Folklore Database · Browse
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.
Religious Tales 750–849
| ATU | Title | Summary ▲ | Arne Thompson | Thompson |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 767 | Food for the Crucifix | A boy offers bread to a statue of Christ or the Virgin [Q172.1]. | 767 | Q172.1. |
| 821 | The Devil as Advocate | A man is accused of theft. The devil carries the judge from the court room and thus repays the hospitality of the accused. | 821B | J1191.2. |
| 839 | One Vice Carries Other With It | A man is permitted to choose one of the following vices: theft, incontinence, drink. He chooses the last, which seemed to him least harmful. All the other vices follow in the train of the first. [J485]. | 839 | J485. |
| 842 | The Man Who Kicked Aside Riches | A man practices austerities for many years. He asks the god for wealth as a reward and the god signifies that his request is granted. On the way home, the man decides to close his eyes to feel how a blind man feels when he walks. He stumbles against… | ||
| 764 | The Devil's Son as a Priest | A youth (a) encounters the devil or (b) takes liberties with the corpse of a hanged man. With this companion he goes to certain houses, some of which because they are properly ordered the companion may not enter. The Devil (dead man) is able to enter… | ||
| 785 | Who Ate the Lamb's Heart ? | Accused of eating the goose's leg, the thief maintains that it had only one leg, and cleverly enforces his point by showing geese standing on one leg. (Usually the master confounds the rascal by frightening the geese so that they use both legs.)… | , 785 | J1141.1.1., K1811., K402. |
| 803 | Solomon Binds the Devil in Chains in Hell | Asks the devil to try on the chains meant for Solomon. Variant: Christ and the Smith in hell. [A1071.1]. | ||
| 751 | The Greedy Peasant Woman | Christ and Peter ask entertainment from a peasant woman [K1811]. Although the cake magically grows larger [D1652.1.2], she gives them but a morsel. She is punished [Q1.1]. | , 751A, 751C* | D153.1., D1652.1.2., K1811., K1811.1., Q292.1. |
| 753 | Christ and the smith | Christ takes off the horse's foot in order to shoe him and rejuvenates an old woman by putting her in the fire. The smith tries disastrously to do the same. | , 753 | A1861.2., D1886., E121.2., E782.4., F663.0.1., J2411.1., K1811. |
| 846 | Devil Always Blamed | Devil blamed when cow is in ditch (Who the devil did that?). When she is saved (Thank God!). | , 846 | K1811., N111.4.1. |
| 758 | The various children of Eve | Eve has so many children that she is ashamed when God pays her a visit. She hides some of them and they fail to receive the blessing that God gives those in sight. Thus arises the differences in classes and peoples. [A1650.1]. | 758 | A1650.1. |
| 769 | A Child Returns from the Dead | Frequently to stop weeping. [E324]. | , 769 | E324., E361. |
| 837 | How the Wicked Lord was Punished | He puts poison into the beggar's bread. As the beggar is spending the night at an inn a traveler arrives. Since no other bread is convenient the beggar gives the stranger his bread. The traveler, who is the lord's son, dies of the poison [N332.1]. | 837 | N332.1. |
| 782 | Midas | His secret discovered by his barber. Or he whispers the secret to a reed which repeats it. | , 782 | D1316.5., F511.2.2., N465. |
| 800 | The Tailor in Heaven | In God's absence, Peter lets an unworthy tailor into heaven. The tailor throws Gods footstool at an old woman thief on earth. He si expelled from heaven. | , 800 | A661.0.1.2., F1037.1., L435.3., P441.1. |
| 831 | The Dishonest Priest | In order to get hold of money found by a poor man, the priest goes with the skin of a he-goat on his back (as Devil) to the man to frighten him [Q551.2]. But when he gets home he cannot get the skin off [Q551.2]. | 831 | Q551.2. |
| 804 | Peter's Mother Falls from Heaven | It is permitted to the son in heaven [A661.0.1.2] to pull his mother out of hell on a stalk [F51.1.3]. When the other dead catch her feet, she kicks them and falls back into hell [Q291.1]. | , 804 | A661.0.1.2., F51.1.3., Q291.1.St. |
| 766 | The seven sleepers | No examples in the Database yet | 766 | D1960.1. |
| 777 | The wandering Jew | No examples in the Database yet | , 777, 777* | E511., E511.1.1., E511.1.2., E511.1.3., Q502.1. |
| 779 | Divine rewards and punishments | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 788 | The Man Who Was Burned Up and Lived Again | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 805 | Joseph and Mary Threatens to Leave Heaven... | No examples in the Database yet | 805 | V254.6. |
| 811 | The man promised to the devil becomes a priest | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 826 | Devil writes down names of men on hide in church | No examples in the Database yet | 826 | G303.24.1.3. |
| 828 | Men, Animals, and the Span of Life | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 802 | The Peasant in Heaven | On the arrival of the rich man there is song and dance, because of the rarity of such an event. [E758, W245]. | 802 | E758. |
| 759 | God's Justice Vindicated – The Angel and the Hermit | People will not take sacrament from him. Another priest (God) shows that even this priest is according to God's will. [V39.3]. Cf. Type 756E*. | , 759 | C411.1., C491., J225.0.1., J225.0.2., J225.3., J225.4., J225.5., U21.3. |
| 791 | The Saviour and Peter in night-lodgings | Peter is twice beaten. Peter and Christ are sleeping in the same bed. The drunken host returns home and beats Peter. Peter changes places with Christ. The host then comes in to beat the other lodger. Peter again receives the blows. [K1132]. In French… | 791 | K1132. |
| 774 | Jests About Christ and Peter | Peter made ridiculous. | ||
| 762 | Woman with three hundred and sixty-five children | Punished for self-righteous condemnation of unchaste girl. [L435.2.1]. | , 762 | L435.2.1., T586.1., T587.1. |
| 778 | To Sacrifice a Giant Candle | Refusal to make sacrifice after need is past. In distress a person promises a sacrifice to a god (saint) but disregards the promise when the danger passes. [K231.3, K231.3.1]. | ||
| 838 | The Bad Rearing | Son on gallows bites his mother's (father's) nose off: punishment for neglect in youth. [Q586]. Cf. Type 756B. | 838 | Q586. |
| 780 | The Singing Bone | The brother kills his brother (sister) and buries him in the earth. From the bones a shepherd makes a flute which brings the secret to light. In different versions the murder is revealed in several different ways [N271]: (a) an instrument (harp,… | , 780 | D1610.34., E632., N271. |
| 801 | Master Pfriem | The cobbler who was never satisfied is expelled from heaven [Q312.1]. He is admitted by St. Peter, [A661.0.1.2] but warned against fault-finding [F13]. He sees men carrying a beam crosswise [F171.6.3]. But when he sees the horses hitched in front and… | , 801 | A661.0.1.2., F13., F171.6.3., F171.6.4., H1023.2., Q312.1. |
| 825 | The Devil in Noah's Ark | The devil wants to know what Noah is doing when he is building the ark. He persuades Noah's wife to give him a drink. Noah forbids the wife to go into ark until the devil has also been invited. [K485]. I. Secret Building of Ark and its Destruction by… | , 825 | A1015., A1021., A1853.1., A2001., A2031.2., A2145.2., A2214.3., A2232.4., C12.5.1., F531.5.9., G303.14.1.1., K2213.4.2. |
| 832 | The Disappointed Fisher | The fisher, his wife, and his child always get three fishes. From greed they kill the child in order to have more fish for themselves. But they catch from then on only two fishes. [Q553.5]. | 832 | Q553.5. |
| 756 | Forgiveness and Redemption | The hard penance and the green twigs on the dry branch. | , 756A, 756B, 756C | F771.1.9., F81.2., F971.1., H1235., H1273.1., J172., L435.1., N843., Q172.3., Q211.1., Q222.1., Q520.1., Q520.2., Q521.1., Q521.1.1., Q521.1.2., Q521.2., Q521.4., Q523.5., Q545., Q553.2., Q561., S211., V29.1. |
| 844 | The Luck-bringing Shirt | The king becomes lucky when he puts on the shirt of a lucky man. The only man who says he is lucky has no shirt. [N135.3]. | 844 | N135.3. |
| 841 | One Beggar Trusts God, the Other the King | The king gives them each a loaf of bread, but the loaf of the second beggar is filled with gold. The beggars not knowing the nature of the loaves exchange them. [N351]. | 841 | N351. |
| 822 | The lazy boy and the industrious girl | The Lord and St. Peter come across a very lazy boy and a very industrious girl. Our Lord decrees, much to St. Peter's astonishment, that these two are to be married. [T125]. | ||
| 760 | The Unquiet Grave | The man burns his three wives. Finds no rest in the grave. A maiden takes the dead man to a priest and secures his pardon for the murder of his wives. | , 760 | E411.0.2., E411.1., Q211.3. |
| 812 | The Mystery of the Devil | The man is saved by solving the riddle propounded by the devil. The solution discovered in the forest. I. Devil's Contract. (a) A man (three men) promises himself to the devil at the end of a certain time if he cannot solve three (seven) riddles… | , 812 | H523., H671., H672., H673., M211. |
| 830 | Refusal to Ask God's Blessing | The man shoots a stag but denies that God has given it to him and insists that he shot it himself. [J151.4]. The wounded stag jumps up and flees. | 830C | C454. |
| 770 | The Nun Who Saw the World | The nun leaves the convent with her lover. The Virgin takes her place in the convent during the years of her absence. The nun returns repentant. [K1841.1]. | 770A* | V238. |
| 810 | The devil loses a soul that was promised him | The priest permits the man who is promised to the devil to spend the night in the church, and draws a ring around him. The devil cannot tempt him outside the ring. | , 810, 810A* | D1381.11., G303.16.19.15., G303.16.19.4., G303.9.1.6., K218.1., S211. |
| 836 | Pride is Punished | The rich man boasts that God has not the power to make him poor [C454]. While the man is at church, his property burns and he returns home a poor man [L412]. Cf. Types 736A, 830. | , 836F* | D1323.5., D1331.3.1. |
| 815 | The Deceased Rich Man and the Devils in the Church | The rich man's money is buried in his skin in the grave. The devil comes to see the money. The cobbler draws a circle about him [D1381.11] to keep the devil off; takes the money and nails the devil fast. | , 815, 815* | C12.2., D1381.11., G303.22.11., K210., K218.1., Q45.2. |
| 755 | Sin and grace | The rose from the stone table. The preacher's wife magically prevents the birth of her children. Since she throws no shadow, her husband casts her forth as a sinner until a rose shall grow from a stone table. A churchman takes the woman at night into… | ||
| 768 | St Christopher and the Christ child | The saintly ferryman. He carries the child across the stream. The child becomes heavier with each step, but the saint still carries him. The child reveals himself as Christ. [Q25]. | 768 | Q25. |
| 763 | Treasure Finders Murder One Another | Two hunters are shown a treasure. One of them puts poison in the other's wine, but the other kills him, drinks the wine and dies. [K1685]. | 763 | K1685. |
If you wish to get access to data for projects and research, then please contact us, we do our best to help
How to cite: Fielder-White, Jonathan (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
0009-0006-1672-4451
Please cite the relevant sources, catalogues, and classification systems, including the Folklore Database, Berezkin-Duvakin Catalogue, ATU, Thompson, alongside the page accessed and the last time accessed. Please respect copyright and licenses.
Editorial annotations and database enhancements © Jonathan Fielder-White licensed under CC BY 4.0. Berezkin-Duvakin derived narrative and metadata licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Full rights information can be found here.
All rights are reserved in the database structure, selection, arrangement, metadata, classifications, software, interface design, and original editorial content.
Important: The Folklore Database expressly reserves all rights in relation to text and data mining, automated extraction, scraping, machine learning, dataset creation, and the training, development, validation, or improvement of artificial intelligence technologies or systems. No part of this website or database may be scraped, copied, reproduced, harvested, downloaded in bulk, or otherwise used for AI training or commercial data extraction without prior written permission.
Designed and Developed by Jonathan Fielder-White.
© 2024–2026 Crecganford / Jonathan Fielder-White. All rights reserved.