90 motifs match “flies”  ·  back to the chapters

• Goddess flies in bird's plumage. A136.1.8
• God flies in bird plumage. A171.2
• God flies in pillar of floating clouds, thunder, and lightning. A171.3
• Origin of rainbow: transformed butterflies (souls of lovers). A791.9
• Flies on the ark. Noah tries to keep them out. Devil says that either the flies go in or he does. Noah chooses the lesser of two evils. Later the devil slips in nevertheless. A2031.2
• Creation of fireflies. A2094
• Raven singes feet on hot stones: why its wings clap when it flies. (Cf. A2442.2.1.) A2218.6
• Flies on Christ's body rewarded. They look like nails and prevent more nails being driven. They may eat at the king's table. (Cf. A2545.1.) A2221.2.1
• Why flies lack tail. A2378.2.8
• Origin of butterflies' marks. A2412.3.2
• Speech of fireflies. A2426.3.6
• Why butterflies haunt urine-impregnated places. A2433.5.6
• Why cuckoo flies with difficulty, and sings with wings spread. A2442.2.2
• Why lapwing flies in curves. A2442.2.3
• Why flies fly around ox's eyes. A2479.9
• Why bat flies by night. (Cf. A2275.5.3.) A2491.1
• Why stinging flies sit on eyes of cattle. A2494.14.3
• Why flies may eat anywhere. (Cf. A2221.2.1, A2229.4.) A2545.1
• Dragon flies to its nest with human being. B11.6.8
• Dragon flies away with lion. B11.6.8.1
• King (sultan) of flies. B246.2
• Birds throw some of their feathers to the hero in danger and he flies off. B540.1
• Bird flies with man to safety. B542.1
• Helpful cow strikes at flies, while boy eats. B579.2
• Bats keep fireflies to light their houses. B788
• Tabu: opening gourd in which star-wife is kept. When curious girls do so, she flies up to sky. C31.1.5
• Stick, become a sword, flies through air to kill ferocious animal-guardians of extraordinary lotus. (Cf. D1094, D1254.) D1402.10.1
• Magic club flies through air after victim. (Cf. D1094.) D1438.3
• Charm expels flies from city. (Cf. D1273.) D1443.1
• Witch flies with aid of magic cap or hood. D1531.5
• Witch flies with aid of magic stick. (Cf. D956.) D1531.6
• Witch flies with aid of magic juice. (Cf. D981.0.1.) D1531.7
• Witch flies with aid of word charm. (Cf. D1273.) D1531.8
• When enchanted deer touches rock with her muzzle it flies asunder and reveals entrance to cave. (Cf. D1011.5.) D1552.9
• Letter from captive prince asking for help flies through the air to addressee. D1601.32.1
• Drum flies about room. (Cf. D1211.) D1609.1
• Image flies through air. D1626
• Magic clock flies only at owner's command. D1651.14
• Killed game revives and flies away. E161
• Bird flies to upper world. F62.0.1
• Giant flies over water like bird. F531.6.17.2.1
• Man kicked so hard that he flies through the air and is never seen again. F1021.4
• Witch flies through air. G242
• Witch flies through air on broomstick. G242.1
• Witch flies as whirlwind. G242.2
• Witch flies through air on leaf. G242.3
• Devil flies like bird. G303.7.9
• Devil flies away with sentry box. G303.9.9.13
• Great head as ogre. Head detached from body pursues or flies about doing damage. G361.2
• Riddle: bird without feathers flies on tree without leaves. (Snow falls on bare tree.) H764
• Don't drive away the flies. Wounded animal (man) refuses to have the flies driven away since they are now sated and their places will be taken by fierce and hungry flies. J215.1
• Contest in beauty between swallows and crows (ants and flies): worth lies not in beauty. J242.6
• Prince of democratic tastes chosen. King asks three sons what kind of bird they would prefer to be. First: an eagle, because it is ruler of birds; second: a falcon; because it is beloved by the nobles; third: a bird which flies with many others, so as to receive advice. King chooses third. J412.1
• Bird hears voices from within unhatched eggs and flies away: voices plot to dine on their bird-mother when they are born. J646.2
• Tortoise joins peacock in dance. Cannot escape hunter; peacock flies off. J684.3
• Consolation: priest tells blind man that even flies have eyes but only man has the inner eyes of the soul. J893.1
• Flies try to drink water from elephant's ears. He kills them. J971
• How he would act if he were a hawk. A hawk steals a piece of liver from a trickster and flies away with it. The trickster likewise steals some liver from another man and escapes to a high place with it. He says that he is seeing how he would act if he were a hawk. J1391.4
• Animals helpless in sea-voyage together. Sheep, duck, and cock in peril The duck swims; the cock flies to the mast. J1711.1
• Numskull thinks fireflies are mosquitoes carrying lanterns to find victims. J1759.3
• Numskull sells cow to bird. When he comes for his money the bird flies to a trash pile, where the fool finds a treasure. (Cf. J1853.1.1.) J1852.1
• The pent cuckoo. Fools build an enclosure to keep in the cuckoo. She flies over the hedge. They say that they have not built the hedge high enough. J1904.2
• Foolish wish: to destroy all flies and spiders. J2079.2
• Throwing contest: bird substituted for stone. The ogre throws a stone; the hero a bird which flies out of sight. K18.3
• Bird has new clothes made: flies away without paying. K233.1
• Man cheats devil of reward: to have man if he gets him at first grasp. Man holds cat which flies in devil's face. (Cf. K210.) K235.3
• Thieving butterflies. K366.7
• Respite from death until hero climbs tree. He flies away in machine stored there. K551.24
• Fairy wins kiss in game; embraces woman and flies off with her through skylight (smokehole). K786
• Bird flies on head of dupe's child. Dupe strikes at bird and kills child. K946
• Lover left standing in snow while his mistress is with another. He later tricks her into standing a whole day in July in a tower naked exposed to the sun and flies. K1212
• Hero flies to maiden's room. Enters her tower by means of artificial wings (or on flying horse). K1346
• Hero flies on magic carpet to maiden's room. K1346.1
• Boastful fly-killer: "seven at a blow". A tailor who has killed seven flies writes on a placard: "Seven at a blow." He is received as a great warrior. K1951.1
• Sham wise man stays alone feigning study. Is really killing flies. K1956.5
• Stepsisters scatter sugar in girl's litter so that flies congregate; would-be bridegroom disgusted and tells bearers to abandon her in jungle. K2129.3
• Bird flies into large animal's ear and kills him. L315.1
• Man accidentally killed by bear trying to chase away flies. N333.2
• Flies caught in honey. Death from greed. N339.2
• Covering with honey and exposing to flies. Q464
• When hungry man tries to gather fruit it flies out of his reach. Q501.2.1
• People given charm to dispel flies grumble: flies return a thousandfold. (Cf. Q312.) Q557.8
• Anchorite saved by a miracle. When he is about to give in to temptation a dove flies out of his mouth. On repenting the dove re-enters his mouth. T331.5
• Dove flies out of man's mouth. Impious anchorite has agreed to forsake his religion in return for the possession of a maid. When he repents the dove reenters his mouth. V345
• Hawk flies away with geese on a line. They have been tied together as a protection. X1267.1
• Lie: extraordinary fireflies. X1287
• Lies about flies. X1294
• Lie: flies build bridge. X1294.1
• 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
• Formula for other world: "Where no man goes and no crow flies." Z91