• St. Peter as ruler for the air and rain. Often misunderstands the orders of God. A287.2
• Sun, moon, and stars bring forth first parents. Sun and moon beget son; morning and evening star beget daughter; these, the first parents, are at first without understanding, but it is awakened later by demigods. A1271.1
• Confusion of tongues partly due to lack of understanding of difference between the word for "stick" and the word for "stone." A1333.1
• Origin of physical defects. Wicked people entering heaven on rope fall to earth and are injured. St. Peter misunderstands what God says and lets them fall. A1338
• Cobra writes letters on prince's tongue: "Having heard all kinds of creatures talk, you will understand them." B165.1.3
• Animal understands human speech. B212
• All kinds of animals understand the language of heaven. B212.0.1
• Fox understands human speech. B212.1
• Knowledge of animal languages. Person understands them. B216
• Stone deity (image of) confers upon man powers of understanding animal language. B217.7
• The courtship of the stork and the crane. Go a-courting one another across the marshes but never come to an understanding, as each time either one or the other changes his mind. (Cf. T91.) B282.23
• Helpful animal killed through misunderstanding. B331
• Faithful falcon killed through misunderstanding. Tries to warn the king against drinking water poisoned by snake. B331.1
• Faithful horse killed through misunderstanding. Tries to warn king against drinking water poisoned by snake. B331.1.1
• The devil advises a suspicious husband. The Ring of Hans Garvel. Appears in a dream and hands the husband a ring. "When you wear this ring you will be sure of your wife." He awakens to understand the obscene implication. G303.9.7.3
• Devils do not know or understand thoughts of men. G303.13.1
• Man leaving home warns wife not to wash face in puddle in dunghill. She does. He cannot understand why; she cannot explain. H473.4
• Understanding poem as test. H509.4.3
• Enigmatic statement betrays incest. (Cf. T411.) Woman, recognizing cleric as her son by her father (Fiachna), gives him a drink of milk and says, "I give drink to my brother; he is Fiachna's son, he is Fiachna's grandson; his mother is Fiachna's daughter." The son's reply shows that he understands the situation. H582.2.1
• Task assigned from misunderstanding. H946

all 63 in the index →

• ATU 1699 Misunderstanding Because of Ignorance of a Foreign Language (Including the previous Type 1699A)
• ATU 1700 'I Cannot Understand You
• ATU 517 The Boy who Understands the Language of Birds (previously The Boy who Learned Many Things)
• ATU 670 The Man who Understands Animal Languages (previously The Animal Languages)
• ATU 670A The Woman who Understands Animal Languages