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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 665 | The Man in Three Animal Forms | In a war gets the sword of the king, who gives him his daughter as wife. I. The Hero's Powers. (a) The power of transforming himself into a bird, a fish, and a hare is given to the hero (b) by an old man with whom he divides his last penny, (c) by a… | , 665 | B515., D1081., D117.2., D1470.1.15., D150., D170., D630., D641., H78.2., K1931.3., N681., Q42.1. |
| 811 | The man promised to the devil becomes a priest | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 1894 | The man shoots a ramrod full of ducks | No examples in the Database yet | 1894 | X1111. |
| 1247 | The Man Sticks his Head into the Hole of the Millstone | It rolls into the lake. [J2131.5.4]. Cf. Type 1241. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 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. |
| 891 | The Man Who Deserts his Wife and Sets Her the Task of Bearing Him a Child | I. The Prince Deserts His Wife. (a) A girl by accident arouses the enmity of a prince, who threatens to make her half a wife, or the like, and marries her, or (b) a prince becomes angry at his wife. (c) The prince deserts his wife, (d) or imprisons… | , 891, 891A, 891B | H1187., K1814., K1837., M372., na, R41.2., T381. |
| 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. |
| 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… | ||
| 1882 | The Man who Fell out of a Balloon | Buried in the earth, he goes to get a spade to dig himself out. | 1882 | X1731.2.1., X1757. |
| 1544 | The man who got a night's lodging | The rascal feigns deafness and eats the best food. He accepts the hospitality before it is offered [K1981.1]. He takes the man's horse out of the stable and puts his own in. He is to pay for his lodging with a goat skin; he takes one of the man's own… | , 1544, 1544A* | K1572., K1981.1., K258., K942., NA |
| 842 | The Man Who Kicked Aside Riches | A man practices austerities for many years. He asks the god for wealth as a reward and the god signifies that his request is granted. On the way home, the man decides to close his eyes to feel how a blind man feels when he walks. He stumbles against… | ||
| 1313 | The Man who Thought Himself Dead | Has the corpse eat bread. (Usually has eaten from a pot of preserves said to be poisoned.) | , 1313, 1313A | J2311.1., J2311.1.4., J2311.2., J2311.4. |
| 788 | The Man Who Was Burned Up and Lived Again | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 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. | |
| 1543 | The man without a member | No examples in the Database yet | 1543*, 1543A*, 1543C* | J1919.8., NA |
| 1215 | The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey | Asinus Vulgi. Miller blamed when he follows his son on foot; when he takes the son's place on the ass; when he takes the son behind him; and when he puts the son in front of him. [J1041.2]. | , 1215 | J1041., J1041.2. |
| 1568 | The master and the servant at the table | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 93 | The Master Taken Seriously | She-fox and her children do not flee from the vineyard until owner begins in earnest to root it out. (Also told of other animals.) | 93 | J1031. |
| 1478 | The Meal of Beans | One of the old maid's three teeth breaks off [X754]. | ||
| 316 | The Mermaid in the Pond | The youth promised to the nix is pulled into the water by her. I. Promise to the Water-Nix. A boy is unwittingly promised to a waternix. II. Grateful Animals. A youth receives from grateful animals the power of transforming himself into their… | , 316 | F420.1.2.1.2., F420.5.2.2.5.2.2., R152., S240. |
| 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. |
| 708 | The Miraculous Child | Through the magic power of her evil stepmother, a princess gives birth to a monster and is banished. The monster aids her till everything turns out well. The monster is transformed into a prince. | , 708 | D1717.1., D741., S441. |
| 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. |
| 507 | The Mistress of the Monster | I. The Grateful Dead Man. See Type 506 I. II. The Monster Husband. The hero woos a princess whose former suitors have all come to misfortune and whose heads have been stuck on poles. With the help of the dead man who has taken the necessary magic… | , 507A | H322.1., H972., T172.0.1., T172.2.1. |
| 850 | The Moles of the Princess | The pipe and the dancing hogs.
|
, 850 | H315., H51.1., H525., K1358., K443.6. |
| 294 | The Months and the Seasons | Symbolic actions. | 294 | NA |
| 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].… | ||
| 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. |
| 2034 | The Mouse Regains its Tail | The cat bites off the mouse's tail and will return it in exchange for milk. The mouse goes to the cow for milk, the farmer for hay, the butcher for meat, the baker for bread. Other persons mentioned are the locksmith and the miner. [Z41.4]. | ||
| 85 | The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage | The mouse, the bird, and the sausage keep house together each with appropriate duties. When they exchange roles, all goes ill. | 85 | J512.7. |
| 168 | The musician in the wolf-trap | There he encounters a wolf already trapped, and saves himself by playing music. [B848.1]. Cf. Types 160A, 1652. | ||
| 812 | The Mystery of the Devil | The man is saved by solving the riddle propounded by the devil. The solution discovered in the forest. I. Devil's Contract. (a) A man (three men) promises himself to the devil at the end of a certain time if he cannot solve three (seven) riddles… | , 812 | H523., H671., H672., H673., M211. |
| 1280 | The Needle (or the like) Falls into the Sea | The man hunts it the next summer. [J1921]. | ||
| 90 | The Needle, the Glove, and the Squirrel | The needle at first has little success; receives blows from the others. Finally it slips into an elk's stomach andkills the elk. | ||
| 234 | The Nightingale and the Blindworm | No examples in the Database yet | 234, 234A* | , A2241.5. |
| 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. | ||
| 770 | The Nun Who Saw the World | The nun leaves the convent with her lover. The Virgin takes her place in the convent during the years of her absence. The nun returns repentant. [K1841.1]. | 770A* | V238. |
| 451 | The Nurse looking for her Brothers, | The twelve brothers are changed into ravens. Cf. The Speechless Princess, Types 705, 710. I. The Brothers and their Sister. (a) Seven (twelve) brothers have a younger sister. (b) The parents have promised the death of the brothers if a daughter is… | , 451 | D161.1., D753.1., D758., K2116.1.1., P253.0.5., P253.2. |
| 44 | The Oath on the Iron | In a dispute between the fox, the wolf, and the bear concerning the theft of their winter supplies, the fox denies the guilt and swears by touching iron (a trap). The bear follows his example but hits the iron so hard that his paws are caught. | 44 | K1115. |
| 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… | ||
| 241 | The Officious Bird and the Monkey | A bird, sitting in its nest during a cold rain, asks shivering monkey why it doesn't build a house since it has hands like a man. The enraged monkey destroys the bird's nest. | ||
| 1145 | The Ogre Afraid of what Rustles and Rattles | The man sets juniper on fire [K2345]. | 1145 | K2345. |
| 1160 | The ogre in the haunted castle. Beard caught fast | Beard caught fast. Cf. Type 326. | ||
| 1179 | The ogre on the ship | Must pump out the water (the whole sea). [H1023.5]. | 1179 | H1023.5. |
| 1152 | The Ogre Overawed by Displaying Objects | See Type 1161A. A man or men, hiding in a house, try to overawe an ogre by claiming to be even greater ogres. The ogre demands proof. The men poke through the door or window, objects which they have accidentally picked up on their journey and the… | ||
| 1163 | The Ogre Teaches the Smith how to Use Sand in Forging Iron | The ogre blames the smith for his stupidity. Since then smiths have used sand. [G651]. | ||
| 1159 | The Ogre Wants to Learn to Play | Finger caught in a cleft of a tree. [K1111.0.1]. Later he is terrified by the man's wife with her legs apart. He thinks he is to be caught again [K1755]. Cf. Type 151, 326, 1095. | , 1159 | K1111.0.1., K1111.1., K1755. |
| 1158 | The ogre wants to look through the gun barrel in the smithy | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 1117 | The ogre's pitfall | Tricked into falling into it himself. |
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