Pine-cones for moss: a late Byzantine/early modern Greek version of ATU 1525E, Thieves steal from one another

Two Greek authors, Georgios Sphrantzes (fifteenth century) and Makarios Melissourgos-Melissenos (sixteenth century) refer to a variant of the type ATU 1525E, Thieves steal from one another. It is the oldest known version, and it is remarkably close to the variants later attested in Georgia and the Balkans (an area that clearly shows the features of the Byzantine cultural heritage). The comparison also makes it possible to clarify and confirm the meaning of an obscure word used in the oldest version, that of Sphrantzes, where pine-cones (koukoutzella) and moss are at the center of the exchange.