Puer 5 annorum: Difference between revisions
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{{Inset Story | {{Inset Story | ||
|Has | |Has Critical Literature=Nishimura (2001); Clouston (1884); Comparetti (1869); Orazi (2006) | ||
|Has Motif=Wise child; Riches; Theft; Punishment for theft; Deception; Food and drink; Old woman; Judgement; Court of law; Children | |||
|Has Summary='''The Wise Five-Year-Old''' | |||
Three business partners are on a trading trip together, bringing with them great wealth. They come to stay with an old woman to whom they entust their riches for safe keeping. In order that none of them should cheat the others, they instruct the old woman not to return their treasure to any one of them alone, but only to the three of them together, to which she agrees. The three men go to bathe in a pool in an orchard behind the house, but have forgotten a comb; of the three offers to ask to borrow a comb from the old woman. He approaches her, and instead asks her to give him all their gold, saying they wish to count it. She replies that she swore not to give it to any one man, so he tells her he has his companions' consent to retrieve the gold. To prove it, he brings her to the door, and shouts across the orchard to his companions, saying, 'She will not give it to me unless you both tell her to do so!" The bathers shout back that she should give it to their companion, so the old woman fetches their gold, and he takes it and disappears. Eventually the two other companions, wondering what has taken so long, come to look for their partner. The old woman explains that she gave him their treasure, as they instructed, and the two are furious, crying that they had requested a comb, not their gold. They take her the court, and present their case before a judge, who rules that the old woman must repay them as their wealth was lost through her carelessness. Crying, the old woman leaves the courthouse. She is approached by a five-year-old boy who asks why she is weeping, but she asks him to leave her alone and continues along the road. He follows, until she at last explains, and he tells her that if she will give him a coin to buy dates, he will tell her how to get out of her predicament. She agrees, so he then instructs her to return to the judge and tell him she still has the money, and that she will return it to the men - but only if they can bring their third companion there. If they cannot, she will not give them anything, as they instructed her not to hand over the gold to any but the three of them together. When the judge hears this, he rules in her favour, and immediately knows that she must have had advice; he begs to know who had the widom to give her such instructions. She explains that it was the young boy she met on the road. The boy is brought before the judge, who is so pleased with this wisdom and cleverness that he takes him under his wing. | Three business partners are on a trading trip together, bringing with them great wealth. They come to stay with an old woman to whom they entust their riches for safe keeping. In order that none of them should cheat the others, they instruct the old woman not to return their treasure to any one of them alone, but only to the three of them together, to which she agrees. The three men go to bathe in a pool in an orchard behind the house, but have forgotten a comb; of the three offers to ask to borrow a comb from the old woman. He approaches her, and instead asks her to give him all their gold, saying they wish to count it. She replies that she swore not to give it to any one man, so he tells her he has his companions' consent to retrieve the gold. To prove it, he brings her to the door, and shouts across the orchard to his companions, saying, 'She will not give it to me unless you both tell her to do so!" The bathers shout back that she should give it to their companion, so the old woman fetches their gold, and he takes it and disappears. Eventually the two other companions, wondering what has taken so long, come to look for their partner. The old woman explains that she gave him their treasure, as they instructed, and the two are furious, crying that they had requested a comb, not their gold. They take her the court, and present their case before a judge, who rules that the old woman must repay them as their wealth was lost through her carelessness. Crying, the old woman leaves the courthouse. She is approached by a five-year-old boy who asks why she is weeping, but she asks him to leave her alone and continues along the road. He follows, until she at last explains, and he tells her that if she will give him a coin to buy dates, he will tell her how to get out of her predicament. She agrees, so he then instructs her to return to the judge and tell him she still has the money, and that she will return it to the men - but only if they can bring their third companion there. If they cannot, she will not give them anything, as they instructed her not to hand over the gold to any but the three of them together. When the judge hears this, he rules in her favour, and immediately knows that she must have had advice; he begs to know who had the widom to give her such instructions. She explains that it was the young boy she met on the road. The boy is brought before the judge, who is so pleased with this wisdom and cleverness that he takes him under his wing. | ||
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Revision as of 13:55, 4 April 2025
The Wise Five-Year-Old
Three business partners are on a trading trip together, bringing with them great wealth. They come to stay with an old woman to whom they entust their riches for safe keeping. In order that none of them should cheat the others, they instruct the old woman not to return their treasure to any one of them alone, but only to the three of them together, to which she agrees. The three men go to bathe in a pool in an orchard behind the house, but have forgotten a comb; of the three offers to ask to borrow a comb from the old woman. He approaches her, and instead asks her to give him all their gold, saying they wish to count it. She replies that she swore not to give it to any one man, so he tells her he has his companions' consent to retrieve the gold. To prove it, he brings her to the door, and shouts across the orchard to his companions, saying, 'She will not give it to me unless you both tell her to do so!" The bathers shout back that she should give it to their companion, so the old woman fetches their gold, and he takes it and disappears. Eventually the two other companions, wondering what has taken so long, come to look for their partner. The old woman explains that she gave him their treasure, as they instructed, and the two are furious, crying that they had requested a comb, not their gold. They take her the court, and present their case before a judge, who rules that the old woman must repay them as their wealth was lost through her carelessness. Crying, the old woman leaves the courthouse. She is approached by a five-year-old boy who asks why she is weeping, but she asks him to leave her alone and continues along the road. He follows, until she at last explains, and he tells her that if she will give him a coin to buy dates, he will tell her how to get out of her predicament. She agrees, so he then instructs her to return to the judge and tell him she still has the money, and that she will return it to the men - but only if they can bring their third companion there. If they cannot, she will not give them anything, as they instructed her not to hand over the gold to any but the three of them together. When the judge hears this, he rules in her favour, and immediately knows that she must have had advice; he begs to know who had the widom to give her such instructions. She explains that it was the young boy she met on the road. The boy is brought before the judge, who is so pleased with this wisdom and cleverness that he takes him under his wing.
| Critical Literature |
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| Nishimura (2001), Clouston (1884), Comparetti (1869), Orazi (2006) |
| Puer 5 annorum appears in the following versions and secondary versions |
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| Puer 5 annorum is narrated in the following occurrences | ||||
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| Puer 5 annorum appears in the following manuscripts |
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