63 motifs match “catches”  ·  back to the chapters

• God makes things and tosses them into the air; what he catches is good for mankind, what opponent catches is bad. A67
• Sun-snarer: burnt mantle. A boy is angered because the sun burned his mantle. He makes a snare and catches the sun and delays him so that everything is burning up. A mouse finally gnaws the snare in two. A728.1
• Earth from nut in devil's mouth. God throws a nut over his left shoulder. The devil catches it in his mouth. The nut grows rapidly and the devil spits it out. A835
• First created man catches woman in his snare. A1275.10
• Caste determined by what kind of tree one catches while crossing a river. A1651.2
• Gull from transformed cat. A cat catches a strong fish with her claws. The fish carries the cat on its back to the sea, where the gull originates from the cat. (Cf. A1710.) A1945.1
• Chipmunk's back scratched: hence his stripes. As he is trying to escape, bear catches him with his claws and marks him permanently. (Cf. A2413.2.) A2217.2
• Bush loses clothes in shipwreck: hence catches passerby looking for clothes. (Cf. A2792.1.) A2741.4
• Magic spider catches pearls. B109.1
• Eagle catches gazelle's young as it is born. B754.7.2
• Magic door catches bear so that he is burned to death. (Cf. D1146.) D1402.9
• Magic object catches animal. D1444
• Magic object catches fish. D1444.1
• Saint's bachall catches fish. (Cf. D1277, V220.) D1444.1.1
• Magic branch catches fish. (Cf. D954.) D1444.1.3
• Magic fishhook catches cats. (Cf. D1257.) D1444.3
• Magic wind catches hero up and transports him across immense sea. (Cf. D906.) D1524.9
• Brownie (Redcap, Redcomb, Bloody Cap) murders travelers, catches their blood in his cap. F363.2
• Strong man bathing and diving in river catches thousands of fishes in his beard. (Cf. X1112.) F634.1
• Strong man catches stones hurled from catapults by enemy and throws them back upon the besiegers. F636.4.2
• Hero catches a giant jug and pitches it about. F636.5
• Marvelous runner catches wild game on the run. F681.6
• Hero throws ball, bat, dart (playthings) and catches them before they reach ground. F698.1
• Extraordinary blood catches fire. F964.3.2
• Extraordinary stone catches fire. (Cf. F960.2.3.) F964.3.4
• Man marries a she-devil He catches her as succubus and marries. Some years later his wife's brothers invite them to a feast (wedding) and he gets gifts or wife's dowry. G303.12.6.1
• King: What is your brother doing? Youth: He hunts; he throws away what he catches and what he does not catch he carries with him. (Hunts for lice on his body.) H583.3
• "Rise earlier": counsel proved wise by experience. Man seeking explanation for being in debt arises earlier and catches his servants stealing. (Cf. H588.1.) J21.23
• Wisdom from philosopher: worldly honor like shadow. If one goes toward it, it flees; if one turns his back on it, it follows and at times catches up with one. J152.6
• Intentional and accidental fire. Rich man wishing to get rid of a neighbor's tree sets it afire. Neighbor's house catches and burns. Must pay four times value of tree since fire is intentional, but only actual value of house, since that fire was accidental. J1175.2
• Tiger mistaken for goat. Fool trying to steal goat in dark catches thieving tiger. J1758.1
• Burning the wasp nest. The house catches fire and burns. J2102.5
• Man catches buffalo by rope and is dragged to death. J2132.1
• Coward is frightened when clothing catches on thistle. (Cf. N384.2.) J2625
• Clever animal betrays thief. Horse catches arm of thief and holds on until help comes. K427.1
• Disguised robber in night-lodging tries to pull up confederate on rope: princess discovers him and catches him. K434.2
• Witch tells boy to pass down some of fruit from tree, catches hold of him and puts him in her sack when he bends down. K711.4
• Man plays dead and hides in money chest: catches thief. K751.2
• Bird catches fishes by imitating voice of friend. K756.3
• Fox shams death and catches crows that come to feed on him. K827.4
• Ogre helps tortoise who snaps jaws to and catches him. K1111.3
• Bending the tree. Hero bends tree over but when he catches breath the tree shoots him to the sky. K1112
• Priest caught in lasso by rival lover. Mistress tells knight of priest's demands. Knight has her give assignation, and arranges around her a string lasso which he pulls, and catches priest. K1218.1.6
• Husband catches paramour in pitfall. The wife sends her maid to investigate. The maid falls in and finally the wife herself. The husband calls the neighborhood to see them. K1562
• Husband catches paramour by using wife's pre-arranged signal. K1569.5
• Jackal persuades deer to steal from farmer, then informs farmer who catches deer. K2037
• Prophecy: son who catches certain fawn will become king. M314.1
• Lover's spur catches in sheet when he tries to escape. Uncovers mistress. N386.1
• Sign of prisoner's reprieve changed by wind. A flag to be flown in certain way, but wind catches it just at the wrong moment so that prisoner is executed. N394.1
• Ass falls into water and catches fish in his ear. N626
• Hero catches spear hurled at him and kills serpent with it. N654
• Princess catches raja's golden bird; he trails it to her palace. N713.1
• Divine hand catches scorned lover as he plunges from minaret top to die. T75.6
• Fisher and hunter exchange catches for variety: soon return to original food. U136
• Hunter catches fish in boots while wading. X1112
• Lie: the hunter catches or kills game by ingenious or unorthodox method. (Cf. X1132.) X1124
• Gunshot splits limb and catches feet of birds. X1124.3.1
• 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
• Fisherman catches fish with amazing contents. X1154.1
• Man catches fish with larger fish inside. X1154.1.1
• Man plows through stump which catches the back of his pants in cleft. His oxen continue to pull; he holds onto the plow, pulls the stump out of the ground. X1237.1.1
• The hen lays an egg, the mouse breaks it. Sorrowing over this mishap, all show extraordinary behavior; the master puts an end to it. Final formula: hen strips off feathers, rubbish heap catches fire, oak falls to ground, hare drowns self, magpie twists leg, ox breaks horns, river flows blood, maid breaks pails, housewife scatters dough. Master locks up wife and maid, goes to seek people more foolish. Z39.5
• The bird indifferent to pain. A man catches a mango-bird eating mangoes and strikes it against the roots of a mango-tree. The bird cannot be made to say it suffers from the blow. In turn, he puts it in water, strikes it on the ground, a stile, a door-frame, singes its feathers, cuts it up, cooks it, and eats it. The bird always expresses indifference in a cumulative rhyme. At last the bird asks him to look out of the window, whereupon it flies out of his nose and the man dies. Z49.3