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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 ▲ |
|---|---|
| P311 | Sworn brethren. Friends take an oath of lasting brotherhood. *Type 516; Rösch FFC LXXVII 98; *Hibbard 68 n. 7, 145 n. 3; Child IV 146f.; Wesselski Märchen 187 No. 2; *Krappe Bulletin Hispanique XXXIX 17; *Abeles "Die Burgschaft als Motif in der jüdischen Literatur" Monatsch. f. Geschichte u. Wissenschaft der Juden LX 213ff., 263ff. — English: Wells 158 (Amis and Amiloun); Icelandic: Olrik Sakses Oldhistorie I (1892) 59ff., *Boberg; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; Jewish: *Neuman, bin Gorion Born Judas IV 14, 20, 274; India: Thompson-Balys; Korean: Zong in-Sob 63 No. 35. |
| P441.1 | Tailor occupies God's throne for a day. *Type 800; *BP I 342. |
| P441.3 | Tailor punished in hell. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P441 | Tailor. *Fb "skrædder"; *Chauvin IX 29 No. 18; *Sébillot Métiers No. 7; *Feilberg Dania I 165ff., III 184ff.; Paludan Danske Studier (1925) 19ff.; Missouri French: Carrière. |
| P441.2 | Tailoring only trade devil cannot learn. He fails to knot thread because it would make sign of the cross. Scotch: Campbell Superstitions 304. |
| P531.2 | Tax on treasure trove. (Cf. N500.) Irish myth: Cross. |
| P531 | Taxation and payment of fines or tribute. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| P340 | Teacher and pupil. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P341 | Teacher dies of pride over success of pupil. Alphabet No. 341. |
| P343 | Teacher threatens to curse pupils if they disobey. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P678.1 | Tearing garments as sign of grief. Jewish: *Neuman. |
| P252.6 | Ten sisters. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| P200 | The family. |
| P16.1.3 | The higher the office held in this world, the heavier the judgment of God: Cuchulinn's reason for abjuring kingship. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P11.2.3 | The one of two giant brothers who gets the most skillful princess elected as king. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| P11.2.2.1 | The one of two giant brothers who performs the greatest feat and procures the wildest dog elected as king. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| P319.4 | The sacred partnership. Man is abducted by pirates and kept in slavery forty years. Upon his return his friend divides his earnings with him. Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| P271.8 | Thor slays his foster father and takes himself the realm of Thrace. Icelandic: Snorra Edda Prol. III, MacCulloch Eddic. 314. |
| P251.6.1 | Three brothers. Types 654, 655; Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| P252.2 | Three sisters. Types 311—12, 510, 511. |
| P17.10 | Three sons each get a kingship, but the youngest the most important in the home country. (Cf. P17.8.) Icelandic: Boberg. |
| P14.16 | Threefold division of king's day: one third dedicated to watching boys at play; one third to playing fidehell (chess?); one third to drinking. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P14.20 | Tom-tom beater to spread the news of kingship. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| P422.1.1 | Tongue of dead lawyer found to be lacking. Scala Celi 7b No. 44; Etienne de Bourbon No. 440. |
| P675 | Touching head as sign of acceptance of bargain. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| P561.2 | Tournament: to avenge death of king. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| P561 | Tournaments. **R. C. Clephan The Tournament (London, 1919); *O. Mueller Turnier und Kampf in den altfrz. Artusromanen (Erfurt, 1907); Jewish: Neuman. |
| P400 | Trades and professions. **Sébillot Légendes et Curiosités des Métiers (Paris, n.d.); Jewish: Neuman. |
| P485.1 | Treacherous philosophers. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| P531.1 | Tribe failing to attend yearly feast to send gift as sign of submission. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P531.1.1 | Tribute required of conquered foreigners. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| P612 | Trumpet blown before house of one sentenced to death. *Crane Vitry 151 No. 42; Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| P251.6.7 | Twelve brothers. Type 451. |
| P475.1 | Twelve robbers. Fb III 132a "røver". |
| P251.5.2 | Two brothers are confusingly like each other. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| P251.5.4 | Two brothers as contrasts. Hdwb. d. Märchens II "Formel"; Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| P251.5.1 | Two brothers follow and help each other on piracy, etc. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| P251.5 | Two brothers. Type 303; Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| P319.1 | Two friends captured by Moors have money to ransom only one. The ransomed one returns home, gets money and buys the other's freedom. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| P252.1 | Two sisters. Type 480, 711, 426. |
| P12.2.1 | Tyrannical king. Jewish: *Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| P273.3 | Unable to hit man himself, enemy kills his foster brother. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| P293 | Uncle. **W. O. Farnsworth Uncle and Nephew in the Old French Chansons de Geste (New York, 1913); Irish myth: Cross. |
| P236.5 | Undutiful children ridicule father while he is drunk and naked. Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| P236 | Undutiful children. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P236.6 | Undutiful son overawes his father by threats. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| P236.7 | Undutiful son taught lesson showing his mother has suffered from him. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| P35 | Unknown prince chosen chief of children in play. *Type 920; *DeVries FFC LXXIII 40ff. |
| P426.3.1 | Untrained monk becomes skillful wright (smith) through power of saint. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P435.2 | Usurer stops lending money. He does so, not because it is wrong, but because he is losing money. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| P435 | Usurer. |
| P12.3 | Usurper imposes burdensome taxes. Dickson 175 n. 39. |
| P12.11 | Uxorious king neglects duties. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| P17.0.3 | Vengeance for destruction of fairy-mound pursues king's descendants. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P682.2 | Voyagers have right to ask landsman first question. Marquesas: Handy 56, 72. |
| P552.4 | War-machines. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P557.6 | Warrior dies with face toward foe. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P557.5 | Warrior disgraced by slaying of those under his protection. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P557.4.4.1 | Warrior engaged in combat with one-armed opponent allows one hand to be bound to his side. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P557.1 | Warrior not entitled to ransom if captured without arms. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P557.4.2 | Warrior who begins combat has right to desist. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P251.2 | Warrior will not fight where his brother was slain. Place considered defiled. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P443.0.1 | Water-miller. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| P435.1 | Wealthy usurer prays that the sons of the rich will become mad. That will benefit his business. His own sons lose their minds. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| P553 | Weapons. Irish myth: Cross; Jewish: Neuman. |
| P445 | Weaver. Sébillot Métiers No. 6. |
| P17.13 | What the princes most desire: king asks each of three sons separately. Answers: to study, to make pilgrimages, to build a great kingdom. Last chosen. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| P443.1 | Why millers are thieves. Flemish: DeMeyer FFC XXXVII 84 No. 27e. |
| P453.1 | Why shoemakers are indolent. A shoemaker spits at Christ on way to be crucified. Christ tells him, "A poor slobbering fellow thou shalt be, and all shoemakers after thee, for what thou has done to me." (Cf. A2231.2, P445.1.) England; Baughman. |
| P445.1 | Why weavers are the most unhappy of men. They gave a nail for the Crucifixion. Flemish: DeMeyer FFC XXXVII 84 No. 27C. |
| P445.2 | Why weavers have patience. Flemish: DeMeyer FFC XXXVII 84 No. 27d. |
| P232.1 | Wicked mother and her sons do everything to prevent daughter's marriage with beloved. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| P263.1 | Widower marries wife's sister. Jewish: *Neuman. |
| P211.1 | Wife chooses father rather than husband or son. (Cf. P253.3.) Only one can be saved; he alone is irreplaceable. Spanish: Childers. |
| P211 | Wife chooses father's side in feud. Must choose between husband and father. S. A. Indian (Carib): Alexander Lat. Am. 266. |
| P214.1 | Wife commits suicide (dies) on death of husband. (Cf. P16.4.1.) Irish myth: Cross. |
| P214 | Wife drinks blood of slain husband. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P212 | Wife more merciful than blood relations. They refuse to ransom condemned man; wife does so. Child II 349f., III 516, IV 481, V 231ff., 296. |
| P216 | Wife only one able to persuade her husband. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| P336.2 | Wife scolds husband's hospitality, as he really has nothing to give. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| P55 | Wild man of noble birth. (Cf. F567.) Dickson 135 n. 117; Irish myth: Cross. |
| P11.2 | Winner of contest to be king. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 269; Jewish: *Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| P272.1 | Witch foster mother. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| P643 | With only opponent's arms. Hero goes to encounter unarmed except for the arms he wrests from his opponent. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P711.1 | Wolves of his own country dearer than dogs of another. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 420. |
| P253.9 | Woman dies of sorrow for death of brother. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P426.3.3 | Woman disguised as monk enters monastery. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P461.4 | Woman instructs in art of arms. (Cf. F565.1.) Irish myth: Cross. |
| P671 | Woman veils self as expression of surprise. Chauvin V 149 No. 73 n. 1. |
| P427.0.3 | Women druids. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P611 | Women meet when bathing. Icelandic: Snorra Edda Skaldsk. XLI (Nibel), *Boberg; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| P427.7.4 | Women poets. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P458 | Woodsman. Types 327, 700; Köhler Aufsätze 49; Sébillot Métiers No. 16; Missouri French: Carrière. |
| P411.3 | Wounded hero finds shelter and is cured in peasant's house. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| P427.5.1 | Wounded soldiers healed by bath in pool of milk through power of druid. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P233.2 | Young hero rebuked by his father. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| P633 | Young not to precede old. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P293.4 | Young prince sent to his father's mother's brother. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| P516 | Youngest of judges first to give decision. Jewish: *Neuman. |
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