37 motifs match “destroys”  ·  back to the chapters

• World-fire. A conflagration destroys the earth. Sometimes (as with the flood legends) the tradition is somewhat local and does not refer to an actual destruction of the whole earth; sometimes the fire marks the end of the world. A1030
• Continuous winter destroys the race. Spoken of as "Fimbulwinter". It ushers in the end of the world. A1040
• Roc drops rock on ship. Rock is so large that it destroys ship. B31.1.2
• Girl destroys crab shape of husband and disenchants him permanently. D719.2
• Magic object destroys pride. D1359.6
• Magic staff destroys obstacles. (Cf. D1254.) D1562.1
• Holy water destroys veil over well. (Cf. D1242.1.2.) D1562.6
• Magic spell destroys crops. (Cf. D1273.) D1563.2.4
• Magic dew destroys enemy's books. (Cf. D902.2.) D1599.6
• Loosing sandals destroys fakir's power. D1782.3.1
• Saint destroys disastrous insects. D2156.6
• Thirty-Years War destroys home of dwarfs. F451.4.4.2
• Strong man as gardener: destroys plants. F614.3
• Strong man as fisherman: destroys fish and nets. F614.5
• La Belle Dame Sans Merci. Witch entices men with offers of love and then deserts or destroys them. G264
• The devil destroys by night what is built by day. G303.14.1
• Devil destroys Adam's work by night. G303.14.1.1
• Administering sacrament destroys devil's power. G303.16.5
• Devil destroys hunting party with terrible wind. G303.20.2
• Devil destroys church steeple. G303.24.4
• Wise man destroys serpent's eggs. J622.1
• Numskull prepares brother's wedding (father's funeral). On the way home from town he destroys his purchases. (Cf. J1851, J1856, J1871.) J1846
• The polluted clothes. A Brahmin washes clothes to purify them. As they hang to dry, a dog walks under them and the Brahmin fears that they are polluted. By putting himself on all-fours like a dog and fastening a leaf like a dog's tail he experiments and decides that the dog must have touched the clothes. He therefore destroys them instead of rewashing them. J2184
• Literal numskull destroys inherited property since his sister has instructions not to object to his actions. J2461.1.8
• Destructive magic belt tried on tree. Destroys tree. K525.8.1
• Dissension aroused in army by casting suspicion on general. A general destroys everything except what belongs to the general of the enemy. Thus he brings about suspicion that the two leaders are in league. K1088
• Plowing the field: horse and harness destroyed. The youth is told to come home from plowing when the dog does. He beats the dog so that it runs home; then he destroys the horse and harness and goes home. K1411
• Lover claims payment for cloth in the presence of the husband. The woman returns the cloth but puts a live coal in it. Destroys his whole supply. K1581.5.1
• Woman destroys men's friendship by pretending to whisper to one. K2131.3
• Fire tied to foxes' tails: destroys enemy's cities and fields. K2351.1.1
• Fox destroys nest of bird who boasts of nest's warmth. L462
• Monkey destroys nest of bird who has made sport of him. Q295
• Marriage destroys friendship. Lover and mistress live together and are happy; become unhappy as soon as they marry. T201
• Devil causes girl to become prostitute. Destroys the girl's family and begets on her a boy. T451
• Saint overcomes (destroys) monsters (dragons). V229.4
• Virgin Mary destroys Moorish army besieging Constantinople. V268.3
• Chain of killings: bulbul destroys flower and is killed by cat; cat shaken by dog; dog killed by boy; boy sentenced to death by king. Z49.13