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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 ▲ |
|---|---|
| J2223.1 | Robbed man blames thief for not warning him so that he could have witnesses to the theft. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1635 | Robber gives priest double his penance and then takes his horse. Mensa Philosophica No. 53; Shakespeare Jest Books III (Certayne Conceyts and Jeasts) 11 No. 22. |
| J1179.4 | Robber innocent because he is merely following traditions of his ancestors. Wesselski Bebel II 111 No. 39. |
| J1782.1 | Robber or dog in church thought to be a ghost. Type 1318*. |
| J1269.8 | Robber's defense for stealing from rich. God will not permit them to enter heaven unless we take their ill-gotten goods from them. *Wesselski Bebel II 142 No. 131. |
| J1392.2 | Robbers commiserated. A buffoon says to robbers in his house, "You can't find anything here in the dark, for I can find nothing in broad daylight." *Wesselski Bebel I 132 No. 32; Scala Celi 104b No. 567; Mensa Philosophica No. 62. |
| J642.2 | Robbers persuaded to give hero sword with which they are afterwards killed. Africa (Somali): Tiling ZsES XVIII 139ff. No. 6. |
| J1162.2 | Robbers' false plea admitted: counteraccusation. Robbers claim a man's knife. In court: "The knife may indeed be theirs. I and my father were attacked yesterday by robbers. I fled. On returning I found my father killed and this knife in his body." Robbers condemned. *Wesselski Märchen 229 No. 40. Irish myth: Cross (K448.1). |
| J86 | Rocks falling together and thread entering needle's eye suggest sexual intercourse: hence its beginning. Chinese: Graham. |
| J1516 | Rogues exchange objects and cheat each other. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| J1811.4 | Rooster's crow interpreted. |
| J229.7 | Rower prefers to be stoned by his master rather than remain out in the storm. Wienert FFC LVI *83 (ET 498), 115 (ST 258). |
| J2164.1 | Rowers pull in opposite directions. Type 1276. |
| J2164.2 | Rowing in a boat which is tied up. Type 1276. |
| J1369 | Rude retorts—miscellaneous. |
| J1350 | Rude retorts. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| J811.4 | Ruler angered by evil spoken of him is placated by soft words of speakers. Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| J1161.7 | Ruler forbids blacksmith to reveal solution of riddle unless he has seen him 100 times. Smith reveals the solution on receipt of 100 crowns bearing the ruler's likeness. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J553.2 | Ruler interrupts meeting of Senate to amuse his small son. When rebuked for making him a whistle he says: "I would have blown it for him had he asked me to do so." Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J56.1 | Ruler learns lesson from seeing city governed by king as uncharitable as he. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J55 | Ruler learns lesson from the example of an exiled king. Rewards the exile rather than a successful merchant. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J1161.8 | Ruler orders doctor to wear his hair and his robe "not too long and not too short". Has both his hair and his cloak cut half short and half long. Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| J1566.2 | Ruler refuses hospitality from subject who spends more than he earns. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J1536 | Ruler's absurdity rebuked. |
| J1263.1.3.1 | Rushing through the mass. Two priests apply for the position of chaplain and argue as to which one can say the mass more quickly. One clinches the argument saying: "You could not say it more quickly than I because I don't read half of it!" Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J2093.5 | Sacks of gold and silver traded for sacks of rice. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1261.2.4 | Sacrament too precious to be bought. If that were so, says the apprentice, no one would have given it to you or me. *Wesselski Bebel I 124 No. 12. |
| J2067 | Sacrifice equal to the reward. |
| J2067.1 | Sacrifice of one son to get another. A woman plans to sacrifice her only son so that the gods will permit her to give birth to another son. Penzer V 94. |
| J705 | Safe provision for life not to be lightly surrendered. |
| J1373 | Safe since no white man is near. White man asks Indian if he can safely leave some of his belongings inside the Indian's lodge. The Indian assures him that he can: "There is no white man within a hundred miles of here." (Cf. X600.) U.S.: Baughman. |
| J1467.1 | Sailor prays for gods to sink ship during storm, since gods never do what they are asked to do. Spanish: Childers. |
| J216.6 | Saint chooses to die "after pride of youth" and before "misery of old age." Irish myth: Cross. |
| J225.6 | Saint gives liberally to gambler, little to beggar. Gambler is generous, beggar hoards. Irish myth: Cross. |
| J2274.2 | Same air at home as abroad. Because the stars are the same. Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 206 Nos. 3, 242. |
| J2274.3 | Same climate at home and abroad. Because his members look the same in the two places. Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 206 Nos. 3, 242. |
| J2073 | Same wishes used wisely and foolishly. Given to two persons with opposite results. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1813.7 | Savory tea. The peasant entertains a priest at tea. Making it, puts in all the tea, six pounds of sugar, a piece of bacon, etc. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 2439*; Russian: Andrejev No. 1710*. |
| J401 | Scarcity of real friends. |
| J1185.1 | Scheherazade: story with indefinite sequels told to stave off execution. *Chauvin V 190 No. 111. |
| J1539.2 | Scholar given third egg. A scholar, showing his skill in logic, proves that two chickens (or eggs) on the table are really three. His father (or host) takes one chicken for himself, gives the other to the mother, tells son that he can have the third one. England: Baughman. |
| J1894 | Scholar speaks Latin on hunt so that the birds cannot understand him. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J2371.1 | Scientific query: why does not the sea get larger when it rains in it and nothing flows out? Wesselski Arlotto I 213f. No. 54. |
| J2371.2 | Scientific query: why does the sea stink when it is full of salt? Wesselski Arlotto I 213f. No. 54. |
| J2371.3 | Scientific query: why don't rats stick their eyes out in the straw? Wesselski Arlotto I 213f. No. 54. |
| J2371.4 | Scientific query: why don't the poor, being in the majority, kill off the rich? Wesselski Arlotto I 213f. No. 54. |
| J1269.4 | Scolding priest says he is merely trying to get even for all the scolding he must undergo. Wesselski Bebel I 161 No. 96. |
| J2175.2 | Scolding the drowning child instead of helping him. Wienert FFC LVI 82 (ET 486), 102 (ST 155); Halm Aesop No. 352. |
| J877 | Scorned suitor consoles himself by realization that a wife who did not love him would be constant source of trouble. Nouvelles de Sens No. 3. |
| J1759.1 | Scotsman thinks moose is a mouse, asks what rats look like in this country. (Cf. X1423.) Canada: Baughman. |
| J2242.1 | Scribe cannot write a letter because he has bad leg. Must carry letter in person since no one else can read it. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1891.3 | Sea foolishly accused of cruelty. Sea says that it is calm itself, but the wind blew it up and broke the ship. Wienert FFC LVI 75 (ET 406), 123 (ST 317); Halm Aesop No. 94. |
| J2163.2 | Sedan-bearers must carry master about searching for dog since they have refused to search. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J122.1 | Seducer about to seduce mother of child refrains when child wisely remarks that he is sad because his father has left his mother exposed to such dangers. Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| J1812.1 | Seeds rattling in pods thought to be insults. Numskull burns field. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1289.9 | Seek harmony in your own house. King brought to sense of duty by philosopher who tells him to seek harmony in his own house before inquiring about the harmony in his kingdom. Spanish: Childers. |
| J953 | Self-deception of the lowly. |
| J1030 | Self-dependence. |
| J2088.2 | Seller advises buyer that cow is a thief. Breton: Luzel Legendes chrétiennes de Basse Bretagne (Paris, 1881) I 16. |
| J2083.3 | Seller of fox skins mixes otter skins with them. Thinks to cheat the buyer. Type 1300*. |
| J2213.6 | Selling his half of the house. A man owns half a house. He wants to sell his half so as to get money to buy the other half and thus have a whole house. Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 282 No. 336. |
| J2083.6 | Selling more yards of goods for the money than they received. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J221.1.1 | Senator overlooks wife's adultery rather than impair his reputation. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J461 | Senseless debate of the mutually useful. |
| J466.2 | Senseless debate: which is the greater, St. John the Baptist or St. John the Evangelist? Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| J466 | Senseless debates about usefulness. |
| J2662 | Sent back for the rest of the money. A fool finds a treasure and takes some of it to a judge so as to purchase influence. The judge sends him back for the rest. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 831. |
| J1153 | Separate examination of witnesses discredits testimony. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 114. |
| J1845 | Serfs congratulate their master. The delegate slips and falls, cursing: "The devil may take you!" The serfs outside think this was the congratulation, and all cry in chorus: "You and your family!" Lithuanian: Balys Index No. *1708; Rumanian: Schullerus FFC LXXVIII 98 No. 14. |
| J1173 | Series of clever unjust decisions: plaintiff voluntarily withdraws. (1) Man pulls off borrowed horse's tail: he shall keep horse till tail grows on. (2) Man falls out of bed and kills a baby (or causes a miscarriage): he shall beget a new baby for the mother. (3) Man falls from a bridge and kills boatsman's son: shall allow boatsman to fall from bridge and kill him *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 234 No. 515; *Köhler-Bolte II 578; Penzer VI 83f.; *Feilberg Danske Studier (1920) 2ff.; Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 131 No. 1535A*; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| J1170.1 | Series of wise judgments settles quarrels of village. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J15 | Serpent (bird) having injured man refuses reconciliation. He knows that neither can forget their injuries. Chauvin II 94 No. 43, 102 No. 62; Bødker Exempler 291 No. 47, 301 No. 67; Wienert FFC LVI *69 (ET 331), *127 (ST 352); Babrius No. 167; Jacobs Aesop 201 No. 6; Halm Aesop Nos. 96, 251, 350; cf. BP II 459; Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| J552.3 | Serpent (weasel) tries to bite a file. Wienert FFC LVI 75 (ET 401, 402), 98 (ST 119, 120); Halm Aesop Nos. 86, 126; Jacobs Aesop 206 No. 26. |
| J155.1.1 | Serpent directed on journey by his beautiful wife. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1761.1.2 | Serpent is taken for island. U.S.: Baughman. |
| J955.3 | Servant asks master for arms of knighthood. Is given a stalk of garlic. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J2133.5.1.1 | Servant carrying master across stream answers question with gesture that throws master off. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2665.2 | Servant injures master while shampooing him. Gives him a slap and breaks his skin. Penzer V 113. |
| J2064 | Servant plans to deceive his master by refusing to eat. Type 1698**. |
| J955.2 | Servant plays at being emperor. Master sees him and says, "Now that you are emperor remember your humble master." Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J1561.4 | Servant repays stingy master (mistress). Type 1561**; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2241.2 | Servant sent to doctor finds trip futile. Doctor may not be in and, if he is there, he may not give the medicine. He may give the medicine but it may not have any effect; or, if it does have any, he has to die someday anyway and the medicine will not prevent him from dying. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1563.5.2 | Servants touch cooking pot. Food being considered unclean then, guests depart empty but unwitting of true reason. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1179.5 | Servants would not have left the coats. Merchants complain to nobleman that his servants have robbed them of money. Nobleman asks whether merchants had on those good coats when the robbery took place. When told yes, he said that the robbers were not his servants, for they would never have left good coats. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 490; Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J1312.1 | Serve the water and the wine separately. Server of diluted wine thus taunted. *Wesselski Bebel II 108 No. 29. |
| J1806 | Setting sun mistaken for fire. Christensen DF XLVII 176, 196; American Negro: Harris Nights 230 No. 39, Work JAFL XXXII 403, Parsons MAFLS XVI 32. |
| J1678 | Settling the dispute. Two men cannot agree to bride's dowry. Third party tells each parent that the other has agreed. Marriage. "Now that you are relatives you can settle it between yourselves." Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J182.2 | Seventy-two kinds of wisdom. Jewish: Neuman. |
| J1790 | Shadow mistaken for substance. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1790.2 | Shadow mistaken for thief: is beaten. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2311.3 | Sham revenant. A man takes refuge from robbers in an open grave. Robbers see him and ask what he is doing. "It is my grave. I went out to get a breath of air." Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 206 No. 6. |
| J2311.6 | Sham-dead man punished. A numskull lies in an old grave to see the Day of Judgment. He hears bells and thinks that the Last Day has come. He is beaten by mule-drivers when he tells them that he is a dead man. He returns home and tells his wife that he returns from the dead. "How goes it in heaven?" "For one thing, avoid mule-drivers." *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 216 No. 46. |
| J1621 | Sharing his wounds. Two men on parting agree to share everything they receive. One returns with much money. His friend reminds him of the pact. He replies that he has also received many wounds. The friend is willing to forego dividing. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 169; Mensa Philosophica No. 35. |
| J1541.1.1 | Sharing joy and sorrow. Man pledged to do so with his wife follows instructions literally. Beats her—a joy to him and a sorrow to her. BP III 277f. |
| J2342.3 | She knows best: woman denies accusation of adultery. Husband dismisses the truthful accusers saying that she knows her shortcomings better than anyone else, and she denies it. Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| J229.2 | Sheep and ignorant shearer. Had rather die than suffer longer from him. Wienert FFC LVI 72 (ET 366), 115 (ST 251); Halm Aesop No. 382. |
| J2137.5 | Sheep killed by the butcher, who they are persuaded will spare them. Wienert FFC LVI 64 (ET 282), 118 (ST 286). |
| J1909.5 | Sheep licking her lamb is envied by the wolf. He says, "Such is bad conduct. If I were to do that they would say that I was eating it." Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 587; Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 33 No. 129*. Cf. Wienert FFC LVI *69 (ET 335), 94f. (ST 81); Halm Aesop Nos. 282, 330. |
| J624.2 | Sheep-dogs stop quarreling to hunt wolf who has raided the flock. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J1813.8 | Sheep's head has eaten dumplings. Small boy is at home to watch the dinner. Runs into church, calls out to his mother that the sheep's head has eaten all the dumplings (or butted them out of the pot). England, U.S.: *Baughman. |
| J2172.2 | Shepherd shuts up the lion in the yard with the live-stock. He hopes to capture the lion, but loses all his beasts. Wienert FFC LVI 67 (ET 317), 136 (ST 414); Halm Aesop No. 250. |
| J1765.1 | Shepherd taken to be she-ass. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2171.1.1 | Ship built with a wooden saw. The ship has no bottom and is so narrow that nothing can get into it. Type 1274*. |
| J11 | Shipwrecked shepherd distrusts the sea. He had formerly envied sailors. Wienert FFC LVI 75 (ET 407), 110 (ST 219); Halm Aesop No. 370. |
| J1289.7 | Shoemaker speaks ill of lord's rule. Lord takes his tools away from him. Shoemaker begs for them saying that he cannot carry on his business without them. Ruler: "I thought ruling was your business so I took your tools to learn shoemaking." Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J1791.5.1 | Shooting at enemy's reflection in water. N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 352 n. 270c. |
| J2199.4 | Short-sighted economy. |
| J2173 | Short-sighted fool loses his food. |
| J2166 | Short-sighted lover is slow to follow up advantage. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J2162 | Short-sighted use of fire. |
| J2072.3 | Short-sighted wish: all he pulls on will follow. He blows his nose and it pulls out long. *BP II 213. |
| J2072.5 | Short-sighted wish: camel wishes a long neck. Killed by jackals. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2072.2 | Short-sighted wish: grain to grow without beards. Birds eat it up. *BP II 213. |
| J2072.1 | Short-sighted wish: Midas's touch. Everything to turn to gold. *BP II 213; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 180; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. *775. |
| J2072 | Short-sighted wish. |
| J2171.1 | Short-sightedness in boat-building. |
| J2172 | Short-sightedness in caring for live-stock. |
| J2171 | Short-sightedness in carpentry. |
| J2183.6 | Short-sightedness in case of fire. Christensen DF XLVII 200 nos. 34-35. |
| J2175 | Short-sightedness in dealing with children. |
| J2161 | Short-sightedness in dressing. |
| J2171.2 | Short-sightedness in roofing. |
| J2164 | Short-sightedness in rowing. |
| J1323 | Should have brought him drink. Drunkard's wife takes him when he is drunk to a tomb and, masking as a ghost brings him food. "If you had known me better you would have brought me drink." Wienert FFC LVI 38; Halm Aesop No. 108. |
| J2465.3.1 | Shoving the child. Numskulls, told to shove the boy along if he is lazy about weeding, do so with their weeding-knives and kill him. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1284.1 | Show me how it is done. Wronged woman thus addresses ruler, who is indifferent to insults directed at him. She wishes to be shown how to bear insults. This rebukes him. Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| J2412.6 | Sick woman hung in well to cool off: drowned. Fool has cooled objects thus. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2514 | Sickle bought at great cost given back. In a land where the sickle is not known the new sickle cuts off the head of a man and is thereupon given back to the original owner. *Type 1202; *BP II 72 n. 1. |
| J1881.1.6 | Sickle laid in field and told to cut grain. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1865.1 | Sickle punished by being tied in top of a tree. The men hang themselves in the attempt. Cheremis: Sebeok-Nyerges. |
| J1865 | Sickle punished by drowning. In a land where the sickle is not known the new sickle cuts off the head of a man. It is drowned. *Type 1202. |
| J1891.1 | Sickness ascribed to quarreling wines. A man has drunk so much of various wines that he is sick. He says to the wines, "Have peace among yourselves and don't quarrel or I'll throw you out the window." *Wesselski Bebel II 102 No. 14. |
| J51 | Sight of deformed witches causes man to release wife from spinning duty. They tell him that their deformity has come from too much spinning. *Type 501; *BP I 109ff. (Gr. No. 14); **Von Sydow Tvе Spinnsagor. |
| J1141.8 | Silence points to guilt. Important man quarrels with commoner. Asks bystanders: "Who is right?" Silence. Newcomer states that the important man is wrong. "Had he been right the others would have said so." Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J2511.1.2 | Silence wager: man and wife taken for dead. Stand up when king offers reward for information about their death. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1805.1 | Similar sounding words mistaken for each other. Nouvelles Récréations No. 46. |
| J1217.2 | Simple holy man puts philosopher out of countenance when he says to him that wisdom came before learning. Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| J1883.1 | Simpleton addresses a field of reeds. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J1959.1 | Simpleton drives goats into a well, because he thinks it would be cooler for them. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1819.2 | Simpleton sleeping in cold room breaks window to let the cold out. (Cf. J2123.) U.S.: Baughman. |
| J1791.7.1 | Simpleton thinks his reflection in jar of melted butter is thief; strikes at the jar and breaks it. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1919.6 | Simpleton's ignorance of anatomy leads him to share his wife with a priest. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J1551.3 | Singer repaid with promise of reward: words for words. *Fischer-Bolte Reise der Söhne Giaffers 211; Nouvelles Récréations No. 3; Hindu: Penzer V 132. |
| J1885 | Singing snails rebuked. A boy roasts snails and they make noise in cooking. "Wretches, your house burns and yet you sing!" Wienert FFC LVI 65 (ET 291), 135 (ST 413); Halm Aesop No. 214. |
| J2411.6.1 | Sister of goddess tries to imitate her feat of being cooked without harm and dies in the attempt. Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 96. |
| J1262.8 | Skeleton has all his ribs. Indian examines skeleton of man at museum, finds there is no rib missing, concludes that ministers have deceived him in telling him the story of Adam. U.S.: Baughman. |
| J21.2.2 | Sleep before committing suicide. After sleeping you will feel differently about suicide. Spanish: Childers. |
| J1782.7 | Sleep-walker thought to be a ghost until discovered. U.S.: Baughman. |
| J2102.1 | Sleeping in shoes to avoid insect bites. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 237 No. 524. |
| J1322.2 | Sleeping on salt. Priest blamed for large amount of wine he drinks tells people to consider his great thirst. He has slept on a sack of salt and has enough thirst for a week. *Wesselski Arlotto I 208 No. 45. |
| J1763.3 | Sleeping soldier thought to be recumbent statue in chapel. Heptameron No. 65. |
| J2173.1 | Sleeping trickster's feast stolen. Before eating his booty the numskull sleeps. N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 296 n. 84. |
| J355 | Slight inconvenience in weather, large gain. |
| J369 | Small inconvenience, large gain—miscellaneous. |
| J1317 | Small jug preferred. Man asks that large jug be filled with wine. Is told to go to the river. Is accommodated when he presents small jug. (Cf. L251.) Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| J1763.1 | Small priest covered with large hat thought to be a hat. Nouvelles Récréations No. 37. |
| J623.1 | Snake complains to Zeus that people step on him. Zeus: "If you had bitten the first foot that stepped on you it would not be done now." Wienert FFC LVI 77 (ET 430), 128 (ST 364); Halm Aesop No. 347. |
| J1053 | Snake disregards warnings to improve his manners: eaten by crab. Wienert FFC LVI 50 (ET 99), 60 (ET 219), 89 (ST 13, 281); Halm Aesop No. 346. |
| J621.1.1 | Snake gives away magic pills later used to kill him. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J352.2 | Snake is willing to suffer the indignity of serving frog king as mount because frog king gives him frogs to eat. Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| J1761.6.1 | Snake mistaken for a whip by a blind man. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2102.2 | Snake rids himself of wasps: he lets himself be run over by a cart wheel along with them. Wienert FFC LVI 49 (ET 49), 128 (ST 363); Halm Aesop No. 393. |
| J1761.6 | Snake thought to be flute. Bites tiger who tries to play flute. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J512.14 | Snake wants to act as pet like parrot: killed. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2114 | Snakes in pond to be killed: eels also killed. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1812.5 | Snoring sounds misunderstood. (Cf. J1833.) |
| J81.1 | Society is like a dish: must be properly mixed. Plates having salt, pepper, fish, etc. not edible without mixing. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J401.1 | Socrates builds himself a little house. Criticized for its smallness he says, "I wish I had true friends enough to fill it." Wienert FFC LVI 39; Phaedrus III 9. |
| J1341.1 | Softening bread-crusts. An avaricious master feeds bread-crusts to his servants. "The crusts are already getting soft." Type 1567. |
| J216.4 | Soldier asks to be stabbed in chest. Prostrate soldier asks enemy to stab him in chest instead of back in order to save his honor. Captor frees him and the two become friends. Spanish: Childers. |
| J327 | Soldier prefers to live rather than die and be avenged on enemy. Nouvelles Récréations No. 44. |
| J1526 | Soldier's practical retort to officer. |
| J1140.1 | Solomon able to detect truth without evidence of witnesses. Jewish: *Neuman. |
| J191.1 | Solomon as wise man. Jewish: *Neuman. |
| J158.1 | Solomon pays heed to angel's warning. Rules wisely. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J80.1.1 | Solomon proves to his mother the inferiority of woman's wisdom. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. *920B. |
| J369.1 | Solomon refuses water of immortality for himself when he cannot have it for his possessions also. Chauvin II 126 No. 129. |
| J231.1 | Solomon, permitted by God to make any request, asks wisdom. Granted wisdom and wealth. Irish myth: Cross; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| J1171.2 | Solomon's judgment: the divided bride. Three suitors dispute over a woman. When it is proposed to divide her, true lover is discovered. *Type 653; India: Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| J1171.1 | Solomon's judgment: the divided child. Two women claim a child. Judge offers to cut it in two. Real mother refuses. *Frazer Old Testament II 570; *Goebel Jüdische Motive im Märchenhaften Erzählungsgut (Gleiwitz, 1932) 21ff.; *Gaidoz Mélusine IV 313, 337, 366, 385, 414, 446, 457; *Köhler-Bolte I 531; *Chauvin VI 63 No. 231.—Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "partage"; Spanish Exempla: Keller; Italian Novella: Rotunda; Jewish: *Neuman; India: *Thompson-Balys; N. A. Indian (Menomini): Skinner and Satterlee PaAM XIII 397; Cape Verde Islands: Parsons MAFLS XV (1) 348 n. 1; West Indies: Flowers 479. Cf. Cook Group: Dixon 37 (child actually cut in two to settle dispute). |
| J1675.8 | Son of God to see king. When steadily unable to be admitted to presence of a king, a clever man demands an interview saying he is the son of God come down to earth and will condescend to see the king. When asked to show the king Heaven and the path to it, the pretender retorts that when he was sent down by the Father, he was told to look to matters relating to this earth. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J675.1 | Son slays father in order not to be slain himself. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| J1021.1 | Sons united make living; separated fail. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1782.2.1 | Sound of water dripping on dinner pail thought to be ghost using pick in mine. U.S.: Baughman. |
| J1932.2 | Sowing cheese to bring forth a cow. *Type 1200; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 209 No. 423; *Fb "sе". |
| J1932.5 | Sowing needles (like seed). Köhler-Bolte I 135. |
| J1932.3 | Sowing salt to produce salt. *Type 1200; Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 209 No. 423; Christensen DF XLVII 206, 231 no. 57; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2143.1 | Sparrow intervenes in quarrel between elephants: crushed to death. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J953.9 | Spider thinks that it has held back the wind. Indonesian: DeVries's list No. 138. |
| J1881.1.5 | Spinning wheel is sent home by itself. The man asks his wife if it has arrived before him, finds that it has not. "I thought not. I came a shorter way." Scotland: *Baughman. |
| J2082 | Squaring accounts by shaving the wife. A numskull has paid twice the regular amount for a shave. The barber shaves the wife. Clouston Noodles 180. |
| J133.5 | Squirrel tries to dip out lake with his tail: difficulty of reforming the world. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J556.1 | St. George teaches the poor man, "Who steals somewhat and lies somewhat will be rich." Type 790*. |
| J1616 | St. Peter not guiltless. Soldiers are admitted neither to hell nor to heaven. They remind Peter of his denial of Christ. He admits them. *Wesselski Bebel I 155 No. 84. |
| J1032 | Stag found by master when overlooked by servants. Hides under hay and escapes until master himself comes. *Type 162**; Jacobs Aesop 207 No. 30. |
| J1738.5 | Standing up for the friendless. Preacher in backwoods asks congregation members who are friends of Jesus to rise. No one rises. "What, are there no friends of Jesus in this house?" A cowboy rises to his feet: "Stranger, I don't know who this man Jesus is. I never heard of him before, but I'll stand up for any man who hasn't got any more friends than he has." U.S.: Baughman. |
| J2133.8 | Stargazer falls into well. Wienert FFC LVI 85 (ET 514), 107 (ST 194); Halm Aesop No. 72; Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| J2271.2.2 | Stars made from the old moon. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 208 No. 10. |
| J2214.10 | Starving colt fierce from hunger, but fool refuses to feed it lest it become fiercer. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1794 | Statue mistaken for living original. (Cf. K1840.) Icelandic: Boberg. |
| J1781.1 | Steamship thought to be the devil. Type 1315*. |
| J1638 | Sticking to the rules. Merchant at inn deprives monk of fowl. "It's against the rules of your order." Later the monk undertakes to help merchant across stream. In the middle of the stream he asks the merchant if he has any money. "Yes." The monk drops him in the water. "It's against the rules of our order to have any money on us." Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| J1581 | Stingy almsgiving repaid. |
| J1341.7 | Stingy innkeeper cured of serving weak beer. She always gives the servants a pitcher of weak beer before meals so as to fill them up. One of them: "I wash out my insides so as to have more room for food." She changes her practice. Type 1566*. |
| J1522.2 | Stingy man rebuked when his children are feasted in his absence. They think he has been responsible and honor him. He reforms. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1179.7 | Stolen necklace does not have same scent as defendant uses. Zachariae Kleine Schriften 57. |
| J1141.1.3.1 | Stone as witness. Farmer will not pay servant wages due. Closing his bargain with the servant he had said: "May this stone be witness." Judge orders stone brought to court. The farmer: "Oh, but the stone is too big (or very far away)". Lithuanian: Balys Index No. *1549. |
| J98 | Stones shaken in jar: difficulty in learning many dialects. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1896.1 | Stones thought to reproduce. Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 88. |
| J1932.7 | Stones watered to make them grow. (Cf. J1896.1.) Hawaii: Beckwith 88. |
| J451.2 | Stork killed along with cranes. Ill-advised associations end fatally. Wienert FFC LVI 67 (ET 309), 120 (ST 296); Halm Aesop No. 100. |
| J1483.3 | Storms on land. An inexperienced rider borrows a horse, which runs away with him. He says, "There are no such storms on sea as on the land." *Wesselski Bebel II 107 No. 21. |
| J1849.1.1 | Story told about a deer: fool starts chase. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1177.1 | Story told to discover thief: sundry tales. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| J1177 | Story told to discover thief. Judge tells story of the lady, her husband, her lover, and the robbers (H1552.1). Which was the most generous? Witness says that robber was. This shows that he has robber's point of view. *Type 976; Jewish: Gaster Exempla 206 No. 111, bin Gorion Born Judas III 97, 303; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2119.2 | Straight path not always shortest. (Cf. J21.5.) |
| J1020 | Strength in unity. |
| J246 | Strength preferred to cleverness. |
| J1434 | Strenuous cure for madness. Doctor throws patients into a pit of water. Servant warns queer-looking hunter to flee before master throws him into the pit. (Cf. K2137.) Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| J1324 | Stung by the goblet. Doctor tells drunkard, "The goblet has stung you." "If I had known that I would have drunk out of a glass." *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 234. |
| J1705.2 | Stupid (ignorant) Brahmin. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1706 | Stupid animals. |
| J2096 | Stupid boy convinced that trading all his silver for worthless cup will gain people's respect. Chinese: Graham. |
| J1705 | Stupid classes. |
| J2119.7 | Stupid cowherds apply hot iron to temples of unconscious man to revive him. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J423 | Stupid fear company of clever. |
| J2119.5 | Stupid giant, seeing how fat he has become, wants to eat himself up. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1758.6 | Stupid husband mistakes tiger-cubs for jungle cats despite wife's judgment. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1702 | Stupid husband. *Type 1361, 1405-1423; Jewish: Neuman. |
| J1705.1 | Stupid peasant. *Hdwb. d. Märchens I 187b. |
| J1741.3.1 | Stupid scholar memorizes set answers to oral examination in Latin. The questions are not given in the order he expects; comic results. England: Baughman. |
| J1813.9.1 | Stupid servant cooks all the rice for one meal. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1701 | Stupid wife. *Types 1380—1404; Hdwb. d. Märchens I 187b nn. 145 —149; Christensen DF L 35; Irish myth: Cross; Missouri French: Carrière. |
| J1972 | Stupid woman swims on the roof. Swiss: Jegerlehner Oberwallis 324 No. 161. |
| J421 | Subordination of weak to strong. |
| J1551.5 | Substitute for candle repaid with substitute for money. A monk gives a man a stick instead of the candle the man has wanted to burn before a holy picture. The monk says that it will have the same effect as if the candle were burned. The man takes out his purse and lets the monk touch it. *Wesselski Arlotto I 186 No. 6. |
| J1959.2 | Substitute for the corpse. Fool loses his mother's corpse on way to funeral. Mistakes old woman for mother and substitutes her. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1169.7 | Suit about the ass's shadow. Man hires ass and driver for trip across plain. In the heat the traveler sits down in the ass's shadow. The driver pushes him away. Plea: he didn't hire the ass's shadow. *Wienert FFC LVI 37; Halm Aesop No. 339. |
| J1191.2 | Suit for chickens produced from boiled eggs. Countertask: harvesting crop produced from cooked seeds. *DeVries FFC LXXIII 244; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| J1575.1 | Suitor brings own lamp. Mother of girl tells suitor that she cannot have him burning her midnight oil. The next night he brings his own lamp and a can of oil, tells her he will stay all night if he wishes. U.S.: Baughman. |
| J1279.3 | Suitor hesitates to marry girl as immature (or too delicate). Girl's father protests, saying that she has had three children. Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| J1582.2 | Sulphur in the censer. Parishioners put base money into the collection. The priest burns sulphur instead of incense He tells them that their money will buy nothing better. *Wesselski Arlotto II 218 No. 82. |
| J2488.2 | Sultan tries to prove to Adversity he cannot be seized at specified time and hides in a sewer. He thus experiences adversity in his very effort to avoid it. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1943.1 | Sundial covered in order to protect it. Christensen DF XLVII no. 46. |
| J2123 | Sunlight carried into windowless house in baskets. When this plan does not succeed, they gradually pull down the house to get light. Type 1245; *Fb "lys" II 483b; Clouston Noodles 58, 64; Christensen DF XLVII 215 No. 74, ibid. DF L 49. |
| J2311.5.1 | Supposed dead man on bier threatens his bearers. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2311.12 | Supposed dead man roused with whip. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2613 | Surrender to the rake. Fool steps on a rake and falls down crying, "I surrender!" *BP II 555. |
| J1153.1 | Susanna and the elders: separate examination of witnesses. Testimony as to exact circumstances of her deed does not agree. Witnesses discredited. **W. Baumgartner Susanna, die Geschichte einer Legende (Archiv f. Religionswiss. XXIV 259—80); *Chauvin VI 193 No. 362; Spanish Exempla: Keller; Jewish: bin Gorion Born Judas I 361f., Neuman. |
| J622.1.1 | Swallow advises hen against hatching out serpent's eggs. She is hatching her own destruction. Wienert FFC LVI 63 (ET 255), 147 (ST 516); Halm Aesop No. 342. |
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