30 motifs match “laughs”  ·  back to the chapters

• Why women laugh much. When Eve sees her first child she laughs over its smallness. A1372.2
• 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
• Rabbit laughs: cause of hare-lip. (Cf. A2216.3, A2234.4, A2342.1.) A2211.2
• Why zabi's eyes are narrow: because he laughs so hard. A2332.3.2
• Bean laughs till it splits: cause of black stripe. (Cf. A2793.1, F1025.1.) A2741.1
• Statue laughs and reveals crime. D1639.4
• Person who never laughs. F591
• Prince who never laughs. F591.1
• Man whose entrails are visible when he laughs. F594
• Mountain laughs. F755.1.1
• Bean, straw, and coal go journeying. Coal burns straw in two and falls into the water. Bean laughs until it splits. F1025.1
• Devil laughs (weeps) when men weep (laugh). G303.4.8.8
• Devil writes down names of men on a hide in church. Woman laughs when she sees him. G303.24.1.3
• Roses from lips as sign of royalty. Princess laughs roses. H71.4
• Ordeal by holy water. If simpleton closes his eyes to holy water he is possessed; if he laughs he is merely an idiot. H222.2
• The laughing ass. King has trickster's horse's tail cut off. Trickster retaliates by cutting off part of upper lip of king's ass. At trial the animals are brought forth. Everyone laughs at the ass. Trickster: "If everyone laughs at the ass, how could the ass help laughing at her companion without a tail?" Freed. J1169.5
• Owner laughs at thief who finds nothing in house. J1392.4
• Poem for poem: all for all. A poet gives the emperor a poem, hoping for a reward The emperor later gives the poet a poem in return. The poet thereupon sends the emperor two pennies, saying that this is all the money he has. The emperor, seeing that he is defeated in the exchange, laughs and becomes the poet's friend. J1581.1
• Literal numskull laughs at his child's death. J2461.3
• Laughing contest: dead horse winner. The ogre tries to laugh as long as the dead horse with a grinning mouth. Laughs till he dies. K87.1
• Escape by laughing and crying at same time. Captured bird cries in thinking of her little ones and laughs under pretext that the hunter is wasting his time instead of taking the treasure which she pretends is in her house. The hunter leaves her. K608
• Whoever eats outside of fruit will become a king and whoever eats the seed will drop gems from his mouth every time he laughs. M312.3.2
• Patient laughs so at foolish diagnosis of sham physician that his abscess breaks and he gets well. She has been told to examine the floor around the patient's bed for signs of what he has been eating. She finds the patient surrounded with pillows: he has eaten too many pillows. N641
• Patient laughs at monkey and cures himself. Monkey takes medicine and cuts capers as result. N641.1
• Clothes-proud woman trips over long skirt. Devil laughs. Q331.2.1.5
• Man who laughs at blind made blind. (Cf. Q288, Q451.7.0.2.) Q583.1
• Fool laughs at the absurdities he sees about him. (1) Sees a man who is to die that day buy shoes. (2) Sees sheriff leading a man to the gallows: a big thief leading a little one. (3) Sees farmer weeping at funeral of his child, while priest (the real father) sings. U15
• 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
• Philosopher laughs at the vanities and sins of the world. His companion weeps. U15.1
• Parson preaches so that half the congregation weeps and half laughs. Has clothes torn in the back. Those that see this laugh. He wins the wager. X416