98 motifs match “ability”  ·  back to the chapters

• Adam's body made of eight (four) things. Body, earth; bones, stones; veins, roots; blood, water; hair, grass; thoughts, wind; spirit, clouds, or warmth, fire; cold, air; dryness, earth; instability, water. A1260.1.3
• Inability to transform self in presence of others. D502
• Magic object gives invulnerability. D1344
• Magic shirt gives invulnerability. (Cf. D1056.) D1344.9.1
• Magic mandrake gives invulnerability. (Cf. D965.1.) D1344.10
• Magic sword gives invulnerability. (Cf. D1081.) D1344.11
• Magic immovability of saints (or their possessions). D1654.0.1
• Magic sight: ability to see the soul (astral body). D1825.3.3
• Ability to see heavenly beings. D1825.3.4
• Ability to see angel of God. D1825.3.4.1
• Ability to see messengers of Pluto. D1825.3.4.2
• Magic invulnerability. D1840
• Magic invulnerability of saints. (Cf. Q162, V228.) D1840.1
• Magic invulnerability of saint enables him to break poisonous snakes in bare hands. D1840.1.1
• Magic invulnerability of animals. D1840.2
• Magic invulnerability of ogres. D1840.3
• Invulnerability from certain things. D1841
• Invulnerability from weapons. D1841.5
• Invulnerability from hurled stones. D1841.5.1.1
• Invulnerability from demons. D1841.9
• Invulnerability for limited time. D1845
• Invulnerability for single day. D1845.1
• Invulnerability only when dressed in certain clothes. (Cf. D1344.) D1845.2
• Attainment of invulnerability. (Cf. D1840.) D1846
• Invulnerability by being burned and anointed with magic ointments. (Cf. D1244.) D1846.1
• Invulnerability bestowed by many-headed monster. (Cf. B15.1.2.) D1846.2
• Invulnerability through bathing in dragon's blood. D1846.4
• Attainment of invulnerability through magic bath. D1846.4.1
• Invulnerability bestowed by saint. (Cf. V220.) D1846.5
• Invulnerability by invoking saint. D1846.5.1
• Loss of invulnerability. D1847
• Invulnerability lost if man forgets sweetheart. D1847.1
• Magic ability to fly. D2135.0.3
• Ability to disappear or appear at will. D2188.1
• Man given ability to return to life if killed. E167
• Extraordinary reading ability. F695
• Miraculous ability to learn to read and to write foreign language in short time. F695.3.1
• Invulnerability of witches. G229.4
• Witch known by inability to rise from chair with four-leaf clover under it. G254
• Witch known by inability to rise from chair with salt under cushion. (Cf. G271.3.) G254.2
• Missing female poet discovered through test of poetic ability. H12.1
• Recognition by ability to identify property. H19.1
• Recognition of reincarnated person by ability to identify former weapons. H19.1.1
• Recognition by unique ability. H31
• Recognition by unique ability to dislodge sword. Sword is stuck in a stone or tree. H31.1
• Recognition by unique ability to bend bow. H31.2
• Recognition by unique ability to swing spear. H31.3
• Recognition by unique ability to cut (carve) tree, etc. H31.5
• Recognition by unique ability to break iron apple with first stone cast. H31.6
• Recognition by unique ability to perform magic act. H31.7
• Recognition by ability to shed pearls for tears. H31.7.1
• Recognition by unique ability to shoot, swim, and drink. H31.8
• Recognition by unique ability to handle easily a heavy stone. H31.9
• Recognition by unique ability to play chess. H31.10
• Recognition by unique ability to read inscription. H31.11
• Recognition of false bride by inability to finish true bride's weaving. H35.3.1
• Princess on the pea. Princess recognized by her inability to sleep on bed which has a pea under its dozen mattresses. H41.1
• Test of royalty: ability to sow, reap, and winnow rice in one day. H41.8
• King recognized by unique ability to occupy certain seat (Siege perilous). H41.9
• Person transformed to animal recognized by ability to read. H62.1.2
• Recognition by ability to perform marvels. H151.1.3
• Ordeal by water. Guilt or innocence shown by ability to swim. H222
• Test of wife's ability to keep secret. H472
• Test of wife's ability to keep secret: the buried sheep's head. Husband tells her that he is burying head of murdered man. She is to keep secret. She tells. When head is dug up it is sheep's head. H472.1
• Test of cleverness or ability. H500
• Test of musical ability. (Cf. H509.4.) H503
• Tests of cleverness or ability: miscellaneous. H509
• Tests of poetic ability. (Cf. H503.) H509.4
• Riddles proposed as tests of poetic ability. H509.4.2
• Ability to cross bridge as test of righteousness. H1573.6.1
• Adaptability to overpowering force. J830
• Jackal covers up his inability to cross stream by saying he is looking for shallowest part. J873.1
• Illegitimate daughter of trickster inherits father's ability to dupe others. J1111.2
• Witness discredited by inability to tell details. (Cf. J1153.1.) J1154
• Inability to find own members, etc. J2020
• Inability to find object one is carrying. J2025
• Absurd inability to count. J2030
• Trickster feigns ability to influence the sun; sells services. Sun to shine on fools' backs as they go to town in morning and return in afternoon. K154
• Escape by falsely reporting one's ability to escape. "I should be caught if there were not an escape at the back." When the captors run to the rear, the captive escapes. K542
• When he is looked at too threateningly hero feigns failing ability to go on horseback. K1777
• Girls keep up appearances to deceive suitors as to their desirability. K1984
• Secret of vulnerability disclosed by hero's wife. K2213.4.1
• Secret of unique vulnerability disclosed. N476
• Secret of vulnerability voluntarily disclosed. N476.1
• King accidentally cured by doctor's ruse and excuses pretended inability to cure him. N648
• Reward for ability to keep secrets. Q62
• Invulnerability as reward for pious act. Q162
• The Wandering Jew. Ceaseless wandering with inability to die as punishment for blasphemy. (Cf. Q221.3.) Q502.1
• Poets lose ability to compose verse as punishment for immoderate request. (Cf. Q338.) Q559.6
• Chaste woman promises conqueror drug of invulnerability. Has him try it on her. Cuts her head off. T325.1
• Goddess prevents suicide of man despairing of ability to make sacrifice. V10.1
• God dislikes offerings beyond one's ability. V10.2
• Captive released because of ability to recite beginning of Genesis. (Cf. J1185.) V151.1
• Saints blessed with ability to discourse in the native idioms of the people whom they visit. V223.5
• Humor of disability. Besides the motifs which follow, the entire series of motifs concerning fools (J1700–J2799) properly belongs here as well as where it is given. X100
• Unique vulnerability. Z310
• Achilles heel. Invulnerability except in one spot. Z311
• Vulnerability only by one person. Z313