On Reality, Truth and Ideologies in the Case of Munchausen Tales

This article studies the way the meaning of a tradition has changed over time. It is based on four text samples, all representing similar motives. The story reflects a former popular belief that if you hold on to a wild animal’s tail, the animal will jump clean out of its skin. The Man Nails the Tail of a Wolf to a Tree (ATU 1896) is a popular folk tale with an international distribution. Texts of this type have also been called Munchausen tales. The changed message of similar traditions reflects the change in our attitude towards nature, but also the growing distance of man from nature.