25 motifs match “useful”  ·  back to the chapters

• Culture hero spares certain evil spirits. Old Age, Cold, Poverty, and Hunger beg the culture hero not to destroy them because of their real usefulness to man. A531.1
• Culture hero creates useful animals. A1703
• Animal useful because of power of scenting. A2512
• Animal useful for bearing burdens. A2515
• Punishment for first murder: thistles, etc. Until murder was committed, only useful plants grew on earth; since then, thistles. (Cf. A2688.1.) A2631.1
• Riddle: what is most useful? H659.11
• What is most useful? Excellence. H659.11.1
• Choice between useful and ornamental. J240
• Useful wins contest over beautiful. J242
• Pine and thornbush dispute as to their usefulness. Beauty of form does not give worth; pine grows slowly but it will withstand storms. J242.2
• Usefulness better than speed. J243
• Useful and ugly preferred to expensive and beautiful. J245
• Wolf does not mind the dust. Told that dust from flock of sheep will annoy him; he finds it useful. J352.1
• Laurel and olive tree scorn thornbush as umpire in their dispute as to who is most useful. J411.7
• Senseless debate of the mutually useful. J461
• The belly and the members. Debate as to their usefulness. All mutually useful. J461.1
• Tail and head of serpent quarrel as to usefulness. J461.1.1
• Tobacco, pipe, and match debate usefulness to smoker. J461.3
• Deer, opossum, and snake each render indispensable aid to man. Foolishly debate their usefulness. J461.4
• Senseless debates about usefulness. J466
• Fire burns man who doesn't understand it. Useful when one knows how to use it. J834
• Cock killed by his captors in spite of his plea of usefulness to man. U33
• Man who insists on using everything that is useful. W152.14
• Thrifty merchant tells son that even a snake laid by will be useful. W216.1
• Gray hair the symbol of departed usefulness. Z155