60 motifs match “questions”  ·  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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• King propounds questions to his sons to determine successor. H508.1
• 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
• 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
• "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
• Answer questions of a fool the next day. J571.7
• Clever prostitute. Gives advice on many questions. J1115.8
• To which of two men does woman belong? Only one can answer questions just as she has. Other discredited. J1153.2
• 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
• 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
• Officiousness or foolish questions rebuked. J1300
• Officiousness or foolish questions rebuked – miscellaneous. J1309
• Stupid scholar memorizes set answers to oral examination in Latin. The questions are not given in the order he expects; comic results. J1741.3.1
• Children ask parents too difficult questions. Get no answers. J2370.1
• Dupe betrayed by asking him ambiguous questions. They are phrased in such a way that he understands them differently from the way they are intended. K493
• "No!" The princess must answer all questions by "No". By clever framing of his question the hero wins her to his desires. K1331
• Scholar disguised as a rustic along road answers questions of school inspector in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. K1816.0.4
• Two friars take arm from corpse and allege it is a miracle-producing relic. One of the tricksters questions its powers in public. Feigns being struck dead. Feigned resurrection. Tricksters enriched as a result. K1976.1
• Doctor know-all accidentally saves raja. Roof caves in after he has dragged raja out with the intention of killing him and putting an end to all of his questions. N688.1
• Hero unwilling to answer questions before he is dressed. P644
• Reward for asking proper questions. Q85
• The deaf man with the bird in the tree. A traveller asks the way and the man keeps telling him about the bird he has caught. (The questions and answers often rhyme.) X111.8
• Parson: Where was Christ when he was neither in heaven nor on earth? – He was in the willow-grove looking for a stick to beat those who ask foolish questions. X435.3
• Bird's pea gets stuck in socket of mill-handle. She goes to carpenter, king, queen, who refuse to help. She asks snake to bite queen, stick to beat snake, fire to burn stick, etc. Final formula: cat eats mouse, mouse cuts plant creeper, creeper snares elephant, elephant drinks up sea, sea quenches fire, fire burns stick, stick beats snake, snake bites queen, queen speaks to king, king chides carpenter, carpenter cuts mill handle, and pea is extracted. Questions in rhyme. Z41.6