Tests

2,753 motifs · page 8 of 14

• Riddle: what house was full of dead? (Philistines in the building demolished by Samson.) H831
• What was not born, yet life was given to it? (The golden calf.) H832
• Other riddles. H840
• Riddle: worth of the animal. H841
• Riddle: what animal is good living but not dead? (Ass.) H841.1
• Riddle: what animal is good dead but not living? (Hog.) H841.2
• Riddle: what animal is good living and dead? (Cow.) H841.3
• Riddle: what animal is not good living or dead? (Wolf.) H841.4
• Riddle: animal qualities. H842
• What animal which lives in sea-water will drown if taken out of it? (Gním Abraein.) H842.1
• What animal which lives in fire will burn if taken out of it? (Tegillus, now called salamander.) (Cf. B768.2.) H842.2
• What animal has one voice living and seven voices dead? (Ibis, from whose carcass musical instruments are made.) H842.3
• Riddle: what are the two fixed, the two moving, the two joined, the two separated by jealousy, the two eternal enemies? (Heaven and earth; sun and moon; night and day; soul and body; life and death.) H851
• What two trees do not fade until they wither? (Yew and holly.) H852
• What goodness did man find on earth that God did not find? (An overlord.) H853
• Riddle: what are the two combatants without hands or feet or words? (The bull and the buffalo.) H861
• Riddle: what is that which is neither man nor jinn nor beast nor bird? (Louse and ant.) H862
• Riddle: what do crows do when they are five years old? (They start their sixth year.) (Cf. H826.) H865
• Riddle: what six things are not worth doing? (Sowing salt, mowing pebbles, drinking from an empty jug, making signs to a blind man, wooing at mealtime, playing a harp in a mill.) H871
• Three stupid things for men to do (various answers). H871.1
• Riddle: what is the difference between a poor man and a rich? (Riches.) H875
• Riddle: what is it that one buys who does not want it or use it? (Coffin.) H878
• Riddles with "none" as answer. H881
• Riddle: how many dead mice go to a feast? (None.) H881.1
• Riddle: bottom and top of staff. Of the two ends which is the top and which the bottom? H882
• Riddle: where is the root of the floor? Below. H883
• Riddles about flax. H885
• Riddles about naphtha. H886
• Tasks imposed. A person's prowess is tested by assigning him certain tasks (usually impossible or extremely difficult) to be performed either to escape punishment or to receive a valuable reward. H900
• Tasks imposed on pain of death. H901
• Tasks imposed on pain of death of relative (friend, hostage, etc.). H901.0.1
• Bird must bring orphan to king or bird will be killed. H901.0.2
• Heads placed on stakes for failure in performance of task. Unsuccessful youths are beheaded and heads exposed. Hero sees them when he sets out to accomplish his task. H901.1
• Task assigned the Gods. H902
• Assignment of tasks in response to suggestion. H910
• Tasks assigned at suggestion of jealous rivals. H911
• Task (quest) assigned at suggestion of jealous co-wife. H911.1
• Tasks assigned at suggestion of jealous brothers (sisters). H912
• Tasks assigned by jealous parent. H913
• Tasks assigned by jealous mother. H913.1
• Task assigned at suggestion of jealous mother (of prospective bride). H913.1.1
• Task suggested by jealous co-wife of mother. H913.1.2
• Tasks assigned at suggestion of jealous father. H913.2
• Task assigned at suggestion of jealous father (of prospective bride). H913.2.1
• Tasks assigned because of mother's foolish boasting. The mother foolishly boasts to the king that the daughter can perform an impossible task (often spinning). H914
• Tasks assigned because of girl's (boy's) own foolish boast. H915
• Tasks assigned because of man's boast. H915.1
• Tasks imposed at suggestion of spouse (sweetheart). H916
• Tasks imposed because of wife's foolish boast. H916.1
• Malicious wife reports that her husband is a famous doctor: he is commanded to cure the princess. H916.1.1
• Task imposed because of girl's foolish boast. H916.2
• Tasks assigned at suggestion of wife and paramour. H916.3
• Tasks assigned at own unwitting suggestion. Jason thus sent for the Golden Fleece. H917
• Tasks assigned at suggestion contained in letter borne by the victim. H918
• Assignment of tasks in response to suggestion – miscellaneous. H919
• Tasks assigned at suggestion of treacherous servants. H919.1
• Task upon suggestion of barber. H919.1.1
• Tasks assigned at suggestion of religious person. H919.2
• Task assigned at suggestion of parrot. H919.3
• Impossible task assigned by plaintiff as proof. H919.4
• Task assigned at suggestion of treacherous soldier. H919.5
• Tasks assigned at instigation of queen (disguised ogress). H919.6
• Assigners of tasks. H920
• King (father) assigns tasks to his unknown son. H921
• Task set by king to sons to determine heir to kingdom. H921.1
• Departing husband assigns his wife tasks. H922
• Tasks assigned before man may rescue wife from spirit world. H923
• Task assigned before wife may rescue husband from supernatural power. H923.1
• Tasks assigned prisoner so that he may escape punishment. H924
• Tasks assigned as ransom. H924.1
• Tasks set by deity. H927
• Tasks as trial of prowess of mortal by gods. H927.1
• Task assigned by angel on God's order. H927.2
• Tasks imposed as tribute. H928
• Tasks imposed as fine. H928.1
• Tasks assigned in order to get rid of hero. H931
• Prince envious of hero's wife assigns hero tasks. H931.1
• Husband assigns tasks for king who has stolen his wife. H931.1.1
• Disagreeable tasks set hero to do so that he will disobey and be killed. H931.2
• Tasks assigned to devil (ogre). H932
• Princess sets hero tasks. (Cf. H335.) H933
• Princess throws handkerchief high in tree; asks hero to get it. H933.1
• Maiden queen sets hero three dangerous tasks in order to disenchant her sisters. (Cf. F565.3.) H933.2
• Princess orders hero to bring her rings of another princess. H933.3
• Quest assigned by scorned princess. H933.4
• Queen of Sea sets hero tasks. H933.5
• Relative assigns tasks. (Cf. H912–H914.) H934
• Wife assigns husband tasks. H934.1
• Sisters-in-law impose tasks. H934.2
• Tasks assigned by stepmother. H934.3
• Task imposed by elder brothers. H934.4
• Witch assigns tasks. H935
• Tasks assigned because of longings of pregnant woman. H936
• Task assigned by dying child. H937
• Fairy assigns tasks. (Cf. H1219.4.) H938
• Other assigners of tasks. H939
• Tasks assigned by druid. H939.1
• Tests imposed on woman by prospective paramour. H939.2
• Tasks set by cruel sisters-in-law to get tigress. H939.3
• Giant assigns task. H939.4
• Serpent-king assigns task. H939.4.1
• Assignment of tasks – miscellaneous. H940
• Cumulative tasks: second assigned so that first can be done. H941
• Tasks assigned as payment of gambling loss. (Cf. H1219.1.) H942
• Tasks voluntarily undertaken. H945
• Warriors go towards strong enemy as consequence of own boast. H945.1
• Hero goes north to fight with trolls. (Cf. F455.) H945.2
• Task assigned from misunderstanding. H946
• Task assigned from misunderstanding: search for prince named Sabr ("wait"). H946.1
• Task evaded by subterfuge. H950
• Countertasks. When a task is assigned, the hero agrees to perform it as soon as the assigner performs a certain other task. (Cf. H691.2.1, H1021.1.1, H1021.3, H1021.6.1, H1021.6.2, H1022.2.1, H1022.3, H1022.9, H1023.1.1, H1023.1.2, H1023.2.2.1, H1023.9.1, H1023.10.1, H1142.3, H1146.) H951
• Reductio ad absurdum of task. When an impossible task is given, the hero responds with a countertask so absurd as to show the manifest absurdity of the original task. (Cf. H1023.3.1, H1024.1.1.1.) H952
• Tasks performed through cleverness or intelligence. H960
• Tasks performed by cleverness. H961
• Tasks performed by close observation. H962
• Task: sitting on eggs without breaking them; hero perceives trick. H962.1
• Tasks performed by means of secrets overheard from tree. H963
• Help in performing tasks. H970
• Task performed with help of old person. H971
• Tasks performed with help of old woman. H971.1
• Task performed with help of little old men. H971.2
• Tasks accomplished with help of grateful dead. H972
• Tasks performed by captive spirits of the dead. H972.1
• Tasks performed by helpful forest spirits. H973
• Task performed by fairy. H973.1
• Tasks performed with help of four demons in ring. H973.2
• Task performed by dwarfs. (Cf. F451.5.1.) H973.3
• Task performed with help of supernatural wife. H974
• Task performed with help of mistress. H974.1
• Tasks performed by deity. H975
• Task performed by deity in answer to prayer. H975.0.1
• Tasks performed by aid of goddess. H975.1
• Task performed by mysterious stranger. H976
• Tasks performed with help of brother. H981
• Animals help man perform task. H982
• Pigeons cover the sun's rays with their outstretched wings and lengthen night to six months so that hero's task can be completed in one night. H982.1
• Task performed with help of angel. (Cf. N810.) H983
• Tasks performed with help of saint. H984
• Tasks performed with help of Brahmadaitya. H984.1
• Task performed with help of druid. H985
• Help in performance of tasks: invisible hands. H986
• Task performed with aid of magic object. H987
• Performance of tasks – miscellaneous. H990
• Unpromising hero last to try task (rescue from animal). H991
• Impossible tasks. H1010
• Tasks contrary to laws of nature. H1020
• Task: construction from impossible kind of material. H1021
• Task: making a rope of sand. H1021.1
• Task: making a rope of sand; countertask: first showing the pattern. (Cf. H951.) H1021.1.1
• Task: making a rope of chaff. H1021.2
• Task: making ship of stone. H1021.3
• Task: making a knot of spilled brandy. H1021.4
• Task: making an invisible knot with an egg. H1021.5
• Task: weaving a silk shirt from hair. (Cf. H1022.2.2.) H1021.6
• Task: weaving a silk shirt from hair; countertask: making a loom from shavings. (Cf. H951.) H1021.6.1
• Task: taking a stick from the body. (Fingernail.) H1021.7
• Task: spinning gold. H1021.8
• Task: sewing a shirt of stone. H1021.9
• Task: sewing a shirt from flower petals. H1021.9.1
• Task: brewing ale from sweet milk. H1021.10
• Task: making a peacock of silk. H1021.11
• Task: construction from impossible amount of material. H1022
• Task: weaving cloth from two threads. H1022.1
• Task: making many shirts (clothing an army) from one hank of flax (wool). H1022.2
• Task: clothing an army from one hank of flax; countertask: making horseshoes for cavalry from one needle. (Cf. H951.) H1022.2.1
• Task: weaving a shirt from a piece of thread; countertask: making a loom from a rod. H1022.2.2
• Task: making sails for ship from one bundle of linen; countertask: making spindle and loom from one stick of wood. (Cf. H951.) H1022.3
• Task: making shirt from piece of linen three inches square. H1022.4
• Task: making shirt derived from a single flax-seed. H1022.4.1
• Task: weaving mantle from wool of a single sheep. H1022.4.2
• Task: making shawl-cloth one hundred cubits in length out of one cocoon of silk. H1022.4.3
• Task: feeding army from one measure of meal. H1022.5
• Task: making broth for army. H1022.5.1
• Task: making many kinds of food from one small bird. H1022.6
• Task: making ale derived from a single grain of corn. H1022.6.1
• Task: making boat from splinters of a spindle and shuttle. H1022.7
• Task: brewing impossible amount of ale from one grain of corn. H1022.8
• Task: bringing quantity of mosquito bones within month; countertask: furnishing scales with wind as beams and heat as pans. (Cf. H951.) H1022.9
• Tasks contrary to the nature of objects. H1023
• Task: hatching boiled eggs. H1023.1
• Task: hatching boiled eggs; countertask: sowing cooked seeds and harvesting the crop. (Cf. H951, H952.) H1023.1.1
• Task: hatching eggs immediately; countertask: sowing seeds and bringing in crop next morning. (Cf. H951, H952.) H1023.1.2
• Task: carrying water in a sieve. H1023.2
• Task: carrying water in sieve; sieve filled with moss. H1023.2.0.1
• Task: carrying water in sieve; pious child able to do so. H1023.2.0.2
• Task: carrying water in leaky vessel. H1023.2.1
• Task: carrying water in leaky vessel; vessel repaired with clay or gum. H1023.2.1.1
• Task: carrying water in leaky vessel; frog sits in hole. H1023.2.1.2
• Hero sets wife to task of filling water-bottle with spout turned downward. H1023.2.2
• Impossible task: filling a grain-bin through the hole in the bottom. H1023.2.3
• Task: filling a bottomless water tube. H1023.2.4
• Task: filling pots having subterranean outlets. H1023.2.5
• Task: bringing berries (fruit, roses) in winter. H1023.3
• Task: bringing berries in winter. Reductio ad absurdum: father is sick from snake-bite (impossible in winter). (Cf. H952.) H1023.3.1
• Task: procuring cuckoo to sing in winter. H1023.3.1.1
• Task: making withered flowers green. H1023.3.2
• Task: straightening a curly hair. H1023.4
• Task: making a dog's tail straight. H1023.4.1
• Task: pumping out a leaky ship. H1023.5
• Task: washing black wool (cloth, cattle) white. H1023.6