Humor

754 motifs · page 2 of 4

• Humor concerning sex. [Note: Thousands of obscene motifs in which there is no point except the obscenity itself might logically come at this point, but they are entirely beyond the scope of the present work. They form a literature to themselves, with its own periodicals and collections. In view of the possibility that it might become desirable to classify these motifs and place them within the present index, space has been left from X700 to X749 for such motifs.] X700
• Jokes on old maids. X750
• X751.Marriage forbidden outside the parish. An order is read in church forbidding the young people to marry girls from other parishes. X751
• The old maid in bed. On one side is a bundle of straw (her husband) and on the other a dog (her child). She gives the straw bundle a push and thereupon falls on the floor herself. X752
• A youth promises to marry an old maid if she will sit all night on the roof. She falls down. X753
• The meal of beans. One of the old maid's three teeth breaks off. X754
• The wolf steals the old maid. She keeps him for a husband. X755
• The mother trains the old maid to speak properly. Absurd results. X756
• Jokes on courtship. X760
• Humor based on drunkenness. X800
• Drunk man lying under his bed thinks he is lying in his shroud. Is cured of drunkenness. X811
• Drunk man goes to the king and wants to buy an island. X812
• Drunk man at the wedding. Goes to sleep and never reaches it, though at home he praises the wedding. X813
• Drunk men try to see one another home. Absurd results. X814
• Drunk man sees everything revolving and waits for his house to come to him. X815
• Drunk woman thinks she is in heaven. Hears someone play the lyre. X816
• Drunk recruits make war on a haystack. X818
• Drunken volunteer firemen bungle their work. X821
• Humor of lies and exaggeration. X900
• One lie a year. A man who tells but one lie a year is believed because of his general truthfulness. Amusing results. X901
• Liar comes to believe his own lie. He tells a lie so often that he believes it himself. (Cf. X611.) X902
• Lie used as catch tale. (Cf. Z13.) X903
• The teller reduces the size of his lie. X904
• The liar reduces the size of his lie when his brother steps on his toes to remind him of his lying habits. X904.1
• Liar reduces the size of his yarn when challenged. X904.2
• Lying contests. X905
• Master brought to say, "You lie!" X905.1
• Greatest liar made king of Schlaraffenland. (Cf. X1503.) X905.2
• Claim of property based on unusual lie. X905.3
• The liar: "I have no time to lie today"; lies nevertheless. X905.4
• Boy to deceive his uncle: induces uncle to climb tree before deception begins: this is the deception. X905.4.1
• Would not lie for a trifle. Liar tells of shooting large number of animals with one shot (an odd number, usually 99). When asked why he did not make it a round number (or an even hundred), he replies indignantly that he would not lie for one pigeon (rabbit). X906
• Man has servant corroborate his lies. Rewards him poorly. Servant exposes him. X907
• The second liar corroborates the lie of the first. X907.1
• Lie: sea has burned up. (Often with answer: "Many fried fish.") X908
• Other stories about liars. X909
• The incorrigible liar. X909.1
• Church member who has been called to task about his lying habits tells another lie in expressing his concern for his weakness. He says he has shed barrels of tears because of his weakness. X909.1.1
• The liar outdoes the tricksters who try to catch him in a lie. He continues the lie the tricksters have made up to catch him. (Cf. K306, L142.1.) X909.2
• [First Edition: X910. Münchhausen tales.] X910[1st ed.]
• Lie: the remarkable man. (Cf. F500–F599.) X910
• Lie concerning birth of hero. X911
• Lie concerning babyhood and boyhood of hero. X912
• Lie: death of extraordinary man. X913
• Lie: persons with remarkable bodily parts. X916
• Lie: the large man. X920
• Lie: remarkably tall person. X921
• Lie: great weight of large person. X922
• Lie: great girth of large person. X923
• Lie: remarkably thin persons. X924
• Lie: remarkable person's physical powers and habits. X930
• Lie: remarkable eater. X931
• Lie: remarkable drinker. (Cf. F633.) X932
• Lie: remarkable chewer. X933
• Lie: remarkable spitter. (Cf. F635.) X934
• Lie: remarkable blower. (Cf. F622.) X935
• Lie: person with remarkable hearing. (Cf. F641.) X936
• Lie: person with remarkable voice. (Cf. F556.) X937
• Lie: person of remarkable sight. (Cf. F642.) X938
• Lie: other motifs pertaining to extraordinary senses or bodily powers. X939
• Lie: remarkably strong man. X940
• Remarkable lifter. (Cf. F624.) X941
• Whole village lifted. X941.1
• Fight on old woman's hand. X941.2
• Elephant (camel) put in pocket as a curiosity to show friends. X941.3
• Wind blows group of persons into woman's eye. X941.4
• Lie: remarkable carrier. (Cf. F631.) X942
• Lie: man ties up 700 camels in a corner of his sheet. X942.1
• Lie: remarkable thrower. (Cf. F636.) X943
• Beautiful girl seated on large lotus flower holding big elephant in each hand which she devours and throws off alternately. X943.1
• Lie: child throws out elephant's carcass. X943.1.1
• Lie: remarkable catcher. X944
• Lie: remarkable hitter or striker. X945
• Lie: remarkable breaker. (Cf. F625.) X946
• Lie: remarkable bender. X947
• Lie: remarkable twister. X948
• Lie: remarkable squeezer. (Cf. X955.) X951
• Lie: remarkable pincher. Hero marks logs by pinching a piece out of end of each one. X952
• Lie: strong puller. X953
• Man draws sixty (300) carts of wood. X953.1
• Lie: remarkable pusher. X954
• Lie: remarkable killer. (Cf. X945.) X955
• Lie: hero responsible for topographical features (lakes, rivers, etc.). (Cf. A901.) X958
• Lie: other strong physical reactions. X959
• Lie: hero breaking wen causes wall to fall down. (Cf. D1562.3, F610.) X959.1
• Lie: remarkable person's skills. X960
• Lie: extraordinary bodily skills. X961
• Lie: remarkable swimmer. X964
• Lie: remarkable diver. X965
• Lie: remarkable jumper. X966
• Lie: remarkable kicker. X967
• Lie: remarkable oarsman. X971
• Lie: remarkable fighter. X972
• Lie: remarkable wrestler. X973
• Lie: occupational or professional skill. X980
• Lie: remarkable smith. (Cf. F663.) X982
• Lie: skillful flayer. Man skins buffalo alive, turns them loose to grow new skins. (Cf. F664.1.) X983
• Lie: skillful axe-man. (Cf. F666.) X986
• Axe of wax cuts jungle. X986.1
• Lie: remarkable logger. X987
• Lie: remarkable rock driller. (John Henry.) Engages in contest with steam drill; he wins the contest but dies in the attempt. X991
• Lie: remarkable carpenter. X994
• Lie: remarkable thresher. X1001
• Lie: remarkable user of whip. X1002
• Lie: remarkable roper. X1003
• Lie: remarkable rider. X1004
• Lie: man rides unusual riding animal (lion, deer, etc.). (Cf. B557.) X1004.1
• Lie: man rides cyclone. X1004.2
• Lie: remarkable cook. X1005
• Lie: remarkable mental skills. X1010
• Lie: the great inventor. X1011
• Lie: person displays remarkable ingenuity or resourcefulness. X1012
• Lie: axes ground on boulders rolling down hill. X1012.1
• Lie: remarkable possessions of remarkable man. X1020
• Lie: remarkable clothing of remarkable man. X1021
• Lie: remarkable bouncing rubber boots (or the like). X1021.1
• Lie: other extraordinary personal effects of remarkable person. X1022
• Lie: extraordinary equipment of remarkable man. X1023
• Lie: extraordinary tools of remarkable man. X1024
• Lie: extraordinary machinery of remarkable man. X1025
• Lie: remarkable buildings. X1030
• The great building. X1030.1
• Lie: the great kitchen. X1031
• Lie: remarkable equipment in big kitchen. X1031.1
• Lie: The great kettle. X1031.1.1
• Lie: help in big kitchen. X1031.2
• Lie: remarkable cooking in big kitchen. X1031.3
• Lie: remarkable baking in big kitchen. X1031.4
• Lie: skating with bacon to grease griddle in big kitchen. X1031.4.1
• Lie: other extraordinary foods from great kitchen. X1031.5
• Lie: remarkable food preferences. French loggers prefer pea soup for all three meals. X1031.6
• Lie: extraordinary piles of garbage from great kitchen. X1031.7
• Lie: the great dining quarters (Paul Bunyan tales). X1032
• Lie: the great bunkhouse. X1033
• Lie: the great hotel. X1035
• Lie: the great stable. X1036
• Lie: the great stable: distance to stall. Cow has calf and the calf grows up and has calf before it can reach its stall. X1036.1
• Lie: other possessions of remarkable man. (Cf. X1215 [dog], X1235 [cow], X1237 [ox]). X1060
• Lie: great boat or ship of remarkable man. (Cf. F861.) X1061
• Remarkable size of great ship. X1061.1
• Extraordinary man's family. X1070
• The big wedding. Giant with sixty daughters. X1071
• Lie: occupations of remarkable man. (Cf. X980.) X1080
• Lie: remarkable logging operations. X1081
• Lie: remarkable manufacturer. X1082
• Lie: remarkable sawmill operator. X1082.1
• Lie: remarkable dairyman. X1082.2
• Lie: remarkable steel worker. X1083
• Lie: remarkable oil drilling operator. X1084
• Lie: the remarkable hunter. X1100
• The wonderful hunt. X1110
• The unlucky hunt. X1110.1
• Hunter shoots ram-rod full of ducks. X1111
• Hunter catches fish in boots while wading. X1112
• Man lays bag by fencehole and all the hares run into it. X1114
• Two hares run into each other and are caught. X1114.1
• Tiger lies in water with mouth open: cat drives fish in. X1114.2
• Large bag of frozen raccoons taken by hunter. (Cf. X1130.3.) X1115
• The rabbit-catch: rabbits freeze feet fast to ice at night. X1115.1
• The breathing tree. Hunter cuts down tree packed full of animals. The tree is so full of animals that a crack in tree opens as animals inhale, closes when they exhale. X1116
• Miscellaneous stories of plentiful game. X1119
• Lie: thick flock of birds. X1119.1
• Lie: remarkable bag of deer. X1119.2
• Lie: the great marksman. (Cf. F661.) X1120
• Lie: the great marksman's remarkable gun. X1121
• Lie: hunter with remarkable marksmanship. X1122
• Lie: hunter shoots projectile great distance. X1122.1
• Lie: person shoots many animals with one shot. X1122.2
• Lie: ingenious person bends gun barrel to make spectacular shot. X1122.3
• Lie: the hunter catches or kills game by ingenious or unorthodox method. (Cf. X1132.) X1124
• Shooting off the leader's tail. An old blind bear is being led by a young bear, whose tail the old bear has in his mouth. The hunter shoots off the young bear's tail and seizes it. Thus leads the old bear home. X1124.1
• Hunter turns animal inside out. He reaches down animal's throat, grasps his tail, and turns him inside out. X1124.2
• Accidental discharge of gun kills much game. Gun kills a bird which falls on loose limb of tree, which falls on bear, etc., etc. X1124.3
• Gunshot splits limb and catches feet of birds. X1124.3.1
• Hunting wolves with rod and line. X1124.4
• Lie: hunter's unusual experiences. X1130
• Game rolls down hill in snow; snowball builds up around game, keeps it fresh and protected until used. X1130.1
• Fruit tree grows from head of deer shot with fruit pits. X1130.2
• Tree grows out of horse and gives rider shade. X1130.2.1
• Water of stream or lake freezes just as frogs jump into lake. The frogs are caught in the ice. X1130.3
• Ingenious skinning of animal. X1132
• The nailed wolf's tail. Wolf's tail nailed to tree. Wolf runs away and leaves his skin hanging. X1132.1
• Lie: the hunter in danger. X1133
• Lie: man uses remarkable means of getting out of tree stump. X1133.1
• Man escapes from bear by running for a long time, from summer to winter. Bear chases man in July; he finally crosses a river on the ice. The bear falls in or stops following (in December). X1133.2
• Man in barrel grabs wolf by the tail and is drawn out of danger. X1133.3
• Animal unwittingly puts tail into man's hands and is caught. X1133.3.1
• If the wolf's tail breaks. Trickster and companion are wolf hunting. The companion goes into the wolf hole. The wolf comes. The other catches the wolf by the tail and the wolf scratches dust into the companion's eyes. "What a dust." – "If the wolf's tail breaks, you will see another kind of dust!" X1133.3.2
• Man escapes from bee's nest on bear's tail. X1133.4
• Tigers stand on each other's heads trying to reach man in tree. His tears form a stream. X1133.5
• Lies about fishing. (Cf. X1300.) X1150
• The great catch of fish. X1150.1
• Lie: large number of fishermen in one spot. X1151
• Lie: fish caught by remarkable trick. X1153
• Lie: unusual catch by fisherman. X1154
• Fisherman catches fish with amazing contents. X1154.1
• Man catches fish with larger fish inside. X1154.1.1
• Lie: other unusual methods of catching fish. X1156
• Lie: fish caught with another's cries. X1156.1
• Lie: remarkable animals. X1200