Chance and fate

1,013 motifs · page 3 of 6

• The falcon of Sir Federigo. An impoverished suitor has only a falcon to catch birds with. His lady's sick son wants the falcon and she goes to ask for it. The suitor serves dinner for her – his falcon. When she makes her request it is too late. N345
• Pigeon hastily kills his mate for stealing wheat. It has merely dried out and no longer fills the nest. When the dampness later swells the wheat, he sees his mistake and kills himself in remorse. N346
• Innocent man accidentally suspected of crime. (Cf. N342.2.) N347
• Clerk who enters tavern arrested with others for murder. N347.1
• Saint who entered house of ill fame to reform inmates accused of going with evil intent. N347.2
• Boy is hanged for cattle theft; the strayed cattle are discovered later. N347.3
• Man having purchased stolen ornament unwittingly presents it to owner as gift; is thrown into jail as thief. N347.4
• Poor man presented rich robe by emperor is locked up as a thief. N347.5
• Man falsely accused commits suicide. N347.6
• Greedy disciple decides to remain in city despite learned teacher's warning and is condemned to take the place of a thief. N347.7
• Jealous husband kills innocent wife. Suspicions aroused when villain leaves his handkerchief in her room. (Othello.) N348
• Hasty killing or condemnation – miscellaneous. N349
• Warriors erroneously slay allies in night battle. N349.1
• Father kills his son in battle rage. N349.2
• King, seeing eldest son leaving room, decides that he is a rakshasa. N349.3
• Accidental loss of property. N350
• Money (treasure) unwittingly given away. Unlucky man given a loaf which is filled with gold exchanges it for another loaf. N351
• Boy's servant takes pearl to his wife instead of to merchant; she throws it away. N351.1
• Beggar accidentally overlooks money put into his way. N351.2
• Bird carries off ring which lover has taken from sleeping mistress's finger. He searches for the ring and becomes separated from her. N352
• Bird carries off jeweled veil with which girl had covered sleeping lover's face. Lover pursues bird and becomes separated from the girl. N352.1
• Jewel (garment) carried off by bird from bather. Clothes have been left on bank of stream. N352.2
• Serpent steals jewels: person falsely accused of theft. (Cf. N347.) N352.3
• Man unwittingly commits crime. N360
• Sacred animal unwittingly killed. N361
• Brahmin unwittingly kills calf. N361.1
• King (prince) unwittingly killed. N362
• Incest unwittingly committed. N365
• Boy unwittingly commits incest with his mother. N365.1
• Man unwittingly falls in love with his own mother. N365.1.1
• Unwitting father-daughter incest. N365.2
• Father unwittingly falls in love with daughter. N365.2.1
• Unwitting brother-sister incest. N365.3
• Brother and sister unwittingly in love with each other. N365.3.1
• Boy says, "Whoever eats this mushroom is my wife." His own sister eats it and he runs away. N365.3.2
• Man unwittingly lies with mother-in-law. N365.4
• Daughter unwittingly turns her own parents out of doors. N367
• Other unlucky accidents. N380
• Drop of honey causes chain of accidents. Hunter drops honey in a grocery; weasel eats honey; cat chases weasel; dog chases cat; grocer kills dog: all the cause of a bloody feud between villages. N381
• Ant pinching frog causes chain of accidents. N381.1
• Fugitive slave takes wrong road and is caught. N382
• Man falls dead from sudden realization. N383
• Man falls dead when he realizes that he has been riding over frozen sea. N383.1
• Man falls dead when he realizes that he has eaten bread from flour used for abscess plaster. N383.2
• Mother dies of fright when she learns that she was about to commit incest with her son. He has disguised himself to test her chastity. N383.3
• Death from fright. (Cf. N383.3.) N384
• Madness from fright. N384.0.1
• The cadaver arm. Medical students (or student nurses or hospital employees) play trick on one of their number by suspending a cadaver arm or leg from the light cord in the person's room (sometimes the object is placed in the person's bed). Some circumstance keeps them from being on hand to observe the person's reaction; the next day they remember the joke and go to the victim's room to investigate. They have to break down the door. They find the victim sitting on the bed – her hair is snow white – and she is gnawing on the cadaver arm. N384.0.1.1
• Mouse frightens man to death. N384.1
• Death in the graveyard; person's clothing is caught; the person thinks something awful is holding him; he dies of fright. N384.2
• Wicked stepmother falls into the fire because of fright. (Cf. M431.6.) N384.3
• Fraternity initiate dies of fright. N384.4
• Queen dies from fright because of evil prophecy. N384.5
• Sham magician causes simpleton's death. Is frightened to death by the impersonation of demons. N384.6
• Sham execution proves fatal. Jester condemned to die on block. Pail of water used instead of axe. He dies. N384.7
• Priest frightens boy by tying girl's corpse to bell-rope. In revenge the boy puts the body in the priest's bed. Priest flees. Dies from injuries. N384.8
• Lover frightens mistress as a joke. She dies from the shock. N384.9
• Man playing ghost killed. Meaning to frighten son, father plays devil or a ghost. Son kills him. N384.10
• Joker playing dead killed. N384.11
• Woman playing dead to spy on husband killed. N384.12
• Brothers fall dead at sight of long lost brother whom they sold into captivity. (Cf. N733.) N384.13
• Unintentional injuries bring unfortunate consequences. (Sometimes the injuries are mere breeches of tabu.) N385
• Person has successive misfortunes while making plans because he forgets to say, "If God wills." (Cf. G224.1, J1217.1.) N385.1
• Lover's wound breaks while he is in bed with mistress. He bleeds to death (or is discovered because of the blood). N386
• Lover's spur catches in sheet when he tries to escape. Uncovers mistress. N386.1
• Man pinned in bed by weapon caught in quilt. N386.2
• Feud starts over trifle. N387
• Quarrel over dog starts the Guelph-Ghibelline feud. N387.1
• Blind men accidentally hurt each other. (Trying to kill pig, or the like.) N388
• Lover who is detained away beyond stipulated time returns to find fiancée married. N391
• Hospitality enforced on hero keeps him overlong from home; meantime wife abducted. N391.0.1
• Mistress expecting lover accidentally exchanges places with her maidservant. N391.1
• Robber attempting to steal cow at night seizes thieving tiger. Great fight in stable. N392
• Escaping prisoner falls by accident onto tiger's back and is carried away. N392.1
• Woman errs on to the road-of-the-tiger: carried off. N392.2
• Delay in bringing pardon allows deserved execution. Messenger, ignorant of contents of message, stops to view culprit's execution. N394
• Sign of prisoner's reprieve changed by wind. A flag to be flown in certain way, but wind catches it just at the wrong moment so that prisoner is executed. N394.1
• Man blinded trying to heal girl. Powders blow into his one good eye. N395
• The sleeping guard. Watchman falls asleep as enemy approaches. N396
• Accidental self-injury. N397
• Mistake in interpreting prophecy (oracle) brings misfortune. N398
• Additional unlucky accidents. N399
• Shipwrecked man lands on deadly enemy's territory and is attacked. N399.1
• Man's inordinate laughter brings unfortunate results. N399.2
• Man discovers he is married to wer-tiger. N399.3
• Lucky accident. N400
• Lucky business venture. N410
• Object unknown in a country sold for a fortune. N411
• Whittington's cat. A cat in a mouse-infested land without cats sold for a fortune. N411.1
• Cat as sole inheritance. N411.1.1
• Sickle sold for fortune in land without sickles. N411.2
• Sickle as only inheritance. N411.2.1
• Fortune from informing foreign king of use of saddle, bridle, and stirrups. N411.3
• Salt in saltless land sold for fortune. N411.4
• Sandalwood merchant sells his product at high price in land lacking sandalwood. N411.5
• Fortune from trifling sum sent abroad with merchant. N412
• King's example makes merchant wealthy. The king buys shoes for a high price and then has all his dinner guests buy them. N415
• Lucky bargain. N421
• Progressive lucky bargains. (Opposite of J2081.) N421.1
• Abducted princess wishes that she were with rejected suitor; discovers that she is. N425
• Poor man carries unwittingly in his water jar a large scorpion which brings him fortune. N426
• Valuable secrets learned. N440
• Secrets overheard. N450
• Secrets overheard from animal (demon) conversation. N451
• Secrets of animals (demons) accidentally overheard from tree (bridge) hiding place. N451.1
• Secret remedy overheard in conversation of animals (witches). N452
• Remedy for lack of water in certain place overheard in conversation of animals (demons). N452.1
• Reason for withering of tree overheard in conversation of animals (demons). N452.1.1
• Secret remedy revealed by departing animal. House spirit (or bird) leaves saying, "If you knew what valerian is good for, the people would not die so fast." N452.2
• Man transformed as ant, learns secret of freeing princess. N453
• Conversation of objects overheard. N454
• Speaking bed-legs overheard. N454.1
• King overhears conversation of lamps. N454.2
• Overheard (human) conversation. N455
• Overheard boast about hidden money brings about robbery. N455.1
• Robbers' plans overheard: owner warned. N455.2
• Robbers' secret overheard and later used in court against them. N455.2.1
• Secret formula for opening treasure mountain overheard from robbers (Open Sesame). N455.3
• King overhears girl's boast as to what she should do as queen. Marries her. N455.4
• Secret remedies learned from green-clad woman. N455.5
• Husband learns of wife's fidelity through conversation overheard. N455.6
• Secret about prince's father learned by eavesdropper from his mother's talking to him. N455.7
• Friend lingering in the kitchen learns of friend's distress and helps him. N455.8
• Location of sought object learned from overheard conversation. N455.9
• By hiding, stupid son overhears conversation and claims magic power for bamboo cup. N455.10
• Servant overhearing conversation realizes the misery of his employment. N455.11
• Men hear father threaten to marry daughters to first comers. N455.12
• Enigmatical smile (laugh) reveals secret knowledge. N456
• Secret physical peculiarity discovered by barber. (Midas.) N465
• Secret physical blemish revealed by beaten handmaid. N465.0.1
• Secret of person's sleeplessness discovered by trickery. N465.1
• Daughter lousing mother weeps and reveals secret. N466
• King in disguise to learn secrets of his subjects. N467
• Newborn babe reveals secret; then becomes silent. N468
• Foolish attempt of second man to overhear secrets (from animals, demons etc.). He is punished. N471
• Secret name overheard by eavesdropper. N475
• Secret age overheard by eavesdropper. Man masking as cuckoo in tree causes the surprised ogre to disclose secret. N475.1
• Secret reason why hero does not want to eat the food of the foreign king overheard by eavesdropper. N475.2
• Secret of unique vulnerability disclosed. N476
• Secret of vulnerability voluntarily disclosed. N476.1
• Man vulnerable only in armpits shot as he stretches his arms. N476.2
• Secret unique means of killing ogre overheard from children. N476.3
• Secret wealth betrayed by money left in borrowed money-scales. N478
• Secret meat-eating betrayed by grease on mouth. N478.1
• Secret escapes with man's blood. N481
• Secret learned by torture. N482
• Secret learned by burning hand. N482.1
• Giant unwittingly reveals span of life to dwarf, who is thus emboldened to attack him. N484
• Treasure trove. N500
• Where treasure is found. N510
• Treasure in ground. N511
• Treasure buried by men. N511.1
• Treasure buried by dying man. N511.1.0.1
• Sword hidden by old man. N511.1.0.2
• Treasure buried in graves. N511.1.1
• Treasure buried in ancient settlements. N511.1.2
• Treasure buried in extraordinary topographical formations. N511.1.3
• Buried treasure wanders from place to place. Indicated by a light. (Cf. N532.) N511.1.4
• Treasure buried in woodshed. N511.1.5
• Treasure in cellar of ruined house. N511.1.6
• Treasure found in ruined wall. N511.1.6.1
• Treasure hidden by retreating army. N511.1.7
• Treasure buried in chest, cask, kettle, or cannon barrel. (Cf. N525.) N511.1.8
• Treasure buried under tree. N511.1.9
• Treasure buried under flower. N511.1.10
• Treasure buried on top of mountain. N511.1.11
• Treasure buried on island. N511.1.12
• Treasure buried under stump. N511.1.13
• Natural underground treasure. N511.2
• Treasure placed in ground by supernatural beings. N511.3
• Treasure of mountain spirit. N511.3.1
• Treasure placed in old fortifications by supernatural beings. N511.3.2
• Treasure found in snake hole. N511.4
• Treasure under stone. N511.6
• Treasure in underground chamber (cavern). N512
• Treasure hidden under the water. N513
• Man jumps into the sea, river or waterfall with his treasure. N513.1
• Sword hidden under water. N513.2
• Treasure hidden in spring. N513.3
• Treasure hidden in river. N513.4
• Treasure buried in sunken ship. N513.5
• Queen's jewel-box thrown into tank floats to top during first week of new moon; light or large jewel on top reveals it to passersby. It disappears when someone tries to get it. N513.6
• Treasure hidden in religious shrine. N514
• Treasure hidden in sanctuary. N514.1
• Treasure in temple. N514.2
• Treasure at end of rainbow. N516
• Treasure hidden in building. N517
• Treasure hidden in secret room in house. N517.1
• Treasure hidden within wall (under floor) of house. N517.2
• Gold found, concealed in bricks and successfully secured. N518
• Treasure left in stick. It accidentally falls apart. N521
• Treasure hidden in pillow under dead man's head. N522
• Treasure hidden in a stone. N523
• Treasure found in beggar's hat. N524
• Money found in the dead beggar's coat. N524.1
• Treasure found in chest (kettle, cask). (Cf. N511.1.8.) N525
• Treasure found in bundle of rags. N526
• Treasure (money) carried by bird to nest. N527
• Diamond in meat carried to eagle's nest. N527.1
• Talisman found in bird's stomach. N527.2