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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 ▲ |
|---|---|
| Q414.0.12.1 | Woman saved from being burned as punishment for killing impudent suitor. Icelandic: FSS 240, Boberg. |
| Q552.1.7 | Woman who accused saint of raping her is struck by lightning. (Cf. Q263.) Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| Q411.4.2 | Woman who disrobes to attract attention of hostile fighter killed. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| Q331.2.1 | Woman's vain display punished. Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| Q552.16.1.2 | Women carrying cheeses concealed pretend that they are carrying webs or balls of thread. Saint changes cheeses to stones. (Cf. A977.5.1.) Irish myth: Cross. |
| Q151.13 | Women rewarded with their lives for excellent dancing. Tuamotu: Stimson MS (z-G. 3/1260). |
| Q321.1 | Women who will not sew are cast from community. Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| Q3.1 | Woodsman and the gold axe. A woodsman lets his axe fall into the water. Hermes comes to his rescue. Takes out a gold axe but the woodsman says that it is not his. The same with a silver axe. Finally he is given his own axe and rewarded for his modest choice. His companion tries this plan and loses his axe. Wienert FFC LVI 79* (ET 449), 139 (ST 444); Halm Aesop No. 308; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 729*; Chinese: Eberhard FFC CXX 34 No. 20; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| Q211.8.1 | Wounded king exacts fine from those intending to slay him. Irish myth: Cross. |
| Q451.2.1 | Youth lamed by man whose daughter he refuses to marry. (Cf. Q245.) Köhler-Bolte I 120; *Krappe Herrig's Archiv CLVIII 9ff.; *P. Maurus Wielandsage in der Literatur (Münchner Beiträge zur rom u. eng. Philologie XXV (1902)). |
| Q433.3 | Zeus has embassy of dogs imprisoned for fouling his court. (Cf. Q322.) *BP III 555; Dh IV 137ff. |
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