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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 |
|---|---|
| M416 | Curse given to negate good wish. Odin gives man life three times the normal; Thor ordains that in each he is to commit crime. Odin gives him the choicest weapons; Thor denies him landed property, etc. Icelandic: MacCulloch Eddic 73. |
| M416.1 | Curse: appetite of twelve men. Given with the gift of twelve men's strength. Hartland Science 144. |
| M416.2 | Curse: eternal life without eternal youth. Greek: Fox 246 (Tithonus). |
| M418 | Method of cursing. |
| M418.1 | Curse by "building a fire of stones" in fireplace. The person who removes the stones is cursed. U.S.: Baughman. |
| M420 | Enduring and overcoming curses. |
| M421 | Release from curse with birth of child. Penzer VIII 59 n. 2. |
| M422 | Curse transferred to another person or thing. Irish: Plummer clxxiii, *Cross, Beal XXI 326, O'Suilleabhain 73. |
| M423 | Curse removed when victims reform. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| M425 | Curse changed by God into blessing. Jewish: Neuman. |
| M427 | Curse on everybody on earth who listens to the fatal mentioning of trolls' names, is evaded by person in cave, because he is in the earth. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| M428 | Curse mitigated by deity when superhuman task is performed. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| M429 | Miscellaneous ways to overcome curses. (Cf. D2071.1.) |
| M429.1 | Release from curse by burning vomit. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| M429.2 | Release from curse by putting pins around horse's heart and then boiling it. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| M429.3 | Release from curse by burning animal in straw pile. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| M429.4 | Release from curse by heating the colter of the plow in the stove. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| M429.5 | Release from curse by pricking louse and hanging it on wall. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| M429.6 | Release from curse by putting a five cent piece in the churn. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| M429.7 | Release from curse by putting a piece of silver in the gun. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| M430 | Curses on persons. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| M431 | Curse: bodily injury. Lagerholm 106—107; Irish myth: Cross. |
| M431.1 | Curse: loss of eye. *Type 1331; *BP II 219 n. 1; Irish myth: *Cross; and notes to J2074. |
| M431.2 | Curse: toads from mouth. *Type 403; *Roberts 208; *BP I 99ff. *Fb "tudse" III 889a; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| M431.3 | Curse: fire to burn hands and feet. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 440. |
| M431.4 | Curse: arm to fall off. Irish: Plummer clxxiv, Cross. |
| M431.4.1 | Curse: hand of person cursed to drop off. U.S.: Baughman. |
| M431.5 | Curse: wound not to heal. Irish myth: Cross; Icelandic: Boberg. |
| M431.6 | Wicked stepmother cursed to have fire lit under her. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| M431.7 | Curse: leprosy. India: Thompson-Balys; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 1050. |
| M431.8 | Curse of sterility on wife of enemy. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| M431.9 | Curse: head to split in seven pieces. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 279. |
| M431.10 | Curse: to be plagued by nightmares. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 925. |
| M432 | Curse: to be carried off by evil spirit. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 456; Hdwb. d. Märchens I 547a nn. 127—139. |
| M433 | Endless sleep given Endymion. Greek: Fox 245. |
| M434 | Curse: to be swallowed by a siren. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| M435 | Curse: not to taste food from own table. Food always seized by harpies. Greek: Fox 111. |
| M436 | Curse: prince to fall in love with witch's daughter. Italian: Basile Pentamerone II No. 7. |
| M437 | Curse: monstrous birth. |
| M437.1 | Curse: "What I carry may you carry; what you carry may I carry." Cat thus causes ungrateful pregnant woman to bear cats and herself to bear twin girls. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| M437.2 | Jealous sisters curse the child one of them may have by the god Thor, so that it never will grow nor thrive. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| M438 | Curse: humiliation. Irish myth: Cross. |
| M438.1 | Curse: man (poet) to kiss a leper. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| M438.2 | Curse: hero not to be able to stand the sight of blood. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| M438.3 | Girl bewitched so that no man will remain faithful to her. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| M438.4 | Curse: hero to remain as dead till the curser dies. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| M438.5 | Dying father condemns weak son to be servant of his brothers. Irish myth: Cross. |
| M441 | Curse: failure in all undertakings. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| M441.1 | Curse: man's sword will fail in danger. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| M441.1.1 | Curse: when brothers' swords bite the very best, they will all be killed by a single man. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| M442 | Curse: deformity. Irish myth: Cross. |
| M442.1 | Curse: descendants to be unshapely. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| M442.2 | Curse: she-wolf to carry off man's genitals. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| M443 | Curse: privation. Irish myth: Cross. |
| M443.1 | Curse: lack of food, shelter, good company. Irish myth: Cross; Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| M444 | Curse of childlessness. |
| M444.1 | Curse laid on unborn child; it is stillborn. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| M445 | Giant cursed: may neither heaven nor earth receive him. Irish myth: Cross. |
| M446 | Curse: undertaking dangerous quest. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| M446.1 | Curse: undertaking dangerous revenge of father. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| M448 | Curse: to sink into the earth. Tupper and Ogle Walter Map 91; India: Thompson-Balys; Eskimo (Central Eskimo): Boas RBAE VI 585. |
| M448.1 | Curse: ground shall swallow children. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| M451 | Curse: death. England, U.S.: *Baughman; Jewish: Neuman; Chinese: Eberhard FFC CXX 126. |
| M451.1 | Death by suicide. England, Wales: *Baughman. |
| M451.2 | Death by drowning. England, U.S.: *Baughman. |
| M452 | Curse: insanity. U.S., Wales: Baughman. |
| M453 | Curse: corpse to be put in three different places after person's death. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| M454 | Curse: change of sex. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| M455 | Curse: restlessness. (Cf. K1837.4.) Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: Lagerholm lxi—ii. |
| M455.1 | Hero cursed to restlessness (except on boat or in tent), till he sees girl. (Cf. D1900.) Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| M455.2 | Curse: not to be able to love the same woman more than twelve months. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| M455.3 | Thrall cursed to sit on chest and yell and never have rest. Icelandic: Lagerholm 99—100, *Boberg. |
| M455.4 | Curse: couple to wander until new seat of race is pointed out. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| M458 | Curse of petrifaction. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| M459 | Miscellaneous curses on persons. |
| M459.1 | Curse: woman will not travel far. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| M460 | Curses on families. Irish: Plummer clxxiv, *Cross; England, Wales, U.S.: Baughman; Icelandic: *Boberg; Greek: Fox 120 (Tantalus), Grote I 244f. (Oedipus); Jewish: Neuman; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 108. |
| M460.1 | Curse: children will be sick. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| M461 | Curse: descendants of nine robbers never to exceed nine. Irish: Cross, Plummer clxxiv. |
| M461.1 | Curse on village: descendants never to exceed certain number. (Cf. M475.) Cheremis: Sebeok-Nyerges. |
| M462 | Curse: race to lose sovereignty. Irish myth: *Cross; U.S.: Baughman. |
| M463 | Curse on tribe (district). Irish myth: *Cross; Jewish: Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| M464 | Curse of a woman against her caste: they should remain unclothed and untaught. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| M470 | Curses on objects or animals. |
| M471 | Curses on animals. (Cf. M411.8.4.) U.S.: Baughman. |
| M471.1 | Curse: cow will give red milk. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| M471.1.1 | Curse: milk will not turn to butter. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| M471.2 | Cursing to make pigs lean. Irish myth: Cross; French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| M471.3 | Curse: horses will die. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| M471.3.1 | Curse: horse will be lame. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| M474 | Curse on land. U.S.: *Baughman. |
| M475 | Curse on a city. (Cf. M461.1.) Irish myth: *Cross (M430.0.1). |
| M475.1 | Curse on a city: never to grow. North Carolina: Brown Collection I 691. |
| M476 | Curse on river. Irish myth: Cross. |
| M476.1 | Curse on river or sea: no fish in it from that day. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| M477 | Curse on lake. |
| M477.1 | Curse on lake: fire from lake will burn the forest around it. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| M490 | Curses—miscellaneous. |
| M491 | Presence of cursed person brings disaster to land. Greek: Fox 50, 55. |
| M493 | Whomsoever demons curse is blessed, and vice versa. Irish myth: Cross. |
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