34 motifs match “silence”  ·  back to the chapters

• Seven days silence in whole universe at the end of the world. A1057
• Tabu: speaking during seven days of danger. As result of prophecy of seven days of danger, an injunction of silence is imposed during this period. C401.2
• Silence preserved in fairyland. C405
• Disenchantment by maintaining silence. D758
• Disenchantment by three nights' silence under punishment. D758.1
• Disenchantment by maintaining silence for a year or more. D758.2
• Saint's song silences hound. (Cf. D1275.) D1442.5
• Sounding bell silenced by a gesture by a saint. D1601.18.1.2
• Mentula loquens. A man's member speaks and can be silenced only by his mother-in-law. D1610.6.2
• Silence under punishment breaks power of enchantment. D1741.3
• Power of wild hunt evaded by silence. E501.17.4.4
• Voyage to Island of Silence. F129.4.6
• Two years of silence imposed on suitor. H317.2
• Literary contest won by deception: he who will be first silenced is the loser. When the false teacher answers in nonsense syllables, the true scholar is speechless and so loses contest. H507.6
• Endurance test: hero maintains silence in the snake pit. H1506
• Value of silence. J1074
• Parson's apology for not answering challenge: I have never regretted silence but have often regretted speech. J1074.1
• Silence points to guilt. Important man quarrels with commoner. Asks bystanders: "Who is right?" Silence. Newcomer states that the important man is wrong. "Had he been right the others would have said so." J1141.8
• Clever thief may keep booty. He has seen his victim in a disgraceful position and is allowed the booty as a price for his silence. J1211.2
• The silence wager. A man and his wife make a wager as to who shall speak first (close the door). The man (woman) becomes jealous and scolds; loses the wager. J2511
• Silence wager: man and wife taken for dead. Stand up when king offers reward for information about their death. J2511.1.2
• Numskulls make silence wager. Arrested as thieves. J2511.2
• Clever wife gets money from those who attempt to seduce her. Payment for keeping silence. K443.2
• Trickster exacts promise of marriage as price of silence after having seen a princess naked. K443.6
• Trickster exacts money as price of silence after lying with princess (queen). K443.6.2
• Priest induced to betray secrets of confessional: money then exacted from him for silence. The trickster confesses that he has had intimacies with the priest's maid and then overhears the priest scold the maid. K443.8
• Rascal extorts money for silence about companion's poverty. K443.10
• Rascal extorts money for silence about breach of food tabu. K443.13
• After seducing priest's wife, peasant demands earrings as price of silence. He thus avenges himself on priest who has cheated peasant's wife of her earrings. K1582.1
• Thief hears owner of house singing "Bore and throw out the earth" and thinks himself detected. Offers owner money to purchase his silence. N611.4
• Hanging as punishment for silence about hidden treasure. Q413.7
• A gift of property silences criticism. A priest who has preached against lucrative places given the clergy is silent when he receives one. U21.2
• Church bell cannot be raised because silence is broken. (Cf. C401.4.) V115.1.3.1
• Maintaining silence as ascetic practice. V462.1