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Christiansen’s Migratory Legends
Reidar Th. Christiansen’s The Migratory Legends (1958) is a numbered index for recurring legend plots. It was compiled from Norwegian variants and offers a way to compare legends attached to different places.
ML identifies a legend type, rather than a single text. A shared type suggests a useful comparison; it does not establish the direction or date of transmission.
How the catalogue works
ML numbering begins at 3000, with gaps to allow additions. The two broad divisions are:
| Reference | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Belief legends | Accounts involving folk belief and encounters with supernatural beings or powers. |
| Historical and local legends | Traditions associated with places, events and people, including churches, plague and warfare. |
Selected ML references
These three examples illustrate the notation. Consult the linked catalogue for the complete entries and variants.
| Reference | Explanation |
|---|---|
| ML 3000 · Escape from the Black School at Wittenberg | An escape from a school of forbidden learning. |
| ML 4080 · The Seal Woman | An encounter and relationship involving a seal woman. |
| ML 5085 · The Changeling | A child believed to have been substituted by supernatural beings. |
Using this reference
The index was intended for international comparison, but its Norwegian foundation affects its coverage. SAMLA uses a revised version with additions by Inger Christiansen; record which version supports any assignment.
For future cross-links, retain the ML number, the source entry or page, and the narrative passage supporting the comparison. A similar creature or setting alone is insufficient to assign a whole legend type.
Each heading has a stable link for citation and future cross-referencing. Narrative associations will follow later analysis.
Sources and further reading
Christiansen, Reidar Th. The Migratory Legends: A Proposed List of Types with a Systematic Catalogue of the Norwegian Variants. FF Communications 175. Helsinki: Academia Scientiarum Fennica, 1958.
- SAMLA: Migratory Legends catalogue and explanation
- University of Jyväskylä: publication record (1992 reprint; first edition 1958)
The explanations are concise editorial summaries. Published identifiers are distinguished from this page’s reference headings and suggested recording practices.
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