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Motifs — first 20 of 305
- God does not reveal himself; men unable to endure his glory. A182.0.1
- God does not directly address women; uses interpreter. A182.3.0.4
- Sun does not set for a year through power of saint. A725.1
- God's promise never to destroy world by water does not apply to local floods. A1011.3
- World-fire. A conflagration destroys the earth. Sometimes (as with the flood legends) the tradition is somewhat local and does not refer to an actual destruction of the whole earth; sometimes the fire marks the end of the world. A1030
- Origin of tornado sunsets; i.e., peculiar sunsets foreboding tornadoes. A1148
- Origin of hair around mouth and eyes. Original dispute between Hair and Stomach. Stomach compelled to stay on inside of man. Hair stands on guard at mouth and eyes to see that Stomach does not escape. A1315.4
- Why man does not change his skin: ancient contest lost by toad, representing man, won by lizard. A1319.12.1
- Origin of insects: released from sack. God places them in a sack and gives it to hare to carry to stream. He must not look in the sack. When he does so the insects escape. The hare laughs and this is the cause of his split lip. A2003
- Flies on the ark. Noah tries to keep them out. Devil says that either the flies go in or he does. Noah chooses the lesser of two evils. Later the devil slips in nevertheless. A2031.2
- Owl as watchman goes to sleep: does not see by day. He is placed as watchman of wren who is imprisoned in a mousehole. (Cf. A2332.6.6.) A2233.3
- Raven does not return to Noah: must suffer thirst and break bill. (Cf. A2231.2.1, A2411.2.1.5, A2435.4.3.) Variant: he is cursed to be black or to eat carrion. A2234.1
- Raven does not return to ark in obedience to Noah: black color is resulting punishment. A2234.1.1
- Why tiger does not attack wild boar until latter is old: result of duel. A2257.1
- Why ass does not have cloven hoof. A2376.1.1
- Why cock does not speak. A2422.10
- Why swallow does not like green trees for her nest. A2431.3.5.1
- Why elephant does not live in town. A2433.3.15
- Why bear lives where he does. A2433.3.17
- Why leopard lives where he does. A2433.3.18
Tale types
- ATU 1284 Person Does Not Know Himself
- ATU 132 The Goat Admires his Horns in the Water, and says to himself that he does not have to fear the wolf
- ATU 1336A Not Recognizing Own Reflection (previously Man does not Recognize his own Reflection in the Water [Mirror]) [J1791
- ATU 1374* Woman who Doesn't Know how to Bake Bread
- ATU 1383 The Woman Does Not Know Herself
- ATU 1408 The Man who Does his Wife's Work
- ATU 1562A 'The Barn is Burning!' A master has instructed his farmhand (a traveler) to use peculiar names for everything, for example, Purity for the cat, Beauty for the fire, High for the roof (and punishes the farmhand when he does not)
- ATU 1691B Bad Table Manners (previously The Suitor who Does not Know how to Behave at Table)
- ATU 1711* The Brave Shoemaker (previously A Woodcutter does not Fear the Dead)
- ATU 1833A 'What Does David Say' A clergyman sends his servant to buy something from the butcher David (Paul, Moses)