135 motifs match “question” — showing the first 100; narrow the words for the rest  ·  back to the chapters

• Fettered monster questions visitor. He asks "Are lambs still being produced?" or the like; i.e. is nature still normal? He must remain fettered till he hears that nature's laws no longer hold. A1074.3
• Fly punished for failing to answer question: is speechless, buzzes and associates with foul things. (Cf. A2426.3.3, A2433.5.2.) A2239.2
• Tabu: questioning supernatural wife. C31.4.1
• Tabu: questioning supernatural husband. C32.2
• Tabu: asking questions. C410
• All questions to be answered, "I don't know". A youth is so advised by his horse. C495.1
• All questions to be answered "Thanks". Youth is so advised by old woman helper. C495.3
• The one compulsory question. Percival must ask the meaning of the strange sights he sees; else the Fisher King will not be healed. C651
• Tabu: to rest sitting or lying until answer to certain question is learned. C735.2.9
• Mirror answers questions. (Cf. D1163, D1323.1.) D1311.2
• Moon (stars) answers questions. D1311.6.1
• Magic cloud answers questions. (Cf. D901.) D1311.6.2
• Sun answers questions. (Cf. D1291.1.) D1311.6.3
• Coconut shell answers questions. Sinks for yes, floats for no. (Cf. D985.1.) D1311.9
• Dead lover sets tasks. If girl does not perform them (or answer his questions) he will carry her off. E212
• Questions to dead are dangerous. E545.5
• Demon occupies oracular artificial head and gives responses to questions. F415
• Dwarfs give riddles and questions to mortals. F451.5.15
• Wise man answers all questions. F645.1
• Dumbness cured by question. F954.2
• Dumb princess is brought to speech by tale ending with a question to be solved. F954.2.1
• Dumbness cured by saint's question. F954.2.2
• Death from chagrin. Man cannot answer question. F1041.1.3.10
• Student is helped by devil when he can answer three questions in rhyme. (Cf. H543.) G303.22.3
• Wise man answers questions of many with single speech. H501.2
• Test: finding answer to certain question. H508
• King propounds questions to his sons to determine successor. H508.1
• Bride offered to man who can find answer to question. H508.2
• Question: "What is under my cloak?" Questioner has branch of blackthorn laden with berries under her cloak. H526
• Devil held off from person by answering his riddles. St. Andrew the Bishop, and the Devil. The Devil, in form of beautiful maiden visits a holy bishop. St. Andrew appears as a pilgrim, answers the questions through which the devil seeks to keep him at a distance and discomfits the devil. (Cf. B302.22.3.) H543.1
• King and abbot. King propounds three riddles to abbot to answer on pain of death. Herdsman disguises as abbot and answers questions. H561.2
• Solomon and Marcolf. Witty questions and answers between youth and servant. H561.3
• King and clever youth. King asks questions; youth returns riddling answers. H561.4
• King and clever minister. King propounds riddles and questions to his clever minister. H561.5
• King and peasant vie in riddling questions and answers. H561.6
• King and peasant: the plucked fowl. The king gives riddling questions to a peasant, who always interprets them right. The king says that he will send the peasant a fowl which he shall pluck. The king gives the same questions to his courtiers, who cannot interpret them. They pay the peasant good money for the answers. Peasant tells king that he has plucked the fowl. H561.6.1
• Counterquestions. Riddles answered by a question that reduces the riddle to an absurdity. H571
• Counterquestion: "What is difference between you and an ass? What is difference between you and a cushion." H571.1
• Woman's question to her husband disguised as woman, how many men she had in one night. This is properly understood as, how many helpers he had, and answered by lifting ten fingers. H582.3
• How many leaves are on the tree? Counterquestion: how many stars in the sky? (Cf. H702.) H705.3
• Riches the reward of questions solved on quests. H1243
• Quest to devil for answer to riddle questions. (Cf. H1282, H1283, H1284, H1292.) H1278
• Quest to morning star for answers to questions. H1282
• Quest to moon for answers to questions. H1283
• Quest for sun for answer to questions. H1284
• Quest to Mother of Time for answers to questions. H1285
• Questions asked on way to other world. H1291
• Answers found in other world to questions propounded on the way. (Cf. H1278, H1282, H1283, H1284.) H1292
• Question (propounded on quest): Why has spring gone dry? Answer: Animal to be removed from its water-vein. H1292.1
• 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
• Question (propounded on quest): Why does not a certain tree flourish? Answer: Gold is hidden under it (or a serpent is under its roots). H1292.2
• Question (propounded on quest): Why does no one desire to eat fruits of a certain tree? Answer: Tree in its last birth had been a very learned man who gave his knowledge away. H1292.2.1
• Question (propounded on quest): Why do the live stock die? (Various answers.) H1292.3
• Question (propounded on quest): How can the prince be cured? Answer: He must remove stone which he has spit out in the church. H1292.4
• Question (propounded on quest): How can the princess be cured? Answer: She must recover consecrated wafer which rat has stolen from her first communion. H1292.4.1
• Question (propounded on quest): How can snake be cured from blindness? Answer: By giving away his gem. H1292.4.2
• Question (propounded on quest): How can the cripple be healed? Answer: He must distribute his knowledge. H1292.4.3
• Question (on quest): How can the girl thus far avoided by suitors marry? (Various answers.) H1292.5
• Question (on quest): Where is the lost key? (Various answers.) H1292.6
• Question (on quest): Where is the lost princess? (Various answers.) H1292.7
• Question (on quest): When will a ferryman be released from his duty? Answer: When he is able to get out of the boat and leave the oar in another's hand. H1292.8
• Question (on quest): When will a certain water-animal be freed from an annoyance? (Various answers). H1292.9
• Question (on quest): How can mice rid themselves of cats? (Answer: tie on bell.) H1292.10
• Question (on quest): How can ants secure longer life? (Answer: by doing without wings.) H1292.11
• Question (on quest): Where does Bras-de-Fer (Ver-sous-Terre) live? H1292.12
• Question (on quest): Have you see my prince? H1292.13
• Question (propounded on quest): Why can't the dragon king ascend to the sky? H1292.14
• Question (propounded on quest): Why can't the child talk or the dog bark? H1292.15
• Question (propounded on quest): Why is the cow so severely beaten every day by her calf? Answer: in her last birth she had been the young of her present calf and had treated it the same way. H1292.16
• Question (propounded on quest): Is a poor shepherd known to God? Answer: He had been a very generous god-fearing person in his last birth and God had not forgotten him. H1292.17
• Question (propounded on quest): When can certain structure be finished? Answer: When king's daughter marries. H1292.18
• Question (propounded on quest): How can a man and woman be freed from their annoyance. H1292.19
• Question (propounded on quest): Why does kingdom go well by day and burn by night? H1292.20
• Quest: answer to certain question. H1388
• Question: What is it women most desire. Answer: Sovereignty. H1388.1
• Test of memory: Solomon asks Marchus question, receives answer; fourteen months later he asks second question based on first, again receives correct answer; four months later asks third question based on first two, again receives correct answer. H1595.1
• "Do not ask questions about extraordinary things": counsel proved wise by experience. Those who ask question killed. J21.6
• King questions six doctors. J171.2
• King questions six doctors: what do you like best of all on earth? That man has not what he wishes to have. J171.2.1
• King questions six doctors: what do you like best of all on earth? That all joys are mixed with sorrow. J171.2.2
• King questions six doctors: what do you like best of all on earth? That all evil and hypocrisy will have an end. J171.2.3
• King questions six doctors: what must you most marvel at on earth? That those who are most respected are the biggest fools. J171.2.4
• King questions six doctors: what must you most marvel at on earth? That those who speak of spiritual matters are usually the most depraved. J171.2.5
• King questions six doctors: what must you most marvel at on earth? That man lives in a state in which he cannot die. J171.2.6
• Man retains questionable bride for fear of getting one who is worse. J229.9
• Answer questions of a fool the next day. J571.7
• Men not chosen for their ignorance; else he should have reached heaven. Upbraided for not knowing answer to question, man answers that he was chosen for his position because of what he knew, not of what he did not know. J911.1
• Clever wife obtains secrets from husband by questioning him. J1112.5
• Clever prostitute. Gives advice on many questions. J1115.8
• Thief detected by his answer to question. "How would you treat a woman who came into your possession?" Answer: "I would use her and then give her to the servants." This reveals his true character. J1149.6
• To which of two men does woman belong? Only one can answer questions just as she has. Other discredited. J1153.2
• Bribed witnesses nonplussed when judge asks wrong question. J1157
• Youth will answer question only when king places him on throne: then youth calls executioners to punish cruel king. J1189.1
• Poet (Dante) puts ruler out of countenance. Ruler had instructed jesters to tease him. The poet cleverly answers his questioners pretending to have the impression that the questions are addressed to the ruler. J1224.2
• Even God can overdo it! Returning sailor finds his hovel transformed into a fine house. "Where does all this come from?" Wife: "God's bounty." Illegitimate child greets mother. Same question, same answer. Sailor: "I don't want God to help me so much!" J1279.2
• Reductio ad absurdum of question or proposal. J1290
• Question answered by absurd counterquestion. J1291
• Black beans, white soup. Question: How can black beans make a white soup? Answer: How can a white whip on the naked flesh make black welts. J1291.1
• Theological questions answered by propounding simple questions in science. Where was God before he made heaven and earth? and the like answered by "Why a louse bite raises a blister, a flee bite raises a swelling, and a gnat bite is unnoticeable?" If you cannot answer such simple questions how can you pry into God's secrets. J1291.2
• Tide inquires whether moon is up. Minnow seeing absurdity of question (since tide could not be up without the moon) tells the tide to wait till he gets a drink and he will tell. J1292