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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1645 | The Man Who Became Rich through a Dream | A man dreams that if he goes to a distant city he will find treasure on a certain bridge. Finding no treasure, he tells his dream to a man who says that he too has dreamed of treasure at certain place. He describes the place, which is the first man's… | , 1645, 1645A | E721., E730., N531.1., N531.3. |
| 1650 | The Three Lucky Brothers | Their inheritances: a cock, a scythe, a cat. The fortunate sales. I. The Inheritances. (a) The eldest brother inherits a cock, the second a scythe (see Type 1202), the youngest a cat (see Type 1651); or (b) they inherit a millstone, a musical… | , 1650 | N411., N411.1.1., N411.2., N411.2.1. |
| 1651 | Whittington's cat | In a land where cats are unknown, he sells it for fortune. Cf. Types 1281, 1650. I. He Gets the Cat. (a) The hero is left a cat as his only inheritance [N411.1.1] (see Type 1650); or (b) he earns or finds four coins which he tests by throwing them… | ||
| 1652 | The Wolves in the Stable | The youth plays music, entices them out, and gets them to dancing. Receives much money from the man who has let them out. [K443.5]. Cf. Type 1650. | ||
| 1653 | The Robbers under the Tree | Object falls on robbers from a tree. They flee and leave money. | ||
| 1655 | The profitable exchange | The eaten grain and the cock as damages. Cf. Type 170. I. Profitable Exchanges. (a) The hero has only a grain of corn; this is eaten by a cock and he gets the cock as damages [K251.11]. (b) Likewise when the hog eats the cock, and (c) the ox eats the… | ||
| 1660 | The Poor Man in Court | He has a stone in his purse to throw at the judge if he is sentenced. The judge thinks that he has money to use as a bribe and acquits him. [K1705]. | ||
| 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… | ||
| 1663 | Deviding Five Eggs Equally between Two Men and One Woman | Three to the woman and one to each of the men. Men already have two (testicles). [J1249.1]. | ||
| 1675 | The ox (ass) as mayor | The peasant has his ox study. The man who is to teach the ox [K491] slaughters it and tells the peasant that it has gone to the city and become a merchant (mayor). The peasant goes to visit him, meets a man who is named Peter Ox (or the like) and… | , 1675 | J1882.2., K491. |
| 1678 | The boy who had never seen a woman | When he sees a girl and asks his father what it is, the father tells him it is Satan. Asked what he most likes, he says »The Satans». [T371]. | 1678 | T371. |
| 1681 | Foolish man builds aircastles | Foolishly kills his horse, throws his axe into the lake to kill a duck. Undresses to recover axe. Clothes stolen. Goes into barrel of tar to hide. In tar and feathers. [J2661.4]. Cf. Types 1383, 1690*. | , 1681B | K1461., K1462. |
| 1682 | The groom teaches his horse to live without food | It dies. [J1914]. | 1682 | J1914. |
| 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. |
| 1687 | The forgotten word | No examples in the Database yet | 1687 | D2004.5. |
| 1688 | The Servant to Improve on the Master's Statements | The wooer makes boasts to the girl and the servant always doubles the master's boast. Finally the master says, »I have poor eyesight.» - The servant, »You don't see at all.» (Or the master coughs and apologizes; the servant says that he coughs… | ||
| 1689 | Thank God They Weren't Peaches | The man plans to take peaches as a present to the king. He is persuaded rather to take figs. They are green and the king has them thrown in his face. He is thankful that they weren't peaches. [J2563]. | 1689, 1689A | J2415.1., J2563. |
| 1691 | Don´t Eat too Greadly | The fool starves himself at table since a cat steps on his foot and he thinks his companion is giving him hint to stop eating. He later hunts food in house and gets into trouble. [J2541]. Cf. Type 1775. | ||
| 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. |
| 1693 | The Literal Fool - the Burning of Lanka | Pots broken; fire set. A fool (or trickster) follows instructions literally and disastrously. He is taken before a judge or rajah, but is freed. (a) An oil seller tells a fool (or a trickster), who has spilled a little oil, that spilt oil brings good… | 1693 | J2450. |
| 1694 | The Company to Sing like the Leader | When his foot is caught in a wheel, his companions keep repeating his call for help as a song. [J2417.1]. Cf. Type 1832M*. | ||
| 1695 | The Fool Spoils the Work of the Shoemaker, the Tailor and the Smith | Makes shoes for animals as well for men since he expects a cold winter. [J1873.1, W111.5.9]. | ||
| 1696 | What Should I Have Said? | The mother teaches the boy (the man his wife) what he should say (do) in this or that circumstance. He uses the words in the most impossible cases and is always punished. [J2461]. Cf. Types 1681A, 1681B. | , 1696 | J2461., J2461.2. |
| 1697 | "We Three; For Money" | Three travelers in a foreign land know only three expressions in the foreign language. By the use of these they get themselves accused of murder. [C495.2.2] Cf. Type 360. | 1697 | C495.2.2. |
| 1699 | Misunderstanding Because of Ignorance of a Foreign Language | New recruits learn answers to questions in foreign language. Order changed in asking brings confusion. [J1741.3.1]. | , 1699 | J2496.2., X111.7. |
| 1700 | "I don't Know." | The man thinks that »I don't know» is a person's name [J2496]. | 1700 | J2496. |
| 1701 | Echo answers | Only end of question comes back. Misunderstanding. [K1887.1]. | ||
| 1702 | Anecdotes about Stutterers | One stutterer thinks the other is imitating him. | ||
| 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. |
| 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. | ||
| 1718 | God can't take a joke | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 1725 | The foolish parson in the trunk | The clever rascal gets ready to throw the trunk into the water; see Type 1535, incidents III b, c, 1358. | ||
| 1730 | The entrapped suitors | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 1731 | The Youth and the Pretty Shoes | By playing upon their desire for the pretty shoes he has stolen [T455.3.2], he betrays the wife, the daughter, and the servant girl of the parson [K1357] and finally the parson himself, who is standing by his side. Healing of the scab; holding the… | ||
| 1735 | 'Who gives his own goods shall receive it back tenfold' | The parson preaches from this text, and a peasant tests it by giving the parson a cow, which brings all the parson's cows back home with her [K366.1.1]. A quarrelarises over the cows and it is agreed that the man who can say »good morning» to the… | ||
| 1736 | The stingy parson | The boys do no mowing the whole day. »May the grass grow up again! May the gold in the purse turn to wasps!» A parson is known for being unusually stingy. He sends his boys to the meadow to mow, and they do nothing. On the way home one of them… | ||
| 1737 | Trading Places with the Trickster in a Sack | The youth claims to be the Angel Gabriel [K842]. (Dupe not always a parson; sometimes told of animals.) Cf. Types 1525A, 1535 (IV). | ||
| 1738 | The Dream: All Parsons in Hell | The smith, who is sick, sends for the parson, whoAT first refuses to come on account of bad weather. When he arrives the smith says that he has dreamed that he went to heaven, where St. Peter would not admit him before he saw a priest. There were no… | ||
| 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.… | ||
| 1740 | Candles on the Crayfish | The rascal puts burning candles on the backs of the crayfish. The parson and sexton think them the souls of the dead. He robs them meanwhile. [K335.0.5.1]. | ||
| 1741 | Trickster Wives and Maids | The servant who has eaten the chickens tells the guest to flee because the priest is going to cut off his ears, and he tells the priest the guest has stolen two chickens [K2137]. The priest runs after him crying, »Give me at least one of them.» | ||
| 1745 | Three words at the grave | The priest made sick of his bargain. A poor man in return for a steer gets permission from the priest to speak three words at the burial of his enemy, the rich man. Priest: »From the earth are you come.» Man: »Now the steer is dead.» Priest: »In… | ||
| 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… | ||
| 1775 | The hungry parson | On the hunting trip. Overnight at the peasant's house. In the night the parson hunts the porridge to satisfy his hunger. (The sexton has given him the end of a rope to guide him) [X431]. Cf. Type 1691. | ||
| 1776 | The sexton falls into the brewing-vat | The parson has illicit relations with the maid. The sexton falls from his hiding place into the brewing-vat. The parson and maid think it is the devil and flee [K1271.1.4]. The sexton gets the beer [K335]. Cf. Type 1360. | ||
| 1781 | Sexton's Own Wife Brings her Offering | The priest grants to the sexton the offerings brought by all women whom the priest has loved. The priest always calls out »Take» when these women offer. The sexton's own wife comes. The priest calls out »Take!» (Cf. Q384.) [K1541]. | ||
| 1786 | The Parson in the Church on the Ox | Wants to show how Christ rode to Jerusalem. Rides into the church on an ox. The sexton sticks the ox with a needle. [X414]. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 1791 | The sexton carries the parson | Thieves steal a sheep or turnips. The lame parson has himself carried by the sexton. The sexton hears the thieves in the cemetery cracking nuts and thinks it is the devil cracking bones. With the gouty parson on his back he comes upon the thieves… | ||
| 1792 | The stingy parson and the slaughtered pig | The stingy parson does not want to give anyone a part of his pig, which he has just slaughtered. The sexton advises him to hang the pig up in the garden overnight so as to make everyone think it has been stolen. The sexton steals it himself.… |
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