Search
Motifs
- Counterquestions. Riddles answered by a question that reduces the riddle to an absurdity. H571
- Reductio ad absurdum of task. When an impossible task is given, the hero responds with a countertask so absurd as to show the manifest absurdity of the original task. (Cf. H1023.3.1, H1024.1.1.1.) H952
- Wisdom from fool: absurdity of tight-rope walker's performance. J156.2
- Husband discredited by absurd truth. Wife puts fish in furrow where husband plows them up (or like absurdity). At mealtime the husband says, "Where are the fish?" – "What fish?" – "Those I plowed up." He is laughed to scorn. J1151.1.2
- Reductio ad absurdum: the decision about the colt. A man ties his mare to a second man's wagon. The mare bears a colt which the wagon-owner claims, saying that the wagon has borne a colt. Real owner of the colt shows the absurdity (1) by fishing in the street or (2) by telling that his wife is shooting fish in the garden. Neither of these things are so absurd as the decision. J1191.1
- Tide inquires whether moon is up. Minnow seeing absurdity of question (since tide could not be up without the moon) tells the tide to wait till he gets a drink and he will tell. J1292
- 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
- Absurdity: sea (river) is on fire. Not more absurd than crow claiming swan as wife. J1293.1.1
- One absurdity rebukes another. J1530
- Adulteress's absurdity rebuked. J1532
- [First Edition: J1533.1. Absurdity: mill has given birth to calf. – Oats planted on sea-shore for fish to eat.] J1533.1[1st ed.]
- Ruler's absurdity rebuked. J1536
- Absurdity of entrusting military mission to bishop. Courtier rebukes king by asking that he be given an ecclesiastical post. J1536.1
- Absurdity of trying to convert king to Hinduism – like making cow of donkey or black dog into white. J1536.2
- One absurdity rebukes another – miscellaneous. J1539
- Logical absurdity based upon certain false assumptions. J2210
- Absurdity based on the nature of the object. X1780