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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.
Anecdotes and Jokes 1200–1999
| ATU | Title | Summary ▲ | Arne Thompson | Thompson |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882 | The Man who Fell out of a Balloon | Buried in the earth, he goes to get a spade to dig himself out. | 1882 | X1731.2.1., X1757. |
| 1731 | The Youth and the Pretty Shoes | By playing upon their desire for the pretty shoes he has stolen [T455.3.2], he betrays the wife, the daughter, and the servant girl of the parson [K1357] and finally the parson himself, who is standing by his side. Healing of the scab; holding the… | ||
| 1587 | Man Allowed to pick out Tree to be Hanged on | Cannot find one. [K558]. | ||
| 1218 | Numskull Sits on Eggs to Finish Hatching | Cautions people to be quiet and not frighten the eggs. (Sometimes puts on honey and feathers before sitting on the eggs.) [J1902.1]. Cf. Type 1677. | , 1218 | J1902.1., K1253. |
| 1586 | The Man in Court for Killing a Fly | Cf. 1586, 163A* (a) A fool sees a fly light on his mother's (companion's) head and hits it with an axe, etc., killing his mother [J1833.1, N333.1]. (b) When a grasshopper (fly) lights on a hunter's shoulder, his companion shoots it, killing the… | , 1586 | J1193.1., J1833.1. |
| 1567 | Hungry Servant Reproaches Stingy Master | Cf. Type 1389*. | , 1567, 1567F, 1567G | J1341.1., J1341.11., J1341.4., J1341.6. |
| 1344 | Lighting a Fire from the Sparks from a Box on the Ear | Cf. Type 1372. | ||
| 1321 | Fools frightened | Cf. Type 1677. | 1321, 1321C | J2600., J2614.1. |
| 1692 | The Stupid Thief | Cf. Type 177. A fool accompanies a group of thieves, who send him into the house while they wait outside. I. Following Directions Literally. (a) Told to bring out something »heavy» (i.e., valuable), he brings out a heavy mortar, or the like… | , 1692 | J2136., J2136.5.5., J2136.5.6., J2136.5.7., J2461.1.7., J2461.1.7.1. |
| 1249 | Oxen Hitched Before and Behind Wagon | Cf. Type 801. | ||
| 1511 | The Faithless Queen | Cf. Type 871A. I. The Queen and the Loathsome Paramour [T232]. (a) A king follows his queen as she slips out of their bedchamber. (b) The queen goes to her lover, a loathsome cripple, beggar, etc., (c) who beats her for coming late to their… | ||
| 1384 | The husband hunts for three persons as stupid as his wife | Cf. Types 1450, Clever Elsie; 1385, The Foolish Wife's Pawn. The man finds three as foolish [H1312.1]. Cf. Type 1540, The Student from Paradise. This type combines with many others, particularly 1310, 1245, 1265, 1286, 1326, 1371*, 1385, 1386, 1387… | 1384 | H1312.1. |
| 1532 | The Voice from the Grave | Cf. Types 1380, 1476, 1676. (a) Two rascals hear of a wealthy man who has recently died. One digs a hole near the grave with a speaking tube leading out or hides near the grave. The other goes to the relatives of the dead man claiming that the dead… | ||
| 1343 | Hanging Game | Comrade to rescue fool when he whistles. Hangs himself. [N334.2]. | ||
| 1890 | The lucky shot | Discharge of gun kills the heath-cock, which falls on the sprouts on the tree, which kills the bear, etc. [X1124.3]. | 1890, 1890D, 1890E, 1890F | X1122.2., X1122.3., X1124.3. |
| 1790 | The Parson and Sexton Steal a Cow | Dispute over the booty. Summoned to court. In return for the cow and money, the sexton agrees to get them free. Tells the whole story. Then says, »Just then I waked up» [J1155]. They are freed. Cf. Type 1364. | ||
| 1408 | The man who does his wife's work | Does everything wrong [J2431]. Lets cow graze on the roof; cf. Type 1210. Ties the rope's end to his foot [J2132.2]. Lets the beer run out; cf. Type 1387. In the chimney. | , 1408, 1408B, 1876 | J1545.3., J1881.1.3., J2132.2., J2176.1., J2431., J2465.4., X1267.1. |
| 1685 | The Foolish Bridegroom | Dog »Parsley» in the soup [J2462.1]. Clearing out the room (throws out the stove) [J2465.5]. To »throw good eyes» at the bride (throws ox-eyes and sheep-eyes on the plate) [J2462.2]. Cf. Type 1006. She flees. The he-goat in the bride's place in… | , 1685 | J2462.1., J2462.2., J2465.5. |
| 1310 | Drowning the crayfish as punishment | Eel, crab, turtle, etc. express fear of water and are thrown in. | , 1310 | J1762.1.2., K581.1. |
| 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. |
| 1341 | Fools Warn Thief what Not to Steal | Explain where everything is and where the key is kept. [J2091, J2091.1]. Cf. Types 1525P, 1577*. | ||
| 1295 | The Seventh Cake Satisfies | Fool regrets that he had not eaten number seven first since that was the one that brought satisfaction. [J2213.3]. | ||
| 1415 | Trading Away One's Fortune | Foolish bargains. He trades his horse for a cow, the cow for a hog, the latter for a goose, until finally he has nothing left [J2081.1]. Wins the wager when his wife does not get angry [N11]. | 1415 | J2081.1. |
| 1681 | Foolish man builds aircastles | Foolishly kills his horse, throws his axe into the lake to kill a duck. Undresses to recover axe. Clothes stolen. Goes into barrel of tar to hide. In tar and feathers. [J2661.4]. Cf. Types 1383, 1690*. | , 1681B | K1461., K1462. |
| 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. |
| 1314 | The Buttercask Taken for a Dead Man | Fools knock it in two. [J1783.1]. | 1315 | J1771.1. |
| 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 |
| 1317 | Blind Man and Elephant | Four blind men feel an elephant's leg, tail, ear, and body respectively, and conclude it is like a log, a rope, a fan, and something without beginning or end. [J1761.10]. | NA | J1761.10. |
| 1201 | The plowing | Four men carry the horse in order not to tramp up the field [J2163]. | 1201 | J2163. |
| 1309 | Choosing the Clean Figs | From figs which have been urinated on he is to choose only clean ones. In testing he eats them all. | ||
| 1931 | The woman who asked for news from home | Gets many impossible answers, which she believes. »The cock has become sexton.» - »That is why he sang so well in the morning» [J2349.4]. Cf. Type 1920A. | ||
| 1961 | The big wedding | Giant with sixty daughters. | ||
| 1407 | The Miser | Gives his wife too little to eat. On the advice of the servant boy, he spies on her from inside the chimney, under the bolster, etc. Gets burned in the chimney, beaten in the bed. [W153.2]. Cf. Types 1373, 1458. | 1407, 1407A | K1155., W153.2. |
| 1313 | The Man who Thought Himself Dead | Has the corpse eat bread. (Usually has eaten from a pot of preserves said to be poisoned.) | , 1313, 1313A | J2311.1., J2311.1.4., J2311.2., J2311.4. |
| 1628 | The learned son and the forgotten language | Having left the seminary, a son speaks only Latin, pretending to have forgotten his own language. When a rake strikes him in the forehead, he screams in his own tongue »Devilish rake!» [J1511.11]. Cf. Type 1641 C. | 1628* | J1511.11. |
| 1660 | The Poor Man in Court | He has a stone in his purse to throw at the judge if he is sentenced. The judge thinks that he has money to use as a bribe and acquits him. [K1705]. | ||
| 1875 | The Boy on the Wolf's Tail | He hides himself in the mill and frightens the robbers from their treasure; cf. Type 1653. Is hidden in a barrel. Holds fast to the wolf's tail through a hole in the barrel. [X1133.3]. Cf. Types 169H*, 1229, 1900. | 1875 | X1133.3. |
| 1204 | Fool Keeps Repeating his Instructions so as to remember them | He usually forgets them [J2671.2]. Cf. Type 1687. | ||
| 1461 | The girl with the ugly name | Her mother gives her a new one. The girl does not recognize it when she is called in, and her mother must use the old one. [K1984.3]. | ||
| 1535 | The Rich Peasant and the Poor Peasant | I. (a) Twee broers, (a1) mannen, (a2) boeren, (a3) neven, (a4) een boer en een jongen, (a5) zijn arbeider, (a6) een woonwagenbewoner. (b) Grote en Kleine Doeke, (b1) Klaas, (b2) Obe, (b3) Oege, (b4) Grote Arend en Kleine Hendrik, (b5) Hearke en… | 1535 | na |
| 1651 | Whittington's cat | In a land where cats are unknown, he sells it for fortune. Cf. Types 1281, 1650. I. He Gets the Cat. (a) The hero is left a cat as his only inheritance [N411.1.1] (see Type 1650); or (b) he earns or finds four coins which he tests by throwing them… | ||
| 1279 | Protected by the Needle | In a storm on the ice, fools stick needles into the ice to keep from blowing away. [J1965]. | ||
| 1261 | The Slaughter of the Ox | In preparation, the feet are cut off the evening before. [J2168]. | ||
| 1565 | Agreement Not to Scratch | In talking, the trickster makes gestures and scratches without detection. [K263]. | 1565 | K263. |
| 1311 | The Wolf Taken for a Colt | In the man's absence eats the mare [J1752]. | ||
| 1837 | The Parson to Let a Dove Fly in the Church | It dies in his pocket (or has other accident). [X418]. | ||
| 1682 | The groom teaches his horse to live without food | It dies. [J1914]. | 1682 | J1914. |
| 1247 | The Man Sticks his Head into the Hole of the Millstone | It rolls into the lake. [J2131.5.4]. Cf. Type 1241. | ||
| 1212 | The Horse is Drawn across the Ice | Its skin is rubbed off [J1972]. | ||
| 1315 | The Big Tree Taken for a Snake | Killed with guns and spears. [J1771.1]. |
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