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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 ▲ |
|---|---|
| V351.1 | Wise heretic is vanquished in debate with a Christian. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| V66.1 | Witty funeral sermon. Priest having nothing good to say about man damns him with faint praise or gives anecdotes with unfavorable implications. (Cf. K1961.1.2.1.) *Wesselski Arlotto I 216ff. No. 64. |
| V1.8.5 | Wolf worship. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| V21.2 | Woman confesses murder: unharmed by execution fire. Alphabet No. 466; Scala Celi 47a No. 265; Wright Latin Stories 66. |
| V221.7 | Woman relieved of incurable malady by kissing letter from saint. (Cf. D1266.1.) *Loomis White Magic 105. |
| V51.3 | Woman shows that the Lord's Prayer is the best. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 333. |
| V51.4 | Woman taught that it is better to pray before Christ's image than before a saint's. Wesselski Arlotto I 201 No. 26. |
| V39.9 | Woman who eats before communion cannot swallow the wafer. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| V51.2 | Worldly-minded learn to pray by thinking of their usual business. Pauli (ed. Bolte) Nos. 334, 338; Scala Celi 37b No. 209. |
| V1.2.3 | Worship of "disar". Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| V1.3 | Worship of ancestors. Encyc. Rel. Ethics I 425—67; Irish myth: Cross; Icelandic: Boberg; India: Thompson-Balys; Chinese: Eberhard FFC CXX 411 s.v. "Ahnenfiguren"; Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 160; Society Islands: Henry Ancient Tahiti (Honolulu, 1928) 561; Tuamotu: Stimson MS (T-G. 3/619); Africa (Cameroon): Mansfield 233, (Fang): Trilles 140. |
| V1.2.4 | Worship of angels. Jewish: *Neuman. |
| V1.8 | Worship of animals. *Encyc. Rel. Ethics Index 28a; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| V1.5.1 | Worship of clouds. (Cf. A283.) |
| V1.5.5 | Worship of dawn. (Cf. A270.) |
| V1.2.2 | Worship of devil. Irish myth: Cross (V1.15, V1.15.1). |
| V1.6.1 | Worship of earth. (Cf. A400.) India: Thompson-Balys. |
| V1.6 | Worship of elements of nature. |
| V1.2.1 | Worship of fairies. Irish myth: Cross (V1.16, V1.16.1); Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| V1.10 | Worship of fetish. (Cf. D1274.) *Encyc. Rel. Ethics Index 200a; Irish myth: *Cross; Jewish: *Neuman; Africa (Fjort): Dennett 96. |
| V1.6.3 | Worship of fire. (Cf. A493.) Encyc. Rel. Ethics Index 202c; Penzer III 160; Irish myth: *Cross; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| V1.5.7 | Worship of frost. (Cf. A289.1.) |
| V1.11.1 | Worship of golden calf. Jewish: Neuman. |
| V1.9.3 | Worship of hammer (axe). Tahiti: Henry Ancient Tahiti (Honolulu, 1928) 147. |
| V1.4 | Worship of heavenly bodies. Jewish: Neuman. |
| V1.11 | Worship of idols. (Cf. Q558.12, V11.10.) Irish myth: *Cross; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| V1.5.6 | Worship of light. (Cf. A260.) |
| V1.5 | Worship of manifestations in nature. |
| V1.6.4 | Worship of minerals and metals. (Cf. A492.) |
| V1.4.3 | Worship of moon. (Cf. A240.) Jewish: Neuman. |
| V1.6.1.1 | Worship of mountains and hills. (Cf. A495.) Danish: Kristensen Danske Sagn III (1895) 65ff., (1931) 47ff. |
| V1.1.1 | Worship of one god. Jewish: Neuman. |
| V526 | Worship of particular deity brings reward of birth in Brahma-world. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 13. |
| V1.1 | Worship of particular gods and goddesses. |
| V1.5.6.1 | Worship of rainbow. (Cf. A288.) |
| V1.6.2.2 | Worship of sea. (Cf. A421.) Irish myth: Cross. |
| V1.2 | Worship of spirits. |
| V1.4.4 | Worship of stars. (Cf. A250.) Jewish: Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| V1.11.2 | Worship of stone idols. Jewish: Neuman. |
| V1.5.4 | Worship of storm. (Cf. A281.) |
| V1.4.1 | Worship of the sky. (Cf. A210.) |
| V1.4.2 | Worship of the sun. (Cf. A220.) Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: Boberg; Jewish: Neuman; India: *Thompson-Balys; Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 12. |
| V1.5.2 | Worship of thunder. (Cf. A284.) |
| V1.9 | Worship of tools and implements. |
| V1.7 | Worship of trees and plants. (Cf. A430, C51.2.2.) *Encyc. Rel. Ethics Index 611b; *Penzer II 96 n. 1, VII 162 n. 1; Schmidt Brandtrær og Ulykkestrær Danske Studier (1928) 54ff.; Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: MacCulloch Eddic 214; S. A. Indian (Antilles): Alexander Lat. Am. 25f. |
| V1.6.2.0.1 | Worship of water-goddess. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| V1.6.2 | Worship of water. (Cf. A420.) |
| V1.9.2 | Worship of weapons. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| V1.5.3 | Worship of wind. (Cf. A282.) |
| V1.11.3 | Worship of wooden idol. Icelandic: *Boberg; Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 16. |
| V221.8 | Wounds cured by saint leave no scars. *Loomis White Magic 106. |
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