- Genre
- Tale of wit
- Source status
- variant tradition
- Motifs
- herd boy, royal questions, wordplay, reversal of roles
The tale: an editorial retelling
A wealthy nobleman nailed up a roadside notice asking anyone who knew what trouble was to tell him. The king rode past, read it and decided to teach him.
He summoned the nobleman. How much did the moon weigh? What was the king worth? Where was the centre of the earth? How many stars were in the sky? Finally, he wanted news he had never heard. The nobleman had three days to answer.
The nobleman returned in distress. Neither he nor his household could solve the questions. A boy tending the animals noticed him walking about bent with worry. On hearing his problem, the boy offered to answer in his place. The nobleman dressed him finely and sent him to the king.
“What does the moon weigh?” asked the king. “One pound: a pound has four quarters, just as the moon does.” “What am I worth?” “Fifteen coins. The King of Heaven and Earth was sold for thirty; you rule only earth, so you are worth half as much.”
“Where is the centre of the earth?” “Where I am standing.” “How many stars are in the sky?” “Five hundred. Count them if you doubt me.” The king saw that the boy had an answer for everything and asked for unheard-of news.
“Yesterday I tended pigs, and today I talk with a king,” replied the boy. The king liked his answer. He gave the nobleman’s estate to the boy and sent the nobleman to tend pigs and learn from someone wiser. Now the nobleman knew what trouble was.
About this version
This version is tale 25 in volume IV of Lietuvių tautosaka. Its source note points to Lietuviškos pasakos įvairios, part III, number 175. All five questions and the exchange of social positions remain.
The moon’s weight and the count of five hundred stars are not scientific claims. The boy wins through wordplay, an unexpected comparison and an answer the king cannot readily check. The comparison involving coins invokes the Christian story of Judas’s betrayal.
Telling and discussing the tale
Perform the conversation in pairs. Afterwards, distinguish the answers that use an ambiguous word, a comparison or a demand that the questioner verify the answer. This reveals how the wit works.