38 motifs match “attempts”  ·  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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Strong man evades death. Vain attempts to kill him. F615
• 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
• Tests of power to survive. Vain attempts to kill hero. H1510
• Druid attempts to shake king's faith by magic manifestation. H1573.1.3
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Clever wife gets husband appointed to position occupied by man who attempts to seduce her. K443.2.1
• Trickster attempts to bring friends to fight. (Plans that one kill the other.) K1084.3
• 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
• Treacherous sister attempts to poison brother. K2212.0.1
• King vainly attempts to measure the height of the sky and the depth of the sea. L414.1
• 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
• Parents accidentally meet daughter who has survived their attempts to drown her. N732.3
• Punishment: grave fills with sand when digger attempts to bury sinner over holy man. (Cf. Q222.) Q552.17
• Unsuccessful attempts to kill person in successive reincarnations (transformations). S401
• Wife curses unbeloved husband who attempts to force her. T288.1
• Oft-proved fidelity. Repeated attempts to seduce innocent woman. She escapes them all. T320.1
• Bride puts to flight man who attempts to ravish her. T320.3
• Other futile attempts to keep wife chaste. T383
• Youth attempts to seduce his grandmother. T423
• The wry-mouthed family. Each member has mouth turned in a different way. Unavailing attempts to blow out the light. X131