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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.
Realistic Tales 850–999
| ATU | Title | Summary | Arne Thompson ▲ | Thompson |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 855 | The Substitute Bridegroom | Cf. Type 870. A handsome youth is hired to take the place of a oneeyed (or crippled) prince (merchant's son) at the latter's wedding. The bride falls in love with the hero and refuses the oneeyed prince. [K19.5.3]. (a) The hero escapes with the… | ||
| 856 | The Girl Elopes with the Wrong Man | I. Expulsion. A youth is driven forth by his father when the youth says he will marry four wives [M373]. (Cf. Type 725). II. The Elopement. (a) While acting as a servant, the hero pretends to be unable to read [K1816.0.3]. He accepts a message and… | ||
| 858 | When the King Sneezes the Shephard Refuses to Cry "God Bless You!" | King has him tortured and promises him large gifts if he will say it, but the shepherd refuses until he receives the princess as wife. | ||
| 860 | Nuts of "Ay ay ay!" | Princess offered to man who brings a glass of all waters, a bouquet of all flowers and nuts of ay, ay, ay! Hero brings seawater, a beehive and hazelnut with thorns so that the king cries »Ay, ay, ay!» [H1377.1, H1377.2, H1377.3]. | ||
| 861 | Sleeping at the Rendezvous | A youth having a rendezvous with a princess oversleeps [D1972] and is captured and imprisoned. His sister masks as a man and takes his place in prison. When her sex is discovered all is forgiven and the youth marries the princess. | ||
| 862 | "He that Asketh Shall Receive." | The hermit wants to prove the truth of these words of the Gospel. He asks for the hand of the princess. Performs the difficult task imposed upon him. [V316.1]. | ||
| 872 | Brother, Sister and Sister-in-law | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 874 | The Proud King is Won | Gifts for the voyage [L221] (as in Type 425C). The youngest daughter sends a message to the king and he replies symbolically showing that he is not interested in her (sends her cloth, rope, and knife). The girl lets herself be sold to the king as a… | ||
| 876 | The Clever Maiden and the Suitors | Answers and understands enigmatic questions. | ||
| 885 | The Poor Boy Betrothed to the Maiden | The bride stolen. The girl's parents coerce her into pledging herself to the preacher. The hero comes in disguise to the wedding. The preacher in jest trusts him with the girl. [K1371.1]. He reveals himself. | ||
| 896 | The Lecherous Holy Man and the Maiden in a Box | I. The Lecherous Holy Man. (a) A holy man or (b) another trusted adviser falls in love with a beautiful girl, but she spurns his advances. He convinces the girl's father or husband that the girl is unchaste or that she will bring calamities to the… | ||
| 915 | All depends on how you take it | The two stepsisters marry. The daughter of the second wife follows the three precepts of her mother literally; the stepdaughter in conformity with her father's explanations. On their visit the parents find that with the first daughter everything is… | ||
| 916 | The brothers guarding the king's bedchamber and the snake | I. The Accusation. Several brothers are hired by a king to guard his bedchamber. The first brother sees a snake in the bedchamber and kills it, but a drop of its poison falls on the queen. While he is wiping the poison from the queen, she awakes and,… | ||
| 925 | Tidings Brought to the King: You Said it, not I | The messenger arranges it so that the king says the words in the form of a question [J1675.2.1]. | ||
| 928 | Planting for the Next Generation | Man who is planting tree told that it will never mature in his day. He is planting it for the next generation. [J701.1]. | ||
| 933 | Gregory on the Stone | The son of an incestuous union is abandoned and saved by a sailor. He undergoes years of penance and finally becomes pope. The parents come to the pope to be confessed. | ||
| 939 | The Offended Deity | Cf. Types 757, 947. I. A King Offends a Deity [C50]. He loses his kingdom and his fortune [C930] and is forced to wander in poverty for a term of years. (a) His wife is stolen from him. (b) He must labor at menial tasks. (c) Taken in and helped by a… | ||
| 940 | The Haughty Girl | The haugty girl entices three suitors (unknown to one another) into the churchyard. They revenge themselves by having her marry the hangman thinking he is the governor's son. [K1218.3]. | ||
| 949 | The Faithful Servitor | I. The Necessary Sacrifice. A poor man is befriended by a kin". He hears weeping during the night, goes out, and learns from the Fates, a goddess, or a witch that (a) a man must sacrifice himself or (b) a man must sacrifice his sons so that the king… | ||
| 957 | The Bear Chases the Robbers | The bear-keeper end his bears overnight in the stable when the robbers come. [K335.1.9]. Cf. Types 177, 1161. | ||
| 961 | Conqueror of Robber Discovers his Money-Stick | Thinking that he has killed the robber, the man takes his stick or knife with big handle. The robber recovers and, disguised as beggar, inquisitively looks at the stick. The man is suspicious and by examining finds much money inside it. [K437.4] . | ||
| 962 | The girl who played with the bread | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 964 | Thief (Murderer) Deceived into Betraying himself by a Gesture | Thief (Murderer) Deceived into Betraying himself by a Gesture [J1141.1]. Cf.Type 66A. | ||
| 969 | T'choupi : SaberTooth fighter | No examples in the Database yet | ||
| 977 | The Eloping Couple and the Robbers | An eloping couple comes to the house of a band of thieves who are absent. The mother of the thieves tries to detain the couple, but, unable to keep them until the robbers return, she ties a bag of seeds, or the like, to their horses so that they can… | ||
| 978 | The Youth in the Land of the Cheaters | I. The Cheats. A youth sets out to trade end comes to a land where cheaters flourish. He loses all his goods. (a) A one-eyed man (woman) states that the youth's father had taken the other eye and demands compensation. (The rescuer demands that the… | ||
| 983 | The Dishes of the Same Flavor | Man thus shown that one woman is like another and dissuaded from his amorous purpose. [P236.2, Q281.1]. | ||
| 985 | Brother Chosen Rather than Husband or Son | Only one can be saved; he alone is irreplacable. [P253.3]. | ||
| 954 | The Forty Thieves | The robbers come with seven casks into the house. In one cask is oil, in the others men are hidden. [K312]. The girl kills the robbers. | , 676, 954 | D1552.2., F721.4., K312., N455.3., N471., N478., N512. |
| 850 | The Moles of the Princess | The pipe and the dancing hogs.
|
, 850 | H315., H51.1., H525., K1358., K443.6. |
| 851 | The Riddle of the Suitor | The prince saved by his true servant in a robber's den. The poisoned raven. The riddle from the hero's own experiences. He wins the princess's hand. Cf. Types 516518. I. The Riddle Contest. A princess is offered in marriage to the youth who can… | , 851 | H117., H342., H551., H565., H721.1., H734., H762., H792., H802., H81.2. |
| 852 | That is a lie! | Cf. Types 1875, 1920C, 1960E and G. I. The Contest. (a) A princess is offered to the man who can tell so big a lie that she says, »That is a lie». II. The Lies. The youth tells impossible tales of (a) a great ox; (b) of a tree growing to the skies… | , 852 | F54.2., H342.1., K1271.1., X1036.1., X1201., X1237., X1423.1., X1547.2., X1726.2., X1739.2., X1757. |
| 853 | Contest in Repartee | Takes along a dead crow and other objects which he has found. I. The Contest. A princess is offered in marriage to the youth who outwits her in repartee. II. The Clues. On the way to the contest the hero picks up a dead crow, an egg, and other… | , 853, 853A | H507.1., H507.1.0.1., K1331. |
| 854 | The golden ram | No examples in the Database yet | , 854 | H322., K1341.1. |
| 859 | The Penniless Bridegroom Pretends to Wealth | After marriage he takes the bride to look at his land. He puts on soiled clothes. She looks at the land; he points to the patch on his clothes. »That patch is mine.» [K1917.1]. | , 859 | K1917., K1917.1., K1917.2., K1917.4. |
| 870 | The Princess in the Underground Cave | She digs herself out: serves at the king's castle. Takes the place of the bride at the wedding. The conversation with the horse, the bridge, the churchdoor. I. Imprisoned Princess. Because of her faithfulness to her betrothed, a princess along with… | , 870, 870A | H13.1., H13.2., H15.1., H151.5., H411.1., H90., H92., K1816.0.2., K1831., K1843.1., K1911.3., R211., R45., T55. |
| 871 | Princess and Ogress | A princess in a forbidden chamber sees a man's picture and falls in love. A magician as bird brings the princess at night to the lover. Once they stay too late. The sun sees them, so that the magician bursts and dies. The girl left alone becomes… | , 871 | C325., C611., D567., F93.0.2.1., G11.3., N681.1., T11.2. |
| 873 | The King Discovers his Unknown Son | Marries the mother. A king in disguise leaves a token with a girl to give to their son if one is born [T645]. The boy is twitted with being a bastard and goes on a quest for his unknown father [H1381.2.2.1.1]. The king incognito discovers the boy's… | , 873 | H1381.2.2.1.1., H80., L162., N731., T645. |
| 875 | The Clever Peasant girl | Through the proof of her cleverness she becomes the king's wife. He becomes angry and banishes her. She takes him home with her as her dearest possession. I. The Clever Daughter. (a) A peasant finds a golden mortar in a field and against the advice… | , 875, 875A, 875B, 875B*, 875D | D1318.2.1., H1010., H1021.9., H1023.1., H1023.25.1., H1024.1., H1024.1.1.1., H1053., H1054., H561.1., H561.1.1.1., H561.1.2., H582.1.1., H583.7., H586., H631.3., H632., H633., H636., H641.1., H951., J1111.4., J1185.1., J1191.1., J1536.2., J1545.4., J2121., L162. |
| 879 | The Basil Maiden (The Sugar Puppet, Viola) | I. The Sprinkler of Basil. A princess before leaving her schoolmistress is used to sprinkling a vase of flowers. II. Questions and Counter questions. A prince ridicules her with a rhyme but the girl learns from her teacher a rhyme which scorns him in… | , 879 | H702., H705.3., K1837., K525.1. |
| 880 | The Man Boasts of his Wife | Is imprisoned in the royal castle. The wife in man's clothing is betrothed to the princess [K1837]. Escapes with her husband [R152.1]. | , 880 | K1837., R152.1. |
| 881 | Oft-proved Fidility | A merchant's son marries the king's daughter. An attempt is made to seduce her [K2112]. The man strikes his wife and thinks he has killed her. A physician heals her and wants to secure her for himself [T320.1]. She flees in men's clothes [K1837].… | , 881 | , H21., K1837., K2112., T320.1. |
| 882 | The wager on the wife's chastity | A ship captain marries a poor girl. Makes a wager with a merchant on the chastity of his wife. Through treachery, the merchant secures a token of unfaithfulness (ring). The captain leaves home. The wife follows him in men's clothing. They reach home… | , 882 | H94., K1342., K1837., K2112.1., N15. |
| 884 | The forgotten fiancée | A prince forsakes his fiancée in order to pledge himself to another of his father's choice. In men's clothes [K1837], the first fiancée along with her companions goes into the service of the prince. [K1816.0.2]. Test: whether men or maidens… | , 884 | D2003., H1578.1., K1816.0.2., K1837., N681.1., T165.4., T84. |
| 888 | The Faithful Wife | I. The Husband Threatens to Beat his Wife. (a) A prince (merchant's son) says he will marry only a girl who will submit to a beating (with a hose) each day [M134]. (b) The prince marries the girl and she refuses to allow him to beat her, saying he… | , 888, 888A | H431.1., H80., J1545.6., K1837., M134., R152.1., R61., T320.1. |
| 889 | The Faithful Servant | A lord makes a wager with his neighbor on the faithfulness of his servant [N25]. The servant is sent to the neighbor's house, where he is made drunk, etc. The neighbor loses the wager. Sometimes joined with Type 930 III a. | , 889 | J751.1., N25. |
| 890 | The Pound of Flesh | The wife as judge saves her husband. I. A merchant buys a bride in Turkey for her weight in gold. II. He gets the money by giving as security a piece of his own flesh. III. (a) The husband is abroad and (b) while he is away three merchants fall in… | , 890 | J1161.2., K1825.2., K443.2., T52.3. |
| 891 | The Man Who Deserts his Wife and Sets Her the Task of Bearing Him a Child | I. The Prince Deserts His Wife. (a) A girl by accident arouses the enmity of a prince, who threatens to make her half a wife, or the like, and marries her, or (b) a prince becomes angry at his wife. (c) The prince deserts his wife, (d) or imprisons… | , 891, 891A, 891B | H1187., K1814., K1837., M372., na, R41.2., T381. |
| 892 | The children of the king | While the young prince is traveling, his sister is to govern the country, both their parents being dead. Staying in the service of another king, the boy is told lies about the conduct of his sister by a knight who by treachery has obtained proofs of… | , 892 | K2112.1., Q261. |
| 893 | The Unreliable Friends. (The HalfFriend). | The man kills a hog. He tells his friends that he has killed a man and asks where he can hide the body. All of them drive him away and only his father's halffriend remains true to him in his feigned trouble [H1558.1]. | , 893 | H1558.1., R169.6. |
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