73 motifs match “rather”  ·  back to the chapters

• What creature has sweetest blood: gnat's tongue torn out. Assembly to decide who has the sweetest blood so that it may be the food for the serpent. Gnat discovers that man has the sweetest blood. Rather than let him tell this secret, swallow tears out his tongue. Gnat can only buzz. (Cf. A2344.2, A2426.3.2.) A2236.1
• Female rattlesnakes mate with black snakes rather than with male rattlesnakes. B754.3.1
• Lost parson says he would rather have devil for guide than clerk who is with him. Devil appears, causes death of both. C12.5.4
• Test of friendship: substitute as murderer. A man in misery gives himself up as a murderer rather than endure further misery. His friend tries to take on himself the guilt and be substituted. The real murderer, touched by the generosity, confesses. H1558.2
• "Take side road rather than main one where three roads meet": counsel proved wise by experience. J21.5.2
• Ruler learns lesson from the example of an exiled king. Rewards the exile rather than a successful merchant. J55
• Wisdom from fool: make peace before rather than after the war. J156.1
• Army faces enemy rather than the anger of their king who would kill them if they returned in flight. J216.1
• Lamb prefers to be sacrificed in temple rather than to be eaten by a wolf. J216.2
• Crab would rather be killed outright than imprisoned and starved. J216.3
• Escaped lamb delivers himself to shepherd rather than to slaughter. J217.1
• Enemies make peace rather than slay each other. J218
• Lion and wild boar make peace rather than slay each other for benefit of vulture. J218.1
• Choice: small injustice permitted rather than to cause troubles of state. J221
• King overlooks wife's unfaithfulness rather than to cause troubles of state. J221.1
• Senator overlooks wife's adultery rather than impair his reputation. J221.1.1
• Man would rather pay 500 florins he did not owe than have it said he did not pay debts. J221.3
• Sheep and ignorant shearer. Had rather die than suffer longer from him. J229.2
• Rower prefers to be stoned by his master rather than remain out in the storm. J229.7
• King who experiences the cultural civilization of an empire in dream would rather be poor and primitive. J245.2
• 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
• Man advised to choose good poor man for his daughter's husband rather than rich man. J247.1
• Little fish in the net kept rather than wait for uncertainty of greater catch. J321.2
• Children choose father they know rather than real father they do not yet know. Woman confesses that child is not by her husband. Child, however, chooses to keep the father he knows. (Cf. J391, J1279.1.) J325
• Soldier prefers to live rather than die and be avenged on enemy. J327
• Weight of bodily member chosen rather than its loss. (Cf. J351.) J341
• Fox prefers to bear weight of his tail rather than give part of it to ape. J341.1
• Kind foster-parents chosen rather than cruel parents. (Cf. J325.) J391
• Man prefers to live with ordinary rather than with pious man. He will be virtuous by comparison. J417
• Inflicters rather than receivers of wounds chosen. Men with many wounds recommended as soldiers. King had rather have those who gave the wounds. J481
• King advised to marry maid rather than widow. Widow would have things her own way. J482
• Fox had rather meet one hen than fifty women. J488
• King to avoid possible assassination singes his beard rather than have barber shave him. J634.1
• Man decides to make himself strong in peaceful times rather than wait until attacked. J674.2
• Man, lion, and bear in pit. Bear tells lion not to eat the man, since he would grow hungry again. Rather they should have the man use his intelligence to get them out. J685.1
• Physician willing to believe in four persons. Angers a theologian by disputing doctrine of the Trinity. "Don't get angry," he says; "rather than have you condemn me to hell, I would believe in four persons." J817.2
• Foolish dog finds treasure and dies rather than leave it. J1061.3
• The burden of two asses. A king and his son hunting on a hot day put their fur coats on the fool's back. King: "You have an ass's load on you." Fool: "Rather the burdens of two asses." J1352.1
• The old man nods "Yes". A monk at an old man's deathbed asks if he hasn't promised this and that to the church. The old man from weakness rather than understanding nods "Yes". The son standing by asks, "Shall I throw this fellow down stairs?" The old man nods "Yes". J1521.2
• 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
• "Thank God they weren't peaches!" A man plans to take peaches as a present to the king. He is persuaded rather to take figs. They are green and the king has them thrown in his face. He is thankful that they weren't peaches. J2563
• Deceptive bargain: felling the tree. The ogre and the trickster agree to fell a large tree. The trickster purposely dulls his axe on a stone and then asks the ogre to exchange. Rather than work with a dull axe, the ogre does all the work. K178
• Escape by use of substituted object. The object is attacked rather than the intended victim. K525
• The Lord above; the lord below. A husband returning home surprises a woman and her paramour and a numskull who has blundered in. The woman hides the numskull in the bed and the paramour under it. The husband, who is leaving on a journey, lifts his hands to heaven and says, "I commend you to the Lord above." – The numskull: "Commend her rather to the lord below!" K1525
• Woman saves herself from soldiers by receiving them joyfully rather than fearfully. K2361
• Modest choice proves good (simple unique privilege). Girl offered reward of five villages chooses rather to be only one on certain night to be allowed to have light in her house and to keep all animals who enter as hers. All kinds of livestock come. L212.4
• Poor girl chosen rather than the rich. Treasure follows. L213
• Old chosen rather than new. Fortunate choice. L214
• Vow to die rather than marry unwelcome suitor. M149.2
• Vow rather to die (on a spear) than to accept grace. (Cf. M165.) M161.4
• Rather die than go in the enemy's service. M161.5
• Rather die in battle than in bed. M161.6
• Vow rather to be cut in pieces than permit oneself to be bound. M166.2
• Prophecy: hero may win lady's love but die early. Chooses this rather than long life without her. M366
• Queen chosen to live rather than king so that she can bear an heir to the throne. Serpents alleged to tell by their death which shall die first: male serpent predicts king's death; female, queen's. King has male serpent killed. P17.2
• Wife chooses father rather than husband or son. (Cf. P253.3.) Only one can be saved; he alone is irreplaceable. P211.1
• Brother chosen rather than husband or son. Only one can be saved; he alone is irreplaceable. P253.3
• Criminal may fight against odds rather than be judicially executed. P513
• Life spared as reward for bravery and constancy. Centurion tells his enemies to kill him rather than attempt to win him. Q151.8
• Late husband chooses to remain in Purgatory rather than to return to his shrewish wife. T251.1.2
• Husband chooses to go to hell rather than join shrewish wife in heaven. T251.1.2.1
• Man had rather remain transformed to mule than to live with his shrewish wife. T251.1.3
• Thief overhears and oversees quarrel of two jealous wives. Arraigned before judge, he asks any punishment be given him rather than that of having two wives. T251.1.6
• Woman prefers to remain chaste rather than keep an impotent husband. (Cf. T271.1.) T311.2
• Girl commits suicide rather than marry man she does not love. T311.2.1
• Man sets fire to his house and perishes in it rather than accept Christianity. V328
• Man lets legs burn in fire rather than move them. W111.1.1
• Three lazy beggars burn alive rather than run away from burning castle. W111.1.1.4
• Man with stolen fig in his mouth submits to having cheek lanced rather than open his mouth. (Cf. J1842.2.) W111.5.8
• Man is so lazy that he starves rather than open his mouth for food to fall in when it falls from trees. W111.5.8.1
• Fox spoils his food rather than divide with ape. W152.1
• Man had rather be burned alive than to share food with a guest. W152.2
• Refusal to fight wounded enemy. Hero feels it dishonorable to fight with sorely wounded enemy, because it would be said he died of previous wounds rather than the ones hero might inflict. W215.2