The Angel Spills the Jar of Fools

Since no angel ever has to perform two assignments at once, one angel carried a jar filled with intelligent souls, while another angel carried a jar filled with foolish souls so that every town could have its town fool.

One day the angel with the jar of foolish souls happened to be passing Khelm. Since the region thereabouts has many hills and valleys, the angel lost his footing, slipped, and spilled the whole jar near Khelm. And since that time, all Khelmites have been fools.

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Glossary

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Annotations

TELLER: Anon., from Kolonye Kamenevke, U.S.S.R., ca. 1932.
COLLECTOR: T. S. Kantor, 1937, Kalinindorf, U.S.S.R.
SOURCE: V.A. 163.