125 motifs match “attempt” — showing the first 100; narrow the words for the rest  ·  back to the chapters

• Marplot at creation. An evil opponent attempts to undo or mar the work of the creator. A60
• Satan attempts to create another world. A63.8
• Animate and inanimate objects attempt to destroy humanity. A1009.2
• Fettered monster's vain attempt to reach sword with man's help. Could he reach it he would escape. A1074.2
• Devil's unsuccessful attempt to vivify his creations as God has done. Succeeds only in making animal. A1217
• Origin of death from bad creator's unsuccessful imitation. The bad creator attempts in vain to endow his creations with life like the good creator. Fails and thus introduces death. A1335.2
• Vain attempts to circumvent theft of fire. A1415.4
• Mole struck on head in attempt to steal fire: hence his flat head. A2213.5.1
• Crossbill, attempting to draw thorn from the crown of thorns, twists bill in the attempt. A2221.2.4.2
• Raven attempts to imitate dove: punished with awkward gait. A2232.10
• Man attempts to kill faithful serpent at wife's instigation. Loses everything. B335.1
• Unsuccessful attempt by enemy to kill helpful animal. B335.3
• Attempt to learn about magic object by spying. D830.1
• Attempted resuscitation fails because of overanxiety. E186.1
• The Vanishing Hitchhiker. Ghost of young woman asks for ride in automobile, disappears from closed car without the driver's knowledge, after giving him address to which she wishes to be taken. Driver asks person at address about the rider, finds she has been dead for some time. (Often driver finds that ghost has made similar attempts to return, usually on anniversary of death in automobile accident. Often ghost leaves some item such as a scarf or a traveling bag in car.) E332.3.3.1
• Unsuccessful attempt to steal fairy necklace. F357
• Fairies bind man fast to ground after he has attempted to capture fairy prince and princess. F361.2.3
• Strong man evades death. Vain attempts to kill him. F615
• Clerics and property cast safely on shore when enemies attempt their drowning. F1088.3.1
• Girl attempts to eat parents but they escape. G71.1
• Farmer has devil aid in reaping contest, loses his shadow when devil attempts to take hindmost. (Cf. K42.) G303.19.2
• False dragon-head proof. Impostor cuts off dragon heads (after tongues have been removed) and attempts to use them as proof of slaying the dragon. H105.1.1
• Seductive women attempt to divert quester. H1239.5
• Fear test. A person is put to various tests in the attempt to make him show fear. H1400
• Tests of power to survive. Vain attempts to kill hero. H1510
• Heat test. Attempt to kill hero by burning him in fire. H1511
• Burning food test. Attempt to kill hero by feeding him burning food. H1511.2
• Smoke test. Attempt to kill hero by smoke. H1511.3
• Smoking test. Attempt to kill hero by having him smoke fatal pipe. H1511.4
• Cold test. Attempt to freeze hero to death. H1512
• Poisoned food test. Attempt to kill hero by feeding him poisoned food. H1515
• Attempt to poison by druids. H1515.1
• Poisoned drink test. Attempt to kill saint by giving him poisoned drink. H1515.2
• Poisoned clothing test. Attempt to kill hero by poisoning clothing. H1516
• Spine test. Attempt to kill hero by throwing him on sharp spine or spike. H1531
• Vain attempt to kill hero on stairway set with razors. H1531.2
• Hanging test. Unavailing attempt to kill hero by hanging. H1533
• Plank test. Attempt to kill hero by letting plank fall on him. H1534
• Toboggan test. Attempt to kill hero on dangerous toboggan. H1536
• Drowning test. Unavailing attempt to drown hero. H1538
• Druid attempts to shake king's faith by magic manifestation. H1573.1.3
• One should not attempt to change his color. J511
• Weather to please one only. Attempt to please everyone with weather unavailing. Weather given therefore without regard to men's desires. J1041.1
• The liar. A man attempts to lie out of having called another a liar: "You lie if you say that I said you lied." The other: "It's a good thing for you that you didn't call me a liar." (Cf. J817.) J1456
• When Caleb comes. Man attempts to stay in haunted house all night. One cat after another enters, says, "Everything will be all right when Caleb comes, won't it?" (or something similar). Man finally says, "When Caleb comes, tell him I was here and left." He leaves. J1495.2
• Do not start here. Man asks directions to a certain place. Native attempts to give directions, then in disgust says, "If I wanted to go to –, I wouldn't start from here." J1648
• Ogre sees beautiful woman reflected in water. Attempts to drink the lake dry. (Cf. J1791.3.1.) J1791.6.2
• Sickle punished by being tied in top of a tree. The men hang themselves in the attempt. J1865.1
• Foolish attempt to educate animals. J1882
• Bullock struck on hindquarters instead of head in attempt to kill it. (Only frightens it.) J1906.1
• Absurd attempt to change animal nature. J1908
• Foolish fight with the sea. Absurd attempt to punish sea. J1968
• The foolish attempt to cheat the buyer. J2083
• Coyote attempts to fly from a treetop: falls. J2133.3.1
• King attempts to visit the spirit world underground and dies in a tunnel. J2137.7
• Attempts to make canoe of sand. (Cf. H1021.3.) J2171.1.3.1
• Numskulls attempt to capture moon and bring it home in a sledge. They get to the top of the hill a few minutes too late to reach it. J2271.4
• Sister of goddess tries to imitate her feat of being cooked without harm and dies in the attempt. J2411.6.1
• Man saved from well by rope. Disastrous attempt to save him from tree in same way. J2434
• Contest: pulling on steak with teeth. Two men take an end of a steak in their teeth; each attempts to pull it away from the other. After each has a good hold, the Irishman says (with clenched teeth) "Noo're ready?" The Dutchman says, "Yah!", loses the steak. (Cf. K22, K561.1.) K64
• Attempted intoxication avoided by boring a hole in the bottom of cup. K82.1.2
• Sausage as revolver. Man scares robber with sausage; later boasts of event at inn. Robber hears this. Innkeeper secretly lends man a real revolver; robber is shot down when boldly attempting a second attack. K437.3
• Clever wife gets money from those who attempt to seduce her. Payment for keeping silence. K443.2
• Clever wife gets husband appointed to position occupied by man who attempts to seduce her. K443.2.1
• Escape in huge pumpkin shell. (Attempted.) K521.5
• Attempted escape by persuading captor to talk fails. K561.0.1
• Attempted capture by causing animal to make noise. K756.2
• Attempted capture by causing owner's pig to squeal at night. K756.2.1
• Attempted capture by ringing cowbell to sound as if cow has wandered far away. (Cf. K341.7.) K756.2.2
• Deception into disastrous attempt to procure food. K1020
• Trickster attempts to bring friends to fight. (Plans that one kill the other.) K1084.3
• Lover's anger softened by sham suicide attempt. Is later scorned. K1232.1
• Seduction attempted on promise of magic transformation: woman to mare. Finishing the tail. K1315.3.2
• Seduction attempted on threat of performing miracle. K1315.6.2
• Teacher instructs pupil in the art of love: cuckolded. Student, ignoring woman's identity, seduces the teacher's wife, and reports success to him. The teacher makes futile attempts to surprise wife with pupil. K1692
• Women pretend to weep over warrior's wounds while attempting to inflame them. K2014
• Potiphar's wife. A woman makes vain overtures to a man and then accuses him of attempting to force her. K2111
• Person wounds self and accuses another of attempting murder. K2116.3
• Treacherous sister attempts to poison brother. K2212.0.1
• Attempt to kill by throwing knife. K2388
• King vainly attempts to measure the height of the sky and the depth of the sea. L414.1
• Attempt to fly to heaven punished. Car supported by eagles. L421
• Attempt to climb to heaven punished. L421.1
• Parricide prophecy. In spite of all attempts to thwart the fates, the child kills his father. M343
• Vain attempts to escape fulfillment of prophecy. (Cf. M341.2.10, M343, M344.) M370
• Chastity wager. A man makes a wager on his wife's chastity. In spite of unsuccessful attempts to seduce her and of false proofs presented, he wins the wager. N15
• Unavailing attempt to get rid of slippers; they always return. N211.2
• Horse accidentally poisoned instead of master. An attempt is made to give the hero a poisoned cup. He is on horseback and spurs his horse away to avoid the cup. The poison is spilled and enters the horse's ear and kills him. N332.2
• Robber attempting to steal cow at night seizes thieving tiger. Great fight in stable. N392
• Foolish attempt of second man to overhear secrets (from animals, demons etc.). He is punished. N471
• Hero attempting to escape from tiger plays music and tiger follows. People marvel and give him money and he is rewarded with princess's hand. N691.1.1
• Parents accidentally meet daughter who has survived their attempts to drown her. N732.3
• Dropped ball (basket) leads to adventures when recovery is attempted. N777
• Attempt to kill old king by suffocating him in bathroom. P16.3.1.1
• Futile attempt to get rid of man by selling him to merchants as slave. P173.4
• King's son falsely accuses foster brother of attempt to seduce his sister. P273.2.3
• Life spared as reward for bravery and constancy. Centurion tells his enemies to kill him rather than attempt to win him. Q151.8
• Thieves who attempt to steal from churches or shrines are miraculously rendered powerless to get out, and walk in a circle. Q222.5.4
• Attempted seduction punished. (Cf. Q424.3, Q431.5.1, Q469.10.1.) Q243.2.1
• Punishment for attempted rape. (Cf. Q411.2.) Q244.1