ɪn sˌʌm tˈeɪlz, sˈʌtʃ ɐz ðə ɡɹˈeɪtfəl bˈiːsts, ðeɪ kəŋklˈuːd hiː mˈeɪ biː ɐ ɹˈaɪvəl ɪn ɐdvˈæns, ænd ðeɪ ɐtˈɛmpt tə stˈɑːp hˌɪm bᵻfˌoːɹ ðə kwˈɛst; ɪn ˈʌðɚz, sˈʌtʃ ɐz θˈɜːtiːnθ ɔːɹ bˈuːts ænd ðə tɹˈoʊl, hiː mˈʌst sˈɛt tə tˈæsks bɪkˈʌz ðeɪ hæv spˈaɪtfəli klˈeɪmd ðæt hiː sˈɛd hiː kˈʊd.
In some tales, such as The Grateful Beasts, they conclude he may be a rival in advance, and they attempt to stop him before the quest; in others, such as Thirteenth or Boots and the Troll, he must set to tasks because they have spitefully claimed that he said he could.