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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1386 | Meat as food for cabbage | The wife places pieces of meat on a growing cabbage. [J1856.1]. Cf. Type 1642. | 1386 | J1856.1. |
| 1387 | A Woman Draws Beer in the Cellar | While she chases the dog the beer runs into the cellar; she scatters meal over it. Cf. Types 1408, The Man who Does his Wife's Work; 1450, Clever Elsie; 1653A, Guarding the Door. [J2176, J2176.1]. | , 1387, 1387A | , J2176., J2176.1. |
| 1391 | Every hole to tell the truth | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 1393 | The Single Blanket | Quarreling women left by their husbands in very cold room with a single blanket use it together and are reconciled. | ||
| 1405 | The Lazy Spinner | The woman hidden in the bushes calls out to her husband, who is cutting wood: »Whoever cuts wood for a spinning wheel will die; whoever uses the wheel will be destroyed.» The man becomes worried and no longer keeps her at the reel [K1971.4.1]. When… | , 1405 | J2325., K1971.4.1. |
| 1406 | The merry wives wager . . . | No examples in the Database yet | , 1406 | J2013.2., J2301., J2311.0.1., J2312., J2314., J2315., J2316., J2317., J2324., K1545. |
| 1407 | The Miser | Gives his wife too little to eat. On the advice of the servant boy, he spies on her from inside the chimney, under the bolster, etc. Gets burned in the chimney, beaten in the bed. [W153.2]. Cf. Types 1373, 1458. | 1407, 1407A | K1155., W153.2. |
| 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. |
| 1410 | Four Men's Mistress | A husband disguises as a priest to hear his wife's confession. She says that she has been the mistress of a servant, a knight, a fool, and a priest; i.e., her husband when he was her servant, and later her knight. He had then been a fool for… | 1410 | J1545.2. |
| 1415 | Trading Away One's Fortune | Foolish bargains. He trades his horse for a cow, the cow for a hog, the latter for a goose, until finally he has nothing left [J2081.1]. Wins the wager when his wife does not get angry [N11]. | 1415 | J2081.1. |
| 1416 | The mouse in the silver jug. The new Eve | The New Eve. A poor woman laments at Eve's curiosity and says women are no longer so. The king lets them enjoy themselves in castle, but they must not open a certain silver jug [C324]. The woman can not let it alone. There is a mouse in the jug.… | , 1416 | C324., H1554.1. |
| 1417 | The Cutt-off Nose (Hair) | Lai of the Tresses. A woman leaves her husband's bed and has another woman take her place. The husband addresses her, gets no answer, and cuts off her nose (hair). In the morning the wife still has her nose (hair). The husband is made to believe that… | , 1417 | J2315.2., K1512. |
| 1418 | The Equivocal Oath | A husband insists that his wife take oath that she has been intimate with no one but himself. The paramour masks as ass-driver. She hires an ass from him, falls down, and lets him pick her up. She swears no one has touched her except the husband and… | 1418 | K1513. |
| 1422 | The Parrot and the Adulterous Woman | No examples in the Database yet | 1422 | J1154.1. |
| 1423 | The Enchanted Pear Tree | The wife makes the husband, who has seen her adultery from the tree, believe that the tree is magic (or that he has seen double) [K1518]. | 1423 | K1518. |
| 1425 | Putting the Devil into Hell | Obscene trick used to seduce woman. [K1363.1]. | 1425, 1425B* | K1363.1., na |
| 1430 | Air Castles | They make great plans for success but disagree over the conclusion. They quarrel over details and lose everything. Cf. Type 1681*. | , 1430, 1430A | J2060., J2060.1., J2061., J2061.1., J2061.1.2., J2061.2. |
| 1431 | The contagious yawns | A husband planning to punish his wife, who has yawned in church at the same time as a man, sees his error when his wife in the woods calls out, »The squirrels hop from bough to bough as the yawns from mouth to mouth.» [J1448]. | ||
| 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*. | ||
| 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. |
| 1451 | A suitor chooses the thrifty girl | The thrifty girl makes herself a dress from the flax the lazy fiancé has thrown on the floor. The young man chooses the thrifty girl. [H381.1]. | 1451 | H381.1. |
| 1452 | Choosing a Bride by How She Cuts Cheese | Three girls tested. First eats rind and all, second cuts away good cheese, third cuts away just enough. [H381.2]. | 1452 | H381.2. |
| 1453 | Bride test: key in flax reveals laziness | Suitor hides key in flax on spinning wheel. Finds it there next day. [H382.1]. | 1453 | H382.1. |
| 1454 | The greedy fiancee | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 1455 | The Hard-hearted Fiancée | The father-in-law disguised as a beggar. [H384.1]. | ||
| 1456 | The blind fiancée | The search for the needle. The girl mistakes the dish for a cat. The blindness is thus discovered. [K1984.5]. | , 1456 | K1225., K1984.5. |
| 1457 | The lisping maiden | The suitor on a visit. The impediment in speech discovered. The girls have been warned against talking but forget and speak out. [K1984.1]. (Sometimes other impediments or deformities.) | ||
| 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. | ||
| 1459 | Keeping up appearances | No examples in the Database yet | 1459** | K1984. |
| 1461 | The girl with the ugly name | Her mother gives her a new one. The girl does not recognize it when she is called in, and her mother must use the old one. [K1984.3]. | ||
| 1462 | Clean and tidy | No examples in the Database yet | 1462 | K1971.6. |
| 1463 | Finger-drying Contest Won by Deception | Three daughters are to wet hands; the first to have hands dry is to be the first to marry. The youngest waves her hand, exclaiming, »I don't want a man!» She wins. [K95]. | ||
| 1464 | Nothing to cook | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 1468 | Marrying a stranger | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 1475 | Marriage Forbidden Outside the Parish | An order is read in church forbidding the young people to marry girls from other parishes. [X751]. | ||
| 1476 | The Prayer for a Husband | The old maid prays in church that she may get a husband [X761]. The (supposed) advice of God (the church janitor) [K1971.9]. She must raise her foot to her neck (or other disgraceful act). Cf. Type 1462. | 1476, 1476A, 1476B | G303.12.5., K1971.9., NA |
| 1477 | The wolf steals the old maid | She keeps him for a husband [X755]. | ||
| 1478 | The Meal of Beans | One of the old maid's three teeth breaks off [X754]. | ||
| 1501 | Aristoteles and Phyllis | The philosopher warns the king against luxoriousness. In revenge the queen beguiles the philosopher into letting her ride him on all-fours. The king comes and sees. [K1215]. | ||
| 1503 | The daughter-in-law and the real daughter | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 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… | ||
| 1525 | The robber brothers | The man pretends to show how the horse can be stolen. Really leads it away. [K341.8]. Cf. Types 1540, 1542. | , 1525, 1525A, 1525D, 1525G, 1525H, 1525J*, 1525M, 1525N, 1525Q, 1525Q*, 1525R | H1151., H1151.2., H1151.3., J1516., K301., K301.1., K306., K307.1., K308., K311., K332., K341.20., K341.21., K341.3., K341.6., K341.7., K362.2., K406.2., L142.1., NA |
| 1526 | The Old Beggar and the Robbers | The robbers dress an old beggar up in fine clothes. They take him in front of the shopkeeper's house. Get many goods on the credit of the fine gentleman. Disappear with the goods and leave the old man behind. [K455.3]. Cf. Types 1531, l920E. | , 1526A | K455.1., K455.2. |
| 1527 | The Robbers are Betrayed | The master and servant exchange places for a day. The servant in tar and feathers. Has his former master take him to the robbers' house. They flee in terror and leave their treasure behind. Cf. Types 1525H, 1650, 1653, 1654**. [K335.1, K335.1.8]. | , 1527A | K630., K724. |
| 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. |
| 1529 | Thief Claims to have been Transformed into a Horse | While the owner sleeps, the peasant steals his horse. He hitches himself to the owner's wagon and says that he is a horse transformed to a man. [K403]. | 1529, 1529A* | K403., na |
| 1530 | Holding up the Rock | The rascal puts his shoulder under a great rock and pretends to hold it up. He persuades a man to take his place and then runs away with the dupe's goods. [K125.1]. Cf. Types 9A, 1731. | 1530 | K1251. |
| 1531 | The Man Thinks he has Been in Heaven | The rich lord puts fine clothes on a drunken peasant and gives him good food and drink. [J2322]. Cf. Types 1313A*, 1526. | ||
| 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… | ||
| 1533 | The wise carving of the fowl | A clever person divides it symbolically head to head of house, neck to wife, wings to daughters, legs to sons; keeps rest for himself. (Cf. Type 875 II e.) [H601]. | 1533 | NA |
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