Traits of character

369 motifs · page 2 of 2

• Harlot weeps when her impoverished lover leaves her to think that she has left him his coat. W151.1
• Visiting friends take everything from house of dying man. W151.2
• Visitors of sick stag eat up all his provisions so that he starves. W151.2.1
• Hospitable man impoverished by greedy guests. W151.2.2
• Wolves devour an ox without leaving a share for the rightful owner. W151.3
• Snake and weasel stop fighting in order to catch mouse. W151.4
• Father-in-law sued for breach of contract because he does not die in two years as he has predicted. W151.5
• Hog with broken leg refuses to tell another where peas are to be found. "I intend to go there myself as soon as I get well again." W151.6
• Eats up the money. Old man before dying eats his money. In church, son wants to cut corpse open and get the money. The devil: "Don't spoil the skin." Shakes money out of the corpse's throat and takes the skin. W151.7
• Thieves quarrel over booty: owner comes. (Cf. J2136.5.2.) W151.8
• Greedy person (animal) gets hand (head) stuck in food jar. W151.9
• Greedy man tries to stuff food into his nostrils as well as into his mouth. W151.10
• Stinginess. W152
• Fox spoils his food rather than divide with ape. W152.1
• Man had rather be burned alive than to share food with a guest. W152.2
• Stingy dead woman raises her head to correct account of laundress, who is overcharging her daughter. W152.3
• Stingy man forced to share his money when he lies and says he has none. W152.4
• Stingy woman will not give soup to man until she spills it. Then she says he may have the soup. W152.5
• Stingy king will not hire soldiers: defeated. W152.6
• Spider in stingy woman's house grows thin. W152.7
• Stingy horse refuses ass little feed, though he promises much for later time. W152.8
• Stingy man cancels invitations to his guests. "It is better that they speak ill of me on an empty stomach than on a full one." W152.9
• Drummer drums for own wedding so as to save expense. W152.10
• Stingy men love possessions so much that they wear out their feet to save shoes. W152.11
• Stingy man and his servants. W152.12
• Farmer gets help up early in morning for a light breakfast: a glass of water and a lantern. W152.12.1
• Stingy farmer encourages help by promise of hot lunch. The servant discovers that the hot lunch is a mustard sandwich. W152.12.2
• Master insists that maid whistle when she brings in the dessert. He is afraid she will eat the raisins out of the cakes. W152.12.3
• Master insists that servants whistle as they pick strawberries so that they cannot eat any. W152.12.4
• The stingy man and his animals. W152.13
• A stranger notices that man's cows need feed, feeds them. They die of the shock of being fed. W152.13.1
• Man who insists on using everything that is useful. W152.14
• Man finds a bunghole lying around loose, has cooper build a barrel around it. W152.14.1
• Man saves sausage skins, sends them back for refilling. W152.14.2
• Stingy man does not eat butter; only looks at it and enjoys the thought. W152.15
• Wife of stingy man prays that her husband become sick so that she can get better food. W152.16
• Wife keeps half of the money she plans to give for a shrine. W152.17
• Miserliness. W153
• Miser's heart found in his strong-box. W153.1
• Miserly husband spies on wife to see that she does not eat too much. Gets burned in the chimney and beaten in the bed where he hides. W153.2
• Miserly husband spies on wife, lest she cook too much. W153.2.1
• Miserly wife exposed to guests by her husband. W153.3
• Man is so miserly that he never drinks wine until it becomes strong. Gets full benefit from it. W153.4
• Friar so miserly that he stays in ditch three days before "lending" a hand to his rescuers. W153.5
• Miser dreams that he spends some money. Strangles himself in his sleep. W153.6
• Miser decides not to commit suicide. Does not want the expense of a rope. W153.7
• Miser is given rope to hang himself. Miser annoys merchant so much over the price of a rope that the latter gives it to him provided he will hang himself as he plans to do. W153.7.1
• Miser appoints himself as the sole heir of his own estate. W153.8
• Miser decides to kill his pigs himself. Refuses to pay fee. Chain of circumstances make it infinitely more expensive. W153.9
• Miser is rebuked by friend. "You get no benefit from your wealth." Proves his folly. W153.10
• Miser dies because he will not buy a candle. W153.11
• Dying miser tells son to extinguish candle just as soon as he dies. W153.11.1
• Miser runs back home to put out lamp left burning. W153.11.2
• Miser is kidnapped and held for ransom. W153.12
• Wood dealer prays for raja's death so that he can sell sandal wood for funeral pyre. W153.13
• Miser tries to reduce sacrifice promised to god. W153.14
• Miser prays to enter heaven with his clothes on: gold coins sewn into undergarments. W153.15
• Ingratitude. W154
• Man dismissed after years of service with a pittance. W154.1
• Usurer's ingratitude toward servant. Dismisses him and charges him for a rope which he had cut while saving the usurer from hanging. W154.1.1
• Monster ungrateful for rescue. W154.2
• Rescued animal threatens rescuer. W154.2.1
• Man ungrateful for rescue by animal. W154.2.2
• Crane pulls bone from wolf's throat: wolf refuses payment. "That you were allowed to take your beak from my throat is payment enough." (Cf. B382.) W154.3
• Lion rescued from net by rat: eats rat. W154.3.1
• Tiger has thorn pulled by man: attacks man. W154.3.2
• Hunter beats dog which has grown old in his service. W154.4
• Dog tries to bite man rescuing him from well. W154.5
• Ungrateful fox hits with tail the man who carries him across stream. W154.5.1
• Man kills whale which carried him home across sea. W154.5.1.1
• Man who has been rescued from pit tries to kill his monkey rescuer for food. W154.5.1.2
• Ungrateful ape plucks feathers from heron who has carried him across water. W154.5.1.3
• Ungrateful wanderer pulls nut tree to pieces to get the nuts. W154.6
• Wanderers in shade of plane tree blame it for not bearing fruit. W154.7
• Grateful animals; ungrateful man. A traveler saves a monkey, a snake, a tiger, and a jeweler from a pit. The monkey gives him fruit; the tiger a necklace of a princess he has killed. The jeweler accuses the rescuer before the king. The serpent saves him by biting the prince and then showing the man the proper remedy. W154.8
• Man rescued from drowning kills rescuer. W154.9
• Whales rescue drowning king who planned to kill them. W154.9.1
• Snake kills ungrateful tamer. W154.10
• Tiger returns rope to former captor: rewarded by having tail cut off. W154.11
• Man kills his rescuer in order to collect reward. W154.12
• Knight is ungrateful for rescue in battle. W154.12.1
• Ungrateful Brahmin brings his wild goose rescuer to king as remedy against leprosy. W154.12.2
• Ungrateful brothers plot against rescuer. W154.12.3
• Benefactor falsely accused of theft by ungrateful youth. W154.13
• Woman who saves suitor from death is later condemned to die by the ingrate. W154.14
• Kind magistrate is victim of ingratitude. Gives lawbreaker a light sentence. The latter seduces the magistrate's wife. W154.15
• Ruler persecutes his friends and is kind to his enemies. Is killed. W154.16
• Man beheads rescuer for leaving him so long in pain. W154.17
• Man ungrateful for life saved because rescuer helped others also. W154.18
• Ungrateful Jew steals horse of Christian who has lent it to him. W154.19
• Man beats people bearing him gifts. W154.20
• Workers (builder) killed when secret building or grave is finished. (Cf. W181.2.) W154.21
• Person compared to nettle, which stings the hand that protects it. W154.22
• Ingratitude from ignorance. W154.23
• Man fails to feed his animal rescuer. W154.24
• Man sets dogs onto bear after bear has carried him home to safety. W154.25
• Man demands ever larger gifts. W154.26
• Man trades an egg for a needle, demands treat of a gill of rum, the traditional reward for traders. The storekeeper gives him the rum; he asks for an egg in it. The storekeeper breaks an egg (the one he has just traded the needle for) into the rum. It has two yolks; the trader asks for two needles. W154.26.1
• Man works his horses to death, then complains that borrowed horse overeats. W154.27
• Wizard makes pupil think himself Emperor and exposes pupil's ingratitude. W154.28
• Hardness of heart. W155
• Hardhearted horse allows ass to be overburdened until it is crushed. Horse must then assume the load. W155.1
• Old bullock deserted and left to die. W155.1.1
• Man overloads and starves camel. W155.1.2
• Man helping another across stream drops him when he learns that he has lost his high position. W155.2
• Man unable to weep for hardness of heart. W155.3
• Hardhearted person refuses reprieve for father's murderers. W155.4
• Permission refused to drink from water tank. W155.5
• The dog in the manger. Has no use for the manger but refuses to give it up to the horse. W156
• Dishonesty. W157
• Priest uses fortune dishonestly made to erect monuments to himself. W157.1
• Inhospitality. (Cf. Q292.) W158
• Love of publicity. W161
• Three envoys debate as to which of them should be received with the greatest honor. W161.1
• False pride. Son ashamed of his peasant father who brings him money. Father disinherits him. (Cf. Q331.) W165
• Humble man after speaking to king disdains his own family. W165.1
• Ass after associating with lion disdains his own family. W165.2
• Stubbornness. W167
• Two stubborn goats meet each other on a bridge. Neither will step aside; both fall into water. W167.1
• Woman's stubbornness causes loss of chance to go on pilgrimage. W167.2
• Two-facedness. W171
• Man winks both at buyer and seller. He tries to appear friendly to both. W171.1
• Changeableness. W175
• Sister gives due honor and regard to brother only in times of his prosperity. W175.1
• Jealousy. W181
• Sheep jealous of dog because he does nothing. Do not consider that he guards the flock. W181.1
• King kills architect after completion of great building, so that he may never again build one so great. (Cf. S161.0.1, W154.21.) W181.2
• Architect kills pupil who has surpassed him in skill. W181.2.1
• Architect commits suicide when he discovers that his pupil has surpassed him in skill. W181.2.2
• Raven wants to be as white as a swan. W181.3
• Jealous fox betrays wolf to peasant and then appropriates wolf's cave and food. Peasant kills him in a few days. W181.4
• Raven jealous of partridge's way of flying. W181.5
• Jealousy of Venus in the love of Psyche and Cupid. W181.6
• Ruler who is jealous of his subjects' happiness prohibits their games. W181.7
• The crying child. He stops crying so that after a rest he can cry louder than ever. W182
• Violence of temper. W185
• Man demonstrates his violence of temper. He overhears a man tell of his temper. In anger he enters and demands to know when he has ever lost his temper. W185.1
• Prayer that overbearing knight's illness be increased. A little sickness has made him kind; more may make him kinder. W185.2
• Temper lost from reading history. Man so angered that he refuses to pay his workmen. W185.3
• Monk loses temper at cup and breaks it. [Inadvertant duplication of H1553.5.] W185.4
• Violence of judge's temper leads him to have men given death sentence unjustly. W185.5
• Insult worse than wound. The lion to the man: "The wound has healed, but the pain of harsh words still remains." W185.6
• Insolence. W187
• Contentiousness. (Cf. Q300.) W188
• Extortion. W193
• Man extorts large price for betel leaf from addict. W193.1
• Envy. (Cf. Q302.) W195
• Goose and turkey envious of peacock point out its ugly legs and voice. W195.1
• Lack of patience. W196
• Traits of character – miscellaneous. W200
• Active imagination. W211
• The boy: "If I had one and then got two more, I should have three." W211.1
• "I surely saw a hundred wolves (snakes)." – "There weren't so many as that." – "Well, what made the noise in the bushes?" W211.2
• "I am not alone!" Man travelling alone through the forest at night, is afraid of robbers. He hangs his cap on a stick and keeps repeating: "I am not travelling alone, there are two of us." W211.3
• Eagerness for combat. W212
• Eager warriors go through tent wall. Warriors so eager for battle they do not take time to go out of tent door but go through the tent wall. W212.1
• Warriors contend with each other until battle starts. When they agree to engage in battle, they cannot endure to be without combat. W212.2
• Man will not allow food served to strangers until a man of them wrestles with him. W213
• Host requires deed of bravery before feast is eaten. W213.1
• Man will not do a woman's bidding. W214
• Extreme prudence. W215
• Magic help sent to enemy. Hero sends fairy healing charms to his enemy so that when they resume fighting it cannot be said he wins because of superior care. W215.1
• Refusal to fight wounded enemy. Hero feels it dishonorable to fight with sorely wounded enemy, because it would be said he died of previous wounds rather than the ones hero might inflict. W215.2
• Long life sacrificed that descendants may be kings as prophesied. (Cf. M314.) W215.3
• Thrift. W216
• Thrifty merchant tells son that even a snake laid by will be useful. W216.1
• Taciturn man. W225
• Man is rebuked for loquaciousness when he speaks after thirty-seven days. W225.1
• Moving home simple for poor man. Man is so poor that when he moves all he has to do is to put out the fire and whistle for the dog to follow him. W226