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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.
Animal Tales 1–299
| ATU | Title | Summary | Arne Thompson | Thompson ▲ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 275 | The Race of the Fox and the Crayfish | The latter hangs on to the fox's tail and wins. Cf. Types 250, 1074. (The Keen Sight of the Dove and the Keen Hearing of the Frog. See Type 238.) | 275, 275A, 275A* | K11., K11.1., K11.3. |
| 38 | Claw in Split Tree | The fox (or man) persuades the bear to stick his claw in the cleft of a split tree. | 38 | K1111. |
| 151 | Music lessons for wild animals | He tricks them by catching their claws in a cleft tree. Similarly betrays many other animals. The freed animals try in vain for revenge. | 151 | K1111.0.1. |
| 44 | The Oath on the Iron | In a dispute between the fox, the wolf, and the bear concerning the theft of their winter supplies, the fox denies the guilt and swears by touching iron (a trap). The bear follows his example but hits the iron so hard that his paws are caught. | 44 | K1115. |
| 212 | The Lying Goat | A father sends his sons one after the other to pasture the goat. The goat always declares he has had nothing to eat. The father angrily sends his sons from home and learns, when he himself tries to pasture the goat, that he has been deceived. Cf.… | 212 | K1151. |
| 210 | The Traveling Animals and the Wicked Man | The animals and objects hide themselves in various parts of a house. They punish with their characteristic powers the owner of the house and finally kill him. Cf. Type 130. | 210 | K1161. |
| 4 | Carrying the Sham-Sick Trickster | The fox shams sickness and is carried by the wolf. | 4 | K1241. |
| 9 | The unjust partner | In the field and in the stable. The bear works: the idle fox cheats the bear. | 9, 9B, 9C | K1251.1, K171.2., K471. |
| 36 | The Fox in Disguise Violates the She-Bear | The she-bear is caught in a tree cleft or hole in the hedge . To avoid later recognition the fox covers himself with soot and is taken for the pastor. Variant: the hare, the she-fox. | 36 | K1384. |
| 92 | The Lion in the Water | The hare, sent to be the lion's dinner, says he has been detained by a more powerful enemy and shows the lion his own reflection in a well. The lion leaps in and is drowned. Cf. Types 34, 34A, 1168A, 1336, 1383. | , 92 | K1715.1., |
| 125 | The Wolf Flees from the Wolf-head | The sheep have found a sack and wolfhead. They make the wolf believe that they have killed a wolf. He flees in terror.Cf. Type 1149. | 125 | K1715.3. |
| 132 | Goat Admires his Horns in the Water | Goat admires his horns in the water, and says, "I needn't be afraid of the wolf." Wolf behind him asks him what he was saying. Goat: "One talks such foolishness when one is drinking." | 132 | K1775. |
| 291 | Deceptive Tug-of-war | Small animal challenges two large animals to a tug-of-war. Arranges it so that they unwittingly pull against each other (or one end of rope is tied to a tree). | 291 | K22. |
| 101 | The old dog rescues the child | A farmer plans to kill a faithful old dog. The wolf makes a plan to save the dog. The latter is to rescue the farmer's child from the wolf. The plan succeeds. The wolf in return wants to steal the farmer's sheep. The dog objects and loses the wolf's friendship. | 101 | K231.1.3. |
| 161 | Peasant Betrays Fox by Pointing | The peasant has hidden the fox in a basket, and promised not to tell. When the hunters come, he says, »The fox just went over the hill,« but points to the basket. [K2315]. | 161, 161A* | K2315., NA |
| 102 | The Dog as Wolf's Shoemaker | The dog as wolf 's shoemaker. He demands material for the shoes and then successively eats up the cow, hog, etc. furnished him. | 102 | K254.1. |
| 57 | Raven with a Cheese | A raven/crow has some cheese/meat in his mouth. The fox flatters the raven into singing. He drops his food and the fox gets it. | 57 | K334.1. |
| 1 | The theft of fish | The fox plays dead; a man throws him on his wagon of fish. The fox throws the fish off and carries them away. The wolf imitates and is caught. | 1, 1* | K371.1., NA |
| 15 | Stealing the Partner's Butter | The fox (the hen) pretends that he has been invited to be godfather and steals the butter stored by him and the bear (the cock) for the winter. He smears butter on the mouth (tail) of the sleeping bear. | 15 | K372. |
| 52 | The Ass without a Heart | The ass as toll-gatherer is killed by the lion for asking for toll. The fox eats the ass's heart. When the lion asks for it, the fox replies that the ass could have had no heart since he was such a fool as to ask the lion for toll. | 52 | K402.3. |
| 170 | The fox eats his fellow-lodger | The fox spends the night with a cock in a house. He eats the cock but in the morning he accuses the sheep of having eaten it. In the next inn likewise the ox has eaten the sheep, etc. In compensation he demands a larger animal each time. .… | 170, 171 | K443.7., NA |
| 3 | Sham Blood and Brains | The fox covers his head with buttermilk (blood, urine, etc.) and says that his brains have been knocked out. Frightens the bear. | 3 | K473. |
| 120 | The First to See the Sunrise | Wager between the fox and the hog. In the contest the fox places himself on a hill facing the east; the hog in a lower place facing the high trees to the west. The sun shines on the top of the trees and the hog wins. (Sometimes told with human actors.) | 120 | K52. |
| 5 | Biting the foot | The fox to the bear, who is biting his foot: »You are biting the tree root.» The bear lets loose. | 5 | K543. |
| 91 | The Heart of a Monkey | Monkey when caught for his heart (as remedy) makes his captor believe that he has left his heart home. Is released. | 91 | K544. |
| 122 | The Wolf Loses His Prey | The wolf loses his prey. Escape by false plea. | 122, 122A, 122B, 122C, 122D, 122F, 122G | K550., K551.8., K553., K553.1., K553.5., K561.2., K562. |
| 227 | The geese's eternal prayer | The fox attacks a group of geese. They ask his if they can make one last prayer. The fox agrees. The geese make so much noise that the farmer hears them and saves them. | 227 | K551.1. |
| 111 | The Cat and the Mouse Converse | The mouse tells the cat a tale. The cat answers, »Even so, I eat you up.» | 111, 111A, 111A* | K561.1.1., NA, U31. |
| 73 | Blinding the Guard | The rabbit, imprisoned in a hollow tree, induces his guard to look up at him. He spits tobacco juice into the guard's eyes and blinds the guard, and thus effects his escape. | 73 | K621. |
| 78 | Animal Allows himself to be Tied to Another for Safety | Animal allows himself to be tied to another for safety. Carried to his death. | , 78, 78A | K713.1.1., K713.1.2., |
| 61 | The Fox Persuades the Cock to Crow with Closed Eyes | Captures him. Often followed by: the cock persuades the fox to ask a blessing before eating him. | 61, 61B | K721., K815.15. |
| 175 | The Tarbaby and the Rabbit | The rabbit, who has been stealiug fruit from a garden, is captured by means of a tarbaby, an image with tar. The rabbit tries to make the tarbaby talk and finally becomes so angry that he strikes it. He sticks to the tarbaby and is captured. Usually… | 175 | K741. |
| 242 | The Frog Enticed out of his Hole | Crow (or other bird) swears not to eat him. Breaks his oath. | 242 | K815. |
| 283 | Spider Invites Fly to Rest on her Curtain | Eats her. | 283 | K815.2. |
| 63 | The Fox (or Jackal) and the Fleas | No examples in the Database yet | 63 | K921. |
| 37 | The fox as shepherd | Search for a nursemaid (or mourning-woman). Fox takes service and eats up the young bears. | 37, 37* | K931. |
| 228 | The Titmouse Tries to be as Big as a Bear | She ruffles up her feathers but does not succeed in fooling her young. But in her own form she flies into the bear's ear and kills him. | 228 | L315.1. |
| 253 | The Fish in the Net | The little fish slip through the meshes; the big ones are caught. | 253 | L331. |
| 201 | The Lean Dog Prefers Liberty to Abundant Food and a Chain | Sie hielt allein Prozession, als die Menschen dies versäumten (als über den Prozessionsweg Streit war). | 201 | L451.3. |
| 77 | The Stag Admires Himself in a Spring | The stag admires himself in a spring. He is proud of his horns, ashamed of his legs. In flight his horns are caught and the dogs overtake him. | 77 | L461. |
| 248 | The Dog and the Sparrow | A man runs over the dog, friend of the sparrow. The sparrow takes vengeance. The man loses his horse, his property, and finally his life. | 248 | N261. |
| 7 | The calling of three tree names | The bear and the fox wager as to which can name three trees first. The bear names different varieties of the same tree. The fox wins the wager. | 7 | N51 |
| 65 | Mrs. Fox's Suitors | The widowed she-fox proves her faithfulness by rejecting suitors who do not resemble her deceased husband. | 65 | N681. |
| 30 | The Fox Tricks the Wolf into Falling into a Pit | Race. | 30 | NA |
| 106 | The Animal's Conversation | Animals' conversation (imitation of animal sounds). | 106 | NA |
| 137 | The Filthy Hog and the Clean Fish | The hog: "People will spit when they eat you, whereas in my case all will lick their fingers." | 137 | NA |
| 294 | The Months and the Seasons | Symbolic actions. | 294 | NA |
| 159 | Captured wild animals ransom themselves | Bring horses, cows, etc. to the man. | 159A, 159B | NA, W185.6. |
| 247 | Every Mother Thinks Her Child Is the Most Beautiful | The snipe asks the sportsman to spare its small ones, easily recognized as being the prettiest in the forest. To be on the safe side the man shoots only the ugliest he can find. They are the young snipes. (Often told of the ape.) | 247 | T681. |
| 76 | The Wolf and the Crane | The crane pulls a bone from the wolf's windpipe. When he asks for payment the wolf says, "That you were allowed to take your beak from my throat is payment enough." | 76 | W154.3. |
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