88 motifs match “insect”  ·  back to the chapters

• Insect as creator. A13.3
• Insect as creator's companion. A33.3
• First human being killed by jealous brothers (reptiles and insects). A1297
• Creation of insects. A2000
• Insects from body of slain monster. Usually the monster is burnt; sometimes the insects come from his head, sometimes from his body as it burns. (Cf. A1716.1.) A2001
• Insects from brains, blood, and bones of slain helpful animal. A2001.1
• Origin of insects from various experiences of saint. A2002
• The god Mahadeo turns wood chips into insects. A2002.1
• Origin of insects: released from sack. God places them in a sack and gives it to hare to carry to stream. He must not look in the sack. When he does so the insects escape. The hare laughs and this is the cause of his split lip. A2003
• Insects from devil's post-hole. Devil is given enough land to dig a post-hole. From this come all kinds of insects. To stop them a burning log is put in the hole. Insects therefore hate smoke. A2004
• Origin of insects: God throws sand on lazy shepherds. (Cf. A1716.1). A2005
• Origin of insects: monstrous births from brother-sister incest. A2006
• Creation of miscellaneous insects. A2070
• Origin of spider. [Note: In folk thought the spider is classed as an insect and not with the other arachnida.] (Cf. A1751.) A2091
• Creation of lac insects. A2095
• Origin and nature of insect's sting. A2346
• Origin of color of insect. A2411.3
• Markings on insects. A2412.3
• Sounds of insects. A2426.3
• Haunts of insects. A2433.5
• Why ant-bear eats insects. A2435.3.8
• Food of insects. A2435.5
• Insect fries human blood and eats it. A2435.5.2
• Cause of insect's walk. A2441.3
• The insects' enemies. (Cf. A2494.13.3, A2494.13.10.2, A2494.13.11.1.) A2494.14
• Origin of plants: creator sends down the insects, who plant them. A2601
• Devastating insects. B16.6
• Speaking insects. B211.4
• Insects' language. B215.6
• Kingdom of insects. B224
• King of insects. B246
• Insect army. B268.8
• Wedding of insects. B285
• Unwelcome bird (insect) proves to be messenger. B291.0.2
• Insect having fallen on back grateful for being turned over. B364.3
• Helpful insects. B480
• Helpful insects – hymenoptera. B481
• Helpful insects – coleoptera. B482
• Helpful insects – diptera. B483
• Helpful insects – lepidoptera. B484
• Helpful insects – hemiptera. B485
• Helpful insects – orthoptera. B486
• Helpful insects – miscellaneous. B489
• Helpful spider. [Note: In folk thought, an insect.] B489.1
• Marriage to person in insect form. B643
• Marriage to insect in human form. B653
• Giant insects. B873
• Transformation: man to insect. D180
• Transformation: insect to person. D380
• Transformation: insect to another animal. D415
• Transformation: insect to object. D424
• Transformation: hair to insect. D447.1.2
• Magic object to be chosen from among identical worthless objects. Insect helps in choice. D859.5
• Cure for insect's sting. D1517
• Magic dust vitalizes seeds and they become insects. (Cf. D935.1.) D1594.1
• Saint destroys disastrous insects. D2156.6
• Insect swallowed by man comes out alive. E32.1
• Reincarnation as insect. E616
• Separable soul in insect. E715.3
• Soul in form of insect. E734
• Soul in form of spider. [Note: In folk thought, an insect.] E734.3
• Insects in otherworld. F167.1.3
• Fairy in form of insect. F234.1.16
• Witch in form of an insect. G211.5
• Insect as witch's familiar. (Fly, bee, gnat, spider.) G225.1
• Devil in form of insect. G303.3.3.4
• Insect points out deity by settling where he is. H162.1
• Sham dead tested by stinging insects down back. H248.2
• Task: cutting down tree without scratching for stinging insects. (Scratches surreptitiously while gesticulating.) H1184
• Wisdom learned from example of insects. J137
• Deduction: insect inside precious stone. The jewel is warm. J1661.1.6
• Expensive means of being rid of insects. J2102
• Sleeping in shoes to avoid insect bites. J2102.1
• House burned down to rid it of insects. J2102.4
• Clothes burned to rid them of insects. J2102.6
• Crop burned to rid it of insects. J2102.7
• Frogs to eat insects, snakes to eat frogs. Snakes eat numskull's family. J2102.8
• Substitute smoker. The hero is compelled to smoke a fatal pipe, but the helpful insect which he carries on his head smokes the pipe for him. K528.1
• Thieving insect put in closely woven basket asks to be put in a loosely woven one so he cannot see. K581.6
• Insect in nose of murdered person simulates snoring and allays suspicion. K661.3
• Deception into bottle (vessel). Insects (or a spirit) having escaped from a bottle are told that they cannot return. They accept the challenge and go back into the bottle. K717
• Insects worry large animal to despair or death. L315.6
• Dying priest looks greedily on ripe plum: is reincarnated as insect feeding within plum. Q551.5.1.3
• Lies about insects. X1280
• Lies about crossbreeding of insects. X1280.1
• Bumblebees imported to rout mosquitoes; the two insects crossbreed and have stingers on both ends. X1280.1.1
• Lies about ferocious insects. X1280.2
• Insects eat team of horses or mules, pitch horseshoes to see who gets what is left. X1280.2.1