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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

46,221 motifs

Page 158 of 185 · 250 per page
Thompson reference Description ▲
J901 The seven daughters of Humility. Irish myth: *Cross.
A433.2 The seven grain sisters. India: Thompson-Balys.
V86.7 The seven significances of the sign of the cross. Irish myth: Cross.
J2213.3 The seventh cake satisfies. Fool regrets that he had not eaten number seven first since that was the one that brought satisfaction. *Von der Leyen Das Märchen 78 and Herrigs Archiv CXIV 20 n. 2; India: Thompson-Balys.
K1955.6 The sham physician and the devil in partnership. The devil is to enter the girl and the physician will collect reward for driving the devil out. Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 51 No. 340*; India: *Thompson-Balys; Cape Verde Islands: *Parsons MAFLS XV (1) 193 n. 1.
J2424 The sharpened leg. A trickster sees a man with a sharpened leg. He also receives the power of sharpening his leg without harm if he will use it but four times. He breaks the tabu and is left with his leg sticking in a tree. N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 299 n. 95; S. A. Indian (Warrau, Carrib, Shipaya): Lowie BBAE CXLIII (3) 55.
J1391.3 The sheep's teeth. Two thieves caught with stolen sheep. One says that he told the other than sheep have lower teeth but no upper, and that they caught the sheep to see. India: Thompson-Balys; Africa (Vai): Ellis 221 No. 34.
J2172.1 The shepherd who cried "Wolf!" too often. When the wolf really comes no one believes him. Wienert FFC LVI 84 (ET 508), 104 (ST 172); Halm Aesop No. 353; Jacobs Aesop 210 No. 43; India: *Thompson-Balys; West Indies: Flowers 489.
J1521.1 The shoes carried into the tree. Tricksters induce a numskull to climb a tree, planning to steal his shoes. He takes them in his belt with him. "Perhaps I shall find a nearer road home up there and shall need my shoes." *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 233 No. 96.
J1179.3 The short blanket must be patched. Weaver makes blanket shorter than ordered. Weaver ordered to add a piece to the blanket and then to receive full price. Bolte Frey's Gartengesellschaft 110, 256.
T251 The shrewish wife. *Penzer II 159f.; Hanna Lindberg "The Shrew", argbiggans typ i den Engelska Literaturen intill Shakespeare (Tavastehus, 1900); India: *Thompson-Balys.
J2511 The silence wager. A man and his wife make a wager as to who shall speak first (close the door). The man (woman) becomes jealous and scolds; loses the wager. *Type 1351; Child No. 275; **Brown Amer. Journ. of Philol. XLIII 289; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 263; Clouston Tales II 15; *Basset 1001 Contes II 401; Chauvin VIII 132 No. 124; Clouston Noodles 108, 184; Fb "tie" III 792a; Christensen DF L 79; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; India: *Thompson-Balys.
T272 The silent wife.
Z33.4.2 The singing wolf. By his singing the wolf compels the old man to surrender his cattle, his children and grandchildren, and finally his wife. The old woman goes in the wolf's service. She returns home bringing butter, etc. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 162*; Russian: Andrejev No. 162*.
K2311 The single cake. Restricted to a single cake during Lent, the peasants make one as large as a cart wheel. Type 1565*.
U115 The skeleton in the closet. An apparently happy man lets another see the actual misery of his existence. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 223.
J2168 The slaughter of the ox. In preparation, the feet are cut off the evening before. Type 1261.
J2333 The sledges turned in the direction of the journey. At night turned around by a joker. Type 1275.
J2618 The sleeper answers for the dead man. A man falls asleep by a gallows. A company of wags come and invite the dead man on the gallows to accompany them. The sleeper awakes with a start and says, "I'll come at once." The wags flee in terror. *Wesselski Bebel II 119 No. 59; Italian Novella: Rotunda.
E502 The Sleeping Army. Soldiers killed in battle come forth on occasions from their resting place (hill, grave, grotto) and march about or send their leader to do so.—*Schweda 59ff.; *Hartland Science 216ff.; Howey 9; Irish myth: *Cross; England, Scotland, Ireland, U.S.: *Baughman; India: Thompson-Balys.
N396 The sleeping guard. Watchman falls asleep as enemy approaches. Irish myth: Cross.
W115.1 The slovenly fiancée. Type 1453**.
J229.10 The smaller the evil the better. Therefore choose the smallest woman possible for a bride. Italian Novella: Rotunda.
J1442.13 The smallest woman makes the best bride. "Of an evil choose the smallest part." Italian Novella: *Rotunda.
J1532.1 The Snow-Child. (Modus Leibinc.) A sailor's wife bears a son in his absence and says that it came from eating snow. Later the husband makes away with the boy who, he says, melted in the sun. *Type 1362; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 208; BP IV 130; Italian Novella: *Rotunda.
E748 The soul as a guardian spirit. Hilda R. Ellis The Road to Hell, A Study of the Conception of the Dead in Old Norse Literature (Cambridge [Eng.], 1943) 127ff.; Icelandic: *Boberg.
E757 The soul prays. Jewish: *Neuman; Chinese: Werner 268.
E790 The soul—miscellaneous.
E759 The soul—miscellaneous. Irish myth: Cross.
E700 The Soul. **Tobler; **Feilberg Sjæletro (København, 1914); Еke Hultkrantz Conceptions of the Soul among the North American Indians (Stockholm, 1953); Hilda R. Ellis The Road to Hell, A Study in the Conception of the Dead in Old Norse Literature (London, 1943) 170ff.—Greek: Waser über die äussere Erscheinung der Seele in den Vorstellungen der Völker, zumal der alten Griechen (Archiv für Religionswissenschaft XVI [1914] 336); Irish myth: *Cross; Skandinavian: *K. S. Kramer Die Dingbeseelung in der germanischen überlieferung (München, 1939); Estonian: Loorits Grundzüge I 182—190, 251—266, 491—506; German: Meyer Germanen 68ff.; Jewish: Neuman; N. A. Indian (Iroquois): Hewitt The Iroquoian Concept of the Soul (JAFL VIII 107).
J1484 The sound of shaving. An unskillful barber keeps cutting a man's face. A noise is heard. The man: "What is that?" Barber: "A smith shoeing horses." Man: "I thought it was someone being shaved." *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 226f. No. 473.
J1626 The sound of the harp. An apprentice harpmaker is blamed that he has not made the harp sound. He throws the harp at his master's head and breaks it to pieces: "There you have your sound." *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 722.
T275 The spendthrift wife. India: Thompson-Balys.
G303.10.11 The spurge-laurel is the devil's bush. Dh I 200.
X121.1 The squint-eyed son and the bottle. Sent by his father to get the only bottle of rare wine, he sees two. Not wishing to show his father to be a liar, he breaks one—really the only one. Chauvin II 196 No. 22.
J2335 The stag with iron shoes. Hunters shoot a stag and hide it. Another who sees puts a dead ass in the bag instead. When the bag is opened, one cries, "Oh Jesus, we have shot a stag with iron shoes!" Köhler-Bolte I 325.
A2494.13.11 The starling's enemies.
W152.13 The stingy man and his animals.
K343.2.1 The stingy parson and the slaughtered pig. The stingy parson does not want to give any one a part of his pig, which he has just slaughtered. The sexton advises him to hang the pig up in the garden over night so as to make everyone think that it has been stolen. The sexton steals it himself. *Type 1792; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 790; Lee Decameron 257f.; Taylor MPh XV 226.
K306.1 The stolen and restolen ham. Two thieves steal a ham from a former companion who has married, have it stolen back, and resteal it. (Cf. K341.7.1, K362.4.) *Gering Islendzk æventyri (Halle, 1883) II 210ff.; *DeVries Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsche Taal; en Letterkunde XLV 213ff.
J2672 The stolen bedcover. A man hears a noise outside the house at night. He wraps a bed cover about him and goes to investigate. The robbers take the bed cover and flee. The wife asks what the debate was about. "About the bed cover. When they got it, the quarrel was over." Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 230 No. 77.
K408 The stolen cow successively pawned. In one night a thief pawns a cow four times, always stealing it immediately and finally delivering it back to its owner. *Wesselski Mönchslatein 119 No. 100.
J1611 The stolen meat and the weighed cat. A man buys three pounds of meat. His wife eats it and says that the cat ate it. The man weighs the cat and finds that it does not weigh three pounds. *Type 1373; Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 232 No. 87, *II 185 No. 348.
K475.1 The stolen meat handed about. The thief hands it to his confederate. He says, "I haven't it." The confederate says, "I didn't steal it." Wienert FFC LVI 84 (ET 505), 103 (ST 162); Halm Aesop 301.
K405.2 The stolen pot pawned with the real owner. The thief gets a receipt from the owner and thus defends himself when accused of theft. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 823; cf. No. 860.
V35 The stolen sacrament.
K341.20 The story about theft. One thief steals, the other relates the situation, in the form of a tale, to the gentleman who is being robbed. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 1525J*; Russian: Andrejev 1525II*; India: *Thompson-Balys.
J2326 The student from paradise. A student tells a woman that he comes from Paris. She understands him to say from paradise and gives him money and goods to take to her husband. *Type 1540; **Aarne FFC XXII 3—109; *Clouston Noodles 204—217 passim; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 463; *Wesselski Bebel I 189 No. 50; Christensen DF L 35; Indonesia: Coster-Wijsman 73 No. IV.
G303.13 The stupid devil. Missouri French: Carrière; **Wünsche Teufel; Danielsson Djävulgestalten i Finlands svenska Folktro (Helsingfors, 1930) 35; Spanish: Espinosa Jr. Nos. 82—84, 201; Jewish: Neuman.
F488 The stupid house spirit.
L141.1 The stupid monk recovers the stolen flocks. A nobleman steals the abbot's flocks, saying that the monks have no use for them since they eat no meat. The most learned of the monks tries to recover them, but without success. The most stupid is then sent. Asked to dinner, he eats till he can hold no more. He tells the nobleman that he ate as much as possible since he could take back with him only what he had in his stomach. The nobleman pleased with the reply returns the flocks. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 61; Alphabet No. 718; Mensa Philosophica No. 187.
K471 The substituted porridge. In cooking dinner fox's porridge is light, bear's black. At dinner fox steals spoonful of bear's porridge and lets bear taste it. Bear believes that fox's porridge is as bad as his own. *Type 9 C; Dh IV 249ff.; Krohn Bär (Wolf) und Fuchs (JSFO VI) 97ff.
A724.2 The sun a golden bowl on the rim of which sits a peacock; both bowl and peacock are in a crystal box, which rests on a flying chariot.—India: Thompson-Balys.
N271.1 The sun brings all to light. The murderer repeats as he sees the rays of the sun, the last words of the dying man, thus betraying the crime. *Type 960; *BP II 531; *Hdwb. d. Märchens I 98b, *Zachariae Kleine Schriften 134; *Basset 1001 Contes II 381.
A220.2 The sun-god and his family. India: Thompson-Balys.
A732 The sun's animals.
K341.22 The supposed magic spell. The thief orders the farmer to crawl into a tub and to sit there quietly and not look about, while he makes a magic spell (cure him of childlessness). Meanwhile, he steals all the farmer's property. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 1629*; Italian Novella: Rotunda (K341.16); India: Thompson-Balys.
J621.1 The swallow and the hemp-seeds. Swallow in vain urges other birds to eat seed as fast as it is sowed. Ridiculed, he builds his nest among the dwellings of men. Later, birds are caught in nets made from the hemp. Wienert FFC LVI 62 (ET 248), 118 (ST 277); Halm Aesop Nos. 105, 106; Dähnhardt IV 275; Herbert III 8; *Crane Vitry 176 No. 101; Jacobs Aesop 203 No. 12; Africa (Fang): Tessman 27ff., (Pangwe): ibid. 362ff.
T24 The symptoms of love. *Penzer VII 139 n. 2; *Rohde Der griechische Roman 157ff.; Irish myth: Cross; India: *Thompson-Balys.
K1021 The tail fisher. The bear is persuaded to fish with his tail through a hole in the ice. When he is attacked and tries to escape, he loses his tail. *Type 2; *BP II 111; *Dh IV 219; Krohn Bar (Wolf) und Fuchs (JSFO VI) 26ff.; *Fb "ræv" III 113b, "bjørn" IV 43a, "ulv" III 971a.—Lappish: Qvigstad Lappiske Eventyr II 3, III 3; Japanese: Ikeda; Korean: Zong in-Sob 159 No. 69; Eskimo (Mackenzie Area): Jenness 44; N. A. Indian: Thompson CColl II 438; American Negro (Georgia): Harris Remus 120 No. 25, Nights 113 No. 21, (Pennsylvania): Parsons JAFL XXX 214, (Virginia): Smiley JAFL XXXII 361, (South Carolina): Parsons JAFL XXXIV 12.
J2373 The tailless and earless ass. Just lain down to sleep, a man is awakened by a neighbor announcing that his she-ass has borne a young one without ears or tail. The man lies awake all night wondering how the ass will keep the harness on. Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 259 No. 207.
T92.12.1 The tailor and the smith as rivals. The tailor declares that the smith is blind and the smith declares that the tailor is a fool. At the wedding in church, the smith drops a hot piece of iron into the tailor's boot. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 1693A*; Estonian: Aarne FFC XXV No. 1631*.
J1401 The tailor's dream. A tailor dreams that at Judgment Day he sees a flag made up of all the pieces of cloth he has stolen Upon waking he asks his servants to warn him if they ever see him tempted to steal again. This happens. He replies, "The piece I am about to steal does not fit into the flag." *BP I 343; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 256 No. 190.
K196.2 The tall hog. Man boasts of hog so big that a man could not reach its back if he holds his hand as high as possible. A stranger buys the hog, sight-unseen. The seller takes him to the hog, shows the buyer that the hog's back is much below his hand when he holds it as high as possible. England: Baughman.
K1399.1 The taming of the wild prince. Lost in the woods the little prince grows up among wild animals; lets no one come near him. Only a servant girl succeeds in taming him. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 877*.
X904 The teller reduces the size of his lie.
J1607 The testament of the dog. The owner of a dog has him given Christian burial. The bishop thereupon pretends that the dog has left the church a large legacy. *Anderson FFC XLII 359 n 3; Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 72; **Feilberg "Hundens Testament" Festskrift til E. T. Kristensen 11ff.; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles No. 96.
J2223 The thief as discoverer. The fool lies still as the thief enters the house, hoping that the thief may find something so that he can take it back from the thief. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 231 No. 83, Mönchslatein 170 No. 134.
K335.1.6.3 The thief in the beehive. Other thieves come to steal the bees, take the heaviest hive to the forest and make a fire under it. They flee when they hear a man screaming in the beehive. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 1887*.
J1141.16 The thief is tricked into betraying himself in supposed ordeal. Canada, England, U.S.: *Baughman.
J1141.15 The thief is tricked into revealing himself in church. England: Baughman.
K365.2 The thieving guests. Rent a room at an inn and empty the mattresses of feathers, take fire wood, etc. Throw goods out of the window where confederate picks it up. Italian Novella: Rotunda.
K378 The thieving kiss. Trickster kisses pile of money, taking some in his mouth with every kiss. Italian Novella: Rotunda.
V211.7.3 The three bolts left on hell by Christ. Irish myth: Cross.
A468 The three Graces. Greek: Fox 236, Grote I 10.
K2322 The three hunchback brothers drowned. A drunken man is employed, by the woman who has accidently slain three hunchback brothers, to throw one into the river. He does so. Then she puts another out and finally the third. The man thinks they keep coming to life. Finally he sees the woman's hunchback husband and drowns him. *Type 1536B; *BP III 485; **Pillet Das Fablaiu von les trois bossus menestrals (1901); *Taylor MPh XV 223 n. 3; *Chauvin VIII 72; *Herbert III 203; Spanish: Espinosa II Nos. 31f.; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; India: Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Ikeda.
J1161.1 The three joint depositors may have their money back when all demand it. Money is left by three joint depositors subject to their joint order. It is stolen by one. When the banker is sued he agrees to give up the money when he receives joint order from all three. *Type 1591; Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 113; Scala Celi 7b No. 46; Alphabet No. 139; Krappe Bulletin Hispanique XXXIX 21 No. 77; Spanish Exempla: Keller; India: *Thompson-Balys.
F451.9.1.3 The three sevens in 1777 drive dwarfs out of the land. German: Pröhle Harz. No. 60.
K604 The three teachings of the bird (fox). In return for release from captivity the bird (fox) gives the man three teachings. These usually mock the man for his foolishness in releasing what he has. (See for these counsels: J21.12, J21.13, J21.14.) *Type 150; *BP III 230, IV 149 n. 2; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 380; *Wesselski Arlotto II 261 No. 1191; *Chauvin III 103, 110ff., IX 30; *Crane Vitry 144 No. 28; *Gaster Exempla 256 No. 390; *Basset 1001 Contes II 276f.; Jacobs Aesop 213 No. 58; Wienert FFC LVI 35; Halm Aesop No. 271; *Hdwb. d. Märchens I 95a; Alphabet No. 191; Oesterley No. 167.—Jewish: bin Gorion Born Judas IV 29, 279; Spanish Exempla: Keller; India: *Thompson-Balys; Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 231.
A2494.10 The tiger's enemies.
X1295.1 The tragic death of the three gnats. One of them meets his death between the horns of two struggling oxen, another because of two restless stallions, the third during a tussle between two giants. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 291* (X1021.9).
J2075 The transferred wish. A husband, given three wishes, transfers one to his wife, who wastes it on a trifle; in his anger he wishes the article in her body and must use the third to get it out. *Type 750A; *BP II 220, 225; N. A. Indian: Thompson CColl II 454.
J1531.1 The transformed golden pumpkin. Borrower of golden pumpkin returns a brass pumpkin and claims that the gold has turned to brass. The lender takes the borrower's son and returns with an ape. He claims that the boy has turned into an ape. Köhler-Bolte I 533; India: Thompson-Balys.
K1685 The treasure-finders who murder one another. Two (three) men find a treasure. One of them secretly puts poison in the other's wine, but the other kills him, drinks the wine and dies. *Type 763; Chaucer's "Pardoner's Tale"; *F. N. Robinson Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer (Boston, 1933) 834; *BP II 154; *Basset 1001 Contes III 181ff.; *Chauvin VIII 100 No. 73; *Wesselski Morlini 293 No. 42; *Bolte Montanus 564; *Basset RTP XIV 440; *Hart MPh IX 17; *Wells MPh XXV 163.—Italian Novella: Rotunda; Jewish: *bin Gorion Born Judas IV 41, 276; India: Cowell J[a]taka I 124, *Thompson-Balys; Chinese: Chavannes 500 Contes I 386 No. 115; Eberhard FFC CXX 201f.; Korean: Zong in-Sob 186 No. 81.
T92.1 The triangle plot and its solutions. Two men in love with the same woman; two women with the same man. *Dickson 243 n. 48; Irish myth: *Cross; India: Thompson-Balys.
K1398 The trickster with painted member. The father wants his daughter's child to be a bishop. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 2914*; Livonian: Loorits FFC LXVI No. 1547*.
N635 The triple tax. A poet is given by the king the right to demand a coin of the first hunchback he meets, from the first man of a certain name, and from the first man of a certain city. He sees a hunchback and demands the coin. A quarrel arises in which it appears that the hunchback also has the required name and residence. With each revelation the poet demands a new coin. *Type 1661; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 194 No. 382; *Basset 1001 Contes I 521; Herbert III 87f., 249, 329, 509, 671; *Chauvin IX 19 No. 5; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 285; Alphabet No. 234; Spanish Exempla: Keller; Icelandic: Boberg.
J2092 The trusted porters. A man finds a treasure, but is robbed by porters whom he has employed to rid him of the trouble of carrying it. Chauvin II 82 No. 2; Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 179; B[ö]dker Exempler 272 No. 2; Spanish Exempla: Keller.
V292.2 The Twelve Apostles of Ireland. Irish myth: *Cross.
Z22.1 The Twelve Days (Gifts) of Christmas: 1 partridge, 2 turtle-doves, 3 French hens, 4 colly birds, 5 gold rings, 6 geese, 7 swans, 8 maids, 9 drummers, 10 pipers, 11 ladies, 12 lords. **Taylor JAFL XLVI 79 No. 2010A, Hdwb. d. Märchens II 172b; Kristensen Danske Dyrefabler 146—60 Nos. 337—348; Fb "Juledagsgave" I 54, IV 248; T. Norlind Svenska Allmogens Liv 612.
Z22.2 The Twelve kinds of Food: 1 partridge, 2 turtledoves, 3 woodpigeons, 4 ducks, 5 rabbits, 6 hares, 7 hounds, 8 sheep, 9 oxen, 10 turkeys, 11 hams, 12 cheeses. **Taylor JAFL XLVI 80 No. 2010B, Hdwb. d. Märchens II 172b; Kristensen Danske Dyrefabler 150—54 Nos. 351—370.
J1919.3 The two extra pounds. A dog has eaten 14 pounds of butter; the fool squeezes 16 pounds from him. Fb "sm[ö]r" III 412b.
J2415.1 The two presents to the king: the beet and the horse. A farmer takes an extraordinary beet as present to the king and receives a large reward. His companion is eager for a reward and leads a handsome steed to the palace. The king rewards him with the beet. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 798; BP III 188ff., *191; *Gaster Exempla 190 No. 25; Köhler-Bolte I 136; England: Baughman; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; India: Thompson-Balys; West Indies: Flowers 490.
J2415.1.2 The two presents to the king: two poems. A famous poet presented to the king some poems and was richly rewarded. Another poet likewise gave the king some poetry. The king gave him the first poet's verses. Spanish: Childers.
J1914.1 The underfed warhorse. Fails in the war. Wienert FFC LVI 72 (ET 363), 129 (ST 369); Halm Aesop No. 178.
T261 The ungrateful wife. (Cf. W154.) India: Thompson-Balys.
A659 The universe as a whole—miscellaneous. Jewish: Neuman.
A650 The universe as a whole.
X1110.1 The unlucky hunt. (First ed. X921.0.1.) Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 313.
L140 The unpromising surpasses the promising.
E410 The unquiet grave. (Cf. D2151.1.2.3.) Dead unable to rest in peace. Aside from the references given in the numbers immediately following, see E200—E399 passim. Jewish: *Neuman; Icelandic: *Boberg; India: Thompson-Balys; Eskimo (Greenland): Rasmussen III 48.
J1321 The unrepentant drunkard.
H620 The unsolved problem: enigmatic ending of tale.
K1399.2 The unusual names. Assuming unusual names, the servant deceives the girl, her mother, and her father. *Type 1732*; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 2908; Spanish: Boggs FFC XC No. 1940B*.
J345 The valuable neglected for the interesting.
J1193.2 The value of a blow. A judge awards damages of a penny against a friend of his for giving a blow. The defendant goes to get the money and is gone long. Meanwhile the plaintiff gives the judge a blow and tells him to use the penny as damages. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 254 No. 172; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 718; India: *Thompson-Balys.
E332.3.3.1 The Vanishing Hitchhiker. Ghost of young woman asks for ride in automobile, disappears from closed car without the driver's knowledge, after giving him address to which she wishes to be taken. Driver asks person at address about the rider, finds she has been dead for some time. (Often driver finds that ghost has made similar attempts to return, usually on anniversary of death in automobile accident. Often ghost leaves some item such as a scarf or a traveling bag in car.) **Beardsley and Hankey California Folklore Quarterly I 303ff.; Hawaii, U.S.: *Baughman.
A1650.1 The various children of Eve. Eve has so many children that she is ashamed when God pays her a visit. She hides some of them and they fail to receive the blessing that God gives those in sight. Thus arises the differences in classes and peoples.—*BP III 308ff. (Gr. No. 180); *Dh I 247, II 98f.—Livonian: Loorits FFC LXVI 85 No. 41; Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 87 No. 758.
K1841 The Virgin Mary substitutes for a mortal.
V250 The Virgin Mary. **Crane Liber de Miraculis; *DeVooys Middelnederlandse Legenden en Exempelen 57; Genthe Die Jungfrau Maria: ihre Evangelien und ihre Wunder (Halle, 1852); *Encyc. Rel. Ethics Index 366c. — Irish: *Cross, O'Suilleabhain 59, 78, Beal XXI 307, 314, 323, 327; Spanish: Keller, Espinosa Jr. Nos. 202—04. For references in addition to those given below, see volume VI s.v. "Virgin Mary".
K451.2 The wager that sheep are hogs. A trickster wagers with a sheep driver that the sheep he is driving are hogs. The next man to overtake them will act as umpire. The trickster's confederate now arrives and declares that they are hogs. *Type 1551; *Clouston Tales II 27; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 632; *Penzer V 104; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 213 No. 437; Chauvin II 96 No. 51, VII 150 No. 430; *Oesterley No. 132; Crane Vitry 141 No. 20; Alphabet No. 766; Hazlitt Shakespeare Jest-Books II 176; Bødker Exempler 295 No. 56; Missouri French: Carrière; India: *Thompson-Balys.
J1966 The wall accuses the crowbar. But the man who uses the crowbar is to blame for the downfall of the wall. Wienert FFC LVI 75 (ET 400), 123 (ST 319); Halm Aesop No. 402.
Q502.1 The Wandering Jew. Ceaseless wandering with inability to die as punishment for blasphemy. (Cf. Q221.3.) Type 754**; **L. Neubaur Die Sage vom Ewigen Jude (Leipzig, 1893); **Zirus Ahasverus, der Ewige Jude (Stoff- und Motivgeschichte der deutschen Literatur No. 6 [Berlin, 1930]); Gielen de Wandelende Jood (Amsterdam, 1931); *K. Nyrop Den evige Jøde (København, 1907); **Neubaur Zs. f. Vksk. XXII 33, Zentralblatt für Bibliothekswesen XXVIII 495ff.; *Dübe Zs. F. Vksk. XVII 143; *Bolte ibid. XIX 308; G. Paris. Légendes du moyen âge (1904) 149ff.; *Fb "Jerusalems skomager" II 40, IV 246a; *Wehrhan 50; Taylor MLN XXXIII 394ff.; Anderson Journal of English and Germanic Philology XLVI 367—82; Braddy California Folklore Quarterly IV 82f.; Bagatti Franciscan Studies IX 1—9.—Finnish-Swedish: Wessman 105 No. 933; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 778*; Estonian: Aarne FFC XXV No. 754*.
D1500.1.1.2 The water of spring which a saint caused to flow has curative powers. *Loomis White Magic 104.
J1903.1 The water on the calf's back. When the calf will not drink, the peasant woman throws the water on its back. Type 1211*.
J1312 The watered wine.
D1841.4.3.1 The waters of seas, lakes, and streams turn aside and let the holy man walk through untouched by moisture. (Cf. D1551.) *Loomis White Magic 40.
K1351 The weeping bitch. A procuress throws pepper into the eyes of a bitch so that she weeps. She pretends to the virtuous woman that the bitch is a woman transformed because of failure to respond to her lover. The woman is persuaded. *Type 1515; *Chauvin VIII 45 No. 13; *Oesterley No. 28; *Crane Vitry 239 No. 251; Elsner Untersuchungen zu den mittelenglischen Fabliau "Dame Siriz"; Fb "hund" IV 227b; *von der Hagen I cxii; Scala Celi 87a No. 510; *Penzer I 169; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 873; Alphabet No. 537; Hdwb. d. Märchens I 95a; *Krappe Bulletin Hispanique XXXIX 38; Spanish Exempla: Keller.
J1382.2 The weighted order-cards. To a man going on a voyage, various people give commissions for purchases, which he writes down on cards. Some give him money; some promise it on his return. On ship he looks the cards over, placing the proper gold on the proper card. A wind blows into the sea those not weighted with gold. *Wesselski Arlotto II 234ff. No. 122.
T251.2.4 The wicked queen reformed. While asleep she is made to exchange places with the cobbler's wife. She thinks she is in hell. The cobbler teaches her to obey and fear her husband. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 904*; Russian: Andrejev No. 901I*; Prussian: Plenzat 49.
J355.1 The widow's meal. King upbraids wind for blowing away a poor widow's last cup of meal. Finds that the wind has saved a ship full of people by that very act. The king is humbled. **Schiller Anthropos XII—XIII 513; DeVries FFC LXXIII 324ff.; Jewish: bin Gorion Born Judas III 67, *301, *Neuman.
J2353 The wife multiplies the secret. To prove that a woman cannot keep a secret the man tells his wife that a crow has flown out of his belly (or that he has laid an egg). She tells her neighbor that two crows have flown. Soon he hears from his neighbors that there were fifty crows. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 395; Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 244 No. 542; Chauvin VIII 168, 197; Spanish: Espinosa II Nos. 68—69; Italian Novella: Rotunda; Jewish: Gaster Exempla 196 No. 56; India: Thompson-Balys.
X121 The wife who saw double. Sees two plates where there are one, etc. Thinks two men are with her. Husband: "See everything double except your husband." Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 186 No. 358.
K1513 The wife's equivocal oath. A husband insists that his wife take oath that she has been intimate with no one but himself. The paramour masks as ass-driver. She hires an ass from him, falls down, and lets him pick her up. She then swears that no one has touched her except her husband and the ass-driver. *Type 1418; *Basset 1001 Contes II 4; **J. J. Meyer Isoldes Gottesurteil in seiner erotischen Beziehung (Berlin, 1914); *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 206; Rohde Der griechische Roman 484; BP IV 154, 387f.; Hdwb. d. Abergl. II 669; *Schoepperle I 225f.; Hertel Zs. f. Vksk. XVIII 385. —Icelandic: Boberg; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; India: *Thompson-Balys; Chinese: Chavannes 500 Contes I 387 No. 116.
E501 The Wild Hunt. (Cf. F282.) (Die Wilde Jagd, Das Wütende Heer, Odinsjæger, Chasse Fantastique.) A ghostly hunter and his rout continue the chase. **Plischke (bibliography); **Schweda; *Wahner Der Wilde Jäger in Schlesien; Lorentzen; Brunk Der wilde Jäger im Glauben des pommerschen Volkes (Zs. f. Vksk. XIII 179); *Zingerle 589f. (bibliography): Jacobsen Harlekin og den vilde Jæger (Dania IX 1); Heilberg Theodorich som den vilde Jæger (Dania IX 239); Olrik Odinsjægeren i Jylland (Dania VIII 139); *Fb "Odinsjæger" III 730ff.; RTP II 156, VI 291, VII 175, 328, VIII 566, IX 91, 411, XIII 186, 695f.; XIV 83, XVI 453, 531, XVII 504f.; Hartland Science 234ff.; Wehrhan 84; Walhouse FL VIII (1897) 196; *O. Höfler Kultische Geheimbünde der Germanen Bd. I: Das germanische Totenheer (Frankfurt a. M., 1934); Tupper and Ogle Walter Map 234. Musical treatments: Raff Symphony No. 3 (1869); J. Triebensee "Die wilde Jagd" (opera, Budapest, 1824); H. Payer "Der wilde Jäger" (opera, Vienna, 1806); V. E. Nessler "Der wilde Jäger" (opera, Leipzig, 1881); M. J. Beer "Der wilde Jäger" (cantata, Olmütz, 1888); A. Schultz "Der wilde Jäger" (opera, Brunswick, 1887); Müller-Reuter "Hackelberends Begräbnis" (choral ballad, 1902); C. Franck "Le Chasseur Maudit" (symphonic poem, 1883). For classical parallels see H. Hepding Attis 124; Gruppe Griechische Religionsgeschichte (1907) 1290 n. 2; Samter Geburt, Hochzeit, Tod 206 n. 5.—Irish: *Cross; Beal XXI 322; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 3518; Norwegian: *Solheim Register 17.
V221.0.1.2 The wine (water) occasionally used to bathe relics assumes healing powers. *Loomis White Magic 104.
J125.1 The wine needs no further water. Guests asks small daughter of innkeeper for water to put into his wine. She says, "You will not have to do that for mother poured a whole tubful into the cask today." *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 374.
J1511.5 The wine-spilling host rebuked. A host spills his customer's wine so that he must buy more. He consoles the guest with "It is a sign of the great abundance you shall have this year." With the same remark the guest draws the spigot from the host's wine cask. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 372; *Wesselski Mönchslatein No. 106; *Crane Vitry 269 No. 310.
J1714.2 The wise man and the rain of fools. A wise man is persuaded to taste water which has turned many persons into fools. He also becomes a fool. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) Nos. 34, 54.
K1715.3 The wolf flees from the wolf-head. The sheep have found a sack and a wolf-head. They make the wolf believe that they have killed a wolf, and he flees in terror. *Type 125; BP I 237ff., 254; Spanish: Espinosa III Nos. 249f., 255f., 266; India: *Thompson-Balys; Africa (Wakweli): Bender 54.
X1216.1 The wolf harnessed. Eats the horses, is harnessed and runs in the harness. (First ed. X936.) *Type 1910.
K2055.1 The wolf in the company of saints. Promises to give up slaying animals. After wringing the gander's neck, excuses self saying: "He should not have hissed at the saint." Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 165*.
X755 The wolf steals the old maid. She keeps him for a husband. Type 1477.
Z49.5.2 The wolf who wanted to make bread. The farmer explained to him how bread is made. He keeps on asking: "Shall I then be able to eat?" Decides he will not have enough patience to make bread. (Cf. K555.1.2.) Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 164*.
K1691 The woman as cuckoo on the tree shot down. The anger bargain is to cease when the cuckoo crows. The ogre's wife climbs the tree and imitates the cuckoo. She is shot down. *Type 1029; Köhler-Bolte I 151; Wünsche 29, 33, 36ff., 47, 51ff., 61, 106; Fb "tjære" III 811a; Irish myth: Cross; Missouri French: Carrière; Spanish: Espinosa III Nos. 163—7; Cape Verde Islands: Parsons MAFLS XV (1) 115.
J2349.4 The woman who asked for news from home. Gets many impossible answers, which she believes. E.g., "The cock has become sexton."—"Yes, that is why he sang so well in the morning." (First edition X941.) *Type 1931.
X453 The woman whose name was "Worthy." Refuses to say, "I'm not worthy" at communion. Italian Novella: Rotunda.
J1169.1 The woman with bad eyes. Physician called to doctor woman's eyes bandages them and then steals things each day. She refuses to pay fee and is haled to court. She says that her sight is worse than ever for whereas she used to see many things in her house she now sees very little. Theft is thus revealed. Wesselski Mönchslatein 20 No. 15; Wienert FFC LVI 39; Halm Aesop No. 107.—India: Thompson-Balys.
J1171.3 The woman with two husbands is to be killed. One of the husbands refuses to bury her. She is awarded to the other. Type 926*; India: *Thompson-Balys.
X1110 The wonderful hunt. (First ed. X921.) *Types 1890—1909; Wesselski Märchen 226f.; Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 312.
Z41.7 The wormwood does not want to rock the sparrow. Final formula: the worms begin to gnaw the rods, the rods to beat the oxen, the oxen to drink the water, the water to quench the fire, the fire to burn the hunters, the hunters to shoot the wolves, the wolves to kill the goats, the goats to gnaw the wormwood, the wormwood to rock me —it rocked and rocked me to sleep. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 2003*.
X131 The wry-mouthed family. Each member has mouth turned in a different way. Unavailing attempts to blow out the light. U.S.: *Baughman; Danish: MS in Danske Folkemindesamling (Grundtvig No. 166).
J181 The years not counted. Man says that he is the youngest present, for he does not count the years before he became monk (or the like). *Chauvin III 108.
J1962 The yeast as an afterthought. An old woman who has forgotten to knead it in the dough throws it into the stove. Type 1261*.
J2212.6 The Zodiac grows up: the Kid becomes the Goat. A fool who was born under the sign of the Kid declares that he was born under the Goat. "Hasn't it had time in these fifty years to become a goat?" Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 235 No. 105.
K331.2.1.1 Theft after putting owner to sleep by lousing her. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1151 Theft as a task. *Type 1525; BP III 379ff.; Icelandic: MacCulloch Eddic 123; Missouri French: Carrière; India: *Thompson-Balys.
K333.5 Theft by blinding with pepper. S. A. Indian (Toba): Métraux 125.
K365 Theft by confederate. Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 130 No. 1525G*; India: Thompson-Balys; Africa (Benga): Nassau 160 No. 20; West Indies: Flowers 508.
K311.13 Theft by disguise as barber. India: Thompson-Balys.
K311.14 Theft by disguise as merchant (or peddler). India: Thompson-Balys.
K311.8.5 Theft by disguise as owner's grandmother. India: Thompson-Balys.
K311.8 Theft by disguise as son of owner. India: Thompson-Balys.
K311.12.2 Theft by disguise as woman servant. India: Thompson-Balys.
K311.10 Theft by disguising as palace official. India: Thompson-Balys.
K361 Theft by disobeying orders: misappropriation.
K362.7 Theft by forgery: signature forged to obtain money. Italian Novella: Rotunda; India: Thompson-Balys.
K332.1 Theft by giving narcotic to guardian of goods. India: Thompson-Balys; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 225.
D2087 Theft by magic.
K332 Theft by making owner drunk. *Type 1525A; BP III 379ff.; Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 850; Irish myth: Cross; India: *Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Ikeda; Africa (Ekoi): Talbot 297.
K359.1 Theft by means of magic invisibility. Chinese: Graham.
K352 Theft by posing as doctor. Trickster advises wife to slaughter pig and have the trickster eat it all. Jamaica: *Beckwith MAFLS XVII 252 No. 30.
K353 Theft by posing as magician. Trickster claims to be working magic spell over food and eats it. India: Thompson-Balys.
K362.4 Theft by posing as master of the house and learning where goods are hidden. Wife deceived in the dark. *Gering Islenzk æventyri (Halle, 1883) II 210ff.; India: *Thompson-Balys.
K362 Theft by presenting false order to guardian. *Wesselski Mönchslatein 126 No. 109; India: *Thompson-Balys; Africa (Ibo, Nigeria): Basden 274; West Indies: Flowers 506-8.
K343.1.2 Theft by reporting relative's sickness. Woman falsely told that her father is wounded leaves her water pot with jackal. India: Thompson-Balys.
K366 Theft by trickster's trained animal.
K324 Theft by use of coat of invisibility. (Cf. D1361.12.) Chinese: Graham.
K365.3 Theft by wife's paramour. Wife tells him secret of buried money. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 1014.
K333 Theft from blind person. India: *Thompson-Balys; Oceanic (New Zealand, Tahiti, Mangaia, Hawaii, Melanesia, Micronesia, Indonesia): Dixon 46, 59, 65; Maori: Clark 160; Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 230; Tuamotu: Stimson MS (T-G. 3/931).
D1389.2.1 Theft from church prevented by apparent heat. *Loomis White Magic 98.
Q212.1 Theft from dwarf (witch) revenged. *Hoffmann-Krayer Zs. f. Vksk. XXV 117.
F359 Theft from fairies—miscellaneous.
F350 Theft from fairies.
K316.1 Theft from giant by fishing through chimney. Type 328; Christiansen Norske Eventyr 45.
G610 Theft from ogre. *Types 328, 314*; Icelandic: MacCulloch Eddic 54, Boberg; Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "argent"; Japanese: Anesaki 314; Molucca: Dixon 230; West Indies: Flowers 454f.
K333.2 Theft from three old women who have but a single eye among them. The hero seizes their eye. *BP IV 112 n. 5; *Frazer Apollodorus I 155 n. 4.
F455.6.4 Theft from troll.
Q221.8 Theft from water-deity punished. India: Thompson-Balys.
G279.2 Theft from witch.
A153.1 Theft of ambrosia. Food of the gods stolen.—Hindu: Keith 139; Persian: Carnoy 283.
F352.1 Theft of cup (drinking horn) from fairies when they offer mortal drink. Hartland Science 141—159 passim; Boberg Festskrift til Hammerich, 1952, 53—61. —England: *Baughman.
F352 Theft of cup (drinking horn) from fairies. Fb "guldhorn" I 513; Kristensen Danske Sagn I (1892) 206ff., (1928) 144ff.; Icelandic: Herrmann Saxo II 590, *Boberg; Finnish-Swedish: Wessman 65 No. 559.
A1415.2 Theft of fire by animals. *Dh III 92ff.; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 3020, Balys Legends Nos. 27f.; Eng.: Baughman; North Carolina: Brown Collection I 632.—Massim of British New Guinea: Dixon 115; Africa (Ekoi): Talbot 370, (Ila, Rhodesia): Smith and Dale 345, (Fang): Nassau No. 3; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 289 n. 63 (practically every reference); S. Am. Indian (Guarani): Métraux BBAE CXLIII (3) 93, (Mataco, Toba): Métraux ibid. (1) 367, (Eastern Brazil): Lowie ibid. (1) 434, (Chiriguano): Métraux ibid. (3) 484, RMLP XXXIII 172, (Toba): Métraux MAFLS XL 107-109.
A1415.2.1 Theft of fire by bird. Persian: Carnoy 264 (storm god in form of bird); India: Thompson-Balys; S. Am. Indian (Cashinawa): Métraux BBAE CXLIII (3) 685, (Jivaro): Steward-Métraux ibid. (3) 627, (Toba): Métraux MAFLS XL 6.
A1415.3 Theft of fire—trick exchange. Child of fire-owner is stolen and then given back in exchange for fire.—*Dh III 110ff.
A1415 Theft of fire. Mankind is without fire. A culture hero steals it from the owner.—**Frazer Fire; *Dh I 142ff.; *Hdwb. d. Märch. II 109b n. 14-15.—Greek: Fox 13, *Frazer Apollodorus I 51 n. 6; Hindu: Keith 36; Finnish: Holmberg Finno-Ugric 238.—Oceanic Dixon 47 n. 31 (Maori), 47 n. 34 (Polynesia—general), 48 n. 35, 36 (Melanesia), 49 (Maori, Chatham Is., Marquesas, Melanesia, Hawaii, Micronesia), 112 (Woodlark Is.), 114 (Motu and Massim of British New Guinea), 182ff. (Indonesia), 281 (Australia); Indonesian: Voorhoeve Overzicht 65; Marquesas: Handy 104; Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 227; Tonga: Gifford 22; Eskimo (Ungava): Turner RBAE XI 340; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 289 n. 63, Alexander N. Am. 256, 301f. n. 51; S. Am. Indian (Baikairi, Amazon): Alexander Lat. Am. 313; (Caingang): Métraux BBAE CXLIII (1) 473, (Botocudo): Métraux ibid. (1) 550, (Tucuna): Nimuendajú ibid. (3) 724, (Tenethara): Wagley-Galvao ibid. (3) 147, (Guarani): Métraux ibid. (3) 93, (Guarporé): Lévi-Strauss ibid. (3) 379, (Tapirape): Wagley-Galvao ibid. (3) 178, (Chamacoco): Métraux MAFLS XL 111, (Choco, Western Colombia): Métraux ibid. 112, (Apapocuvú-Guarani): Métraux RMLP XXXIII 138.—African: Frobenius Atlantis XII 80, (Bushongo): Torday 237, cf. Congo: Weeks 206. Cf. Finnish: Kalevala rune 47.
K322 Theft of gold hoard by spying on secret hiding place. India: Thompson-Balys.
F359.2 Theft of golden bird from fairies. India: Thompson-Balys.
K341.5.1 Theft of horses (cattle) by letting loose a rabbit so that drivers join in the chase. *Type 1525A; BP III 379ff.
A1411.2 Theft of light by being swallowed and reborn. The hero transforms himself to a particle. The daughter of the guardian of light swallows him as she is drinking water. He is reborn. As a child in the house he steals light.—India: Thompson-Balys; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 282 n. 44.
A1411 Theft of light. Light originally absent is stolen by culture hero.—Jewish: Neuman; Hindu: Keith 34.—N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 281 n. 42; Eskimo (Smith Sound): Kroeber JAFL XII 205, S. Am. Indian (Tapirape): Wagley-Galvao BBAE CXLIII (3) 178. Cf. Finnish: Kalevala rune 47.
A154.2 Theft of magic mead by Odin. *Olrik Edda XXIV 236ff.—Icel.: MacCulloch Eddic 54.
F351.2 Theft of money from fairies by frightening them away from it. Hartland Science 140.
F351.1 Theft of money from fairies by joining unperceived in their game of money-throwing. Hartland Science 139; England: *Baughman.
F351 Theft of money from fairies. Irish myth: Cross; India: Thompson-Balys.
A758 Theft of moon. Moon is kept by a monster. It is stolen and brought to earth.—*BP III 288f. Cf. Thompson Tales 281 n. 42; Eskimo (Bering Strait): Nelson RBAE XVIII 483.—Finnish: Kalevala runes 47, 49.
A721.1 Theft of sun. The sun, which is kept by a monster, is stolen and brought to earth.—BP III 288; Dh I 136ff., III 113ff.—Cf. Kaffir: Kidd 238 No. 7; Finnish: Kalevala runes 47, 49.—Eskimo (Bering Strait): Nelson RBAE XVIII 483; Calif. Indian: Gayton and Newman 60; S. Am. Indian (Cashinawa): Métraux BBAE CXLIII (3) 683.
A1417 Theft of tablets of fate. From heaven by bird Zu.—Babylonian: Carnoy 264.
A1151 Theft of the seasons. Certain seasons are lacking. A culture hero steals the season from a monster and brings it to his people.—N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 288 n. 60a.
F352.2 Theft of vessel from water-deity. India: Thompson-Balys.
Q212 Theft punished. (Cf. Q221.8, Q413.1, Q428.2, Q431.15, Q451.0.4, Q451.1.1, Q451.2.2, Q451.4.1, Q451.5.2, Q451.6.2, Q451.7.0.2.2, Q458.0.3, Q458.2.2, Q467.2, Q469.10.2, Q520.2, Q551.2.3.ff., Q551.6.4, Q551.7.2, Q552.4, Q552.6, Q552.19.3, Q554.1, Q558.6, Q559.10, Q597.3.) *Bloomfield Am. Journ. Philology XLIV 227, *Penzer V 61 n. 1, 143 n., VI 19; *Loomis White Magic 98.—Swiss: Jegerlehner Oberwallis 325 No. 1; Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 96 No. 1, Keller; Jewish: *Neuman; India: *Thompson-Balys; Easter Island: Métraux Ethnology 378; Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 122; Philippine (Tinguian): Cole 195; Africa (Cameroon): Mansfield 225, (Luba): DeClerq Zs. f. KS IV 222, (Ekoi): Talbot 233; West Indies: Flowers 567.
K316 Theft through chimney.
U25 Theft to avoid starvation forgiven. *Chauvin II 126 No. 128.
K300 Thefts and cheats—general. *Bloomfield Am. J. of Philology XLIV 97ff., 193ff., XLVII 205 ff.; *Penzer II 183ff.; *Chauvin VII 134 No. 403 n. 1; Fb "røver".
J1169.3 Their assistance not asked. Knight attacks enemy contrary to orders. Part of army helps him and is killed. He disclaims responsibility since he had not asked their aid. Wesselski Bebel I 157 No. 86.
J1269.11 Their own quarters need it more. Such is the answer given monks who insist that quarters occupied by the king and his train be reconsecrated. Wesselski Bebel I 189 No. 53.
E501.1.7.2 Theodoric as wild huntsman. *Heilberg Dania IX 239, Nyrop ibid. X 177; BP IV 140; Oesterley No. 190.
J1291.2 Theological questions answered by propounding simple questions in science. Where was God before he made heaven and earth? and the like answered by "Why a louse bite raises a blister, a flee bite raises a swelling, and a gnat bite is unnoticeable?" If you cannot answer such simple questions how can you pry into God's secrets. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 97.
J2031.2 There are ten horses; then when he is mounted there are only nine. Why? *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 267 No. 261; Italian Novella: Rotunda.
E751.0.1 There are to be two resurrections. Irish myth: Cross.
Z39.2 There was a wee wee woman who had a wee wee cow, etc. (First ed. Z31.4.2.) *Taylor JAFL XLVI 81 No. 2016, Hdwb. d. Märchens II 176a; Jacobs English Fairy Tales 57; Danish: Kristensen Danske Dyrefabler 122ff. Nos. 230—37; Russian: Andrejev No. 2015 I*.
Z49.4 There was once a woman; the woman had a son; the son had red breeches; etc.—At last: "Shall I tell it again?" (First ed. Z41.12.) *Taylor JAFL XLVI 81 No. 2013.
J1444 They gave it away themselves. A wandering actor rewarded by a city with a coat of their color gambles it away. When upbraided about giving away their present he replies that they hadn't wanted to keep it themselves. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 396.
K401.0.1 Thief accuses his companion of having stolen the gold they have both stolen. India: Thompson-Balys.
K343 Thief advises owner to go away; meantime steals the goods. Africa (Gold Coast): Barker and Sinclair 69 No. 10.
K343.2.2 Thief advises that new cloth be hung in the open overnight. Steals it while owner sleeps. Pierre Faifeu No. 21.
K343.2 Thief advises that slaughtered meat be hung up over night. Meantime he steals it. Africa (Zulu): Callaway 6; American Negro (Georgia): Harris Nights 123 No. 23.
K342 Thief as umpire in contest. Three men are quarreling over the possession of a rescued girl. The umpire will give her to the one who soonest returns with the arrow he shoots. While they run, he takes the girl. Chauvin V 91 No. 196, 212 No. 121; India: Thompson-Balys.
K419.2 Thief avoids detection by disguising as a woman. Italian Novella: Rotunda.
K311.4 Thief becomes monk in order to rob monastery. Italian Novella: Rotunda.
K583.1 Thief begs for any punishment except the luxury of two wives. India: Thompson-Balys.
K359.2 Thief beguiles guardian of goods by assuming equivocal name. India: Thompson-Balys.
K315.2 Thief bores hole in house wall, then introduces blackened pot as a feeler. India: *Thompson-Balys.
K351.2 Thief borrows cloak so to carry food. Disappears with it. India: Thompson-Balys.
Z49.11.2 Thief breaks foot climbing wall to rob. Suit against owner for dangerous wall. India: *Thompson-Balys.
F676.2 Thief can cut soles off man's boots without detection as he walks along road. India: Thompson-Balys.
F676.1 Thief can eat from man's plate during dinner without detection. India: Thompson-Balys.
K419.1 Thief cannot remember whom he delivered the goods to. Though he has eaten the food trusted to him, he claims to have delivered it, but cannot remember the person who opened the door. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 63.
Q467.2 Thief cast into water in a sack containing a cock, a snake, and a monkey. He had stolen a sacred statue of gold. (Cf. Q212, Q220.) Italian Novella: Rotunda.
K439.2 Thief claims that stolen goods are his own: detected by master. Type 1564**.
K403 Thief claims to have been transformed into an ass. While the owner sleeps the thief steals his horse, hitches himself to the wagon, and claims that he is the horse transformed into a man. *Type 1529; *BP III 9, 391 n. 3; Chauvin VII 137; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 229 No. 487; *Basset 1001 Contes I 492; Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 150 No. 1852*; Philippine: Fansler MAFLS XII 437.
K1622 Thief climbing rope discovered and rope cut. He has tricked the guardian of the food-supply in the tree (by imitation of the owner's voice or the discovered pass-word) to let down the rope. *Jamaica: Beckwith MAFLS XVII 242 No. 17.
K424 Thief condemned when witnesses of theft are able to find the stolen goods. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 808.
K317 Thief copies key by making wax impression. Swiss: Jegerlehner Oberwallis 312 No. 68; India: Thompson-Balys.
N339.15 Thief crushed to death by fallen fragments of wall he has bored. India: *Thompson-Balys.
M414.10 Thief cursed. Jewish: *Neuman.
J2136.5.1.1 Thief debates whether to take one thing or another. Caught. India: Thompson-Balys.
J1143 Thief detected by building straw fire so that smoke escapes through thief's entrance. The secret hole into the building is thus discovered and the thief caught. *Type 950; BP III 395ff.; Köhler-Bolte I 200ff.; Italian Novella: Rotunda.
J1149.6 Thief detected by his answer to question. "How would you treat a woman who came into your possession?" Answer: "I would use her and then give her to the servants." This reveals his true character. Italian Novella: Rotunda.
H251.3.2 Thief detected by psalter and key. Closed Bible with key inside at magic text loosely held by diviner and client. Name of suspected thief on end of key. As verse is spoken, if name is that of thief, book and key will turn around. Kittredge Witchcraft 196 nn. 65—82.
H251.3.3 Thief detected by sieve and shears. Sieve put on open shears and then grasped by two fingers so as to balance. Charm recited. If sieve trembles when name is called, that person is guilty. Kittredge Witchcraft 198ff. nn. 83—94; England: Baughman; Danish: Kristensen Danske Sagn VI (1900) 389ff., (1936) 188ff.
K311.2 Thief disguised as angel. Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "ange".
K311.17 Thief disguised as beggar. India: Thompson-Balys.
K311.1 Thief disguised as corpse. In the shroud of the supposed dead man is hidden another robber. *Type 966*; India: Thompson-Balys.
K311.5 Thief disguised as demon. Italian Novella: Rotunda.
K311.16 Thief disguised as girl. India: *Thompson-Balys.
K311.12 Thief disguised as menial. India: *Thompson-Balys.
K311.16.1 Thief disguised as old woman. India: Thompson-Balys.
K311.12.1 Thief disguised as owner's cook. Cheremis: Sebeok-Nyerges.




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