A Molbo story is a Danish folktale of the "town of fools" type about the people of Mols, who live in eastern Jutland near the town of Ebeltoft. [1] In these tales the Molboes are portrayed as a simple folk, who act foolishly while attempting to be wise. [2]
Molbohistorier (Molbo stories) were handed down by generations of Danes before finally appearing in print. Christian Elovius Mangor, [3] who by permission of the Danish monarch Christian VII had started a printing press in Viborg, published the first collection, Tales of the well-known Molboes' wise and brave actions, in 1771. [4] A second edition followed in 1780. [5] Over the years Molbo stories have been published in books for adults and children in several languages, including Danish, [6] Norwegian [7] and English. [8] Similar narratives are found in other cultures. England, for instance, has "Lazy Jack" [9] and "The Wise Men of Gotham." [10] In Finland there are stories about the people of Hölmölä (Hölmöläiset). [11] [12]
In 1898 the operetta "Molboerne" (The People of Mols) by composer Olfert Jespersen and lyricist Herman Petersen premiered in Copenhagen. The work not only had a memorable score but also references to Molbo stories, such as "The Stork in the Grain Field" and "The Mixed Legs". [a] [16]
Norway, which for nearly three centuries was part of the kingdom of Denmark-Norway, received many cultural influences from Denmark. Consequently, Molbo stories are known in both Denmark and Norway, and the word “Molbo” is used in both countries as a term of disparagement. The expression "Molbo politics" is prohibited when speaking from the rostrum in Norway's parliament. [17]
From Tales of the well-known Molboes' wise and brave actions, 1771 [18]
One summer, when the grain was high in the field, the Molbo people had been visited by a stork. It had acquired the nasty habit of strutting back and forth on their fields to catch frogs. And it was bad news, because the Molbo people were very afraid that it would trample all the grain down on the field. They talked together for a long time back and forth about,... how to chase it away. In the end, they agreed that the shepherd should go into the field and drive the stork out.
But just as he stood and was about to enter the grain, they discovered that he had such big and wide feet, and then they were afraid that he would step on more grain than the stork. There they stood - . Finally one of them got a good idea! He suggested that the shepherd should be carried into the field, then he could not tread down the grain. They all thought that was good advice. So they lifted the field gate and set the shepherd on it; ... and then eight men carried him into the corn, so that he could chase the stork out. That way, the shepherd did not trample down traces in the grain field with his big feet.
The Wise Men of Chelm used a similar trick to prevent the city shammes to trample the beautiful fresh show in the early morning.
The Motif-Index of Folk-Literature includes the motif J2100: Remedies worse than the disease
A similar story is known for the dwellers of Fünsing.
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Amleth is a figure in a medieval Scandinavian legend, the direct inspiration of the character of Prince Hamlet, the hero of William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. The chief authority for the legend of Amleth is Saxo Grammaticus, who devotes to it parts of the third and fourth books of his Gesta Danorum, completed at the beginning of the 13th century. Saxo's version is supplemented by Latin and vernacular compilations from a much later date. In all versions, prince Amleth (Amblothæ) is the son of Horvendill (Orwendel), king of the Jutes. It has often been assumed that the story is ultimately derived from an Old Icelandic poem, but no such poem has been found; the extant Icelandic versions, known as the Ambales-saga, or Amloda-saga are considerably later than Saxo. Amleth's name is not mentioned in Old-Icelandic regnal lists before Saxo. Only the 15th-century Sagnkrønike from Stockholm may contain some older elements.
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Bernhard Severin Ingemann was a Danish novelist and poet.
Wise Men of Gotham is the early name given to the people of the village of Gotham, Nottinghamshire, in allusion to an incident where they supposedly feigned idiocy to avoid a Royal visit.
Ivan the Fool, composed in 1913 by César Cui, is an opera-fairytale made for children in three tableaux. The libretto was written by Nadezhda Nikolaevna Dolomanova using Russian folk tales.
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The stories of Sang Kancil is a series of traditional fables about a clever mouse-deer. They are popular in Indonesia and Malaysia. A weak and small yet cunning figure, Sang Kancil uses his intelligence to triumph over beings more powerful than himself. The protagonist of these stories is Sang Kancil, a smart and sly mouse deer. He can fool the other animals to escape from trouble. This folk figure is similar to another folk figure, Br'er Rabbit.
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The Bear and the Gardener is a fable originating in the ancient Indian text Panchatantra that warns against making foolish friendships. There are several variant versions, both literary and oral, across the world and its folk elements are classed as Aarne-Thompson-Uther type 1586. The La Fontaine version has been taken as demonstrating various philosophical lessons.
Hans Jørgen Hammer was a genre, landscape, and portrait painter and printmaker of the Golden Age of Danish painting. In addition, he served for eleven years as a military officer.
Loka Táttur or Lokka Táttur is a Faroese ballad which is an example of the occurrence of Norse gods in folklore.
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The Wise Men of Chelm are foolish Jewish residents of the Polish city of Chełm, a butt of Jewish jokes, similar to other towns of fools: the English Wise Men of Gotham, German Schildbürger, Greek residents of Abdera, or Finnish residents of the fictional town of Hymylä. Since at least 14th century Chełm had a considerable population of Jews.
The Beautiful Palace East of the Sun and North of the Earth is a Swedish folktale collected from Smaland by Swedish folktale collectors George Stephens and Gunnar Olof Hyltén-Cavallius. It features versions of the swan maiden, a mythic female character that alternates between human and animal shapes.
Guru Paramartha or Gooroo Paramartan is a fictional monk introduced in Tamil culture by Catholic missionary Constanzo Beschi in his story Paramarthaguruvin Kadhai. Published in 1728, it is a satirical piece on a naive religious teacher and his equally obtuse disciples, Matti (dull-head), Madayan (fool), Pethai (ignoramus), Moodan (moron) and Milechan. It had a considerable influence on Tamil culture and even in modern says the name "Guru Paramartha" is synonymous to "fool".
A town of fools is the base of a number of joke cycles found in various cultures. Jokes of these cycles poke fun at the stupidity of the inhabitants of a real or fictional populated place. In English folklore the best known butt of jokes of this type are the Wise Men of Gotham. A number of works of satire are set in a town of fools.
