89 motifs match “promises”  ·  back to the chapters

• God makes promises to mortal. A182.3.4
• God promises mortal prosperity for man and offspring. A182.3.4.2
• Deity promises to restore city. A185.8
• God promises never again to destroy world by water. A1113
• Man chosen as best gift by primeval women. In beginning only women on earth. Deity kills one by accident and promises anything as reparation. They choose man. A1276
• Bad women from transformed hog and goose. Peter, having only one daughter, foolishly promises her to three men. He asks the Lord to create two others. This request is granted. The first creature he meets on two successive mornings he is to greet, and they will be transformed. He meets a hog and a goose. His two new daughters have these characteristics. A1371.3
• Wedding of eagle and kite. Kite promises to secure ostrich as attendant. Fails and is put to shame. B282.2.1
• Fish promises to spare man in coming flood. (Cf. B375.1.) B527.1
• 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
• Disenchantment of monster when prince promises to marry the monster's mother. The prince imagines falsely that the mother is also a monster. D741
• Naked ghost asks for shirt and promises luck on market for man. E412.3.2
• Captured water fairy promises to make ugly man beautiful in return for her release. F341.2.1
• Fairy promises abundant crops, etc., to mortal. F349.4
• Dwarf prevented from getting into his stone before sunrise till he promises to do what hero demands (especially forge weapons). (Cf. D451.3.4.2, D451.4.1.12, F451.5.2.13.) F451.3.2.1.1
• Dwarfs make promises with mental reservations. F451.5.10.8
• Dwarf promises mortal much money if he will guess his name. F451.5.15.1
• Dwarf promises money and property to mortal father for hand of daughter. F451.5.18.1
• Devil tempts youth to deny Virgin. Promises youth riches. G303.9.4.8
• Devil promises help to mistreated apprentice if youth will meet him by night in lonely spot. G303.22.12
• Maiden queen promises herself to the man who heals her husband and kills his bewitcher. H346.1
• Quest undertaken by hero to fulfill promises. H1229.1
• Queen flogs suspects telling them to produce stolen gem: thief promises to do so. J1141.1.10
• King promises thieves pardon for confession: pleased with their cleverness. J1198.1
• Bridegroom promises thief spoils later if he will not interfere with wedding. J1392.5
• That which was promised him. A tenant promises his daughter to his master against her will. The master sends for "that which was promised him." The daughter sends the horse, and it is taken into the master's chamber. J1615
• 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
• Strokes shared. The boy promises the soldier what the king has promised to give him. The soldier receives a beating in place of the boy. K187
• Stealing only a small amount. A man promises in confession to steal only a small amount. He steals a rope with a mare on the end of it. K188
• Refusal to make sacrifice after need is past. In distress a person promises a sacrifice to a god (saint) but disregards the promise when the danger passes. K231.3
• Woman promises marriage for pair of earrings: she escapes with them. K233.8
• King promises valuable dog to each of two powerful and mutually hostile tribes. At feast prepared by king the two tribes get into fight and king escapes. K234.1
• Husband promises a cow to tiger; wife frightens the tiger away. K235.1.1
• King promises beggars new clothes: burns their old and gets much gold and silver. Keeps it. K245
• Eavesdropping sexton duped into giving suppliant money. The trickster prays to the Virgin for a certain sum of money and promises repayment of double at the end of the month. The sexton throws the money to him, but never receives it back. K464
• Ram promises to jump into wolf's belly. Gives him a hard knock. The stunned wolf thinks he has swallowed the ram. (Cf. K579.5.1.) K553.3
• Hare promises to dance if doorway is left free: escapes. K571.1
• Snake promises to do no harm to frog. Kills him. K815.6
• Ruler promises minister that he will not kill him "on any day of his life." Dispels his suspicions. Has him killed at night. K929.3
• Hot tin under the horse's tail. The smith promises to make the horse wild. The numskull on the horse's back. K1181
• Woman deceived into sacrificing honor. Ruler promises to release her brother (husband) but afterward refuses to do so. K1353
• Husband discovers wife's adultery by riddling conversation. In this indirect manner the wife confesses and promises reform. K1557
• Man falls into sacrificial grave prepared for others. Rich man orders poor people to dig a grave in order to bury all in it as sacrifice to avert famine. But a Christian frees them and promises those who become Christian a living. The rich man himself falls in the grave and dies. K1603
• Goddess in disguise visits earth and is waylaid by thieves. They set her free after she promises to tell them the fate of the new-born prince. K1811.0.2
• Sham magician promises to induce love by magic. Dupe is frightened (to death, robbed, or otherwise discomfited) by magician or confederate. K1963.2
• Juggler promises to fly from one house to another. Keeps crowd waiting until dusk and then makes his escape. K1967
• Alleged idol promises teacher certain payment for his book when finished. Dupe overhears and pays him bargain price for what he is later to receive. K1971.13
• Sham miracle: rupees turn to ashes. Cheat tells man rupees carried by horse in sack will turn to ashes if man's tired wife rides on its back. Man promises to pay him back if that should happen. Ashes fall from under saddle when woman does and cheat collects. K1975.2
• Magpie leads other magpies into his master's net. Promises them that the master will teach them to speak. K2032
• The wolf in the company of saints. Promises to give up slaying animals. After wringing the gander's neck, excuses self saying: "He should not have hissed at the saint." K2055.1
• Sentence applied to king's own son. Those caught in adultery are to have eyes put out. When king's son is found guilty he insists on the punishment. He finally compromises by having one of his own and one of his son's eyes put out. M13
• Bargains and promises. M200
• Making of bargains and promises. M201
• Breaking of bargains or promises. M205
• Bargains and promises between mortals and supernatural beings. (Cf. M221, M222, M223.) M242
• Captured bird promises to deliver fifteen birds in exchange for freedom. M244.2
• Promises connected with death. M250
• Deathbed promise concerning the second wife. Promises his dying wife that he will not marry unless the bride meets the specifications the dying wife imposes. M255
• Other promises. M260
• Chaste woman promises herself to her lover when the rocks leave the coast. (They are moved by magic.) M261
• Chaste woman promises herself to her lover when he can make a garden bloom in winter. (Cf. H352.) M261.1
• Princess promises to embrace her teacher on her wedding day. Teacher has only been testing her promise. M261.2
• Person promises to have but one consort if he is cured. M262
• Man promises to build church if he is saved at sea. M266
• Supernatural woman promises to return if she gives birth to a boy. M272
• Bargains and promises – miscellaneous. M290
• King promises daughter she may marry anyone she desires. Q115.2
• Man promises more to church than he can possibly provide: punished. Q266.1
• Magic boat keeps thief at sea until he promises to throw ill-gotten gains into sea. (Cf. D1654.6, Q212.) Q559.10
• Cow imprisoned until it promises not to eat men. R9.5
• Defeated enemy holds rank and country when he promises to pay tax to conqueror. R74.3
• Imprisoned king's son released when he promises to be a faithful subject and pay tax. R74.3.1
• Girl promises herself to animal suitor. S215.1
• Woman promises her unborn child to appease offended witch. S222.1
• Woman promises unborn daughter to snake as wife for ferrying her across stream. S222.2
• Woman promises unborn child to tiger if he will spare her. S222.3
• Girl promises unborn child to devil if he will suffer the birth pangs. S223.1
• An old maid promises the devil her first born. She wishes to get a husband. S223.3
• Deity promises deliverance of promised child to mother in dream. S255.1
• Man promises to sacrifice self in order to marry beloved. T24.8
• Little girl will give prince marvelous objects if he promises to marry her later. T55.4
• Girl marries hunter when he promises to return to monkey brothers their human form. (Cf. D118.) T68.5
• Father promises that girl may wed only man of her choice. T131.0.1.1
• Wife promises to die with husband. T211.2.2
• Chaste woman promises conqueror drug of invulnerability. Has him try it on her. Cuts her head off. T325.1
• False repentance of the sick. Wolf having eaten too much meat promises God to eat no more meat. When he becomes well he eats as before. U236
• Saint promises to return from heaven. V229.2.13
• Stingy horse refuses ass little feed, though he promises much for later time. W152.8
• A youth promises to marry an old maid if she will sit all night on the roof. She falls down. X753
• Toad asks magpie in tree to throw down a chestnut. Magpie refuses, saying it might break its beak. Toad promises, if that happens, to get a horsehair to tie it up again. Magpie throws chestnut and breaks beak. Toad asks ass for hair, but ass first demands grass; mower demands sheep; shepherd, pup; mother dog, bread; baker, stumps. Toad cuts the stumps and gets the hair. Z43.1