37 motifs match “scratch”  ·  back to the chapters

• Scratching cats in hell. A671.2.13
• Man in the moon from scratches or paint. A751.5
• Man in the moon: moon's face scratched by hare in retaliation for injury to hare. (Cf. A2216.3.) A751.5.1
• Earth from worm scratched by creator's nails. A828
• Origin of swirling motion of water. Animals and birds scratch in it. A1118
• Death comes into the world by treachery of the gods: stick used by man for scratching his back is changed into cobra. A1335.14
• Chipmunk's back scratched: hence his stripes. As he is trying to escape, bear catches him with his claws and marks him permanently. (Cf. A2413.2.) A2217.2
• Why cock scratches for food. A2435.4.8.1
• Why hen scratches in ground. A2477.2
• Transformation by scratching. D565.10
• Magic white, red and yellow stone causes hail, sunshine or fire, according to which side is scratched. (Cf. D931.) D1540.2
• Magic scratching (itching). D2063.4
• Saint scratches surface of earth with his spear and treasures of gold and silver are revealed. D2157.1.1
• Giant comes to bake too soon; spills dough. Giant who has common oven with another thinks he hears companion in next valley scraping the kneading trough. He bakes his dough but finds he is too early and that he has only heard himself scratching. He spills the dough: hence fruitful soil. (Cf. F451.7.2, F455.3.5.) F531.3.7
• 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
• Witch begs man to scratch her back: kills him. (Cf. G262.) G269.1
• Witch scratches person. G269.15
• Hen put in witch's hair to scratch while maid escapes. G276.1
• Clandestine lover identified by scratches left on face by lady. H58.2
• Task: cutting down tree without scratching for stinging insects. (Scratches surreptitiously while gesticulating.) H1184
• Thief suspected of crawling through hole must take off clothes. He is full of scratches and confesses. J1141.7
• The cat in the warehouse. One of four companions is left in a warehouse to care for a cat which has a broken leg. Cat scratches self near flame and sets warehouse afire. The three must pay the one left behind. Broken leg could not walk and it was the three legs belonging to the three traders which caused the fire. J1175.1
• Trickster eats scratch-berries. Cause great itching. J2134.1
• Father tells son that he has been scratched by "hairy rascals" (monkeys). Son attacks hairy ascetics. J2484
• Deceptive scratching contest. K83
• Scratching contest: man's wife shows wounds. The man sends his wife to meet the ogre with whom he is to have a scratching contest. She tells the ogre that her husband has gone to have his nails sharpened. She shows him deep wounds that her husband has scratched on her body (obscene). The ogre leaves in terror. K83.1
• Scratching contest with devil: man's wife shows scratches in her oak table. K83.1.1
• Contest in scratching skin off each other: covering self with several ox-hides. K83.2
• Agreement not to scratch. In talking the trickster makes gestures and scratches without detection. K263
• Lucky shot with arrow – foot and ear of deer. Deer is scratching ear. N621
• Torturing by scratching. S187
• Tiger son of human mother scratches her and licks her blood. U128
• Cat beaten for not working. Lazy wife must hold cat and is scratched. W111.3.2
• If the wolf's tail breaks. Trickster and companion are wolf hunting. The companion goes into the wolf hole. The wolf comes. The other catches the wolf by the tail and the wolf scratches dust into the companion's eyes. "What a dust." – "If the wolf's tail breaks, you will see another kind of dust!" X1133.3.2
• Lie: cat scratches out bear's tongue. X1211.1
• The fat troll (wolf). A troll eats the watcher's five horses and finally the watcher himself. The master goes to investigate. The troll: "I ate the five horses, I ate the watcher, and I will eat you." Does so. Likewise the wife, servant, daughter, son, and dog. The cat scratches the troll open and rescues all. Z33.4
• Man sharpening his dao is bitten by a prawn. He cuts down a big bamboo; a fruit falls from bamboo and strikes a bird on the nape of the neck; the bird scratches up an ant's nest with his feet; the ant bites a wild boar in the eye; and the boar bears down upon a plantain tree where a bat dwells under a leaf; the bat seeks refuge in the ear of an elephant, and the elephant kicks down the house on an old woman. She rushes out and falls into a well. Z49.6.3