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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 |
|---|---|
| H661 | Riddle: what is swifter than a bird, the wind or lightning? The eye. (Cf. H632.2.) Gascon: Bladé I 9 No. 1. |
| H662 | Riddle: what is dearer than gold? Mother love. (Cf. H651.2.) Swiss: Jegerlehner Oberwallis 311 No. 60. |
| H663 | Riddle: what is whiter than a swan? An angel. *Fb "engel". |
| H671 | Riddle: what is sweeter than honey? (Cf. H633.) BP III 16. |
| H672 | Riddle: what is softer than swan down? (Cf. H652.1.) BP III 16. |
| H673 | Riddle: what is harder than stone? (Cf. H637.) BP III 16. |
| H674 | Who is greater than God? Man's purpose. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H680 | Riddles of distance. |
| H681 | Riddles of terrestrial distance. |
| H681.1 | Riddle: how far is it from one end of the earth to the other (east to west)? *Type 922; *Anderson FFC XLII 146ff.; Fb "jord"; BP III 232. |
| H681.1.1 | How far is it from one end of the earth to the other? A day's journey, since the sun makes it daily. *Type 922; Anderson FFC XLII 147.—Jewish: *Neuman. |
| H681.2 | Riddle: how deep is the earth (or how far to lower world)? Anderson FFC XLII 140. |
| H681.2.1 | How deep is the earth? It is deep: my grandfather went into it (died) years ago and has not yet returned. Anderson FFC LXII 141. |
| H681.2.2 | How deep is the earth? My father went five years ago to measure it (died); when he returns I shall tell you the result. Anderson FFC XLII 142. |
| H681.3 | Riddle: what is the center of the earth? *Type 922; Anderson FFC XLII 157. |
| H681.3.1 | Where is the center of the earth? Here; if you don't believe it, measure it yourself. Anderson FFC XLII 158; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H681.3.2 | Where is the center of the earth? Here, for the earth is round and any point can serve as center. Anderson FFC XLII 158. |
| H681.4 | Riddle: how deep is the sea? *Type 922; *Anderson FFC XLII 130. |
| H681.4.1 | How deep is the sea? A stone's throw. *Type 922; Anderson FFC XLII 130; BP III 231. |
| H681.4.2 | How deep is the sea? At first, knee-deep; further on, waist-deep, neck-deep; and beyond that over the head. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H682 | Riddles of heavenly distance. (Cf. A658.) |
| H682.1 | Riddle: how far is it from earth to heaven? *Type 922; BP III 231; Anderson FFC XLII 113; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| H682.1.1 | How far is it from earth to heaven? A day's journey, since Christ went to heaven in one day. (A half-day's journey, similar reason). *Anderson FFC XLII 119; Wesselski Bebel I 36 No. 75. |
| H682.1.2 | How far is it from earth to heaven? A day's journey, since there is no inn to stop at on the way. *Anderson FFC XLII 119. |
| H682.1.3 | How far is it from earth to heaven? So and so high, and if you don't believe it, measure it yourself. *Anderson FFC XLII 118. |
| H682.1.4 | How far is it from earth to heaven? As far as you can see. *Anderson FFC XLII 120. |
| H682.1.5 | How far is it from earth to heaven? As far as from heaven to earth. *Anderson FFC XLII 120. |
| H682.1.6 | How far is it from earth to heaven? Not far; when it thunders there it can be heard here. Anderson FFC XLII 120. |
| H682.1.7 | How far from earth to heaven? A calf's (fox's) tail, if it were long enough. *Anderson FFC XLII 121; BP III 231; cf. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 96; Fb "kalvehale". |
| H682.1.8 | How far from earth to heaven? A leg's length, for it is written, Heaven is my throne and earth my footstool. Anderson FFC XLII 121. |
| H682.1.9 | How far from earth to heaven? One step, for they say, He stands with one foot in the grave and one in heaven. Anderson FFC XLII 122. |
| H682.1.10 | How far from earth to heaven? The devil knows for he has fallen this distance. Alphabet No. 67. |
| H682.2 | Riddle: how wide is heaven? Anderson FFC XLII 227. |
| H682.2.1 | How wide is heaven? So and so wide, and if you do not believe it, go measure it yourself. Anderson FFC XLII 227. |
| H682.3 | How many exits from paradise? Moreno Esdras; Jewish: Neuman. |
| H685 | Riddle: how far is it from happiness to misfortune? Anderson FFC XLII 215. |
| H685.1 | How far is it from happiness to misfortune? One day; yesterday I was herdsman and now I am abbot. (Cf. H561.2.) Anderson FFC XLII 216. |
| H690 | Riddles of weight and measure. |
| H691 | Riddles of weight. |
| H691.1 | Riddle: how much does the moon weigh? Anderson FFC XLII 172. |
| H691.1.1 | How much does the moon weigh? A pound, for it has four quarters. *Type 922; BP III 232; *Anderson FFC XLII 173; Köhler-Bolte I 458. |
| H691.1.2 | How much does the moon weigh? So and so much, and if you don't believe it go and weigh it yourself. Anderson FFC XLII 174. |
| H691.2 | Riddle: how heavy is the earth? Anderson FFC XLII 143. |
| H691.2.1 | How heavy is the earth? Take away all the stones and I will weigh it. Anderson FFC XLII 143. |
| H696 | Riddles of measure. |
| H696.1 | Riddle: how much water is in the sea? Anderson FFC XLII 134. |
| H696.1.1 | How much water is in the sea? Stop all the rivers and I will measure it. Anderson FFC XLII 134; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| H696.1.2 | How much water is in the sea? So and so much, and if you don't believe it, go measure it yourself. Anderson FFC XLII 136. |
| H696.1.3 | How much water is in the sea? A tub-full if the tub is large enough. Anderson FFC XLII 134. |
| H696.1.4 | How many measures of water are in the river? India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H700 | Riddles of numbers. |
| H701 | Riddle: how many seconds in eternity? Anderson FFC XLII 232. |
| H701.1 | How many seconds in eternity? A bird carries a grain of sand from a mountain each century; when the whole mountain is gone, the first second of eternity has passed. (Cf. D791.1.2, H1583, X950.2, Z61.) *Type 922; BP III 232; *Anderson FFC XLII 232. |
| H702 | Riddle: how many stars in the heavens? *Type 922; BP III 231; Anderson FFC XLII 162ff.; Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 116 No. 970. |
| H702.1 | How many stars in the heavens? As many as the grains of sand; if you don't believe it, count them yourself. *Anderson FFC XLII 166. |
| H702.1.1 | How many stars in the heaven? Two million; if you don't believe it, count them yourself. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H702.2 | How many stars in the heavens? As many as the hairs in the head; if you don't believe it, count them yourself. *Anderson FFC XLII 167. |
| H702.2.1 | How many stars in the heavens? As many as the hairs in the goatskin (on a donkey). India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H702.3 | How many stars in the heavens? As many as the points on paper; if you don't believe it, count them yourself. *Anderson FFC XLII 167. |
| H703 | Riddle: how many hairs are in the head? *Types 922, 926**; BP III 231; Anderson FFC XLII 230. |
| H703.1 | How many hairs are there in the head? As many as are in the tail of my ass; if you don't believe it we will keep pulling out one hair from your beard and one from his tail. Anderson FFC XLII 230. |
| H704 | Riddle: how many drops in the sea. (Cf. H696.1.1.) |
| H705 | Riddle: how many leaves are on the tree? Anderson FFC XLII 175; West Indies: Flowers 459. |
| H705.1 | How many leaves are on the tree? As many as there are stems for. *Anderson FFC XLII 176. |
| H705.2 | How many leaves are on the tree? So and so many; and if you don't believe it, go count them. *Anderson FFC XLII 176. |
| H705.3 | How many leaves are on the tree? Counterquestion: how many stars in the sky? (Cf. H702.) Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 116 No. 970. |
| H706 | Riddle: how many days have passed since the time of Adam? Anderson FFC XLII 227. |
| H706.1 | How many days have passed since the time of Adam? The seven days of the week. Anderson FFC XLII 227. |
| H707 | Riddle of dates. |
| H707.1 | When were you born? Its beginning is like its end, its top like its bottom (1691). Trog Am Urds-Brunnen IV 105. |
| H708 | Are there more men or women in the world? India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H710 | Riddles of value. |
| H711 | Riddle: how much am I (the king) worth? Anderson FFC XLII 194; cf. Aarne FFC XXIII 129. |
| H711.1 | How much am I (the king) worth? Twenty-nine pieces of silver, for Christ was sold for thirty. (Cf. H716.) *Type 922;* Anderson FFC XLII 194; *BP III 232; *Fb "værd". |
| H712 | Riddle: how much is my beard (king's) worth? *Type 875; De Vries FFC LXXIII 160; BP II 359. |
| H712.1 | How much is king's beard worth? The months July, August, and September. Köhler-Bolte I 456. |
| H712.2 | How much is king's beard worth? A May rain (three rains in summer). De Vries FFC LXXIII 161; Köhler-Bolte I 456. |
| H713 | Riddle: how much is a golden plow (throne, crown, palace) worth? *De Vries FFC LXXIII 160ff.; *Anderson FFC XLII 180ff. |
| H713.1 | How much is a golden plow (throne, crown, palace) worth? A rain in May. *De Vries FFC LXXIII 161ff.; *Anderson FFC XLII 186. |
| H715 | Riddle: how much does the sun earn for his daily work? Anderson FFC XLII 226. |
| H715.1 | How much does the sun earn for his daily work? A day's wages. Anderson FFC XLII 226. |
| H716 | Riddle: how much is a certain crucifix worth? Twenty-nine pieces of silver. (Cf. H711.1.) Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H720 | Metaphorical riddles. Jewish: *Neuman. |
| H721 | Riddle of the year. **Aarne FFC XXVI 74ff. |
| H721.1 | Riddle: tree with twelve branches, each with thirty leaves, black and white. Year, month, days and nights. *Chauvin V 195 No. 114; *BP II 355 n. 1. |
| H721.2 | Riddle: tree with leaves white on one side and black on other. Year made up of nights and days. Chauvin V 192 No. 113. |
| H721.3 | Riddle: twelve cypresses with thirty boughs each. Years and months. Persian: Carnoy 348. |
| H721.4 | Riddle: palace consisting of 8760 stones; twelve trees, thirty branches, each with black and white cluster of grapes. Year, months, days, hours. *Chauvin VI 40 No. 207. |
| H722 | Riddle of the day and night. (Cf. H721.1, H721.2, H721.4.) |
| H722.1 | Riddle: white brother, black sister: every morning brother kills sister; every evening sister kills brother; they never die. (Day and night.) Köhler-Bolte I 116; Gascon: Bladé I 9 No. 1. |
| H722.2 | Riddle: black and white horses chasing each other. (Day and night.) Persian: Carnoy 349. |
| H725 | Riddle of the course of the sun. |
| H725.1 | Riddle: bird nests on top of one cypress in morning, on top of another in evening. (Bird is the sun.) Persian: Carnoy 349. |
| H726 | Riddle: who are the real travellers? The son and the moon. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H731 | Riddle of king and courtiers. |
| H731.1 | Riddle: king in red; courtiers in white. (Sun and its rays.) Chauvin VI 39 No. 207 n. 1. |
| H731.2 | Riddle: king in white; courtiers in white. (Moon and stars.) Chauvin VI 39 No. 207 n. 1. |
| H731.3 | Riddle: king in red; courtiers in different colors. (Spring and flowers.) Chauvin VI 39 No. 207 n. 1. |
| H734 | Riddle: what is the mother who devours her children when they grow up? (Ocean and rivers.) Chauvin V 192 No. 113. |
| H741 | Riddle white field, black seed. (Paper with writing.) *Aarne FFC XXVI 35ff. |
| H742 | Riddle: two legs, three legs, four legs. (Man, three-legged stool dog.) **Aarne FFC XXVII 24ff. |
| H743 | Riddle: four hang, four walk, two show the road, one wags behind. (Cow's teats, feet, eyes, tail.) (Other answers: cat, dog, horse, hog, etc.) **Aarne FFC XXVII 60ff. |
| H744 | Riddle: six legs, four ears, two faces, etc. (Horse and rider.) **Aarne FFC XXVII 173ff. |
| H746 | Riddle: bill white, horns on feet, knob on head (cock). Zachariae 58. |
| H751 | Riddle: who of fourfold beard is he, of azure foot and neck so ruddy? Arrow. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H761 | Riddle of the Sphinx: what is it that goes on four legs in the morning, on two at midday, and on three in the evening. (Man, who crawls as a child, walks in middle life, and walks with a stick in old age.) **Aarne FFC XXVII 3ff.; **Laistner Rätsel der Sphinx; Gascon: Bladé I 10 No. 1.; Greek: Frazer Apollodorus I 349 n. 1 Köhler-Bolte I 115; Fb "menneske" II 578a. |
| H761.1 | Riddle: two are better than three (two legs better than man with staff in old age). Jewish: *Neuman. |
| H762 | Riddle: what is the creature that is of all countries, that is loved by all the world, and that has no equal? (The sun.) Chauvin V 192 No. 113. |
| H763 | Riddle: the father not yet born, the son already at the top of the house. (Flame and smoke.) Köhler-Bolte I 268. |
| H764 | Riddle: bird without feathers flies on tree without leaves. (Snow falls on bare tree.) **Aarne FFC XXVIII 1ff. |
| H765 | From wooden spring iron bucket makes stones from which water flows. (Metal stick picks stone from eye. If you rub lids with it, tears come.) Jewish: bin Gorion Born Judas III 32, 297f., *Neuman. |
| H767 | Allegorical riddles. Irish myth: Cross. |
| H767.1 | Riddle: what is that thou passest over with haste? (The field of youth; the mountains of youth, etc.) Irish myth: Cross. |
| H768 | What house gives no hostages, cannot be burned, and cannot be harried? (The fairy stronghold [sídh] of brugh na Boinne.) Irish myth: Cross. |
| H770 | Riddles of explanation. Jewish: Neuman. |
| H771 | Riddle: why is the hair gray before the beard? (It is twenty years older.) *Wesselski Arlotto II 270 No. 222. |
| H772 | Riddle: why are there more days than nights? (The moon turns some nights into days.) Chauvin V 38 No. 365. |
| H773 | Riddle: why are there more living than dead? (There are some of the dead of whom we still speak.) Chauvin V 38 No. 365. |
| H774 | Riddle: why are there more women than men? (Some women make women [i.e., weaklings] of their husbands.) Chauvin V 38 No. 365. |
| H790 | Riddles based on unusual circumstances. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H791 | Riddle: a fish was my father; a man was my mother. (Man eats magic fish and becomes pregnant; a girl is taken from his knee.) *Type 705; *Fb "fisk" I 297; Norse: Christiansen Norske Eventyr 96. |
| H792 | Riddle of the unborn. I am unborn; my horse is unborn; I carry my mother on my hands. (A boy who has been taken from his dead mother's body digs up the body of his mother and makes gloves of her skin. He rides on a colt which has been taken from a dead mare's body.) *Type 851; BP I 196; Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 112 No. 927*B; Africa (Swahili): Werner African 356. |
| H793 | Riddle: seven tongues in a head. (A horse's head in which a bird's nest is found with seven birds in it.) *Type 927; Köhler-Bolte I 46; *Fb "hestehoved". |
| H795 | Relationship riddles arising from unusual marriages of relatives. *Köhler-Bolte I 218; Hertz Abhandlungen 416; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| H797 | Riddle: what does God do? Anderson FFC XLII 200. |
| H797.1 | What does God do? He brings low the proud and exalts the lowly (said by shepherd masking as bishop to king, who has exchanged places with him). (Cf. H562.) Anderson FFC XLII 207. |
| H797.2 | What does God do? God is astonished that I sit on a horse and the king on an ass (see H797.1.). Anderson FFC XLII 209. |
| H802 | Riddle: one killed none and yet killed twelve. (Horse is poisoned; raven eats of him and dies; twelve robbers eat raven and die.) *Type 851; BP I 188ff.; *Fb "hest" I 598b, "ravn" III 23a; India: Thompson-Balys; Africa (Gold Coast): Barker and Sinclair 172 No. 34; Jamaica: Beckwith MAFLS XVII 284 No. 116. |
| H803 | Riddle: deaths from sleepiness, anger, and greed. Elephant sleeps before snake's hole. Snake bites elephant and kills it. Jackal eats hole in elephant and is caught inside. Snake can't get out of its hole. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H804 | Riddle: from the eater came forth meat and from the strong sweetness. (Swarm of bees and honey in lion's carcass.) Jewish: Judges 14:14. |
| H805 | Riddle of the murdered lover. With what thinks, I drink; what sees, I carry; with what eats I walk. (Queen has cup made from skull of her murdered lover; ring with one of his eyes; she carries two of his teeth in her boots.) *Type 851; *BP I 196, II 361; Köhler-Bolte I 350, 372; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H806 | Riddle: drink this wine which a bird took to nest. (Stork took bunch of grapes to nest; boy makes wine from them.) Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 112 No. 927B*. |
| H807 | Formerly I was daughter, now I am mother; I have a son who was the husband of my mother. (Girl has nursed her imprisoned father through a crack in the prison wall.) Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 111 No. 927*A. |
| H810 | Riddles based on the Bible or legend. Jewish: *Neuman. |
| H811 | Riddle: who first spun and when? (Eve.) Chauvin V 195 No. 114. |
| H812 | Riddle: what were the clothes of Adam and Eve? (Their hair.) Chauvin V 195 No. 114. |
| H813 | Riddle: who, having neither father nor mother, are dead? (Adam and Eve.) Chauvin V 195 No. 114. |
| H814 | Riddle: who, having had father and mother, is not dead? (Elias.) Chauvin V 195 No. 114; Jewish: Neuman. |
| H815 | Riddle: who, having had father and mother, is not dead like other mortals? (Lot's wife.) Chauvin V 195 No. 114; Scala Celi No. 821. |
| H817 | Riddle: who has had, here below, two names? (Jacob-Israel.) Chauvin V 195 No. 114. |
| H821 | Riddle: what was the walking tomb with the living tenant? (Jonah and the whale.) Chauvin V 194 No. 114; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| H822 | Riddle: what is the land that has seen the sun only once? (The bottom of the Red Sea during the passage of the Israelites.) Chauvin V 194 No. 114; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| H822.1 | What is the land that has seen the sun only once? (The land on which the waters were gathered after the creation.) Jewish: Neuman. |
| H823 | What is the tree that became flesh? (Moses's staff.) Chauvin V 195 No. 114. |
| H824 | Riddle: what is that which has drunk water for its sustenance and eaten after its death? (Moses's staff, which became a serpent.) Chauvin V 194 No. 114. |
| H825 | Riddle: the king is surrounded by his nobles; what is this like? (The idol Bel surrounded by the priests of the god.) Chauvin VI 39 No. 207. |
| H826 | Riddle: what did Christ do in his 30th year? Answer: entered into his thirty-first. (Cf. H865.) Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H827 | Riddle: what does the king of the world of the Devas do? Punishes the bad people. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H828 | What three not born of male and female ate and drank on earth? (Angels who visited Abraham.) Jewish: Neuman. |
| H831 | Riddle: what house was full of dead? (Philistines in the building demolished by Samson.) Jewish: Neuman. |
| H832 | What was not born, yet life was given to it? (The golden calf.) Jewish: Neuman. |
| H840 | Other riddles. |
| H841 | Riddle: worth of the animal. |
| H841.1 | Riddle: what animal is good living but not dead? (Ass.) *Wesselski Arlotto I 215ff. No. 64. |
| H841.2 | Riddle: what animal is good dead but not living? (Hog.) *Wesselski Arlotto I 215ff. No. 64. |
| H841.3 | Riddle: what animal is good living and dead? (Cow.) *Wesselski Arlotto I 215ff. No. 64. |
| H841.4 | Riddle: what animal is not good living or dead? (Wolf.) *Wesselski Arlotto I 215ff. No. 64. |
| H842 | Riddle: animal qualities. |
| H842.1 | What animal which lives in sea-water will drown if taken out of it? (Gním Abraein.) Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H842.2 | What animal which lives in fire will burn if taken out of it? (Tegillus, now called salamander.) (Cf. B768.2.) Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H842.3 | What animal has one voice living and seven voices dead? (Ibis, from whose carcass musical instruments are made.) Jewish: Neuman. |
| H851 | Riddle: what are the two fixed, the two moving, the two joined, the two separated by jealousy, the two eternal enemies? (Heaven and earth; sun and moon; night and day; soul and body; life and death.) Chauvin V 195 No. 114. |
| H852 | What two trees do not fade until they wither? (Yew and holly.) Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H853 | What goodness did man find on earth that God did not find? (An overlord.) Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H861 | Riddle: what are the two combatants without hands or feet or words? (The bull and the buffalo.) Chauvin V 194 No. 114. |
| H862 | Riddle: what is that which is neither man nor jinn nor beast nor bird? (Louse and ant.) Chauvin V 194 No. 114. |
| H865 | Riddle: what do crows do when they are five years old? (They start their sixth year.) (Cf. H826.) Anderson FFC XLII 236 n. 8. |
| H871 | Riddle: what six things are not worth doing? (Sowing salt, mowing pebbles, drinking from an empty jug, making signs to a blind man, wooing at mealtime, playing a harp in a mill.) Anderson FFC XLII 227, *228 n. 1. |
| H871.1 | Three stupid things for men to do (various answers). Spanish: Childers. |
| H875 | Riddle: what is the difference between a poor man and a rich? (Riches.) Anderson FFC XLII 229. |
| H878 | Riddle: what is it that one buys who does not want it or use it? (Coffin.) Fb "ligkiste" II 442b. |
| H881 | Riddles with "none" as answer. Fb "ingen" II 27. |
| H881.1 | Riddle: how many dead mice go to a feast? (None.) Fb "ingen" II 27. |
| H882 | Riddle: bottom and top of staff. Of the two ends which is the top and which the bottom? Zachariae 58. |
| H883 | Riddle: where is the root of the floor? Below. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H885 | Riddles about flax. Taylor English Riddles from Oral Tradition (Berkeley, California, 1951) 250; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| H886 | Riddles about naphtha. Jewish: Neuman. H900—H1199. |
| H900 | Tasks imposed. A person's prowess is tested by assigning him certain tasks (usually impossible or extremely difficult) to be performed either to escape punishment or to receive a valuable reward. *Penzer X 330 s.v. "tests"; *Chauvin VI 200 No. 372.—Irish myth: *Cross; Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "épreuves"; Greek: Frazer Apollodorus I 184 n. 1 (Hercules), Fox 80ff. (Hercules), ibid. 98 (Theseus); N. A. Indian: **Lowie The Test Theme in North American Mythology (JAFL XXI 97ff.). |
| H901 | Tasks imposed on pain of death. Types 306, 851; BP I 188; Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: MacCulloch Eddic 53, 83—84, 179, *Boberg; French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule; India: Thompson-Balys; Chinese: Graham. |
| H901.0.1 | Tasks imposed on pain of death of relative (friend, hostage, etc.). Irish myth: Cross. |
| H901.0.2 | Bird must bring orphan to king or bird will be killed. Chinese: Graham. |
| H901.1 | Heads placed on stakes for failure in performance of task. Unsuccessful youths are beheaded and heads exposed. Hero sees them when he sets out to accomplish his task. *Types 329, 507A; *BP III 368; *Taylor Romanic Review IV 21ff.; *Brown Iwain 137 n. 1; Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: *Boberg; Greek: Fox 119, Frazer Apollodorus II 160 n. 2; India: Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| H902 | Task assigned the Gods. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H910 | Assignment of tasks in response to suggestion. |
| H911 | Tasks assigned at suggestion of jealous rivals. *Types 328, 501, 531, 725; BP I 109, III 18ff.; Köhler-Bolte I 430; Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: *Boberg; French Canadian: Barbeau JAFL XXIX 22; Missouri French: Carrière; Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 59 No. 425D; Italian: Basile Pentamerone III No. 7, IV No. 5, Rotunda; India: *Thompson-Balys; West Indies: Flowers 459. |
| H911.1 | Task (quest) assigned at suggestion of jealous co-wife. Chinese: Graham; Africa (Ekoi): Talbot 234. |
| H912 | Tasks assigned at suggestion of jealous brothers (sisters). *Type 408; Köhler-Bolte I 468; Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 49 No. 328*A, Espinosa Jr. No. 81; India: Thompson-Balys; S. A. Indian (Inca) Rowe BBAE CXLIII (2) 317; West Indies: Flowers 460. |
| H913 | Tasks assigned by jealous parent. |
| H913.1 | Tasks assigned by jealous mother. |
| H913.1.1 | Task assigned at suggestion of jealous mother (of prospective bride). Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H913.1.2 | Task suggested by jealous co-wife of mother. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H913.2 | Tasks assigned at suggestion of jealous father. |
| H913.2.1 | Task assigned at suggestion of jealous father (of prospective bride). Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H914 | Tasks assigned because of mother's foolish boasting. The mother foolishly boasts to the king that the daughter can perform an impossible task (often spinning). *Type 500, 501; BP I 490, 109; Italian: Basile Pentamerone IV No. 4. |
| H915 | Tasks assigned because of girl's (boy's) own foolish boast. *Type 501, 1525; Italian Novella: Rotunda; Icelandic: *Boberg; India: *Thompson-Balys; West Indies: Flowers 460. |
| H915.1 | Tasks assigned because of man's boast. Icelandic: *Boberg; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H916 | Tasks imposed at suggestion of spouse (sweetheart). |
| H916.1 | Tasks imposed because of wife's foolish boast. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H916.1.1 | Malicious wife reports that her husband is a famous doctor: he is commanded to cure the princess. *Crane Vitry 231f. No. 237; *Bolte Zs. f. Vksk. XXVI 89 n. 1; Herbert III 19; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| H916.2 | Task imposed because of girl's foolish boast. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H916.3 | Tasks assigned at suggestion of wife and paramour. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H917 | Tasks assigned at own unwitting suggestion. Jason thus sent for the Golden Fleece. Greek: Frazer Apollodorus I 94 n. 1. |
| H918 | Tasks assigned at suggestion contained in letter borne by the victim. Greek: Fox 39 (Bellerophon); Japanese: Ikeda. |
| H919 | Assignment of tasks in response to suggestion—miscellaneous. |
| H919.1 | Tasks assigned at suggestion of treacherous servants. Icelandic: Herrmann II 583ff., *Boberg; Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H919.1.1 | Task upon suggestion of barber. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H919.2 | Tasks assigned at suggestion of religious person. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H919.3 | Task assigned at suggestion of parrot. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H919.4 | Impossible task assigned by plaintiff as proof. Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| H919.5 | Task assigned at suggestion of treacherous soldier. Cheremis: Sebeok-Nyerges. |
| H919.6 | Tasks assigned at instigation of queen (disguised ogress). India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H920 | Assigners of tasks. |
| H921 | King (father) assigns tasks to his unknown son. *Type 920; De Vries FFC LXXIII 40ff., 323ff.; India: *Thompson-Balys; S. A. Indian (Tupinamba): Métraux BBAE CXLIII (3) 132. |
| H921.1 | Task set by king to sons to determine heir to kingdom. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H922 | Departing husband assigns his wife tasks. *Köhler-Bolte II 647ff.; Icelandic: Boberg. |
| H923 | Tasks assigned before man may rescue wife from spirit world. Indonesia: De Vries's list No. 169. |
| H923.1 | Task assigned before wife may rescue husband from supernatural power. Type 316; German: Grimm No. 181. |
| H924 | Tasks assigned prisoner so that he may escape punishment. De Vries FFC LXXIII 309, 313; India: Thompson-Balys; Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| H924.1 | Tasks assigned as ransom. Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: Boberg. |
| H927 | Tasks set by deity. |
| H927.1 | Tasks as trial of prowess of mortal by gods. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H927.2 | Task assigned by angel on God's order. Moreno Esdras (H928). |
| H928 | Tasks imposed as tribute. Irish myth: Cross. |
| H928.1 | Tasks imposed as fine. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H931 | Tasks assigned in order to get rid of hero. *Types 428, 461; Italian Novella: Rotunda; Icelandic: *Boberg; Greek: Grote I 110; Jewish: Neuman; India: *Thompson-Balys; Chinese: Graham; Japanese: Anesaki 357, Ikeda. |
| H931.1 | Prince envious of hero's wife assigns hero tasks. *Type 465.—Italian Novella: Rotunda; Jewish: *Neuman; India: *Thompson-Balys; Indonesia: De Vries's list No. 170; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| H931.1.1 | Husband assigns tasks for king who has stolen his wife. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H931.2 | Disagreeable tasks set hero to do so that he will disobey and be killed. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H932 | Tasks assigned to devil (ogre). Types 812, 1170—1199; *BP III 16. |
| H933 | Princess sets hero tasks. (Cf. H335.) |
| H933.1 | Princess throws handkerchief high in tree; asks hero to get it. Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 66 No. 554. |
| H933.2 | Maiden queen sets hero three dangerous tasks in order to disenchant her sisters. (Cf. F565.3.) Icelandic: Boberg. |
| H933.3 | Princess orders hero to bring her rings of another princess. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| H933.4 | Quest assigned by scorned princess. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| H933.5 | Queen of Sea sets hero tasks. Tuamotu: Stimson MS (z-G. 13/441). |
| H934 | Relative assigns tasks. (Cf. H912—H914.) |
| H934.1 | Wife assigns husband tasks. Irish myth: Cross. |
| H934.2 | Sisters-in-law impose tasks. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H934.3 | Tasks assigned by stepmother. Chinese: Graham. |
| H934.4 | Task imposed by elder brothers. India: Thompson-Balys; Irish myth: Cross (H913.1.3.) |
| H935 | Witch assigns tasks. Type 480, *Roberts; BP I 207; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 1137A*. |
| H936 | Tasks assigned because of longings of pregnant woman. Irish myth: *Cross; Italian: Basile Pentamerone III No. 4; India: *Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| H937 | Task assigned by dying child. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H938 | Fairy assigns tasks. (Cf. H1219.4.) Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H939 | Other assigners of tasks. Irish myth: Cross. |
| H939.1 | Tasks assigned by druid. Irish myth: Cross. |
| H939.2 | Tests imposed on woman by prospective paramour. Nouvelles de Sens No. 4. |
| H939.3 | Tasks set by cruel sisters-in-law to get tigress. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H939.4 | Giant assigns task. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| H939.4.1 | Serpent-king assigns task. India: Thompson-Balys. |
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