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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 |
|---|---|
| L413 | Proud inscriptions sole remains of powerful king. *Chauvin V 33 No. 16; Spanish Exempla: Keller. Cf. Shelley's "Ozymandias". |
| L414 | King vainly forbids tide to rise. (Canute.) Herbert III 62; Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| L414.1 | King vainly attempts to measure the height of the sky and the depth of the sea. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 920A*. |
| L415 | God punishes David for his pride in the number of his subjects. An angel is sent to kill his people. Desists only when David repents. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| L416 | King commanded to wear enemy's shoes on his shoulders as sign of submission. Irish myth: Cross. |
| L416.1 | Proud king humbled when imprisoned by enemies. Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| L417 | God finds that his statue sells at low price. He prices it in a statue shop and finds that his price is lower than other gods. Wienert FFC LVI 80 (ET 455), 94 (ST 77); Halm Aesop No. 137. |
| L418 | King shown he is less powerful than God. In spite of all his plans, his servant recovers the lost (exchanged) treasure. Type 841. |
| L419 | Proud ruler (deity) humbled—miscellaneous. |
| L419.1 | Goose boasts superiority to mushroom. Both served up at same meal. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| L419.2 | King (prince) becomes beggar. Jewish: Neuman; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| L420 | Overweening ambition punished. Chinese: Graham. |
| L420.0.1 | Overweening ambition punished. Man sets self up as a god. Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| L421 | Attempt to fly to heaven punished. Car supported by eagles. Persian: Carnoy 336. |
| L421.1 | Attempt to climb to heaven punished. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| L423 | Peter acts as God for a day: tires of bargain. A girl takes her goat to pasture and leaves him: "My God care for you!" Peter must run everywhere after the goat. *Dh II 188. |
| L424 | Man who has never known unhappiness or want is swallowed up by earth with all his household. Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| L425 | Dream (prophecy) of future greatness causes banishment (imprisonment). *Type 671, 725; *BP I 322ff., 324; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| L427 | Poor man aspires to high office: made a cook. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| L430 | Arrogance repaid. Icelandic *Boberg. |
| L431 | Arrogant mistress repaid in kind by her lover. *Type 900; *BP I 443ff.; **Philippson König Drosselbart FFC L; Krappe études ital. II 141ff.; *Gigas "Et eventyrs vandring" Litteratur og Historie (København, 1902); *Fb "bejler" IV 31b; Icelandic: Boberg; West Indies: Flowers 560. |
| L431.1 | Haughty mistress makes extravagant demands of lover: repaid. (Glove and the Lion.) *Shearin MLN XXVI 113; *Buchanan Modern Language Review IV 183 n. 1; Krappe MLN XXXIV 16; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 349 n. 256. |
| L431.2 | Scorned lover poses as rich man and cheats his scornful mistress. Boccaccio Decameron VIII No. 10 (Lee 266); Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| L431.3 | Sneering princess is impregnated by magic. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| L432 | Impoverished husband begs from wife's new husband. He has formerly refused this man charity. *Chauvin II 174 No. 16, VIII 180 No. 212; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 263 N. 232; *Basset 1001 Contes II 305. |
| L432.1 | Cruel brothers brought to beg charity from abused sister. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| L432.2 | Impoverished father begs from daughter he has banished: recognized. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| L432.2.1 | Impoverished father begs from his prosperous daughter whom he has made to marry a poor man. Chinese: Graham. |
| L432.3 | Impoverished husband begs from wife he has formerly expelled. Chinese: Graham. |
| L432.4 | Impoverished youngest brother comes to elders in search of work. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| L434 | Arrogant farmer allows none to ride his precious horse without permission. He kills the man who does it, but is in revenge deprived of most of his goods. Icelandic: Hrafnkels saga Freysgods ch. 2ff. (ed. F. S. Cawley) (Cambridge, Mass., 1932). |
| L435 | Self-righteousness punished. |
| L435.1 | Self-righteous hermit must do penance. He has said of a condemned man that he deserves his punishment. *Types 756A, 756B; BP III 463ff.; *Andrejev FFC LXIX 160ff., 250ff.; Wesselski Mönchslatein 21 No. 16; Alphabet No. 206; Irish: O'Suilleabhain 99, Beal XXI 332; Spanish: Espinosa II Nos 79f. |
| L435.1.1 | Self-righteous monk rebuked by abbot. Abbot tells him to search his own heart to see if he is free of sin before attacking others. Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| L435.2 | Self-righteous woman punished. She has passed judgment on a girl who has a bastard. Köhler-Bolte I 147f., *578, 581. |
| L435.2.1 | Woman with three hundred sixty-five children. Punished for self-righteous condemnation of unchaste girl. *Taylor Notes and Queries No. 251 (Feb., 1923) 96; *K. Nyrop Grevinden med de 365 Born (København, 1909); Zs. f. Vksk. XIX 469; Child II 67f., IV 463b.; *Köhler Lais der Marie de France xc; *DeCock Volkssage 9ff. |
| L435.3 | Self-righteous tailor in heaven expelled. Throws God's footstool at an old woman thief on earth. *Type 800; BP I 342; Wesselski Bebel I 126 No. 19. |
| L435.4 | The beggar on the cross in place of Christ. Is made to leave the cross for his impatience concerning the sinners. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 800A*. |
| L450 | Proud animal less fortunate than humble. |
| L451 | Wild animal finds his liberty better than tame animal's ease. |
| L451.1 | Tame bird and wild bird. The tame bird tells the wild one to look about him. He is shot. Type 245; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| L451.2 | Wild ass envies tame ass until he sees his burdens. Wienert FFC LVI 59 (ST 198), 124 (ST 328); Halm Aesop No. 321. |
| L451.3 | Wolf prefers liberty and hunger to dog's servitude and plenty. *Type 201; Crane Vitry 221 No. 217; Wienert FFC LVI 61 (ET 238), 124 (ST 326); Halm Aesop No. 278; Jacobs Aesop 206 No. 28; Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 433; Scala Celi 76b No. 435; Italian Novella: Rotunda; Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| L451.4 | Parrot prefers cold wet nest in freedom to luxury in royal palace. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| L452 | Ass is jealous of the horse until he learns better. |
| L452.1 | Ass jealous of horse, but sees horse later working in a mill. *Chauvin III 50 No. 2; Wienert FFC LVI *56 (ET 171), 94 (ST 78). |
| L452.2 | Ass jealous of war-horse until he sees him wounded. Wienert FFC LVI 58 (ET 191), 124 (ST 327); Halm Aesop No. 328; Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| L453 | Mule carrying corn escapes while one carrying gold is robbed. Wienert FFC LVI 56 (ET 169), 94 (ST 75). |
| L455 | Lean dogs envy arena-dog his fatness. Later see their error. Wienert FFC LVI 56 (ET 169), 94 (ST 75). |
| L456 | Calf pities draft ox: is taken to slaughter, ox spared. Wienert FFC LVI 61 (ET 230), 57 (ET 185), *92 (ST 44), 124 (ST 331); Halm Aesop No. 113. |
| L460 | Pride brought low—miscellaneous. |
| L461 | Stag scorns his legs but is proud of his horns. Caught by his horns in trees. *Type 77; Wienert FFC LVI 65 (ET 285), 140 (ST 465); Halm Aesop No. 128; *Crane Vitry 254 No. 274; Herbert III 23; Jacobs Aesop 206 No. 25. |
| L462 | Fox destroys nest of bird who boasts of nest's warmth. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| L465 | The mule's double ancestry. When well fed says, "My mother was a thoroughbred horse." Later, hard worked, says, "My father was a miserable ass." Wienert FFC LVI 64 (ET 275), 94 (ST 80); Halm Aesop No. 157. |
| L471 | The man scorns the storm: killed by it. Type 933*. |
| L472 | Zeus smites Capaneus while he is climbing a ladder. Greek: Frazer Apollodorus I 367 n. 3. |
| L473 | Pride or wealth of man brought low by actions of gods. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| L475 | Oil lamp blown out: had thought that it outshone stars. Wienert FFC LVI 75 (ET 409), 93 (ST 64); Halm Aesop No. 285. |
| L476 | Jackal singing about his deeds falls down from tree and is eaten by alligator. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| L478 | Gnats having overcome lion are in turn killed by spider. Wienert FFC LVI 48 (ET 75), 92 (ST 57); Halm Aesop No. 234. |
| L482 | Men too prosperous (happy): things are made more difficult. |
| L482.1 | Men are too rich: greedy gods created to impoverish them. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| L482.1.1 | Men are too rich: gold sent below ground. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| L482.2 | Men are too rich: weeds created to spoil their harvests. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| L482.3 | Men are too proud: snakes created. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| L482.4 | Men are fearless: tiger made to frighten them. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| L482.5 | Men enjoy themselves too much: disease created. India: Thompson-Balys. |
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