93 motifs match “heads”  ·  back to the chapters

• God with many heads. A123.4.1
• God with three heads. A123.4.1.1
• God with seven heads. A123.4.1.2
• God with eight heads. A123.4.1.3
• God of whirlwind. Typhon. He is represented as having serpents' heads on his shoulders, as having a voice like the sound of many beasts and eyes which flash fire. A282.1
• Culture hero has three heads of hair of different colors. A526.4
• Tree in hell made of living heads of the dead. A671.2.3
• Women at first with breasts on their foreheads. A1313.4.1
• Origin of bald heads. A1315.2
• Bad women because of head exchanged with devil. Devil (serpent) and woman fight. St. Peter cuts off their heads and exchanges them. A1371.1
• Foreigners heads exchanged with those of devils in fight. A1610.1.1
• Origin of "goat-heads" from curse of Ham. A1614.1.2
• Heads of various people. A1663
• Why sheep walk with bowed heads: they have remained so after having bowed to God. A2221.9
• Why hawks put heads of mice, etc. on pile of stones. A2452.3
• Hero's dogs (horse) prevent dragon's heads from rejoining body. (Cf. B11.2.3.) B11.11.2
• Jaguar with two heads. B15.1.2.1.3
• Cerberus. The hell hound with three heads, a serpent's tail, and a writhing tangle of snakes from his body. B15.7.1
• Ghormuhas: men's bodies, horses' heads, one leg, cannibals. (Cf. B21.) B15.7.5
• Eagle with twelve wings and three heads. B15.7.16
• Vasa Mortis. Bird with four heads, middle like a whale, feathers and feet of a griffin. B46
• Fish with gold and silver heads. B101.6
• Tabu: drinking without presence of dead heads. C281
• God transformed to giant with three heads and six arms. D42.1
• Giant kills people by sprinkling water on their heads. (Cf. D1242.1.) D1402.24.1
• Saint's bachall brings down mountain on heads of enemies. (Cf. D1277.) D1549.4
• Man sees angels over the heads of the good and black stars over the bad. D1825.3.2
• Saint protects followers against bullets by stretching sheet over their heads. D2163.9
• Resuscitation by cutting off heads of birds which contained the soul of dead person. E29.5
• Resuscitation with misplaced head. (Cf. M221.) In restoration of several persons simultaneously through reassembling of members, the heads are placed on the wrong bodies. Sometimes the damage is repaired, sometimes not. E34
• Wild huntsmen with deer-heads. E501.7.2
• Wild huntsmen with heads on backward. E501.7.3
• Heads of slain people in magician's house advises hero. E545.21
• Severed heads of monster become birds. E613.0.5
• Tops of trees from lovers' graves show shapes of their heads. E631.0.1.1
• Journey to Land of Men of Heads only. F129.1
• People in otherworld walk on their heads. F167.4
• People in otherworld stand on their heads and pound yams with their heads. F167.4.1
• Spirits without heads (or with heads under arms). F401.4
• Dwarfs with red heads and red caps. (Cf. F236.3.2, F460.1.4.2.) F451.2.7.1
• Persons whose heads are stone-hammers. F511.0.3
• Typhon. Human down to thighs; coil of vipers below. Dragon heads from his hands. Bigger than mountains. F526.1
• Scylla. Breast and face of woman. From flanks has six heads and twelve feet of dogs. F526.2
• Man with eyes the size of brass pots, teeth like axeheads, ears like elephant's ears. F531.2.12
• Person with three heads of hair. (Cf. A526.4.) F555.5.1
• Seven rooms in ascetic's house: in one, human heads; in another, horses; in third, dogs; in fourth, pots; in fifth, pile of men's arms; in sixth, a kitchen; in seventh, ascetic lives. F771.11
• Tree with fruits like human heads. F811.8
• Forest where unseen sword cuts off heads of those trying to escape. F812.5
• Extraordinary heads act as living objects. F1001
• Chief beheads sentinel who does not recognize him. F1041.16.9
• Devil has ninety-nine heads. G303.4.1.1
• Cycnus. Cuts off heads of strangers in order to build temple of heads. G315
• Rakshasa. Dog or ape-shaped; red hair and eyes; mouth reaching from ear to ear; ears pointed like spears; shape-changers; cannibals; three heads, five feet, four eyes, no fingers, bear-neck, horns. Attack women. G369.1
• Boy in ogre's house sees many human heads placed in rows: heads smile and weep. G461.1
• False dragon-head proof. Impostor cuts off dragon heads (after tongues have been removed) and attempts to use them as proof of slaying the dragon. H105.1.1
• Ghost of unknown child passes over heads of parents and bursts in a spray of blood. H175.5
• King: What is your mother doing? Youth: She cuts off the heads of the well to cure the sick. (Kills chickens to feed her sick mother.) H583.4.3
• Give coals orange color, let glimmer of gold appear like expanse of heaven, prepare two heads of darkness. (Request for chickens for breakfast.) H599.6
• Heads placed on stakes for failure in performance of task. Unsuccessful youths are beheaded and heads exposed. Hero sees them when he sets out to accomplish his task. H901.1
• Task: bringing back two heads of a giant. H1174.1
• Quest for unknown magic words. Hero seeks them on the heads of swallows, the necks of swans, the backs of geese, and the tongues of reindeer. H1382.1
• Man learns the fear of Death by meeting Life. Life (old woman) beheads him and replaces his head backwards. Simpleton left in fear for hours before head is readjusted. J27
• To decide which is master and which servant they are to put heads through window and servant's head is to be cut off. Servant draws back. J1141.1.6
• All appurtenances included. Butcher buyer demands saddle and ornaments along with camel (or the like). Seller later buys all heads in butcher shop: demands heads of butcher's family. J1293.5
• Unjust oath countered by another. A woman entrusts three coins to a headsman. He denies her claim which she fails to substantiate in ordeal. She now claims more and happens to succeed with ordeal. J1521.4
• Foolish wife believes goats' heads are human heads. J1762.9
• Which way the sheep shall return. One man plans to buy sheep; another says that he shall not drive them across the bridge. They quarrel over the sheep, which have not yet been acquired. A third numskull to convince them of their foolishness pours all his meal out in the water so as to show them the empty sack. "How much meal is in the sack?" he asks. "None." "There is just that much wit in your heads." J2062.1
• Hero beheads old woman who asks him to cure her of old age. J2119.9
• Contest in pushing hole in tree: hole prepared beforehand. Hero and ogre to vie in pushing a hole in a tree with their heads. K61
• Hare persuades wolf and fox to put their heads in loops on rope and thus strangles them to death. K713.3
• Fatal game: putting heads in notches. K865
• Robbers' (giants') heads cut off one by one as they enter house. K912
• Bird lighting on the heads of group of men causes them to kill one another with blows on the head. K1082.3
• Women adorn their heads, though they are immoral below. K2051.4
• Hag offers to run race with men on condition that the one left behind shall be beheaded. Marvelous runner beheads hag. M221.1
• Helpful vital heads. N819.3
• Customary to shave heads of demented so that they may be recognized as such. P192.6
• Heads of fallen enemies piled up after battle. P555.2.1
• "Publication of slaying." Heads of slain enemies displayed. P555.2.1.1
• Heads on stakes. Punishment by beheading and placing the heads on stakes. Q421.1
• Princess makes necklace of heads of unsuccessful suitors. S110.3.1
• Heads of slain enemies impaled upon stakes. (Cf. Q421.1.) S139.2.2.1
• Heads (tongues) of slain enemies as trophies. S139.2.2.1.1
• Heads of defeated enemies hung on conqueror's saddle. S139.2.2.1.4
• Heads brandished to intimidate foe. S139.2.2.1.6
• Outcast wife commits suicide when confronted with heads of relatives killed in revenge for her wrong-doing. S452
• Bride and groom look into a big mirror while old member of family knocks both their heads together. T135.13
• Child born with two heads. (Cf. F551.0.2.1.) T551.2
• Dwarf king (fairy) laughs at the absurdities he sees about him. (1) Sees man who is to die that day complain that his shoes are too thin. (Cf. J2174.) (2) Sees women adorn their heads when they are immoral below. (Cf. J2050.) (3) Sees man remove from his wife's garment dust gathered while she lay with another man. (Cf. J2301.3.) (4) Sees persons making plans while forgetting to say, "If God wills." U15.0.1
• Cult of heads. V1.10.2
• Man beheads rescuer for leaving him so long in pain. W154.17
• Tigers stand on each other's heads trying to reach man in tree. His tears form a stream. X1133.5
• Lie: roast hens fly, heads to sky, tails to ground. X1208.2