The Clergyman and the Sexton Steal a Hog story type (ATU 1792B)

The pattern

The Clergyman and the Sexton Steal a Hog story type (ATU 1792B) uniquely pairs religious hypocrisy with slapstick failure, where the initial livestock theft spirals into a bungled nighttime concealment. In this archetype, a spiritual leader steals a pig, hides the carcass in his boat, and rows off. When confronted by his own followers asking if he has seen a pig thief, he brazenly denies it. Upon reaching home, he shows his loot to the sexton, who immediately wants to steal a hog of his own. The story culminates in total darkness: while attempting to illuminate the animal's head with tinder, the conspirators confuse sparks, shadows, and each other, resulting in a chaotic and comical exposure.

How cultures tell it

Cataloged within the Aarne-Thompson-Uther index under the "Anecdotes And Jokes" chapter—specifically in the "Jokes About Clergymen And Religious Figures 1725-1849" section—this tale type is documented across 5 distinct provenance cultures. Folklorists have long studied how village tellers used anti-clerical humor as a gentle social safety valve. Rather than portraying figures of authority as flawless, these traditional European oral tales poked fun at human greed and pretense. Unlike animal trickster tales where clever prey outsmart predators, such as The Horse Kicks the Wolf in the Teeth story type (ATU 47B), ATU 1792B relies on human double standards and self-inflicted blunders.

Motifs that define it

At the heart of ATU 1792B are motifs of clerical hypocrisy, boat-based concealment, and nighttime slapstick. The narrative relies on dramatic irony: the audience watches a authority figure look his congregation in the eye while standing right above his stolen prize in a rowboat. The plot then turns from solitary deception to shared greed when the sexton insists on joining the scheme. Much like The Bear and the Honey story type (ATU 49), where appetite leads directly into a trap, the sexton's envy leads straight into misadventure. The final motif—groping with lit tinder in pitch darkness—transforms a moral failing into sheer physical comedy.

Reading it with kids

When sharing ATU 1792B with young listeners, the tale serves as an entertaining fable about why hypocrisy and dishonesty rarely pay off. Children quickly spot the absurdity of a leader claiming innocence while hiding a pig under a blanket in his boat. Older traditional versions often emphasized dark, physical comedy, but modern retellings can focus on the silly confusion and the runaway pig. When contrasted with tales of moral justice like The Flatterer Rewarded, Honest One Punished story type (ATU 48*), ATU 1792B reminds readers that hiding wrongdoings in the dark often just leads to tripping over your own feet.