A relatively large number of tales associated with the Old Testament can be found incompilations from the Balearic Islands. In particular, there are tales about the Creation orthe creatures that inhabited the Earth. Stories of a zoological or botanical nature are the mostprolific. There are occasional ideological links with the scriptures, and some episodes highlightcertain characteristics and incorporate a moral message that goes beyond the explanatoryfunction. Among the structural devices are: Positive creator / negative creator (result A positive/ result B negative); Positive creator / mistake by assistant (result A positive / result B flawed);Infringement / punishment (moral purpose, behavioural guidelines are given); Trial / error orsuccess (instrumental purpose, guidelines for action are given).Most have an etiological component. Some highlight their explanatory function, witha moral message in the form of behavioural guidelines, while others have an instrumentalpurpose, offering practical guidelines. Some of these tales can be assigned an ATU numberunder miscellaneous type 773, which also ought to include the supposition that it was notonly the devil who committed an error that led to the Creation, but also God’s assistants.Thus the index would fit in better with many tales.
Full Text Finder