45 motifs match “plains”  ·  back to the chapters

• God clears plains. A181.1
• Culture heroes clear plains. A537
• The plains of heaven. A663
• Burning plains in hell. A671.2.4.4
• Snake and turtle exchange head for fangs. Explains snake's fangs and snake-like head of turtle. (Cf. A2320.2, A2345.5.) A2247.2
• Flounder complains in race: crooked mouth. In race between fish he cries out in jealousy because herring is winning. He is punished with crooked mouth. (Cf. A2341.1.) A2252.4
• Animal's seeking attitude from ancient loss. The ancient animal loses something. Its descendants are forever seeking for the lost object. This explains the characteristic bearing of certain animals. (Cf. A2471.) A2275.5
• Giants throw tools back and forth. Explains rocks, etc. F531.3.2.3
• Strong hero asks that chickens stop scratching. When his master throws millstone on him he complains that chickens are scratching dirt on him. F615.3.1.1
• Extraordinary valleys and plains. F756
• Devil (gentleman) invites traveler into his wagon. Explains that his horses are Earl X, etc. (Cf. G303.25.17.1.) G303.7.1.2.2
• Hermit explains why anger is sin. J153.2
• Angel explains to hermit why God lets a sinner die in peace and have big funeral while holy hermit is slain by a wild beast. J225.0.1.1
• Snake complains to Zeus that people step on him. Zeus: "If you had bitten the first foot that stepped on you it would not be done now." J623.1
• Looking for the keys of the abbey. Monk goes about with downcast eyes until he is made abbot; then lives in luxury. He explains that he was looking for the keys of the abbey. Now he has them. J703.1
• Choosing his confessor. Ruler explains: "I want a lying priest so that if he repeats my confession he will not be believed." J1263.6
• Plea for a good father. Mother of twelve on deathbed explains to family that not all her children are legitimate. Gives the paternity of each child. Youngest leaves his food to say: "Please, mother, give me a good father!" (Cf. J325.) J1279.1
• Man, fined for sabbath-breaking, asks for receipt, explains that if God asks for it, he will not have to journey to hell to get it from the judge. J1289.11
• The overloaded mule. Priest complains that miller's mule is overloaded. "No, he isn't; he can still carry all your and your brothers' patience." J1302
• Hungry son gets cherries. He slaps another son, and explains that the other boy was saying that he would not get any of the father's cherries. The father shares the cherries. J1341.9
• The cynic's wish. When he learns that a woman has hanged herself from a tree he explains: "Would that all trees bore such fruit!" J1442.11.1
• Why he was thin. Philosopher explains that with his own blood he was nourishing as large a population as that of the Roman Emperor (lice). J1452
• Listening to the debate. A lazy youth explains his late rising by saying that he lay abed to hear the argument between industry and laziness. J1486
• Fault-finding husband nonplussed. The wife has cooked so many dishes that when he complains, she can always supply another. Finally he says, "I had rather eat dung." She produces some. J1545.3
• A box connection. Man refused hospitality tells rich man he is a relative. Asked for the "connection," he tells him there is a box connection. Rich man not understanding, man explains his cart is made of box wood and is tied to a rich man's box tree. Rich man, ashamed, entertains him with all due respect. J1561.6
• King's capriciousness censured: the ass in the stream. A nobleman seeing an ass letting water in a river remarks that it reminds him of his king. He explains to the king that just as the ass puts water where it is already plentiful, so the king awards wealth where it is not needed. The king says that it is all in the nature of the nobleman's fate. Subsequent events prove this. J1675.3
• White man made to believe that he is a negro. Sleeps with a negro. His friends blacken him during the night. When he is waked up, he complains that they have waked the wrong man. J2013.1
• A man without a stomach. The man complains that he is a mere slave of his stomach. His wish is granted and the stomach taken away from him. He discovers soon that life has become very uninteresting to him, and recovers his stomach again. J2072.4
• More than twenty commandments. Numskull asked the number of commandments replies that there are twenty. He explains to another that he knows there must be more than twenty because the minister would not accept his answer. J2213.5.1
• God's wastefulness. A man is robbed and later the same day is given much money. He complains to God, "What was the use of taking from me what you were going to give back to me after stealing from another?" J2215.1
• Marrying a stranger. The girl shortly to be married complains: "It was all very well for you, mother, to marry father, but I am to marry a complete stranger." J2463.2
• Not to sleep for three successive nights. The sleepy man: "I am just thinking, that on earth there are more crooked trees than straight ones ... more hills than plains ... more water than land ..." The devil goes to ascertain these things, meanwhile the man sleeps. Unsuccessful imitation by another man. K216.3
• Sick man offers deity 100 bulls for recovery. When reminded that he does not own so many bulls he explains that he doesn't expect the deity to come to enforce payment. K231.3.5
• Complaint about the empty bottle. While the servant in the inn is bringing a glass, the trickster drinks the wine and then complains that he has been given an empty bottle. The servant must bring another. K455.6
• Ten (five) year respite given captive while he undertakes to teach elephant (ass) to speak. Captive explains to friends that in that time the captor, the elephant (ass), or himself is likely to die. K551.11
• Paramour unwittingly drinks sleeping potion. Is thought dead and placed in a chest. Chest is stolen. When he escapes he is accused of being a robber. He is saved by his mistress's maid who explains all, transferring the role played by her mistress to herself. K675.1
• The "loyal" adulteress. Complacent in all except kissing. Explains that her mouth is the only part of her body which has promised fidelity to her husband. K1595
• Penniless wooer. "House of my father with one hundred fifty lights and goat pen." When the servant in bed so remarks the master marries his daughter to him. Arrived at the hut, he explains that the lights are the stars whose beams enter through the cracks in the roof. One goat is tied to the tree. K1917.4
• Tiger-ogress pretends to be girls' mother: explains tail as boil. K2011.2
• Selfish guest expels host. Porcupine asks rabbit for hospitality. When rabbit complains of being pricked, porcupine tells him to leave if he does not like it. P332
• Woman scorned in love complains of man's coldness. T71.2.1
• Hen complains that man eats her, but she eats ant. U21.1
• Man complains of injustice of gods' wrecking ship because of one man's sin. He then kills whole swarm of ants because one has stung him. U21.3
• Man works his horses to death, then complains that borrowed horse overeats. W154.27
• Young man plowing corn sees letters "P. C." formed by clouds. He explains situation to minister, asks to be ordained. The minister explains that the letters mean "plow corn" instead of "preach Christ". X459.1.1