The 'Who Has Lost This' A man comes to confession with a purse of money which he has found story type (ATU 1807A*)

The 'Who Has Lost This' A man comes to confession with a purse of money which he has found story type (ATU 1807A*) examines the comedic boundary between following the letter of the law and ignoring its spirit through a deliberately mumbled public announcement.

The pattern

In this tale, a finder discovers a valuable purse of coins and seeks counsel—often during confession or from a village authority—on how to handle the treasure morally. The advice is clear: go into the central market or church steps and publicly declare the find three times so the rightful owner may step forward. The finder obeys to the exact letter, yet subverts the intent entirely. By muttering the declaration under their breath, speaking into an empty corner of the plaza, or hiding the purse deep beneath a heavy cloak while calling out inaudibly, they ensure no bystander ever hears the offer. When no claimant steps forward, the finder pockets the gold with a clean conscience. Unlike contract-bound trickster tales like The Crop Division story type (ATU 1030), where technical terms are exploited in physical work, ATU 1807A* relies entirely on acoustic technicality and performative honesty.

How cultures tell it

Documented across 8 distinct provenance traditions in the Aarne-Thompson-Uther index, ATU 1807A* sits within the historical catalog section dedicated to jokes about clergymen and religious figures (types 1725–1849). The tale typically appears in two primary variations depending on the storyteller's target. In lay-centered variants, a clever peasant outwits a rigid confessor by using the priest's exact instructions against him. In clerical variants, the priest or monk finds the pouch himself and performs a ghostly, whisper-quiet announcement in an empty chapel immediately following morning prayer before declaring the money unassigned. Across these geographic variants, the narrative serves as a lightweight, satirical reflection on how humans rationalize greed when given formal rules.

Motifs that define it

While this specific sub-type centers on the acoustic loophole of the silent announcement, its narrative engine relies on core folklore structures: the mock confession, the absurd compliance, and the finder's justification. Unlike tales of divine retribution such as The Vengeful Saints story type (ATU 846*), where breaking a sacred trust invokes immediate heavenly punishment, ATU 1807A* remains strictly comedic and secular. It mirrors the moral gymnastics seen in tales like The Cross as Security story type (ATU 849*), where formal religious pledges are reinterpreted through outrageous verbal loopholes to keep pocketbooks full.

Reading it with kids

Children immediately catch the humor in ATU 1807A* because every child understands the concept of obeying a rule on a technicality—such as cleaning a room by shoving everything under the bed. When reading this tale type, focus on the distinction between doing what is right and merely following instructions on paper. Older folklore collections treat these anecdotes as brief, punchy jokes without graphic content, making them exceptionally easy to adapt for young listeners. Ask your listener: 'Did the finder really try to return the purse?' It sparks an engaging conversation about honesty, public duty, and what it truly means to make things right.