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Stith Thompson Motif Index
About this index and how to read it
Stith Thompson's Motif-Index of Folk-Literature classifies recurring narrative elements in folktales, myths, legends, ballads and related traditional narratives. Each entry below gives Thompson's motif reference and the description recorded in the index.
The index is large, so this browser displays 250 entries per page. You can search by motif reference or by words in the description, restrict the results to one of Thompson's main letter categories, and click motif references mentioned inside descriptions to follow cross-references. Individual motif pages also show any ATU tale types whose concordance explicitly cites that Thompson reference.
All
A
Mythological Motifs
B
Animal Motifs
C
Motifs of Tabu
D
Magic
E
The Dead
F
Marvels
G
Ogres
H
Tests
J
The Wise and the Foolish
K
Deceptions
L
Reversals of Fortune
M
Ordaining the Future
N
Chance and Fate
P
Society
Q
Rewards and Punishments
R
Captives and Fugitives
S
Unnatural Cruelty
T
Sex
U
The Nature of Life
V
Religion
W
Traits of Character
X
Humor
Z
Miscellaneous Groups of Motifs
| Thompson reference ▲ | Description |
|---|---|
| B768.1 | Partridge subsists on moonbeams. Penzer II 235 n. 3. |
| B768.2 | Salamander subsists on fire. Hertz Gesammelte Abhandlungen 257 n.; Irish myth: Cross; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| B768.3 | Swans live on pearls. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B768.4 | Serpent subsists on dust. Jewish: Neuman. |
| B770 | Other fanciful traits of animals. |
| B771 | Wild animal miraculously tamed. |
| B771.0.1 | Wild animal will not harm chaste woman. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| B771.1 | Animal tamed by maiden's beauty. Penzer VII 52 n. 2, VIII 111; Herbert III 234; Oesterley Gesta Romanorum No. 115; Dickson Valentine and Orson 198 n. 86.—India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B771.2 | Animal tamed by holiness of saint. Saint's legend: Plummer cxlvi; Irish myth: Cross; Jewish: Neuman; Icel.: Boberg. |
| B771.2.1 | Hungry lions do not harm saint. Loomis White Magic 58. |
| B771.2.2 | Animal tamed by saint's prayer. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B771.2.3 | Lions made tame by Moses' rod. Jewish: Neuman. |
| B771.3 | Wild animal will not attack royal person. Dickson Valentine and Orson 198 n. 86. |
| B771.4 | Fish trained to answer person's call. Africa: Stanley 54. |
| B771.5 | Wild animal performs for king. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B772 | Shipwrecked man repulsed by animals. As he floats to shore animals push him back into water.—Chauvin V 149 No. 73 n. 2. |
| B773 | Animals with human emotions. |
| B773.1 | Animal feels agitation at sight of native land. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B773.2 | Animal (lion) pines away with grief upon his friend's grave. *Loomis White Magic 59. |
| B773.3 | Lion (wolf) protects the saint's body. *Loomis White Magic 58, 60. |
| B775 | Stork is man while hibernating in Egypt. Fb "stork" III 592a. |
| B776 | Venomous animals. |
| B776.0.1 | Garlic juice dangerous to poisonous animals. Penzer II 296. |
| B776.1 | Venomous sheep destroy enemy. Irish: MacCulloch Celtic 63, Irish myth: Cross. |
| B776.2 | Toad considered venomous. (Cf. B776.5.1.)—Kittredge Witchcraft 181 nn. 67—71; Jewish: Neuman. |
| B776.3 | Venomous hound. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B776.3.1 | Venomous dog loosed against saint. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B776.3.2 | Mud puppy considered poisonous. U.S.: Baughman. |
| B776.4 | Venomous swine. |
| B776.4.1 | Pig with venomous bristles. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B776.4.2 | Venomous boar. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B776.5 | Blood of animal considered venomous. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B776.5.1 | Blood of toad venomous. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B776.5.2 | Blood of lion venomous. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B776.5.3 | Blood of snakes venomous. (cf. B776.7.)—Irish myth: Cross. |
| B776.5.4 | Blood of otter venomous. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B776.5.5 | Blood of bear venomous. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B776.6 | Venomous worm. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B776.7 | Venomous serpent. (Cf. B776.5.3.)—Irish myth: Cross; Norse: Herrmann Saxo II 602, MacCulloch Eddic 105, Boberg; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B777 | Breath of bird withers. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B781 | Animal "drinks apart" mixed liquids. Separates the parts while drinking.—*M. Bloomfield in Penzer VII xviii—xix. |
| B782 | Sheep sleeps if anyone ties shoe to its ear. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B783 | Swine maddened by smell of oak forest. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B784 | Animal lives in person's stomach. |
| B784.0.1 | Frog living in person's stomach rises into throat, croaks every spring. England: Baughman. |
| B784.1 | How animal gets into person's stomach (or body) (various methods). |
| B784.1.1 | Person drinking from brook swallows animal eggs (frog or newt). England, Ireland, U.S.: *Baughman. |
| B784.1.2 | Person swallows pebble on beach; snake grows in stomach. U.S.: Baughman. |
| B784.1.3 | Person swallows snake semen or egg while eating watercress. England: *Baughman. |
| B784.1.4 | Girl swallows frog spawn; an octopus grows inside her with tentacles reaching to every part of her body. Eng.: Baughman. |
| B784.1.5 | Swallowed blackbeetle reproduces inside person's body. England: Baughman. |
| B784.1.6 | Girl eats plums and maggots in them; maggots multiply inside her body. England: Baughman. |
| B784.1.7 | Scaly lizard jumps into person's mouth. U.S.: Baughman. |
| B784.1.8 | Salamander gets into veins through cracks in feet when person goes barefoot. U.S.: Baughman. |
| B784.2 | Means of ridding person of animal in stomach. |
| B784.2.0.1 | No remedy possible. England: Baughman. |
| B784.2.1 | Patient fed salt: animal comes out for water. The patient is fed salt or heavily salted food and allowed no water for several days. He then stands with mouth open before a supply of fresh water, often a running brook. The thirsty animal emerges to get fresh water.—Ireland, U.S.: *Baughman; Italian Novella: Rotunda (J1115.2.3). |
| B784.2.1.1 | Snake (frog) in human body enticed out by milk (water). India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B784.2.1.2 | Husband ties a cock near wife's feet: snake-parasite in her stomach comes out to catch the cock and is killed by husband.—India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B784.2.2 | Patient sits before tempting meal without eating; animal emerges. Ireland, England, U.S.: *Baughman. |
| B784.2.3 | Frog is enticed from patient's mouth by offering it a piece of cheese. England: Baughman. |
| B784.2.4 | Physician removes animal from stomach of patient. U.S.: *Baughman. |
| B785 | Animal wards off spirits. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B786 | Monkeys always copy men. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B787 | Birds mock ascetic's devotions. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B788 | Bats keep fireflies to light their houses. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B791 | Elephants have power of bringing rain. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 41. |
| B792 | Why certain animals are thought of as good or bad. Jewish: Neuman. |
| B800 | Miscellaneous animal motifs. |
| B801 | Elephants in folktales. *Penzer I 134. |
| B802 | Horses in tales and legends. (Cf. B41.1, B41.2, B103, B133, B149.1, B151, B181, B811.1.)—**Howey Horse in Magic and Myth passim; *Malten Jahrb. d. Kaiserl. deutschen archäologischen Inst. XXIX (1914) 179ff. |
| B811 | Sacred animals. Egyptian: Müller 159ff.; Icel.: Boberg. |
| B811.1 | Sacred horse. (Cf. B802.)—Penzer II 57 n. 1. |
| B811.1.1 | Helpful horses descended from heaven. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B811.2 | Sacred armadillo. S. A. Indian (Chiriguano): Métraux BBAE CXLIII (3). 484. |
| B811.3 | Sacred animal: cow. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| B811.3.1 | Sacred buffalo. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B811.3.2 | Sacred bull. Jewish: Neuman. |
| B811.3.3 | Sacred cattle of sun god. Greek myth: Grote I 313. |
| B811.4 | Sacred cat. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B811.5 | Sacred swan. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B811.6 | Sacred fox. S. A. Indian (Chiriguano): Métraux BBAE CXLIII (3) 484. |
| B831 | Animals try in vain to repair sleigh. They get unsatisfactory materials.—Type 158. |
| B841 | Long-lived animals.—Frazer Pausanias IV 217; **Wesselski Archiv Orientální IV 1ff. |
| B841.1 | Animals debate as to which is the elder. **Wesselski Archiv Orientální IV 1ff.; *Baum JAFL XXX 378 ff.; India: Thompson-Balys; Korean: Zong in-Sob XXXIII No. 17; Japanese: Ikeda.—Africa (Benga): Nassau 95, 109 Nos. 5, 10, (Fang): Nassau 239 No. 7. |
| B841.2 | Ages of animals (birds, fish) compared with age of human beings. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B841.2.1 | Crow lives nine generations of men, deer 36, raven 108, phoenix 972, nymphs 9720.—Frazer Pausanias IV 217. |
| B841.3 | Dog so old his head is skinless. Eskimo (Greenland): Holm 80. |
| B841.4 | Stags live one thousand years. Tupper and Ogle Map 4. |
| B842 | Faithful old dog to be killed. *Type 101. |
| B842.1 | Faithful old horse to be abandoned. German: Grimm No. 132. |
| B843 | Immortal animals. Jewish: Neuman. |
| B843.1 | Immortal serpent. Gaster Oldest Stories 81. |
| B843.2 | Immortal donkey. Jewish: Neuman. |
| B845 | Wild animals herded. *Fb "hare" IV 201a; *Type 570; Irish myth: Cross. |
| B845.1 | Wild pigs kept by demigod as if domesticated. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B845.2 | Animals chained in couples. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B846 | Monkeys construct a bridge across the ocean. Penzer II 84 n. 1, 85 n. |
| B847 | Lions placed in city to prevent entrance. Penzer I 108 n. 3. |
| B848 | Man unharmed in den of animals. (cf. B771.2.1.)—Type 403; Spanish Exempla: Keller; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| B848.1 | The musician in the wolf-trap: meets wolf already trapped, and saves himself by playing music. (Cf. K551.3.1.)—Lithuanian: Balys Index No. *168; Estonian: Aarne in FFC XXV No. 2002. |
| B848.2 | Girl removes dog from lion's claws without being harmed. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| B852 | When cow calls her calf, all cattle graze. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B853 | Birds perch on ears of cows. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B854 | Each of grazing herd of cows eats same amount. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B855 | Man and bear in the rick of hay. The bear, persecuted by wolves, runs onto the hay-rick where the man was hidden, and defends himself from the wolves with bunches of hay.—Lithuanian: Balys Index No. *167. |
| B857 | Animal avenges injury. Chinese: Eberhard FFC CXX 18 No. 9; Africa (Fang): Tessman 117f. |
| B870 | Giant animals. (Cf. B16.1, B16.4, B15.7.12)—Coulter Trans. Am. Philological Association LVII 32ff. |
| B870.1 | Animal extraordinarily heavy for size. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B871 | Giant beasts. |
| B871.1 | Giant domestic beasts. |
| B871.1.1 | Giant cow. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B871.1.1.1 | Giant ox. Persia: Carnoy 289; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| B871.1.1.1.1 | Gigantic ox-rib (in otherworld). Irish myth: Cross. |
| B871.1.1.2 | Giant bull. Irish myth: Cross; *Loomis White Magic 82. |
| B871.1.1.3 | Giant buffalo. |
| B871.1.2 | Giant boar. Irish myth: Cross; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B871.1.2.0.1 | Giant boar with hinder part as large as can be carried by nine men. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B871.1.2.1 | Giant hog. Fb "svin" III 676a.; India: Thompson-Balys; Irish myth: Cross. |
| B871.1.2.1.1 | Gigantic hog-rib (in otherworld). Irish myth: Cross. |
| B871.1.3 | Giant sheep. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B871.1.4 | Giant goat. Africa (Benga): Nassau 202 No. 32. |
| B871.1.5 | Giant horse: hair from the tail is seven yards. Nornagests th. ch. 7 p. 67. |
| B871.1.6 | Giant cat. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B871.1.7 | Giant dog (hound). Irish myth: Cross; Eskimo (Greenland): Rasmussen III 114, Holm 24. |
| B871.2 | Giant wild beasts. |
| B871.2.1 | Giant elephant. Icel.: *Boberg; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 737, II 409; Africa (Mpongwe): Nassau 37 No. 5. |
| B871.2.2 | Giant tiger. *Chauvin VII 86 n. 7. |
| B871.2.3 | Giant panther. *Chauvin VII 86 n. 6. |
| B871.2.4 | Giant hippopotamus. Chauvin VII 86 n. 5. |
| B871.2.5 | Giant lion. Malone PMLA XLIII 402f.; Irish myth: Cross. |
| B871.2.6 | Giant walrus. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B871.2.7 | Giant mice. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B871.2.8 | Giant hare. Icel.: Boberg. |
| B871.2.9 | Giant armadillo. S. A. Indian (Toba): Métraux MAFLS XL 71. |
| B872.1 | Giant eagle. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B872.2 | Giant gull. Eskimo (Greenland): Rink 455, (Cumberland Sound): Boas BAM XV 195. |
| B872.3 | Giant falcon. Eskimo (Greenland): Rasmussen III 207. |
| B872.4 | Giant auk. Eskimo (Greenland): Rink 430. |
| B873 | Giant insects. |
| B873.1 | Giant louse. *Type 621; *BP III 483 (Gr. No. 212). See also all references to F983.2. |
| B873.2 | Giant scorpion. *Chauvin VII 86 No. 373bis.; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| B873.3 | Giant spider. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 347. |
| B873.4 | Giant ant. Jewish: Neuman. |
| B874 | Giant fish. *Chauvin VII 8 No. 373A n. 2; *Reinhard PMLA XXXVIII 447 n. 81; Irish myth: Cross; Jewish: Neuman; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 40, 269f., 1014, II 29; Japanese: Ikeda.—Eskimo (Mackenzie Area): Jenness 78, (Central Eskimo): Boas RBAE VI 640, (West Hudson Bay): Boas BAM XV 539. |
| B874.1 | Giant river catfish. Ladino: Conzemius BBAE CVI 130f. |
| B874.2 | Giant eel. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B874.3 | Giant whale. Irish myth: Cross; Marquesas: Handy 116. |
| B874.3.1 | Whale cast ashore—three golden teeth and five ounces in each of these teeth. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B874.3.2 | Giant whale cast ashore on the night of Christ's Nativity: "fifty men were on the upper parts of its head, and (there was) the limit of vision between each two of them. Such was the amount of ground which the animal occupied. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B874.4 | Giant salmon. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B874.5 | Giant shark. Marquesas: Handy 110. |
| B874.6 | Giant clam. Tahiti: Beckwith Myth 266. |
| B875 | Giant reptiles. |
| B875.1 | Giant serpent. *Chauvin VII 10 No. 373B n. 2; Jataka Index s.v. "Naga".—Icel.: MacCulloch Eddic 216f.; Norwegian: Solheim Register 17; India: *Thompson-Balys; Chinese: Werner 181; Irish myth: Cross; Missouri-French: Carrière; Jewish: Neuman; Japanese: Ikeda.—Eskimo (Greenland): Thalbitzer 5; Tonga: Gifford 178; Ladino: Conzemius BBAE CVI 169.—S. A. Indian (Toba): Métraux MAFLS XL 57, 59, 71. |
| B875.2 | Giant crocodile. *Chauvin VII 86 No. 373bis n. 8; Jewish: *Neuman; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 480.—Africa (Fang): Einstein 36f., Trilles 158. |
| B875.3 | Giant turtle. *Chauvin VII 16 No. 373C n. 2. |
| B875.4 | Giant tortoise. Jewish: Neuman; Africa (Zulu): Callaway 339. |
| B876 | Giant amphibia and other animal forms. |
| B876.1 | Giant frog. Jewish: *Neuman. |
| B876.2 | Giant crustacean. |
| B876.2.1 | Giant crab. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 249, 472; Chauvin VIII 83 No. 373bis n. 1. |
| B877 | Giant mythical animals. |
| B877.1 | Giant sea monster. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B877.1.1 | Giant water monster attacks man. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B877.1.2 | Giant sea monster overpowered by saint. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B877.2 | Gigantic animal ("reem"). Jewish: *Neuman. |
| B877.3 | Djun, gigantic and ferocious river animal. Africa (Fang): Trilles 186. |
| B878 | Giant flock of animals (birds.) |
| B878.1 | Giant flock of birds. |
| B878.1.1 | Flock of birds so numerous that it shakes trees upon which it perches. Irish myth: Cross. |
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