82 motifs match “threaten”  ·  back to the chapters

• Moon-god, overcome in contest with mortal, threatens to withold rain and game. A182.3.6
• Sun originally so hot that it threatens all life. A727.1
• Helpful animal killed (threatened) by ungrateful hero. B336
• "Bear's food." To urge on his horses a man threatens them with the bear, calling them "bear's food." The bear hears and comes for them. C25
• Child threatened with ogre. Latter takes child off. C25.1
• "Shame and disgrace" threatened for refusing love of forthputting woman. C929.1
• When changeling is threatened with burning, child is returned. (Cf. F321.1.4.3.) F321.1.4.5
• Fairies threaten watcher of sheep. F361.11
• Dwarfs threaten mortals. F451.5.2.8
• Ungrateful cannibal. Eats offered food and then threatens hosts. G85
• Witch overcome by threatening with sword. G275.15.1
• Killing trees threaten hero. H1522
• Association of rat with cat ceases as soon as mutual danger has passed. The rat threatened by the weasel and the owl allies himself with a cat caught in a net. Saved by the cat, he rescues the cat with precaution and then prudently renounces further relations with her. J426
• Minister threatens divine punishment to thief in congregation. The thief confesses. J1141.14
• Feigned madness unmasked by threatening man's child. J1149.1
• Testimony of unsuccessful suitor discredited. Adulteress is surprised in intrigue by unsuccessful suitor. He threatens to tell her husband. She tells her husband that the scorned suitor has accused her falsely of indiscretion with many men. When the suitor tells the husband he does not believe him. J1151.4
• Turtle released by man to carry him across stream. Threatens him midway. Fox to be judge. Feigns deafness and makes turtle come so near shore man jumps and saves self. J1172.4
• Execution escaped by threatening with malediction. J1189.2
• Where are the shoes? Fault-finding husband threatens to hit wife with shoes. She: "You will have to have some shoes first." J1545.3.2
• Man who continually threatens to leave wife mortified when she tells him to go; pretends his buffalo is dragging him home (after he does leave). J1545.3.3
• Numskull thinks boiling pot is threatening him: breaks pot. J1813.10
• Wolf waits in vain for the nurse to throw away the child. She has threatened to throw the child to the wolf. J2066.5
• Dog waits to be hit with meat. A butcher has threatened to hit him with a piece of meat. J2066.6
• A fool releases a bear while the master is away. The bear plays havoc. The master threatens to cut off the ears of the meddler. The fool asks his dog not to tell on him. J2191
• Supposed dead man on bier threatens his bearers. J2311.5.1
• The literal host: bread and salt. Guest finds that his host spoke literally when he invited him to share his bread and salt. Later, when the host threatens an importunate beggar, the guest advises the beggar to flee since the host means what he says. J2476
• Cornered paramour threatens the husband. Admits guilt. Husband: "Had you denied it I would have killed you!" J2626.1
• Deceptive bargain: the ogre and the copper coins. Every time the copper coin is paid out, the ogre must make a new one. The man buys an extensive property and pays with a large number of copper coins. He threatens to buy another and the ogre goes back on his contract. K183
• Robbers frightened by pretended cannibalism. Tricksters threaten to cook a robber. All the robbers flee in terror, leaving them their booty. K335.1.10
• Sons of thief frightened by threatening to bring the three strongest men to punish them. K335.1.11
• Magic statue betrays a thief by indirection. He has threatened to smash the head of the magic statue if it betrays him. The statue says, "Whoever would tell the truth now is likely to have his head smashed." K428
• Shepherd threatened by tiger says he will report matter to ass: tiger flees. K547.8
• Threatening tiger challenged to strength contest. Beguiled into holding wood for plow and is injured. K547.9
• Hero threatens tiger with plowshare and leads him into village. Frightens villagers. K547.11
• Escape from threatened captivity by pretending to send for object for captor. K551.25
• Wife accused of plan to escape weeps and threatens suicide so as to allay suspicion and escape. K579.1
• Princess made to speak desired words when hero threatens to report (falsely) her amorous conduct. K1271.1.2
• Man having seen woman and lover from roof threatens to tell about it; is paid to stop. K1271.1.4.1
• King induced to kiss horse's rump: trickster then threatens to tell. K1288
• Blinded slave's revenge. Threatens to jump from tower with lord's children unless lord blinds himself. Lord does so but slave jumps with children nevertheless. K1465
• The husband locked out. An adulteress returns home late at night and her husband refuses to admit her. She threatens to throw herself into the well. The husband goes after her. She enters the house and bars him out. K1511
• Husband hides in curtain to catch paramour. On entering, paramour threatens to kill husband if he should appear. K1514.4.2
• Boys threaten to harness tiger. They have jumped on him from behind and he cannot see. He buys them off. K1714
• Weak animal shows strong his own reflection and frightens him. Tells him that this animal is threatening to kill him. (Usually hare and lion.) K1715.1
• Bluff: small (lame) hero makes demon believe he is a god and threatens to eat him. Demon terrorized. K1715.7
• Hero threatens to pull the lake together with a rope. The ogre is intimidated. K1744
• Hero threatens to haul away the warehouse with a rope. The ogre is intimidated. K1745
• Trickster threatens to throw weight into a cloud: ogre intimidated. K1746
• Bear frightened away by man threatening to cleave its skull with his penis. He meets a woman who, upon being told what man had threatened, shows him a vestige of the cleaving she once got. Only partly healed. K1755.1
• Goat singing a threatening song bought off with food and jewels. K1767
• When he is looked at too threateningly hero feigns failing ability to go on horseback. K1777
• Herdsman threatens invasion with enormous herds: bought off. He hires himself as herdsman of all his master's flocks for ten years. He then sends notice to surrounding peoples that he is coming with his master's flocks to graze. They bribe him to stay away. K1784
• Fox threatens to catch bird, who feeds him her young as appeasement. He threatens to push down tree or to fly. K1788
• Sham physician cures people by threatening them with death. K1955.1
• Man behind the tree threatens his debtor. The latter thinks God is calling and repays the debt. K1971.2
• Villain brings (threatens to bring) naked servant to woman's house. Threat of false accusation of indiscretion forces woman to yield. K2112.4
• Devil frightened by threatening to bring mother-in-law. K2325
• Prophecy: danger to threatened newborn boy at his eighteenth year. M341.1.4.2
• Men hear father threaten to marry daughters to first comers. N455.12
• Tabu: fear of threatening animals while treasure is being raised. N553.5
• Son must threaten father before he will recognize him as son, even though he brings ring from his mother. P233.7
• Teacher threatens to curse pupils if they disobey. P343
• Faithful old dog threatened with death proves his worth and is spared. Q151.4
• Husband rubs off paint from wife's cheeks. Threatens to scrape them the next time. Q331.2.1.3
• Impudent suitor or his messenger hanged or threatened with hanging. Q413.5.1
• Punishment of Tantalus. Stands in a pool that ever recedes from his thirsty lips; branches of fruit spring away from him; stone over his head continually threatens to fall. Q501.2
• Curse threatened to enforce demand. Q556.0.1
• Cruel fathers threaten to kill their children if they are of undesirable sex. S11.4.3
• Elder brother threatens to kill younger as soon as he is born. S73.1.3
• Scorned lover (woman) threatens to kill self. T81.2.1.1
• Magic perils threaten bridal couple. The perils are various – magic horse, poison, enchanted clothes, etc. T175
• Falling furniture threatens bridal couple. Furniture etc. arranged by jealous rival so that it will fall. T175.1
• Wife threatens husband with death if he will not tell secrets. T252.3
• Wife threatens suicide if she does not have her own way. T252.6
• Girl kills man who threatens her virtue. T320.2
• Princess threatens to kill amorous king. T322.2
• Woman disappointed in love threatens to become prostitute. T450.2
• God under compulsion: suppliant threatens to mutilate (crush) holy image if his wish is not fulfilled. V123.1
• Joseph and Mary threaten to leave heaven when the man who has always prayed to them is refused admittance. V254.6
• Saint threatens to take place of homicide in hell unless soul is released. W28.4
• Rescued animal threatens rescuer. W154.2.1
• Ugly cobbler continually threatens to throw his last at people. The object of jokes. X241