31 motifs match “worthless”  ·  back to the chapters

• Valuable object turns to worthless, for breaking tabu. C967
• Magic object to be chosen from among identical worthless objects. Insect helps in choice. D859.5
• Magic object exchanged for worthless. Foolish brother (wife) exchanges old object for new. D871.1
• Fairy gift disappears or is turned to something worthless when tabu is broken. F348.0.1
• Seemingly worthless gifts of water-spirits turn to gold. (Cf. F451.5.1.4. and cross references there given.) F420.5.1.7.2
• Dwarfs' gold. Seemingly worthless gift given by dwarfs turns to gold. F451.5.1.4
• Gaelic titles given to the devil: the worthless one; the one whom I will not mention; yon one; the one big one; the one from the abyss; the mean mischievous one; the big sorrow; the son of cursing; the big grizzled one; the bad one; the bad spirit; Black Donald. G303.2.4
• King: Show me a ruby eight for a pice, nectar eight for a pice, and a faithless creature worth one-eighth of a pice. Minister: The lamp sells at eight for a pice and gives more light than any ruby; the water is the real nectar; and the dog is worthless and faithless lover because he follows anyone who feeds him. H587.1
• Foolish bargain: good fish for worthless shell; shell with pearl in it for small fish. J2081.2
• The persuasive auctioneer. The auctioneer praises the man's worthless cow so much in his speech that the man takes her back himself. J2087
• Boy refuses pearls for worthless stones; jeweler recognizes them for what they are. J2093.3.1
• Stupid boy convinced that trading all his silver for worthless cup will gain people's respect. J2096
• Trickster, as watchman, exchanges worthless bag for bag of gold at night. K126
• Sale of worthless animals. K130
• Other worthless animals sold. K139
• Sale of other worthless objects. K140
• Sale of worthless glass as diamond. K142
• Worthless fruits (plants) sold. K147
• Sale of worthless objects – miscellaneous. K149
• Sale of worthless services. K150
• Debt with worthless bond repudiated. K231.5
• Payment in worthless goods which are alleged to be valuable goods transformed. K249.4
• Deceptive wager: whose horse will jump highest. The trickster has his worthless horse jump out the window. The duke will not let his run the risk. K264.1
• Worthless object (animal) substituted for valuable while owner sleeps. K331.3
• Robber mistakenly carries off worthless goods and leaves valuable. K421
• Trickster's confederate gives fabulous appraisal to worthless piece of glass. Priest is duped into buying it as a diamond. K451.4
• Worthless chests offered to obtain credit. K455.9
• Cheating by substitution of worthless articles. K476
• Lover's gift regained: spending money to purchase lover's worthless goods. K1581.9
• Lover's gift regained: payment with worthless money. Lover bargains with the husband. Pays him with worthless money. K1581.10
• Only one oath binding. It must be by so and so or else it is worthless. M115