35 motifs match “complain”  ·  back to the chapters

• Flounder complains in race: crooked mouth. In race between fish he cries out in jealousy because herring is winning. He is punished with crooked mouth. (Cf. A2341.1.) A2252.4
• Animals ring bell and demand justice. A king has a bell which petitioners for justice may ring and thus summon him. The bell is rung by a serpent which is being menaced by a turtle (or by an old horse who wishes to complain against a cruel master). B271.3
• Dead in lower world complain about odor of human visitor. E499.4
• Strong hero asks that chickens stop scratching. When his master throws millstone on him he complains that chickens are scratching dirt on him. F615.3.1.1
• Choice between bad master, bad official, or bad neighbor. Bad master can do evil if he desires to do so; bad official can harm a poor person and complain against him to his master; bad neighbor can betray secret things about his neighbors. Bad neighbor worst. J229.5
• Snake complains to Zeus that people step on him. Zeus: "If you had bitten the first foot that stepped on you it would not be done now." J623.1
• Witness claims the borrowed coat: discredited. Trickster summoned to court on Jew's complaint refuses to go unless he has a new coat: Jew lends him his. In court the trickster says that the Jew is a liar: "He will even claim that I am wearing his coat." The Jew does so and no one believes him. J1151.2
• Complaint about the stolen kiss. Woman is allowed to take one in return. J1174.2
• Servants would not have left the coats. Merchants complain to nobleman that his servants have robbed them of money. Nobleman asks whether merchants had on those good coats when the robbery took place. When told yes, he said that the robbers were not his servants, for they would never have left good coats. J1179.5
• Complaint about the stolen ox. A thief steals a calf and keeps the hide. The owner makes a hue and cry about a stolen ox. The thief produces the calfhide: "You thief, to demand an ox for a calf!" J1213.1
• Priest who never reads mass. Peasants complain of his ignorance. He says that they stand so close to him that he is afraid they might memorize and then pay no attention to his reading of it. J1263.1.3
• Mice die of hunger. Complaints against underpaid priest that he does not stay at home. Says he cannot stay at home for the mice are dying of hunger since he receives only forty florins a year. J1269.10
• The overloaded mule. Priest complains that miller's mule is overloaded. "No, he isn't; he can still carry all your and your brothers' patience." J1302
• Fault-finding husband nonplussed. The wife has cooked so many dishes that when he complains, she can always supply another. Finally he says, "I had rather eat dung." She produces some. J1545.3
• Poet goes to king to complain of destruction of his dwelling. King requires story. Poet recites list, ending with account of the destruction of his dun. Reparation granted. J1675.6
• Complaint of the porridge pot. The woman thinks the boiling pot is complaining. J1875.2
• White man made to believe that he is a negro. Sleeps with a negro. His friends blacken him during the night. When he is waked up, he complains that they have waked the wrong man. J2013.1
• A man without a stomach. The man complains that he is a mere slave of his stomach. His wish is granted and the stomach taken away from him. He discovers soon that life has become very uninteresting to him, and recovers his stomach again. J2072.4
• God's wastefulness. A man is robbed and later the same day is given much money. He complains to God, "What was the use of taking from me what you were going to give back to me after stealing from another?" J2215.1
• Marrying a stranger. The girl shortly to be married complains: "It was all very well for you, mother, to marry father, but I am to marry a complete stranger." J2463.2
• Dancers given one coin instead of ten and have this taken away. Interpreter says they are complaining that the coin is bad. K231.2.1
• Complaint about the empty bottle. While the servant in the inn is bringing a glass, the trickster drinks the wine and then complains that he has been given an empty bottle. The servant must bring another. K455.6
• Ugly women complain of falling flowers. King hearing them supposes them delicate and beautiful. K1984.4
• The complaint about bad breath: trouble for the king's favorite. A steward advises the courtier to hold his head away when serving the king, since the king objects to his bad breath. He then tells the king that the courtier holds his head back to avoid the king's bad breath. K2135
• King himself works at brick building so that subjects cannot complain of enforced labor. P15.7
• Selfish guest expels host. Porcupine asks rabbit for hospitality. When rabbit complains of being pricked, porcupine tells him to leave if he does not like it. P332
• Abandoned sister rescued by brothers. When she is refused entrance to house, she makes complaint in a song and brothers bring her clothes. S357
• Woman scorned in love complains of man's coldness. T71.2.1
• Dwarf king (fairy) laughs at the absurdities he sees about him. (1) Sees man who is to die that day complain that his shoes are too thin. (Cf. J2174.) (2) Sees women adorn their heads when they are immoral below. (Cf. J2050.) (3) Sees man remove from his wife's garment dust gathered while she lay with another man. (Cf. J2301.3.) (4) Sees persons making plans while forgetting to say, "If God wills." U15.0.1
• Hen complains that man eats her, but she eats ant. U21.1
• Man complains of injustice of gods' wrecking ship because of one man's sin. He then kills whole swarm of ants because one has stung him. U21.3
• Lion cub killed by bull gives lioness no right to complain. U36
• Equanimity of the enslaved unfortunate. Does not complain when beset by a series of misfortunes. (Cf. N251.1.) W25.1
• Dissatisfied rivers complain against sea. Say that it makes their water unusable. W128.3
• Man works his horses to death, then complains that borrowed horse overeats. W154.27