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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 155 | Ingratitude Is the World's Reward | A man rescues a serpent (or a bear), who in return seeks to kill the rescuer. Fox, as judge, advises the man to put the serpent back into captivity. | 155 | J1172.3. |
| 248 | The Dog and the Sparrow | A man runs over the dog, friend of the sparrow. The sparrow takes vengeance. The man loses his horse, his property, and finally his life. | 248 | N261. |
| 366 | The Golden Arm | A man steals the heart, (liver, stomach, clothing) of one who has been hanged [E235.4, E236.1]. Gives it to his wife to eat. The ghost comes to claim his property and carries off the man. | 366 | E235.4.4. |
| 1707 | The Noseless Man | A man who has lost his nose persuades others that they, too, can see God if they will cut their noses off. They do so, whereupon he scoffs at them. [J758.1.1]. Cf. Types 64, 1203. | ||
| 1225 | The man without a head in the bear's den | A man's head is snatched off by accident and his companions do not see what has happened. Debate: did he ever have a head? [J2381]. | J2381. | |
| 1750 | The Parson's Stupid Wife | A mercenary lover makes the parson's wife believe that chickens can be taught to talk [J1882.1]. At her request, he undertakes to hatch out hen's eggs and receives large amounts of corn to feed them. When the chickens hatch, he declares that they… | ||
| 881 | Oft-proved Fidility | A merchant's son marries the king's daughter. An attempt is made to seduce her [K2112]. The man strikes his wife and thinks he has killed her. A physician heals her and wants to secure her for himself [T320.1]. She flees in men's clothes [K1837].… | , 881 | , H21., K1837., K2112., T320.1. |
| 2032 | The Cock and the Mouse and The Sexton's Nose | A mouse throws a nut down from a tree and hits a cock on the head. He also steals the cock's whiskers. The cock goes to get an old woman to cure him. The final formula is: Fountain give up water for forest, forest give up wood for baker, baker give… | ||
| 1334 | The Local Moon | A numskull greets the old moon as if it were new. »I haven't seen it before, for I have just come to the city.» (Each town thought to have a different moon.) [J2271.1]. | 1334 | J2271.1. |
| 591 | The Thieving Pot | A peasant exchanges his cow [N421, D851] for a magic pot that brings him bread, beer, money, etc. from his rich neighbors [D1605.1, D1412.2]. | ||
| 1804 | The eel filled with sand | A penitent confesses that a plan to sin has entered his mind. Priest tells him that the thought is as good as the deed. Assesses four florins as penance. Penitent says that he had only had it in his mind to give the florins; he must take the thought… | ||
| 1705 | Talking Horse and Dog | A person is frightened by animals successively replying to his remarks. Example: The man riding the horse and followed by the dog tells the horse to jump over a hole. Horse says, »I will not.» Man turns to dog and says, »Isn't that strange, a… | 1705 | B210.1. |
| 1661 | The Triple Tax | A poet is given by the king the right to demand a coin from the first hunchback he meets, from the first man of a certain name, and the first man of a certain city. He sees a hunchback and demands the coin. A quarrel arises in which it appears that… | ||
| 676 | Open Sesame! | A poor man observes robbers who enter into a mountain [F721.4]. Uses, like them [N455.3], the words »Open up» [D1552.2] and gets gold from the mountain [N512]. His rich brother tries to do the same thing but is killed [N471]. The rich brother lends… | ||
| 884 | The forgotten fiancée | A prince forsakes his fiancée in order to pledge himself to another of his father's choice. In men's clothes [K1837], the first fiancée along with her companions goes into the service of the prince. [K1816.0.2]. Test: whether men or maidens… | , 884 | D2003., H1578.1., K1816.0.2., K1837., N681.1., T165.4., T84. |
| 900 | King Thrushbeard | A princess disdains all her suitors. Names one of them Thrushbeard. Her father marries her to a beggar. Her pride is broken. The beggar reveals himself as King Thrushbeard. I. The Suitors. (a) A king sends abroad invitations for suitors to woo his… | , 900 | H181., H311., H461., H465., K1361., K1816.0.3., K1817.1., L113.1.0.1., L431., Q483., T45., T62., T72.2.1., T76. |
| 871 | Princess and Ogress | A princess in a forbidden chamber sees a man's picture and falls in love. A magician as bird brings the princess at night to the lover. Once they stay too late. The sun sees them, so that the magician bursts and dies. The girl left alone becomes… | , 871 | C325., C611., D567., F93.0.2.1., G11.3., N681.1., T11.2. |
| 704 | The Princess and the Pea | A princess is recognized by her inability to sleep in a bed which has a pea under its dozen mattresses. | 704 | H41.1. |
| 674 | Incest Averted - Talking Animals | A princess, abandoned by or separated from her husband, gives birth to a son. The son is taken from her by trickery and he grows up without knowing who his true mother is. When grown, he sees his mother, falls in love with her [N365.1.1], and goes to her at night hoping to become her lover. On the way he overhears animals (calves) talking [N451] and learns the truth. | ||
| 1437 | A Sweet Word | A quarrelsome husband asked by his dying wife for a sweet word answers, "Honey is sweet" or throws a Bible at her. [J1541.1, J2497]. Cf. Type 1696B*. | ||
| 1615 | The Heller Thrown into Other's Money | A rascal sees robbers dividing their booty. He puts a red string through his only coin (a heller) and slips it into the others' money. He claims the money as his, and says he has marked it with a heller having a red string through it. The robbers… | ||
| 1528 | Holding Down the Hat | A rascal stands by the side of a road near his hat under which he has hidden dung. When the dupe arrives he offers to pursue the rascal with the dupe's horse if the latter will guard his hat under which is a beautiful bird. He escapes with the horse.… | 1528 | K1252. |
| 278 | Rat and Frog Tie Paws Together | A rat and a frog get their paws entangled and get c arried off by a falcon. | 278, 278A*, Frog | J652.1., J681.1., J752.1. |
| 57 | Raven with a Cheese | A raven/crow has some cheese/meat in his mouth. The fox flatters the raven into singing. He drops his food and the fox gets it. | 57 | K334.1. |
| 1242 | Loading the wood | A rider takes the meal-sack on his shoulder to relieve the ass of his burden. | 1242, 1242A | J1874.1., J2213.4. |
| 1631 | Horse which will not Go over Trees | A salesman tells the buyer that he is selling the horse because it eats too much and will not climb trees. On the way home the horse bites everyone and refuses to cross a bridge. Seller is literally correct. [K134.1]. | ||
| 882 | The wager on the wife's chastity | A ship captain marries a poor girl. Makes a wager with a merchant on the chastity of his wife. Through treachery, the merchant secures a token of unfaithfulness (ring). The captain leaves home. The wife follows him in men's clothing. They reach home… | , 882 | H94., K1342., K1837., K2112.1., N15. |
| 1739 | The parson and the calf | A sick parson is made to believe that he will bear a calf. In having his urine examined by a doctor, a cow's is substituted by mistake. (Or he dreams that he has borne a calf.) When a calf comes into the house he thinks that he has borne it.… | ||
| 952 | The King and the Soldier | A soldier prepares to testify before the king against his superior officer. Accompanies the king, whom he does not know, to the robbers' house [K1812.1]. The soldier kills the robbers (or renders them harmless) [N884.1]. The robbers are usually… | , 952 | D2072., K1812.1., K422., N884.1. |
| 1613 | "Playing-Cards are my Calendar and Prayerbook." | A soldier reproved for playing cards during church service answers thus and shows so cleverly the symbolic meanings of each of the cards that he receives a reward. [H603]. | 1613 | H603. |
| 713 | The Mother Who Did Not Bear Me But Nourished Me | A stepdaughter is accused of bearing her sister's illegitimate child [K2112] and she and the child are expelled [S410]. Wherever they go famine ceases and magic abundance comes [D1652.1, D2081], but famine comes to places they have left [D2157.1].… | ||
| 1288 | 'These are not my feet' | A stranger helps them with a switch. [J2021]. | 1288 | J2021. |
| 1574 | The flattering foreman | A tailor dreams that at Judgment Day he sees a flag made up of all the pieces of cloth he has stolen. Upon waking he asks his servants to warn him if they ever see him tempted to steal again. This happens. He replies, »The piece I am about to steal… | 1574 | J1401. |
| 131 | Tiger as False Friend to the Cow | A tiger and a cow become friends and both bear offspring. The tiger drinks water downstream from the cow, decides her flesh would be sweet, and kills and devours her. The calf has been forewarned (lifetoken: cup of milk). The cub, ashamed of its… | 131 | J427. |
| 1551 | The Wager that Sheep are Hogs | A trickster wagers with a sheep driver that the sheep he is driving are hogs. The next man to overtake them will act as umpire. The trickster's confederate now arrives and declares that they are hogs. [K451.2]. | 1551 | K451.2. |
| 2028 | The Troll (Wolf) who was Cut Open | A troll eats the watcher's five horses and finally the watcher himself. The master goes to investigate. The troll: »I ate the five horses, I ate the watcher, and I will eat you.» Does so. Likewise with wife, servant, daughter, son, and dog. The cat… | , 2027, 2028 | Z33.2., Z33.3., Z33.4. |
| 1624 | Thief's Excuse: the Big Wind | A vegetable thief is caught in a garden. Owner: How did you get into the garden? A wind blew me in. How were the vegetables uprooted? If the wind is strong enough to blow me in, it can uproot them. How did they get into your bag? That is what I was… | ||
| 1927 | The Cold May Night | A very cold night comes in May. Hearing of a much colder night long ago, a man sets out to find about it. In his travels he comes to (a) an otter lying in a deep hole on top of a rock: he has been so long lying there that the rock has been worn… | 1927 | X1620. |
| 726 | The Oldest on the Farm | A wayfarer asks for a night's lodging at a farm. He meets a very old man outside, but he is shown to his father who has to decide, and so on up to the seventh generation [F571.2]. Sometimes mixed up with fairy tradition: the old troll finishes by… | 726 | F571.2. |
| 405 | Jorinde and Joringel | A witch turns the girl into a bird. The youth with the help of a magic object changes her back into her former shape. | , 405 | D683.2., D771. |
| 2025 | The Fleeing Pancake | A woman makes a pancake which flees. Various animals try in vain to stop it. Finally the fox eats it up. [Z33.1]. | 2025 | Z33.1. |
| 1553 | An Ox for Five Pennies | A woman who has been left the ox on condition that she give the proceeds to the poor offers it for five pennies, but it must be bought along with a cock at twelve florins. She gives the five pennies to the poor and keeps the twelve florins. [K182]. | ||
| 764 | The Devil's Son as a Priest | A youth (a) encounters the devil or (b) takes liberties with the corpse of a hanged man. With this companion he goes to certain houses, some of which because they are properly ordered the companion may not enter. The Devil (dead man) is able to enter… | ||
| 317 | The Princess and the Sky-tree | A youth climbs on a magic stretching tree into the upper world [F54]. There he rescues a princess from an ogre. Cf. Type 328A. | , 317, 468 | B11.11., B11.11.11., F54.1., F54.1.1. |
| 413 | Marriage by Stealing Clothing | A youth comes upon a holy man (old woman) in the forest [N825]. He is told not to go in a certain direction but does so [Z211] and sees three lovely maidens bathing. The holy man agrees to help him, turns him into a bird, tells him to steal the… | , 413 | C311., E121.5., K1335., Z211. |
| 554 | The Grateful Animals | A youth earns the thanks of several animals (ants, fish, etc.) and with their help wins the princess by performing three tasks imposed upon him (brings a ring from the bottom of the sea, etc.). I. The Animals' Gratitude. The hero, (a) the youngest of… | , 553 | B571., B582.2., H982., NA |
| 861 | Sleeping at the Rendezvous | A youth having a rendezvous with a princess oversleeps [D1972] and is captured and imprisoned. His sister masks as a man and takes his place in prison. When her sex is discovered all is forgiven and the youth marries the princess. | ||
| 553 | The Bird as a Helper | A youth shoots a raven; saving of the princess from a sea-monster. Cf. Type 300. I. The Raven-feather. (a) With a feather of the raven the youth gets magic objects and treasure from the raven's sister. II. Rescue of Princess. See Type 300: IV (rescue… | ||
| 785 | Who Ate the Lamb's Heart ? | Accused of eating the goose's leg, the thief maintains that it had only one leg, and cleverly enforces his point by showing geese standing on one leg. (Usually the master confounds the rascal by frightening the geese so that they use both legs.)… | , 785 | J1141.1.1., K1811., K402. |
| 992 | The Eaten Heart | Adulteress is caused unwittingly to eat her lover's heart. (Sometimes other parts of his body) [Q478.1]. | 992, 992A | NA, Q478.1. |
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