45 motifs match “something”  ·  back to the chapters

• Animal's seeking attitude from ancient loss. The ancient animal loses something. Its descendants are forever seeking for the lost object. This explains the characteristic bearing of certain animals. (Cf. A2471.) A2275.5
• Why animals continually seek something. (Cf. A2275.5.) A2471
• Tabu: birds feeding on hero's land without leaving him something. C566.2
• Transformation by placing something on head. D596
• Disenchantment by slinging against something. D712.2
• Resuscitation by slinging against something. E27
• Ghost summoned to get something from it. E387.2
• Life dependent on external object or event. Person's life is mystically connected with something else and comes to an end when that thing is destroyed. E765
• Fairy gift disappears or is turned to something worthless when tabu is broken. F348.0.1
• Persons who at night become nightmares. Those who are born on a Thursday and christened on a Sunday must at certain times (on Thursdays) press somebody or something. F471.1.5
• Riddle: what is the best time to eat? For the rich man, when he wishes; for the poor man, when he has something to eat. H659.17
• Task: bringing something ever-increasing (ambition); something ever-decreasing (life); something which neither increases nor decreases (one's fated lot); and something which both increases and decreases (universe). H1075
• Task: letting king hear something that neither he nor his subjects have ever heard. (Reads a letter from a foreign king demanding a loan.) H1182
• Naïve remark of child: "You forgot to strike mother." A father in habit of beating his wife remarks that he has forgot something. The child says, "I know. You forgot to strike mother." J122
• Choice: to do that which one knows or to learn something. J483
• Bishop fond of lawsuits is ordered by king to settle them: bishop pleads for a few to be left so that he will have something to live for. J552.2.1
• Thornbush blamed by fox for wounding him. He should have known better than to lay hold of something whose nature is to lay hold of others. J656.1
• I know not how. Sick man: "I came to a place I know not where; something happened I know not how; I am sick I know not where." Doctor: "Go to the pharmacy and buy I know not what, and eat it I know not how, and you will become well I know not when." J1431
• When Caleb comes. Man attempts to stay in haunted house all night. One cat after another enters, says, "Everything will be all right when Caleb comes, won't it?" (or something similar). Man finally says, "When Caleb comes, tell him I was here and left." He leaves. J1495.2
• Bargain: to render service for "something". Claimant has called dead cricket "something" and must be content. J1521.5.1
• Hostess says that she has no spoons. Otherwise she would be glad to give something to eat. A joker brings along the necessary spoons. J1561.4.1
• "Cause liberality to be depicted." Answer of hungry man when host asks for suggestion for a picture to be painted of something that has not been seen. J1576
• Animal or person mistaken for something else. J1760
• Blind men and elephant. Four blind men feel an elephant's leg, tail, ear and body, respectively, and conclude it is like a log, a rope, a fan, and something without beginning or end. J1761.10
• A fool given money to buy something to eat; goes around asking for a thing called "something." J1805.4
• Old woman demands something that she would remember all her life: her nose cut off. J2072.6
• Fool exchanges his wife with ox; thinks something to be wrong with her head (she has been marked with red at the parting of her hair). J2081.3
• The thief as discoverer. The fool lies still as the thief enters the house, hoping that the thief may find something so that he can take it back from the thief. J2223
• Numskull told to steal something heavy brings millstone. J2461.1.7
• Boy asked to do something to cool women's ears breaks vessels they carry so milk in them can cool their ears off. J2469.4
• Literal fool – something you have never experienced. J2469.5
• Literal obedience: soldier breaks woman's oil pot in two with sword when she asks him to show her something she never has seen in life. J2469.5.2
• Payment with "something or other." Offered money, fools insist on "something or other." J2489.10
• Destructive magic object tried out on something inanimate. K525.8
• Fencer calls opponent's attention to something behind him: when opponent looks around he cuts off his head. K832.2
• Holding down the hat. Dupe persuaded to guard hat supposed to cover something valuable. It covers a pile of dung. (Dupe's goods are sometimes stolen.) K1252
• Sham threat: something he has never done before. Beggar says, "If you do not give me alms I shall have to do something I have never done before." The alms are given and he is asked what he would have had to do. "Work." K1771.3
• Sham wise man hides something and is rewarded for finding it. K1956.2
• Death in the graveyard; person's clothing is caught; the person thinks something awful is holding him; he dies of fright. N384.2
• Each of four kings does something to save dying falcon. N836.2
• Parents successively bury alive their sons who mention something about smith's, potter's, washerman's, and tom-tom beater's trade, but keep fifth child who says something about being future king. S311.1
• Love through sight of something belonging to unknown princess. T11.4
• Learning a trade in bed. Working independently, the lazy fellow spoils the materials received – starts making something big, which at the end turns to nothing. For example, begins with forging a plough: this becomes an axe, the axe a knife, and knife a needle, the needle – nothing. (Cf. J2080.) W111.5.9
• Man interrupted each time he tries to eat something. X12
• Barber alone praises usurer. Custom not to bury dead until someone has something good to say about him. No one will praise a dead usurer until a barber is willing to say that he had a good beard. X511