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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92 | The Lion in the Water | The hare, sent to be the lion's dinner, says he has been detained by a more powerful enemy and shows the lion his own reflection in a well. The lion leaps in and is drowned. Cf. Types 34, 34A, 1168A, 1336, 1383. | , 92 | K1715.1., |
| 620 | The Presents | The haughty sister misuses her gift and loses it. Of two sisters the haughty one disdains to help an old woman. By means of the old woman's magic wand [D1254.1] she is given a castle and becomes a queen. Because of her haughtiness she is driven forth… | ||
| 940 | The Haughty Girl | The haugty girl entices three suitors (unknown to one another) into the churchyard. They revenge themselves by having her marry the hangman thinking he is the governor's son. [K1218.3]. | ||
| 1876 | The Geese on the Line | The hawk flies away with them on it. The geese have been bound together as protection from the hawk. [X1267.1]. | ||
| 519 | Brunhilde | The helper in the suitor test. Cf. Type 513A. I. The Suitor. A prince with his extraordinary companion woos a bride who is beautiful, strong, and warlike, and who will have as husband no man who is not her equal in strength. II. Suitor Tests. (a) The… | , 519 | D1500.1.18., H345., H345.1., H345.2., K1844.1., Q451.2., R169.4., T173.1., T58. |
| 182 | The helpful animal and the snake | The helpful animal sees a snake bite his master. He catches the crow, who is the snake's confederate, and forces the snake to revive his master by sucking out the poison. | ||
| 532 | The Speaking Horsehead | The helpful horse. The hero is driven from home by his stepmother [S31]. He acquires a helpful horse which advises him [B401] to dress in poor clothing [K1816] and to answer all questions with "I don't know" [C495.1]. He takes service as gardener to… | 532* | B411.2. |
| 2021 | The cock and the hen | The hen chokes to death on a grain. Various animals join the funeral procession. The funeral carriage breaks down or the procession drowns. [Z32.1]. | , 2021, 2021B | Z32.1., Z32.1.1., Z43.2. |
| 862 | "He that Asketh Shall Receive." | The hermit wants to prove the truth of these words of the Gospel. He asks for the hand of the princess. Performs the difficult task imposed upon him. [V316.1]. | ||
| 1116 | Attempt at burning | The hero escapes and after the room he is in is burned he returns and is found sitting on the ashes. »It was a bit hot,» he says. | ||
| 621 | The Louse-Skin | The hero guesses the puzzle and wins the princess. The one she turns to in the night. Cf. Types 425B, 571-574, 559, 850.
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| 1063 | Throwing contest with the golden club | The hero shows the ogre the club on a cloud [K18.2]. Cf. Type 1640. | , 1063, 1063A, 1063B | K18.1., K18.1.1., K18.1.2., K18.2., na |
| 1088 | Eating contest | The hero slips his food (or drink) into a bag and makes the ogre believe he is the greater eater. (In many versions the hero cuts open the bag; the ogre imitates and kills himself). | , 1088 , 1089 | K42.1., K81., K81.1., K82.3. |
| 1045 | Pulling the Lake Together | The hero threatens to do so with a rope. The ogre is intimidated. [K1744]. Cf. Type 1650. | 1045 | K1744. |
| 1838 | The hog in church | The hog has been locked by mistake in the church all week. When the congregation comes the hog runs between the parson's legs and carries him out. [X415]. | ||
| 660 | The Three Doctors | The hog's heart, the thief's hand, the cat's eye. The three doctors make a trial of their skill [H504]. One removes one of his eyes, one his heart, and the other a hand [F668.1]. They are to replace them without injury the next morning [E782]. During… | , 660 | E780.2., E781.3., E782.1.1., E787., F668.1., H504. |
| 137 | The Filthy Hog and the Clean Fish | The hog: "People will spit when they eat you, whereas in my case all will lick their fingers." | 137 | NA |
| 118 | The Lion Frightened by the Horse | The horse strikes sparks with his hooves. The wolf (bear) boasts of having eaten horses. The lion thereupon picks up the wolf to show him the horse and squeezes him to death. | ||
| 1010 | Repairing the House | The house or furniture destroyed. [K1415]. | 1010 | K1415. |
| 115 | The Hungry Fox Waits in Vain for the Horse's Lips (Scrotum) to Fall Off | The hungry fox waits in vain for the horse's lips (scrotum) to fall off . | ||
| 58 | The Crocodile Carries the Jackal | The jackal, who wants to eat fruit or carrion on the other bank, persuades a crocodile to carry him across the river by saying he will find a bride for the crocodile. He makes a dummy and, safe back on shore, sends the crocodile to that. | ||
| 1186 | With his whole heart | The judge carried off. (The Devil and the Advocate.) The devil refuses to take things not offered him with the whole heart. He hears the judge (advocate) cursed for fraud with such sincerity that he carries him off. [M215]. | ||
| 844 | The Luck-bringing Shirt | The king becomes lucky when he puts on the shirt of a lucky man. The only man who says he is lucky has no shirt. [N135.3]. | 844 | N135.3. |
| 841 | One Beggar Trusts God, the Other the King | The king gives them each a loaf of bread, but the loaf of the second beggar is filled with gold. The beggars not knowing the nature of the loaves exchange them. [N351]. | 841 | N351. |
| 655 | The Wise Brothers | The king is bastard. Staying at the king's court they are asked to utter three wise words. As a result of extraordinary powers of deduction, they declare that the king is bastard, the roast is dog meat, etc. All proves to be true. | , 655 | F647.1., F647.5.1., J1661.1.1., J1661.1.2. |
| 887 | Griselda | The king marries a maiden of the lower class. She promises to be always complacent. The king puts her to the proof by making her believe that he has killed their children and married another wife [H461]. Cf. Types 712, 881, 900. | 887 | H461. |
| 622 | The Talking Bed-Legs | The king purchases a bed. During the night the legs of the bed speak and warn him of dangers or assist in other ways. [D1154.1.1, D1317.11, D1380.12, D1402.17, D1610.17.1, N454.1]. - Cf. Franklin Edgerton Vikrama's Adventures or the Thirty-Two Tales… | ||
| 459 | The Make-Believe Son (Daughter) | The king turns out his eldest queen because she is childless. The maidservant informs the king that the queen has borne (a) a son or (b) a daughter but that the king must not see it. The queen is supplied a house and food. After some years the king… | ||
| 410 | The Sleeping Beauty | The king's daughter falls into a magic sleep. A prince breaks through the hedge surrounding the castle and disenchants the maiden. I. The Wished-for Child. A frog announces the birth of the much desired daughter of the king. II. The Fairies' Gifts.… | , 410 | B211.7.1., D1364.17., D1967.1., D1978.5., F361.1.1., G269.4., M341.2.13., M370., N711.2. |
| 275 | The Race of the Fox and the Crayfish | The latter hangs on to the fox's tail and wins. Cf. Types 250, 1074. (The Keen Sight of the Dove and the Keen Hearing of the Frog. See Type 238.) | 275, 275A, 275A* | K11., K11.1., K11.3. |
| 1589 | The Lawyer's Dog Steals Meat | The lawyer tells the butcher that the dog's owner (himself) is liable for damages. He asks double the amount of the damages as fee. [K488]. | 1589 | K488. |
| 253 | The Fish in the Net | The little fish slip through the meshes; the big ones are caught. | 253 | L331. |
| 822 | The lazy boy and the industrious girl | The Lord and St. Peter come across a very lazy boy and a very industrious girl. Our Lord decrees, much to St. Peter's astonishment, that these two are to be married. [T125]. | ||
| 314 | The Golden-Haired | The Magic Flight. From the ogre's house. The fugitives throw magic objects behind them which become mountains, wood, or sea; or they change themselves into various animals or objects. | , 314 | B316., C495.1.1., C912., H56., H75.4.4., K1816.1.1., L113.1.0.1.1.0.1., T55.1.1., T91.6.4.6.4. |
| 313 | The Magic Flight | The Magic Flight. From the ogre's house. The fugitives throw magic objects behind them which become mountains, wood, or sea; or they change themselves into various animals or objects. | , 313 | D1611., D2003., D2006.1.1., D2006.1.4.1.4., D671., D672., H335.0.1.0.1. |
| 304 | The Trained Hunter | The magic gun; the rescued princess; the impostor. (Often combined with Types 300, 302, 400, 554, 555, 675 or 950.) I. The Magic Gun. A youth receives a magic gun, (a) from a green clad huntsman or (b) from an old woman. II. Killing of Giants. (a)… | , 304 | F661.1.1., H81., H81.1.1.1.1., K912., N711.2.2. |
| 2040 | The Climax of Horrors | The magpie is dead. Overate on horseflesh. - Horse dead? - Overworked at fire - Horse burned down? etc. [Z46]. | ||
| 442 | The Old Woman in the Wood | The maiden disenchants [D700] a prince whom an evil woman [G263] has transformed into a tree [D215]. She gets the magic ring [D1076] from the old woman's house. Marriage [L162]. | , 442 | D1076., D431.2., L162. |
| 437 | The Supplanted Bride (The Needle Prince) | The maiden finds a seemingly dead prince whose body is covered with pins and needles and begins to remove them, or she must weep a jug full of tears or spend three sleepless nights by the coffin [D762, D759.7]. As the task is almost completed she… | ||
| 955 | The Robber Bridegroom | The maiden in the den of robbers. While hidden under the bed she sees another maiden murdered. The severed finger serves her as a token. The girl usually strews her path into the forest with ashes or pees [R145]. When the bridegroom appears, she uses the severed finger of the murdered girl to expose him [H57.2.1]. Cf. Type 311. | , 955 | B143.1., H57.2.1., K1916., R135. |
| 1199 | The Lord's Prayer | The man about to be taken by the Devil or Death begs respite long enough to repeat the Lord's Prayer for the last time. The Devil must wait. [K551.1]. Cf. Types 122A, 227, 332, 955. | , 1199 | K551.1., K555.2. |
| 332 | Godfather Death | The man as doctor. Death at the feet of the sick man (the bed or the sick man turned around). I. Death as Godfather. (a) A poor man chooses death as godfather, (b) since he considers him juster than either God or the Devil. II. Death's Gifts. (a)… | , 332 | D1825.3.1.3.1., J486., K557. |
| 1084 | Contest in shrieking or whistling | The man binds up the ogre's head and then strikes him in the eye. [K84.1]. | ||
| 760 | The Unquiet Grave | The man burns his three wives. Finds no rest in the grave. A maiden takes the dead man to a priest and secures his pardon for the murder of his wives. | , 760 | E411.0.2., E411.1., Q211.3. |
| 1071 | Wrestling Contest (with Old Grandfather) | The man challenged by ogre to wrestling contest persuades the ogre to wrestle his old grandfather, i.e., a bear [K12.2]. | 1071 | K12.2. |
| 1073 | Climbing Contest | The man challenged by the ogre to a climbing contest. The ogre agrees to contest against man's young one, i.e., a squirrel. [K15.1]. | 1073 | K15.1. |
| 1072 | Race with Little Son | The man challenged by the ogre to running race persuades the ogre to race his little son, i.e., a rabbit [K11.6]. | 1072 | K11.6. |
| 1238 | The Roof in Good and Bad Weather | The man does not need a roof when it is fair; cannot put it on when it rains. [J2171.2.1]. Cf. Types 43, 81. | ||
| 331 | The Spirit in the Bottle | The man frees the evil spirit from the bottle and receives in reward a wonderful remedy or the power to turn iron into silver (gold). He tricks the spirit into the bottle again. (Often combined with Types 330 or 332.) | , 331 | K717., R181. |
| 1132 | Flight of the Ogre with his Goods in the Bag | The man hides in the bag. [G561]. Cf. Type 311. |
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