Ordaining the future

851 motifs · page 2 of 5

• Breaking of bargains or promises. M205
• Promise kept in deed but not in spirit. M205.0.1
• Animal punishes broken promise. M205.1
• Turtle carrying man through water upsets him because of a broken promise. M205.1.1
• Fish (whale) carrying man through water shakes him off when man strikes him with coconut. M205.1.1.1
• Cat witness to betrothal punishes violator. Kills the man's son when he has married a different woman. M205.1.2
• Curse as punishment for broken promise. M205.2
• A man who breaks his oath to a woman cannot be king with right. M205.3
• King breaks promise to care for man's family. Is caught trying to steal his money. M205.4
• Promise made merely as a matter of form not binding. M206
• Host offers to send his guest a cask of the wine he has praised. Later refuses to send it as it was merely a "verba honoris". M206.1
• Land grants (bargains). M207
• Price set on one's head. M208
• Bargain with devil. M210
• Man sells soul to devil. (Faust, Theophilus.) M211
• Man unwittingly sells soul to devil. He jestingly offers to sell his soul. Devil in disguise buys it. M211.1
• Man goes to well at midnight on Old Christmas to see water turned into wine. Just as it turns into wine the devil takes him, or injures him. M211.1.1
• Man sells soul to devil in return for devil's building house (barn, etc.). M211.2
• Man bequeaths soul to devil. M211.3
• Jews must repay devil's help by giving tribute of persons each year. M211.4
• Formulas for selling one's soul to devil. M211.5
• Man sells soul to devil for visit home in boat that sails through sky. M211.6
• Man sells soul to devil for magic power to escape capture. M211.7
• Man sells soul to devil for devil's doing one specific job. M211.8
• Person sells soul to devil in return for the granting of wishes. M211.9
• Devil agrees to help man with robberies. M212
• Devil as helper of robber refuses to let women's ornaments be stolen. They are his own weapons. M212.1
• Devil at gallows repudiates his bargain with robber. Ring turns to rope. The judge cannot find a rope and is about to release the thief because of the miracle. But the ring in the box presented by the devil as a bribe turns out to be a rope. The man is hanged. M212.2
• Devil as substitute for day laborer at mowing. He mows with a magic sickle. The evil overseer tries to keep up with him and dies of overexhaustion. M213
• Devil to help gambler in exchange for one task yearly. M214
• With his whole heart: devil carries off judge. The devil refuses to take anything not offered him with the whole heart. He hears the judge (advocate) cursed for fraud with such sincerity that he carries him off. M215
• Devil bargains to help man become priest. He must not later exorcise him from people. M216
• The devil helps man study for priesthood. For this, he must promise the devil his soul. Having become a great priest, the man finds means to save himself. M216.1
• The devil makes the herdsman's son a priest in return for a whistle. After quarreling with the devil, who asked to repair the whistle during Mass, the priest forgets all he learned and does not know how to hold Mass. Is beaten. M216.2
• Devil bargains to help man win woman. M217
• Servant makes pact with devil denying Christ to secure nobleman's daughter. M217.1
• Contract with the devil destroyed. M218
• Pacts with the devil, sealed in blood, made ineffective by a saint. M218.1
• Other devil contract motifs. M219
• Bargain with the devil for an heir. M219.1
• Devil fetches man contracted to him. M219.2
• Devil appears in great storm, takes away soul of person contracted to him. (Cf. D2141.0.4, D2141.0.5, Q550.1.) M219.2.1
• Devil flays corpse of person contracted to him. (Cf. Q457.2.) M219.2.2
• Man contracted to the devil responds to call by voice: "The hour has come but not the man." M219.2.3
• Devil carries off hunt-loving priest. (Cf. G303.17.2.4.) M219.2.4
• Body of devil's disciple is removed from coffin by devil. M219.2.5
• Devil puts body of convert on a sea monster which takes it away. M219.2.6
• Familiars guard and protect those who have pact with the devil. M219.3
• Familiar devours whoever does not keep pact with devil. M219.4
• Other bargains. M220
• Beheading bargain. Giant allows hero to cut off his head; he will cut off hero's later. M221
• Hag offers to run race with men on condition that the one left behind shall be beheaded. Marvelous runner beheads hag. M221.1
• Man umpires dispute in exchange for guarantee of safety. Disputants, bear and tiger, agree not to eat him. M222
• Blind promise (rash boon). Person grants wish before hearing it. M223
• Person who never refuses a request. M223.1
• Eyes exchanged for food. A starving man lets himself be blinded in return for food. M225
• Horse, clothes, and members of rider's body exchanged for food. M225.1
• In return for magic shirt from girl hero is to stay in Ireland for three years. In return he claims her as wife. M226
• Free keep in inn exchanged for good story. M231
• Prince to give up life in exchange for learning a secret. M232
• Three deformed witches invited to wedding in exchange for help. M233
• Life spared in return for life-long service. M234
• Life spared in return for poetic mead. M234.1
• Life spared for bringing a dreaded enemy without weapon. M234.2
• Life bought for gold. M234.3
• Life bought with promise of reparations and healing of enemy. M234.4
• Bargain: woman rides naked through streets to obtain freedom for citizens. Godiva. M235
• Peace bought for husband. M236
• Bargain to save face. M237
• Opponents agree not to fight and are thus undefeated. M237.1
• Bargain: to divide all winnings. M241
• Dividing the winnings: half of the bride demanded. When the hero shows that he is willing to carry out the bargain, his helper relents. M241.1
• Dividing the winnings: presents (favors) from man's own wife. After the agreement to divide all winnings the first man receives favors (presents, kisses) from the second's wife. He faithfully delivers them. M241.2
• Bargains and promises between mortals and supernatural beings. (Cf. M221, M222, M223.) M242
• Mortal fosters fairy child to prevent destruction of crops. M242.1
• Contract between hungry god and untouchable: to give gods food it they will eat from his hands. M242.2
• Ogre released in return for his magic girdle. M242.3
• Bargains between men and animals. M244
• Bargain with king of mice. M244.1
• Captured bird promises to deliver fifteen birds in exchange for freedom. M244.2
• Covenant of friendship. M246
• Covenant of friendship between animals. M246.1
• Covenant of friendship between elephant and jackal. M246.1.1
• Covenant of friendship between louse and crow. M246.1.2
• Covenant of friendship: no matter how poor son of one is, daughter of other will accept him as groom. M246.2
• Covenant of friendship: to secure brides for each other. M246.3
• Promises connected with death. M250
• Dying man's promise will be kept. M251
• Promise of dying man to bring news of other world. (Or two friends agree that the first to die shall bring news). M252
• Friends in life and death. In pursuance of the pledge, the living follows the other to the world of the dead. M253
• Promise to be buried with wife if she dies first. M254
• Deathbed promise concerning the second wife. Promises his dying wife that he will not marry unless the bride meets the specifications the dying wife imposes. M255
• Promise to dying man broken. M256
• Sons break promise to have masses for father's soul. "If he is in Hell it will do him no good; if he is in Heaven he won't need it; and if he is in Purgatory he can purge himself." M256.1
• Dying monster's request and promise. Hero is to drink his blood, suck his eyes and brains, and give his heart to his loved one to eat. He will become marvelously strong and his wife will have three sons and four daughters with great powers. M257
• Dying hero's request and promise to disciples. M257.1
• Murdered person's request and promise. M257.2
• Promise to dying man sacred. M258
• Promise to dying father leads to adventures. M258.1
• Promise to dying father not to wed woman of certain tribe. M258.2
• Promise to dying father to bury him in his homeland. M258.3
• Other promises. M260
• Chaste woman promises herself to her lover when the rocks leave the coast. (They are moved by magic.) M261
• Chaste woman promises herself to her lover when he can make a garden bloom in winter. (Cf. H352.) M261.1
• Raja to marry girl when cut mango branch blooms. M261.1.1
• Princess promises to embrace her teacher on her wedding day. Teacher has only been testing her promise. M261.2
• Person promises to have but one consort if he is cured. M262
• Retreat in return for cessation of attack. Host agrees to march back a day's journey if warrior will cease his feats of arms upon them until a certain battle in the future. M263
• Man promises to build church if he is saved at sea. M266
• Promise to give another one's wife for a day. M267
• Marriage promised to save life. M268
• Sons agree to meet at father's grave after they have been out in world for one year to learn trade. M271
• Supernatural woman promises to return if she gives birth to a boy. M272
• Bargains and promises – miscellaneous. M290
• Trickster undertakes impossible bargains and collects his part. Trusts that in the year he is given either he or the other will die. M291
• Wife undertakes man's penances for him: also to go to heaven for him? He has a dream and when he sees that she also goes to heaven for him he decides against the bargain. M292
• Covenant: one nation not to wrest city from inhabitants without their consent. M293
• Divine promise not to destroy sinful city if righteous live there. M294
• Bargain to keep secret. M295
• Tiger lets man go on condition he does not tell what he has overheard. M295.1
• Two men in love agree to have nothing to do with the girl without the other's consent. M296
• Prophecies. M300
• Prophecy by Jesus that certain people shall live "till coming of Patrick." So it was. M300.1
• Unconscious prophecy. M300.2
• Prophetic gift received from another prophet. M300.3
• Suppression of prophecy. M300.4
• Prophets. M301
• Prophet destined never to be believed. M301.0.1
• Prophet speaks six nights each year. M301.0.2
• Wild man as prophet. M301.1
• Old woman as prophet. M301.2
• Enraged old woman prophesies for youth. He has accidentally knocked her over (broken water pot, etc.). M301.2.1
• Old Woman, "völva", prophesies at child's birth. M301.2.2
• Druids as prophets. M301.3
• Prophecies from old man who writes in a book. M301.4
• Saints (holy men) as prophets. M301.5
• Anchorite prophesies at childbirth. M301.5.1
• Cuchulinn prophesies birth of 50 women. Shall be loyal folk to God. M301.5.2
• Fairies as prophets. M301.6
• Banshees as portents of misfortune. M301.6.1
• Biblical worthy as prophet. M301.7
• Moses as prophet. M301.7.1
• David as prophet. M301.7.2
• Abraham as prophet. M301.7.3
• Personification prophesies. M301.8
• Half-wit as prophet. M301.9
• Fool (entertainer) as prophet. M301.9.1
• Angels as prophets. (Cf. V230.) M301.10
• Spirit as prophet. (Cf. F400.) M301.11
• Three fates, "norns", prophesy at child's birth. M301.12
• Icelandic guardian spirits, "spádísar", prophesy victory. M301.13
• Summoned dead prophesies. M301.14
• Mountain in human shape prophesies whole family's death. M301.15
• Gods prophesy both good and evil about hero's fate. M301.16
• King as prophet. M301.17
• King in will foretells that daughters of his son shall be fruitful. M301.17.1
• Poet as prophet. M301.18
• Smith as prophet. M301.19
• Child as prophet. M301.20
• Sibyl as prophet. Writes on leaves blown about by winds. (Cf. M302.8.) M301.21
• Means of prophesying. M302
• Prophesying through knowledge of animal languages. M302.1
• Man's fate written on his skull. M302.2
• Fate written on the head. M302.2.1
• Man's destiny read in his face. M302.2.2
• Descent into hell to learn future. M302.3
• Horoscope taken by means of stars. M302.4
• Astrology forbidden. M302.4.1
• Tasks assigned so as to learn future. M302.5
• Prophecy inscribed on well. M302.6
• Prophecy through dreams. M302.7
• Prophecy from book. (Cf. M301.21.) M302.8
• Prophecy by reading palm. M303
• Prophecy from enigmatical laugh. (Cf. N456.) M304
• Ambiguous oracle. M305
• Enigmatical prophecy. M306
• Enigmatical prophecy: what thou sowest thou shalt not reap, etc. (Thou shalt have children and they shall not die, etc.) M306.1
• Two sons: one a purse cutter and the other a killer. Wife tells husband that they will make a purse designer of one, and a butcher of the other. M306.2
• Enigmatical prophecy: princess will wed physician, fisherman and prince all in one. Man puts on the guise of all three, one on top of another. M306.3
• Enigmatical prophecy: "He that is to kill you shall grow up in Braja (a place). M306.4
• Enigmatical prophecy: "He who will kill your child is not here, but in the village." M306.5
• Favorable prophecies. M310
• Prophecy: future greatness and fame. M310.1
• Prophecy: preeminence of man's descendants. M310.1.1
• Prophecy of preeminence to descendants of man provided they do the will of saint to be born. M310.1.1.1
• Prophecy: future greatness of unborn child. (Cf. M301.2.2, M301.5.1, M301.12, M359.3, M371.1.) M311
• Heroic career prophesied for (new-born) child. M311.0.1
• Prophecy: birth of hero at certain time (in certain place). M311.0.2
• Prophecy: conception of hero at certain time. M311.0.2.1
• Prophecy: child to be born. M311.0.3
• Prophecy: child to be born to childless couple. M311.0.3.1
• Prophecy that if raja should take one more queen he will have a son. M311.0.3.2
• Heavenly voices proclaim birth of future child hero. M311.0.4
• Prophecy: king's grandson will dethrone him. M311.1
• Prophecy: child born at certain time will build religious edifice. (Cf. M312.5.) M311.2
• Prophecy: unborn child to be a saint. M311.3
• Prophecy: unborn child to become king. (Cf. M314.) M311.4
• Unborn child will become nation's deliverer. M311.5
• Prophecy: unborn child will be prophet. M311.6
• Prophecy of future greatness for youth. M312