100 motifs match “direct”  ·  back to the chapters

• Creator comes from certain direction. A26
• Three-bodied goddess. Hekate has three bodies standing back to back and looking in three directions. A123.1.1
• God does not directly address women; uses interpreter. A182.3.0.4
• Culture hero in mother's womb indicates direction to be taken by her. A511.1.2.2
• Sun and moon make daily tour under direct orders of God. A726.1
• Two faces of the sun: fire, directed toward earth; hail, directed toward heaven. A733.3
• Moon under direct control of deity. A759.6
• Earth scattered in a circuit in four directions on primeval water. A814.6
• Rivers formed where certain stones are placed. Each of seven children are to go in a different direction, to walk a mile and put down a stone, then another mile and a stone, etc. Thus rivers are formed. A934.2
• Laws given directly by deity. A1580.2
• Plants created by direct divine agency. A2634
• Owl saves man from drowning: flaps wings to call attention to direction of land. B527.3
• Animals direct man on journey. B563
• Direct communication with god fatal to all except special devotees. C52.1
• Tabu: looking in certain direction. C330
• Tabu: announcing death directly. C499.1
• Forbidden direction of travel. Person free to go in any other. C614.1
• Tabu: going in a certain direction while tending cattle. C614.1.0.1
• Forbidden direction: not to step outside a certain line. C614.1.0.3
• Forbidden direction: north. C614.1.1
• Forbidden direction: south. C614.1.2
• Forbidden direction: west. C614.1.3
• Forbidden direction: east. C614.1.4
• Tabu: going in direction either of sunset or sunrise. C614.1.5
• Tabu: working iron under direct rays of sun. C842.1
• Disenchantment by obeying directions received in a dream. D753.3
• Magic helmet taken directly from bystander. D838.8
• Magic object obtained by reaching in certain cardinal direction. D859.3
• Blinded trickster directed by trees. He asks them their names and by their answers he can tell where he is. (Cf. D950.) D1313.4
• Reed as direction finder. (Cf. D953.) D1313.5.2
• Magic two-edged knife indicates direction. Points in proper direction; bends downward to indicate wrong direction. (Cf. D1083.) D1313.8
• Charm (medicine) indicates direction. (Cf. D1241.) D1313.9
• Magic pillar of fire indicates direction. (Cf. D1271.) D1313.16
• Arrow shot to discover direction of attacking army. D1314.1.7
• Loaf of bread locates drowned man. Floated on water comes to rest directly over corpse. (Cf. D1031.1.) D1314.6
• Tree points way to fugitive but misdirects enemy. (Cf. D950.) D1393.4
• Magic rod pierces whatever directed against. (Cf. D1254.2.) D1404.1
• Food or drink received directly from magic object. D1472.1
• Saint's girdle causes tree to fall in right direction. (Cf. D1057.1.) D1549.2
• Mosque turns around in order to face in the true direction of Mecca after prayers of two saints. D2136.2.1
• Direction of river's flow magically reversed. D2151.2.1
• Land of dead in one of the cardinal directions. E481.6
• Wild hunt courses in particular direction. E501.14.2
• Ghost directs man to hidden treasure. E545.12
• Saint after his death gives directions where he wants to be buried. E545.15
• Bones of dead collected and buried. Return in another form directly from grave. E607.1
• Life token: direction dagger points determines if ogress has been killed. E761.7.15
• Direction of otherworld. F136
• Fairies, directed by druid, bring about death of king by causing fish-bone to stick in his throat. F363.1
• Druid directs fairies. F394.1.1
• Dwarfs direct mortals to treasure. F451.5.1.9
• Remarkable power to walk directly to nearest water. F651
• Image with pointing finger. Inscription says, "Dig here." Treasure etc. found when directions are followed. F855.1
• Recognition by overheard conversation (usually with animals or objects). Person not daring to reveal self directly thus attracts attention and recognition. H13
• Directions on quest given by sun, moon, wind, and stars. H1232
• Directions on quest given by herdsmen (peasants). H1232.1
• Directions on quest given by queen. H1232.2
• Directions on quest given by maiden or woman in castle. H1232.3
• Directions on quest given by peasant and his wife. H1232.4
• Directions on quest given by child(ren) still in mother's womb. H1232.5
• Ascetic gives directions to hero on quest. H1233.3.1
• Hero directed on journey by princess. J155.1
• Serpent directed on journey by his beautiful wife. J155.1.1
• Evading a direct answer which may trap one. J1254
• Show me how it is done. Wronged woman thus addresses ruler, who is indifferent to insults directed at him. She wishes to be shown how to bear insults. This rebukes him. J1284.1
• How the tail pointed. One who believes in auguries asks peasant woman if she has seen a bird. "Yes, a crow." And in what direction was his tail pointing?" Answer: "Toward the rear!" J1305
• Directions for getting pay given in return for directions for healing. J1551.4
• Do not start here. Man asks directions to a certain place. Native attempts to give directions, then in disgust says, "If I wanted to go to –, I wouldn't start from here." J1648
• His address: a big high house. Mayor asked about where he lives, names his village and directs the enquirer to a big high house. J1742.2
• Fishes to stop at his house. Fool directs them as he places them in stream. J1881.2.3
• Wants the organ to come and play for her. An old woman enraptured with the sound of a cathedral organ prays for it to come to her house and gives it directions as to where she lives. J1888
• Fool seeks the ears of grain in the direction of the cloud toward which he has sowed them. J1922.2.1
• Rowers pull in opposite directions. J2164.1
• Man saves trouble by milking cow directly into his mouth. J2173.8
• The sledges turned in the direction of the journey. At night turned around by a joker. J2333
• "Skinning farmers". A master tells his servant that he is going to skin some farmers (i.e., cheat them). When a farmer inquires for a tanner, the servant directs him to his master. J2472
• Directions followed literally to the sorrow of the giver. J2516
• Fortune to go to direction cat jumps. King will give wealth to person toward whom the cat jumps. Clever woman has brought mouse along and thus entices the cat. K2.1
• Thieves directed to a hornet's nest as supposed money hiding place. K421.2
• Magic statue betrays a thief by indirection. He has threatened to smash the head of the magic statue if it betrays him. The statue says, "Whoever would tell the truth now is likely to have his head smashed." K428
• Fugitive's confederate misdirects pursuer. K646
• Husband discovers wife's adultery by riddling conversation. In this indirect manner the wife confesses and promises reform. K1557
• Fairies cause sound to appear to come from various directions. K1887.3
• Love-mad queen pushes her husband into well, as fakir lover directs. K2213.2.1
• Man whose death has been prophesied takes refuge in church, but is accidentally slain through window by arrow directed at stag. M381
• Accidental death through misdirected weapon. N337
• Man ready to kill self hears voice directing him to buried fortune. N545.2
• Not daring to curse father directly, son does so indirectly. P236.3
• Hero stays overnight in peasant's house, to which he accidentally comes, and where he gets advice and direction. (Cf. H1232.4.) P411.4
• Stolen wife makes trail of speaking spittle for husband. Spittle speaks and directs him. R135.0.1
• Pursuer misdirected by animal to help fugitive. R243.1
• Child promised to devil for directions out of woods when father is lost. S226
• Bashful suitor directs his wooing to an oak. T69.4
• Unborn child directs his mother on journey. T575.1.6.1
• Angel directs saint's burial. V241.1.1
• Lazy man asked direction only points with his foot. W111.5.3
• Deaf persons: search for the lost animal. A inquires for his lost animal. B talks about his work and makes a gesture. – A follows the direction of the gesture and happens to find the animals. He returns and offers an injured animal to B in thanks. – B thinks that he is blamed for injuring the animals. Dispute. Taken to deaf judge. (Cf. X111.14.) X111.1
• Deaf peasant: travelers ask the way. Travelers ask their direction. Peasant thinks they want to buy oxen. Peasant's wife arrives; thinks they say her food is too salty. – Daughter-in-law and father-in-law misunderstand each other. X111.2
• Lie: the side-hill beast. Animal with two short legs on one side for convenience in living on hillsides. It can walk around the hill in only one direction. X1381
• Formula: north, south, east, west. (The cardinal directions.) Z71.2.1