“wait” — Mythoi

Motifs — first 20 of 75

Demon god lies in wait for spirits descending to underworld. A317
In other world one room contains the dead, another contains souls of the unborn waiting to enter the wombs of women, and a third contains all the evil spirits. A678
Devil takes man waiting for water to turn to wine at midnight on Old Christmas Eve. D477.1.1
Dragon-fighter's magic sleep. While waiting for fight with dragon, hero falls into magic sleep. (Cf. D1962.2.) D1975
Souls await Judgment Day in shapes of birds. E751.2
Life token: music box plays by itself as owner awaits burial. E761.7.11
Man is waiting for bird to fall that he had shot eight days before. F638.3
Traveler says he is going to the city to see what has become of the seed he sowed in the street. (What has become of the girl he left in the city to await his return.) H586.2
Task assigned from misunderstanding: search for prince named Sabr ("wait"). H946.1
Little fish in the net kept rather than wait for uncertainty of greater catch. J321.2
Bravest know how to wait. Three men are pursued in battle. First throws himself on enemies; second waits a little; third does not fight until the enemy begins. Latter is bravest. J572.1
Man decides to make himself strong in peaceful times rather than wait until attacked. J674.2
Impossibility of pleasing everyone. One must act therefore without awaiting everyone's approval. J1041
Detection of theft by finding bag-repairer. Two men are in a lawsuit and before witnesses seal the documents in a bag to await arrival of the king. One of the men cuts the bag open, changes the documents, and has a repairer sew it up again. On the king's arrival the change is discovered. By having a fine carpet repaired the expert repairer is discovered. Confession follows. J1141.5
Novel settlement: snake's wife must wait to kill prince till princess bears as many sons as snake has. J1173.1.1
Dividing four coins among three persons. Two coins apiece given to two; other is to wait till two more coins are found. J1241.2
Tide inquires whether moon is up. Minnow seeing absurdity of question (since tide could not be up without the moon) tells the tide to wait till he gets a drink and he will tell. J1292
Is ready to go. A peddler scolds the dog who is waiting and tells him to get ready to go with him. The dog replies that he has nothing to carry, that it is the peddler who is late. J1475
Daughter says "Sobur" (wait) to her father when he asks what to bring from the journey. Father finds Prince Sobur. J1805.2.1
Numskull stays till he has finished. As he is making water he hears a brook flowing and mistakes what it is. He waits for a day and a half. J1814

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