Ancient Wisdom Atlas

Motif

Accidental killing by the would-be protector

accidental_killing_by_the_would_be_protector

A motif of the Betrayal and Violated Trust family, within the sub-family Protector Betrayal and Protective-Role Inversion. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.

1 occurrences

1 traditions


islamicate folklore

  • The Arabian Nights Entertainments The Arabian Nights Entertainments; lines 2937-3041 confidence: high

    The narrator laughs inwardly at the thought of killing the harmless boy, promises friendship and protection, does not reveal that he is Agib, serves him, and spends thirty-nine days underground with him.

    The narrator intends to protect and serve the boy, yet accidentally causes his death when he falls with the knife.

    read in the book