I’m trying to track down a fairy tale about a man (fool) who is tricked into skinning his mule, because he is told that the next town has a great demand for mule hides - but they don’t want to skin the animals themselves. So he kills and skins his mule, only to discover that there isn’t really a demand for the hide. He keeps getting tricked in this manner, but each time is able to turn the tables on his tricksters and come out on top. Does anybody have a link to an online version of this fairy tale, or even a quick summary of the ending? It might be from the Brothers Grimm. Thanks in advance.
I’m not certain that it’s identical to the story you’re lookiing for, but Grimm’s The Little Peasant appears to have many of the elements that you mention. The quick summary of the ending is thatthe peasant tricks everyone in the village into jumping in a lake and drowning themselves, leaving him with all the riches of the village.
That’s not quite it, although I really appreciate the suggestion. Using your link, I looked a bunch of Grimms’ Fairy Tales, and didn’t see anything that jumped out. This request is for my mother, so I’m trying to capture the the essence of her description. Thanks again for your help.