Unnatural cruelty

533 motifs · page 1 of 3

• Cruel relative. S0
• Cruel parents. S10
• Cruel father. S11
• Father mutilates children. (Cf. S160.) S11.1
• Jealous father sends son to upper world on stretching tree. S11.2
• Father kills child. S11.3
• Man who doubts his children's paternity kills them. Murders wife and paramour. S11.3.1
• Father kills deformed children. (Cf. S325.0.1.) S11.3.2
• Father kills son. S11.3.3
• Father kills son (for stealing). S11.3.3.1
• Father murders his two sons for whining. S11.3.3.2
• Cruel father, learning that he is to be killed by his son, puts to death all children born to him. (Cf. M375.) S11.3.4
• Cruel king slays brother and brother's son. S11.3.5
• Father throws boy into river (sea). S11.3.6
• Father orders son assassinated. (Cf. K512.) S11.3.7
• Father eats own children. (Cf. G10.) S11.3.8
• Father plans child's death. S11.4
• Jealous father vows to kill daughter's suitors. S11.4.1
• Father kisses son while planning to kill him. S11.4.2
• Cruel fathers threaten to kill their children if they are of undesirable sex. S11.4.3
• Cruel father seeks to kill infant son. S11.4.4
• Father banishes son at request of fairy wife. (Cf. F302, S322.4.3.) S11.5
• Father flogs child. S11.6
• Cruel mother. S12
• Treacherous mother marries ogre and plots against son. S12.1
• Treacherous mother and paramour plan son's death. S12.1.1
• Cruel mother kills child. S12.2
• Mother feeds newly-born illegitimate child to dog. (Cf. S312.) S12.2.1
• Mother throws children into fire. S12.2.2
• Mother forces child to break eating tabu: child dies. S12.2.3
• Mother orders son's death. S12.3
• Cruel mother blinds son. S12.4
• Cruel mother expels (drives away) child. S12.5
• Girl impregnated by god driven from home by mother. S12.5.1
• Cruel mother refuses children food. S12.6
• Mother tells healthy sons to wipe soiled hands on lame son. S12.7
• Cruel children and grandchildren. S20
• Children sell mother. S20.1
• Child hides food from starving parents. S20.2
• Cruel son. S21
• Son buries aged mother alive. S21.1
• Son blinds father. (Cf. Q451.7, S165.) S21.2
• Son gives mother as hostage. S21.3
• King banishes mother to stables. S21.4
• Cruel son tries to sterilize father. S21.5
• Parricide. (Cf. Q211.1.) S22
• Parricide to obtain kingship. S22.1
• Adopted son plots death of parents. Usurps the throne. S22.1.1
• Father learns that his son is planning to kill him. Gives his son a weapon to do so. Son repents. S22.3
• Prince plans to kill wicked father for cruelty. S222
• Cruel grandson. S25
• Boy kills his grandfather. S25.1
• Cruel step- and foster relatives. S30
• Cruel stepmother. S31
• Adulteress and paramour plot against her stepson. They fear that he may betray them. S31.1
• Children enchanted by stepmother. (Cf. D683.) S31.2
• Cruel bird stepmother feeds young ones with thorns. S31.3
• Cruel stepmother feeds children with fish spines (thorns) to kill them. S31.4
• Girl persuades her father to marry a widow who has treated her kindly. S31.5
• Cruel stepfather. S32
• Cruel stepbrother. (Cf. K2211.3.) S33
• Cruel stepsister(s). S34
• Cruel foster father. S36
• Cruel foster son. (Cf. S22.1.1.) S37
• Cruel grandparents. S40
• Cruel grandmother. S41
• Cruel grandfather. Kills his grandchildren. S42
• Cruel relatives-in-law. S50
• Cruel mother-in-law. See references to K2110.1. and K2215, many of which have the present motif. S51
• Cruel mother-in-law plans death of daughter-in-law. S51.1
• Cruel father-in-law. S52
• Cruel daughter-in-law. S54
• Burned and underbaked bread. Wishing to rid herself of her father-in-law, the daughter-in-law starts to feed him burned bread; but the old man begins to thrive on it. When she tries underbaked bread, he dies very soon. S54.1
• Cruel sister-in-law. S55
• Cruel son-in-law. S56
• Lover asks girl to kill her father. S56.1
• Cruel spouse. S60
• Cruel husband. S62
• Bluebeard. Girl marries murderous husband. S62.1
• Man has bride drowned so that he may marry another. S62.2
• Barren wife exposed by husband. S62.3
• Husband leaves wife to die of thirst. S62.4
• Spouse murder pact. Princess kills her husband. Prince kills his wife. Murderers marry and usurp the throne. S63
• Other cruel relatives. S70
• Cruel uncle. S71
• Cruel uncle poisons nephew (king). S71.1
• Cruel aunt. S72
• Fratricide. S73.1
• Murder of stepbrother (foster brother). S73.1.0.1
• Fratricide in order to gain control of kingship. S73.1.1
• Brother kills and eats brother. (Cf. G10.) S73.1.2
• Elder brother threatens to kill younger as soon as he is born. S73.1.3
• Fratricide motivated by love-jealousy. (Cf. T257.) S73.1.4
• Person banishes brother (sister). S73.2
• Man blinds brother. (Cf. S165.) S73.3
• Cruel nephew. S74
• Nephew (niece) kills uncle. S74.1
• Revolting murders or mutilations. S100
• Murders. S110
• Old people killed in famine. S110.1
• Child condemned to be killed in famine. S110.1.1
• Man kills all guests, hoping some day to kill rival. S110.2
• Princess builds tower of skulls of unsuccessful suitors. S110.3
• Princess makes necklace of heads of unsuccessful suitors. S110.3.1
• Prince resolves to drive relatives from his domain. Kills many. S110.4
• Murderer kills all who come to certain spot. S110.5
• Murder by poisoning. S111
• Murder with poisoned bread. S111.1
• Murder with poisoned lace. S111.2
• Murder with poisoned comb. S111.3
• Murder with poisoned apple. S111.4
• Murder with poisoned book. King wets finger to turn leaves and falls dead. S111.5
• Murder with poisoned robe. Consumes wearer. S111.6
• Murder with poisoned slippers. S111.7
• Murder by feeding poisonous snake. S111.8
• Murder by placing a poisoned fingernail on step. S111.9
• Burning to death. (See notes to K955 and Q414.) S112
• City burned with all inhabitants. S112.0.1
• House (hostel) burned with all inside. S112.0.2
• Boiling to death. Often in pitch or oil. S112.1
• Murder with hot iron. Bored through eye or nose. S112.2
• Murder by hot iron through heart. S112.2.1
• Murder by driving red-hot iron spits through soles of feet and into shins. S112.2.2
• Murder by hot lead poured into ear. (Cf. S115.1.) S112.3
• Attempted murder by live coals in garments. S112.4
• Murder by feeding on over-hot food. Person forced to eat. S112.5
• Murder by roasting alive in oven furnace). S112.6
• Son takes mother to woods and tries to burn her up while she sleeps. S112.7
• Murder by strangling. See references to Q424. S113
• Murder by hanging. S113.1
• Slaves killed by hanging. S113.1.1
• Prisoners taken in war (enemy's messengers) hanged. S113.1.2
• Murder by suffocation. S113.2
• Devil cuts off hand of woman and suffocates her. S113.2.1
• Suffocating in bathroom. S113.2.2
• Murder by luring to feast and suffocating. All holes are stopped and house set afire. S113.2.3
• Murder by flaying. S114
• Skin of murdered person found in enemy's house. S114.1
• Murder by stabbing. S115
• Murder by stabbing in ear. (Cf. S112.3.) S115.1
• Murder by sticking needle through head. S115.2
• Murder by driving nail through head. S115.2.1
• Murder by piercing with pins and needles. S115.3
• Murder by crushing. (Cf. S167.) S116
• Murder by grinding in mill. S116.1
• Pregnant woman crushed beneath chariot. (Cf. S185.) S116.2
• Murder by breaking back. S116.3
• Murder by crushing head. S116.4
• Murder by crushing beneath falling tree. S116.5
• Murder by trampling of horses (elephants). S116.6
• Death by dragging behind horse. S117
• Murder by cutting. S118
• Murder by cutting adversary in two. S118.1
• Murder by cutting throat. S118.2
• Murder by slamming down chest-lid. Done while victim is looking into the chest. S121
• Flogging to death. (Cf. Q458.2.) S122
• Burial alive. S123
• Hostages buried alive. S123.0.1
• Burial alive of drugged person. S123.1
• Burial of living husband or wife with dead spouse. S123.2
• Burial of living man with dead blood brother. S123.2.1
• Living children buried with dead mother. S123.3
• Avenger plans to let king starve in mountain chamber. S123.4
• Burial alive of maiden to keep her safe from rival. S123.5
• Enemies buried alive up to their necks and exposed to jackals. (Cf. Q456.1.) S123.6
• Immolation. S125
• Self-immolation. S125.1
• Murder by throwing from height. S127
• Murder by drowning. S131
• River carrier (whale, crocodile) throws passenger off and drowns him. S131.1
• Murder by starvation. (Cf. R51.1, S123.4.) S132
• Murder by beheading. (Cf. Q421.) S133
• Murder by springing bent tree. Man bound to it is torn to pieces. (Cf. H1522.1.) S135
• Miscellaneous cruel murders. S139
• Murder by twisting out intestines. (Cf. K1444, Q469.7.) S139.1
• Slain person dismembered. S139.2
• Head of murdered man displayed before his own house. S139.2.1
• Head of murdered man taken along as trophy. S139.2.1.1
• Other indignities to corpse. S139.2.2
• Heads of slain enemies impaled upon stakes. (Cf. Q421.1.) S139.2.2.1
• Heads (tongues) of slain enemies as trophies. S139.2.2.1.1
• Impaled head used as target. S139.2.2.1.2
• Custom: sitting upon head of slain enemy. S139.2.2.1.3
• Heads of defeated enemies hung on conqueror's saddle. S139.2.2.1.4
• Hand of slain enemy nailed to castle. S139.2.2.1.5
• Heads brandished to intimidate foe. S139.2.2.1.6
• Dead man gutted and filled with stones. S139.2.2.2
• Dead dog buried with enemy. S139.2.2.3
• Corpse buried face down as indignity. S139.2.2.3.1
• Parts of corpses used in sport. S139.2.2.4
• Head used as ball. S139.2.2.4.1
• Brains of enemies fashioned into balls (as trophies for play). S139.2.2.4.2
• Chess board and men made from bones of slain enemies. S139.2.2.4.3
• Corpses burned as fuel for cooking. S139.2.2.5
• Corpse drawn asunder. S139.2.2.6
• Ash (hazel) stakes thrust through bodies of slain warriors. S139.2.2.7
• Ashes of murdered person passed through sieve and remains put to manure heap. S139.2.2.8
• Captured women hanged and crucified. S139.3
• Murder by mangling with axe. S139.4
• Murder by cutting off uvula. S139.5