65 motifs match “holds”  ·  back to the chapters

• God witholds mortal from sinning. A185.14.2
• Seven worlds above and below. An angel upholds the seven worlds on his shoulders. Under him in turn are: rock, bull, fish, vast sea, air, fire, and serpent. A651.3.1
• God of space upholds sky. A665.1
• Tub that drips at high tide but holds water at low tide. A913.4
• Bat, diver, and thornbush shipwrecked. Bat brought money, bush put on clothes, and diver brought leather. All shipwrecked. Diver is looking for his leather. Bush looks for his clothers and holds fast to all passers-by. Bat is abroad only at night to escape creditors. (Cf. A2471.4, A2491.1.) A2275.5.3
• Why diver (loon) holds legs backward. (Cf. A2215.6.) A2371.2.9
• Why bush holds on to passer-by. (Cf. A2275.5.3, A2741.4.) A2792.1
• Helpful bird hatched by hero. Hero holds eagle's egg in hand and hatches it. Young eagle becomes his helper. B317
• Fox holds in its mouth a beautiful flower which he gives to hero. B584.1
• Turtle holds with jaws till it thunders. B761
• Magic whip holds person fast. (Cf. D1208.) D1411.2
• Magic grass holds person fast. (Cf. D965.12.) D1411.3
• Magic object holds person fast. D1413
• Sack holds person who puts hand into it. (Cf. D1193.) D1413.9
• Magic stick holds person fast. (Cf. D1254.) D1413.13
• Magic window holds person fast. (Cf. D1145.) D1413.15
• Magic door holds person fast. (Cf. D1146.) D1413.16
• Magic earth-mould holds person fast. (Cf. D935.) D1413.20
• Magic grass holds person fast. (Cf. D965.12.) D1413.21
• Magic cloth holds person fast. (Cf. D1413.0.1.) D1413.22
• Magic drinking-tube holds person fast. (Cf. D1255.) D1413.23
• Grave holds person fast. (Cf. D1299.1.) D1413.24
• Magic pumpkin holds streams of oil. (Cf. D981.11.) D1482.2
• Fish bone holds back water in river. (Cf. D1013.) D1549.3.5
• Evil spirit holds back water. D2151.2.3.1
• Bottomless tub (vat) holds water through power of saint. (Cf. H1023.2.1.) D2199.1
• Water-spirit holds ship back. F420.5.2.7.4
• Giant's skull holds a man seated. F531.2.3
• Giant's skull holds three hounds. F531.2.3.2
• Giant holds back water of river with his foot. F531.3.1.2.1
• Giant cane for strong man. Cane holds fifty cattle. F612.3.1
• Strong man holds up mountain. F623
• Strong man holds back ship. F637
• Giant pomegranate rind holds 13 men. F813.8.2
• Hood holds wine as drinking horn. F866.7.1
• Devil holds molten coin in mouth. G303.4.8.2
• Devil holds fire in his hands. G303.4.8.2.1
• Arrested man tells who he is: father throws himself into the ranks and holds them (weaver). H581.3
• Master says that he has eyes in back of head: servant cheats him. Holds up food to master's back and then not having objection raised, eats it. J1511.9
• Inviting to a feast only those whose households have never been touched by death. None comes. J1577.1
• Creaking limbs. Numskull hears limbs creaking in the wind. He is sorry for them and holds them apart. While he is caught between them his enemies take advantage of him. J1872
• Fox holds conversation with his members, attracts attention, and is caught. He scolds in turn his feet, eyes, ears, and tail. In his excitement he sticks out his tail from his hiding place. J2351.1
• The cup with two and three handles. When the servant girl presents the cup to the emperor she holds the handle herself. When there are two handles she holds one in each hand, and when there are three she holds the third one toward her. J2665.1
• The tall hog. Man boasts of hog so big that a man could not reach its back if he holds his hand as high as possible. A stranger buys the hog, sight-unseen. The seller takes him to the hog, shows the buyer that the hog's back is much below his hand when he holds it as high as possible. K196.2
• 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
• Ring to put on corpse's finger. A thief holds a corpse up to a lord's window. The lord shoots the corpse and leaves to bury it. The thief goes to the lady and gets a sheet to bury the corpse in and a ring to put on his finger. K362.2
• Clever animal betrays thief. Horse catches arm of thief and holds on until help comes. K427.1
• Princess cuts hair to escape captor who holds her hair in hand while sleeping with her. K538
• Person holds hat just outside shelter; enemies shoot at it, either giving away their position or putting themselves at a disadvantage in having to reload. K631.3
• Giant impales self on javelin fugitive holds behind himself. K897.2.1
• The husband's good eye covered. The wife holds a cloth in front of his one good eye, so that he cannot see the paramour. K1516
• Lover escapes behind the sheet which wife holds up to show her husband. K1521.5.1
• Sham threat of war holds ships back so that there suddenly are enough men to man defending ship. K1771.7
• The complaint about bad breath: trouble for the king's favorite. A steward advises the courtier to hold his head away when serving the king, since the king objects to his bad breath. He then tells the king that the courtier holds his head back to avoid the king's bad breath. K2135
• Knight who ravished nun captured when she miraculously appears before him on his horse and holds reins until he is taken. Q244.2
• Boy reaches into bird's nest for pigeon's eggs. A stone in the nest holds his hand for three days and nights. He is finally released by prayers. Q285.1.2.1
• God holds the devil captive for three years. R2
• Defeated enemy holds rank and country when he promises to pay tax to conqueror. R74.3
• Courtier in love with queen. Queen asks him whom he loves. He holds up a mirror to her as answer. (Cf. T57.1.) T91.6.1.1
• Wife withholds intercourse from husband to enforce demand. Cf. Aristophanes' Lysistrata. T283
• Handsome exterior does not indicate beautiful soul. Angel holds nose when handsome sinner passes. U119.3
• Angel holds mass in church on the day that the king absents himself for sake of hunting trip. V49.2
• Man beholds angels. V230.1
• Man plows through stump which catches the back of his pants in cleft. His oxen continue to pull; he holds onto the plow, pulls the stump out of the ground. X1237.1.1
• Pulling up the turnip. Final formula: The mouse holds onto the cat, the cat holds onto Mary, Mary holds onto Annie, Annie holds onto grandmother, grandmother holds onto grandfather, grandfather holds onto the turnip – they all pull and pull it out. Z49.9