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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1031 | Granary roof used as threshing flail | Cf. Type 650A (IV a). | ||
| 1344 | Lighting a Fire from the Sparks from a Box on the Ear | Cf. Type 1372. | ||
| 1321 | Fools frightened | Cf. Type 1677. | 1321, 1321C | J2600., J2614.1. |
| 1006 | Casting eyes | Cf. Type 1685. Ordered to cast eyes on this or that, he kills animals and throws their eyes at the object. [K1442]. | 1006, 1006* | K1440., K1442. |
| 1692 | The Stupid Thief | Cf. Type 177. A fool accompanies a group of thieves, who send him into the house while they wait outside. I. Following Directions Literally. (a) Told to bring out something »heavy» (i.e., valuable), he brings out a heavy mortar, or the like… | , 1692 | J2136., J2136.5.5., J2136.5.6., J2136.5.7., J2461.1.7., J2461.1.7.1. |
| 2014 | Chains Involving Contradictions of Extremes | Cf. Type 2335. | , 2014, 2014A | Z51., Z51.1. |
| 705 | Born of a Fish | Cf. Type 303. The king's son finds the speechless maiden in a bird's nest. Marries her. The children are stolen away. She is driven forth by her husband. The riddle. A man receives a magic fish which he shall feed to his wife. Instead, he eats it… | , 705 | N711., R13.3., S410., T412., T511.5.1., T541.16., T578. |
| 462 | The Outcast Queens and the Ogress Queen | Cf. Type 590. I. The Ogress Queen. (a) Men in a forest are pursued by an ogress who takes on the form of a lovely girl [G264, G369.1.5]. (b) A king hunting in the forest [G405] sees the lovely girl and takes her as his queen. II. The Blinded queens.… | , 462 | G264., G405., K511., L71., S435., S438. |
| 1249 | Oxen Hitched Before and Behind Wagon | Cf. Type 801. | ||
| 855 | The Substitute Bridegroom | Cf. Type 870. A handsome youth is hired to take the place of a oneeyed (or crippled) prince (merchant's son) at the latter's wedding. The bride falls in love with the hero and refuses the oneeyed prince. [K19.5.3]. (a) The hero escapes with the… | ||
| 1511 | The Faithless Queen | Cf. Type 871A. I. The Queen and the Loathsome Paramour [T232]. (a) A king follows his queen as she slips out of their bedchamber. (b) The queen goes to her lover, a loathsome cripple, beggar, etc., (c) who beats her for coming late to their… | ||
| 1384 | The husband hunts for three persons as stupid as his wife | Cf. Types 1450, Clever Elsie; 1385, The Foolish Wife's Pawn. The man finds three as foolish [H1312.1]. Cf. Type 1540, The Student from Paradise. This type combines with many others, particularly 1310, 1245, 1265, 1286, 1326, 1371*, 1385, 1386, 1387… | 1384 | H1312.1. |
| 930 | The Prediction | Cf. Types 461, 1525R*. I. The Prophecy. (a) It is foretold that a poor boy is to become the king's son-in-law. II. Sale and Abandonment. (a) The king buys the boy from his parents. (b) He abandons the boy in a box on a river (or in a forest). (c) He… | , 930, 930A | H51., K1355., K511., K978., M312.1., M312.1.1., M359.2., M370., N101., R131., S115.2., S143., T22.2. |
| 1154 | The Man Who Falls From the Tree and the Demons | Cf. Types 121, 1653. I. Tree Refuge. Two men take refuge in a tree. Below them (a) demons or (b) tigers assemble. One man, through accident, or overcome by fear, falls from the tree in the midst of the demons or tigers. The man in the tree shouts… | ||
| 243 | The Parrot Pretends to be God | Cf. Types 1380, 1422. I. The Tell-tale Parrot. (a) A parrot decides a lawsuit against a woman,or (b) reports a woman's infidelity to her husband. (c) The woman orders the… | ||
| 1532 | The Voice from the Grave | Cf. Types 1380, 1476, 1676. (a) Two rascals hear of a wealthy man who has recently died. One digs a hole near the grave with a speaking tube leading out or hides near the grave. The other goes to the relatives of the dead man claiming that the dead… | ||
| 534 | The Youth Who Tends the Buffalo Herd | Cf. Types 181, 510C, 511A. I. The youth and the Wild Buffaloes (Cows). A youth cares for wild buffaloes which he comes upon in the forest and is befriended by them [B395, B396, N832.1, B537]. (a) The youth is lost or abandoned. (b) A tiger carries a… | ||
| 852 | That is a lie! | Cf. Types 1875, 1920C, 1960E and G. I. The Contest. (a) A princess is offered to the man who can tell so big a lie that she says, »That is a lie». II. The Lies. The youth tells impossible tales of (a) a great ox; (b) of a tree growing to the skies… | , 852 | F54.2., H342.1., K1271.1., X1036.1., X1201., X1237., X1423.1., X1547.2., X1726.2., X1739.2., X1757. |
| 530 | The Glass Mountain | Cf. Types 300, 329, 502, 550. I. Reward for the Vigil. (a) Three brothers one after the other are sent to guard a meadow which is devastated at night by a monster or they must in turns keep vigil for their dead father. (c) The elder brothers are… | , 530 | B315., B401., H1471., H331.1.1., H80. |
| 513 | The Extraordinary Companions | Cf. Types 301B, 571. | , 513A, 513B | D1533.1.1., D2144.1.2., F601., F601.2., F621., F632., F641., F661.5.3., F681.1., H1127., H1142., H1511., H331., H331.5.1., L161., N825.2. |
| 581 | The Magic Object and the Trolls | Cf. Types 303, 513. I. Magic Objects Acquired. Two brothers wander immediately after birth [T585] and part at a cross-roads [N772]. The first brother meets three old women with only one eye. He takes it [K333.2] and gives it back in exchange for an… | ||
| 939 | The Offended Deity | Cf. Types 757, 947. I. A King Offends a Deity [C50]. He loses his kingdom and his fortune [C930] and is forced to wander in poverty for a term of years. (a) His wife is stolen from him. (b) He must labor at menial tasks. (c) Taken in and helped by a… | ||
| 114 | Chanticleer Believes that his Crowing Makes the Sun Rise | Chanticleer believes that his crowing makes the sun rise. Disappointed when it rises without his aid. | ||
| 1060 | Squeezing Water from a Stone | Cheese, egg, etc. Contest in squeezing water out of a stone. The ogre squeezes a stone; the boastful trickster a cheese or egg [K62]. (Sometimes with animal actors.) Cf. Type 1640. | 1060 | K62. |
| 751 | The Greedy Peasant Woman | Christ and Peter ask entertainment from a peasant woman [K1811]. Although the cake magically grows larger [D1652.1.2], she gives them but a morsel. She is punished [Q1.1]. | , 751A, 751C* | D153.1., D1652.1.2., K1811., K1811.1., Q292.1. |
| 753 | Christ and the smith | Christ takes off the horse's foot in order to shoe him and rejuvenates an old woman by putting her in the fire. The smith tries disastrously to do the same. | , 753 | A1861.2., D1886., E121.2., E782.4., F663.0.1., J2411.1., K1811. |
| 207 | Rebellion of the Work Animals | Cock as leader punished. | 207, 207A, 207B, 207C | B271.3., J2413.1., K1633., NA |
| 1343 | Hanging Game | Comrade to rescue fool when he whistles. Hangs himself. [N334.2]. | ||
| 575 | The Wings of the Prince | Contest in the preparation of the most wonderful object. Wings. The prince buys the wings from a clever workman. The hero flies to the princess in the tower. They fly away together from the stake where they are to be burned. After they have flown… | ||
| 1085 | Pushing a hole into a tree | Contest with ogre, to push a hole in a tree with his head. The hero has already cut a hole with his axe. [K61]. Cf. Types 1086, 1640. | 1085 | K61. |
| 112 | Town Mouse and Country Mouse | Country mouse visits town mouse. Former prefers poverty with safety. | 112 | J211.2. |
| 242 | The Frog Enticed out of his Hole | Crow (or other bird) swears not to eat him. Breaks his oath. | 242 | K815. |
| 335 | Death' Messengers | Death promises the man to indicate his future. He gives him a blow, blindness, etc. But the man does not understand the signs and lives happily throughout. | 335 | J1051. |
| 293 | Debate of the Belly and the Members | Debate as to their usefulness. All are mutually useful. | 293 | J461.1. |
| 846 | Devil Always Blamed | Devil blamed when cow is in ditch (Who the devil did that?). When she is saved (Thank God!). | , 846 | K1811., N111.4.1. |
| 1890 | The lucky shot | Discharge of gun kills the heath-cock, which falls on the sprouts on the tree, which kills the bear, etc. [X1124.3]. | 1890, 1890D, 1890E, 1890F | X1122.2., X1122.3., X1124.3. |
| 1790 | The Parson and Sexton Steal a Cow | Dispute over the booty. Summoned to court. In return for the cow and money, the sexton agrees to get them free. Tells the whole story. Then says, »Just then I waked up» [J1155]. They are freed. Cf. Type 1364. | ||
| 1408 | The man who does his wife's work | Does everything wrong [J2431]. Lets cow graze on the roof; cf. Type 1210. Ties the rope's end to his foot [J2132.2]. Lets the beer run out; cf. Type 1387. In the chimney. | , 1408, 1408B, 1876 | J1545.3., J1881.1.3., J2132.2., J2176.1., J2431., J2465.4., X1267.1. |
| 107 | Dog Leader Fears Defeat Because his Forces are of Different Breeds. | Dog leader fears defeat because his forces are of different breeds. Wolves are all of one kind. | ||
| 1685 | The Foolish Bridegroom | Dog »Parsley» in the soup [J2462.1]. Clearing out the room (throws out the stove) [J2465.5]. To »throw good eyes» at the bride (throws ox-eyes and sheep-eyes on the plate) [J2462.2]. Cf. Type 1006. She flees. The he-goat in the bride's place in… | , 1685 | J2462.1., J2462.2., J2465.5. |
| 910 | Precepts bought or given correct | Drie mannen, een molenaar met een kwaad wijf, een koopman die het ondanks goede zaken slecht gaat, en een arme dokter, vragen een waarzegster om raad. Zij geeft hen elk een briefje met resp. deze voorschriften: 1. luister naar je molen; 2. koop een… | , 910A, 910B, 910C, 910D, 910E, 910F, 910G | 21.4., C320., D758., H588.7., J1021., J154., J163.1., J1655.2., J21.1., J21.10., J21.15., J21.2., J21.22., J21.24., J21.26., J21.27., J21.28., J21.3., J21.46., J21.47.1., J21.5., J21.6., J21.9., J571., J865., K2155., K2213.3., N545.1., Q20.2. |
| 1066 | The Hanging Game | Dupe really hanged. [K852]. | ||
| 503 | Helpful Elves | Dwarfs take hump from hunchback and place it on another man. I. The Dwarfs' Favor. (a) A wanderer takes part in a dance of the witches or people from below the earth (elves, dwarfs) or plays for them; or (b) adds to their song by naming more days of… | , 503, 504 | , F331.1., F331.3., F344.1. |
| 2022 | An Animal Mourns the Death of a Spouse | Each act of mourning described by a neologism: the table untables itself. [Z32.2.1]. | , 2022 | Z32.2., Z32.2.1. |
| 2019 | Fair Katrinelje and Pif-Paf-Poltrie | Each member of a family is assigned a characteristic function; various wooers appear and are rejected until the one which is apparently the most unpromising is chosen. [Z31.1]. | 2019 | Z31.1. |
| 307 | The Princess in the Shroud | Each morning the watchers are found dead. A youth overcomes the enchantment; the dead girl comes out of the shroud. He wins her hand. (Not always a princess). Sometimes combined with Type 506 (I b, V). I. The Parents' Hasty Wish. (a) Barren parents… | , 307 | C758.1.1., D791.1.7.1.7., E251., N825.2.2. |
| 283 | Spider Invites Fly to Rest on her Curtain | Eats her. | 283 | K815.2. |
| 1310 | Drowning the crayfish as punishment | Eel, crab, turtle, etc. express fear of water and are thrown in. | , 1310 | J1762.1.2., K581.1. |
| 1240 | Man sitting on branch of tree cuts it off | Een poep wil een klokketouw stelen. Hij klimt erin en snijdt het boven zijn hoofd af [cf. J2133.4]. | 1240 | J2133.4. |
| 1137 | Self Did It | Escape under the ram's belly. Cf. Type 1135. | , 1137 | F512.1.1., F521.1., G100., K1010., K1011., K603. |
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