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Motifs — first 20 of 143
- God makes things and tosses them into the air; what he catches is good for mankind, what opponent catches is bad. A67
- Female deities as fly-catchers. A132.6.4
- Sun-snarer: burnt mantle. A boy is angered because the sun burned his mantle. He makes a snare and catches the sun and delays him so that everything is burning up. A mouse finally gnaws the snare in two. A728.1
- Earth from nut in devil's mouth. God throws a nut over his left shoulder. The devil catches it in his mouth. The nut grows rapidly and the devil spits it out. A835
- First created man catches woman in his snare. A1275.10
- Origin of custom of catching fish by day as well as by night. A1457.2
- Custom of catching fish with nets. A1527
- Caste determined by what kind of tree one catches while crossing a river. A1651.2
- Gull from transformed cat. A cat catches a strong fish with her claws. The fish carries the cat on its back to the sea, where the gull originates from the cat. (Cf. A1710.) A1945.1
- Chipmunk's back scratched: hence his stripes. As he is trying to escape, bear catches him with his claws and marks him permanently. (Cf. A2413.2.) A2217.2
- Bush loses clothes in shipwreck: hence catches passerby looking for clothes. (Cf. A2792.1.) A2741.4
- Magic spider catches pearls. B109.1
- Faithful horse allows only its master to catch and ride it. B301.4.4
- Eagle catches gazelle's young as it is born. B754.7.2
- Cat must be kept from dying person because it will catch the person's soul issuing (from mouth) in form of mouse. (Cf. E731.3.) B766.1.1
- Husband ties a cock near wife's feet: snake-parasite in her stomach comes out to catch the cock and is killed by husband. B784.2.1.2
- Tabu: eating of magic catch before mother does. C231.3.1
- Compulsion to catch blackbird alive yearly. C684.1
- Transformation to fish by catching in fish-trap. D533
- Magic door catches bear so that he is burned to death. (Cf. D1146.) D1402.9
Tale types
- ATU 1176 Catching a Man's Broken Wind
- ATU 1180 Catching Water in a Sieve
- ATU 1227 Catching the Squirrel (previously One Woman to Catch the Squirrel; Other to Get the Cooking Pot)
- ATU 122D Caught Animal Promises Captor Better Prey (previously 'Let me Catch you Better Game')
- ATU 1335A Catching the Moon (previously Rescuing the Moon)
- ATU 1891 Catching a Rabbit (previously The Great Rabbit-Catch
- ATU 1895 A Man Wading in Water Catches Many Fish in his Boots
- ATU 1960C The Great Catch of Fish
- ATU 2200 Catch Tales
- ATU 56A* Fox Plays Dead and Catches Bird