M207. Mouse in a bowl, ATU 1416. .15.-.17.27.-.29.31.
The poor blame Adam and Eve for their misfortunes. A powerful figure gives them the opportunity to live comfortably on the condition that they do not violate a certain prohibition (usually not to open a vessel). They are unable to resist the temptation and are then returned to their previous state.
Spaniards, Portuguese (Catalonians), French (Upper Brittany, Auvergne, Ariège), Bretons, Germans (Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein), Frisians, Flemings, Irish, English, Palestinians (Arabs of Lebanon), Hungarians, Romanians, Bosnians, Macedonians, Bulgarians, Albanians, Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Lemkos (or Belarusians), Ukrainians (Podolia, Kharkov), Russians (border of Smolensk, Moscow, Kaluga), Terek Cossacks, Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Vepsians, Finns, Western Saami, Norwegians, Swedes, Danes.
Southern Europe. Spanish : FF Communications 259, no. 9 {check!}; Catalans [to test whether a woman can overcome her curiosity, she is given a box which she must not open for several days; when the woman opens it, a bird flies out of the box and never returns]: Oriol, Pujol 2008, no. 1416: 242.
Western Europe. The French (Upper Brittany) [the woodcutter Jerome and his wife Gerbrude discuss their unhappy life; it is Eve who is to blame for everything; a fairy descends from the holly tree and gives them an inexhaustible purse, but on one condition: a pot is buried that must not be opened; resisting the temptation becomes unbearable: they dig up the pot, but instead of gold it contains ashes and calcified bones; at the same moment their purse becomes empty; G. tries to deny it, saying that she did not touch the pot, but the fairy orders them not to blame Eve anymore]: Orain 1904: 67-75; the French (Franche-Comté) [a husband and wife were chopping wood in the forest; the wife began to scold Eve: if it were not for her curiosity, life would not be so hard; the master heard and invited the couple to the castle; eat what you like, but do not touch the tureen at the end of the table; the wife: I will open it! the husband objected but gave in; a wren flew out from under the lid; the lord: do not scold the ancestress, you have no right to do so]: Beauquien 1910: 288; French (Auvergne) [the king overheard a conversation between his wife and husband at the door of the hut; the wife scolds Eve: because of her we are poor and unhappy, ah, if only Adam had beaten her that time; the king brings them to live in the palace; everything is at their disposal, but they must not open the tureen; the wife opened it, the mouse jumped out and ran away; the king expelled the couple in disgrace: they are more stupid than Eve]: Sébillot 2004, no. 4: 30-32; French (Ariège): Joisten 1965, no. 24 in Uther 2004(2), no. 1416: 205; Bretons [a poor man complains about his fate, repeating: Adam is to blame for everything; an old man allows him to live a carefree life on the condition that he not look at what is on the windowsill under an overturned bowl; the poor man's wife looks in, the bird flies out, the couple again live in poverty; the old man: don't scold Adam]: Luzel 1888: 1 in Sébillot 2004: 33; Germans (Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein), Frisians , Flemings , Irish , English : Uther 2004(2), no. 1416: 205.
Western Asia. Palestinians [a woodcutter complains about his hard life; Adam is to blame for everything; an angel in the form of a stranger approaches, listens to the poor man, creates a garden with all kinds of fruits; but tell no one about what he saw; the man tells and again finds himself in the position of a poor woodcutter; the angel makes a second attempt - with the same result; after the third, the angel tells the woodcutter to die in the forest]: Schmidt, Kahle 1930, no. 67: 5-7; (cf. the Arabs of Lebanon {since only one single, Lebanese, fixation is given, the plot can be roughly reconstructed from the list of motifs} [there is no talk of the guilt of the ancestors; the husband places wasps under the mug and forbids his wife to look; she lifted the mug, the wasps stung her]: El-Shamy 2004, no. 1416: 792-793).
Balkans. Bulgarians [the king hears a poor couple blaming Adam and Eve for their misfortunes; allows them to live at court; or, at the queen's request, the king allows the poor man to participate in government; but the box cannot be opened/unlocked; however, the couple (or just the wife) violates the prohibition; a mouse runs out or a bird flies out; the king says that they are guilty of the same sin (that, not having self-control, the poor man is even less able to participate in government)]: Daskalova-Perkovska et al. 1994, no. 1416: 460; Hungarians , Romanians , Bosnians , Macedonians , Albanians : Uther 2004(2), no. 1416: 205.
Central Europe. Russians (Meshchovsky district: border of Moscow, Kaluga, Smolensk; dialect resembles Belarusian) [a poor old man and an old woman reproach Adam and Eve: if they had not sinned, we would live in paradise; a rich man heard this, settled them in a two-story palace; enjoy everything, but look into this cup; old woman: let's open it; old man: open it, what's wrong with that; a little mouse jumped out of there and ran away; rich man: where is the little mouse? why are you kicking Adam and Eve; he chased them away]: Chernyshev 1901, no. 27: 15-16; (cf. Russian (Olonetskaya, Povenetsky u.) [an old man and an old woman left work; the old man invites the baptized to dinner; he invited these too, but there was nowhere to sit; "You will dine later too"; the guests left, the old man put an overturned mug on the table (and a little mouse under it); they think: he is testing us; they lifted the mug, something flew out of it; they left, thanked for the dinner; the old man: childishly, you shouldn't have done that]: Onchukov 2008, 289: 515-516); Poles [a peasant scolds Adam (or a woman scolds Eve): life is hard because of their curiosity; the master hears this, brings the peasant to the castle: let him live as he pleases, but don't look under the lid of the vessel; he cannot contain his curiosity, a mouse jumps out of the vessel; the master drives him away]: Krzyżanowski 1963, No. 1416: 60; Czechs , Slovaks : Uther 2004(2), no. 1416: 205.
Caucasus – Asia Minor. Russians (Terek Cossacks) [an old man and an old woman were returning from a funeral feast; they reproach Adam and Eve: if we had not sinned, we would have lived well; a gentleman walking behind heard them and called them to dinner; eat whatever and as much as you want, just don’t open this tureen; the old woman persuades him to open it, the old man finally agrees; a mouse jumped out from under the lid; the gentleman: are you full? – Yes; he opened the tureen: how full, but why did you eat the mouse? the old man: it’s all the old woman’s doing; the gentleman: judge our ancestors, and what’s better for yourself; he slapped them both on the back of the head and threw them out]: Baranov 1903b, No. 12: 99-100; Lemkos (Siedlce province; Belarusians are listed in the SUS), Ukrainians (Podolia, Kharkov).
Baltoscandia. Latvians [ The Mouse in the Silver Bowl . The poor man's wife reproaches Eve for her curiosity and claims that women today are not like that; the king invites her to the palace but forbids her to look under the bowl; the wife violates the ban and must return home]: Arijs, Medne 1977, no. 1416: 352; Lithuanians : Balys 1936, no. 1416: 129; Estonians [Adam and Eve: a mouse jumps out from under the plate]: Aarne 2018, no. 15: 141; Vepsians : Kecskeméti, Paunonen 1974, no. 1416: 255; Western Sami (Southern, Hattfjelldal) [an old married couple are felling trees and scolding Adam and Eve, who were expelled from paradise because of their curiosity; the king hears this, brings them to him, feeds them the best food for four weeks; but forbids them to open the casket, although the key is right there; the wife refuses to eat: just to see what is in the casket; a mouse jumps out of the casket, they try in vain to catch it; the king: where is the mouse? woodcutter: the wife told him to open the casket; the king: in the forest you said that you would hit Eve in the face, but you didn’t hit your wife? go back to the forest]: Qvigstaf, Sandberg 1888: 93; Norwegians [the king hears the complaints of a poor woman: curious Eve is to blame for everything; he invites the woman and her husband to live in his palace, forbidding them to open the silver cup; the woman opens it: there is a mouse; the spouses return]: Hodne 1984, No. 1416: 252; Swedes [the poor woman is angry with the curious Eva; the king settles her and her husband in the palace; everything is at their disposal, but they must not look into the vessel standing on the table; however, they violate the prohibition, a rat jumps out of the vessel, the spouses are expelled from the palace; in France the plot has been recorded since the 12th century, in Germany since the 16th century; there are Flemish and Danish variants]: Liungman 1916, No. 1416: 206.
See 199.doc
