Barefaced Man (märchen trickster)
Qose / Spano
Barefaced Man märchen trickster; proverb omen; pair of Scurfhead.
Description
Beardless trickster / omen of evil in märchen — a tale figure, not a bestiary creature. Elsie s.v. Barefaced Man: Alb. qose < Turk. köse ‘beardless’ (~ Serbocr. Ćosa); also spano < Gk. σπανός; wily, portent of evil; saying «May God protect you from bearded women and barefaced men»; in tales a cunning devil; same function-slot as Scurfhead. Durham’s moustache-prestige note sits in the same Elsie entry (1913 Shkodra navy anecdote).
Features
- portent of evil / untrustworthy tale figure (Elsie)
Lead story
No moustache — and the proverb already warns you. In the tales he is the cunning devil beside Scurfhead. Elsie pairs them; Durham’s navy story explains why the face mattered.
Aliases
Qose · Qoseja · Spano · Spanoja · Barefaced Man
Region
Albanian folk tales; also known to Bosnian Muslims (Elsie)
Relations
- Scurfhead (märchen hero)märchen pair
Linked stories
- Qeros — ScurfheadRecorded
Scurfy artful hero; golden apple; tale-functions with Barefaced Man; kulshedra rescue.
- Qose — Barefaced ManRecorded
Beardless trickster and omen; proverb-warned; tale-functions with Scurfhead.