ABSTRACT
One major piece of wisdom that folktale monographs have taught is that different tales behave differently: to generalize principles for all tales is sheer folly. This chapter seeks to determine what structures, motifs, and other characteristics of modem oral riddle tales can be traced to older tales, and when and where and in what forms these tales appeared. The value, the nearness of the relationship, the relevance, of these tales varies from example to example: some are direct ancestors or close cousins in spite of centuries’ difference, while others reflect attitudes that have almost disappeared, or perhaps have shifted to tales without riddles. Riddling is suited both to contests which either side may win, and to initiations or tests which the subordinate party may either pass or fail. Family relationships in the frame tale are sometimes unusually complicated or otherwise important.
