29 motifs match “branches”  ·  back to the chapters

• Tree hanging from sky. A tree hangs upside down in the sky. By its branches men pass back and forth to the upper world. A652.2
• Goddess in anger breaks herself into five parts: hence, five branches of a river. A934.11.3
• Tabu: cutting branches of tree. C513.1
• Tree with silver branches. (Cf. D950, F811.1.2.) D1461.0.2
• Magic song causes tree to rise to sky. Has moon and Great Bear in its branches. (Cf. D1275.) D1576.1
• Banana tree tells who cut its branches. (Cf. D950.) D1612.1.2
• Tree with all sorts of cakes hanging from its branches springs from one cake. D2106.3
• Tree of Life. (Cf. D950.) Resuscitation by touching its branches. E90
• Hunting woman beaten with sticks of rowan-tree and ankles of corpse tied with branches of same tree. E442.1
• Twining branches grow from graves of lovers. (Cf. E419.6.) E631.0.1
• Tree with silver trunk, gold branches, emerald leaves, pearls for fruits. F811.1.7
• Tree with musical branches. F811.6
• Tree's branches turn upward when idolators rest beneath it. F979.20
• Crossing a river with help of a fig tree whose branches touch the opposite bank. F1071.1
• Giant ogre tricked into running round a tree the branches of which catch the strokes of his iron bar, until he falls down dead. G519.5
• Branches broken from tree to prove journey. H84.1
• Man uses umbrella under trees. (To protect self from falling branches and bird droppings.) H591.2
• Roots and branches of World-tree explained symbolically. H619.3
• Riddle: tree with twelve branches, each with thirty leaves, black and white. Year, month, days and nights. H721.1
• Riddle: palace consisting of 8760 stones; twelve trees, thirty branches, each with black and white cluster of grapes. Year, months, days, hours. H721.4
• Quest for branches of tree guarded by dragon. H1333.6
• Numskull sticks his head in the branches of a tree. J2131.5.3
• Deceptive contest in carrying a tree: riding. The trickster has the dupe carry the branches of a tree while he carries the trunk. He rides on the trunk. K71
• Capture between branches of tree. Small animal lures large one, who cannot get loose. K742
• Army appears like forest. Surprises enemy. Each soldier carries branches. (Birnam wood comes to Dunsinane.) K1872.1
• Cat brings suspicion between eagle and sow. Eagle lives in the top of the branches, cat in the middle, and sow at bottom; all are happy. Cat tells eagle that sow is trying to root down the tree: eagle is frightened and dares not leave tree. Cat tells sow that eagle plans to carry off pigs: sow dares not leave. They starve and fall victims to the cat. K2131.1
• Feud between two branches of family. P201.1
• Punishment of Tantalus. Stands in a pool that ever recedes from his thirsty lips; branches of fruit spring away from him; stone over his head continually threatens to fall. Q501.2
• Saint falling into an abyss found perched in the branches of a tree which projected from the cliff. As soon as the man is drawn up, the tree vanishes. V222.10