to hide it from the hunters in the box; when the hunters left and MT released the leopard from the box, the leopard was going to eat him; a buffalo and an apricot tree replied that there was no justice; an old man asked the leopard to climb back into the box to see for himself; when the leopard tried to get out again, the old man stabbed him]: Nevermann 1951: 97 in Kharitonov 1975, no. 153: 247-248.

South Asia. Ancient India (Panchatantra): Bødker 1957, no. 1150 [links to Panchatantra publications with this story]: 112-113; Parker 1910 [in Dubois edition; a Brahmin agrees to carry a crocodile that has found itself on dry land to the Ganges in a sack; the crocodile is about to eat it; a mango tree and an old cow agree that the man himself does not deserve gratitude; a jackal wants to know how it all happened and when the crocodile gets back into the sack, smashes its head with a stone]: 341; Punjabis : Sheikh-Dilthey 1976, no. 52 [a snake begs a man to save it from a fire; {the text breaks off on the Internet; according to Jason 1989: 23, this is ATU 150}]: 160-164; Steel, Temple 1884, no. 12 [a tiger persuaded a brahmin to release it from a trap, was about to eat it, and allowed him to consult three people; a banyan tree , a buffalo, and a road confirm that there is no such thing as gratitude; a jackal pretends not to understand, and the tiger climbs back into the trap]: 116-120 (retold in Elwin 1944: 392, in Siddiqui, Lerch 1998: 104-108); Uttar Pradesh (Mirzapur, Hindi ): Rouse, Crooke 1899, no. 16 [a fish {more likely a crocodile} came to the bank and persuaded a man to dismount his horse and carry it into the river, where it was deeper; was about to swallow the man; a crab- apple and an elephant say that there is no such thing as gratitude; The jackal pretends to want to get to the bottom of everything; tells the man to take the fish back to where it was and leave it; later the fish finally got to the water and when the jackal came up to drink, it grabbed his leg; Jackal: Why did you grab the root? The fish let go of his leg; One day it went ashore and climbed into the jackal's lair when he was not there; The jackal came up, suspected something was wrong, and began calling out: Lair, lair! The fish decided that its lair should answer to its owner and answered; The jackal said that he would be right back, collected some dry leaves and made a fire at the entrance; the fish roasted and the jackal ate it]: 165-171; India ( Hindi ) [The leopard persuaded the Brahmin to let him out of the cage; when he let him out, the leopard was about to eat him; The banyan tree , the camel, and the ox answer that people themselves are unjust and ungrateful; jackal wants to see how it all happened; leopard is back in the cage]: Starling and Pea 1956: 23-27; Marathi [Brahmin agrees to release tiger from cage, tiger is going to eat him; banyan , camel, ox, eagle, crocodile say there is no such thing as gratitude; jackal pretends to have to see how it all happened; tiger remains in cage, Brahmin and jackal go about their business]: Frere 1868, no. 14: 198-202; Kumaoni [man releases leopard from trap, leopard is going to eat him; cow, Ganges , the snake admits the leopard is right; the fox wants to see how it all happened; when the leopard is trapped again, the fox suggests leaving him there]: Upreti 1894: 188; Nepalese [a tiger persuaded a brahmin to let him out of his cage; was about to eat him; a tree , a donkey confirm that there is no gratitude; the fox orders him to show how it all happened, the tiger enters the cage, the brahmin closes it]: Sakya, Griffith 1980: 53-55; Assamese [having fallen into a trap, a tiger persuaded a man to let him out; was about to eat him; a tree, a stream agree with the tiger; the fox wants to see how it all happened; when the tiger is trapped again, advises the man to beat him to death]: Goswami 1960: 85; Bengalis [a tiger persuaded a brahmin to let him out of his cage; he was about to eat him; protective dam on a field (of paddy), banyan tree answer that people themselves are ungrateful and the tiger may eat the brahmin; the jackal wants to check how it all happened and whether the tiger was really in the cage and the brahmin let it out or vice versa; when the tiger entered the cage again, the jackal locked it and told the brahmin to go on his business - to a festival at the royal palace]: Bhattacharya 2006: 180-181; Oriya [the tiger begged the man to release it from the trap, was going to eat it; the tree , the ox say that there is no gratitude; the jackal pretends not to believe that the tiger could have fallen into the trap; the tiger climbs into it again and remains there]: Mohanti 1975: 117-118; Oriya (Dombo) [a tiger settled in the forest near the village, began to hunt people, especially women and girls; he took off his ornaments and kept them in vessels (gold in one, silver in another, the rest in a third); the people complained to the king, who ordered a trap to be made and a goat to be put in it; the tiger continued to hunt the people, but when they fled the village, he was tempted by the goat and was caught; a beggar approached; the tiger promised him his accumulated wealth if he would free him, swore not to touch him; the beggar freed him, the tiger was going to eat him; he agreed to ask those he met if he had the right to do so; the cow and fig tree answered that they did; the fox ordered them to show how it all happened; the tiger remained in the trap, the fox ordered them to inform the king about it; he sent warriors to kill the tiger and take the treasures; he endowed the beggar with land and cattle; the beggar and the fox remained friends]: Tauscher 1959, no. 1: 13-17; Santals : Bompas 1909, No. 44 [a prince looks at girls, they tell him that he has a wife – he was married in infancy; he rides to the village where the bride is to live, on the way he agrees to save a snake from a fire; it is going to eat him; tree , cow, water they say there is no such thing as gratitude; the prince begged to see his bride before being eaten; the wife went with the prince; told the snake that it must eat them both; the snake taught it how to turn any creature into dust and then bring it back to life; the prince's wife turned the snake into dust; all is well]: 149-154; Campbell 1891 [a tiger jumped on a buffalo, missed, got stuck in a quagmire; began to ask people to pull it out, promised not to eat anyone; they pulled it out, the tiger was going to devour the rescuers; the people asked the trees , the cow, who was right; everyone blamed the people (they cut down the trees, did not take care of the cows); the jackal said that he did not believe that a tiger could get stuck in a quagmire, asked to show; the tiger jumped again, the jackal told the people to stone the tiger]: 40-41; ho [a man agreed to let a tiger out of a cage, the tiger was going to eat him; the man asks permission to say goodbye to his family; asks a tree , it replies that people are evil; the same with another tree; a jackal pretends not to believe the story and wants to see how the tiger got into the cage; the tiger entered, the man closed the door and threw a stone at the tiger; the people killed the tiger by shooting with bows]: Halder 1916, no. 14: 289-291; oraons : Hahn 1906, no. 33 [a beggar Brahmin (Priester) caught a turtle to kill and eat; the turtle asked him to let it go, promised to take it across a river; in the middle of the river she was going to drown it; the tree replies that this is how it should be; the jackal (in the text a fox, but a jackal is meant) pretends not to hear well, asks to swim closer, tells the Brahmin to jump onto the shore; the tortoise promises to take revenge; the jackal comes to the water, the tortoise grabs his paw, he says that it grabbed a root, the tortoise lets go of its leg; tells the children to go to the jackal and tell him that the tortoise is dead; the jackal comes and says that the dead man should have his eyes open; the tortoise opens his eyes, the jackal smashes its head with a stone], 36 [the tiger persuaded the merchant to pull him out of the well, was going to eat him; the ox and the fig tree say that the tiger is right; the jackal wants to know how it all happened, tells the tiger to first get into the sack, the man beats the tiger to death]: 62-64, 68-69; pardhan [the fox and his mother are starving, they come to the tiger; the tiger killed a cow for them, the fox watched him carefully as he did this; attacked a horse, thinking it was an ox; the horse kicked the fox and killed his mother; the fox goes to another village where the tiger is in a cage; the tiger persuaded the Brahmin to release him, and then was about to eat him; the buffalo and the ox respond that the people are ungrateful; the Sun says that the people shamelessly relieve themselves in his presence; the tiger eats the Brahmin]: Elwin 1944, No. 18.1: 397-398; kondy [the tiger persuaded the Brahmin to release him from the trap; was about to eat him; tree mango, cow say tiger has right to do so; fox asks to see how it all happened; tiger remains trapped, fox and brahmin leave]: Schulze 1922, no. 5: 40-43; Tamils ​​[brahmin agrees to let tiger out of cage; tiger is going to eat him; banyan , camel, buffalo, eagle, crocodile say people are wicked and ungrateful; fox pretends to want to know how it all happened from the beginning; tiger enters cage, brahmin locks it]: Robertson 1885, no. 4: 372-363; Sinhalese [crocodile climbed onto bank in mud, finds it dried up; begged man to pull him out, is going to eat him; cumbuk tree (Terminalia glabra), cow say man is wicked and ungrateful, let crocodile eat him; jackal: I must see how it all happened; the man carries the crocodile back, the jackal orders to beat him to death]: Parker 1910, no. 63: 339-340 (translated in Volkhonsky, Solntseva 1985, no. 45: 91-92).

Malaysia – Indonesia. Malays [a man frees a tiger from a cage, the tiger is going to eat him; a road, a tree agree that good is repaid with evil; a dwarf deer pretends to want to see how it all happened; the tiger is back in the cage, the man kills it]: Skeat 1901: 20-21; Simalur [a fisherman catches a fish, gives it to his daughter to play with; she feeds it, the fish grows; the girl's parents die; having eaten all the rice, the fish is going to swallow the girl; she suggests looking for a judge; the fish swims, placing the girl on its head; a banana , a tree , a crayfish say that people are unfair, suggest swallowing the girl; the rajah orders her to jump ashore, takes her as a wife]: Koehler 1964: 69-72; lampung [a crocodile has lost its way on the shore; he will leave a she-buffalo to take it to the river; let him keep the cub, nothing will happen to it; [at the river he grabbed a she-buffalo by the leg and dragged her into the water; she suggested asking a floating wooden mortar whether it was right to do so; mortar: no gratitude: I was used and then thrown away; ditto koekoesan {some object}; but then the she-buffalo noticed a dwarf deer; he pretended not to understand her: let the crocodile drag her closer to the bank; after this the deer ordered him to kick the crocodile with his hoof and jump onto the bank; the she-buffalo was grateful]: Vries 1925, no. 5: 17-18; rejang [the son of the widow Anok Loemang carries a sack of rice; a tiger asks him to hide it in the sack – a dog chases him% AL poured out the rice, the tiger hid it; when the dog ran away, the tiger got out and was about to eat its savior; the corn , the tree answer that there is no justice; [the dwarf deer suggests that the tiger first climb back into the bag; tells him to beat him on the ground; the tiger died]: Helfrich 1927, no. 26: 312-314; Javanese [a tree fell on a crocodile; he persuaded the kancil (dwarf deer) to ask the bull to lift the tree and carry him, the crocodile, to the river; is about to eat him; a bag of leaves, a basket, and a mat floating down the river indicate that there is no gratitude; the kancil brings his friend the mundjak deer; he pretends to want to know how it all happened, the crocodile agrees to be carried back by the bull and crushed under a tree; remains in the trap]: Bezemer 1904: 51-71 (translated in Ostrovsky 1956: 82-95); Bali [the tiger begged the priest to release him from the trap; is about to eat him; the coconut palm and the cow say the tiger is right, the people themselves are ungrateful; the kancil (dwarf deer) wants to know how it all happened, tells the tiger to get back into the trap, leaves him there]: Hooykas-van Leeuwen Boomkamp 1983, no. 40: 174-178; Minahasa [a snake stuck among rocks and sand, asked the hunter to free it; said that it was terribly hungry, let him give it one dog; then all five; then was going to eat him himself; a tree , a cow agree that there is no such thing as gratitude; a monkey wants to see how it happened; the snake got into the trap again and stayed there]: Bezemer 1904: 293-294.

China – Korea. Koreans [a traveler pulled a tiger out of a pit; the tiger, contrary to his promise, is going to eat him; a pine tree and an ox decide in favor of the tiger; a rabbit asks the tiger to show how it all happened; the tiger jumps into the pit, the rabbit tells the man to leave him there and go away]: Choi 1979, no. 101: 33.

Caucasus – Asia Minor. Nogai [a man rescued a snake from a fire, put it in a bag, took it away from the fire, and released it; the snake was about to swallow him; a tree and a cow say that people are ungrateful; a fox does not believe that the snake fits in a small bag; tells the man to tie the bag and throw it into the fire]: Nogai 1979, no. 6: 18-20; Rutuls [a man found a box in the forest, opened it, and a monster crawled out and was about to eat him; it does not matter that the man freed it – all people are evil and deserve punishment; the man asked to find someone who would judge them; a tree , a spring , and a donkey confirm that people are ungrateful; a dog pretends not to believe that the monster could fit in the box; it climbs in there, the dog tells him to throw the box into the fire and to be smarter in the future]: Ganieva 2011a, no. 131: 309-310; Mingrelians [a peasant saw a dragon surrounded by fire; he threw him a box on a rope, he climbed into it, the peasant pulled it out; the dragon grew big again, ate the peasant's provisions, a camel, and was going to swallow him himself; a tree and a buffalo confirm that there is no gratitude; the fox pretends not to believe that the dragon could climb into the small box; he climbs in, the fox closed the box, and gave it to the peasant]: Stepanov 1898, no. 9: 26-29; Turks : Stebleva 1986, no. 6 [a man saved a snake that ended up on a burning tree, and it was going to bite him; an ox and a river answer that man and goodness are incompatible; a man promises a fox chickens, the latter says that a snake has no right to bite its savior; a man brings dogs instead of chickens, shakes them out of a sack, the fox barely escapes; promises to always steal chickens from now on], 70 [people want to burn a snake, a shepherd saves it, puts it in a sack, carries it, it wants to bite him; a bull, a tree say that the snake is right, people are ungrateful; the fox wants to know how it all happened, tells the shepherd to kill the snake; he promises her chickens; the wife advises to bring a greyhound in a sack; the fox rushed into the hole, but the shepherd noticed the tail, pulled the fox out, killed it, made a fur coat for his wife]: 25-26, 286-287.

Iran – Central Asia. Persians (Khorasan, Gilan, Isfahan) [a snake is pursued, it asks a man to hide it, when the danger has passed, it is going to bite him; the objects asked about (specifically, a tree, water) or animals answer that good is repaid with evil; a fox asks the snake to first climb back to where the man hid it, the man kills the snake; specific variants: 1) water , tree , fox answer; 2) tree , cow, fox; 3) a tiger is freed, cow, rooster, tree answer ; the monkey returned the tiger to the trap; 4) a hare freed the fox, the fox is going to eat him, a duck returned the fox to the trap]: Marzolph 1984, no. 155: 51-52; Turkmen [an old man dug up a chest, a snake crawled out of it, grew big, coiled itself around his neck, was going to strangle him; the camel and the mulberry tree answer that there is no justice; the boy, the son of a man named Sapa, pretended that he had to see how it all happened; when the snake crawled into the chest, he ordered the old man to bury it again]: Stebleva 1969, No. 41: 208-214; the Uzbeks [the steppe caught fire, the shepherd drives away the sheep, hears a hissing sound, saves the snake from the fire by throwing it a bag and pulling it out when the snake got into it; it is about to bite him, but agrees to ask those he meets whether good is repaid with evil or good; the cow and the apple tree answer that people repay good with evil; the Fox pretends not to believe that the snake could crawl into the bag; it climbs into it, the Fox orders it to be tied and beaten on the ground]: Afzalov et al. 1972(1): 37-39; Tajiks (Tashkent) [an old man pulled a snake out of the fire, it coiled itself around his neck, was about to kill him – three witnesses will confirm its right; water , a tree , a cow confirm that good is repaid with evil; the fox at first answered the same way, but then began to figure it out; pretends not to believe that the snake could fit in the old man’s bag; the snake climbs into the bag, the fox tells the old man to kill the snake]: Levin et al. 1981, no. 376: 282-285; mountain Tajiks (Darvaz) [a snake asked a man to pull it out of the fire, it was about to bite him; a willow answers that good is repaid with evil; the fox asks the snake to first let the man go, then tells him to beat the snake with a stick]: Semenov 1901: 3-4 (=1903, No. 2: 99-100); the Shugnans [a man pulled a snake out of the fire; carried it in a sack; when he asked it to get out and crawl away, it wrapped itself around his neck: good is repaid with evil; the tree confirms the snake's rightness; the fox does the same; some old man pretends not to believe the story, tells the snake to get back into the sack, and tells the man to kill it]: Zarubin 1960, No. 6: 77-79; parachi (b. Pachagan, Kapisa Province) [a man was walking along the road, came across a sick snake; he took it with him, cured it; when he released it from the bag, it said that it could bite him; the man asked why it wanted to do this; the snake replied that evil always comes out of people instead of good; first it gave an example with a cow: "A cow gives her owner milk, bears a calf, but in the end she becomes old, and his owner sells her to a butcher"; then it told about a tree : "A tree gives fruit, provides shade. The owner benefits from it. However, in the end the owner cuts it down with an axe and thus returns evil for good"; the man was friends with a fox; the fox asked the snake what evil the man had done to it; snake: "Throwed me in a bag, then (you) cured (?) me and I got well"; fox: "You are lying. You will not fit in this bag"; the snake did not agree and climbed into the bag; the fox told the man to tie it up; he did so]: Efimov 2009, No. IV.2: 151-152; Persians (Khorasan, Gilan, Isfahan) [the snake is pursued, it asks the man to hide it, when the danger has passed, it is about to bite him; the objects or animals questioned answer that good is repaid with evil; the fox asks the snake to first climb back to where the man hid it, the man kills the snake]: Marzolph 1984, No. 155: 51-52.

Volga – Perm. Bashkirs [a woodcutter freed a snake from under a stone, it coiled around his neck, was about to bite; a sheepskin coat collar , a dog responds that people are ungrateful; a fox demands to see how it all happened, the snake remains under the stone]: Barag 1989, No. 117: 441-142.

Turkestan. Kazakhs : Kaskabasov et al. 1979, No. 82 [a man saved a snake in a burning steppe; when he took it out of his bag, it was about to bite him; a willow and a cow answer that good is repaid with evil; an elder pretends not to believe that a snake could get into the bag; the snake was killed; on this occasion, the elder tells a parable about a king, a thief, and a monkey], 83 [=Bozingen 1985: 34-35; a tiger got caught in a net and asked a man to free it; the man freed it, but the tiger was about to eat it; a tree and a cow answer that good is repaid with evil; a jackal pretends not to believe that a tiger could get caught in a net; the tiger got into it again, the jackal told the man to leave; [the hunter killed the tiger, skinned it]: 160-162, 163-164; Uighurs [the wolf asked the plowman to hide him from the hunters; when they galloped away, he is going to eat him; the cow and the apple tree confirm that people are ungrateful; the fox wants to see everything for himself; the plowman covers the wolf with a robe, the fox orders him to kill the wolf with a stone; now he himself wants to eat the plowman; the same hunters appear; fox: what are they shouting? plowman: they ask who is standing next to me; fox: say it’s a stone; hunters: and you hit the stone against the stone; the plowman killed the fox]: Kabirov 1963: 286-289.

Southern Siberia – Mongolia. Tofalars [a long worm asks to be carried across a stream; on the other bank the worm begins to strangle a man; a leather bed , an old dog say that this is what people deserve; a fox demands to be shown how it happened; a snake climbed down to show; a fox to a man: from now on do not throw away a worn-out thing, but put it in a dry place, feed an old dog to death]: Rassadin 1996, No. 42: 106-107.

Eastern Siberia. Yakuts (summary of archival text, place of recording not specified; central?) [during a forest fire, a boy saves a snake; it chases him; he turns to trees and animals for help; a birch tree replies that people are skinning it, another tree that it is being cut down, animals that they are being killed; a fox invites the snake to show his ability to shrink; it climbs into a purse, the boy kills it]: Ergis 1967b, no. 68: 173-174.