The dead

2,226 motifs · page 4 of 12

• Ghost summoned by holy water. E386.1
• Ghost summoned by charm. E386.2
• Ghosts summoned by calling them by name. E386.3
• Walking around a grave twelve times backward will raise the ghost. E386.4
• Light remark about what person would do if ghost appeared causes ghost to appear. (Cf. C10, C13.) E386.5
• Reasons for summoning of ghosts. E387
• Ghost summoned in order to talk to it. E387.1
• Dead called from their graves to make statement. E387.1.1
• Ghost summoned to get something from it. E387.2
• Father summoned to get his sword. E387.2.1
• Ghost summoned for purposes of necromancy. E387.3
• Ghost summoned – miscellaneous. E389
• Ghost must be summoned by king else he appears head downward. E389.1
• Summoned ghost audible and visible only to person who has summoned him. E389.2
• Friendly return from the dead – miscellaneous. E390
• Ghosts and revenants – miscellaneous. E400
• Voices of dead heard from graveyard. E401
• Ghostly voice heard on battlefield. (Cf. E502, F418.) E401.0.1
• Mysterious ghostlike noises heard. (Song, animal cries, footsteps, etc.) (Cf. E337.1, E236.7.) E402
• Noises caused by ghost of person. E402.1
• Vocal sounds of ghost of human being. (Cf. E545.) E402.1.1
• Ghost calls. E402.1.1.1
• Ghost moans. (Cf. E547.) E402.1.1.2
• Ghost cries and screams. E402.1.1.3
• Ghost sings. (Cf. E546.) E402.1.1.4
• Ghost snores. E402.1.1.5
• Ghost sobs. (Cf. E551.) E402.1.1.6
• Footsteps of invisible ghost heard. E402.1.2
• Invisible ghost plays musical instrument. (Cf. E548.) E402.1.3
• Ghost sounds conch shell. E402.1.3.1
• Invisible ghost jingles chains. (Cf. E231.4.) E402.1.4
• Invisible ghost makes rapping or knocking noise. (Cf. F470.) E402.1.5
• Crash as of breaking glass, though no glass is found broken. E402.1.6
• Ghost slams door. E402.1.7
• Miscellaneous sounds made by ghost of human being. E402.1.8
• Sounds made by invisible ghosts of animals. (Cf. E520.) E402.2
• Crowing of ghost rooster. E402.2.1
• Braying of ghost donkey. E402.2.2
• Hoofbeats of ghost horse. (Cf. E423.1.3, E521.1, E535. 1ff.) E402.2.3
• Sound made by ghostly object. (Cf. E530.) E402.3
• Sound of ethereal music. E402.4
• The unquiet grave. (Cf. D2151.1.2.3.) Dead unable to rest in peace. Aside from the references given in the numbers immediately following, see E200–E399 passim. E410
• Ground trembles or rumbles when ghost rises from grave. E410.1
• Ghost shakes off earth when he rises from grave. E410.2
• Dead cannot rest because of sin. E411
• Hand of sinner sticks out of grave. E411.0.1
• Unquiet dead sinner taken to priest for absolution. E411.0.2
• Return from dead to do penance. E411.0.2.1
• Unconfessed person cannot rest in grave. E411.0.2.2
• Horse unable to draw evil dead man. E411.0.3
• Dead body cannot be moved from where it lies. E411.0.3.1
• Sinner wanders between earth and heaven. E411.0.4
• Other dead drive sinner from graveyard. E411.0.5
• Rich man dragged from grave by demons in hallowed ground and flung into grave in unblessed ground. E411.0.5.1
• Earth rejects buried body. (Cf. V62.1.) E411.0.6
• Demons cast evil man from grave leaving only his shroud. E411.0.7
• Saint's body miraculously moves so that it is laid properly north and south, not northeast and southwest. E411.0.8
• Murderer cannot rest in grave. E411.1
• Suicide cannot rest in grave. (Cf. E334.7, E431.16.) E411.1.1
• Suicides must walk the earth until time for their natural death. E411.1.1.1
• Adulterous person cannot rest in grave. E411.2
• Priest's concubine cannot rest in grave. E411.2.1
• The devil's concubine haunts after her death. E411.2.2
• Perjurer cannot rest in grave. E411.3
• Usurer cannot rest in grave. E411.4
• Swindler cannot rest in grave. E411.5
• Person who never said "good morning" cannot rest in grave. E411.6
• Monk who dies without his cowl cannot rest in grave. E411.7
• Pilate appears periodically at Mt. Pilatus and washes his hands. E411.8
• Magician who has sold his soul to the devil hires his servant to bury him properly: the coffin bursts. (Cf. E261.2.1.) E411.9
• Persons who die violent or accidental deaths cannot rest in grave. E411.10
• Person under religious ban cannot rest in grave. E412
• Excommunicated person cannot rest in grave. E412.1
• Unbaptized person cannot rest in grave. E412.2
• Unchristened person cannot rest in grave nor enter heaven. E412.2.1
• Mother of unbaptized child cannot rest in grave. E412.2.2
• Dead without proper funeral rites cannot rest. E412.3
• Dead man comes back because he was buried without a cap. E412.3.1
• Naked ghost asks for shirt and promises luck on market for man. E412.3.2
• Ghost asks to wash his shirt. E412.3.2.1
• Dead man asks for shoes (was buried without them). E412.3.3
• Child cursed by father cannot rest in grave. E412.4
• Ghost of church desecrator cannot rest. E412.5
• Murdered person cannot rest in grave. (C.f. all references to E231, E334, E337.1.1, E337.3.) E413
• Drowned person cannot rest in peace. (Cf. E334.4.) E414
• Person otherwise killed by accident cannot rest in grave. E414.1
• Dead cannot rest until certain work is finished. E415
• Ghost returns to hunt lost article. E415.1
• Ghost unlaid until iron he hid in life is found. E415.1.1
• Return from dead to uncover secretly buried treasure. E415.1.2
• Dead rich man returns to rebuke his children who have kept the money he promised to the church. E415.2
• Ghost of priest cannot rest because he failed to say certain masses for the dead. (Cf. E341.3, Q521.6.) E415.3
• Dead cannot rest until money debts are paid. (C.f. E351.) E415.4
• Man who removes landmarks cannot rest in grave. (Cf. E345.1.) E416
• Dead person speaks from grave. E417
• Other restless dead. E419
• Soul wanders and demands that a temple be built for him. E419.1
• Dead find no rest since someone daily knocks at grave. E419.2
• Dead find no rest since grass is pulled on grave. E419.3
• Dead move when cemetery is moved. E419.4
• Dead arise when one plays organ for first time in church. E419.5
• Lovers buried apart found in one grave each morning. (Cf. E631.0.1.) E419.6
• Person with missing bodily member cannot rest in grave. (Cf. E235.) E419.7
• Ghost returns to enforce its burial wishes or to protest disregard of them. E419.8
• Ghost flits between two graves reputed to contain body. E419.9
• Concern of ghost about belongings of its lifetime. E419.10
• People who bury metal cannot rest in grave. E419.11
• Fate of ghosts of persons eaten by tigers. E419.12
• Appearance of revenant. E420
• Spectral ghosts. E421
• Invisible ghosts. E421.1
• Ghost visible to one person alone. E421.1.1
• First-born of a family cannot see ghosts. E421.1.1.0.1
• Persons born at midnight can see ghosts. E421.1.1.1
• Only sorcerers can see ghosts. E421.1.1.2
• Ghost visible to horses alone. E421.1.2
• Ghost visible to dogs alone. E421.1.3
• Ghosts visible only to sheep. E421.1.4
• Ghosts visible only to seals. E421.1.5
• Ghost visible only to wild fowls. E421.1.6
• Ghosts cast no shadow. E421.2
• Ghost leaves no footprints. E421.2.1
• Luminous ghosts. (Cf. E530.1, E742.) E421.3
• Ghost as glowing wheel. E421.3.1
• Ghost as firebrand. E421.3.2
• Ghost with glowing face. E421.3.3
• Ghost as fiery bull. E421.3.4
• Ghosts in glowing wagon. E421.3.5
• Ghosts as dogs with glowing tongues and eyes. (Cf. E423.1.1, E522.) E421.3.6
• Flames issue from corpse's mouth. E421.3.7
• Ghosts as shadow. E421.4
• Ghost seen by two or more persons; they corroborate the appearance. E421.5
• The living corpse. Revenant is not a specter but has the attributes of a living person. He wanders about till his "second death", complete disintegration in the grave. (Cf. E261.1.3, E268, E461.) E422
• Hanged man thirsty; demands water to drink. E422.0.1
• Body of living corpse. E422.1
• Headless revenant. E422.1.1
• Two-headed ghost. E422.1.1.1
• Revenant with ball of fire in place of head. E422.1.1.2
• Actions of headless revenant. E422.1.1.3
• Headless ghost rides horse. E422.1.1.3.1
• Headless ghost carries head under arm. (Cf. F511.0.4.) E422.1.1.4
• Armless revenant. E422.1.2
• Revenant with ice-cold hands. E422.1.3
• Revenant with cold lips. E422.1.4
• Revenant with bad breath. E422.1.5
• Revenant with chicken feet. E422.1.6
• Ghost with feet twisted backward. E422.1.6.1
• Revenant with thin legs. E422.1.6.2
• Revenant with chip of resin between teeth. E422.1.7
• Revenant with peculiar nails. E422.1.8
• Living corpse returns every night, shows gradual wasting away of body. E422.1.9
• Dismembered corpse. E422.1.10
• Dismembered corpse reassembles. (Cf. E31.) E422.1.10.1
• Revenant as part of body. E422.1.11
• Revenant as an eye. E422.1.11.1
• Revenant as face or head. E422.1.11.2
• Ghost as hand or hands. E422.1.11.3
• Revenant as skeleton. E422.1.11.4
• Revenant as blood. E422.1.11.5
• Ineradicable bloodstain after bloody tragedy. E422.1.11.5.1
• Color of revenant. (Cf. F527.) E422.2
• Revenant red. E422.2.1
• Revenant green. E422.2.2
• Revenant gray. E422.2.3
• Revenant black. E422.2.4
• Size of revenant. E422.3
• Revenant as small man. E422.3.1
• Revenant as a very large man (giant). (Cf. F531.) E422.3.2
• Dress of revenant. E422.4
• Revenant with hat of birch. Note: in the motifs immediately following, it is frequently impossible to tell whether the spectral ghost (E421) or the living corpse (E422) is thought of. E422.4.1
• Ghost with bonnet pulled down over her face. E422.4.2
• Ghost in white. E422.4.3
• Revenant in female dress. E422.4.4
• Revenant in male dress. E422.4.5
• Revenant in red cap. E422.4.6
• Revenant in animal form. E423
• Revenant as domestic animal. E423.1
• Revenant as dog. (Cf. E421.3.6.) E423.1.1
• Color of ghostly dog. E423.1.1.1
• Features of ghostly dog. E423.1.1.2
• Headless ghostly dog. (Cf. B15.1.1, E422.1.1.) E423.1.1.2.1
• Human-headed ghostly dog. (Cf. B25.) E423.1.1.2.2
• Revenant as cat. E423.1.2
• Revenant as horse. (Cf. F401.3.1.) E423.1.3
• Revenant as three-legged horse. E423.1.3.1
• Revenant as mare. E423.1.3.2
• Revenant as headless horse. (C.f. E422.1.1, E535.1.) E423.1.3.3
• Revenant as white horse. E423.1.3.4
• Actions of ghostly horse. E423.1.3.5
• Revenant as ass. E423.1.4
• Revenant as swine. E423.1.5
• Revenant as lamb. E423.1.6
• Revenant as ram. E423.1.7
• Revenant as cow. E423.1.8
• Revenant as calf. (Cf. E521.4.) E423.1.8.1
• Revenant as goat. E423.1.9
• Revenant as wild animal. E423.2
• Revenant as bear. (Cf. E522.2.) E423.2.1
• Revenant as rabbit (hare). E423.2.2
• Revenant as fox. E423.2.3