70 motifs match “wishes”  ·  back to the chapters

• Deity's messenger can assume any guise he wishes. A165.2.0.1
• Beetle makes immoderate request; ant moderate: inverse awards. Creator hears wishes of animals. Beetle wants strong, noble appearance. Ant is modest. Beetle punished by being made to creep on ground. Ant is given own castle. (Cf. A2441.3.1.) A2232.3
• Animals ring bell and demand justice. A king has a bell which petitioners for justice may ring and thus summon him. The bell is rung by a serpent which is being menaced by a turtle (or by an old horse who wishes to complain against a cruel master). B271.3
• The Old Man and Death. Weary old man wishes for death. When Death appears at the summons he asks for help with the load. C11
• Mother wishes lazy daughter may marry devil. Devil appears and marries her. C12.4.1
• Tabu: speaking while gathering fernseed to make wishes come true, at midnight on Christmas Eve when fernseed ripens and falls immediately. C401.5
• Tabu: making unreasonable requests. Given power of fulfilling all wishes, person oversteps moderation and is punished. C773.1
• Transformation to likeness of ruler. Man so uses the last of three wishes granted to him. D41.1
• "Witch bone" enables possessor to control animals in any way he wishes. D1442.8
• Magic wishing-object. Object causes wishes to be fulfilled. D1470.1
• Magic ass's head fulfills wishes. (Cf. D1011.0.2.) D1470.1.7
• Magic coin fulfills wishes. (Cf. D1288.) D1470.1.28
• Self-grinding mill. Grinds whatever owner wishes. (Cf. D1263, D1470.) D1601.21
• Magic island moves about as owner wishes. (Cf. D936.) D1643.3
• Wishes granted without limit. D1761.0.1
• Limited number of wishes granted. D1761.0.2
• Man to have wishes if he can repeat them in one breath. D1761.0.2.1
• 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 returns to enforce its burial wishes or to protest disregard of them. E419.8
• Ghost laid when its wishes are acceded to. E459.3
• Wraith does what person wishes to do but is unable to do in the flesh. E723.4
• Fairies make good wishes for newborn child. (Cf. F316.) F312.1.1
• Fairies give fulfillment of wishes. F341
• Dwarf wishes death to mortal who throws water on his dunghill home. F451.4.4.3.1
• Devil has shining teeth. Girl wishes to marry man whose teeth shine. Such a man appears and they marry. When he removes his hat she finds he is the devil. G303.4.1.5.1
• Jinn unseen by anyone except person(s) he wishes should see him. G307.2.2
• Witch wishes to have as pretty teeth as man: drinks boiling oil. G525.1
• Vanquished ogre grants hero's three wishes. G665
• Princess will marry whoever will give her anything she wishes for a month. H313.1
• Three brothers contest in wishing. Third wishes for all that the other brothers have wished for. H507.3.1
• 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
• King questions six doctors: what do you like best of all on earth? That man has not what he wishes to have. J171.2.1
• Prime minister bribes priest to persuade king that ocean of milk he wishes sought for had curdled. J811.5
• Execution evaded by using three wishes. King ordains that guest who turns his plate shall be executed, but orders that anyone so condemned shall have three wishes granted. One of the wishes: to have all blinded who saw him turn the plate. He is freed. J1181.1
• Execution evaded by having three wishes granted: to be emperor, judge and the emperor's son-in-law during the last week of his life. As judge he frees himself and is in reality freed. J1181.2
• Confession made easy. Peasant sees priest at work in the fields. Tells him he wishes to confess. He is told to put money in the box and take the same penance as the year before. J1263.7
• Show me how it is done. Wronged woman thus addresses ruler, who is indifferent to insults directed at him. She wishes to be shown how to bear insults. This rebukes him. J1284.1
• Little bird as large bird's mate. A large bird wishes to mate with a little bird. The latter says that she is going to swallow a large eel. The large bird sees the absurdity of his proposal. J1293.1
• Suitor brings own lamp. Mother of girl tells suitor that she cannot have him burning her midnight oil. The next night he brings his own lamp and a can of oil, tells her he will stay all night if he wishes. J1575.1
• Absurd wishes. J2070
• Three foolish wishes. Three wishes will be granted: used up foolishly. J2071
• Short-sighted wish: camel wishes a long neck. Killed by jackals. J2072.5
• Same wishes used wisely and foolishly. Given to two persons with opposite results. J2073
• Twice the wish to the enemy. (The covetous and the envious). A can have a wish, but B will get twice the wish. A wishes that he may lose an eye, so that B may be blind. J2074
• The transferred wish. A husband, given three wishes, transfers one to his wife, who wastes it on a trifle; in his anger he wishes the article in her body and must use the third to get it out. J2075
• Two transferred wishes used unwisely: redeemed by wise use of third. Wife uses two transferred wishes selfishly. Husband kills wife and uses remaining wish to his advantage. J2075.2
• Wife granted wish for beauty, elopes with prince. Husband wishes her into a pig; son must use third wish to restore her. J2075.4
• Absurd wishes – miscellaneous. J2079
• Wife wishes to be turned to gold. J2079.1
• Priest beats wife before purchasing food since he wishes her to cook it in particular way. J2175.1.1
• Warrior reveals camping place. Wishes his enemies to know that he is not afraid. Enemies go there before him. J2366
• Deceptive bargain: three wishes. The ogre is to fulfill three wishes of the peasant. The latter wishes for all the tobacco and brandy in the world and then some more brandy in addition. The devil must admit failure. K175
• Thief pretends to horse dealer that he wishes to buy a horse. Dealer allows him to climb on horse to see how he rides; thief runs off with horse. K341.8.2
• Woman's father and brothers kill her husband in sleep for having married against their wishes. K959.2.1
• Obscene tricks are played on repugnant simpleton who wishes to marry. K1218.9
• Girl tells physician-seducer she cannot meet his wishes until after he bathes. Prepares the bath herself and pours acid into it. K1227.4.1
• The bag of lies: threat to tell of queen's adultery. The boy, who is to tell the bag of lies, is stopped and his wishes granted. K1271.1.1
• Man wishes to learn and gains entrance to learned girl's presence in woman's disguise. K1321.1.3
• Heaven entered by trick: "wishing sack" thrown in. Trickster wishes himself in the sack. K2371.1.3
• Demon enters person and refuses to leave until wishes have been fulfilled. K2385
• Person sells soul to devil in return for the granting of wishes. M211.9
• Wishes for good fortune realized. N202
• Abducted princess wishes that she were with rejected suitor; discovers that she is. N425
• King's (prince's) sulking chamber. He sulks here until his wishes are carried out. P14.6
• During rainy spring, farmer wishes that Lord would sleep till harvest time. Farmer himself sleeps until all neighbors have finished harvesting. When he wakes, he finds his crops ruined. (Cf. Q235.) Q585.3
• An old maid promises the devil her first born. She wishes to get a husband. S223.3
• Exposure in jungle for refusing to marry according to father's wishes. S322.1.2.1
• Old teacher wishes to marry his young girl pupil. T91.4.1.1
• Peasant wishes to exchange places with monks. Thinks they lead a very easy life. One night's experience in the monastery makes him change his mind. U119.2
• Bishop willing to admit castrated man as monk: wishes all were in the same condition. X457.1