165 motifs match “never” — showing the first 100; narrow the words for the rest  ·  back to the chapters

• God's promise never to destroy world by water does not apply to local floods. A1011.3
• Flood whenever shard at earth's core moves. A1016.7
• God promises never again to destroy world by water. A1113
• Why women never have leisure. Because they refused to show God the way, saying they had no time. A1372.8
• Why earthworms are killed whenever earth is dug. A1599.6
• Flies on the ark. Noah tries to keep them out. Devil says that either the flies go in or he does. Noah chooses the lesser of two evils. Later the devil slips in nevertheless. A2031.2
• Swallows put on mourning at crucifixion: have never taken it off. A2221.2.4.1
• Loris refuse to look at sun who comes out when they are dancing: hence never looks at sun. A2231.13
• Why mouse is crushed whenever she crosses a road: elephant's curse. A2239.9
• Beaver borrows muskrat's tail and never gives it back. A2241.10
• Why fowls never shut their doors at night. A2433.4.6
• Why hare never drinks from rivers or streams. A2435.3.12.1
• Elder tree is never struck by lightning because it was used in making the cross. A2711.2.1
• The courtship of the stork and the crane. Go a-courting one another across the marshes but never come to an understanding, as each time either one or the other changes his mind. (Cf. T91.) B282.23
• "Adversity" summoned: king says he has heard people speak of adversity but has never seen it; genius of adversity appears. C14
• Tabu: offending devil. A smith or priest continually insults the devil's statue or picture (cf. C13). The devil brings the offender into dangerous situation (suspicion of theft or murder), and saves him miraculously when he promises never again to abuse the devil's likeness. C45
• Tabu: princess never to see male person. All men must hide when she goes forth. C313.0.1
• Tabu: looking into flask. Man given magic flask on condition that he never look into it. C323
• One must eat "death vegetable" whenever one sees it. Otherwise god will be angry. C662
• Overweening pride in good fortune forbidden. Man proud that he and his clan have never known unhappiness or want swallowed up by earth. C770.1
• Witch will never visit a house where pipal is strewn. D1385.2.4
• Lotus disappears whenever anyone tries to pluck it. (Cf. D975.1.) D1641.15
• Magic weakness never entirely removed. D1837.2
• Magic rath always seems distant, never near. D2031.13
• Person who never said "good morning" cannot rest in grave. E411.6
• Ghost comes through certain crevice: when this is barred she never returns. E445.1
• Ghost is laid by giving it a never-ending or impossible task. (Cf. H900, H1010.) E454
• Phantom cart driver wanders because of blasphemy. "Peter Rugg the Missing Man." Boasts that he will reach home despite storm or never see his home again. He always travels in hard shower of rain or just ahead of one. E512
• Voyage to the Land of the Cimmerians. People who dwell amid clouds of gloom and never see sun. F129.3
• River between the realms of giants and gods never freezes. F141.1.3
• Otherworld clothing never wears out. F166.3.1
• Fairies must trade whenever it is demanded of them. It does not matter how uneven the trade may be. F255.1
• Changeling betrays his age when his wonder is excited. Usually pottage is boiled in an eggshell. The changeling: "I shall soon be a hundred years old but I never saw this done before!" F321.1.1.1
• Fairies give man white powder to cure mortals, replenish his supply whenever needed. F344.3
• Gifts of the fairies must never be measured or counted. F348.6
• Gift barrel of ale which never runs dry goes dry when maid looks into bunghole. F348.9
• Person lives by smoking tobacco. Never eats. F561.4
• Boy lives on ox. Never walks on ground. F562.1
• Person never sleeps. F564
• Person of diabolical origin never sleeps. F564.1
• Person who never laughs. F591
• Prince who never laughs. F591.1
• Fire drops from fingers of warrior whenever he wills it. F683.1.1
• River which never freezes. F715.5
• Sheep never harmed by wild beasts. F989.5
• Man kicked so hard that he flies through the air and is never seen again. F1021.4
• Giant ogre never crosses water. G131
• Devil never eats in an inn. Devil's coachman observes this. G303.4.8.4
• Devils help people at work, but are feared nevertheless. G303.9.3.3
• Act of truth: cursed church clock never runs correctly. H252.6
• Suitor test: making princess laugh. Sadfaced princess has never laughed. H341
• "Never greet anyone." (Start your work the earliest, so that not you but others may greet you.) H588.12
• "A father should always check and never forgive; a mother should always forgive and never check." H588.19
• Riddle: white brother, black sister: every morning brother kills sister; every evening sister kills brother; they never die. (Day and night.) H722.1
• Task: obtaining fat (bacon) from swine that never was farrowed. H1025
• King asks favorite minister to show him a trick that he has never seen before. H1182.2
• Question (propounded on quest): Why does no one ever drink water of two certain wells? Answer: In their last birth they had been two Brahman women and whenever they wanted to give alms they gave only to each other. H1292.1.1
• "Never attack anyone before unsheathing and returning sword three times": counsel proved wise by experience. J21.2.1
• "Never wager more than a groat": counsel proved wise by experience. Man loses wife on wager. J21.8
• "Never believe what is beyond belief": counsel proved wise by experience. Man believes when bird tells him that she has a precious gem in her body. (Cf. J21.12, K604.) J21.13
• "Never try to reach the unattainable": counsel proved wise by experience. (Cf. K604.) J21.14
• "Never have to do with a woman unless wed to her": counsel proved wise by experience. J21.30
• "Never give a cup made of a single ruby as a present to the king": counsel proved wise by experience. J21.49
• "Never be rude to a self-made man of low birth": counsel proved wise by experience. J21.52.2
• "Never publish a man's sin if you can help it": counsel proved wise by experience. J21.52.4
• "Never dismiss and old servant for his first fault": counsel proved wise by experience. J21.52.5
• Old man chooses to be annoyed by occasional and loud chirp of swallows than by never-ending but soft chirp of sandpipers. J215.1.4
• Man criticizes the devil because his deeds are not fair. Devil says that they are strong nevertheless. Hence strong speakers rather than clever are to be preferred. J246.1
• Planting for the next generation. Man who is planting tree told that it will never mature in his day. He is planting for the next generation. J701.1
• Never use your entire resources. J1073
• Man who never does any piece of work so well that he cannot improve it. J1073.1
• Parson's apology for not answering challenge: I have never regretted silence but have often regretted speech. J1074.1
• Man desirous of traveling sent six miles to deliver a letter. Told that he has now seen the world, for he will never see more than valleys, hills, fields, meadows, water, streets, cities, and villages. J1076.1
• Murderer detected by actions of murdered man's dog. Attacks murderer whenever possible. J1145.1
• Servants would not have left the coats. Merchants complain to nobleman that his servants have robbed them of money. Nobleman asks whether merchants had on those good coats when the robbery took place. When told yes, he said that the robbers were not his servants, for they would never have left good coats. J1179.5
• Actual rescuer gets woman. Watchers could never have got her merely by watching. J1179.12
• Dividing the eggs: one man's hand in the pot at a time. Trickster alternates hands so fast that the other man never gets to put his hand in. He finally puts his foot in the pan. J1241.5
• Priest who never reads mass. Peasants complain of his ignorance. He says that they stand so close to him that he is afraid they might memorize and then pay no attention to his reading of it. J1263.1.3
• The capon and the hen. Bishop refuses a favor to an abbess on the ground that he does not love her. Abbess: "I can well believe that. The capon never loves the hen." J1269.6
• The prince's excuse. King to son who has been accused of rape: "I never did anything like that." Prince: "Your father was not king!" King: "Your son will never be one if you keep that up!" J1289.6
• Roast falcon. A falcon reproaches a cock for fleeing from the master who has fed him. The cock: "I have never seen a falcon roasted." J1423
• Has never died yet. Slave (workman) recommended to master whose recent slaves have died: "He has never died while I owned him." J1455
• Sailor prays for gods to sink ship during storm, since gods never do what they are asked to do. J1467.1
• What the bear whispered in his ear. Paid guide climbs tree and leaves traveler to mercy of a bear. Traveler feigns death and the bear sniffs at him and leaves. The guide: "What did the bear say to you?" "He said, never trust a coward like you." J1488
• Three reasons for refusing credit. A man asks for credit, although he has always paid cash before. He is refused on these grounds: either (1) he has never found anyone to trust him, (2) he has never bought anything, or (3) he is rich and does not need an extension of time. J1552.2
• Inviting to a feast only those whose households have never been touched by death. None comes. J1577.1
• Standing up for the friendless. Preacher in backwoods asks congregation members who are friends of Jesus to rise. No one rises. "What, are there no friends of Jesus in this house?" A cowboy rises to his feet: "Stranger, I don't know who this man Jesus is. I never heard of him before, but I'll stand up for any man who hasn't got any more friends than he has." J1738.5
• Boy who has never seen a real carpet, hops around the side of the room to avoid stepping on the cloth on the floor. J1742.5.1
• Master sets servant example by eating rind first: fills up and never reaches the fruit. J2178.1
• The inconvenience of having a father: The numskull to his father: "If you had never been born I would get my grandfather's estate." J2222
• Healing with the cherry tree. A man whose wife refuses to talk remembers that a priest drank black cherry juice whenever he lost his voice. He cannot get the cordial but concluding that a limb of the cherry tree will have the same effect beats his wife with is. She is cured. J2412.5
• Literal fool – something you have never experienced. J2469.5
• Literal fool feeds dogflesh to visitor to follow father's advice: "Feed him on food you have never eaten in your life." J2469.5.1
• Literal obedience: soldier breaks woman's oil pot in two with sword when she asks him to show her something she never has seen in life. J2469.5.2
• "Never show your head again." Jester soon appears with large pot over head. J2489.13
• Contest: shooting an unheard-of bird. The man sends his wife on all fours in tar and feathers. The ogre has never heard of such a bird. K31.1
• Deceptive land purchase: king, as reward for help in winning battle, promises wounded chieftain as much land as his chariot can travel around; bribes charioteer to turn back whenever chieftain faints from loss of blood. K185.7.3
• Bringing the devil an unknown animal. The man sends his naked wife on all fours in tar and feathers. The devil has never seen such an animal. K216.2
• Payment to be made when last leaf falls. The last leaf never falls from the oak tree. K222
• Debt to be paid "tomorrow". Tomorrow never comes. K231.12