Chance and fate

1,013 motifs · page 5 of 6

• Other lucky accidents. N699
• Father and brother accidentally return home just as they are most needed in fight. N699.1
• King's son comes home just at his father's funeral, when the heritage has to be divided. N699.2
• Companions arrive as hero is about to be killed. N699.3
• Orphan gets wife because swollen creek prevents marriage to someone else. N699.4
• Boy while cutting trees comes to one which happens to be bound up with the life of an ogre. Ogre bribes him with large fortune not to cut tree. N699.5
• Overheard wish is realized. N699.6
• Accidental encounters. N700
• Accidental meeting of hero and heroine. N710
• King (prince) accidentally finds maiden and marries her. N711
• King (prince) finds maiden in woods (tree) and marries her. N711.1
• Hero finds maiden in (magic) castle. N711.2
• Hero finds maiden in (magic) garden. N711.3
• Prince sees maiden at church and is enamored. N711.4
• Lovers meet at temple. N711.4.1
• Prince (king) finds girl floating on water in basket: marries her. N711.5
• Prince sees heroine at ball and is enamored. N711.6
• Prince first sees heroine as she comes forth from her hiding-box. She has concealed herself until the favorable moment. N712
• Princess concealed in trunk and sent to beggar, who marries her. N712.1
• King marries girl who finds lost object of his. N713
• Princess catches raja's golden bird; he trails it to her palace. N713.1
• King marries girl who finds his lost ring. N713.2
• Lovers first see each other on shores of lake. N715
• Hero finds maiden at fountain (well, river). N715.1
• Lover sees beloved first while she is bathing. N716
• Man stumbles on bathing maiden. N716.1
• Accidental meeting with the son of the only person who can overcome curse on hero. N718
• Runaway horse carries bride to her lover. Bridegroom unwittingly hires a horse belonging to his rival for his bride to ride to the wedding. A storm arises and the horse carries her to his master. N721
• Girl sees man as he lies sleeping by wayside. N723
• Hunter accidentally discovers beautiful girl being secretly reared in a cave. N724
• Accidental reunion of families. N730
• Unexpected meeting of father and son. N731
• Unknown son returns to father's court. N731.1
• King unknowingly adopts his own lost son. N731.1.1
• Father-son combat. Neither knows who the other is. (Sohrab and Rustem.) N731.2
• Hero fights with friend of father and then reveals himself. N731.2.1
• Undesired combat between sworn (blood) brothers (foster brothers). N731.2.2
• Father unexpectedly meets abandoned son and reinstates him. N731.3
• At execution block condemned man discovered to be king's unknown son. N731.4
• Accidental meeting of father and daughter. N732
• Father unwittingly buys daughter who has been sold into slavery. N732.1
• Deserted daughter's good fortune discovered by accident. N732.2
• Daughter's good fortune accidentally discovered by father who has become a beggar. N732.2.1
• Parents accidentally meet daughter who has survived their attempts to drown her. N732.3
• Accidental meeting of brothers. N733
• Brothers unwittingly fight each other. (Cf. N731.2.2.) N733.1
• Brother unwittingly kills half brother in fight. N733.2
• Joseph and his brethren. Elder brothers unwittingly come to maltreated youngest in great need. Eventual recognition. N733.3
• Two returning brothers unwittingly purchase bird, which is transformed youngest brother, as present intended for him. N733.4
• Brothers accidentally reunited when wedding of one to a king's daughter is celebrated and neighboring rulers are invited. N733.5
• Accidental meeting of brother and sister. N734
• Slaves ordered married discover they are brother and sister. N734.1
• Saint prays with woman; learns she is his sister. N734.2
• Accidental meeting of mother and son. N735
• Begging ascetics beg alms of their own mother. N735.1
• Accidental meeting of mother and daughter. N736
• Accidental reunion of lovers. N737
• Accidental meeting of nephew and uncle. Hero takes refuge unwittingly at his uncle's court. N738
• Uncle and nephew unwittingly about to kill one another. N738.1
• Unexpected meeting of husband and wife. N741
• Concealed wife. Unknown wife supernaturally conceals herself until the favorable moment to come forward. N741.1
• Husband and wife become separated in shipwreck. Wife unexpectedly meets husband on street. They are reunited. N741.2
• Slandered queen chances to be in Rome at the same time as her estranged husband. Reconciled by the Pope. N741.3
• Calumniated wife is forced to flee. (Cf. K2210.) Reunited by chance after many years at Emperor's court. N741.3.1
• Husband and wife reunited after long separation and tedious quest. N741.4
• Maiden found in magic garden; prince's wife in former life. N741.5
• Accidental meeting of sisters. N743
• Accidental meeting of seeker of exiled prince with prince at meal. Messenger in pilgrim garb invites unknown prince to eat with him. Recognition. N745
• Accidental meeting of cousins. N746
• Other accidental encounters. N760
• Unexpected encounter in oasis. N761
• Person accidentally met unexpectedly knows the other's name. N762
• Hero captured by man he has formerly rescued: rewarded. N763
• Unexpected meeting with wild man. (Cf. F567.) N764
• Meeting with robber band. N765
• Unwitting adultery with blood-brother's wife. N766
• Unwitting combat between sons of friends. Recognition and reconciliation. (Cf. N731.2.) N767
• Abandoned children accidentally discovered by villainess. N768
• Experiences leading to adventures. N770
• Feast as occasion for the beginning of adventures or the arrival of questers. N770.0.1
• King (prince) lost on hunt has adventures. N771
• King on hunt is taken prisoner. N771.1
• Girls going in the wood for nuts have adventures. N771.2
• Parting at crossroads to go on adventures. N772
• Adventure from following animal to cave (lower world). N773
• Adventure from following ogre to cave. N773.1
• Adventure from returning for forgotten comb. N773.2
• Adventures from pursuing enchanted animal (hind, boar, bird). (Guiding Beast.) N774
• Adventure from pursuing thieving birds. N774.1
• Adventures from seeking (lost) domestic beast (bull). N774.2
• Adventures from pursuing animal (not magic). N774.3
• Runaway ox leads pursuer to burial place of Adam and Eve. N774.3.1
• Race with fairies leads to adventures. N775
• Light seen from tree lodging place at night leads to adventures. N776
• Climbing tree to look around leads to adventures. N776.1
• Adventures from trying to strangle oneself in tree. N776.2
• Adventures from having slept beneath tree. N776.3
• Dropped ball (basket) leads to adventures when recovery is attempted. N777
• Adventures encountered in running after cotton being blown away by wind. N777.1
• Bucket dropped into well leads to adventures. N777.2
• Flax dropped into well leads to adventures. N777.3
• Spindle dropped into well leads to adventures. N777.4
• Taking refuge in a grave leads to adventure. N778
• Hero embarks in rudderless boat. N781
• Mother's parting gift to adventuring son: the two loaves of bread. One for hunger, one for overeating. N782
• Broken vessel (calabash, etc.) to be mended leads to adventure. N783
• Shouting after bathing: adventures follow. N784
• Adventures from seeking water. N785
• Man hunting honey encounters lost maiden, returns her to her parents. N785.1
• Anchor catching in oratory of submarine monastery leads to adventures. N786
• Incidents when wife takes food to husband in field or forest. N788
• Adventures from pursuing object carried off by river. N791
• Adventures from pursuing objects carried off by bird. N792
• Helpers. N800
• Helper grateful for being bought from slavery. N801
• Supernatural helpers. N810
• Invisible guardians. N810.1
• Helper's beard and eyebrows cut. Only after hero has performed this service is help forthcoming. N810.2
• Hero's divine father as helper. N810.3
• Supernatural helper comes from sky. N810.4
• Supernatural person disguised as servant as helper. N810.5
• Saint disguised (as poor man) as helper. N810.6
• Supernatural godfather. A king chooses as the godfather of his son the first man he meets. The godfather proves to be supernatural. N811
• Giant or ogre as helper. N812
• Giant's help secured by feeding him. N812.0.1
• Wise giant as foster father of hero. N812.1
• Giantess as foster mother and helper of hero. N812.2
• Grateful giantess as helper. N812.3
• Giantess helps the man she loves. N812.4
• Monster grateful to hero for being spared becomes helpful. N812.5
• Ogre magically produces water for caravan. N812.6
• Chief with three supernatural ogre helpers. N812.7
• Helpful genie (spirit). N813
• Helpful angel. N814
• Man carried through air by angel. N814.1
• Fairy as helper. N815
• Helpful tree-spirit. (Cf. F441.2.) N815.0.1
• Helpful water-spirit. (Cf. F420.) N815.0.2
• Gift of gold bracelet from river goddess. (Cf. A4215.1.) N815.0.2.1
• Fairy nurse as helper. N815.1
• Santa Claus as bringer of Christmas gifts. N816
• Deity as helper. N817
• God as helper. N817.0.1
• Goddess as helper. N817.0.2
• Gods discuss means of settling dispute among girl's suitors. Venus has girl make her own choice. N817.1
• Sky as helper. N818
• Sun as helper. N818.1
• Supernatural helpers – miscellaneous. N819
• Immortal as helper. N819.1
• Transformed person as helper. N819.2
• Transformed mother as helper. N819.2.1
• Helpful vital heads. N819.3
• Helpful speaking skull. N819.3.1
• Supernatural medicine-man as helper. N819.4
• Human helpers. N820
• Help from little man. N821
• Lame boy (girl) as helper. N822
• Old person as helper. N825
• Childless old couple adopt hero. N825.1
• Old man helper. N825.2
• Old woman helper. N825.3
• Help from old beggar woman. N825.3.1
• Old woman by spring as helper. N825.3.2
• Help from grandmother. N825.3.3
• Help from beggar. (Cf. N825.3.1.) N826
• Child as helper. (Cf. N832.) N827
• Wise woman as helper. N828
• Girl as helper. N831
• Mysterious housekeeper. Men find their house mysteriously put in order. Discover that it is done by a girl (frequently an animal transformed into a girl). N831.1
• Mysterious housekeeper is fairy mistress. N831.1.1
• Boy as helper. (Cf. N827). N832
• Boy as mysterious housekeeper for buffalo herd. (Cf. H831.1.) N832.1
• Sons as helpers. N832.2
• Wealthy (powerful) man as helper. N835
• King as helper. N836
• King adopts hero (heroine). N836.1
• Each of four kings does something to save dying falcon. N836.2
• King helps princes in exile to avenge their father and take their homeland back. N836.3
• Queen as helper. N837
• Hero (culture hero) as helper. N838
• Shepherd as helper. N841
• Cook as helper. N842
• Cook as foster father. N842.1
• Hermit as helper. N843
• Dervish as helper. N844
• Sadhu as helper. N844.1
• Fakir as helper. N844.2
• Magician as helper. N845
• Cleric as helper. N846
• Palmer as helper. N846.1
• Priest as helper. N846.2
• Prophet as helper. N847
• Saint (pious man) as helper. N848
• Holy man as helper. N848.0.1
• Hero ransoms maltreated picture of a saint. As reward he gets help from the grateful saint. N848.1
• A wise man (saint, brahmin) recognizes that a man unwittingly carries a venomous serpent in his proviant sack and warns him. N848.2
• Merchant as helper. N851
• Soldier as helper. N852
• Peasant as helper. N854
• Peasant as foster father. N854.1