71 motifs match “feathers”  ·  back to the chapters

• Gods covered with red and yellow feathers. A139.9.3
• Sun and moon are balls of feathers. A738.1.1
• Snow from feathers or clothes of a witch (Frau Holle). A1135.2.1
• Cat from transformed eagle. Eagle mistakes stick of wood for fish and gets feet caught. Wind blows off feathers and makes hair. (Cf. A1710.) A1811.1
• Thrush's hospitality to peacock rewarded by being given motley coat of feathers. (Cf. A2411.2.1.1.) A2222.1
• Ravens show Adam how to bury dead: are born with white feathers. A2223.7
• Race of culture hero with ostrich: ostrich loses beautiful feathers. (Cf. A2402.2.) A2252.3
• Origin of bird's feathers. A2313
• Origin of cuckoo's feathers. (Cf. A2241.6.) A2313.1
• Origin of magpie's feathers. Exchanges with dove. (Cf. A2247.) A2313.2
• Origin of peacock's feathers. (Cf. A2241, A2245.) A2313.3
• Origin of nkundak's feathers. (Cf. A2223.2.) A2313.4
• Why young ravens have white feathers. A2313.5
• Why swallow has black feathers in tail and only two feathers. A2378.8.6
• Why bird has two beautiful feathers in his tail. A2378.8.7
• How ostrich lost beautiful feathers. (Cf. A2252.3.) A2402.2
• Markings on tail-feathers of ruffed grouse. A2412.2.1
• Dragon with golden feathers. B11.2.2.1
• Vasa Mortis. Bird with four heads, middle like a whale, feathers and feet of a griffin. B46
• Golden bird. Bird with golden feathers. B102.1
• Treasure from bird's feathers. B113.3
• Peacock's feathers ruffled in presence of poison. (Cf. B143.1.2.) B131.5
• Bird shows way by dropping feathers every seven steps. B151.2.0.1
• Bird with magic bones and feathers. B172.4
• Parrot and sparrow argue right to inherit property left by man. Sparrow says his interests are the same as man's; parrot says that he caused all man's wealth, since man sold his feathers. People's decision for parrot. B271.1
• Birds throw some of their feathers to the hero in danger and he flies off. B540.1
• Eagle renews youth. Feathers fall off and regrow. B758
• Transformation by putting on skin. By putting on the skin, feathers, etc. of an animal, a person is transformed to that animal. D531
• Magic object causes feathers to grow on person. D1375.6
• Magic egg causes feathers to grow on person. (Cf. D1024.) D1375.6.1
• Lost soul in raven feathers. E752.4
• Life token: bird feathers sink in river at hero's death. E761.7.7
• Man can keep together feathers in great wind. F673
• Dress of feathers. F821.1.6
• Bird in great grief tears out feathers. F1041.21.6.2
• Riddle: bird without feathers flies on tree without leaves. (Snow falls on bare tree.) H764
• Task: building a lodge entirely of bird's feathers in one night. H1104.1
• Task: thatching roof with bird feathers; half blow away while other half are sought. (Cf. F171.6.6.) H1104.1.2
• Task: counting hairs in pig's back (feathers in bird). H1118
• Task: filling twelve bed-ticks with feathers. Done by helpful birds. H1129.2
• Quest for remarkable bird caused by sight of one of its feathers. H1213
• Quest in hell for three dragon feathers. (Cf. B11.) H1274
• Quest for three feathers of marvelous bird. H1331.1.2
• Quest for remarkable bird feathers. H1331.1.2.1
• Magpie tells a man that his wife has eaten an eel, which she said was eaten by the otter. The woman plucks his feathers out. When the magpie sees a bald man, she says, "You too must have tattled about the eel." J551.5
• Titmouse ruffles feathers to seem big as a bear. Her young ones know her. J955.1.2.1
• "Thief has the feathers sticking on his head": guilty woman immediately passes her hand over her head. J1141.1.5
• Numskull sits on eggs to finish the hatching. Cautions people to be quiet and not frighten the eggs. (Sometimes puts on honey and feathers before sitting on the eggs.) J1902.1
• Woman in tar and feathers does not know herself. J2012.3
• Imitation of diagnosis by observation: ass's flesh. A doctor tells his patient that he has eaten too much chicken, and this the patient confesses. The doctor's son wants to know how the diagnosis was made. The doctor says that as he rode up he observed chicken feathers and made his conclusions. The son imitates. He sees an ass's saddle. Diagnosis: you have eaten too much ass's flesh. J2412.4
• The boy's disasters. Foolishly kills his horse and throws his axe into the lake to kill a duck. Undresses to recover axe. Clothes stolen. Goes into barrel of tar to hide. In tar and feathers. J2661.4
• Contest: shooting an unheard-of bird. The man sends his wife on all fours in tar and feathers. The ogre has never heard of such a bird. K31.1
• Bringing the devil an unknown animal. The man sends his naked wife on all fours in tar and feathers. The devil has never seen such an animal. K216.2
• Guessing name of devil's secret plant. The man's wife in tar and feathers overhears the devil tell the secret name of the crop he has discovered (tobacco). The devil says to the supposed animal, "Get out of my tobacco!" K216.2.1
• Robbers frightened from goods by man in tar and feathers. K335.1.8
• The thieving guests. Rent a room at an inn and empty the mattresses of feathers, take fire wood, etc. Throw goods out of the window where confederate picks it up. K365.2
• Ape pretends to louse heron, but plucks out his feathers. K874.1
• Borrowed feathers. Dupe lets himself be carried aloft by bird and dropped. K1041
• Flight by putting on bird feathers. Dupe falls. K1041.1
• To get "nothing" and to show it. Wife pushes lecherous king first into glue and then in the closet with feathers. That is "nothing" – neither bird nor man. K1218.1.8
• Lover hidden in chest with feathers. Husband believes he is a devil. (Cf. K1218.1.) K1517.4
• Bird plucks another bird's feathers out. K2382.1
• Certain foods, ornaments, feathers, etc. reserved for royalty. P93
• Tar and feathers as punishment. (Cf. K31.1, K216.2.) Q475
• Tar and feathers as punishment for vanity. Q475.1
• Birds take back their feathers from ungrateful wolf to whom they have lent them. (Cf. Q281.) Q597.2
• Feathers left to mark trail blown away by wind. R135.1.1
• Conception from feathers falling on woman. T536
• Ungrateful ape plucks feathers from heron who has carried him across water. W154.5.1.3
• The hen lays an egg, the mouse breaks it. Sorrowing over this mishap, all show extraordinary behavior; the master puts an end to it. Final formula: hen strips off feathers, rubbish heap catches fire, oak falls to ground, hare drowns self, magpie twists leg, ox breaks horns, river flows blood, maid breaks pails, housewife scatters dough. Master locks up wife and maid, goes to seek people more foolish. Z39.5
• The bird indifferent to pain. A man catches a mango-bird eating mangoes and strikes it against the roots of a mango-tree. The bird cannot be made to say it suffers from the blow. In turn, he puts it in water, strikes it on the ground, a stile, a door-frame, singes its feathers, cuts it up, cooks it, and eats it. The bird always expresses indifference in a cumulative rhyme. At last the bird asks him to look out of the window, whereupon it flies out of his nose and the man dies. Z49.3