Folklore Database · Browse
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 ▲ |
|---|---|
| C146.1 | Menstruating women must wear amulet of leaves when approaching certain valley. Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 212. |
| A738.2 | Mental powers and disposition of sun. |
| D1610.6.2 | Mentula loquens. A man's member speaks and can be silenced only by his mother-in-law. N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 296 n. 83b. |
| L161.3 | Mercenary soldier (exile) accepted lover of princess. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| T65.2 | Mercenary soldier (exile) unsuitable as husband. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| N851 | Merchant as helper. Malone PMLA XLIII 409; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K258.2 | Merchant buys the same article several times from the same or different seller. U.S.: *Baughman. |
| R131.7 | Merchant rescues abandoned child. (Cf. N851.) Dickson 104 n. 13; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| P431 | Merchant. Jewish: *Neuman. |
| P431.1 | Merchants as spreaders of news. *Dickson 174 n. 35. |
| J23 | Merchants try honesty for a year and find that it pays. So advised by priest when they said that they could not do business without dishonesty. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 394; Irish: Beal XXI 307, O'Suilleabhain 25. |
| V438 | Merit for charity lost by asking work in return. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B81.13.7 | Mermaid appears as omen of catastrophe. Ireland, England: *Baughman. |
| B81.3.1 | Mermaid appears at midnight, entices people into water. England: Baughman. |
| B81.12.1 | Mermaid appears at midnight. England: Baughman. |
| B81.3.2 | Mermaid appears once each year, sings in choir, entices young man to follow her. England: Baughman. |
| B81.12.2 | Mermaid appears once each year. England: Baughman. |
| B81.13.1 | Mermaid asks captain to move boat which blocks entrance to her dwelling. England, U.S.: *Baughman. |
| B81.8 | Mermaid cannot pass through ice. *Fb "havfrue" I 569b. |
| B81.13.11 | Mermaid captured. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B81.4 | Mermaid captures a maiden. *Fb "havfrue" IV 204a. |
| B81.13.11.1 | Mermaid caught by fishermen. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B81.13.4 | Mermaid gives mortals gold from sea bottom. England: Baughman. |
| B81.9.3 | Mermaid half-beautiful, half-monstrous. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B81.9.5.2 | Mermaid has brown skin. England, U.S.: *Baughman. |
| B81.6 | Mermaid has human midwife. *Fb "havfrue" I 569b. |
| B81.9.2 | Mermaid has large breasts. *Fb "havfrue" IV 204a; Boberg. |
| B81.2.1 | Mermaid has son by human father. *Fb "havfrue" I 569b, IV 204a; Icel.: *Boberg. |
| B81.9.5.1 | Mermaid has white skin. Scotland: Baughman. |
| B81.9.1.1 | Mermaid has wooly hair. U.S.: Baughman. |
| B81.13.2 | Mermaid is washed up on beach. Wales, England: *Baughman. |
| B81.3 | Mermaid leads people astray. Fb "havfrue" I 569b. |
| B81.13.12 | Mermaid lives for three hundred years under lake. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B81.2 | Mermaid marries man. Fb "havfrue" IV 204a.—Krappe Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen 159 (1931) 161—175; Irish myth: Cross; Livonian: Loorits FFC XLVI 40 No. 25; Lappish: Qvigstad FFC LX 45f. Nos. 55, 57. |
| B81.13.10 | Mermaid prevents raising of sunken church bell. (See C401.4.) England: Baughman. |
| B81.7.1 | Mermaid prophesies. Icel.: Boberg. |
| R138.1 | Mermaid rescues hero (boy) from shipwreck. Icelandic: Lagerholm 164f., Boberg. |
| R137 | Mermaid rescues heroine who has been thrown overboard. (Cf. B81.) Italian: Basile Pentamerone IV No. 7; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B81.13.9 | Mermaid ruins seducer of her adopted daughter. England: Baughman. |
| B81.13.6 | Mermaid sings divinely in church (before enticing man away). England: Baughman. |
| B81.5 | Mermaid sits on knight's bedpost. *Fb "havfrue" I 569b. |
| B81.10 | Mermaid swallows man. Irish myth: Cross; Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| B81.7 | Mermaid warns of bad weather. *Fb "havfrue" I 569b, IV 204a. Danish: Kristensen Danske Sagn II (1893) 143ff., (1928) 101ff. |
| B81 | Mermaid. Woman with tail of fish. Lives in sea.—BP III 324; *Fb "havfrue" I, 569, IV 204a; Thien Motive in König Rother 42; Tobler Epiphanie der Seele 98.—Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "poisson". Icel.: *Boberg; Estonian: Hartland Science of Fairy Tales 201; Irish myth: Cross; Livonian: Loorits FFC LXVI 41 No. 26; Lappish: Qvigstad FFC LX 46 Nos. 58—63; North Carolina: Brown Collection I 636; Jewish: Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B81.9.1 | Mermaid's hair reaches her waist. *Fb "hеr" I 771b. |
| B81.11 | Mermaid's singing causes sleep. Girl tumbles from boat and drowns. —Irish myth: Cross. |
| B81.0.1 | Mermaids are like fishes in the water, like men on land. Icel.: Boberg. |
| B81.1 | Mermaids from Pharoah's children. They were drowned in the Red Sea.—Livonian: Loorits FFC LXVI 41 No. 27. |
| B81.2.2 | Mermaids tear their mortal lovers to pieces. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B82.5 | Merman attacked by putting steel in the water. *Fb "nökke" II 725a. |
| B82.6 | Merman caught by fisherman (released). England: Baughman. |
| B82.2 | Merman demands cattle as offering. *Fb "havmand" I 571a. |
| B82.1.1 | Merman demands princess. *Fb "havmand" I 571a; Gaster Thespis 176. |
| B82.7 | Merman lays hands on side of canoe. U. S.: Baughman. |
| B82.1 | Merman marries maiden. Fb "havmand" I 571a; English ballad: *Child I 366; Danish: Grundtvig Danmarks Gamle Folkeviser No. 38.—Literary treatment: Arnold "The Forsaken Merman". |
| B82.4 | Merman teaches music. *Fb "nökke" II 725a. |
| B82 | Merman. Fb "havmand" IV 205a; *Chauvin V 7 No. 3.—Arabian: Burton V 215, VII 254, 264, 270, IX 169 n., 179, 182ff.; Icelandic: Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka (ed. Andrews) 82; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 723; Jewish: Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B501.1.1 | Merry horn and angry horn for summoning buffalo. When all is well hero is to blow on merry-horn; when in trouble on angry-horn.—India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2192.1 | Message after a week. A fool is sent to tell his master's wife that he will not return that day for dinner. He delays the message for a week. Italian: Crane Italian Popular Tales 378. |
| K1087.1 | Message falsified to bring about death of lovers. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| T386 | Message of chastity: uncooked meat left behind. Man conducting a woman leaves uncooked meat behind each night of the journey as a sign to the husband following that she has not been touched. *Schoepperle II 414, 419; Irish myth: *Cross. |
| K1612 | Message of death fatal to sender. (Gang nach dem Eisenhammer.) A man is sent by the king to burners of a kiln who have been instructed to throw the first arrival into the fire. The intended victim goes elsewhere and the king's son (or the man's accuser), who next arrives, is burned instead. *Type 930; **J. Schick Das Glückskind mit dem Todesbrief (1932); *Aarne FFC XXIII 73ff.; *Penzer II 113; **Cosquin études 73ff., 129ff.; *Chauvin VIII 145; *Fb "teglovn"; *Wesselski Mönchslatein 40 No. 34; *Oesterley No. 283; Scala Celi 130b No. 713; *Herbert III 198, 589; *Gaster Exempla 239f., 246f. Nos. 320, 345; *Hilka Neue Beiträge zur Erzählungsliteratur des Mittelalters No. 6; *bin Gorion Born Judas V 226f.; Verdam Handelingen en Mededeelingen der Maatschappij der Nederlandsche Letterkunde (1898—99; bijlage) 1ff.; *Taylor MPh XV 177; BP IV 352; Hdwb. d. Märchens I 509; *Krappe Bulletin Hispanique XXXIX 17 No. 8.—Icelandic: Sveinsson FFC LXXXIII xxiv, Boberg; Spanish Exempla: Keller; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; India: *Thompson-Balys; Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 229, Voorhoeve No. 151, 142. |
| K978.2 | Message of death lost. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K978.1 | Message of death. Man carries unwittingly an oral order for his own execution. See all references to K1612. |
| Z174 | Message or orders given symbolic action. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1323.1 | Messenger from lover to girl-captive in harem poses as a singer who amuses the harem ladies in their apartments. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| R6 | Messenger of Death imprisoned. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| A165.2 | Messenger of the gods. *Güntert Weltkönig 280; Gaster Thespis 139.—Greek: Fox 191 (Hermes, Iris), Grote I 43; Irish: Beal XXI 319, 336; India: *Thompson-Balys; Jewish: *Neuman; Huichol: Alexander Lat. Am. 122.—Tahiti: Beckwith Myth 31, Henry 164. |
| N252.1 | Messengers announce successive misfortunes to warrior as he sets out for war. Tells of death of father, mother, brother, and sister, but he refuses to turn back. Finnish: Kalevala rune 36. |
| N252 | Messengers announce successive misfortunes. Spanish Exempla: Keller; Greek: Aeschylus Agamemnon line 860; Jewish: Neuman. Cf. story of Job. |
| T51.3.1 | Messengers seek wife for hero to resemble image they carry with them. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 354. |
| D1385.5 | Metal as defense against spirits. (Cf. D1252.) *Seligmann *178; Penzer II 161ff. |
| F772.2 | Metal tower. |
| V81.3 | Metamorphosis brought about by baptism. Monster born of union of heathen ruler and Christian maiden becomes a handsome boy on being baptized. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| H720 | Metaphorical riddles. Jewish: *Neuman. |
| J2489 | Metaphors literally interpreted—miscellaneous. |
| J2470 | Metaphors literally interpreted. India: *Thompson-Balys; N. A. Indian (Wyandot): Barbeau GSCan XI 224 No. 68. |
| A2442 | Method and position of bird's flight. Jewish: Neuman. |
| M418 | Method of cursing. |
| T302 | Methods of ascetics. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| D2161.4.19 | Methods of magic cure—miscellaneous. |
| D2161.4 | Methods of magic cure. |
| E607 | Methods of reincarnation. |
| G283.1.1 | Methods witch uses to raise wind. (Cf. D2142.0.1.2, D2142.1.5.) |
| M414.8.1 | Mice (rats, cats) cursed. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| K2351.3 | Mice and hogs let loose put elephant cavalry to flight. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 528; Spanish: Espinosa III Nos. 246—248; Jewish: Neuman. |
| Q415.2 | Mice devour hard-hearted man. (Hatto and the Mouse Tower.) (Cf. Q291.) *Fb "rotte" III 83a; Veckenstedt (Veckenstedt's) Zs. f. Vksk. I (1888—9) 364ff.; **Beheim-Schwartzbach Die Mäusenturmsage von Popiel und Hatto (Posen, 1888); *Wehrhan Die Sage 51; *Liebrecht 1ff.; Jewish: Neuman. |
| J1269.10 | Mice die of hunger. Complaints against underpaid priest that he does not stay at home. Says he cannot stay at home for the mice are dying of hunger since he receives only forty florins a year. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 773. |
| A1853.1.1 | Mice engendered after flood from rottenness: no mice on ark. Nouvelles Récréations No. 66. |
| L332 | Mice escape into their holes; weasels cannot follow them. Wienert FFC LVI 48 (ET 65), *113 (ST 241); Halm Aesop No. 291. |
| K632 | Mice gnaw enemies' bow strings and prevent pursuit. *Fb "bue" IV 76b; Jewish: *Neuman; N. A. Indian (Hupa): Goddard U Cal I 154ff. |
| B747.3 | Mice gnaw through metal vessels. Jewish: Neuman. |
| D1812.5.1.12.4 | Mice gnawing garments as bad omen. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 410. |
| B558.5 | Mice hitched to wagon. Fb. "mus". |
| L315.10 | Mice overcome camel. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| L318 | Mice win war with woodcutters. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| D565.1 | Midas' golden touch. Everything touched turns to gold. Greek: Roscher s.v. "Midas"; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| A876 | Midgard Serpent. A serpent surrounds the earth.—Icel.: De la Saussaye 346, MacCulloch Eddic 279, 328, Boberg; Siberian: Holmberg Siberian 345; Western Asia (general): Frobenius Erdteile VI 196; India: Thompson-Balys.—Arapaho: cf. Dorsey FM IV 13; Aztec: Alexander Lat. Am. 57. |
| V70.3 | Midsummer. (Cf. A1535.3.) Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: Boberg. |
| K1923.5 | Midwife takes child and substitutes it for king's stillborn child. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F638 | Mighty archer. Buriat: Holmberg Siberian 428; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| F622.2 | Mighty blower blows firebrand so that sparks fly far, blows seawaves back and forth. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F622.1 | Mighty blower slows down princess with his breath. Causes her to lose race. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| F622 | Mighty blower. Man turns mill with his blowing. (Cf. X935.) *Type 513; Hdwb. d. Märchens I 432a n. 55.—Italian: Basile Pentamerone III No. 8, Rotunda; Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "souffle", "moulin." |
| F639.1.1 | Mighty digger of tunnels. Africa (Hausa): Equilbecq II 171ff. |
| F639.1 | Mighty digger. |
| F639.2 | Mighty diver. Can stay extraordinary time under water. Africa (Ziba): Rehse Zs. f. Kolonialspr. III 366f. No. 30, (Madagascar): Renel I 102ff. No. 15, (Malinke): Frobenius Atlantis VIII 145ff. No. 81. |
| F633 | Mighty drinker. Drinks up whole pools of water, or the like. (Cf. X932.) *Type 513; BP II 79ff.; Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: Boberg; India: Thompson-Balys; Tonga: Gifford 159; Eskimo (West Hudson Bay): Boas BAM XV 259; N. A. Indian: Thompson CColl II 345ff.; Africa (Ba Ronga): Einstein 246. |
| F632 | Mighty eater. Eats whole ox at time, or the like. (Cf. X931.) *Cosquin Contes indiens 427ff.; Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 250.—Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: MacCulloch Eddic 88, 93, Boberg; Jewish: *Neuman; India: *Thompson-Balys; Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 419; Tonga: ibid. 271, Gifford 172f.; Marquesas: Handy 42; Tuamotu: Stimson MS (T-G. 3/620); S. A. Indian (Chiriguano): Métraux RMLP XXXIII 142; Africa (Fang): Tessman 117, (Wute): Sieber 117. |
| F634 | Mighty fisherman. Palm tree as rod, elephant as bait. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F624 | Mighty lifter. Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: Flateyjarbok I 523—24, MacCulloch Eddic 82, 93, Snorra Edda Prol. III, *Boberg; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F616 | Mighty pugilist. Greek: Grote I 156. |
| D1960.1.1 | Mighty sleeper. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F617 | Mighty wrestler. Africa (Bulu): Krug 106. |
| H1562.14 | Mighty-of-His-Mouth and Mighty-of-His-Hands decide to live together to test strength. Strength of mind is winner. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| L353 | Mild brother triumphs over warlike. Survives him and inherits property. Africa (Fang): Tessman 191ff. |
| L350.1 | Mildness triumphs over violence: queen advises husband to use kindness to enemies. This wins them over where war failed. Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| L350 | Mildness triumphs over violence. |
| P550 | Military affairs. *Hdwb. d. Abergl. IX Nachträge 181—254; Jewish: Neuman. |
| P557 | Military customs. Irish myth: Cross. |
| K2369 | Military strategy—miscellaneous. Irish myth: Cross. |
| K2369.6 | Military strategy: city won by turning river from its course through city. Enemy soldiers march through empty bed into city. Spanish Exempla: Keller; Icelandic: Boberg. |
| K2350 | Military strategy. |
| F701.1 | Milk and honey flow in land. Usener Kleinere Schriften IV 398; Jewish: *Neuman; Gaster Thespis 201. |
| D1043 | Milk as magic drink. Irish myth: *Cross; Swiss: Jegerlehner Oberwallis 310 No. 30; Jewish: Neuman; Hindu: Keith 134. |
| D1335.2.3 | Milk as magic strengthening drink. (Cf. D1043.)—Irish myth: Cross; Hindu: Keith 134; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K231.6.1 | Milk bought on credit poured into one container. The trickster buys it from various women. After it is all poured together he says that each may have her own back. *Pauli (ed Bolte) No. 644. |
| R351.1 | Milk drops from woman's breast on tiger's leg and reveals her hiding place in tree. S. A. Indian (Chiriguano): Métraux RMLP XXXIII 156, 161. |
| F552.1.5 | Milk from finger. Jewish: Neuman. |
| F989.9 | Milk from saint's cows forms lake. Irish myth: Cross. |
| J1512.1 | Milk from the hornless cow. A king demands a hundred men's drink from the milk of a hornless dun cow from every house in the land. Wooden cows are made and bog-stuff substituted for milk; the king must drink it. Irish: MacCulloch Celtic 26, *Cross. |
| D1337.1.3 | Milk gives magic beauty. When magic milk touches ugly girl she turns beautiful. (Cf. D1018.)—Italian Novella: Rotunda; Africa (Kaffir): Theal 70. |
| H45.2 | Milk gushes forth from cows when they sit under tree inhabited by deity. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F1094 | Milk has taste of wine and honey. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F546.6 | Milk in man's breast. Jewish: Neuman. |
| T611.6 | Milk magically appears in woman's breast so as to nourish orphan. (Cf. T592.) Loomis White Magic 22; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| T592.1 | Milk medicine fills woman's breasts with milk. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| T591.1.2 | Milk of hornless, single-colored cow drunk by man to make wife fruitful. Irish myth: Cross. |
| A154.4 | Milk of the gods. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| D1385.14 | Milk of two king's children protects hero in dragon fight. (Cf. B11.11, D1043.) Dickson 135 n. 117. |
| H135.2 | Milk poured into stream as signal. Irish myth: Cross. |
| T592 | Milk suddenly appears in woman's dry breast. *Cosquin études 199ff., 238ff.; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| D2083.3 | Milk transferred from another's cow by magic. (Cf. D1605.2, C2087.) *Kittredge Witchcraft 163, 482 n. 4; England, Scotland, Ireland, U.S.: *Baughman; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 5653. |
| D2083.3.1 | Milk transferred from another's cow by squeezing an axehandle (or the like). *Kittredge Witchcraft 163f., 482f. nn. 5—11; England, Scotland, U.S.: *Baughman. |
| D476.2.3.1 | Milk transformed into blood. *Loomis White Magic 79. |
| D476.2.3.2 | Milk transformed into lye. *Loomis White Magic 79. |
| D476.2.3 | Milk transformed into other substance. *Loomis White Magic 79. |
| P313 | Milk-brotherhood. Friends bound in brotherhood through partaking of milk from the same woman. *Cosquin études 247ff.; Wiedemann Am Urquell III 259ff. |
| B36 | Milk-producing bird. Africa (Zulu): Callaway 101; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2132.3 | Milker ties cow's tail to himself. Bees sting the cow. Type 1849*. |
| A778.1 | Milky Way a hunting party. Siberian: Holmberg Siberian 436.—Tehuelche (Pategonia): Alexander Lat. Am. 336. |
| A778.3 | Milky Way as a river. Siberian: Holmberg Siberian 435; Japanese: Ikeda.—Blackfoot: De Josselyn de Jong Blackfoot Texts 29ff. |
| A778.2 | Milky Way as a road. S. Am. Indian (Toba): Métraux MAFLS XL 20, Métraux BBAE CXLIII (1) 365. |
| A778.4 | Milky Way as a stitched seam in the sky. Siberian: Holmberg Siberian 336, 434. |
| A778.5 | Milky Way as milk from breast of a woman. Siberian: Holmberg Siberian 414. |
| A778.7 | Milky Way as path of a bird of passage. Siberian: Holmberg Siberian 434; S. Am. Indian (Paс'): Métraux BBAE CXLIII (3) 93, (Chiriguano): Métraux ibid. 483. |
| A778.2.1 | Milky Way as path of souls (demons). Finno-Ugric: Holmberg Finno-Ugric 82.—Mandan, Pawnee: Alexander N. Am. 96, 117; S. Am. Indian (Amazon): Alexander Lat. Am. 307, (Chaco, Pampean): ibid. 323. |
| A778.9 | Milky Way as race track. Calif. Indian: Gayton and Newman 66. |
| A778.6 | Milky Way as the sperma of the gods. Eisler Weltenmantel und Himmelszelt 482. |
| A778.8 | Milky Way is smoke (ashes). African: Werner African 231; S. Am. Indian (Toba): Métraux MAFLS XL 21, (Mocovi): Métraux BBAE CXLIII (1) 365. |
| A778.1.1 | Milky Way is the Wild Hunt. German: Brunk Zs. f. Vksk. XIII 184; Russian: Ralston Songs of the Russian People 109; Hungarian: Spolyi Zs. f. deutsche Myth. II 161; Finno-Ugric: Holmberg Finno-Ugric 82; Greek-Latin: Cook Zeus II 37. |
| J1531.1.1 | Mill has given birth to horse. Jackal as judge comes late. "Tank of water caught fire." India: Thompson-Balys. |
| U137 | Mill horse when taken to war keeps going in a circle, as he has learned in the mill. *Liebrecht 110f. |
| Z141.2.2 | Mill in which two men are slain said to grind "red wheat". Irish myth: *Cross. |
| D1676 | Mill refuses to work on Sunday. (Cf. D1263.) Irish: Plummer clxxxvi, *Cross. |
| D1677 | Mill refuses to work when saint is ill-treated. (Cf. D1263.) Irish: Plummer clxxxvi, Cross. |
| Z185 | Mill turned by the water of the grace of God as symbol of saint. Irish myth: Cross. |
| D1318.15 | Mill will not grind stolen wheat. (Cf. D1263.) Irish: Plummer clxxxvi, *Cross. |
| A677.2 | Miller of hell. Irish myth: Cross. |
| R131.2 | Miller rescues abandoned child. *Types 707, 930; BP II 380ff.; *Aarne FFC XXIII 61; Spanish: Espinosa Jr. No. 116. |
| R131.2.1 | Miller rescues drowning princess. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| J1041.2 | Miller, his son, and the ass: trying to please everyone. Miller blamed when he follows his son on foot; when he takes the son's place on the ass; when he takes the son behind him; and when he puts the son in front of him. *Chauvin II 148 No 2, III 70, 145, VIII 140; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 244 No. 541; Herbert III 420; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 577; Scala Celi 135a No. 745; Alphabet No. 765. — England: Baughman; Spanish Exempla: Keller; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| P443 | Miller. Type 461 (Danish); Von Sydow Vеra folksagor (1941) 38; *Sébillot Métiers No. 1; Missouri French: Carrière; Spanish: Espinosa Jr. Nos. 137, 141, 198. |
| X211 | Millers as thieves. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 785; Fb "møller" II 649; Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| D1667.3 | Million-fold rice which ripens in one night. (Cf. D965.8.1.) India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J245.1 | Millstone preferred to jewels. Man shown jewels that cost much money; he replies that he has better stones (millstones) that earn that much. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 164; Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| E336.2 | Mine ghosts annoy miners. England, U.S.: *Baughman. |
| F456 | Mine spirits. Gnomes. (Cf. E336.) Eskimo (Greenland): Rink 279, 460. |
| F456.2 | Mining spirit: "Bluecap." |
| F456.3 | Mining spirit: "Cutty Soams". |
| P116 | Minister acts as stepping-stone in midst of flame-filled trench so that king can step across from one side to the other. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| W25.2 | Minister always says, "It is for the best," when anything happens. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1175 | Minister dupes raja into entering body of dead parrot, then enters rajah's body. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| B240.4.1 | Minister of lion-king a crane. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J80.2 | Minister taught by parable to make obeisance to the new king. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1141.14 | Minister threatens divine punishment to thief in congregation. The thief confesses. England, U.S.: *Baughman. |
| J185.1 | Minister's clever daughter-in-law uses wisdom to defeat Brahmin's wealth. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| T62.2 | Minister's daughter to marry first bachelor who arrives. Korean: Zong in-Sob 112 No. 58. |
| R131.11.5 | Minister's son recovers prince's lost wife for him. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| A522.1.5 | Mink as culture hero. N. Am. Indian: Boas RBAE XXXI 585. |
| G225.8 | Minor devil or imp as witch's familiar. England, U.S.: *Baughman. |
| B23.1 | Minotaur. Body of man, head of bull. Result of union of woman with bull.—Icel.: Boberg; Greek: Fox 61; Roscher Lexikon s.v. "Acheloos"; Frazer Apollodorus I 307 n. I, II 120 n. I.—Chauvin VII 87 No. 373bis n. 3.—Chinese: Ferguson 30. |
| T251.1.5 | Minstrel throws wife into sea: her tongue the heaviest thing on board. Ordered to throw all heavy articles overboard. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 138; Mensa Philosophica No. 61; Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| V29.3 | Miracle attests fact that man does not need to confess. He hangs his sack on a sunbeam. Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 146 No. 1805A. |
| V340 | Miracle manifested to non-believers. Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: *Boberg; Jewish: Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1785 | Miracle must wait till one man is sacrificed. No one volunteers and it does not need to be performed. *Wesselski Mönchslatein 118 No. 99. |
| V229.2.11 | Miracle saves saint from unjust censure. Irish myth: Cross. |
| V23 | Miracle to permit confession. |
| B255 | Miracle wrought for animal. Irish myth: Cross; Jewish: Neuman. |
| F900.1 | Miracles at certain times. |
| V113.0.1 | Miracles at shrine. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F900.3 | Miracles cease. |
| F900.3.1 | Miracles in the desert come to an end with death of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. Jewish: Neuman. |
| V256.2 | Miracles of healing performed before image of Virgin Mary. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F900.1.2 | Miracles on first night of Passover. Jewish: *Neuman. |
| V268 | Miracles performed under protection of Virgin Mary. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| F695.3.1 | Miraculous ability to learn to read and to write foreign language in short time. *Loomis White Magic 72, 114. |
| Q551.2.2 | Miraculous adhesion of objects to human hand as punishment for working on holy day. (Cf. Q223.6.) *Loomis White Magic 55. |
| V331.3 | Miraculous beautification upon conversion to Christianity. (Cf. D1860.) English: Wells 122 (The King of Tars). |
| T549 | Miraculous birth—miscellaneous. |
| T540 | Miraculous birth. *BP I 544; *Hartland Perseus ch. 4, 5, 6, Primitive Paternity passim; *Fb "barn" IV 27a; *Penzer II 136 n. 1; Jewish: *Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys; Chinese: Eberhard FFC CXX 94 No. 53; Indonesia: DeVries's list Nos. 157, 159; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 323 n. 166. |
| Q451.7.0.2.4 | Miraculous blindness as punishment for criminal intent. (Cf. Q210.1.) Irish myth: Cross. |
| Q451.7.0.2.3 | Miraculous blindness as punishment for disobedience. (Cf. Q325.) Irish myth: Cross. |
| Q451.7.0.2.1 | Miraculous blindness as punishment for opposition to holy person. (Cf. Q227, Q571.1.) Irish myth: *Cross. |
| Q451.7.0.2.5 | Miraculous blindness as punishment for spying (on druids, fairies, witches, etc.). Irish myth: *Cross. |
| Q451.7.0.2.2 | Miraculous blindness as punishment for theft. (Cf. Q212.) *Loomis White Magic 98; Irish myth: Cross. |
| Q451.7.0.2 | Miraculous blindness as punishment. (Cf. Q559.2.) Irish myth: Cross. |
| F971 | Miraculous blossoming and bearing of fruit. Krappe Revue Hispanique LVI (1922) 5—24. |
| Q551.9.1 | Miraculous burning as punishment for opposition to holy person. (Cf. Q227.) Irish myth: *Cross; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| Q551.9 | Miraculous burning as punishment. (Cf. Q414.) Irish myth: Cross; Jewish: *Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| T532.9 | Miraculous conception from God's bow. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| T539 | Miraculous conception—miscellaneous. |
| T510 | Miraculous conception. *Type 516; *BP I 544; *Hartland Perseus I 71ff.; *Chauvin V 43 No. 18 n. 1; **Hartland Paternity; Hdwb. d. Abergl. II 808; *Frobenius Zeitalter des Sonnengottes I 223—263; *Rösch FFC LXXVII 96; Hdwb. d. Märchens I "Abstammung, wunderbare"; Loomis White Magic 16. — English: Wells 31 (Geoffrey's life of Arthour), 39 (Nennius' Historia Britonum), 42 (Arthour and Merlin), 101 (King Alisaunder); Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "conceptions", RTP XV 471, 552, 597; Greek: *Frazer Apollodorus I 21 n. 5; Jewish: *Neuman; India: *Thompson-Balys; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 323 n. 166e; S. A. Indian (Tupinamba): Métraux RMLP XXXIII 172. |
| F955 | Miraculous cure for leprosy. Rage at hearing for first time of Christ's passion causes cure. (Cf. F950.3.) Irish: Beal XXI 306; English: Wells 155 (Temporale). |
| F959.3 | Miraculous cure of wound. |
| Q552.20.1 | Miraculous darkness as punishment. Jewish: *Neuman. |
| Q552.19.2 | Miraculous drowning as punishment for desire to murder. (Cf. Q211.8.) Irish myth: Cross. |
| Q552.19.5 | Miraculous drowning as punishment for haughtiness. (Cf. Q331.) Irish myth: *Cross. |
| Q552.19.4 | Miraculous drowning as punishment for man's flight with stepmother. (Cf. Q242.) Irish myth: Cross. |
| Q552.19.1 | Miraculous drowning as punishment for opposition to saint (holy man). (Cf. Q227.) Irish myth: *Cross; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 1042. |
| Q552.19.3 | Miraculous drowning as punishment for theft. (Cf. Q212.) Irish myth: *Cross. |
| Q552.19 | Miraculous drowning as punishment. (Cf. Q428, Q467.) Irish myth: Cross; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| Q222.0.2 | Miraculous flow of blood from desecrated building or object. Irish myth: Cross. |
| A511.4.1 | Miraculous growth of culture hero. Philippine (Tinguian): Cole 38, 87, 102; S. Am. Indian (Tupinamba): Métraux RMLP XXXIII 135. |
| V221 | Miraculous healing by saints. Encyc. Rel. Ethics Index 246a; Irish myth: *Cross; India: Thompson-Balys; Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| V256 | Miraculous healing by Virgin Mary. (Cf. D2161.) Irish myth: Cross. |
| T25 | Miraculous healing from a passionate love. *Loomis White Magic 124; Irish myth: *Cross. (T24.3.1). |
| V221.0.3 | Miraculous healing power of saint as child. *Loomis White Magic 25. |
| V121 | Miraculous image of Christ impressed on napkin. Veronica. Ward II 641 No. 20. |
| D2156.2 | Miraculous increasing of milk from one cow. (Cf. D1440.1, D2106.) *Loomis White Magic 86. |
| D1652.1.0.1 | Miraculous increasing of small quantity of victuals or drinks to feed a great number of people. *Loomis White Magic 86. |
| V222 | Miraculous manifestation acclaims saint. Alphabet Nos. 345, 354, 602, 637, 762; Irish: Beal XXI 305, 326, 335, O'Suilleabhain 70f., 115; Spanish: Keller, Espinosa Jr. Nos. 45, 182; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| V24 | Miraculous manifestation at confession. |
| V412 | Miraculous manifestations during act of charity. *Ward III 7; *Crane Vitry Nos. 92, 94, 95. |
| V86.4 | Miraculous manifestations to scoffers of the cross. Alphabet. No. 230; English: Wells 97 (Chevalere Assigne), 89 (The Sege of Melayne). |
| Q149 | Miraculous or magic reward—miscellaneous. |
| Q140 | Miraculous or magic rewards. |
| V52 | Miraculous power of prayer. Irish: *Cross, Beal XXI 334, O'Suilleabhain 112; Spanish Exempla: Keller; West Indies: Flowers 579. Cf. Nouvelles de Sens No. 26. |
| Q557 | Miraculous punishment through animals. (Cf. Q415, Q552.4, Q554.5, Q582.6, Q589.1, Q589.1.0.1, Q597.) Jewish: *Neuman. |
| Q550 | Miraculous punishments. |
If you wish to get access to data for projects and research, then please contact us, we do our best to help
How to cite: Fielder-White, Jonathan (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
0009-0006-1672-4451
Please cite the relevant sources, catalogues, and classification systems, including the Folklore Database, Berezkin-Duvakin Catalogue, ATU, Thompson, alongside the page accessed and the last time accessed. Please respect copyright and licenses.
Editorial annotations and database enhancements © Jonathan Fielder-White licensed under CC BY 4.0. Berezkin-Duvakin derived narrative and metadata licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Full rights information can be found here.
All rights are reserved in the database structure, selection, arrangement, metadata, classifications, software, interface design, and original editorial content.
Important: The Folklore Database expressly reserves all rights in relation to text and data mining, automated extraction, scraping, machine learning, dataset creation, and the training, development, validation, or improvement of artificial intelligence technologies or systems. No part of this website or database may be scraped, copied, reproduced, harvested, downloaded in bulk, or otherwise used for AI training or commercial data extraction without prior written permission.
Designed and Developed by Jonathan Fielder-White.
© 2024–2026 Crecganford / Jonathan Fielder-White. All rights reserved.