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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 |
|---|---|
| H411.15 | Magic mirror as chastity index. (Cf. D1163.) Jewish: *Neuman. |
| H411.16 | Catching salmon as proof of virginity. Irish myth: Cross. |
| H411.17 | Swan as chastity test. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H411.18 | Dust of Tabernacle as chastity test. (Cf. D935.) Jewish: Neuman. |
| H412 | Chastity tested by ordeal. |
| H412.1 | Chastity ordeal: passing under magic rod. Unchaste woman bears twins. (Cf. D1254.2.) Irish myth: Cross; Welsh: MacCulloch Celtic 96. |
| H412.2 | Chastity ordeal: holding shaven and greased tail of bull. Wade-Evans Welsh Mediaeval Law (Oxford, 1909) 241. |
| H412.3 | Chastity ordeal: feather over door; if girl who enters blushes she is not a virgin. Fb "pige" II 817a. |
| H412.4 | Chastity ordeal: passing through fire. Irish myth: Cross; India: *Thompson-Balys, Keith 128. |
| H412.4.1 | Chastity ordeal: holding hot iron. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 227; Alphabet No. 173. |
| H412.4.2 | Chastity ordeal: oath on boiling oil. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H412.5 | Chastity ordeal: poisonous snake around girl's neck. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H412.6 | Chastity ordeal: drawing lover out of wall with single thread rope. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H412.7 | Chastity ordeal: jumping. |
| H412.7.1 | Chastity ordeal: jumping over magic thread. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H412.7.2 | Chastity ordeal: jumping over pit. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H413 | Special powers of chaste woman. |
| H413.1 | Special power of chaste woman: blowing out candle with one puff and relighting it with another. English: Child I 270. |
| H413.2 | Special power of chaste woman: making ball of water. English: Child I 270; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H413.3 | Special power of chaste woman: carrying water in sieve. English: Child I 270; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H413.4 | Special power of chaste woman: raising fallen elephant. India: Thompson-Balys, Penzer I 166. |
| H413.5 | Chastity test: throwing certain number on dice. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H413.6 | If princess is chaste her weight will be only that of five flowers; if not, normal. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H421 | Tests for true lover. |
| H421.1 | Valley from which no false lover can escape until it has been entered by a true lover. Irish myth: *Cross; English: Child I 267. |
| H422 | Tests for true husbands. |
| H422.1 | Crown exposes infidelity of husbands. English: Child I 266f. |
| H425 | Tests for cuckolds. |
| H425.1 | Cuckold's knife cannot carve boar's head. English: Child I 273. |
| H425.2 | Horns grow on cuckold. *New English Dictionary V 385c s.v. "horn"; Dunger Germania XXIX 59; Jewish: bin Gorion Born Judas IV 122. |
| H426 | Chastity tests of holy men and monks. Irish myth: Cross. |
| H430 | Chastity index. Objects indicate faithfulness or unfaithfulness of separated lovers (husband or wife). *Type 888; *Penzer I 165ff.; *BP III 517ff.; Clouston Tales II 290ff.; Jewish: bin Gorion Born Judas III 110f. |
| H431 | Clothing (cloth) as chastity index. |
| H431.1 | Shirt as chastity index. Remains white as long as woman (man) is true (Cf. D1056.) *Type 888; BP III 517ff.; Penzer I 44, 165; Oesterley No. 69; Herbert III 233; English: Child I 268. |
| H431.2 | Handkerchief as chastity index. Will not soil as long as woman (man) is true. *Type 888; BP III 517ff. |
| H431.3 | Veil as chastity index. Flowers on veil fade on head of unchaste. Bédier Fabliaux 465. |
| H432 | Flower as chastity index. (Cf. D975.) Fb "brudekrans" IV 65b; English: Child I 268; India: *Thompson-Balys, Penzer I 165. |
| H432.1 | Rose as chastity index. Fading rose indicates unfaithfulness. (Cf. D975.2.) G. Paris Romania XXIII 102ff.; Bédier Fabliaux 465; Köhler-Bolte II 444; Penzer I 165. |
| H432.1.1 | Three roses fall as sign of unfaithfulness. *Bolte Zs. f. Vksk. XX 70 n. 12. |
| H432.2 | Lily as chastity index. Penzer I 165. |
| H432.3 | Lotus flower as chastity index. (Cf. D975.1.) Penzer I 42, 156. |
| H432.4 | Blooming staff as chastity index. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H433 | Ornament as chastity index. |
| H433.1 | Ring as chastity index. Indicates faithfulness by color. (Cf. D1076.) Penzer I 168; Child I 269; Zingerle Zs. f. Deutsche Myth. und Sittenkunde II (1855) 353. |
| H434 | Fruit as chastity index. |
| H434.1 | Apple as chastity index: shines as long as woman is chaste. (Cf. D981.1.) *Fb "guldæble" I 516b. |
| H435 | Weapon as chastity index. |
| H435.1 | Sword as chastity index: will not spot while woman is faithful. (Cf. D1081.) English: Child I 268. |
| H439 | Chastity index—miscellaneous. |
| H439.1 | Picture as chastity index: indicates by its color. (Cf. D1266.2.) English: Child I 269; Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H439.1.1 | Painting on wife's stomach as chastity index. Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| H439.2 | Drinking-tube as chastity index: retains taste of another's lips. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H440 | Other indications of chastity. |
| H451 | Talking private parts betray unchastity. *Taylor MLN XXI 249 n. 2; Gering Hermes LI (1916) 632ff.; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 296 n. 83d. |
| H452 | Disguise to test bride's chastity. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H455 | Chastity test: king weighs princess against a flower. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H460 | Wife tests. Chinese: Graham. |
| H461 | Test of wife's patience. Griselda. Children stolen and attendance at wedding to another demanded. *Type 887; *Bolte Zs. f. Vksk. XXXV—XXXVI 290; Hdwb. d. Märchens s.v. "Geduldsprüfung"; **H. Siefkin Das geduldige Weib in der englischen Literatur bis auf Shakespeare (Leipzig, 1903); *Loomis White Magic 118; *Laserstein; Ilse von Stach Griseldis (1922); Köhler-Bolte II 501, 534; *Fb "Griselda" IV 486a; Huet 66; *Cate Studies in Philology XXIX 389ff.; *Hibbard Medieval Romance in Eng. 289 n. 9; Philippson FFC 1 48ff.—Italian Novella: *Rotunda. Cf. also Types 712, 881, 900. |
| H461.1 | The clever wife in disguise wins a second wife for her husband. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H465 | Test of wife's endurance. Haughty princess married to beggar and must endure poverty and menial work. *Type 900; BP I 443ff.; *Philippson FFC L 34ff.; *Fb "tigge" III 793b; Italian: Basile Pentamerone IV No. 10. |
| H466 | Feigned death to test wife's faithfulness. *Type 1350; *Bolte Zs. f. Vksk. XIX 92 n. 2; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 144. |
| H466.1 | Feigned absence to test wife's faithfulness. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H467 | Other tests of wife's love or faithfulness. Irish myth: Cross; Icelandic: Boberg. |
| H467.1 | Feigned illness to test wife's love. Husband feigns loss of genitalia. Italian Novella: Rotunda (H384.1.1.) |
| H467.2 | Wife's faithfulness tested by proposal in another's name. Olrik Zs. f. Vksk. II (1892) 254ff.; Icelandic: Boberg. |
| H472 | Test of wife's ability to keep secret. Jewish: Neuman. |
| H472.1 | Test of wife's ability to keep secret: the buried sheep's head. Husband tells her that he is burying head of murdered man. She is to keep secret. She tells. When head is dug up it is sheep's head. *T. Zachariae Zs. f. Vksk. XXXII—XXXIV 77; *De Vries FFC LXXIII 220ff., 224 n. 1; Jewish: bin Gorion Born Judas IV 25, 275; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H473 | Test of wife's obedience. Irish myth: Cross; Jewish: *Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H473.1 | Test of wife's obedience: finger in hole. Disobedient wife puts her finger into the hole where her husband has fixed sharp nails. Herbert III 18; Crane Vitry 226 No. 228; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 318. |
| H473.2 | Test of wife's obedience: the one command. Upon his wife's insistence that he test her by giving one command the husband tells her not to go into the oven while he is away. She does so and oven falls on her. Herbert III 19; *Crane Vitry 231 No. 236; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 318; Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| H473.3 | Test of wife's obedience: not to eat leeks. Although she does not like them, she immediately begins to want them. Herbert III 24; Crane Vitry 258 No. 284; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 317. |
| H473.4 | Man leaving home warns wife not to wash face in puddle in dunghill. She does. He cannot understand why; she cannot explain. England: Baughman. |
| H473.5 | Test of wife's obedience: decorating house. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H474 | Complacent wife agrees with all of husband's absurd statements. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H476 | Husband tests false wife by sleeping on her hair. Had always done so with true bride. Chinese: Graham. |
| H479 | Wife tests—miscellaneous motifs. |
| H479.1 | Widow prepared for suttee can lift by little finger heavy stone by temple. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H480 | Father tests. Test as to who is unknown father of child. Irish myth: Cross; Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "père", "enfant"; Arabian: Burton Nights S V 236 n. |
| H481 | Infant picks out his unknown father. *Type 675; BP I 485; *Fb "barn" IV 27b; Missouri French: Carrière; Italian: Basile Pentamerone I No. 3; India: *Thompson-Balys; Indonesian: De Vries's list No. 208; Japanese: Ikeda; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 336 n. 212; S. A. Indian (Yunca): Alexander Lat. Am. 228. |
| H481.1 | Infant indicates his unknown father by handing him an apple. *Fb "æble" III 1135b, "guldæble" I 516a; Hdwb. d. Märchens I 93b. |
| H481.1.1 | Baby picks out his disguised father from a crowd by handing him a bow. S. A. Indian (Chaco): Métraux BBAE CXLIII (1) 369. |
| H482 | Infant picks out his unknown mother. Chinese: Graham. |
| H483 | Animals compete as messenger to call father of new-born child. Their voices are tried. Jamaica: *Beckwith MAFLS XVII 265 No. 71. |
| H485 | Test of unknown father: gold on street. Princess has gold put on street leading to her. The man who rides over the gold-covered street without noticing is the father of her child. Köhler-Bolte I 56. |
| H486 | Test of paternity. Child tested to see if it is child of certain father. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H486.1 | Test of paternity: adhesion of blood. Blood of real son will adhere to dead father's bones. Oesterley No. 196; Herbert III 191; Zachariae Kleine Schriften 305; Jewish: bin Gorion Born Judas III 61, Neuman. |
| H486.2 | Test of paternity: shooting at father's corpse. Youngest of supposed sons refuses to shoot and is judged the only genuine son of dead emperor. *Herbert III 206; Oesterley No. 45; Scala Celi 98a No. 526; Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 835; Nouvelles de Sens. No 29; Krappe Bulletin Hispanique XXXIX 28; L. Schmidt Oesterr. Zs. f. Vksk. 1955, 70 ff.—Spanish Exempla: Keller; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; *Jewish: bin Gorion Born Judas II 123, 345, IV 102, 280, *Neuman. |
| H490 | Other marriage tests. |
| H491 | Test of mother's and father's love for children. |
| H491.1 | In large family father unwilling but mother willing to sell children. Jewish: bin Gorion Born Judas III 87, 303, Neuman. |
| H492 | Test of faithfulness of husband and wife. |
| H492.1 | Husband refuses to murder his wife for high honors; wife agrees to murder husband. Jewish: bin Gorion Born Judas III 90, 303, Neuman. |
| H492.2 | Husband has a friend woo his wife: she is seduced. Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| H492.2.1 | Husband has friend woo his wife: wife is generous to certain point only. Husband makes her wear dress symbolic of her generosity—blouse of coarse cloth; dress of gold brocade. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H492.2.2 | Husband has friend woo his wife: seduction narrowly averted by frightened husband's intervention. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H492.3 | Husband castrates himself to test wife's faithfulness. Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| H493 | Virility test for husband. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H494 | Maternity test: to produce a baby within a year. India: Thompson. |
| H495 | Mother test. |
| H495.1 | Baby finds its mother, goes to her for suckling. Jewish: Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H495.2 | Mother test: milk goes long distance into child's mouth. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H495.3 | Old woman suckles all babies at son's circumcision to prove she has borne child. Jewish: *Neuman. |
| H500.1 | Sons tested for skill. Types 653, 660. |
| H501 | Test of wisdom. Irish myth: Cross; Jewish: *Neuman; India: *Thompson-Balys, Penzer VI 74 n. |
| H501.1 | Test of wisdom: wise man sends ruler magic gems. Ruler admires their beauty but neglects to inquire of their virtues. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H501.2 | Wise man answers questions of many with single speech. Irish myth: Cross. |
| H501.3 | Sons tested for wisdom; given same amount of money. What will they do with it? India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H502 | Test of learning. Tawney I 274, 311f.; Irish myth: *Cross; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H502.1 | Test of religious learning. Irish myth: Cross; Jewish: *Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H503 | Test of musical ability. (Cf. H509.4.) Tawney IT 431; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H503.1 | Song duel. Contest in singing. Irish myth: *Cross; Eskimo: Alexander N. Am. 282 n. 21. |
| H504 | Test of skill in handiwork. Types 653, 654, 660; India: *Thompson-Balys; Africa (Vai): Ellis 193 No. 11. |
| H504.1 | Contest in lifelike painting. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H504.1.1 | Contest in lifelike painting: fly on saint's nose. Second artist in first artist's absence paints a fly on a saint's nose in a picture. On his return the first artist tries to drive away the fly. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 411. |
| H504.1.2 | Contest in lifelike painting: mare and curtain. First artist paints a mare so realistic as to deceive a stallion. Second paints a curtain which deceives the first artist. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 410. |
| H504.1.3 | Contest in lifelike painting: grapes and curtain. First artist paints a bunch of grapes so realistically that it attracts the birds. The second artist paints a curtain which deceives the first artist. He wins. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H504.2 | Barber's contest in shaving (without waking man). India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H505 | Test of cleverness: uttering three wise words. Youths called on to do so display by their answers extraordinary powers of deduction. *Type 655; *Chauvin VII 159 No. 438; BP IV 137; Oesterley No. 58; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H505.1 | Test of cleverness: uttering three truths. FFC LVI 35; Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| H506 | Test of resourcefulness. |
| H506.1 | Test of resourcefulness: weighing elephant. Man puts him on boat; marks water-line; fills boat with stones until it sinks to same line; weighs stones. *Chauvin VIII 97 No. 68 n. 1. |
| H506.2 | Test of resourcefulness: finding how many people are in dark closed room. Fills room with evil smell; men call each other by name and disclose number. Africa (Ekoi): Talbot 396. |
| H506.3 | Test of resourcefulness: carrying wolf, goat, and cabbage across stream. Man is to set across a stream, in a boat that will hold himself and only one other object, a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage. He must do this so that the wolf doesn't eat the goat, nor the goat the cabbage. Two solutions: (1) (a) take goat over, (b) take wolf over and goat back, (c) take cabbage over, (d) take goat over; (2) (a) take goat over, (b) take cabbage over and goat back, (c) take wolf over, (d) take goat over. *Bolte Zs. f. Vksk. XXXIII—XXXIV 38; Fb "ulv" III 970a, "kеl" II 354b. |
| H506.4 | Test of resourcefulness: putting thread through coils of snail shell. Thread tied to ant who pulls it through. Greek: Frazer Apollodorus II 141 n. 1 (Daidalus); Zachariae Kleine Schriften 59, 108ff.; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| H506.5 | Test of resourcefulness: to swing seventy girls until they are tired. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H506.6 | Test of resourcefulness: not to sit at the foot of couch. Servant gives prince a lemon to place on it indicating which is head and which foot of couch. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H506.7 | Test of resourcefulness: to eat food without untying cloth containing it; hole torn in cloth. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H506.8 | Test of resourcefulness: to get melon out of jar without breaking it. Melon is planted in jar made of unbaked clay. Jar is wrapped in a wet cloth so that it collapses. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H506.9 | Test of resourcefulness: to cook rice without fire (in hot sand). India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H506.10 | Test of resourcefulness: to find relationships among three sticks: they are put in vessel of water; degree of sinking shows what part of tree each comes from. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H506.11 | Test of resourcefulness: to discover how old, respectively, three horses are. Youth drops water on each; one jumps fifteen paces only, another twenty, and the last bounds in air and gallops. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H507 | Wit combat. Test in repartee. Type 1093; Irish myth: Cross; Icelandic: *Boberg; Finnish: Kalevala rune 3; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H507.1 | Princess offered to man who can defeat her in repartee. *Type 853; BP I 201; *Wesselski Der Islam XXII (1934) 114 n. 4; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| H507.1.0.1 | Princess defeated in repartee by means of objects accidentally picked up. E. g., Hero: What red lips you have!—Princess: There is fire inside.—Hero: Then boil this egg (producing egg). Type 851; N. A. Indian: Thompson CColl II 414ff. |
| H507.1.0.2 | King defeated in repartee by boy, who thus wins girl. Boy: "Who would give a man a bath, feed him his rice, and then bring him the tamal-pan to chew?" King: "No one but a wife." Boy claims minister's daughter. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H507.1.1 | Princess offered to man who can defeat her in argument. *Penzer VI 73 n. 3. |
| H507.2 | Test: making senseless remarks. King brought to say, "What is the sense in that?" Anderson FFC XLII 357; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| H507.3 | Contest in wishing. Type 1925; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| H507.3.1 | Three brothers contest in wishing. Third wishes for all that the other brothers have wished for. Type 1951*. |
| H507.4 | Wit combat among three sisters for additional dowry. Replies to husbands when their premarital pregnancy is noticed. Nouvelles Recreations No. 5. |
| H507.5 | Contest in scolding as introduction to battle. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| H507.6 | Literary contest won by deception: he who will be first silenced is the loser. When the false teacher answers in nonsense syllables, the true scholar is speechless and so loses contest. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H508 | Test: finding answer to certain question. Irish myth: Cross; Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H508.1 | King propounds questions to his sons to determine successor. England: Child I 13 n., Baughman. |
| H508.2 | Bride offered to man who can find answer to question. *Type 306; BP I 198ff.; Wesselski Märchen 211; Malone PMLA XLIII 399; Irish myth: Cross; Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H509 | Tests of cleverness or ability: miscellaneous. Irish myth: Cross. |
| H509.1 | Test: threading needle. Guest of convent is given choice of nuns. On the morrow he is given three opportunities to thread a needle. Success means reward, failure confiscation of his belongings. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H509.2 | Contest in making mouths water. Hero uses certain berry that always causes mouths of onlookers to water. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H509.3 | Chess game as test. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H509.4 | Tests of poetic ability. (Cf. H503.) Irish myth: Cross; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H509.4.1 | Test: supplying missing half-stanza. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H509.4.1.1 | Contest in adding a verse which makes the first poet ridiculous. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H509.4.2 | Riddles proposed as tests of poetic ability. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H509.4.3 | Understanding poem as test. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H509.5 | Test: telling skillful lie. |
| H509.5.1 | Test: telling five lies which should so closely resemble the truth the tester will believe them himself. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H510 | Tests in guessing. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H511 | Princess offered to correct guesser. *Type 621; BP III 483; Italian: Basile Pentamerone I No. 5; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H511.1 | Three caskets. Princess offered to man who chooses correctly from three caskets. Alphabet No. 412; Scala Celi 20b No. 127; Oesterley No. 251; Dunlop-Liebrecht 462 n. 74; *Wesselski Märchen 213 No. 18; India: Thompson-Balys; S. A. Indian (Carib): Alexander Lat. Am. 264; Africa (Angola): Chatelain 121 No. 10, (Benga): Nassau 219 No. 33. |
| H511.1.1 | Choice of two sword sheaths (from one a gold shaft protrudes; from the other, a silver). India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H511.1.2 | Suitor must prefer princess to treasures. Irish myth: Cross. |
| H511.2 | Test: to guess which of veiled sisters has golden hair. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H512 | Guessing with life as wager. *Type 500, 922; *Anderson FFC XLII 252; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H515 | Guessing contest between kings. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H516 | Test: guessing trolls' names in order to save one's life. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| H517 | Curse evaded by guessing names in magic writing. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| H521 | Test: guessing unknown propounder's name. *Type 500; *BP I 490; Africa (Angola): Chatelain 141 No. 14. |
| H521.1 | Test: guessing unknown propounder's age. *Type 500; Chinese: Graham. |
| H522 | Test: guessing unknown animal (plant). |
| H522.1 | Test: guessing origin of certain skin. |
| H522.1.1 | Test: guessing nature of certain skin—louse-skin. Louse (flea) is fattened and its skin made into coat (drum, etc.) *Type 621; BP III 484; *Taylor MPh XV 224 n. 2; Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "bète"; Italian: Basile Pentamerone I No. 5; India: *Thompson-Balys; Filipino: Fansler MAFLS XII 114. |
| H522.1.2 | Test: guessing nature of certain skin—wolf-skin. BP I 444, III 484. |
| H522.1.3 | Test: guessing origin of animal lungs. Lungs of fattened lizard are further inflated. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H522.2 | Test: guessing nature of certain plant. Plant came from scrapings of princesses' bodies. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H522.3 | Test: identifying what type of rice is in sack. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H523 | Test: guessing nature of devil's possessions. *Type 812; BP III 12ff. |
| H523.1 | Test: guessing nature of devil's horse. Answer: he-goat. *Type 812; BP III 12ff. |
| H523.2 | Test: guessing nature of devil's cloth. Answer: goat-skin. *Type 812; BP III 12ff. |
| H523.3 | Test: guessing nature of devil's gold cup. Answer: cup of pitch. *Type 812; BP III 12ff. |
| H523.4 | Test: guessing nature of devil's roast meat. Answer: dead dog. *Type 812; BP III 12ff. |
| H523.5 | Test: guessing nature of devil's spoon. Answer: whale rib. *Type 812; BP III 12ff. |
| H523.6 | Test: guessing nature of devil's wine glass. Answer: horse's hoof. *Type 812; BP III 12ff. |
| H523.7 | Test: guessing nature of devil's plate. Answer: stone. *Type 812; BP III 12ff. |
| H523.8 | Test: guessing nature of devil's purse. Answer: whip. *Type 812; BP III 12ff. |
| H524 | Test: guessing person's thoughts. *Anderson FFC XLII 219ff.; Fb "konge" II 264b, "gjætte" I 452a, "liv" II 438b; Irish myth: Cross; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H524.1 | "What am I thinking?" "That I am the priest." So answers youth masking as priest. *Type 922; BP III 214ff.; **Anderson FFC XLII 219ff.; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H525 | Test: guessing princess's birthmarks. *Type 850. |
| H526 | Question: "What is under my cloak?" Questioner has branch of blackthorn laden with berries under her cloak. Irish myth: Cross. |
| H527 | Guessing: whether more of a certain stone is above or below ground. A test set by heathen king for a saint. Irish myth: Cross. |
| H528 | Guessing sex of unborn child (or animal). |
| H528.1 | Test: to prophesy offspring of cow and mare. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H530 | Riddles. Only such riddles are treated in this work as appear in tales, ballads, myths, or the like. **J. B. Friedreich Geschichte des Räthsels (Dresden, 1860); **Taylor English Riddles in Oral Tradition (Berkeley, 1951), A Bibliography of Riddles (FFC CXXVI); R. Petsch Das deutsche Volksrätsel (Strassburg, 1917); *Anderson FFC XLII 3ff.; *Chauvin VI 42 No. 207; Jewish: *Neuman. A classification of riddles will be found in Lehmann-Nitsche Zs. f. Vksk. XXIV 240ff. and in Von Sydow and Christiansen Iriska gеtor (Folkminnen och Folktankar, II 65—80, VI 120—48). |
| H540 | Propounding of riddles. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H540.1 | Supernatural creatures propound riddles. (See also H541.1.1, H543, G681.) Child I 13ff., 484, II 495; Icelandic: *Boberg; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H540.2 | Queen propounds riddles. Dickson 41 n. 40. |
| H540.2.1 | Queen of Sheba propounds riddles to Solomon. *Penzer VI 74; FL I 349ff.; Anderson FFC XLII 237 n. 2; Hertz Gesammelte Abhandlungen (1905) 412ff.; Jewish: bin Gorion Born Judas III 32, 297f., *Neuman; *Frazer Old Testament II 564. |
| H540.3 | King propounds riddles. |
| H540.3.1 | Riddles sent to Solomon by King Hiram. (Cf. H548.) Jewish: Neuman. |
| H540.4 | Saint as propounder of riddles. Irish myth: Cross. |
| H540.5 | Bridegroom propounds riddles at wedding feast. Jewish: Neuman. |
| H541 | Riddle propounded with penalty for failure. *Anderson FFC XLII 252; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H541.1 | Riddle propounded on pain of death. (Cf. H512.) *Type 922; **Anderson FFC XLII 252; *BP III 230; *Oertel Studien zur vgl. Littgsch. VIII 121; Malone PMLA XLIII 398f.; Fb "bejler" IV 31b; English: Child V 493 "riddles"; Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H541.1.1 | Sphinx propounds riddle on pain of death. **Laistner Rätsel der Sphinx; Fb "menneske" II 578a; Gascon: Bladé I 3 No. 1; Greek: Frazer Apollodorus I 349 n. 1; Persian: Carnoy 335; Hindu: Penzer IX 143. |
| H541.2 | Riddle propounded on pain of loss of property. *Anderson FFC XLII 253; English: Child V 493 "riddles". |
| H541.2.1 | Fine for failure to solve riddle. Jewish: Neuman |
| H541.3 | Riddle propounded on pain of loss of official position. *Anderson FFC XLII 252. |
| H542 | Death sentence escaped by propounding riddle king (judge) cannot solve *Type 927; *De Vries FFC LXXIII 314f.; **F. J. Norton FL LIII 27—57; Köhler-Bolte I 46; Penzer I 51, 51n.; Malone PMLA XLIII 407; Icelandic: Boberg; Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 112 No. 927*A. |
| H542.1 | Riddle assigned defendant in action. If he solves it he wins suit. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H543 | Escape from devil by answering his riddles. *Type 812; BP III 12ff.; Fb "spørgsmеl" III 524b; Lithuanian: Balys Legends No. 754; Jamaica: *Beckwith MAFLS XVII 275 No. 86. |
| H543.1 | Devil held off from person by answering his riddles. St. Andrew the Bishop, and the Devil. The Devil, in form of beautiful maiden visits a holy bishop. St. Andrew appears as a pilgrim, answers the questions through which the devil seeks to keep him at a distance and discomfits the devil. (Cf. B302.22.3.) Anderson FFC LXII 353; Krappe Bulletin Hispanique XXXIX 45; Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| H543.2 | Child in cradle guesses devil's riddle: all are saved. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 3121A. |
| H544 | Answers found in other world to riddles propounded on way. Type 461; Aarne FFC XXIII 129; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H548 | Riddle contests. *BP II 370; Hdwb. d. Märchens I 435b n. 150; Frazer Old Testament II 564; Child I 405; *De Vries FFC LXXIII 43ff.; Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: Boberg; Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 427, 458. |
| H548.1 | King and rabbi exchange riddles. Jewish: Neuman. |
| H551 | Princess offered to man who can out-riddle her. *Types 725, 851, 900; BP I 188ff., 200; Philippson FFC L 22; *Chauvin V 192, 192 No. 113; Fb "bejler" IV 31b; Malone PMLA XLIII 414; von der Hagen Gesammtabenteuer III *lxi; Child V 493 s.v. "riddles".—Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 851A*; India: Thompson-Balys; Filipino: Fansler MAFLS XII 278; Africa: Werner African 356. |
| H551.1 | Man wins wife by instructing her how to answer her mother's riddles. Child I 418f. |
| H551.2 | Woman gives self to solver of riddles. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H552 | Man marries girl who guesses his riddles. Child V 493 s.v. "riddles"; Irish myth: Cross. |
| H561 | Solvers of riddles. |
| H561.1 | Clever peasant girl asked riddles by king. *Type 875; **De Vries FFC LXXIII 52ff.; *Hdwb. d. Märchens I 195a; India: *Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| H561.1.0.1 | Clever peasant wife asks king riddles. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H561.1.1 | Conflict between peasant and nobleman decided so that each must answer riddles: peasant's daughter solves them. De Vries FFC LXXIII 65ff.; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H561.1.1.1 | Clever daughter construes enigmatic sayings. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H561.1.2 | Found mortar taken to king reveals peasant girl's wisdom. Peasant finds mortar in his field and against his daughter's advice takes it to the king, who demands the pestle as well. Peasant laments that he has not followed daughter's advice. King summons her. *Type 875; De Vries FFC LXXIII 15ff., 62ff. |
| H561.2 | King and abbot. King propounds three riddles to abbot to answer on pain of death. Herdsman disguises as abbot and answers questions. *Type 922; **Anderson FFC XLII; Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 55; Fb "hyrde" I 719; India: Thompson-Balys; Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| H561.3 | Solomon and Marcolf. Witty questions and answers between youth and servant. *BP II 359 n. 2; Fb "Salomon"; Swiss: Jegerlehner Oberwallis 317 No. 146. |
| H561.3.1 | King Solomon as master riddle-solver. (Cf. H540.2.1, H540.4.) Jewish: Neuman. |
| H561.4 | King and clever youth. King asks questions; youth returns riddling answers. *Type 921; **De Vries FFC LXXIII 111ff., 308ff.; Anderson FFC XLII 356 n. 2; Missouri French: Carrière; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H561.5 | King and clever minister. King propounds riddles and questions to his clever minister. **De Vries FFC LXXIII 365ff.; *Encyc. Rel. Ethics s.v. "Ahiqar"; *Marc Studien zur vgl. Littgesch. II 393f., III 52; **Meissner Das Märchen vom weisen Achikar (Leipzig, 1917); Jewish: *Neuman; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H561.6 | King and peasant vie in riddling questions and answers. |
| H561.6.1 | King and peasant: the plucked fowl. The king gives riddling questions to a peasant, who always interprets them right. The king says that he will send the peasant a fowl which he shall pluck. The king gives the same questions to his courtiers, who cannot interpret them. They pay the peasant good money for the answers. Peasant tells king that he has plucked the fowl. Anderson FFC XLII 342; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H561.7 | Druid as solver of riddles. Irish myth: Cross. |
| H561.8 | Cleric as solver of riddles. Irish myth: Cross. |
| H561.9 | Clever prince interprets enigmatic statements. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| H561.10 | Saint as solver of riddles. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| H562 | Inscription on home of riddle-solver "I have no care." Anderson FFC XLII 244. |
| H565 | Riddle propounded from chance experience. On way to riddle trial youth sees things that give him a clue for his riddles. *Type 851. |
| H565.1 | Happenings before feast give Samson clue for riddles. Jewish: Neuman. |
| H570 | Means of solving riddles. |
| H571 | Counterquestions. Riddles answered by a question that reduces the riddle to an absurdity. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 275 No. 299; Wesselski Arlotto I 215 No. 59; Anderson FFC XLII 346; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| H571.1 | Counterquestion: "What is difference between you and an ass? What is difference between you and a cushion." *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 228 No. 74. |
| H572 | Reductio ad absurdum of riddle: stallions of Babylon. "Why is my mare restless when stallions of Babylon neigh?" Hero beats cat for having strangled a cock last night in Babylon (impossible distance away). BP II 372; Chauvin VI 39 No. 207 n. 4. |
| H573 | Answer to riddle found by trickery. *Type 621. |
| H573.1 | Riddle solved with aid of hidden informant. Malone PMLA XLIII 400; Irish myth: Cross. |
| H573.2 | Problem of why certain person cannot sleep solved by trickery. Irish myth: Cross. |
| H573.3 | Riddle solved by listening to propounder talk in his sleep. German: Grimm No. 22. |
| H574 | Riddles solved with aid of propounder's wife. (Cf. G530.2, H335.0.1, H974.) Jewish: Neuman. |
| H575 | Accidental discovery of answer to riddle. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| H580 | Enigmatic statements. Apparently senseless remarks (or acts) interpreted figuratively prove wise. *Wesselski Märchen 197; **De Vries FFC LXXIII; Icelandic: Herrmann Saxo II 389, *Boberg; Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 122 No. 1358; Jewish: *Neuman; Arab: Azov 411f.; India: *Thompson-Balys; Batak: Voorhoeve 163 No. 169. |
| H580.1 | Girl given enigmatic commands must do the opposite. Type 480; Roberts 176. |
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