46 motifs match “impostor”  ·  back to the chapters

• Country of thieves and impostors. F709.3
• Identity tested by demanding that person say again what he said on former occasion. (Impostor fails.) H15.1
• Impostor of low origin recognized by habitual speech. H38.2
• 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
• The emperor's new clothes. An impostor feigns to make clothes for the emperor and says that they are visible only to those of legitimate birth. The emperor and courtiers are all afraid to admit that they cannot see the clothes. Finally a child seeing the naked emperor reveals the imposture. K445
• Seduction by impostor. K1315
• Girl takes place of impostor in marriage bed; impostor's mother beats her, thinking she is heroine. K1611.3
• Marital impostors. K1910
• The false bride (substituted bride). An impostor takes the wife's place without the husband's knowledge and banishes (kills, transforms) the wife. K1911
• Impostor kills fairy, hides body and dresses in fairy's clothes. K1911.1.10
• Man wins girl's love by pretending to wealth and nobility. Deception is discovered and impostor is banished. K1917.5
• Marital impostors – miscellaneous. K1919
• Treacherous impostors. K1930
• Impostors abandon (or kill) their companion and usurp his place. K1931
• Impostors throw hero overboard into sea. K1931.1
• Impostor tries to push foster brother into the water and then cuts rope so that he drifts alone out on the sea in boat without oars. K1931.1.1
• Impostors abandon hero in lower world. Usually let rope drop on which he is to be raised. K1931.2
• Impostors kill hero. K1931.3
• Impostors throw hero into pit. K1931.4
• Impostors throw hero into prison. K1931.5
• Impostor leaves hero alone on island. (Cf. S145.) K1931.6
• Impostor abandons hero on high hill. Pulls down rope on which he is to be lowered. K1931.7
• Impostors claim reward (prize) earned by hero. K1932
• Impostor forces oath of secrecy. Hero or heroine swears not to tell of imposture. K1933
• Impostor forces hero (heroine) to change places with him (her). K1934
• Impostor (magician, demon) takes the place of the king. The ladies of the harem recognize the false king, and the true king is reinstated. K1934.1
• Impostors steal rescued princess. K1935
• Impostors exposed by girl at her wedding. K1935.1
• Impostor claims to be father of princess's child. K1936
• Impostor impersonates dead count. K1937
• Disguised flayer. An impostor dresses in the skin of his victim. K1941
• Impostors tricked into carrying hero in box. Woman makes them think they will have her as reward. K1942
• Impostor demands box in name of king. K1944
• Impostor claims to be earl's son in exile. K1952.4
• Impostor appears with letter authorizing that he be set on the throne. K1952.6
• Impostors: servant enters dead body of master and takes his place. K1969.3.1
• Impostor acting as God in tree suspected and tree burned. K1971.12
• Impostor: one sister borrows another's clothes and gets religious blessing in her place. K1988.1
• Youngest daughter suspects impostor. Elder have been deceived. L62
• Impostor accidentally gives king talking bed which reveals his identity. N617
• King loses his kingdom to impostor. (Cf. K1934.1.) P15.3
• Impostor punished. (Cf. K1900, Q413.3, Q414.0.6, Q414.1.1, Q416.0.3, Q431.7, Q433.4, Q458.0.4, Q552.1.3.) Q262
• Burning as punishment for impostor. (Cf. Q262.) Q414.0.6
• Boiling in tar as punishment for impostor. (Cf. Q262.) Q414.1.1
• Quartering by horses as punishment for impostor. (Cf. Q262.) Q416.0.3
• Impostor killed by lightning. (Cf. Q262.) Q552.1.3