Mythological motifs

5,822 motifs · page 21 of 30

• Spider vies with Virgin Mary in spinning: cursed. A2231.5
• Spider steals thread from Christ: has thread in back of body. (Cf. A2356.2.8.) A2231.6
• Animal harmful to holy person cursed. A2231.7
• Animal cursed for betraying holy fugitive. (Cf. A2221.5.) A2231.7.1
• Beetle cursed for betraying Holy Family on way to Egypt; beetle now has its eyes always on the ground. A2231.7.1.1
• Animal cursed for refusing to carry holy fugitive across stream. (Cf. A2371.2.1.) A2231.7.2
• Tortoise cursed for going under water while ferrying rice-goddess: people will be able to kill it with iron-made spears. A2231.7.3
• Toad refuses to weep over its dead children: dries up when dead. Cursed by Virgin Mary. (Cf. A2234.4, A2468.2.) A2231.8
• Fish in deluge deride God: are flattened with blow. They mock God for his powerlessness over them. (Cf. A2213, A2305.1, A2354.1.) A2231.9
• Crab beats deity's forbidden drum: eyes lift out of body. (Cf. A2332.4.2.) A2231.10
• Beetle demands return of gold from God: must hum. In his overweening pride he hits fence and ever afterward has hummed. (Cf. A2426.3.1.) A2231.11
• Buffaloes fail to come at god's leavetaking: now are killed by tigers. A2231.12
• Loris refuse to look at sun who comes out when they are dancing: hence never looks at sun. A2231.13
• Animal characteristics: punishment for immoderate request. Dissatisfied animal finds that when his request is granted he is worse off than before. A2232
• Camel asks for horns: punishment, short ears. (Cf. A2325.4.) A2232.1
• Bees pray for sting: punishment, first sting suicidal. (Cf. A2346.1.) A2232.2
• Beetle makes immoderate request; ant moderate: inverse awards. Creator hears wishes of animals. Beetle wants strong, noble appearance. Ant is modest. Beetle punished by being made to creep on ground. Ant is given own castle. (Cf. A2441.3.1.) A2232.3
• Griffin disdains to go on ark; drowned: hence extinct. A2232.4
• Animals ask for goddess's perfume: punishment, bad odor. (Cf. A2416.1.) A2232.5
• Birds who aspire to blackbird's coat punished. (Cf. A2412.2.2.) A2232.6
• Peacock given ugly feet so as to prevent too great arrogance. (Cf. A2375.2.2.) A2232.7
• Dog's embassy to Zeus chased forth; dogs seek ambassador: why dogs sniff each other under leg. (Cf. A2471.1.) A2232.8
• Ants ask God to give them wings: wind blows them away. A2232.9
• Raven attempts to imitate dove: punished with awkward gait. A2232.10
• Donkeys ask immediate reward from God: eat their own excrements. A2232.11
• Animal characteristics: punishment for laziness. A2233
• Animals refuse to help dig well (make road) and are punished. A2233.1
• Animals refuse to help dig well: may not drink from river or spring. (Cf. A2435.1.1.) A2233.1.1
• Snake refuses to help make road: dies on road. (Cf. A2441.4.1.) A2233.1.2
• Shrew refuses to help make road: dies on road. (Cf. A2468.1.) A2233.1.3
• Sloth refuses to help make road: may not look upon sun. A2233.1.4
• Dog will not help build house: must remain out of doors. (Cf. A2223.1, A2433.3.2.) A2233.2
• Too cold for hare (dog) to build house in winter, not necessary in summer: must go without house. A2233.2.1
• Owl as watchman goes to sleep: does not see by day. He is placed as watchman of wren who is imprisoned in a mousehole. (Cf. A2332.6.6.) A2233.3
• Grasshopper builds no house for winter; ant strikes him blind: therefore born blind. (Cf. A2332.6.3.) A2233.4
• Bird neglects to build nest: goes without. (Cf. A2431.2.) A2233.4.1
• Animal characteristics: punishment for disobedience. A2234
• Raven does not return to Noah: must suffer thirst and break bill. (Cf. A2231.2.1, A2411.2.1.5, A2435.4.3.) Variant: he is cursed to be black or to eat carrion. A2234.1
• Raven does not return to ark in obedience to Noah: black color is resulting punishment. A2234.1.1
• Animals eat deity's forbidden fruit: punished. (Cf. A2371.3.1.) A2234.2
• Lemur looks where forbidden: has big eyes. (Cf. A2332.3.1.) A2234.3
• Hare weeps for mother when forbidden: moon hits him and cleaves lip. (Cf. A2211.2, A2231.8, A2342.1.) A2234.4
• Animal characteristics caused by animal's lateness at distribution of qualities. (Cf. A2378.2.5.) A2235
• Animal characteristics: punishment for planning man's downfall. A2236
• What creature has sweetest blood: gnat's tongue torn out. Assembly to decide who has the sweetest blood so that it may be the food for the serpent. Gnat discovers that man has the sweetest blood. Rather than let him tell this secret, swallow tears out his tongue. Gnat can only buzz. (Cf. A2344.2, A2426.3.2.) A2236.1
• Animal characteristics: punishment for carrying devil into paradise. A2236.2
• Snake carries devil into paradise: loses feet. (Cf. A2371.3.1.) A2236.2.1
• Peacock has snake carry devil into paradise: cursed with ugly voice and feet. (Cf. A2375.2.2, A2423.1.2.) A2236.2.2
• Animal punished for not warning of devil's temptation in Eden. A2236.3
• Magpie tells man he is to die next day: no tongue and long tail. God pulls out his tongue and makes his tail long for doing this forbidden thing. (Cf. A2344.2.6, A2378.3.1.) A2236.4
• Animal punished for not heralding dawn. A2236.5
• Nit tries to bore through man's head: must remain at edge of hair. (Cf. A2433.5.1.) A2236.6
• Jay carries sulphur to devil in hell: must be quiet at noon. A2236.7
• Cat commanded to pray so as not to slay man: why cat purrs. A2236.8
• Animal characteristics punishment for meddling. A2237
• Animal reveals mistress's adultery: punished by master. (Cf. A2411.2.1.5, A2422.1.1.) A2237.1
• Animal characteristics: punishment for greed. A2238
• Rabbit (frog) eats seed-grain from fields: nose closed during sowing season. (Cf. A2335.2.4.) A2238.1
• Ring-dove eats man's grain: man may kill him. Similarly francolin and guinea fowl. A2238.2
• Fish eat other fish: guilty must swim deep. (Cf. A2444.1.) A2238.3
• Diver eats nests of small birds: must not nest away from water. (Cf. A2431.3.2.) A2238.4
• Animal characteristics from miscellaneous punishments. A2239
• Hare punished for perjury: eyes deep in head. (Cf. A2332.4.1.) A2239.1
• Fly punished for failing to answer question: is speechless, buzzes and associates with foul things. (Cf. A2426.3.3, A2433.5.2.) A2239.2
• Ass betrays deity's secret: hence his ugly bray. A2239.3
• Owl reveals deity's secret: power of speech removed. A2239.3.1
• Woodpecker punished for stinginess. A2239.4
• Animals punished for assaulting women. A2239.5
• Ass has cross on shoulders from being struck by Balaam. (Cf. A2356.2.7.) A2239.6
• Crocodile is punished for trying to attack man he is carrying: has only half tongue. A2239.7
• Animal punished for hardheadedness (frog toothless, mole sightless). A2239.8
• Why mouse is crushed whenever she crosses a road: elephant's curse. A2239.9
• Why elephant hurts himself when running through the grass: mouse's curse. A2239.10
• Animal characteristics: obtaining another's qualities. A2240
• Animal characteristics: borrowing and not returning. Animal borrows a member (or quality) from another and refuses to return it. (Cf. A2242, A2313.3, A2345.1, A2351.3, A2375.2.1, A2421.4, A2435.4.1.) A2241
• Stag's horns borrowed from dog. (Cf. A2326.1.1.) A2241.1
• Owl's wings borrowed from rat (or other animal). A2241.2
• Partridge's voice borrowed from tortoise. A2241.3
• Cuckoo borrows food from other birds. (Cf. A2435.4.1.) A2241.4
• Nightingale borrows blindworm's eye. Each has one eye. Nightingale borrow's blindworm's and will not return it.(Cf. A2332.6.1.) A2241.5
• Jay borrows cuckoo's skin. (Cf. A2313.1.) A2241.6
• Squirrel borrows coney's tail. When coney's tail is not returned, he goes in shame to live among rocks. (Cf. A2378.1.5, A2433.3.5.) A2241.7
• Boy borrows python's hands and feet: hence python lacks them. (Cf. A2371.3.1.) A2241.8
• Hornbill borrows tomtit's bill. (Cf. A2343.1.4.) A2241.9
• Beaver borrows muskrat's tail and never gives it back. A2241.10
• Monkey borrows tail from deer and refuses to return it. A2241.11
• Animal characteristics: obtaining for feast and not returning. (Cf. A2378.1.5, A2378.2.6.) A2242
• Animal characteristics: lending and refusing to receive back. A2243
• Spider hands box to ant and refuses to take it back: hence ants carry huge loads. A2243.1
• Animal characteristics: stolen from another animal. (Cf. A2313.3, A2375.2.2.) A2245
• Thrush steals woodcock's song. (Cf. A2423.1.1, A2423.2.1.) A2245.1
• Animal characteristics: exchange of qualities. (Cf. A2313.2, A2326.1.2, A2326.1.4, A2326.2.1, A2332.6.5, A2345.4, A2378.1.3, A2378.1.4, A2421.2, A2421.3, A2431.3.3, A2431.3.4, A2435.3.1, A2435.3.2.) A2247
• Buffalo and cow exchange hides: hence bad fitting hides. (Cf. A2311.6.) A2247.1
• Snake and turtle exchange head for fangs. Explains snake's fangs and snake-like head of turtle. (Cf. A2320.2, A2345.5.) A2247.2
• Rhinoceros exchanges his red hide for hippopotamus's black. (Cf. A2411.1.6.2., A2411.1.6.7.) A2247.3
• Dove and magpie exchange eggs – dove's seven for magpie's two: why dove has two eggs. (Cf. A2486.3.) A2247.4
• Toad trades his tail for mole's eyes. A2247.5
• Beaver and muskrat exchange tails. A2247.6
• Animal characteristics: result of contest. A2250
• Cock and ptarmigan in contest: winner to live in town. (Cf. A2433.1.1, A2433.4.2, A2433.4.3.) A2250.1
• Man and tiger in contest: winner to live in town. A2250.1.1
• Lizard wins contest with toad: why snakes and lizards change their skins. A2250.2
• Animal characteristics from contest in carrying. A2251
• Ant carries load as heavy as himself. Defeats bear, raven (or other bird). Various explanations. (Cf. A2435.3.3, A2486.1.) A2251.1
• Animal characteristics determined by race. A2252
• Race of animals to see where each shall live. (Cf. A2433.1.1.) A2252.1
• Race of ox and horse: ox must labor. Horse wins and ox must serve as draft animal. (Cf. A2515.1.) A2252.2
• Race of culture hero with ostrich: ostrich loses beautiful feathers. (Cf. A2402.2.) A2252.3
• Flounder complains in race: crooked mouth. In race between fish he cries out in jealousy because herring is winning. He is punished with crooked mouth. (Cf. A2341.1.) A2252.4
• Animal characteristics from jumping contest. A2253
• Dog burned in jumping contest over fire: enmity between dog and hare. A2253.1
• Bird characteristics from flying contests. A2254
• Animal characteristics result of lawsuit. A2255
• Wool on his forehead awarded sheep in lawsuit. He is given the privilege of keeping it when the rest of his body is shorn. (Cf. A2322.5.) A2255.1
• Lizard loses lawsuit: must bob his head. Lizard and ant accused of theft of king's crow. Ant pours boiling water down lizard's throat. When case is tried, lizard cannot talk but only bobs head up and down. Adjudged guilty and condemned to bob his head eternally. (Cf. A2474.1.) A2255.2
• Animal characteristics from contest in watching. A2256
• Hare and man contest in watching for leaf to fall off tree. First one to succeed may eat other. Hare loses. A2256.1
• Animal characteristics from duel. A2257
• Why tiger does not attack wild boar until latter is old: result of duel. A2257.1
• Animal characteristics: as a result of quarrel. A2258
• [First Edition: A2259. Animal characteristics from miscellaneous contests.] A2259[1st ed.]
• Animal characteristics from transformation. A2260
• Animal characteristics from transformation of animal. A2261
• Shepherd transformed to bird still calls sheep: explanation of bird cries. Usually told of hoopoe and bittern. (Cf. A1952, A1965.2, A2275.3, A2425, A2426.2.3, A2426.2.4.) A2261.1
• Spider transformed for greediness: now occupies dark corners. (Cf. A2433.5.3.) A2261.2
• Catfish transformed from woman still carries women's tatoo marks. A2261.3
• Catfish transformed from children still carry marks of children's knife holder. A2261.3.1
• Woodpecker transformed from stingy woman: therefore stingy. A2261.4
• Weeping man turned into owl; still bewails sorrows. A2261.5
• Snipe messenger for warriors because he was a messenger when a man. A2261.6
• Animal characteristics from transformation of implement (or other object). (Cf. A2335.3.1, A2378.3.3, A2378.4.1.) A2262
• Horse originally had eyes on feet: put out and became eyelike marks. (Cf. A2371.2.7.) A2262.1
• Pegs driven into backs of baboons become tails. (Cf. A2378.9.2, A2378.1.1.) A2262.2
• Serpent steals from God's coat a stick for his back. (Cf. A2356.1.1.) A2262.3
• Animal characteristics from miscellaneous causes. A2270
• Animal characteristics learned from another animal. A2271
• Thrush teaches dove to build nest. (Cf. A2431.3.1.) A2271.1
• Sparrow taught to sing by lark but not sufficiently: where sparrow got voice. A2271.2
• Animal characteristics: imitation of other animal or object. A2272
• Animal cries: imitation of sounds. (Cf. A2425.) A2272.1
• Nightingale hears boy call oxen: learns her song. (Cf. A2426.2.1.) A2272.1.1
• Cricket hears water hiss on hot iron: learns his song. (Cf. A2426.3.4.) A2272.1.2
• Garden warbler hears smith beat iron: learns his song. (Cf. A2426.2.2.) A2272.1.3
• Lizard's tail imitated from snake's. A2272.2
• Animal habit a reminiscence of former experience. A2275
• Animal cries a lament for person lost when animal was transformed. (Cf. A2260, A2425.) A2275.1
• Animal cries a lament over animal's transformation. (Cf. A2425, A2426.2.5.) A2275.2
• Animal cries reminiscent of former life as man. (Cf. A2261.1, A2426.2.3, A2426.2.4.) A2275.3
• Animal cries recall ancient adventure. The ancient animal cries out in difficulty. The present animal has the same cry. (Cf. A2426.1.1, A2426.4.1.) A2275.4
• Green pigeon cheated out of its chick: is always mourning. A2275.4.1
• Animal's seeking attitude from ancient loss. The ancient animal loses something. Its descendants are forever seeking for the lost object. This explains the characteristic bearing of certain animals. (Cf. A2471.) A2275.5
• Hog loses pancake in mud: still seeks it. (Cf. A2471.2, A2477.1, Z24.1.) A2275.5.1
• Hawk (vulture) loses grandmother: still hovers and seeks her. (Cf. A2471.3.) A2275.5.2
• Bat, diver, and thornbush shipwrecked. Bat brought money, bush put on clothes, and diver brought leather. All shipwrecked. Diver is looking for his leather. Bush looks for his clothers and holds fast to all passers-by. Bat is abroad only at night to escape creditors. (Cf. A2471.4, A2491.1.) A2275.5.3
• Dolphins seek King Solomon's ring. He loses his magic ring in the sea. They are sent by God to get it. This is why they go up and down in the sea. (Cf. A2444.2.) A2275.5.4
• Dog loses his patent right; seeks it: why dogs look at one another under the tail. (Cf. A2471.1.) A2275.5.5
• Son accidentally kills father, who returns to life as cuckoo and tells people when to sow grain. A2275.6
• Enmity between animals from original quarrel. (Cf. A2494.1.1, A2494.1.3, A2494.2.3.) A2281
• Cat loses dog's certificate: enmity between cats and dogs. Dog is given a certificate of nobility. Through cat's carelessness it is lost. (Cf. A2275.5, A2494.1.2.) A2281.1
• Cat garbles message from man to tiger: enmity between man and tiger. A2281.1.1
• Quarrel of dog and cat about which was higher caste. A2281.1.2
• Squirrel steals dog's needle: enmity between them. (Cf. A2494.4.1.) A2281.2
• Why cat and dog fight: dog ate up cat's part in master's reward. A2281.3
• Present habitat of animals result of ancient quarrel. (Cf. A2433.3.3, A2433.3.4, A2433.3.21, A2433.6.1.) A2282
• Two animals learn songs together – one successfully, the other unsuccessfully. (Cf. A2425.) A2283
• Origin of animal characteristics: animal persuaded into self-injury. A2284
• Animal persuaded to amputate limb: therefore lacks it. (Cf. A2371.2.10, A2377.1.) A2284.1
• Bustard persuaded to kill all but two children: has but two eggs. (Cf. A2486.2.) A2284.2
• Worm, thinking that world is coming to end, blinds self so as not to see calamity. (Cf. A2332.6.4.) A2284.3
• Elephant tricked into eating own testicles. Has them inside. (Cf. A2365.1.1.) A2284.4
• Coyote persuaded to break leg: therefore has thin right leg. (Cf. A2371.2.6.) A2284.5
• Jackal persuades hyena to jump and break foot. Latter has short left hind foot. (Cf. A2375.2.5.) A2284.6
• Animal characteristics established by deity. A2286
• God makes serpent ugly. (Cf. A2402.1, A2494.) A2286.0.1
• Creation interrupted since God must go to a fire. A2286.1
• Animal characteristics because creator had not enough time to finish what he began. A2286.1.0.1
• Creation of hog incomplete since God has to go to a fire: cause of hog's round snout. (Cf. A2335.4.2.) A2286.1.1
• Animal characteristics result of contest between God and devil. A2286.2
• Devil's animals devour God's. God makes white fish, devil a pike to eat it up; God a worm, devil a frog to eat it, etc. (Cf. A1751.) A2286.2.1
• Devil gives horse four eyes; God reduces them to two. A2286.2.2
• Devil's cows one-horned; God makes them two-horned. (Cf. A2326.3.1.) A2286.2.3
• God changes color (tails) of devil's cows. Devil makes all animals of same color (or all tailless). When God makes them of different colors (or with tails) devil no longer recognizes them. (Cf. A2378.1.) A2286.2.4
• Jesus causes animal characteristics. (Cf. A2221, A2231.) A2287
• Jesus drives evil spirits into hogs: hence short snouts. (Cf. A2335.4.1.) A2287.1
• Jesus drives evil spirits into hogs: hence "toes" on back of foreleg. (Cf. A2371.2.2.) A2287.1.1
• Animal characteristics obtained during deluge. A2291
• Animal characteristics: change for convenience. A2292
• Wild animals lose their ferocity through fear of Behemoth. A2294
• Origin of animal characteristics: body. A2300
• Shape of bee's body. A2300.1
• Animal's body made larger. (Cf. A2213.3.) A2301
• Mouse's body made larger. A2301.1
• Spider's body made larger. A2301.2
• Coyote's body made larger. (Cf. A2213.3.) A2301.3
• Bat's body made larger. (Cf. A2213.3.) A2301.4
• Flying-squirrel's body made larger. (Cf. A2213.3.) A2301.5
• Animal's body made smaller. (Cf. A2213.1.) A2302
• Mouse's body made smaller. A2302.1
• Hazel-cock's body made smaller. (Cf. A2231, A2213.1.) A2302.2
• Squirrel's body made smaller. (Cf. A2213.1.) A2302.3