Chance and fate

1,013 motifs · page 2 of 6

• Wish for exalted husband realized. Girls make wish that they may marry king (prince, etc.). It so happens. N201
• Wishes for good fortune realized. N202
• Wish realized that all women should fall in love with man at sight. N202.1
• Lucky person. N203
• Lost object returns to its owner. N211
• Lost ring found in fish. (Polycrates.) N211.1
• Lost articles found in interior of fish through virtue of saint. N211.1.0.1
• Lost pin found in fish. N211.1.1
• Key (to fetters) found in fish. N211.1.2
• Lost sword found in fish. N211.1.3
• Lost trinket found in fish. N211.1.4
• Brooch lost by saint found in fish. N211.1.5
• Unavailing attempt to get rid of slippers; they always return. N211.2
• Angel helps to find lost pin. N211.3
• Money cannot be kept from where it is destined to go. Miser told that his hoard is to go to poor man. He hides it in a trunk and throws it into the sea but it drifts to the house of the poor man who tries in vain to restore it to its owner. N212
• Husband's magic gift returns to him. Wife gives husband's magic gift (fruit) to lover, who presents it to a dancing girl, who sells it back to the husband. N212.1
• Man fated to be rich. N213
• Child borne off by tiger, which is caught by griffin, which is killed by lioness, which rears child with her whelps. N215
• Man granted power of winning at cards. N221
• First objects picked up bring fortune. N222
• Man must have drinking horn; stumble reveals one as he departs on search. N223
• Man finds treasure he refused as gift. N224
• Man robbed and penniless entertained by wealthy widow and enriched. N225
• Wrecked man saved on coffer of jewels; becomes rich. N226
• Man who is impoverished is given high post by princess in disguise. Marries her. (Cf. N251.3.) N227
• Leopard tied in bag in water floats to shore and finds a mate. Grateful to trickster who has tied him up. N228
• The fourteen lucky daughters. The husband leaves his wife, who has given birth to fourteen girls, thinking he is persecuted by bad luck because of failure to have a son. On the seashore, the girls find precious stones. The wife, now prosperous, finds her husband among beggars. N231
• Boast of poor boy made good by fate: he boasts to elder brothers he will build a palace on a certain spot; accidentally comes on treasure trove and makes good his boast. N234
• Persistent bad luck. N250
• Bad luck follows man who shoots stork. N250.1
• Persecution by bad luck. Wishing to escape it, the luckless couple build themselves a new home. Scarcely do they establish themselves in the new home, when bad luck addresses them from the hearth: "I have already waited for you here three days." N250.2
• Persecution by a god so that will of deity can be followed. N250.3
• Bad luck banished and freed. The poor man in some way banishes his bad luck and becomes prosperous. Out of envy his rich brother sets it free; it then follows him. N250.4
• Person pursued by misfortune. (Placidas, Eustacius.) His goods are destroyed, his wife carried off by a ship captain and his children by animals. N251
• Man captured by pirates is maimed, crippled, blinded. He is patient through it all. Finally he is elected ruler by his dead master's subjects. N251.1
• Man who aspires to greater wealth loses all. When he is about to be rewarded by king the latter dies. N251.2
• Man who loses fortune marries widow of his rich master. (Cf. N227.) N251.3
• Travelers pursued by misfortune. N251.4
• Fortune of the lucky wife. A luckless man becomes successful in all his undertakings when he marries a lucky woman and lives by her luck. N251.5
• The luckless son and his envious father. Seeing a luck-bringing animal at his son's house, the wizard father orders it to be destroyed, but the grandchildren eat of its meat and become fortunate. N251.6
• Misfortune pursues farmer. N251.7
• Messengers announce successive misfortunes. N252
• Messengers announce successive misfortunes to warrior as he sets out for war. Tells of death of father, mother, brother, and sister, but he refuses to turn back. N252.1
• Safety in shadow of wall. After many misfortunes the man is apparently safe. The wall falls on him. N253
• Escape from one misfortune into worse. N255
• Stag escapes from hunters to be eaten by lion. N255.1
• Ass gets progressively worse masters. Finally the farmer beats him living and will not spare his hide when he is dead. N255.2
• Halcyon builds nest on sea-cliff to escape land hazards. Tempest blows nest away. N255.3
• Fugitive slave takes refuge in mill house, where he must work harder than ever. N255.4
• Daw fleeing from captivity caught in trees by thread around foot. Starves. N255.5
• Old man burns self with gunpowder, and then burns himself worse when he pours hot water over his body. N255.6
• Unlucky classes. N256
• Goldsmith unlucky. N256.1
• Train of troubles from lost horseshoe nail. Master tries to go on in spite of the loss. N258
• Train of troubles from sparrow's vengeance. A man runs over the dog, friend of the sparrow. Through the sparrow's vengeance the man loses his horse, his property, and finally his life. N261
• Train of troubles for seven brothers for having destroyed bird's nest. N261.1
• Whether man begs all day or for an hour he gets only a small basket of grain. N264
• Person brings bad luck to others. N265
• Girl brings ill luck and death to everyone she comes in contact with. N265.1
• Crime inevitably comes to light. N270
• Murder will out. N271
• The sun brings all to light. The murderer repeats as he sees the rays of the sun, the last words of the dying man, thus betraying the crime. N271.1
• Moon brings murder to light. (Like N271.1.) N271.1.1
• Murder revealed by unusual names of boys. The dying man leaves message to name his sons "O God" and "O king" (or the like). This arouses the king's curiosity and brings the murder to light. N271.2
• The Cranes of Ibycus. Murdered man calls on cranes, the only witnesses of the murder, to avenge him. The cranes follow the murderer and point him out. N271.3
• Ravens pursue murderer who has killed two children. N271.3.1
• Murder discovered through knowledge of bird languages. Birds point out the murder. N271.4
• Murderer through miracle suspected of theft; murder thus discovered. N271.5
• Murder revealed by child. N271.6
• Child's song reveals murder. N271.6.1
• Murder discovered on digging foundations of house. House burns. Diggers discover body. N271.7
• Murderer traced through victim's ring. N271.8
• Tree follows murderer. N271.9
• Ship will sink if murderer is aboard. N271.10
• Murder will out: murderers quarrel under influence of drink and reveal crime. N271.11
• Criminal confesses because he thinks himself accused. N275
• Criminal confesses because of misunderstood animal cries. N275.1
• Criminal confesses because of misunderstanding of a dialect. N275.2
• Detection by accidental remark. Wife misunderstands husband's remark and confesses. N275.3
• Thief imagines that group of people in street are talking and laughing at him; he confesses. N275.4
• Criminal in church mistakes words of service as accusation. (Cf. Type 1833.) N275.5
• Sheep thief confesses when preacher says, "All we like sheep have gone astray." N275.5.1
• [First Edition: N276. Thief finally discovered when he pawns stolen goods.] N276[1st ed.]
• Oxen bear dead usurer to gallows to be buried. They are allowed to go where they will. N277
• Supernatural voice points out criminal. N278
• [First Edition: N290. Luck and fate – miscellaneous motifs.] N290[1st ed.]
• Unlucky accidents. N300
• Accidental separations. N310
• Separation of persons caused by looking for water. N311
• Separation of twins through being carried off by beast. N312
• Child follows bird and loses its mother. N313
• Persons fall asleep on rock, which magically shoots upward. N314
• Separation by being on different banks of stream. N315
• Separation in jungle (forest). N316
• Separation of family by shipwreck. N317
• Accidental separation of lovers. N318
• Man, thinking it an enemy, flees as sweetheart comes after him in pursuit. N318.1
• Princess accidentally elopes with wrong man. N318.2
• Person unwittingly killed. N320
• Man unwittingly causes death of daughter. N320.1
• Son returning home after long absence unwittingly killed by parents. (Cf. N338.3.) N321
• Eavesdropping person unwittingly killed. N322
• Eavesdropping man in disguise as devil killed unwittingly by daughter's lover. N322.1
• Eavesdropping wife hidden in bushes killed unwittingly by husband. N322.2
• Parricide prophecy unwittingly fulfilled. N323
• Man unwittingly kills prince. Exiled. N324
• Transformed prince unwittingly killed. N324.1
• Unwitting murder because of insane illusion. N325
• Man kills son thinking that he is cutting a branch. N325.1
• Women, driven mad, devour their infants' flesh. N325.2
• Mother kills son thinking him a wild beast. N325.3
• Accidental killing or death. N330
• Things accidentally fall and kill person. N331
• Dagger in wall above bed falls and kills girl. Has been placed there by her lover. N331.1
• Knife accidentally strikes girl's throat and kills her. N331.1.1
• Prince's arrow accidentally grazes breast of merchant's wife. N331.1.2
• Bride lets dagger fall and kill husband. N331.1.3
• Bread accidentally dropped from tree on bear's nose kills bear. N331.2
• Man hidden in tree so frightened of lioness he drops his sword and kills her. N331.2.1
• Accidental poisoning. N332
• Man accidentally fed bread which his father has poisoned. The wicked man puts poison in the bread he gives a beggar. The beggar gives his loaf to the son. N332.1
• Poisoned bath prepared for another accidentally used by hero. N332.1.1
• Horse accidentally poisoned instead of master. An attempt is made to give the hero a poisoned cup. He is on horseback and spurs his horse away to avoid the cup. The poison is spilled and enters the horse's ear and kills him. N332.2
• Elephant on rampage accidentally poisoned instead of man. Man claims having killed elephant. N332.2.1
• Serpent carried by bird lets poison drop into milk and poisons drinkers. N332.3
• Head of killed snake bites and kills king. N332.3.1
• Snake in jug bites would-be thief. N332.3.2
• Boy accidentally drinks "poison" intended for his stepbrother. Doctor had substituted sleeping potion for the requested poison. N332.4
• Youth accidentally takes the poison he intended for his father. N332.4.1
• Woman unwittingly poisons her son. Mistakes poison for medicine. N332.5
• Man eats food which is mysteriously poisoned. N332.6
• Hidden fruit accidentally poisoned by snake. N332.7
• Aiming at fly has fatal results. N333
• Person killed by hitting fly on his face. N333.1
• To give child a slap to stop its crying, numskull kills it. N333.1.1
• Man accidentally killed by bear trying to chase away flies. N333.2
• Accidental fatal ending of game or joke. N334
• Children play hog-killing: one killed. N334.1
• Hanging in game or jest accidentally proves fatal. N334.2
• Practical joker asks doctor to castrate him. Doctor insists on the operation. N334.3
• Unexpected death at hands of an animal. N335
• Bird hunter killed by adder just as he is shooting bird. N335.1
• Blood bath causes woman to be carried off by bird. A pregnant woman demands a bath of blood: husband substitutes a bath of red dye. A Garuda bird attracted by the dye carries her off. N335.2
• Sick queen lying under red satin carried off by bird who thinks it is red meat. N335.2.1
• Death by rebounding bow. Ants gnaw a bowstring, so that the bow rebounds and cuts off head of man who is leaning on it. N335.3
• Accidental death from flying splinter of bone. Bone being gnawed by animal lets splinter fly and kills young animals. N335.4
• Hound strikes unique vulnerable spot. N335.5
• Series of accidental animal killings. N335.6
• Attacking animal is killed by another in ambush. N335.6.1
• Tortoise lands on elephant's back so that elephant's back is broken. N335.7
• Accidental death through dream. Man dodging blow in dream hits his head against wall and kills himself. N336
• Accidental death through misdirected weapon. N337
• Blind poet unintentionally kills friend. N337.1
• Hero, while measuring wild boar, accidentally wounded mortally by bristle. N337.2
• Axe thrown at one animal misses but kills another. N337.3
• Death as result of mistaken identity: wrong person killed. N338
• Saint changes places with charioteer; latter is killed. N338.1
• Fool (person) disguised as (supposed) king killed. N338.2
• Son killed because mistaken for someone else. (Cf. N321.) N338.3
• Father orders unrecognized son thrown into sea. N338.3.1
• Accidental death – miscellaneous. N339
• Man falls into jar of honey and is drowned. Chases a mouse. N339.1
• Flies caught in honey. Death from greed. N339.2
• Foxes crowd into house and are suffocated. N339.3
• Groom killed by lightning on wedding night. N339.4
• Uxorious king is burned to death while taking an alcohol bath. N339.5
• Man forgets to wear magic gown and is killed. N339.6
• Army drowned by unnoticed incoming tide. N339.7
• Accidental death from fall on own weapon (shield). N339.8
• Accidental death of father from fall into the fire when taking down weapons for his son. N339.8.1
• Girl abducted by fairy left on shore, where she is accidentally drowned. N339.9
• Youth gazing at own image reflected in water falls and drowns. N339.10
• Girl lets down her sari for hero to climb up by but, when he is halfway up, sari breaks and he is killed. N339.11
• Prefect, cursed by bishop, dies of fish-bone stuck in his throat. N339.12
• Accidental death by striking head against lintel of door. N339.13
• Wife throwing husband's corpse into river (according to custom) is caught by corpse's arm and drowned. N339.14
• Thief crushed to death by fallen fragments of wall he has bored. N339.15
• King mortally wounded on killed enemy's tooth. N339.16
• Bottle wherein jinn is imprisoned inadvertently opened and jinn escapes to kill his captor. N339.17
• Hasty killing or condemnation (mistake). N340
• Suicide in remorse over hasty condemnation. N340.1
• King hastily has 7,000 people put to death for stoning his judges to death. N340.2
• Woman wrongly condemned for drunkenness when seen to take one drink. N340.3
• Misunderstood message causes messenger to be killed (accused). N341
• Hasty condemnation of man who accidentally becomes suspected of crime. N342
• Faithful servant guarding master's wife from danger falsely condemned for betraying his master. N342.1
• Faithful son guarding his father from monster falsely accused by stepmother. N342.1.1
• Stumbling over bloody corpse brings accusation of murder. Man gets blood on himself. N342.2
• Jealous and overhasty man kills his rescuing twin brother. N342.3
• False accusation overheard causes hasty killing. N342.4
• Angry brother kills husband, thinking latter had killed wife (sister) and baby. N342.5
• Woman mistakenly accused of cannibalism. She is seen biting off finger of corpse to get its ring. N342.6
• Lover kills self believing his mistress dead. She has been frightened away by a lion. (Pyramus and Thisbe.) N343
• Mistress kills self, believing her lover dead. N343.1
• Wife dies, believing husband dead. N343.2.1
• Woman feigns death to meet exiled lover. It leads to his death. Lover hears of her supposed death, returns and submits to execution. N343.3
• Lover commits suicide on finding beloved dead. N343.4
• Father kills self believing that son is dead. The son forgets to spread white sails, the prearranged signal of his safety. (Told also of lovers.) N344
• Wrong sign put out leads to boys' leaving home. They are to be informed by a sign if a sister is born. N344.1
• Father causes death of innocent son, believing him guilty of adultery with father's wife. N344.2