81 motifs match “usually”  ·  back to the chapters

• Thunderbird. A mythical giant bird usually thought of as a thunder-god. A284.2
• Raising of the sky. Originally the sky is near the earth (usually because of the conjunction of the sky-father and earth-mother). It is raised to its present place. A625.2
• Sun as man who left earth. Man, usually of supernatural birth, ascends to the sky and becomes the sun. A711
• World catastrophe. The world is destroyed. The incidents are usually the same whether a final destruction is thought of or a destruction which may be overcome by a renewal of the earth. A1000
• Insects from body of slain monster. Usually the monster is burnt; sometimes the insects come from his head, sometimes from his body as it burns. (Cf. A1716.1.) A2001
• Shepherd transformed to bird still calls sheep: explanation of bird cries. Usually told of hoopoe and bittern. (Cf. A1952, A1965.2, A2275.3, A2425, A2426.2.3, A2426.2.4.) A2261.1
• Basilisk hatched from cock's egg. Usually, a seven-year-old cock. Egg must lie in manure. (Cf. B11.1.1.) B12.1
• Animal usually harmless has horns. B15.3.4
• Congenital helpful animal. Born at same time as master and (usually) by same magic means. B311
• Tabu: kissing. Usually causes disenchantment or magic forgetfulness. (Cf. D735, D2003.) C120
• Werwolf. A man changes periodically into the form of a wolf. He is usually malevolent when in wolf form. D113.1.1
• Transformation to lure hunters to certain place. Usually fairyland. D659.10
• Bathing hair in buffalo milk makes it unusually long. D1337.1.3.1
• Sleepless watcher magically put to sleep. Usually has a magic watchful eye, which remains awake while his many other eyes sleep. (Argus). D1961
• Tormenting by sympathetic magic. Person (usually witch) tormented by abusing an animal or object. The usual methods of abuse are burning or sticking with pins. D2063.1.1
• Person charged with keeping birds from the crops confines them in barn (usually roofless) by magic while he goes to town. D2072.0.2.2.1
• Magic spinning. Usually performed by a supernatural helper. D2183
• Resuscitation by dismemberment. (Cf. E30, E32.) (Usually combined with burning; cf. E15.) E14
• Resuscitation by shooting arrow. (Usually combined with E25.) E61
• The Dead Rider (Lenore). Dead lover returns and takes sweetheart with him on horseback. She is sometimes saved at the grave by the crowing of the cock, though the experience is usually fatal. E215
• Dead spouse's malevolent return. Usually to protest with survivor because of evil ways. E221
• Wandering ghost makes attack. Unprovoked and usually unmotivated. E261
• The Vanishing Hitchhiker. Ghost of young woman asks for ride in automobile, disappears from closed car without the driver's knowledge, after giving him address to which she wishes to be taken. Driver asks person at address about the rider, finds she has been dead for some time. (Often driver finds that ghost has made similar attempts to return, usually on anniversary of death in automobile accident. Often ghost leaves some item such as a scarf or a traveling bag in car.) E332.3.3.1
• Ghost laid by group of ministers. By prayer and services, usually with "bell, book, and candle" or some modification of the procedure. E443.2.4.1
• Cohabitation of living person and ghost. This usually involves sexual relations. (Cf. E321.2, E322.6, E339, E378.) E474
• Soul hidden in a series of coverings. This motif is combined with several others. Usually the soul will be hidden in an egg, in a duck, in a well, in a church, or a similar series. E713
• Life token. (Cf. E760.) Object (animal, person) has mystic connection with the life of a person, so that changes in the life-token indicate changes in the person, usually disaster or death. E761
• Journey to see deity. Usually to the upper world. F12
• Journey to animal kingdom. Usually underground. F127
• Fairyland under hollow knoll. Usually entered under roots of trees. F211
• Fairies with unusually large ears. F232.3
• Changeling. Fairy steals child from cradle and leaves fairy substitute. Changeling is usually mature and only seems to be a child. F321.1
• Changeling betrays his age when his wonder is excited. Usually pottage is boiled in an eggshell. The changeling: "I shall soon be a hundred years old but I never saw this done before!" F321.1.1.1
• Trolls are usually ugly, hideous, big and strong. F455.2.2
• Unbaptized children as nightmares. When caught, they beg baptism. Usually they are murdered illegitimates. F471.1.3
• Ladder of bones. (Usually bones are stuck in side of steep and slippery mountain.) F848.3
• Prodigious weeping. Usually by saint. F1051
• Monsters. Usually not clearly defined. See this entire chapter on ogres. G301
• Demons. Malevolent creatures (not usually further defined). G302
• Recognition of captive's voice brings about rescue from ogre. Usually captive sings in the bag. G556
• Ogre sings constantly, usually own name. G652
• Recognition by overheard conversation (usually with animals or objects). Person not daring to reveal self directly thus attracts attention and recognition. H13
• Vindication by champion. Usually noble lady or king accused. H218.0.1
• Tasks imposed. A person's prowess is tested by assigning him certain tasks (usually impossible or extremely difficult) to be performed either to escape punishment or to receive a valuable reward. H900
• Men shamed for their cowardice by woman standing naked before them. (Usually connected with Jus Primae Noctis [T161]). J87
• King questions six doctors: what must you most marvel at on earth? That those who speak of spiritual matters are usually the most depraved. J171.2.5
• Trickster overhears man praying for death to take him; the trickster appears at man's house, usually in disguise, says he is God (or the devil). The man tells him to take his wife (or he runs away). (Compare C11 for a similar situation in which Death appears.) J217.0.1.1
• Numskulls cannot find their own legs. A stranger helps them with a switch. (Usually get them mixed up when they sit down to bathe their feet.) J2021
• The eye-juggler. A trickster sees a man throwing his eyes into the air and replacing them. He also receives this power but he must not use the power beyond a specified number of times. When he does so, he loses his eyes. He usually gets animal eyes as substitutes. J2423
• The bungling host. A trickster (animal) visits various animals who display their peculiar powers in obtaining food (often magic). He returns the invitation and tries to provide food in similar ways. He fails and usually has a narrow escape from death. (Cf. J2411.3.) J2425
• Fool keeps repeating his instructions so as to remember them. (He usually forgets them.) J2671.2
• The goose without a leg. Accused of eating the goose's leg, the thief maintains that it had no leg, and cleverly enforces his point by showing geese standing on one leg. (Usually the master confounds the rascal by frightening the geese so that they use both legs) K402.1
• Substitute in ordeal. An ordeal (usually dangerous) is escaped by deceptively providing a substitute. K528
• Animal captor persuaded to talk and release victim from his mouth. Usually cock and fox, fox and wolf, or mouse and cat. K561.1
• The three teachings of the bird (fox). In return for release from captivity the bird (fox) gives the man three teachings. These usually mock the man for his foolishness in releasing what he has. (See for these counsels: J21.12, J21.13, J21.14.) K604
• Trickster rides dupe horseback. Usually by feigning sickness he induces the dupe to carry him and then boasts that the dupe always acts as his horse. K1241
• Beggar buys right to sleep before the girl's door, at foot of bed, in the bed. Usually with jewel. K1361
• Husband unwittingly instrumental in wife's adultery. (Usually shares his bedmate with others, not knowing that she is his wife.) K1544
• 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
• Humble disguise. (Cap o' Rushes, Peau d'âne Allerleirauh.) Usually in rough clothing. (Cf. K521.4.3, K1812, K1816.) K1815
• Impostors abandon hero in lower world. Usually let rope drop on which he is to be raised. K1931.2
• Woman slandered as adulteress (prostitute). (Usually by unsuccessful suitor.) (Crescentia, Genoveva, Susanna.) K2112
• Treacherous relatives. Distinction between treacherous relatives and cruel relatives (S0–S99) is frequently impossible to make. Relatives whose treachery seems to be uppermost have been listed here; those usually possessing power over their charges and exercising their power in a cruel fashion have been listed under cruel relatives. K2210
• Treacherous brother. Usually elder brother. K2211
• Treacherous sister. Usually elder sister. K2212
• Unpromising hero (male Cinderella). Usually, but not always, the unpromising hero is also the youngest son. L101
• Unpromising heroine. Usually, but not always, the youngest daughter. L102
• Modest request: present from the journey. Asked what her father shall bring her as a present, the heroine chooses a modest gift. It is usually a flower but sometimes does not turn out to be such a simple gift after all (golden cloak, golden apple). L221
• King is superior to all in strength, beauty, largeness, etc., and usually has victory. P12.10
• Gods (saints) in disguise reward hospitality and punish inhospitality. Usually the hospitable person is poor, the inhospitable rich. Q1.1
• Whale-boat. A man is carried across the water on a whale (fish). (He usually deceives the whale as to the nearness of the land or as to hearing thunder. As a consequence the whale runs into the shore or is killed by lightning.) R245
• Exposure in boat. A person (usually woman or child) set adrift in a boat (chest, basket, cask). S141
• The bride must have someone to give her away, usually her father or brother. T135.7
• Bridegroom driven from bridal chamber by magic. Usually by hornets or wasps. T171
• Imprisoned virgin to prevent knowledge of men (marriage, impregnation). Usually kept in a tower. (Danaë.) T381
• Wolf unjustly accuses lamb and eats him. When all the lamb's defenses are good the wolf asserts the right of the strong over the weak. (Usually accused of stirring up water from lower in stream.) (Cf. U141.) U31
• Would not lie for a trifle. Liar tells of shooting large number of animals with one shot (an odd number, usually 99). When asked why he did not make it a round number (or an even hundred), he replies indignantly that he would not lie for one pigeon (rabbit). X906
• Lie: animals live inside great vegetable, usually feeding from it. X1401.1
• Lie: the great cabbage. (Usually matched by tale of great pot to put cabbage in.) X1423.1
• "Runs." Conventional passages of set form within a tale, usually recited in a different voice from the rest. Z14
• Red as blood, white as snow, (and black as a raven). Usually applied to the cheeks, skin, and hair of a girl's lover. Z65.1.1