56 motifs match “couple”  ·  back to the chapters

• Old man from sky as creator. – Old man with his wife comes from the sky. Are the first couple on earth. Have seven sons and seven daughters. Each son marries a daughter. A21.2
• Sun-god couples with the moon. A220.0.2
• Sun born of first couple. A715
• Moon born from first couple. A745.1
• Chariot from heaven takes couple to live with sages in the Great Bear. A761.2
• Earth made by first couple dancing on bit of cloth laid on water. A825
• Earth by sacrifice of son and daughter of first couple. A831.3
• Large stone falls from sky killing all but one couple. A1009.3
• First couple organically united. Like Siamese twins. (Cf. A1275.2.) A1225.1
• Son of first human couple murdered by tiger sent by god; his head becomes the sun, his chest the moon, and his blood gives the red earth its color. A1277.3
• Intoxicating drink first used at the wedding feast of the first couple. A1427.0.3
• Origin of custom of throwing fruits on bridal couple. A1555.1.1
• Couples placed to establish tribes. A1610.2
• All animals created in couples. A1704
• Magic birds chained in couples. B172.7
• Parrots carry couple across the sea. B551.2.1
• Animals chained in couples. B845.2
• Man poisons couple, owners of magic gong, and gains possession of it. D838.11
• Wizard sells charm to raise rainstorm to enable eloping couple to escape pursuers. D2143.1.10
• Recognition by matching a couplet together. H12.2.1
• Quest for son of sinless couple. H1381.4
• Foolish married couples. (Cf. J1701, J1702.) J1713
• Letting in the light. Backwoods preacher tells couple that they are living in darkness. The woman responds that she has been trying for years to get her husband to cut a window in the house. J1738.6
• Transferred wish wisely used as well as unwisely. (J2075 contrasted with a married couple in which the wish is wisely used by the wife.) J2075.1
• Foolish peasants carry couple to burial; when "corpses" speak they flee in terror. J2311.9
• Trickster collects from both husband and wife. Estranged couple both pay him to effect reconciliation. K441.4
• Trickster shifts married couples in bed. Old man married to young woman and young man married to old woman. The shift is satisfactory to the young couple. K1318
• Prophecy: child to be born to childless couple. M311.0.3.1
• Prophecy: wicked couple to be killed by own child. M343.4
• Curse: couple to wander until new seat of race is pointed out. M455.4
• Persecution by bad luck. Wishing to escape it, the luckless couple build themselves a new home. Scarcely do they establish themselves in the new home, when bad luck addresses them from the hearth: "I have already waited for you here three days." N250.2
• Childless old couple adopt hero. N825.1
• Childless couple promise child to the devil if they may only have one. S223
• Robert the Devil. Childless couple wish for a child even if he comes from the devil. He is diabolical. S223.0.1
• Childless couple promise one of two children to devil if they may only have them. S223.4
• Conduct of bridal couple before ceremony. T134
• Bridal couple must never see each other before wedding. T134.1
• Gifts for bridal couple by a special ceremony with the bride on a bridebench. T136.4.1
• Consummation of marriage postponed till couple return home. T165.6
• Magic perils threaten bridal couple. The perils are various – magic horse, poison, enchanted clothes, etc. T175
• Falling furniture threatens bridal couple. Furniture etc. arranged by jealous rival so that it will fall. T175.1
• The happy couple: wife blind, husband deaf. T202
• Loving couple die of separation. T212
• Faithfulness of married couple in misfortune. T215
• Reconciliation of separated couple. T298
• Sword of chastity. A two-edged sword is laid between the couple sleeping together. T351
• Boy sleeps between couple to safeguard their virtue. T352
• Object set between beds of couple sleeping in same room. T353
• Rich but stingy couple adopt young man as their son: everybody is happy. T673
• Adopted child deserted when own child is born to couple. T674
• Childless couple adopt animal as substitute for child. T676
• Substitute for a child. Aged, childless couple carve themselves a child from wood, or make one from snow, clay, and the like. T677
• Poverty-stricken couple wrap newly-born child in altar-coverings. V135.1
• Impoverished nobleman offers wife to ruler. Latter spares her honor and aids the couple. W11.7.1
• Red pepper for the slow ass: man tries it on himself. When, on the advice of a friend, he gives the ass red pepper, the ass runs away. Then he tries it on himself. He runs so fast that he passes the ass. Arriving at home, he says to his wife, "Unload the ass when he comes. I must run through the village a couple of times more." X11
• One-eyed parson in dimly lighted church joins the wrong couples. Marries the old man to the girl and the old woman to the boy. X413