Folklore Database · Browse
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1090 | Mowing Contest | The man takes the center of the field. The ogre is given a dull sickle and mows around the outside of the field. Tires himself out. [K42.2]. Cf. Type 820. | 1090 | K42.2. |
| 1091 | Who Can Bring an Unheard-of Riding-Horse | The man sends his naked wife on all fours in tar and feathers. The devil has never seen such a horse and is defeated [K216.2]. | 1091, 1092 | K216.2., K31.1. |
| 1096 | The tailor and the ogre in a sewing contest | The ogre sews with the whole length of the thread. When he returns from the first stitch, the tailor has his task ready. | 1096 | K47.1. |
| 43 | The Bear Builds a House of Wood; the Fox, of Ice | In summer the fox wants to drive the bear out of his house Cf. Types 81, 1097, 1238. | 1097, 43 | J741.1. |
| 110 | Belling the Cat | The mice buy a bell for the cat but no one dares tie it on her. | 110 | J671.1. |
| 111 | The Cat and the Mouse Converse | The mouse tells the cat a tale. The cat answers, »Even so, I eat you up.» | 111, 111A, 111A* | K561.1.1., NA, U31. |
| 1115 | Attempting to Kill the Hero in His Bed | Butter cask (or the like) in the hero's bed so that the ogre coming to murder him stabs the object. [K525.1]. Cf Type 1640. | 1115 | K525.1. |
| 1119 | Ogres Kill Their Own Children | Places changed in bed (night-caps) [K1611]. Cf. Type 327 B. | 1119 | K1611. |
| 112 | Town Mouse and Country Mouse | Country mouse visits town mouse. Former prefers poverty with safety. | 112 | J211.2. |
| 1122 | Ogre's wife killed through other tricks | No examples in the Database yet | 1122 | G519.1. |
| 1130 | Counting out Pay | Hole in the hat, and hat over a pit. | 1130 | K275. |
| 1138 | Gilding the Beard | A man named »Such a one» persuades the ogre to have his beard gilded. Covers it with tar, and leaves the ogre caught to the tar-kettle. The ogre with his kettle wanders about and asks everyone »Have you seen such a one?» [K1013.1]. | 1138 | K1013.1. |
| 113 | Mice Choose Cat as King | Mice choose cat as king. | 113A, 113B | B342., K815.13. |
| 1145 | The Ogre Afraid of what Rustles and Rattles | The man sets juniper on fire [K2345]. | 1145 | K2345. |
| 1146 | Millstones | Said to be pearls of hero's mother. | 1146 | K1718.2. |
| 1151 | Big Shoes in Front of the Barn | The man makes giant shoes and places them so that the ogre thinks a giant lives there. | 1151 | K1717. |
| 1153 | Wages: as much as he can carry | To get rid of the boy the master offers him as large wages as he is able to carry himself. The boy says that he will be contented with what the troll can carry. [K1732]. Cf. Type 650. | 1153 | K1732. |
| 1161 | The Bear Trainer and His Cat | The bear drives the ogre from the room. »Is the big cat still living?» Cf. Type 957. A man with a bear passes the night in a place frequented by ogres. The ogres come, discover the bear, think it is a cat, and try to feed it. The bear chases them… | 1161 | K1728. |
| 1165 | The troll and the christening | A farmer is on friendly terms with a troll whom he does not wish to invite to his child's christening, knowing the troll's appetite. Not wishing to offend him, he sends to invite him; but he is to say that among the guests will be found the Virgin… | 1165 | K1736. |
| 1170 | The Evil Woman in the Glass Case as Last Commodity | The man is to belong to the ogre as soon as he has sold his goods. If he has any goods that no one will buy, he is to be free. The man puts an evil old woman in a glass case. When the devil sees her he recognizes her: »Whoever knows her will refuse… | 1170 | K216.1. |
| 1175 | Straightening a Curly Hair | No examples in the Database yet | 1175 | H1023.4. |
| 1179 | The ogre on the ship | Must pump out the water (the whole sea). [H1023.5]. | 1179 | H1023.5. |
| 1180 | Catching Water in a Sieve | The ogre and the girl [H1023.2]. Cf. Type 480. | 1180 | H1023.2. |
| 1185 | The First Crop | The man to pay the devil when he harvests his first crop. He plants acorns. | 1185 | K221. |
| 1191 | Devil's Bridge | Unwitting bargain with devil evaded by driving dog over bridge first. The child has been unwittingly promised (the first thing that goes over the bridge). [S241.1]. | 1191 | S241.1. |
| 120 | The First to See the Sunrise | Wager between the fox and the hog. In the contest the fox places himself on a hill facing the east; the hog in a lower place facing the high trees to the west. The sun shines on the top of the trees and the hog wins. (Sometimes told with human actors.) | 120 | K52. |
| 1201 | The plowing | Four men carry the horse in order not to tramp up the field [J2163]. | 1201 | J2163. |
| 1202 | The Grain Harvesting | The grain is shot down with guns. When the unknown sickle is bought and tried, one man is cut with it. As punishment it is drowned. Cf. Type 1650. | 1202 | J2196. |
| 121 | Wolves Climb on Top of One Another to Tree | Wolves climb on top of one another to tree. The hog (or man) in the tree. The lowest wolf runs away and all fall. Cf. Type 1250. | 121 | J2133.6. |
| 1213 | The Pent Cuckoo | Fools build an enclosure to keep in the cuckoo. She flies over the hedge. They say that they have not built the hedge high enough. [J1904.2]. | 1213 | J1904.2. |
| 1214 | The Persuavive Auctioner | The auctioneer praises the man's worthless cow so much in his speech that the man takes her back himself [J2087]. | 1214 | J2087. |
| 122 | The Wolf Loses His Prey | The wolf loses his prey. Escape by false plea. | 122, 122A, 122B, 122C, 122D, 122F, 122G | K550., K551.8., K553., K553.1., K553.5., K561.2., K562. |
| 1227 | One woman to catch the squirrel; the other to get the cooking pot | One falls from the tree and kills herself; the other breaks the pot. [J2661.3]. | 1227 | J2661.3. |
| 1229 | If the Wolf's Tail Breaks | Trickster and companion are wolf hunting. The companion goes into the wolf hole. The wolf comes out. The other catches the wolf by the tail and the wolf scratches dust into the companion's eyes. »What a dust.» - »If the wolf's tail breaks, you… | 1229 | X1133.3.2. |
| 1231 | The Actack on the Hare (Crayfish) | Seven men make strenuous plans for the attack on the fierce animal. One screams with fright and the animal runs away. [J2612]. Cf. Type 103. | 1231 | J2612. |
| 124 | The Three Little Pigs | The goose builds a house of feathers; the hog one of stone. The wolf blows the goose's house in and eats her. Cannot blow down the hog's house. Finally he is allowed to enter. He is tricked into the chimney (or churn) where he is burned up. | 124 | Z81. |
| 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. |
| 1241 | The tree is to be pulled down | Fools try to save tree on cliff. All on rope pull out tree. It pulls them down into pit. | 1241A | na |
| 1242 | Loading the wood | A rider takes the meal-sack on his shoulder to relieve the ass of his burden. | 1242, 1242A | J1874.1., J2213.4. |
| 1245 | Sunlight carried in a bag into the windowless house | When this plan does not succeed they gradually pull down the house in order to get light. | 1245 | J2123. |
| 125 | The Wolf Flees from the Wolf-head | The sheep have found a sack and wolfhead. They make the wolf believe that they have killed a wolf. He flees in terror.Cf. Type 1149. | 125 | K1715.3. |
| 1250 | Bringing Water from the Well | A log is laid across the top of the well. One man holds to the log with his hands, the next climbs down and holds to his feet, and so on; the uppermost man becomes tired and lets go to spit on his hands. [J2133.5]. Cf. Type 121. | 1250, 1250A | J2133.5., J2133.6.1. |
| 1255 | A hole to throw the earth in | Numskull plans to dig a hole so as to have a place to throw the earth from his excavations. [J1934]. | 1255 | J1934. |
| 1260 | Jumping into the sea for fish | They put meal into the ice hole and then, one after another, all jump in to taste the porridge. [J1938]. | 1260 | J1938. |
| 1263 | The Porridge Eaten in Different Rooms | The porridge in one, the milk in another [J2167]. | 1263 | J2167. |
| 1270 | The Drying of the Candle | The candle is laid in the stove to dry; melts [J2122]. | 1270 | J2122. |
| 1278 | Marking the place on the boat | An object falls into the sea from a boat. Numskulls mark the place on the boat-rail to indicate where it fell. [J1922.1]. | 1278, 1278* | J1922.1., J1922.2. |
| 1281 | Burning the Barn to Destroy an Unknown Animal | The cat (owl) is bought. Eats many mice. To kill it they set the house on fire. [J2101]. Cf. Type 1651. | 1281, 1281A | J1815., J2101. |
| 1286 | Jumping into the Breeches | The woman tries to pull on her husband's breeches for him on both legs at once. | 1286 | J2161.1. |
| 1287 | Numskull unable to count their own number | No examples in the Database yet | 1287 | J2031., J2031.1. |