• In god's absence his function ceases. Death, reproduction, etc., suspended until the god's return. A173.1
• Expected return of deity. A192.3
• Expulsion and return of culture hero. A516
• Culture hero returns to upper world. A566
• Return of mortal reincarnation of celestial being to the country of the gods after his mission has been accomplished on earth. A566.1
• Culture hero's (divinity's) expected return. Divinity or hero is expected to return at the proper time and rescue his people from their misfortunes. Often joined with A571. A580
• Culture hero (divinity) returns. A581
• Culture hero returns and assists mortals. A581.1
• Culture hero returns and aids followers in battle. A581.2
• Culture hero returns to prove power of saint. A581.3
• Sun's night journey with reversed face. It returns from west to east by the same way that it came, but it turns its light side to the sky and leaves the earth in darkness. A722.2
• Ghosts of the sun's children return to cause eclipse. A737.4
• Origin of the potlatch. A feast of the Indians of the Northwest Coast of America in which large amounts of property are given away to the guests. These feasts must be returned. A1535.1
• Dove returns to ark in obedience to Noah: receives sheen of raven. A2221.7
• Beetle demands return of gold from God: must hum. In his overweening pride he hits fence and ever afterward has hummed. (Cf. A2426.3.1.) A2231.11
• 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
• Animal characteristics: borrowing and not returning. Animal borrows a member (or quality) from another and refuses to return it. (Cf. A2242, A2313.3, A2345.1, A2351.3, A2375.2.1, A2421.4, A2435.4.1.) A2241
• Nightingale borrows blindworm's eye. Each has one eye. Nightingale borrow's blindworm's and will not return it.(Cf. A2332.6.1.) A2241.5
• Squirrel borrows coney's tail. When coney's tail is not returned, he goes in shame to live among rocks. (Cf. A2378.1.5, A2433.3.5.) A2241.7

all 585 in the index →

• Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica · THE RETURNS
• Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None · Chapter 53 LIII. THE RETURN HOME.

• ATU 1354C* Seemingly-Dead Woman Returns to Life
• ATU 1419 The Returning Husband Hoodwinked
• ATU 1420C Borrowing from the Husband and Returning to the Wife
• ATU 155 The Ungrateful Snake Returned to Captivity
• ATU 1557 Box on the Ear Returned
• ATU 1634A* Fish Promised in Return for Food and Money (previously Fish Promised in Return for Bacon)
• ATU 1889J Jumping Back to the Starting Place (previously Jumper over Water Turns Around Midway of Jump and Returns)
• ATU 769 The Child's Grave (previously Dead Child's Friendly Return to Parents) [E324, E361]
• ATU 935 The Prodigal's Return
• ATU 939A Killing the Returned Soldier