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Motifs — first 20 of 37
- Tabu: betraying privacy of god. Emperor visited by God conceals his wife so that she may hear. God ceases his visits. C51.4.1
- Tabu: calling profanely on God. Daughter of Emperor says to Rabbi: "Your God is a builder; so let him build a tent here." She becomes leprous and must be placed in a tent. (Cf. C51.3.1.) C94.4
- Dream warns emperor of wife's unfaithfulness. D1813.1.1
- Letter read by holy man stops emperor from devastating country. D2163.5.2.1
- Horse indicates election of emperor. H171.3
- Test of paternity: shooting at father's corpse. Youngest of supposed sons refuses to shoot and is judged the only genuine son of dead emperor. H486.2
- Good shepherd shears his sheep; does not skin them. Emperor thus replies to suggestion of a new tax to be laid on the people. J531
- Intemperance in service. Emperor rebukes overzealous servant as being a nuisance. J554
- Servant plays at being emperor. Master sees him and says, "Now that you are emperor remember your humble master." J955.2
- Poor man returns to the emperor all save enough for comfort: wealth would take happiness from his simple life. J1085.4
- 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
- Earthen cups replaced by golden. Emperor: "God is a thief; he threw Adam into a sleep and then stole a rib from him." Emperor's daughter: "Would you call a man a thief who stole two earthen cups from you and replaced them by golden ones?" J1262.1
- His father has been in Rome. A young man comes to Rome who looks like the emperor. Latter asks him if he mother has ever been in Rome. No, but my father has been here often. (Not son but brother.) J1274
- "If I were a tyrant you would not say so." Answer made by emperor to one who calls him a tyrant. J1281
- Emperor: "What people have the biggest bellies?" Jester answers: "The landlords." J1289.17
- Beggar claims to be emperor's brother. (All men are descended from Adam.) Emperor gives him small coin. Beggar protests. Emperor: "If all your brothers gave you that much you would be richer than I." J1337
- Why he was thin. Philosopher explains that with his own blood he was nourishing as large a population as that of the Roman Emperor (lice). J1452
- Poem for poem: all for all. A poet gives the emperor a poem, hoping for a reward The emperor later gives the poet a poem in return. The poet thereupon sends the emperor two pennies, saying that this is all the money he has. The emperor, seeing that he is defeated in the exchange, laughs and becomes the poet's friend. J1581.1
- Man cannot recognize his own house which has been turned into a mansion by emperor. J2316.1
- Emperor wants to travel to paradise. Blindfolded and put on an ass. J2326.3