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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 |
|---|---|
| S412 | Heroine taunted with her unknown past. (Cf. F302.) Dickson 74. |
| S412.1 | Husband expels wife because her industry indicates her peasant origin. Chinese: Graham. |
| S413 | Unfaithful husband and his mistress persecute his wife. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| S413.1 | Ogress-wife orders raja to turn out his six wives. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| S413.2 | Second wife orders husband to persecute first. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| S414 | Woman abandoned when with child. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 1038. |
| S416 | Queen banished when she defeats king in argument. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| S430 | Disposal of cast-off wife. |
| S431 | Cast-off wife exposed in boat. *Hertel Zs. f. Vksk. XIX 83ff. |
| S431.1 | Cast-off wife and child exposed in boat. Hibbard 26ff.; English: Wells 115 (Sir Eglamour of Artois), 117 (Sir Torrent of Portyngale), 129 (Emare), Chaucer's Man of Law's Tale; Italian: Basile Pentamerone I No. 3; Greek: *Frazer Apollodorus I 155 n. 3; India: Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| S432 | Cast-off wife thrown into water. (Cf. S142.) *Types 403, 450, 707; India: *Thompson-Balys; N. A. Indian: *Thompson CColl II 382ff., (Teton): Dorsey JAFL II 137. |
| S433 | Cast-off wife abandoned on island. (Cf. S145.) Type 890 (Christiansen Norske Eventyr 113); Spanish: Espinosa II Nos. 105, 119. |
| S435 | Cast-off wife abandoned in pit. (Cf. T581.2.) India: *Thompson-Balys; Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 202. |
| S436 | Cast-off wife's head shaven. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| S437 | Cast-off wife sent to herd cows. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| S438 | Abandoned queen blinded. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| S441 | Cast-off wife and child abandoned in forest. (Cf. S143.) India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| S442 | Outcast wife and her son live in poverty. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| S445 | Abandoned wife hidden under a tub. Cox 501; Grimm No. 9. |
| S446 | Rejected wife asks to take away only what she brought. Type 887; Chinese: Graham. |
| S450 | Fate of outcast wife. |
| S451 | Outcast wife at last united with husband and children. *Types 706, 712, 938; *Loomis White Magic 118; *Chauvin VI 167ff. No. 327. Chauvin discusses the following stories having this motif: St. Clement, St. Eustace, Crescentia, Hildegarde, Florence, Octavianus, Sebile, Genevieve of Brabant, Euriant, the Maiden without Hands, Helena of Constantinople, the Count of Toulouse.—Missouri French: Carrière; Spanish: Espinosa II Nos. 105, 119, Espinosa Jr. Nos. 138—41; India: *Thompson-Balys; Indonesia: DeVries's list Nos. 201, 202. |
| S452 | Outcast wife commits suicide when confronted with heads of relatives killed in revenge for her wrong-doing. Irish myth: Cross. |
| S453 | Exposed woman helped by magician. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| S460 | Other cruel persecutions. |
| S461 | Tale-bearer unjustly drowned for lack of proof of accusation. Irish myth: Cross. |
| S463 | Jealous wife has merchant turn out queen and son, whom he had befriended and taken into his home. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| S464 | Deity appears before persecuted youngest brother and gives him a flock of sheep. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| S465 | Abandoned person in woods comforted by prophet and birds. (Cf. S143.) *Grünwald Hessische Blätter für Vksk. XXX—XXXI 315. |
| S466 | Practice of one's religion forbidden. Jewish: *Neuman. |
| S471 | Persecuted sons of co-wife. (Cf. K2222.) India: Thompson-Balys. |
| S481 | Cruelty to animals. India: Thompson-Balys; Chinese: Eberhard FFC CXX 181 No. 123. |
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