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Aarne–Thompson–Uther index
About this index and how to read it
The ATU index classifies international folktales by type. Each row gives the type number, its title and summary, followed by the references it inherits: Arne Thompson is the earlier Aarne–Thompson type number, and Thompson lists the motif references from Thompson's Motif-Index of Folk-Literature associated with that type.
Cross-references inside a summary open the relevant tale-type or motif record. Thompson motif references in the final column are linked directly to the corresponding entry in the Stith Thompson Motif Index when that reference exists in the database. Any column heading can be clicked to sort by it, and clicking again reverses the order. Following a type number opens that type on its own page.
| ATU | Title | Summary ▲ | Arne Thompson | Thompson |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 102 | The Dog as Wolf's Shoemaker | The dog as wolf 's shoemaker. He demands material for the shoes and then successively eats up the cow, hog, etc. furnished him. | 102 | K254.1. |
| 236 | Imitating bird sounds, | The dove keeps saying >>I know>> and persists in building her small nest. (Imitation of bird's sounds.) Cf. Type 2075. | 236, 236* | A1952., A2271.1. |
| 300 | The Dragon-Slayer | The Dragon-Slayer. Rescue of the princess. I. The Hero and his Dogs, II; The Sacrifice, III. The Dragon, IV. The Fight, V. The Tongues, VI. Impostor, VII. Recognition. | , 300 | B11.10.10., B11.11.11., B11.2.3.1.2.3.1., B312.2.2., D1975., D1978.2.2., H105.1.1., H151.2.2., H83., K1932., T68.1.1. |
| 204 | Sheep, duck and cock in peril at sea | The duck swims; the cock flies to the mast and crows that he sees the shore. | 204 | J1711.1. |
| 220 | The Council of Birds | The eagle as judge assigns each his place and work. | ||
| 1655 | The profitable exchange | The eaten grain and the cock as damages. Cf. Type 170. I. Profitable Exchanges. (a) The hero has only a grain of corn; this is eaten by a cock and he gets the cock as damages [K251.11]. (b) Likewise when the hog eats the cock, and (c) the ox eats the… | ||
| 653 | The Skillful Brothers | The father has them trained. Display of their accomplishments. The bird's nest on the tree. The stolen princess recovered. Cf. Type 513, 514. I. The Four Brothers Tested. (a) Four brothers sent to learn trades return home and are tested. (b) The… | , 653, 653A | D1323.15., D1500.1.5.1., D1520.19., F660.1., F662.2., H621.2., P251.6.2., R111.1.3., R111.7., R166., T68.1. |
| 654 | The Three Brothers | The father has them trained. Trial of their handiwork. The fighting master swings his sword so fast that it does not become wet in a heavy rain; the barber shaves a running hare; the blacksmith shoes a horse while it is galloping. | , 654 | F660.1., F663.1., F665.1., F667.1. |
| 325 | The Magician and his Apprentice, | The father put to a test recognizes his son. The son as horse, ring, etc. rescues himself from the power of his master. I. Learning Magic. (a) A father gives his son to a magician to teach, (b) but must be able to recognize him in his animal form at… | , 325, 325* | D1711.0.1.0.1., H161., L142.2.2. |
| 1455 | The Hard-hearted Fiancée | The father-in-law disguised as a beggar. [H384.1]. | ||
| 1246 | The Axes Thrown Away | The first lets his axe fall. The others throw theirs into the same place [J2171.4]. | ||
| 555 | The Fisherman and his Wife, | The fish fulfills all the wishes of the wife of a poor fisher. I. The Wishes Obtained. (a) A poor fisher catches a fish who is a transformed monster and puts him back in the water; in gratitude the fish grants all the wishes of the wife; - or (b) a… | , 555 | B170., B375.1., C773.1., D1761.0.1., J514., Q338. |
| 736 | Luck and Wealth | The fish with the jewel. Cf. Types 745, 745A. A poor man gets a piece of tin. He gives it to a fisherman under the agreement that the first catch of fish shall be given to him. In the net is a fish with a precious stone in his body. [N421]. | 736A | N211.1. |
| 832 | The Disappointed Fisher | The fisher, his wife, and his child always get three fishes. From greed they kill the child in order to have more fish for themselves. But they catch from then on only two fishes. [Q553.5]. | 832 | Q553.5. |
| 1643 | The Broken Image | The fool sells his cow to a crucifix [J1853.1.1]. He knocks it to pieces because it will not pay him. He finds a treasure inside [N510]. | 1643 | J1853.1.1. |
| 1691 | Don´t Eat too Greadly | The fool starves himself at table since a cat steps on his foot and he thinks his companion is giving him hint to stop eating. He later hunts food in house and gets into trouble. [J2541]. Cf. Type 1775. | ||
| 1642 | The Good Bargain | The fool throws money to the frogs. Sells butter to sign-post and meat to the dogs. Makes the princess laugh. I. Money to the Frogs. The numskull throws money to the frogs so that they can count it. II. Selling to Dogs. (a) He sells meat to dogs, (b)… | , 1642 | H341., J1151.2., J1851.1.1., J1852., J1853., J1853.1., K187. |
| 232 | The Heathcock and the Birds of Passage | The former prefers to remain at home amid hardships than to go to foreign lands. | 232D* | J101. |
| 935 | The Prodigal's Return | The fortunate marriage and the visit home. The youngest of three brothers [L10] is a prodigal [N172]. He goes abroad as a soldier and swindles his father into sending him money. Through cleverness he makes his fortune and marries the princess [L161].… | , 935 | K1815., K1837., L161. |
| 735 | The Rich Man's and the Poors Man's Fortune | The fortune of the rich brother gives the poor brother the advice to seek his luck under a bush. The poor man goes there and Fortune tells him to become a merchant. He becomes rich. | , 735A | N112., N112.1., N181. |
| 38 | Claw in Split Tree | The fox (or man) persuades the bear to stick his claw in the cleft of a split tree. | 38 | K1111. |
| 15 | Stealing the Partner's Butter | The fox (the hen) pretends that he has been invited to be godfather and steals the butter stored by him and the bear (the cock) for the winter. He smears butter on the mouth (tail) of the sleeping bear. | 15 | K372. |
| 55 | The Animals Build a Road (Dig Well) | The fox as overseer punishes lazy animals. | 55 | A2233.1. |
| 227 | The geese's eternal prayer | The fox attacks a group of geese. They ask his if they can make one last prayer. The fox agrees. The geese make so much noise that the farmer hears them and saves them. | 227 | K551.1. |
| 3 | Sham Blood and Brains | The fox covers his head with buttermilk (blood, urine, etc.) and says that his brains have been knocked out. Frightens the bear. | 3 | K473. |
| 39 | The Bear Pulls Mountain Ashes apart so that the Fox's Old Mother can Get Berries | The fox eats the berries himself. | ||
| 154 | The Jackal and the Farmer | The fox helps the man; his reward. He converses with his members. | 154 | J2351.1. |
| 53 | Reynard the Fox at Court | The fox is summoned to appear before the court of justice, but he does not come and laughs at the messengers. When he is caught at last and about to be hanged, he escapes again. | 53 | J864.2. |
| 72 | The Rabbit Rides Fox A-Courting | The fox is the favorite suitor of the girl the rabbit wants. The rabbit tells the girl that the fox is his horse. She refuses to believe him. She agrees to marry if he will ride to her house. He persuades fox to carry him—usually by feigning lameness—and wins the girl. (Sometimes told of human beings.) Cf. Type 4. | 72, 72* | J61., K1241. |
| 49 | The bear and the honey | The fox leads the bear to a wasp-nest. | 49 | K1023. |
| 21 | Eating his own Entrails | The fox persuades the wolf (bear) to eat his own entrails. | 21 | K1025. |
| 41 | The Wolf Overeats in the Cellar | The fox persuades the wolf to enter a cellar (smokehouse or kitchen) and steal food. The wolf eats so much that he cannot escape through the hole he has entered by. He is killed. Cf. Types 33*, 33**. | 33*, 33**, 41, 41* | K1022.1. |
| 20 | Animals Eat One Another Up | The fox persuades them to begin with the smallest. | 20, 20A, 20C, 61A | K1024., K2027., Z43.3. |
| 1 | The theft of fish | The fox plays dead; a man throws him on his wagon of fish. The fox throws the fish off and carries them away. The wolf imitates and is caught. | 1, 1* | K371.1., NA |
| 50 | Curing a Sick Lion | The fox pretends to seek a remedy for the lion; advises him to skin the wolf . | , 50, 50A, 50C | J644.1., K961., W121.2.1., , |
| 4 | Carrying the Sham-Sick Trickster | The fox shams sickness and is carried by the wolf. | 4 | K1241. |
| 170 | The fox eats his fellow-lodger | The fox spends the night with a cock in a house. He eats the cock but in the morning he accuses the sheep of having eaten it. In the next inn likewise the ox has eaten the sheep, etc. In compensation he demands a larger animal each time. .… | 170, 171 | K443.7., NA |
| 5 | Biting the foot | The fox to the bear, who is biting his foot: »You are biting the tree root.» The bear lets loose. | 5 | K543. |
| 62 | Peace Among the Animals – The Fox and the Cock | The fox tries to beguile the cock by reporting a new law establishing peace among the animals. Dogs appear and the fox flees saying that the dogs have not yet heard of the new law. | 62 | J1421. |
| 157 | Learning to Fear Men | The fox undertakes to persuade the wolf of the frightfulness of men. They see an old man. The fox says this was a man but is no longer one. Likewise a boy (will be a man). Next a man with a gun. The wolf approaches and is shot. He tells the fox he could have defeated the man but for the man's spitting fire. [J17]. | 157, 157A | J17., J22.1. |
| 2031 | Stronger and Strongest | The frost-bitten foot. Mouse perforates wall, wall resists wind, wind dissolves cloud, cloud covers sun, sun thaws frost, frost breaks foot. [Z42]. | ||
| 1458 | The girl who ate so little | The girl eats lightly and the mother declares this is always so. Next day the suitor sees her baking and discovers that she can eat. [K1984.2]. Cf. Types 1373, 1407. | ||
| 1450 | Clever Elsie | The girl is to get beer from the cellar. Falls into a study as to what her first child's name shall be. Likewise the girl's father and mother. The suitor departs. [J2063]. Cf. Types 1384, 1387, 1430A. | 1450 | J2063. |
| 426 | Snow White and Rose Red | The girls let the bear into the hut. They rescue an ungrateful dwarf from death. The bear kills the dwarf. The bear changes into a prince who has been enchanted by the dwarf. | , 426 | D763., F451.5.2.1. |
| 124 | The Three Little Pigs | The goose builds a house of feathers; the hog one of stone. The wolf blows the goose's house in and eats her. Cannot blow down the hog's house. Finally he is allowed to enter. He is tricked into the chimney (or churn) where he is burned up. | 124 | Z81. |
| 1202 | The Grain Harvesting | The grain is shot down with guns. When the unknown sickle is bought and tried, one man is cut with it. As punishment it is drowned. Cf. Type 1650. | 1202 | J2196. |
| 560 | The Magic Ring | The grateful animals (cat and dog) recover it for him. See analysis below: I a, b; II; III; IV a. - ANALYSIS: Types 560 and 561. I. Magic Object Received. The hero receives a magic ring (stone) which will perform all the wishes of the owner, from (a)… | , 560 | B360., D1131.1., D1470.1.15., D1662.1., D2136.2., D810., D812., D861.5., D882.1.1. |
| 756 | Forgiveness and Redemption | The hard penance and the green twigs on the dry branch. | , 756A, 756B, 756C | F771.1.9., F81.2., F971.1., H1235., H1273.1., J172., L435.1., N843., Q172.3., Q211.1., Q222.1., Q520.1., Q520.2., Q521.1., Q521.1.1., Q521.1.2., Q521.2., Q521.4., Q523.5., Q545., Q553.2., Q561., S211., V29.1. |
| 70 | More cowardly than the hare | The hare finds a (sheep, fish, frog, etc.) who is afraid of him and laughs till his lip splits. | 70 | J881.1. |
| 71 | Contest of Frost and the Hare | The hare lies on the frozen snow and says, »Oh, how warm!» | 71 | H1541.1. |
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