Deceptions

3,871 motifs · page 17 of 20

• Woman pretends to be mother of child chosen to be king. K1923.4
• Midwife takes child and substitutes it for king's stillborn child. K1923.5
• Queen passes off girl-child as boy by having pandits say raja must not see his son for twelve years. K1923.6
• Barren wife makes child by magic and claims it as her own. K1924
• False daughter: accepted as one's resurrected child. K1926
• Treacherous impostors. K1930
• Impostors abandon (or kill) their companion and usurp his place. K1931
• Impostors throw hero overboard into sea. K1931.1
• Impostor tries to push foster brother into the water and then cuts rope so that he drifts alone out on the sea in boat without oars. K1931.1.1
• Impostors abandon hero in lower world. Usually let rope drop on which he is to be raised. K1931.2
• Impostors kill hero. K1931.3
• Impostors throw hero into pit. K1931.4
• Impostors throw hero into prison. K1931.5
• Impostor leaves hero alone on island. (Cf. S145.) K1931.6
• Impostor abandons hero on high hill. Pulls down rope on which he is to be lowered. K1931.7
• Impostors claim reward (prize) earned by hero. K1932
• Impostor forces oath of secrecy. Hero or heroine swears not to tell of imposture. K1933
• Impostor forces hero (heroine) to change places with him (her). K1934
• Impostor (magician, demon) takes the place of the king. The ladies of the harem recognize the false king, and the true king is reinstated. K1934.1
• Impostors steal rescued princess. K1935
• Impostors exposed by girl at her wedding. K1935.1
• Impostor claims to be father of princess's child. K1936
• Impostor impersonates dead count. K1937
• Rascal pretends to be dead man's heir and receives money. K1938
• Disguised flayer. An impostor dresses in the skin of his victim. K1941
• Disguised flayer tightens skin to look beautiful. K1941.1
• Impostors tricked into carrying hero in box. Woman makes them think they will have her as reward. K1942
• Impostor demands box in name of king. K1944
• Imposition by sham sickness. K1945
• Person pretends sickness can be cured only with death (humiliation) of another. K1945.1
• Mother-in-law's head is shaven, face blackened and she is led around city on ass-back as only cure for malady of daughter-in-law. K1945.1.1
• Sham prowess. K1950
• Sham warrior. K1951
• Boastful fly-killer: "seven at a blow". A tailor who has killed seven flies writes on a placard: "Seven at a blow." He is received as a great warrior. K1951.1
• Boastful elephant killer: killed at one blow. Elephant has been poisoned. K1951.1.1
• Runaway cavalry-hero. When the sham hero goes to war his horse runs away with him. To save himself he grasps a cross from a graveyard and waves it from side to side, putting the enemy to flight. K1951.2
• Runaway cavalry hero tears out limbs of dead trees. K1951.2.1
• Sham-warrior intimidates soldiers with his boasting. K1951.3
• Sham-warrior boasts and is employed at palace. K1951.3.1
• Tiger intimidated by boasting of the sham-warrior. K1951.3.2
• Boastful coward frightened by conspirators. K1951.4
• Ordinary man assumes high sounding name and challenges enemy chief to single combat. Latter is frightened into believing him to be of exceptional prowess and desists from attacking the city. K1951.5
• Sham prince (nobleman). K1952
• Brahmin takes shape of a prince. K1952.0.1
• Servant takes prince's horse and clothes and passes self off as prince. K1952.0.2
• Poor boy said by helpful cat to be dispossessed prince. This is believed. K1952.1
• Poor boy said by helpful animal to be dispossessed prince (wealthy man) who has lost clothes while swimming (in shipwreck). K1952.1.1
• Better things at home. A poor boy posing as a prince in the king's court always says that he has better things at home. K1952.2
• Brothers pose as princes, deeming their parentage not worthy of their merit. K1952.3
• Impostor claims to be earl's son in exile. K1952.4
• Adventurer poses as son of dead king. K1952.4.1
• Wooing emissary poses as king and suitor, but is refused. K1952.5
• Impostor appears with letter authorizing that he be set on the throne. K1952.6
• Thieves set up poor weaver as prince and thus get possession of tribute and gifts. K1952.7
• Sham brave man. K1953
• Coward boasts that he has frightened bear away. His wife has killed it and he has fled. K1953.1
• Sham rich man. K1954
• Helpful cat borrows measure for his master's money. The master thus gains a reputation for wealth. K1954.1
• Drunken man by pretending to want to buy an elephant makes king think him rich. K1954.2
• Sham physician. K1955
• Sham physician cures people by threatening them with death. K1955.1
• Man undertakes to cure fat abbot of stomach ailment. Starves him until he admits he can eat anything. K1955.1.1
• Patients frightened from hospital by harsh treatment. K1955.1.2
• Sham physician pretends to diagnose entirely from urinalysis. Really from observation and inference from trifles. K1955.2
• Pepper as universal remedy of sham doctor: accidentally works. K1955.2.1
• Sham physician predicts the sex of the unborn child. "From one side it looks like a boy, from the other a girl." The woman bears twins and the husband pays the doctor. K1955.3
• Sham physician: using the flea powder. Catch the flea, open its mouth, and place the powder inside. K1955.4
• Sham physician: making the girl grow up. A king wants his daughter to grow up quickly. The physician says that he must send away for the medicine; meantime she must be shut up. After several years they show her to the king. She has grown. K1955.5
• The sham physician and the devil in partnership. The devil is to enter the girl and the physician will collect reward for driving the devil out. K1955.6
• Cheat: demon kills people so his pupil can resuscitate them and get reward. K1955.6.1
• Sham physician refuses to take his own medicine: unmasked. K1955.7
• Sham physician gives relative a medical degree. K1955.8
• Ignorant youth buys a medical degree. K1955.8.1
• Ignorant doctor draws his prescriptions by lot. K1955.9
• Sham physician hands out prescriptions haphazard. K1955.9.1
• Sham wise man. K1956
• Sham wise man gives a purgative and helps find a lost horse. His pills get the credit. K1956.1
• Sham wise man claims to find stolen goods by incantation. He has really forced thieves to show them to him. K1956.1.1
• Sham wise man hides something and is rewarded for finding it. K1956.2
• Sham wise man sees jewel hidden and is rewarded for finding it. K1956.2.1
• Sham wise man declares who committed the theft: robbers. K1956.3
• Sham wise man does not know where his own house is. Unmasked. K1956.4
• Sham wise man stays alone feigning study. Is really killing flies. K1956.5
• Sham wise man (girl's confederate) interprets pretended dream for girl. Insists she be allowed to marry man of her own choice. K1956.6
• Sham wise man pretends knowledge from dream: really overheard conversation. K1956.7
• Sham wise man burns house where he pretends to keep his marvelous books, and is free from being called again. K1956.8
• Sham wise man accidentally predicts weather correctly. K1956.9
• Boy, posing as magician, agitates purported all-knowing pig's head in front of his enemies, identifying them as dishonest men. K1956.10
• Sham teacher. Pretends to read a document brought him as a letter. It is a tax receipt. K1958
• Sham churchman. K1961
• Sham parson (priest). K1961.1
• Peasant as priest preaches on the troubles of laymen. K1961.1.1
• Sham parson repeats same expression over and over or says a few words of Latin. K1961.1.2
• Parody sermon. K1961.1.2.1
• Sham parson: the sawed pulpit. He has sawed the pulpit almost through. He predicts a miracle. The pulpit falls down. K1961.1.3
• Sham priest dupes man into believing he can discover treasure. K1961.1.4
• Sham holy man. K1961.1.5
• Jackal as sham saint. K1961.1.5.1
• Pretender as pope. K1961.2
• Woman in disguise becomes pope. (Pope Joan.) K1961.2.1
• Devil disguised as monk. K1961.3
• Sham bishop. K1961.4
• Sham abbot. K1961.5
• False prophet. K1962
• Mohammed puts seed in his ears and when doves trained to feed there come, he tells people that they bring messages from God. K1962.1
• Sham magician. K1963
• False magician exposed by clever girl. K1963.1
• Sham magician promises to induce love by magic. Dupe is frightened (to death, robbed, or otherwise discomfited) by magician or confederate. K1963.2
• Master posing as magician plays tricks on his servant. K1963.3
• Sham magician belches fire to frighten dupes. K1963.4
• Trickster impersonates necromancer to seduce latter's wife. K1963.5
• Sham magician makes wife believe that he (she) can be transported by demons. K1963.6
• Sham astrologer. K1964
• Sham crystal-gazer. K1965
• Alchemist. K1966
• Alchemist steals money from corpse and claims he has made the silver. K1966.1
• Alchemist secures payment for his "secret". K1966.2
• Juggler promises to fly from one house to another. Keeps crowd waiting until dusk and then makes his escape. K1967
• Sham prowess in hunting (fishing). K1968
• Bought game (fish) used to prove prowess in hunting (fishing). K1968.1
• Sham prowess – miscellaneous. K1969
• Sham traveler. Boasts falsely of voyage and receives canoes which he appropriates. K1969.1
• Warrior buries oversized armor so as to convince posterity of soldiers' gigantic size. K1969.2
• Servant poses as master. K1969.3
• Impostors: servant enters dead body of master and takes his place. K1969.3.1
• Sham deity. K1969.4
• Weaver poses as deity. K1969.4.1
• Sham miracles. K1970
• Man behind statue (tree) speaks and pretends to be God (spirit). K1971
• Husband answers behind the statue when wife wants to know how to fool him. He says to feed him well. K1971.1
• Trickster hides in hollow tree and eats food he has persuaded his wife to bring to feed a bird. K1971.1.1
• Man behind the tree threatens his debtor. The latter thinks God is calling and repays the debt. K1971.2
• Boy behind the tree tells woman about the bad food he gets. She thinks God is speaking and gives him good food. K1971.3
• Maid behind statue of Virgin advises the mistress to give the servants better food. K1971.3.1
• Husband behind saint's statue advises wife to spin. K1971.4
• Wife behind tree advises husband against having his wife work. K1971.4.1
• Husband as God behind the tree forces his wife to confess adultery. K1971.5
• Man as God behind the tree forces the girl to admit having an illegitimate child. Or prophesies himself as father so as to marry the girl. K1971.5.1
• Girl behind the tree advises the unwilling suitor. Believing it to be the advice of angels, he marries her. K1971.6
• Wife behind tree advises the husband about his marital duties. K1971.6.1
• The man behind the crucifix says "Good Evening" to the drunk man, who thinks Christ is speaking to him. K1971.7
• Hidden man behind image gives unwelcome answer to suppliant: image blamed. K1971.8
• Sexton behind crucifix tells old maid she will have no husband; she tells Christ Child that he knows nothing about it, she is praying to his mother. K1971.8.1
• Sexton behind statue tells old maid praying for a husband to raise her foot to her neck. K1971.9
• Trickster concealed in sacred tree advises that he is to marry the princess. K1971.10
• Trickster in tree advises that tree and fruit belong to him. Others think God speaks and leave. K1971.11
• Impostor acting as God in tree suspected and tree burned. K1971.12
• Alleged idol promises teacher certain payment for his book when finished. Dupe overhears and pays him bargain price for what he is later to receive. K1971.13
• Man hidden behind idol in temple tells robbers they will have good booty but should leave half of it in the temple. K1971.14
• Oracular images occupied by spirits or priests who give the answers. K1972
• Statue made to raise its arm. Woman wishing to go on pilgrimage (to meet lover) makes believe that statue of saint has raised its arm in answer to her prayer. K1972.1
• Sham miracle. Priest makes congregation believe the painting of the Virgin weeps real tears. K1972.2
• Jackal inside carcass of bullock makes people think his voice is God's. Demands gifts. K1973
• Living man at the grave pretends to be dead man speaking. K1974
• Sham miracle: may the grass grow up! Tricksters who have done no mowing say to their master when he angers them, "May the grass grow up again!" He finds it is full height. K1975
• Sham miracle: wallet (bee-hive) changes to wasps. Tricksters put a wasp nest in the wallet (bee-hive). When the master claims it they give it to him with the curse, "May it turn to wasps!" It does. K1975.1
• Sham miracle: rupees turn to ashes. Cheat tells man rupees carried by horse in sack will turn to ashes if man's tired wife rides on its back. Man promises to pay him back if that should happen. Ashes fall from under saddle when woman does and cheat collects. K1975.2
• Sham miracle: may the food turn raw. Lazy wife takes uncooked food to husband in field. K1975.3
• False miraculous relic. K1976
• Two friars take arm from corpse and allege it is a miracle-producing relic. One of the tricksters questions its powers in public. Feigns being struck dead. Feigned resurrection. Tricksters enriched as a result. K1976.1
• Other impostures. K1980
• Deception by playing deaf and dumb. K1981
• Trickster feigns deafness and gets hospitality from miser. K1981.1
• Ubiquitous beggar. In disguise obtains alms three times from the same person. K1982
• Trickster poses as helper and eats women's stored provisions. K1983
• Girls keep up appearances to deceive suitors as to their desirability. K1984
• The lisping sisters. The girls have been warned against speaking, but forget and are found out. K1984.1
• The girl who ate so little. When the suitor sees her baking he finds that she can eat. K1984.2
• Girl claims to have overeaten on a nightingale's thigh. K1984.2.1
• The girl with the ugly name. Her mother gives her a new one but the girl does not recognize it and her mother must call her by her old name. K1984.3
• Ugly women complain of falling flowers. King hearing them supposes them delicate and beautiful. K1984.4
• Blind fiancée betrays self. Mistakes one object for another. K1984.5
• Rearing the large-headed and large-eyed bird. When the one rearing the owl learns its age he kills it. K1985
• Devil disguised as candidate for confirmation. K1986
• Devil disguised as man goes to church. K1987
• Brother (sister) secures blessing due to another. K1988
• Impostor: one sister borrows another's clothes and gets religious blessing in her place. K1988.1
• Hare (jackal) makes horns of wax and poses as horned animal. Horns melt by the fire. K1991
• Devil tries to pass for Jesus. Forbids man to cut wood on Sunday. Disappears when man demands to see the wounds on his hands and feet. K1992
• Wise man sent by king to rival to give him interested advice. K1994
• Hypocrites. K2000
• Hypocrite pretends friendship but attacks. K2010
• Man pretends friendship but attacks king to avenge violation of his wife. K2010.1
• Friendship feigned to avenge murder. K2010.2
• Wolves sign false truce with sheep. After the dogs have been dismissed the wolves devour the sheep. K2010.3
• Wolf poses as "grandmother" and kills child. (Red Riding Hood.) K2011
• Wolf poses as mother and kills child. K2011.1
• Ogre father poses as mother and kills child. K2011.1.1
• Bogey imitates mother and kills child. K2011.1.2
• Hyena poses as father and kills child. K2011.1.3
• Leopard poses as brother and kills child. K2011.1.4
• Tiger-ogress pretends to be girls' mother: explains tail as boil. K2011.2
• False friend causes man to eject his wife. He then seduces her. K2012
• Enemy invited for marriage with relative attacked. K2013
• Enemy invited to meeting and attacked. K2013.1
• Women pretend to weep over warrior's wounds while attempting to inflame them. K2014
• King has wounded ally attended by leeches, but bribes them to introduce beetles, awns of barley, etc. into the wounds. K2014.1
• Child adopted by rich man in order to get rid of him. K2015
• Betrayal by a kiss. K2021
• The bitten cheek. In payment of a debt, a woman permits a man to kiss her; he bites her cheek so that she has a permanent mark. K2021.1