52 motifs match “chooses”  ·  back to the chapters

• Flies on the ark. Noah tries to keep them out. Devil says that either the flies go in or he does. Noah chooses the lesser of two evils. Later the devil slips in nevertheless. A2031.2
• Dog chooses between opposing tribes. B134.4
• Ghost chooses own requiem. E545.11
• Mortal chooses to sleep with fairy as boon for saving her life. F304.5
• Jinn can take any human form he chooses. G307.2.1
• Suitor chooses kindly girl. H384.0.1
• Three caskets. Princess offered to man who chooses correctly from three caskets. H511.1
• Prince chooses shorter but more dangerous road. H1561.9
• Philosopher chooses poverty with freedom. J211.1
• Old man chooses to be annoyed by occasional and loud chirp of swallows than by never-ending but soft chirp of sandpipers. J215.1.4
• Saint chooses to die "after pride of youth" and before "misery of old age." J216.6
• King chooses small inconvenience of personal troubles to great troubles for his kingdom. He suffers to help realm. J221.2
• Choice: staying at home with loving wife or going to tavern and having unfaithful wife. Man chooses latter. J229.1
• Better send an ugly woman to the devil than a pretty one. Man chooses ugly mistress. J229.4
• Athena chooses olive tree because of fruitfulness. J241.1
• Man to be reforged chooses present unhappiness. He is in heaven and God is to reforge him, but he chooses not to change. J323
• Children choose father they know rather than real father they do not yet know. Woman confesses that child is not by her husband. Child, however, chooses to keep the father he knows. (Cf. J391, J1279.1.) J325
• Prince chooses exile and honor to foul life at his father's court. J347.3
• Lamb chooses her foster-mother, the she-goat. Owes more to her than to her own mother, who has deserted her. J391.1
• Prince of democratic tastes chosen. King asks three sons what kind of bird they would prefer to be. First: an eagle, because it is ruler of birds; second: a falcon; because it is beloved by the nobles; third: a bird which flies with many others, so as to receive advice. King chooses third. J412.1
• Three sins of the hermit. Choice of three sins given him: adultery, murder (theft), drunkenness. He chooses drunkenness; the others follow. (Cf. J21.25.) J485
• Monk chooses solitude and loneliness to company and temptation. By living alone he escapes sin. J495
• Choice of friend over mistress. Given the choice of his friend or his mistress, man chooses his friend. J496
• Trickster chooses his gift. To be rewarded by ruler with a coin, an ass, a sheep, or a vineyard. Answers that he will take the coin, mount the ass, drive the sheep into the vineyard, and there pray for the ruler. J1282
• Absurdly modest wish. Granted any wish, the fool chooses a trifle. J2076
• One contestant chooses straight path through stones; other circles about and wins. J2119.2.2
• Contest in flying with load. One animal chooses cotton; the other, seeing that a rain is coming, chooses salt and wins. K25.2
• Deceptive crop division: above the ground, below the ground. Of root crops the ogre (stupid animal) chooses the tops; of other crops the roots. (Cf. J242.8.) K171.1
• Deceptive grain division: the corn and the chaff. The bear chooses the chaff because of its greater bulk. At the mill the fox's grain makes a different sound from the bear's. K171.2
• Deceptive nut and olive division: inside and outside. The clever man chooses the kernel of the nuts and the outside of the olive. K171.3
• Deceptive division of sheep. Evil chooses lambs, leaving milk to Good. Lambs drink up all milk. K171.7.2
• Cow enticed away by calf. Brothers are given the choice of a cow or a calf. One chooses the cow and thinks that he has the best of the bargain. The cow longs for the calf and returns to it. K366.1.2
• Importunate lover imprisoned and starved: later given choice of lady or food. Chooses food. K1218.1.3.1
• Saint, offered any gift from God, chooses (virginity and) wisdom. L212.1
• Solomon, offered any gift from God, chooses wisdom. Granted wisdom and wealth. L212.2
• Modest choice proves good (simple unique privilege). Girl offered reward of five villages chooses rather to be only one on certain night to be allowed to have light in her house and to keep all animals who enter as hers. All kinds of livestock come. L212.4
• Modest request: present from the journey. Asked what her father shall bring her as a present, the heroine chooses a modest gift. It is usually a flower but sometimes does not turn out to be such a simple gift after all (golden cloak, golden apple). L221
• Prophecy: hero may win fame but die early. Chooses fame. M365.1
• Prophecy: hero may win lady's love but die early. Chooses this rather than long life without her. M366
• Supernatural godfather. A king chooses as the godfather of his son the first man he meets. The godfather proves to be supernatural. N811
• Wife chooses father's side in feud. Must choose between husband and father. P211
• Wife chooses father rather than husband or son. (Cf. P253.3.) Only one can be saved; he alone is irreplaceable. P211.1
• Chooses to die of old age. Criminal given choice of deaths. (Cf. J1181.) P511.1
• Maiden chooses disguised god as husband. T111.1.1
• King chooses bridegroom for daughter from boys' pictures. T131.1.2.2
• Adulteress chooses loathly paramour. T232.2
• Late husband chooses to remain in Purgatory rather than to return to his shrewish wife. T251.1.2
• Husband chooses to go to hell rather than join shrewish wife in heaven. T251.1.2.1
• At feast cat chooses rat meat; other animals cannot eat it. U135.1
• Given choice between life and heaven, person chooses latter. V311.3
• Girl sees vision of her mother in hell. She chooses to live the poor life of her father which leads to heaven. V511.2.3
• Fakir rewarded by prince with a life of luxury in city chooses to return to his monkey friends in jungle. W34.4