Mythological motifs

5,822 motifs · page 26 of 30

• Food of owl. A2435.4.9
• Why owl eats no grain. A2435.4.9.1
• Why owl drinks no water. A2435.4.9.2
• Food of jackdaw. A2435.4.10
• Food of wren. A2435.4.11
• Why wren eats no berries. A2435.4.11.1
• Food of insects. A2435.5
• Why bees may not get honey from red clover. (Cf. A2231.3.2.) A2435.5.1
• Why bees eat their own children. A2435.5.1.1
• Insect fries human blood and eats it. A2435.5.2
• Food of fish, reptiles, etc. A2435.6
• Food of tortoise. A2435.6.1
• Food of snake. A2435.6.2
• Snake sucks milk from woman's breast. A2435.6.2.1
• Why leech feeds on human blood. A2435.6.3
• Food of hawks. A2435.6.6
• Why animals lack fire. Sent to steal fire but are lazy and fail. A2436
• Animal characteristics: carriage. A2440
• Animal's gait or walk. A2441
• Animal's gait or walk – mammals. A2441.1
• Animals (and men) hop because ground is often so dry that it cracks: they have to jump over the cracks. A2441.1.0.1
• Cause of monkey's walk. A2441.1.1
• Why baboon walks on all fours. A2441.1.2
• Cause of dog's walk. A2441.1.3
• Cause of hyena's walk. A2441.1.4
• Cause of wolverine's walk. A2441.1.5
• Cause of skunk's walk. A2441.1.6
• Cause of elephant's walk. A2441.1.7
• Cause of ox's walk. A2441.1.8
• Cause of leopard's walk. A2441.1.9
• Cause of cat's walk. A2441.1.10
• Cause of hare's hopping gait. A2441.1.11
• Cause of sheep's walk. A2441.1.12
• Cause of bird's walk. A2441.2
• Why raven hops. A2441.2.1
• Graceful step of dove. A2441.2.2
• Cause of insect's walk. A2441.3
• Why beetle creeps on ground. (Cf. A2232.3.) A2441.3.1
• Cause of flea's movement. A2441.3.2
• Cause of fly's movement. A2441.3.3
• Cause of movement of reptile, etc. A2441.4
• Why snake does not go on the road. (Cf. A2233.1.2.) A2441.4.1
• Cause of crab's walk. A2441.4.2
• Cause of toad's hop. A2441.4.3
• Cause of chameleon's movement. A2441.4.4
• Method and position of bird's flight. A2442
• High and low flight of birds. A2442.1
• Why some birds cannot fly high. A2442.1.1
• Why parrots fly high. A2442.1.2
• Flight of various birds. A2442.2
• Why raven claps wings in flying. (Cf. A2218.6.) A2442.2.1
• Why cuckoo flies with difficulty, and sings with wings spread. A2442.2.2
• Why lapwing flies in curves. A2442.2.3
• Bluejay's flight. A2442.2.4
• Hawk's flight. A2442.2.5
• Water-birds' flight and diving. A2442.2.6
• Wild-goose's flight. A2442.2.7
• Eagle's flight. A2442.2.8
• How birds began to fly. A2442.3
• Animal's method of swimming. A2444
• Why some fish swim deep; others shallow. (Cf. A2238.3.) A2444.1
• Why dolphins swim up and down. (Cf. A2275.5.4.) A2444.2
• How salmon swims. A2444.3
• Animal's daily work. A2450
• Animal's occupation: carrying. A2451
• Why ants carry large bundles. (Cf. A2221.4.) A2451.1
• Animal's occupation: hunting. A2452
• Why dogs hunt. A2452.1
• Why stork must hunt for living. A2452.2
• Why hawks put heads of mice, etc. on pile of stones. A2452.3
• Animal's occupation: collecting. A2453
• Why ant collects resin. (Cf. A2221.4.) A2453.1
• Animal's occupation: stealing. A2455
• Why wolf is thief. A2455.1
• Why swallow is thief. A2455.2
• Why raven is thief. Because he has none of ten commandments and carries a black stamp on his breast. A2455.3
• Why hen does not know how to steal. A2455.4
• Why wolverine is a thief. A2455.5
• Animal's occupation: boring. A2456
• Why woodpecker bores in wood. A2456.1
• Why wood-worm bores wood. A2456.2
• Animal's occupation: rolling. A2457
• Why tumble-bug rolls in dung. A2457.1
• Animal characteristics: attack and defense. A2460
• Animal's means of defense. A2461
• Hare sleeps with open eyes as defense. A2461.1
• Toad remains still when he hears footsteps (defense). A2461.2
• Killer-whale uses dorsal fin as weapon. A2461.3
• Why deer run, stop, and run on again (defense). A2461.4
• Animal's habits when attacked. A2462
• Why squirrel barks when attacked. A2462.1
• Why beaver splashes his tail in water and dives when attacked. A2462.2
• Why mouse does not defend self against cat. A2462.3
• Animal's means of attack. A2463
• Why leopard cannot capture animal who passes him on right side. A2463.1
• Why animal does not attack. A2464
• Why lion does not attack dog. A2464.1
• Means of capturing animal. A2465
• Why fish are caught in nets. (Cf. Type 253.) A2465.1
• Animal's habits when caught. A2466
• Why opossum plays dead when caught. A2466.1
• Why turtle beats with forelegs when caught. A2466.2
• Animal's behavior at death. A2468
• Why shrew dies on road. (Cf. A2233.1.3.) A2468.1
• Why toad dries up when dead. (Cf. A2231.8.) A2468.2
• Why dragon dies by means of fire. A2468.3
• Animal's habitual bodily movements. A2470
• Why animals continually seek something. (Cf. A2275.5.) A2471
• Why dogs look at one another under tail. (Cf. A2275.5.5, A2232.8; also *Dh IV 129ff.) A2471.1
• Why dogs sniff at one another. A2471.1.1
• Why hogs inspect one another: seek pancake. (Cf. A2275.5.1.) A2471.2
• Why hawk (vulture) hovers over camp-fire: seeks grandmother. (Cf. A2275.5.2.) A2471.3
• Why diver always looks at sea. (Cf. A2275.5.3.) A2471.4
• Why lynx squints: is looking afar at view. A2471.5
• Why dog is always looking. A2471.6
• Why dog looks back at person who has beaten him. A2471.6.1
• Why dogs howl, looking at sky. A2471.6.2
• What hawks are looking for. A2471.7
• Why mason-wasp looks for fireplace. A2471.8
• Why animals always look down. A2471.9
• Why animals ruminate. A2472
• Why cows ruminate. (Cf. A2231.1.1.) A2472.1
• Why animals lift their legs. A2473
• Why dogs lift their legs. A2473.1
• Why dogs leave droppings at crossroads. A2473.1.1
• Why pigs in mud lift their legs. A2473.2
• Why some animals continually shake head. A2474
• Why lizard bobs head up and down. (Cf. A2255.2, A2211.9.) A2474.1
• Why hare shakes head. A2474.2
• Why owl shakes head. A2474.3
• Why animals scent from distance. A2475
• Why deer scent people from distance. A2475.1
• Why animals move mouth, nose, etc. A2476
• Why rabbit continually moves mouth. A2476.1
• Why animals root in ground. A2477
• Why hog roots in ground. (Cf. A2236.3, A2275.5.1.) A2477.1
• Why hen scratches in ground. A2477.2
• Why certain animals are continually eating. (Cf. A2231.1.1.) A2478
• Why zebra is continually eating. A2478.1
• Other habitual bodily movements of animals. A2479
• Why wagtail moves tail up and down. A2479.1
• Why hare skips about like a leaf. A2479.2
• Why jackals make noise at night when seeking food. A2479.3
• Why the hedgehog draws himself up: shame at sight of a good man. A2479.4
• Why caterpillars climb trees. A2479.6
• Why ants fall upon every man. A2479.7
• Why dog snaps every fly. Fly laughed at dog's (feigned) death. A2479.8
• Why flies fly around ox's eyes. A2479.9
• Periodic habits of animals. A2480
• Why animals hibernate. A2481
• Why bears hibernate. A2481.1
• Why animals migrate. A2482
• Why swallows migrate. A2482.1
• Why caribou migrate. A2482.2
• Why wren does not migrate. A2482.3
• Why animals shed periodically. A2483
• Why snake sheds skin. A2483.1
• Why animals crowd together seasonally. A2484
• Why fish come in seasonally. A2484.1
• Why animals lay eggs as they do. (Cf. A2431, A2433.6.1.2.) A2486
• Why raven lays eggs in March. (Cf. A2251.1.) A2486.1
• Why bustard hatches but two eggs. (Cf. A2284.2.) A2486.2
• Why dove lays but two eggs. (Cf. A2247.4.) A2486.3
• How birds began to lay eggs. A2486.4
• Animal's periodic habits – miscellaneous. A2489
• Why cock wakes man in morning. A2489.1
• Why cock crows to greet sunrise. A2489.1.1
• Other habits of animals. A2490
• Why certain animals avoid light. A2491
• Why bat flies by night. (Cf. A2275.5.3.) A2491.1
• Why bat sleeps by day. (Cf. A2236.3.) A2491.1.1
• Why owl avoids daylight. A2491.2
• Why mole burrows underground. A2491.3
• Tiger cursed with short sight in day time: good sight only at night. A2491.4
• Why grasshoppers and locusts hide in day. A2491.5
• Why certain animals go in herds. A2492
• Why jackals do not go in herds. A2492.1
• Why birds do not live in societies. A2492.2
• Friendships between the animals. A2493
• Former friendship between domestic and wild animals. A2493.0.1
• Friendship of prairie-dog and owl. A2493.1
• Friendship of bat and owl. A2493.2
• Friendship of tiger and buffalo. A2493.3
• Friendship between man and dog. A2493.4
• Friendship between deer and fish. A2493.5
• Friendship between squirrel and quail. A2493.6
• Friendship between leopard-cat and squirrel. A2493.7
• Friendship between leopard-cat and night-jar. A2493.7.1
• Friendship between leopard and goat. A2493.8
• Friendship of cat and mouse. A2493.9
• Oath of friendship between cat and rat. A2493.9.1
• Friendship of fox and titmouse. A2493.10
• Friendship between jackal and crocodile. A2493.11
• Friendship between jackal and alligator. A2493.11.1
• Friendship between jackal and elephant. A2493.11.2
• Friendship between jackal and tiger. A2493.11.3
• Jackal and tiger as business partners. A2493.11.3.1
• Friendship between jackal and partridge. A2493.11.4
• Friendship between turtle and heron. A2493.12
• Friendship between turtle and wallaby. A2493.12.1