52 motifs match “stupid”  ·  back to the chapters

• Sun and moon brothers: sun clever, moon stupid. A736.3.2
• Why animal is stupid. A2537
• Why fish is stupid. A2537.1
• Why ass is stupid. A2537.2
• Wise mother eagle distinguishes between stupid and intelligent eaglets. B122.5
• The stupid house spirit. F488
• Devil. (The Devil, Satan, The Bad Man, Old Nick, etc.) Not clearly differentiated, especially in German tradition, from the stupid ogre. (See also F531 (Giant), G100–199 and G500–699.) G303
• The stupid devil. G303.13
• Stupid ogre. G501
• Stupid ogre duped into cutting off his own buttocks. G528
• Three stupid things for men to do (various answers). H871.1
• Quest for three persons as stupid as his wife. H1312.1
• Stupid fear company of clever. J423
• Futility of trying to teach the stupid. J1064
• Why soldier is silent before king: is always so when questioned by stupid person. [Inadvertant duplication of J1714.5.] J1369.5
• Stupid wife. J1701
• Stupid husband. J1702
• Stupid classes. J1705
• Stupid peasant. J1705.1
• Stupid (ignorant) Brahmin. J1705.2
• Stupid animals. J1706
• Tiger as stupid beast. J1706.1
• Author believes that his book must be stupid. Stupid people and gossipers are praising it. J1714.4
• Man wants roasted honeycomb. Unwilling to admit that he does not know what a honeycomb is, a stupid man asks the innkeeper's wife to roast a slice of honeycomb. J1731.2
• 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
• All sins since the birth of Christ. A stupid man at confession says, "I confess myself guilty of all sins that I have committed since Christ's birth." "Are you so old?" "Yes, and I have a brother who is three years older than I." J1743.1
• Stupid husband mistakes tiger-cubs for jungle cats despite wife's judgment. J1758.6
• Stupid servant cooks all the rice for one meal. J1813.9.1
• Stupid woman swims on the roof. J1972
• Stupid boy convinced that trading all his silver for worthless cup will gain people's respect. J2096
• Stupid giant, seeing how fat he has become, wants to eat himself up. J2119.5
• Stupid cowherds apply hot iron to temples of unconscious man to revive him. J2119.7
• Looking through the gun barrel. The numskull (stupid ogre) is shot. J2131.4.1
• Literal fool carries the harrow in his hand. He has killed a sparrow by his stupidity and has been told that he should have carried it in his hand. J2461.1.6
• Asking favor when master is in good humor. Fool waits till master is laughing at servant's stupidity. J2461.8
• Making money. "Rupees make more rupees." Stupid peasant sticks his sole rupee in hole and loses it. J2489.12
• Three stupid sons sent out into the world to learn trades: hunter kills his father; musician plays and dances at his father's death, etc. J2499.7
• The fool betrays his brothers. They escape but he is captured and stupidly betrays their hiding places. J2668
• Deceptive crop division: above the ground, below the ground. Of root crops the ogre (stupid animal) chooses the tops; of other crops the roots. (Cf. J242.8.) K171.1
• New bags for old! Recovery of the old bag (containing money or having magic power) which the stupid wife has given away. The husband exchanges a new bag for it. K266
• Seduction by feigned stupidity. Cautious farmer seeks laborer who knows nothing about sex. Trickster makes silly explanation of copulation of animals. When admitted into service, seduces both farmer's wife and daughter. K1327
• Sharp man pretends to be stupid so as to be included in plans and conversation of plotters. K1818.3.3
• Stupid youngest son becomes clever. L21
• Stupid hero. (Cf. Z253.) L121
• Stupid person surpasses clever. L141
• The stupid monk recovers the stolen flocks. A nobleman steals the abbot's flocks, saying that the monks have no use for them since they eat no meat. The most learned of the monks tries to recover them, but without success. The most stupid is then sent. Asked to dinner, he eats till he can hold no more. He tells the nobleman that he ate as much as possible since he could take back with him only what he had in his stomach. The nobleman pleased with the reply returns the flocks. L141.1
• Hero stupid at games but fleet of foot. L141.3
• By hiding, stupid son overhears conversation and claims magic power for bamboo cup. N455.10
• Stupid man grabs tiger in the dark, ties it up, and saddles it, believing it to be a horse. It happens to be the tiger for whose capture a reward has been offered. N691.1.2
• Mother (eagle) casts out dull, stupid changeling; rears bold, energetic son. P231.6
• Child cast out because of his stupidity. S327
• Stupid man tries to take honey from jug at night while visiting. Series of accidents. X431.1