The Husband Hunts Three Persons as Stupid as his Wife

Part Two

The Folktale from Ireland to India

III – The Simple Tale

1. Jests and Anecdotes

L. The Bad Wife

In those anecdotes in which the wife hides behind a tree and deceives the gullible husband, the sympathy of the story-teller is nearly always with her, for ordinarily her cause is just. And in folktales in general the wife is likely to be the object of pity and commiseration, so that some of the most beloved characters in the wonder tales are the long-suffering and persecuted heroines. But even in these same wonder, tales cruelty often shows itself most merciless in faithless sisters, mothers, and wives. [321]

In the folk anecdote, influenced perhaps by fabliaux and novelle with their medieval bias against women, the woman usually appears as wicked, over bearing, and faithless, or at best unutterably stupid.

The medieval literary tale of the Widow of Ephesus (K2213.1; Type 1510) has itself never become popular among the folk, but it has given rise to a number of similar anecdotes of faithless widows. In all of these the central point is that the wife plans her new marriage on the day of the husband's funeral. In one such tale she is ready to marry the messenger who brings news of the husband's death, but the husband has only feigned death in order to test her (T231.3; Type 1350). With slight variation this tale is known in the folklore of various parts of Europe. It is the only one of the considerable cycle which has become thus popular. [322]

In the tales of King Thrushbeard and The Taming of the Shrew (Types 900, 901) we have seen how husbands have, in one way or another, brought under subjection their shrewish wives. But sometimes the wife is so evil that neither man nor devil can cure her. Thus it is in the well-known literary story of Belfagor. In its usual form, the man persuades his shrewish wife to let herself be lowered into a well. When he comes to pull her out, he raises a genie or devil, who is glad to escape from the woman. Later, when he wishes to frighten the devil, he has only to tell him that the wife has escaped (T251.1.1; Type 1164). This story goes back to India and the Sukasaptati, but it appears in nearly every later collection of tales down through the Renaissance, and as a folktale it has been recorded more than one hundred times in various parts of Europe.

Another literary anecdote which has been generally adopted by tellers of folktales is that of the obstinate wife. In its three forms it has essentially the same action. The husband has a long argument with his obstinate wife which ends with his throwing her into a stream. As sometimes told, the argument has been about whether something has been cut with a knife or with scissors. She gets the last word, for as she sinks under the water, she makes with her fingers the motion of shearing with scissors. Or she has called her husband a lousy-head and as she sinks she makes the sign of cracking a louse. [p. 210]

In a third variety the obstinate wife falls into the stream and drowns. Neighbors find him next day seeking for her upstream from the drowning place. He says that she would be too obstinate to go with the current (T255 and subdivisions; Type 1365ABC). All three of these forms appear frequently in the tale collections of the Middle Ages and all of them may still be heard in almost any part of Europe. So far as I am aware, only the variety with the sign of the shearing has been reported from America.

Evil intentions on her part are not necessary to make a wife undesirable. She can be so stupid that there is no living with her. Such is the experience of the husband who goes out on the long quest to find three persons as stupid as his wife. In one way or another, he finds them, and in comparison it turns out that his own wife is not so stupid after all (H1312.1; Type 1384). This anecdote often serves to introduce longer tales of stupid persons, but it has, had a vigorous independent life. Like most jests about wives, it has a place in the older jestbooks. But this tale is also told frequently in all parts of Europe and well out into Siberia. Versions apparently based upon English originals have been found in Virginia, and close parallels exist in Africa.

In examining these tales of evil wives, one is struck not so much by the fact that some of them are told by story-tellers over a large area but that out of the scores of such anecdotes to be found in fabliaux, novelle, and books of exempla and Schwänke only a bare half dozen have received any general acceptance by the folk.

[321] Sec Ziegler, Die Frau im Märchen for a good discussion of this point.

[322] For this group of anecdotes, see T230ff., with cross references.

Types:

900, 901 1164, 1350, 1510, 1365A, 1365B, 1365C, 1384

Motifs

H1312.1, K2213.1, T230ff, T231.3, T251.1.1, T255

Number of Borrowing of European-Asiatic Tales by Indonesians, African, and American Indians

Type

Indonesianx

Africanx

Americanx

Indianx

1. The Theft of Fish

5

7

2. Tail-Fisher

3

13

4. Carrying the Sham-Sick Trickster

5

5. Biting the Foot

13

16

6. Inquiring about the Wind

2

7. Calling of Three Tree Names

1

8. The Painting

2

7

9A. The Unjust Partner: Bear Threshes

7

9B. The Unjust Partner: Corn and Chaff

2

15. Theft of Butter (Honey) by Playing Godfather

13

2

21. Eating His Own Entrails

1

1

30. Fox Tricks Wolf into Falling into a Pit

1

31. Fox Climbs from Pit on Wolf's Back

15

33. Fox Plays Dead and is Thrown out of Pit and Escape

20

5

36. Fox in Disguise Violates the She-Bear

1

37. Fox as Nursemaid for Bear

7

30

38. Claw in Split Tree

11

2

47A. Fox Hangs by Teeth to Horse's Tail

2

1

49. Bear and the Honey

2

50. Sick Lion

1

55. Animals Build a Road

18

1

56. Fox Steals Young Magpies

7

60. Fox and Crane

3

62. Peace Among Animals

1

72. Rabbit Rides Fox a-Courting

1

6

7

73. Blinding the Guard

2

2

100. Wolf as Dog's Guest Sings

1

101. Old Dog as Rescuer of Child

1

104. Cowardly Duelers

3

105. Cat's Only Trick

2

111. Cat and Mouse Converse

3

122A. Wolf Seeks Breakfast

2

122B. Cat Washes Face before Eating

5

123. Wolf and Kids

1

125. Wolf Flees from Wolf-Head

12

130. Animals in Night Quarters

1

154. "Bear-Food"

6

1

155. Ungrateful Serpent Returned to Captivity

12

156. Splinter in Bear's Paw

1

157. Learning to Fear Men

1

1

175. Tarbaby and Rabbit

2

39

23

210. Cock, Hen, etc. on Journey

10

221. Election of Bird King

2

222. War of Birds and Quadrupeds

4

225. Crane Teaches Fox to Fly

4

3

43?

228. Titmouse Tries to be Big as Bear

1

8

235. Jay Borrows Cuckoo's Skin

3

248. Dog and Sparrow

1

249. Ant and Cricket

3

275. Race of Fox and Crayfish

26

1

295. Bean, Straw, and Coal

3

300. Dragon-Slayer

1

14

301. Three Stolen Princesses

16

302. Ogre's Heart in Egg

2

1

303. Twins or Blood-Brothers

3

3

307. Princess in the Shroud

2

311. Rescue by Sister (Girls in Sacks)

5

1

313. Girl as Helper in Hero's Flight

2

33

314. Youth Transformed to Horse (Goldener)

24

4

15

325. Magician and Pupil

1

326. Learning What Fear Is

2

327A. Hansel and Gretel

6

8

10

327B. Dwarf and Giant

3

327C. Devil Carries Hero in Sack

9

6?

328. Boy Steals Giant's Treasure

6

331. Spirit in Bottle

1

333. Red Ridinghood; Six Little Goats

16

400. Quest for Lost Wife

37

11

29

401. Princess Transformed into Deer

1

402. Mouse (Cat, etc.) as Bride

1

403. Black and White Bride

1

15

6

408. Three Oranges

1

425. Search for Lost Husband (Cupid and Psyche)

5

5

1

432. Prince as Bird

1

450. Little Brother and Little Sister

3

451. Maiden Who Seeks her Brothers

1

461. Three Hairs from Devil's Beard

17

1

1

471. Bridge to Other World

1

1

1

480. Spinning Woman by the Spring

6

3

506. Rescued Princess: Grateful Dead

6

1

507. Monster's Bride: Grateful Dead

1

510A. Cinderella

2

3

4

510B. Cap o' Rushes

2

1

511. One-Eye, Two-Eyes, Three-Eyes

3

513. The Helpers (Extraordinary Companions)

2

3

514. Shift of Sex

1

516. Faithful John

1

518. Devils Fight over Magic Objects

2

531. Clever Horse

3

2

533. Speaking Horse-head

6

545. Cat as Helper (Puss in Boots)

2

10

550. Bird, Horse, and Princess

4

4

551. Sons on Quest for Remedy

4

552A. Three Animal Brothers-in-Law

1

554. Grateful Animals

11

555. Fisher and His Wife

5

559. Dungbeetle

1

4

560. Magic Ring

36

8

2

561. Aladdin

1

2

563. Table, Ass, and Stick

7

14

4

566. Three Magic Objects and Wonderful Fruits

2

1

567. Magic Bird-heart

13

1

1

569. Knapsack, Hat, and Horn

5

5

570. Rabbit-herd

1

1

571. "All Stick Together"

1

590. Prince and Arm Bands

1

592. Jew Among Thorns

1

612. Three Snake-Leaves

2

613. Two Travelers

5

1

621. Louse-Skin

3

650. Strong John

27

3

4

653. Four Skillful Brothers

8

12

655. Wise Brothers

1

2

670. Animal Languages

6

23

671. Three Languages

2

675. Lazy Boy

2

676. Open Sesame

1

9

700. Tom Thumb

5

1

706. Maiden Without Hands

6

2

707. Three Golden Sons

8

1

709. Snow White

6

750. The Wishes: Hospitality Rewarded

1

1

3

780. Singing Bone

8

781. Princess Who Murdered her Child

12

785. Who Ate the Lamb's Heart?

1

851. Princess who Cannot Solve Riddle

3

2

852. Princess Forced to Say, "That is a Lie."

1

2

853. Princess Caught with her own Words

2

854. Golden Ram

1

875. Clever Peasant Girl

3

3

882. Wager on Wife's Chastity

2

900. King Thrushbeard

1?

901. Taming of the Shrew

1

910. The Good Precepts

2

921. King and Peasant's Son

1

2

922. King and Abbot

1

923. Love Like Salt

1

930. Prophecy for Poor Boy

1

1

931. Oedipus

1

935. Prodigal's Return

1

945. Luck and Intelligence

8

1

950. Rhampsinitus

1

1000. Anger Bargain

5

2

1004. Hogs in Mud, Sheep in Air

2

3

4

1012. Cleaning the Child

1

1015. Whetting the Knife

2

1030. Crop Division

1

1031. Roof as Threshing Flail

2

1060. Squeezing the Stone

1

1

1

1061. Biting the Stone

1

1

1062. Throwing the Stone

1

1

1063. Throwing Contest with Golden Club

1

1074. Race with Relatives in Line

6

38

12

1085. Pushing Hole in a Tree

1

1088. Eating Contest: Food in Bag

20

1115. Attempted Murder with Hatchet

10

1119. Ogre Kills Own Children: Substitutes in Bed

14

5

1149. Children Desire Ogre's Flesh

10

4

1157. Gun as Tobacco Pipe

1

1200. Sowing of Salt

1

1250. Bringing Water from Well: Human Chain

1

2

1260. Porridge in Ice Hole

1

1276. Rowing without Going Forward

4

1278. Bell Falls into Sea: Mark on Boat

2

1310. Crayfish as Tailor: Drowned

18

22

31

1319. Pumpkin as Ass's Egg, Rabbit as Colt

1

1350. Loving Wife: Man Feigns Death

1?

1360C. Old Hildebrand

1

1380. Faithless Wife: Husband Feigns Blindness

1

1384. Quest for Person Stupid as Wife

2

1386. Meat as Food for Cabbage

7

1415. Lucky Hans

2

1

1430. Man and Wife Build Air Castles

7

1

1525. Master Thief

2

6

1528. Holding Down the Hat

2

1

1530. Holding up the Rock

11

3

1535. Rich and Poor Peasant

10

16

11

1537. Corpse Killed Five Times

3

2

1539. Cleverness and Gullibility

7

3

1540. Student from Paradise (Paris)

3

1541. For the Long Winter

2

1542. The Clever Boy: Fooling-Sticks

8

1563. "Both?"

3

1585. Lawyer's Mad Client

1

1590. Trespasser's Defense

1

1610. To Divide Presents and Strokes

2

1611. Contest in Climbing Mast

1

1612. Contest in Swimming

1

1640. Brave Tailor

3

4

1641. Doctor Know-All

21

3

1642. The Good Bargain: Money to Frogs

4

1651. Whittington's Cat

2

2

1653. Robbers under Tree

2

1

5

1655. Eaten Grain and Cock as Damages

10

1

1685. Foolish Bridegroom

6

1

1696. "What Should I Have Said?"

6

4

2

1698A. Search for Lost Animal: Deaf Person

1

1698B. Travelers Ask the Way: Deaf Peasant

1

1730. Three Suitors Visit Chaste Wife

2

3

1737. Parson in Sack to Heaven

1

1775. Hungry Parson

3

1920A. Lying Contest: "Sea Burns"

1

1930. Schlaraffenland

3

2028. Troll (Wolf) Cut Open

1

2030. Old Woman and Pig

2

4

2031. Frost-bitten Foot

4

3

2033. Nut Hits Cock's Head

3

2034C. Lending and Repaying, Progressive Bargains

22

2035. House that Jack Built

4

2400. Ground Measured with Horse's Skin

1

Types:

1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9A, 9B, 15, 21, 30, 31, 33, 36, 37, 38, 47A, 49, 50, 55, 56, 60, 62, 72, 73, 100, 101, 104, 105, 111, 122A, 122B, 123, 125, 130, 154, 155, 156, 157, 175, 210. 221, 222, 225, 228, 235, 248, 249, 275, 295, 300, 301, 302, 303, 307, 311, 313, 314, 325, 326, 327A, 327B, 327C, 328, 331, 333, 400, 401, 402, 403, 408, 425, 432, 450, 451, 461, 471, 480, 506, 507, 510A, 510B, 511, 513, 514, 516, 518, 531, 533, 545, 550, 551, 552A, 554, 555, 559, 560, 561, 563, 566, 567, 569, 570, 571, 590, 592, 612, 613, 621, 650, 653, 655, 670, 671, 675, 676, 700, 706, 707, 709, 750, 780, 781, 785, 851, 852, 853. 854. 875, 882, 900, 901, 910, 921, 922, 923, 930, 931, 935, 945, 950, 1000, 1004, 1012, 1015, 1030, 1031, 1060, 1061, 1062, 1063, 1074, 1085, 1088, 1115, 1119, 1149, 1157, 1200, 1250, 1260, 1276, 1278, 1310, 1319, 1350, 1360C, 1380, 1384, 1386, 1415, 1430, 1525, 1528, 1530, 1535, 1537, 1539, 1540, 1541, 1542, 1563, 1585, 1590, 1610, 1611, 1612, 1640, 1641, 1642, 1651, 1653, 1655, 1685, 1696, 1698A, 1698B, 1730, 1737, 1775, 1920A, 1930, 2028, 2030, 2031, 2033, 2034C, 2035, 2400