F65 — The imaginary dead man.

To satisfy their secret desire, which involves breaking social norms (forbidden sex, refusing to share food with relatives), the character pretends to be dying, abandoned at the burial site.

Berezkin category: Gender and sex

This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 11, Tricks and competitions won thanks to deception, absurd and obscene behavior.

F65.  To satisfy their secret desire, which involves breaking social norms (forbidden sex, refusing to share food with relatives), the character pretends to be dying, abandoned at the burial site.
F65a.  The spouse leaves the character at the burial site; the (pretend) dead person comes back to life and leaves to be with their lover.
F65b.  The character fakes death in order to eat greedily alone.
F65c.  A man pretends to be dead (in order to marry his daughter or to be able to eat the meat of hunted animals alone). One of his younger children recognises their (adoptive) father or notices that the supposed dead man is alive (he runs away from the funeral pyre, laughs, etc.).
F65d.  The character pretends to be dying and is left at the burial site. However, his wife (mother, aunt) finds out about the deception and provokes the supposed dead man, forcing him to reveal himself.

This motif has been recorded in 118 traditions: Yemen, Dinka, Atuot, Nuer, Sanye (Aweer), Oromo (Galla), Konso, Sidamo, Darasa, Bussa (Bassa), Kambata, Guji, Yoruba; incl Ife), Nupe, Bini (Edo), Engenni, Chamba, Dakka, Kukuruku, Kru: Kru proper, Sapo (Sapã), Grebo, Kran (Krahn, Guere-Krahn; incl. Putu, Tchien), Bete, Neyo, Wobe, Devoin (Dey), Belle (Kuwaa), Bassa, Sikon, Ewe, Songhai, Northern Gur (Oti-Volta): Mamprussi, Dagomba, Dagari (Dagara; incl Lodaga), Bassari, Mosi, Nankanse, Konkomba, Moba; Ditammari, Nyende, Bulsa (pl Builsa, Bulo), Akan, Ashanti, Akwapim; Ga (Accra), Kra, Twi (Chwi, Chi), Fula (Fulbe, Fulani, Pular), Burmese, Intha, Chin-Naga: Ao, Mao, Sema, Zeme, Kolren, Kom, Lhota, Rengma, Angami, Kabui, Tangkhul, Koirenf, Basques, France, Germans: North (Low- and Central German dialects): Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg, Pommern, Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony, incl East Frisia and Oldenburg), Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Thüringen, Saxony-Anhalt, Sachsen, Brandenburg, Rügen, Vepsians, Western Ukrainians, Mansi, Eastern Khanty (Ostyaks), Nenets, Kets, Reindeer Koryak, Maritime Koryak (Alyutor), Forest (Upper Kolyma) Yukaghir, Chukchi, Asiatic Eskimo (Sirenek, Naukan, Chaplino), Aleuts, Central Yupik, Chugach, Inland Tlingit, Tahltan, Denaina, Ingalik (Der Hit’an), Koyukon, Tanana, Bering Strait Inupiat (incl. King Island), North Alaskan Inupiat, Mackenzie Delta, Copper, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Kwakiutl (Kwakwaka'wakw), Bella Coola (Nuxalk), Lenape (Delaware), Western Ojibwa (Chippewa), Eastern Ojibwa (Missisauga, Timagami and other groups in eastern Ontario), Northern Ojibwa (=Severn Ojibwa, Sandy Lake Cree), Eastern Cree, Montagnais, Sauk (Sak, Mesquakie), Fox, Kickapoo, Miami, Illini, Blackfoot, Sarsee (Tsuu T'ina), Arapaho, Osage, Arikara, Pawnee, Kiowa Apache, Gros Ventre, Plains Cree, Plains Ojibwa, Assiniboine, Crow, Hidatsa, Chilkotin, Shuswap, Comox, Pentlatch, Nez Perce, Quinault, Tillamook, Oregon Athabaskans: Lower Umpqua, Tututni (incl Joshua), Upper Coquille, Galice, Tolowa, Coos, Okanagon, Sanpoil, Hupa, Chilula, Pomo, Maidu, Nisenan, Konkov, Kawaiisu, Mono (Monache), Owens Valley Paiute, Northern Paiute (=Paviotso), Northern Shoshone, Western Shoshone, Gosiute, Eastern Shoshone, Upland Yuma: Walapai, Havasupai, Yavapai, Ute, Southern Paiute, Chemehuevi, Serrano, Navajo, Jicarilla, Chiricahua, Mescalero, Western Apache (White Mountain, San Carlos), Western Keres (Acoma, Laguna), Eastern Keres (Cochiti, Sia, San Felipe, Santo Domingo, Santa Ana, Paguate, Seama), Lipan, Warao, Colorado (Tsachila), Nivakle (=Chulupi, Ashluslay, Ajlujlay), Northern and Southern Tehuelche, Selknam, Yamana (Yaghan), Alacaluf, Kono (=Kone), Wai, Kodiak, Upper Chinook: Wasco, Wishram, Clackamas, Kathlamet, Matses (Mayoruna), Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Itelmen, Sierra Leone, Greenland, Yemen, China, Russian Federation, Halkomelem (Snaymuk)