Unnatural cruelty

533 motifs · page 2 of 3

• Murder by tearing out heart. S139.6
• Murder by slicing person into small pieces. S139.7
• Murder by biting the throat. S139.8
• Cruel abandonments and exposures. S140
• Abandonment of aged. S140.1
• Exposure in boat. A person (usually woman or child) set adrift in a boat (chest, basket, cask). S141
• Man springs ashore and pushes companion in boat out to sea. S141.1
• Father saves himself in storm and forgets his two children. They are abandoned in a boat. S141.2
• Exposure astride a log of wood floated down river. S141.3
• Person thrown into the water and abandoned. S142
• Abandonment in forest. S143
• Child abandoned in hollow tree. S143.1
• Abandonment in tall tree. S143.2
• Tortoise placed in tall tree and left. S143.2.1
• Mutilated man on horseback chased into the forest. S143.3
• Husband abandons wife in childbirth in jungle. (Cf. S430.) S143.4
• Abandonment in desert. S144
• Abandonment alone on foreign coast. S144.1
• Abandonment on an island. (Marooning.) S145
• Abandonment in pit. S146
• Abandonment in well. S146.1
• Abandonment in cave. S146.2
• Abandonment on mountain. S147
• Abandonment on cliff. S147.1
• Abandonment on cliff near nest of a bird. S147.1.1
• Abandonment in bonds that cannot be loosed. S148
• Children abandoned in box in potter's kiln. S152
• Abandonment in stable. S153
• Mutilations. S160
• Self-mutilation. (Cf. T327.1, T327.2, T333.) S160.1
• Jealous women mutilate her who is most attractive to men. S160.2
• Fairies mutilate mortals. (Cf. F362.) S160.3
• Mutilation of envoys. (Cf. R51.3.) S160.4
• Moon mutilates his earth mistress. S160.5
• Mutilation: cutting off hands (arms). S161
• Masons who build mausoleum of princess lose their right hands so they may never again construct so fine a building. (Cf. S165.7, W181.2.) S161.0.1
• Mutilation: cutting off fingers. S161.1
• Child's finger-ends cut off to give long life. S161.1.1
• Mutilation: cutting off legs (feet). S162
• Fighting on stumps of legs after they have been cut off at knee. S162.1
• Hamstringing. S162.2
• Mutilation: cutting off toes. S162.3
• Mutilation: cutting off heelbone. S162.4
• Mutilation: crushing feet and turning them backward. S162.5
• Mutilation: cutting (tearing) out tongue. Often to prevent revelation of secret. S163
• Mutilation: knocking out teeth. S164
• Mutilation: putting out eyes. S165
• Eyes of beheaded person gouged out. S165.1
• Crane pecks out tiger's eyes. S165.2
• Blinding by thrusting needles into eyes. S165.3
• Eyes torn out and filled with sand. S165.4
• Necklace made of torn out human eyes. S165.5
• Human eyes used as fishbait. S165.6
• Artisan who has built palace blinded so he cannot build another like it. (Cf. S161.0.1, W181.2.) S165.7
• Mutilation: skin cut from back. S166
• Mutilation: beard torn off with the skin (and cheeks). (Cf. S187.1.) S166.1
• Mutilation: cheek and chin cut off, but held together by biting the beard. S166.2
• Mutilation: shoulder-skin torn off in wrestling. S166.3
• Mutilation: cheeks cut off. (Cf. S166.2.) S166.4
• Mutilation: chin and lips cut off. S166.5
• Blood-eagle cut on man's back by flaying and salting. S166.6
• Mutilation by crushing. (Cf. S116.) S167
• Mutilation: crushing victim's limbs. S167.1
• Mutilation: tearing off ears. S168
• Mutilation: nose cut off or crushed. S172
• Angry paramour bites off his mistress's nose. S172.1
• Mutilation: breaking (two, three) ribs. S173
• Horses mutilated: tails cut off and manes torn off with the skin in order to humiliate their owner. (Cf. J1169.5.) S175
• Mutilation: sex organs cut off. (Cf. Q241, Q451.10.) S176
• Mutilation: emasculation. S176.1
• Wounding or torturing. S180
• Wounding by trapping with sharp knives (glass). S181
• Victim bound to a bladed wheel. (Cf. Q423.) S181.1
• Girl fastened by hair to rafter. S182
• Man hanged by hair to tree. S182.1
• Girl pulled about by her hair. S182.2
• Frightful meal. (Cf. Q478.) S183
• Person forced to eat red-hot meal. S183.0.1
• Person forced to eat hearts (flesh) of relatives (draw blood). S183.1
• Person forced to eat loathsome animal. S183.2
• Cruelty to pregnant woman. S185
• Co-wife forces pregnant woman to perform lowly tasks. (Cf. T257.2.) S185.1
• King demands intercourse with woman in childbed. S185.2
• Torturing by beating. S186
• Torturing by scratching. S187
• Torture by tearing out the sides (of a person). (Cf. S166.1.) S187.1
• Hair combed with iron combs. S187.2
• Driving insane by keeping awake. S191
• Cruel sacrifices. S200
• Children sold or promised. S210
• Child sold into slavery. S210.1
• Child sold to be killed. S210.2
• Child sold (promised) to devil (ogre). See also references to S220–S259, practically all of which apply here. S211
• Child of woman and devil taken to his father. S211.1
• Child sold to magician. S212
• Child promised to wood-spirit. (Cf. F441.) S213
• Child promised to mermaid. (Cf. B81.) S214
• Child promised to animal. (Cf. B620.1.) S215
• Girl promises herself to animal suitor. S215.1
• Mothers exchange children. S216
• Reasons for promise (sale) of child. S220
• Child sold (promised) for money. S221
• Bankrupt father sells his daughters in marriage to animals. (Sometimes to pay gambling debt.) (Cf. S215.) S221.1
• Youth sells himself to an ogre in settlement of a gambling debt. (Cf. M211, S215.) S221.2
• Woman promises her unborn child to appease offended witch. S222.1
• Woman promises unborn daughter to snake as wife for ferrying her across stream. S222.2
• Woman promises unborn child to tiger if he will spare her. S222.3
• Sultan's daughter demanded by giant ogre as price for letting his subjects alone. S222.4
• Childless couple promise child to the devil if they may only have one. S223
• Robert the Devil. Childless couple wish for a child even if he comes from the devil. He is diabolical. S223.0.1
• Maid pledged to devil dresses conspicuously. S223.0.2
• Girl promises unborn child to devil if he will suffer the birth pangs. S223.1
• Mother curses her unborn child. (Cf. M411.1.) S223.2
• An old maid promises the devil her first born. She wishes to get a husband. S223.3
• Childless couple promise one of two children to devil if they may only have them. S223.4
• Child promised to devil for acting as godfather. (Cf. N411.) S224
• Child promised to devil for help on road with broken wagon. S225
• Child promised to devil for directions out of woods when father is lost. S226
• Child promised to devil in exchange for a good catch of fish. S227
• Daughter promised to monster as bride to secure flower (bird) she has asked for. S228
• Daughter promised to tiger in marriage for help in carrying load. (Cf. B620.1.) S232
• Children given in return for being taught magic. S233
• Children sold in exchange for food. S234
• Angry man gives away his daughter to a beggar. S235
• Children unwittingly promised (sold). (Cf. S211.) S240
• Girl promised unwittingly by her parents to ogre. S240.1
• Child unwittingly promised: "first thing you meet." (Jephthah's vow.) S241
• Unwitting bargain with devil evaded by driving dog over bridge first. The child has been unwittingly promised (the first thing that goes over the bridge). S241.1
• Devil is to have last one who leaves "black school". S241.2
• Princess promised unwittingly to madman: "what you ask for." S241.3
• Child unwittingly promised: "what you have at home." The man thinks it is a cat (dog). S242
• Child unwittingly promised: "What you wife has under her belt." S242.1
• Child unwittingly promised: Nix-Naught-Nothing. The child born while the father is away is named Nix-Naught-Nothing. S243
• Child unwittingly promised: what is born on your farm. Two women agree that what is born on the farm of each belongs exclusively to the owner. The child of one is born on the farm of the other. S245
• Daughter unwittingly promised to dog rescuer. (Cf. B620.1.) Without knowing that a dog has rescued her, the father offers her in marriage to her rescuer. S247
• Saving the promised child. S250
• Virgin Mary rescues child promised to the devil. S251
• Vain attempt to save promised child. S252
• Vain attempt to save promised child by use of substitute. S252.1
• Vain attempt to save promised child by evasions. S252.2
• Deity saves person about to be sacrificed. (Cf. S263.2.1.) S255
• Deity promises deliverance of promised child to mother in dream. S255.1
• Child sacrificed to deity returned to mother alive and whole after the ablution and ceremonial rites in honor of her. S255.2
• Sacrifices. (Cf. S255.) S260
• Human sacrifice. S260.1
• Child sacrifice as religious rite. S260.1.1
• Sacrifice of sister on advice of yogi. S260.1.2
• Prisoners sacrificed to goddess. S260.1.3
• Sacrifice of child to save life of another. (Cf. S268.) S260.1.4
• Foundation sacrifice. A human being buried alive at base of the foundation of a building or bridge. S261
• Human blood mixed with rice to make leaky tanks hold water. S261.0.1
• Child as foundation sacrifice smiles and wins freedom. The king asks him why he smiles. "One first expects mercy from the parents; if they have none, then from the king. Now only God will have mercy." S261.1
• Periodic sacrifices to a monster. S262
• One man disappears each night. S262.0.1
• Woman given to devastating monster as wife to appease it. S262.1
• Tribute of youths regularly sent to foreign king. S262.2
• Youths and maidens as yearly tribute to monsters (Fomorians). S262.2.1
• Sacrificial victim chosen by lot. (Cf. N126.) S262.3
• Girl offers to sacrifice herself to dragon in place of her parents. S262.4
• Sacrifice to appease spirits (gods). (Cf. K1603, T211.1.1.) S263
• Highest ranking man in land to be sacrificed for good crops. S263.1
• Child sacrificed to gain favor of gods. S263.2
• Gods furnish substitute for child sacrifice. (Cf. S255.) S263.2.1
• Daughters sacrificed to avert famine. S263.2.2
• Man shows himself willing to sacrifice his child to prove his desire to follow God. He is prevented by abbot. S263.2.3
• Person sacrificed to water spirit to secure water supply. S263.3
• Human sacrifice to water serpent to secure tribal prosperity. S263.3.1
• Serpent in stream demands pair of human eyes for drink of water. (Cf. M225.) S263.3.2
• Raja sacrifices his entire family so as to purify lake water. S263.3.3
• Sacrifice to river-god who has stopped boat in mid-stream. S263.4
• Sacrifice to offended gods, who hold ship back. S263.4.1
• Sacrificial suicide. (Cf. S264.1.2.) S263.5
• Saints (monks) sacrifice themselves (to avert plague). S263.5.1
• Monks sacrifice themselves (to save king and princes from pestilence). S263.5.2
• Man leaps from vessel into jaws of sea-beast, so as to save remaining passengers. S263.5.3
• Man sacrifices his wife to procure wealth in jars. S263.6
• Sacrifice to rivers and seas. S264
• Man thrown overboard to placate storm. (Cf. S263.5.3.) S264.1
• Man carried on top of mast ready to be sacrificed to storm spirit. S264.1.1
• Woman drowns herself as sacrifice to water-gods to save husband's boat from capsizing. (Cf. S263.5.) S264.1.2
• Sacrifice to tank. S264.2
• Sacrifice of strangers. S265
• Hostages sacrificed. S265.1
• Burial of live girl to banish plague. S266
• Flood stopped by sacrifice of boy and girl. S267
• Child sacrificed to provide blood for cure of friend. (Cf. S260.1.4.) S268
• Sacrifice of child demanded as cure for feigned sickness. S268.1
• Prince's life can only be prolonged if servant sacrifices his only son to goddess. S268.1.1
• Son sold for transfusion of blood to sick king. S268.2
• Sacrifice of child to remove barrenness. S271
• Sacrifice of brothers promised if girl is born. S272
• Flight of brothers from home to avoid being sacrificed. S272.1
• Child bought to serve as sacrifice to demon. S273
• Sacrifice as an agricultural rite. S274
• Sacrifice as protection against disease. S276
• [First Edition: S290. Cruel sacrifices – miscellaneous motifs.] S290[1st ed.]
• Abandoned or murdered children. S300
• Children abandoned (exposed). S301
• Children murdered. S302
• All new-born male children slaughtered. S302.1