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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| 953 | The Old Robber Relates Three Adventures | The old robber relates three adventures to free his sons [R153.3.3, J1185]. Each adventure is more frightful than the last [R151.1]. The tales: (1) an adventure with ghostlike cats, (2) Odysseus and Polyphemus (cf.Type 1137), (3) an ogre fooled by… | , 953 | J1185., K1011., K527., Q53., R153.3.3. |
| 954 | The Forty Thieves | The robbers come with seven casks into the house. In one cask is oil, in the others men are hidden. [K312]. The girl kills the robbers. | , 676, 954 | D1552.2., F721.4., K312., N455.3., N471., N478., N512. |
| 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. |
| 956 | Robbers' Heads Cut Off by One as They Enter House | Robbers' Heads Cut off One by One as they Enter House [K912]. Cf. Type 304. | 956A | K912. |
| 957 | The Bear Chases the Robbers | The bear-keeper end his bears overnight in the stable when the robbers come. [K335.1.9]. Cf. Types 177, 1161. | ||
| 958 | The Shepherd Youth in the Robbers' Power | The Shepherd Youth in the Robbers' Power calls on his him for help. The helpers come. [K551.1]. | 958C*, 958E* | K311.1., K437.2. |
| 960 | The Sun Brings All to Light | The murderer repeats as he sees the ray of the sun the last words of the dying man [D1715]. In this way the crime is brought to light [N271.1]. Or the murder is revealed by the unusual names of boys [N271.2]. Cf. Types 883C, 1376C*, 1530*. | , 960, 960A | D1715., N271.1., N271.3. |
| 961 | Conqueror of Robber Discovers his Money-Stick | Thinking that he has killed the robber, the man takes his stick or knife with big handle. The robber recovers and, disguised as beggar, inquisitively looks at the stick. The man is suspicious and by examining finds much money inside it. [K437.4] . | ||
| 962 | The girl who played with the bread | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 964 | Thief (Murderer) Deceived into Betraying himself by a Gesture | Thief (Murderer) Deceived into Betraying himself by a Gesture [J1141.1]. Cf.Type 66A. | ||
| 968 | Miscellaneous Robber and Murder Stories | No examples in the Database yet | , 968 | K343.0.1., K434.1., K434.3., S121. |
| 969 | T'choupi : SaberTooth fighter | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 976 | Which was the Noblest Act? | The bridegroom, the robber, and the lover. A bridegroom permits his bride to fulfill a promise to visit her lover on her wedding night. On the way she meets robbers. When he hears her story one of the robbers conducts her to her lover. On hearing her… | 976 | H1552.1. |
| 977 | The Eloping Couple and the Robbers | An eloping couple comes to the house of a band of thieves who are absent. The mother of the thieves tries to detain the couple, but, unable to keep them until the robbers return, she ties a bag of seeds, or the like, to their horses so that they can… | ||
| 978 | The Youth in the Land of the Cheaters | I. The Cheats. A youth sets out to trade end comes to a land where cheaters flourish. He loses all his goods. (a) A one-eyed man (woman) states that the youth's father had taken the other eye and demands compensation. (The rescuer demands that the… | ||
| 980 | Old Grandfathers and Their Grandsons | Ungrateful Son Reproved by Naive Actions of Own Son: Preparing for Old Age [W121]. | , 980, 980A, 980B, 980C, 980D | D444.2., J121., J121.2., NA |
| 981 | The Killing of Old Men | Wisdom of Hidden Old Man Saves Kingdom. In famine all old men are ordered killed. One man hides his father. When all goes wrong in the hands of the young rulers, the old man comes forth, performs assigned tasks, end aids with his wisdom. [J151.1].… | 981 | J151.1. |
| 982 | Ungrateful Heirs | They think that the chest of stones contains the inheritance. [P236.2, Q281.1]. | , 982 | P236.2., Q281.1. |
| 983 | The Dishes of the Same Flavor | Man thus shown that one woman is like another and dissuaded from his amorous purpose. [P236.2, Q281.1]. | ||
| 985 | Brother Chosen Rather than Husband or Son | Only one can be saved; he alone is irreplacable. [P253.3]. | ||
| 986 | The Lazy Husband | Forced by his wife to work he joins a caravan and finds in a desert spring a pomegranate and a beautiful girl. He sends the pomegranate to his wife. Out of it fall jewels which make them rich. He returns the stolen girl to her father. | 986 | NA |
| 987 | False Magician Exposed by Clever Girl | No examples in the Database yet | 987 | NA |
| 990 | Revived from Apparent Death by a Grave-Robber | The Woman gets a ring stuck in her throat. A man enters the grave to steal a ring from the finger of the dead. The woman wakes up and goes home. [K426] | 990 | K426. |
| 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. |
| 1000 | Bargain not to become angry | See Type AT 0650A (incident III c. See also Type AT 1351) Note: Type 1000 is usually combined with one or more other types, especially AT 1000-1029 and also, AT 1060, 1062, 1088, 1115, 1386, 1653, 1725. | , 1000 | F613.3., K172. |
| 1001 | Cutting Wood | The rascal has a magic cat (snake) in the woodpile. The axe goed into the wood only when the cat gets out. He thus avoids cutting the wood. | ||
| 1002 | Dissipation of the ogre's property | No examples in the Database yet | 1002 | K1400. |
| 1003 | Plowing | The man is told to come home when the dog does. He beats the dog so that it runs home. Then he destroys the horse and harness and goes home. [K1411]. (Cf. Type AT 0650 incident IVc). | 1003 | K1411. |
| 1004 | Hogs in the mud; sheep in the air | The cows driven away, the hogs' tails in the mud, the bell-wether on the tree. I. Pigs' Tails. Left to guard the pigs, the trickster kills and sells them and leaves their tails sticking in the ground. The owner pulls the tails out and is convinced… | , 1004 | K404.1., K404.2., K404.3. |
| 1005 | Building a bridge . . . | No examples in the Database yet | 1005 | K1441. |
| 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. |
| 1008 | Lighting the Road | No examples in the Database yet | 1008 | K1412. |
| 1009 | Guarding the Store-room Door | It is lifted off and carried away. [K1413]. Cf. Type 1653A. | 1009 | K1413. |
| 1010 | Repairing the House | The house or furniture destroyed. [K1415]. | 1010 | K1415. |
| 1011 | Tearing up the Orchard or Vineyard | Told to cut down wood, the rascal cuts down a neighbor's vineyard. | 1011 | K1416. |
| 1012 | Cleaning the child | Intestines taken out and cleaned. [K1461.1]. | 1012 | K1461.1. |
| 1013 | Bathing or Warming Grandmother/ Ogre's Wife Burned in his Own Oven | In boiling water or on stove. [K1462]. | 1013 | K1462. |
| 1014 | Closing the Door Thight | With iron nails. [K1417]. | ||
| 1015 | Whetting the Knife | The whole blade whetted away. [K1418]. | ||
| 1016 | Cleaning the Horse | Washing in boiling water or currying with a sharp razor. [K1443]. | ||
| 1029 | The woman as cuckoo in the tree | The anger-bargain is to cease when the cuckoo crows. The ogre's wife climbs into the tree and imitates the cuckoo. She is shot down. [K1691]. | 1029 | K1691. |
| 1030 | Man and ogre share the harvest | Man and ogre or fox and bear. Of root crops the ogre chooses the tops; of other crops the roots. [K171]. Cf. Types 9B, 1633. | 1030 | K171.1. |
| 1031 | Granary roof used as threshing flail | Cf. Type 650A (IV a). | ||
| 1035 | Clearing out Manure | The rascal digs a hole [K1424] or piles manure high [K1424.1]. | ||
| 1045 | Pulling the Lake Together | The hero threatens to do so with a rope. The ogre is intimidated. [K1744]. Cf. Type 1650. | 1045 | K1744. |
| 1046 | Threat to Haul away the Warehouse | For this purpose a large rope is made. The ogre is intimidated. | ||
| 1048 | Buying Wood | Neither straight nor crooked trees (sawdust). | ||
| 1049 | The heavy axe | The boastful trickster told to cut wood with an axe or get water in a bucket demands one large enough to bring in the whole well (cut the whole forest). The ogre is frightened. [K1741.1, K1741.3]. | , 1049 | K1741.1., K1741.3. |
| 1050 | Felling trees | The ogre and the trickster are to fell a large tree. The trickster purposely dulls his axe on a stone and then asks the ogre to exchange. Rather than work with the dull axe, the ogre does all the work. [K178, K1421]. Cf. Type 650 IV. | , 1050 | K178., K44. |
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