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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 ▲ |
|---|---|
| N391.0.1 | Hospitality enforced on hero keeps him overlong from home; meantime wife abducted. Chinese: Graham. |
| P320.2 | Hospitality for (three) years. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| P320.1 | Hospitality for a whole winter. Icelandic: Lagerholm 10 n., *Boberg. |
| Q152.1 | Hospitality of a citizen saves a city from destruction. (Cf. Q45.) Alphabet No. 368. |
| Q45.5 | Hospitality repaid by attack on devastating enemy. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| Q45.6 | Hospitality repaid by magic procuring of provisions. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| Q1 | Hospitality rewarded—opposite punished. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| Q45 | Hospitality rewarded. Scala Celi 51b, 81b, 83b, 104b, 152b, 158a, 164b Nos. 290, 466, 477, 569, 839, 884, 926; Alphabet No. 368; Irish myth: *Cross; Swiss: Jegerlehner Oberwallis 323 No. 95; Spanish: Espinosa III No. 152, Espinosa Jr. Nos. 181f.; Italian Novella: *Rotunda; India: Thompson-Balys; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 455, 989; Africa (Loango): Pechuël-Loesche 110, (Kaffir): Kidd 251 No. 13, (Ekoi): Talbot 208. |
| Q45.3 | Hospitality to ascetic rewarded. Buddhist Myth: Malalasekera II 221, 604, 656, 775. |
| Q45.2 | Hospitality to devil repaid. *Type 821A; Christiansen Norske Eventyr 105. |
| Q45.3.1 | Hospitality to monk rewarded. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 819. |
| Q45.1.3 | Hospitality to saint repaid: neither he nor his posterity will ever be hurt by venomous creatures. *Loomis White Magic 131. |
| P320 | Hospitality. Relation of host and guest. Irish myth: Cross. |
| V34.1 | Host cures disease. Alphabet No. 164. |
| V39.6 | Host given as pledge to keep one's word. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| P324 | Host greets guest with gifts. English romance: Malory passim; Icelandic: Boberg. |
| J1562.3 | Host hides meat in his clothing. It attracts his dog and he is exposed. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| V32 | Host miraculously given when it is refused a man by the priest. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 129; Alphabet Nos. 160, 420; Spanish Exempla: Keller; Icelandic: Boberg. |
| M206.1 | Host offers to send his guest a cask of the wine he has praised. Later refuses to send it as it was merely a "verba honoris". Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 308. |
| J1573 | Host rebukes negligent servant. |
| W213.1 | Host requires deed of bravery before feast is eaten. Irish myth: Cross. |
| K385 | Host robs guest. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| P325 | Host surrenders his wife to his guest. The guest unwittingly falls in love with the wife. The host, on being informed, out of pure generosity repudiates the wife and has her marry the guest. (Often joined with P315.) Chauvin V 136 No. 64; also references to P315; Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| V31.1 | Host taken away from sinful priest. Alphabet Nos 689, 691; Scala Celi 40b, 41a Nos. 229—36; Herbert III 398, 399, 465, 480, 483, 609, 709; Lithuanian: Balys Legends No. 409; Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| P324.1 | Host treats guest with food and everything possible. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| J344.2 | Host wants to learn Hebrew even at risk of forgetting his own language. Chauvin II 106 No. 69; Bødker Exempler 303 No. 72. |
| K484.2 | Host with overstock of sour wine spreads rumor of dragon at his house. A crowd gathers and he sells all his wine. *Wesselski Morlini 309 No. 65. |
| S123.0.1 | Hostages buried alive. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| M414.7 | Hostages cursed. Irish myth: Cross. |
| S265.1 | Hostages sacrificed. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| P533.1 | Hostages. Irish myth: Cross. |
| J1561.4.1 | Hostess says that she has no spoons. Otherwise she would be glad to give something to eat. A joker brings along the necessary spoons. Type 1449*. |
| T91.6.4.1.2 | Hostile amazon's daughter loves hero. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| B17 | Hostile animals. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B17.1 | Hostile beasts. Irish myth: Cross. |
| T173.2 | Hostile brides kill husbands in the bridal bed. *Encyc. Britannica 13 s.v. "Danaus"; Frazer Apollodorus I 143 n. 1; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 306A*; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K1292 | Hostile brother-in-law made king's inferior by being tricked to hold his sword, while the king arranges his breeches belt. (Old custom). Icelandic: Boberg. |
| P251.5.3 | Hostile brothers. Icelandic: *Boberg; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| B17.1.5 | Hostile cat. Irish myth: Cross (B16.1.4). |
| B17.1.3 | Hostile cattle. Irish myth: Cross. (Cf. B15.1.5.2.) |
| B17.1.2 | Hostile dog (hound). Irish myth: Cross. |
| J145 | Hostile dogs made friendly by having them fight common enemy, the wolf. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 400; Jewish: Neuman. |
| B17.2.1.2 | Hostile eel attacks hero. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B17.2.2 | Hostile griffin. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B17.1.4 | Hostile horse. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B17.1.2.2 | Hostile hound killed by reaching through hollow log in its jaws—and tearing heart out. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B17.2.3 | Hostile raven. |
| B17.2.4 | Hostile scorpion. |
| B17.2.1 | Hostile sea-beasts. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B17.2.1.3 | Hostile sea-cat. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B17.2.1.1 | Hostile sea-rat. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B16.2.2.1 | Hostile tiger killed. Icel.: *Boberg. |
| T685.2 | Hostile twins. *Dickson 98ff.; *Krappe Balor 30, 143 n. 33, FL XXXIV 189ff.; Gaster Oldest Stories 168. |
| K811.4 | Hostile visitors lured into iron house concealed by wooden walls. Hosts set fire to house. Irish myth: Cross. |
| P323 | Hosts refrain from telling guest of death in household. Wesselski Archiv Orientální II 431; Greek: Euripides Alcestis. |
| J2412.1 | Hot onion to the eye. A friend has cured his foot with this remedy. Herbert III 63; Hervieux IV 278 No. 34; *Krappe Bulletin Hispanique XXXIX 36; Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| K2351.6.1.1 | Hot pepper mixed with flour supplying enemy camp. Thinking they have been poisoned, they beat a retreat. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1033 | Hot porridge in the ogre's throat. He is tricked into burning his throat. *Type 1131. |
| J1959.1.1 | Hot sickle put into water to cure its fever. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| A942.1 | Hot springs rise where Christ bathed his feet. (Cf. A901.)—Dh II 68. |
| K1181 | Hot tin under the horse's tail. The smith promises to make the horse wild. The numskull on the horse's back. *Type 1142; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 224 No. 64. |
| B19.4.4 | Hound flame of fire by night. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B731.6.1 | Hound half white, half green. Irish myth: Cross. |
| B731.6 | Hound of every color. Irish myth: Cross. |
| A673 | Hound of hell. Cerberus (monstrous dog) guards the bridge to the lower world.—*Encyc. Rel. Ethics I 493a; *Fb "hund" III 678b.—Gaster Thespis 214; Greek: Fox 88; Frazer Apollodorus I 232 n. 1; Norse: Herrmann Nordische Mythologie 599ff., MacCulloch Eddic 303f.; Persian and Hindu: Keith 69.—Eskimo (Greenland): Rink 326, (Cumberland Sound): Boas BAM XV 165. |
| N335.5 | Hound strikes unique vulnerable spot. Irish myth: Cross. |
| S112.0.2 | House (hostel) burned with all inside. Irish myth: *Cross; Marquesas: Handy 132; Easter Island: Métraux Ethnology 386; Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 514. |
| V229.21 | House and family appear overnight to afford hospitality to benighted priests. (Cf. Q45.1.) U.S.: Baughman. |
| R121.3 | House burned (torn) down to deliver man imprisoned in it. *Chauvin VI 74 No. 239. |
| J2102.4.1 | House burned down to get rid of lizard. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2103.3 | House burned down to get rid of rats. (Cf. J2102.4.1.) India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2102.4 | House burned down to rid it of insects. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 37; *BP III 288; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 244 No. 137; Christensen DF XLVII 219ff. No. 82; India: Thompson-Balys; Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 267. |
| F473.2.4 | House burns for no apparent reason. U.S., Wales: *Baughman. |
| D1133.1 | House created by magic. India: Thompson-Balys; Chinese: Graham; N. A. Indian (Seneca): Curtin-Hewitt RBAE XXXII 349 No. 60, 392 No. 70; Africa (Kaffir): Theal 77. |
| D2099.3 | House crushed by magic. Eskimo (Greenland): Rink 272. |
| D2089.6 | House destroyed by magic. Chinese: Graham. |
| J142.1 | House dog blames master for teaching him lazy habits. Wienert FFC LVI 60 (ET 229), 145 (ST 502); Halm Aesop No. 217. |
| K336 | House filled with smoke so that owner gives trickster lodging. Type 1527*. |
| F165.5 | House in otherworld thatched with wings of birds. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F163.3 | House in otherworld. (Cf. F147.) Siuts 63ff. |
| F163.3.2.1 | House in underworld lined with human eyes. Tonga: Gifford 168. |
| F163.3.2.2 | House in underworld made of bones of dead. Tonga: Gifford 171. |
| F771.3.5.1 | House inside mountain. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F451.5.1.21 | House of dwarf's friend spared in fire. Dutch: Sinninghe FFC CXXXII 57 No. 83. |
| F221 | House of fairy. Missouri French: Carrière. |
| A151.4.4 | House of god with pillars made of dead chief's bones. Samoa: Beckwith Myth 76. |
| F163.3.1 | House of gold and crystal in otherworld. (Cf. F169.2.) Wimberly 146; Irish myth: *Cross. |
| V222.4 | House of saint filled with fragrance. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F771.1.5.2 | House of sapphire. Africa (Zanzibar): Bateman 127 No. 7. |
| F163.3.2 | House of silver in otherworld. (Cf. F163.1.5.) Irish myth: *Cross; Cheremis: Sebeok-Nyerges. |
| F771.1.9 | House of skulls. Murderer's abode. Type 756B; Andrejev FFC LXIX 86. |
| F771.1.5.3 | House of turquoise. Africa (Zanzibar): Bateman 127 No. 7. |
| V137 | House of woman who launders clothes for church spared in great fire. Alphabet No. 76. |
| K1889.1 | House seems to be afire. (Cf. K1886.) Irish: Plummer clxix, *Cross. |
| F482.8 | House spirit as suitor. (Cf. F301.) Norwegian: Solheim Register 19. |
| F405.11 | House spirit leaves when gift of clothing is left for it. (Cf. F348.11.) England: *Baughman. |
| F482.7 | House spirits fight each other. Norwegian: Solheim Register 19. |
| F480.3.1 | House to make household-spirit (cobold) surrender his booty. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 3476. |
| X1505.1 | House where omens go by contraries. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| P457 | House-painter. Sébillot Métiers No. 15. |
| D1317.21 | House-pillars warn. Eskimo (Greenland): Rink 442. |
| F481.2.2 | House-spirit furnishes inexhaustible supply of food. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F480.1 | House-spirit in form of a sow. Kittredge Witchcraft 216, 524 n. |
| F480.4 | House-spirit in form of baby. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F480.5 | House-spirit without bones or hair. Eskimo (Central): Boas RBAE VI 636. |
| F480 | House-spirits. *Kittredge Witchcraft 215f., 523f.; Meyer Germanen 213ff.; Meyer Altgermanische 109.—Icelandic: Boberg; Finnish: Holmberg Finno-Ugric 159ff.; *Finnish-Swedish: Wessman 30ff. Nos. 263—374 passim, 42 Nos. 337, 339; Swiss: Jegerlehner Oberwallis 324 No. 153; Slovenian: *L. Kretzenbacher Germanische Mythen in der epischen Volksdichtung der Slowenen (Graz, 1941) 49—79; Eskimo: Boas BAM XV 331, RBAE VI 636. |
| D1601.9 | Household articles act at command. (Cf. D1170.) Penzer IV 248. |
| A182.1.1 | Household gods speak to explain events. Virgil Aeneid III line 155. |
| A411 | Household gods. Irish myth: Cross; Istrian: Máchal 229; Slavic (general): ibid. 240ff.; Germanic: Meyer Germanen 213ff.; Roman: (Lares and Penates) *Frazer Ovid II 470 n. 1, IV 12ff., Roscher II 1868 s.v. "Lares"; Siberian: Holmberg Siberian 454; Finno-Ugric: Holmberg Finno-Ugric 113ff.; Estonian: Loorits Grundzüge I 543—570; Chinese: Ferguson 75. |
| F488.1 | Household spirit herds sheep, has great trouble coralling the lambs (rabbits). (Cf. J1757.) England: *Baughman. |
| K1839.10 | Housemaid disguised as minister. Jewish: Neuman. |
| F147 | Houses at border of otherworld. (Cf. F163.3.) *Siuts 44ff. |
| E481.1.2 | Houses in lower world of dead. (Cf. F163, F220.) Finnish: Holmberg Finno-Ugric 74. |
| D488 | Houses magically made larger. Eskimo (Greenland): Rink 219. |
| B784.1 | How animal gets into person's stomach (or body) (various methods). |
| A2421 | How animal got voice. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 3168, Legends Nos. 263—270; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| A2428.1 | How animal lost hearing. Dh III 231. |
| A2422 | How animal lost voice (or power of speech). Dh III 231ff.—India: Thompson-Balys. |
| A2326.1 | How animals got horns. Africa (Fang): Tessman 16f. |
| A2571 | How animals received their names. *Dh III 186ff.—Marshall Islands: Davenport 222. |
| A2791.3 | How banyan got its milk. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| A2378.2.4 | How bear lost tail. (See A2216.1.) |
| A2431.1 | How bird learned to build nest. *Dh III 202. |
| A2442.3 | How birds began to fly. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| A2486.4 | How birds began to lay eggs. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2387 | How blind men get about. Fool experiments with shut eyes and gets lost. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| A2322.1 | How buffalo got hair under chin. Dh III 34. |
| J1903.4 | How can an elephant eat, having tails at both ends? Decision: it lives on air. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| A2326.1.2 | How caribou got antlers. Exchanged his teeth for walrus's horns. (See A2247.) Eskimo (Labrador): Hawks GSCan XIV 159. |
| A2513.2 | How cat was domesticated. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| A2376.4 | How crab got its claws. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H681.2.1 | How deep is the earth? It is deep: my grandfather went into it (died) years ago and has not yet returned. Anderson FFC LXII 141. |
| H681.2.2 | How deep is the earth? My father went five years ago to measure it (died); when he returns I shall tell you the result. Anderson FFC XLII 142. |
| H681.4.1 | How deep is the sea? A stone's throw. *Type 922; Anderson FFC XLII 130; BP III 231. |
| H681.4.2 | How deep is the sea? At first, knee-deep; further on, waist-deep, neck-deep; and beyond that over the head. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2382 | How did the cow get on the pole? A fool hides his purse on a pole on a cliff. A rascal substitutes cow-dung for the money. The fool is interested only in how the cow could have reached the purse. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 236 No. 110; Köhler-Bolte I 497; Rumanian: Schullerus FFC LXXVIII 69 No. 8. |
| J1261.10 | How does goddess with thousand faces blow her noses? India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2221 | How does he know? A rustic refuses to believe reports about hell from a priest who has not been there. Herbert III 82. |
| A2425.1 | How dog began to bark. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| A2378.1.7 | How dog got its tail. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| A2345.6 | How elephant got its tusks. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H682.1.7 | How far from earth to heaven? A calf's (fox's) tail, if it were long enough. *Anderson FFC XLII 121; BP III 231; cf. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 96; Fb "kalvehale". |
| H682.1.8 | How far from earth to heaven? A leg's length, for it is written, Heaven is my throne and earth my footstool. Anderson FFC XLII 121. |
| H682.1.9 | How far from earth to heaven? One step, for they say, He stands with one foot in the grave and one in heaven. Anderson FFC XLII 122. |
| H682.1.10 | How far from earth to heaven? The devil knows for he has fallen this distance. Alphabet No. 67. |
| J1941 | How far his voice will reach. A numskull cries from a tower and then runs away to see how far his voice will reach. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 191 No. 373. |
| H682.1.1 | How far is it from earth to heaven? A day's journey, since Christ went to heaven in one day. (A half-day's journey, similar reason). *Anderson FFC XLII 119; Wesselski Bebel I 36 No. 75. |
| H682.1.2 | How far is it from earth to heaven? A day's journey, since there is no inn to stop at on the way. *Anderson FFC XLII 119. |
| H682.1.5 | How far is it from earth to heaven? As far as from heaven to earth. *Anderson FFC XLII 120. |
| H682.1.4 | How far is it from earth to heaven? As far as you can see. *Anderson FFC XLII 120. |
| H682.1.6 | How far is it from earth to heaven? Not far; when it thunders there it can be heard here. Anderson FFC XLII 120. |
| H682.1.3 | How far is it from earth to heaven? So and so high, and if you don't believe it, measure it yourself. *Anderson FFC XLII 118. |
| H685.1 | How far is it from happiness to misfortune? One day; yesterday I was herdsman and now I am abbot. (Cf. H561.2.) Anderson FFC XLII 216. |
| H681.1.1 | How far is it from one end of the earth to the other? A day's journey, since the sun makes it daily. *Type 922; Anderson FFC XLII 147.—Jewish: *Neuman. |
| A2332.1.2 | How fly got his eyes. Dh III 19. |
| A2332.1.4 | How fox got his eyes. Stole from birch tree. (See A2245.)—Dh III 129. |
| A2378.2.6 | How frog lost tail. (See A2242, lent to squirrel.)—Dh III 54. |
| A2378.2.3 | How frogs lost tails. (See A2231.4, A2236.3.)—Jewish: Neuman. |
| A2322.4 | How goat got his beard. Dh I 2, 181. |
| A2322.4.1 | How goat got his mane. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| A2326.1.5 | How goats got horns. Tahltan: Teit JAFL XXXII 215. |
| A2378.2.2 | How goats lost tails. (See A2216.2.) |
| A1650.3.2 | How God distributed professions: according to the bodily appearance of men. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 3056, Balys Legends No. 107. |
| J1713.1 | How he knew she was baking cakes. Husband actually knows from observation but wife thinks he has supernatural knowledge and spreads his fame India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1936 | How he looks in his sleep. A man stands before mirror with his eyes shut to see how he looks in his sleep. Clouston Noodles 9. |
| J1301 | How he shall be mourned. Women insist on knowing how a man wants to be mourned when he dies. "Mourn me as a man who was tormented by women talking foolishness." Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 232 No. 86. |
| J1391.4 | How he would act if he were a hawk. A hawk steals a piece of liver from a trickster and flies away with it. The trickster likewise steals some liver from another man and escapes to a high place with it. He says that he is seeing how he would act if he were a hawk. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 214 No. 41. |
| H691.2.1 | How heavy is the earth? Take away all the stones and I will weigh it. Anderson FFC XLII 143. |
| A2332.1.3 | How herring got his eyes. Dh III 44. |
| A2326.1.6 | How horned-viper got horns. Dh III 34. |
| A2320.3 | How lizard got red head. (See A2211.8.)—Jewish: Neuman. |
| A2330.2 | How lynx got his squint. (See A2211.1.) |
| A2378.3.1 | How magpie got long tail. (See A2236.4.) |
| H706.1 | How many days have passed since the time of Adam? The seven days of the week. Anderson FFC XLII 227. |
| H682.3 | How many exits from paradise? Moreno Esdras; Jewish: Neuman. |
| H703.1 | How many hairs are there in the head? As many as are in the tail of my ass; if you don't believe it we will keep pulling out one hair from your beard and one from his tail. Anderson FFC XLII 230. |
| H705.1 | How many leaves are on the tree? As many as there are stems for. *Anderson FFC XLII 176. |
| H705.3 | How many leaves are on the tree? Counterquestion: how many stars in the sky? (Cf. H702.) Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 116 No. 970. |
| H705.2 | How many leaves are on the tree? So and so many; and if you don't believe it, go count them. *Anderson FFC XLII 176. |
| H696.1.4 | How many measures of water are in the river? India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1291.3 | How many priests should one have in one place? How many fox tails will reach to heaven? All depends on the length of the tails. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 96. |
| H701.1 | How many seconds in eternity? A bird carries a grain of sand from a mountain each century; when the whole mountain is gone, the first second of eternity has passed. (Cf. D791.1.2, H1583, X950.2, Z61.) *Type 922; BP III 232; *Anderson FFC XLII 232. |
| H702.1.1 | How many stars in the heaven? Two million; if you don't believe it, count them yourself. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H702.1 | How many stars in the heavens? As many as the grains of sand; if you don't believe it, count them yourself. *Anderson FFC XLII 166. |
| H702.2.1 | How many stars in the heavens? As many as the hairs in the goatskin (on a donkey). India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H702.2 | How many stars in the heavens? As many as the hairs in the head; if you don't believe it, count them yourself. *Anderson FFC XLII 167. |
| H702.3 | How many stars in the heavens? As many as the points on paper; if you don't believe it, count them yourself. *Anderson FFC XLII 167. |
| J1306 | How marriage was consummated. Mother asks newly-wedded daughter if she approached her husband the first night. Answer: "He approached me." Spanish: Childers. |
| A2378.1.8 | How monkey got its tail. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| A2332.1.1 | How mouse got his eyes. Dh III 19. |
| H711.1 | How much am I (the king) worth? Twenty-nine pieces of silver, for Christ was sold for thirty. (Cf. H716.) *Type 922;* Anderson FFC XLII 194; *BP III 232; *Fb "værd". |
| J1291.3.1 | How much cloth would it take to make God's coat? Just as much as for me, for what you have done for a poor person in my name you have done for me. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 325. |
| H691.1.1 | How much does the moon weigh? A pound, for it has four quarters. *Type 922; BP III 232; *Anderson FFC XLII 173; Köhler-Bolte I 458. |
| H691.1.2 | How much does the moon weigh? So and so much, and if you don't believe it go and weigh it yourself. Anderson FFC XLII 174. |
| H715.1 | How much does the sun earn for his daily work? A day's wages. Anderson FFC XLII 226. |
| H713.1 | How much is a golden plow (throne, crown, palace) worth? A rain in May. *De Vries FFC LXXIII 161ff.; *Anderson FFC XLII 186. |
| H712.2 | How much is king's beard worth? A May rain (three rains in summer). De Vries FFC LXXIII 161; Köhler-Bolte I 456. |
| H712.1 | How much is king's beard worth? The months July, August, and September. Köhler-Bolte I 456. |
| J1601 | How much the ass cost. As the fool brings the new ass home everyone wants to know how much it cost. He has all publicly assemble and announces just what it cost. Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 134 No. 1550C, Espinosa No. 54. |
| H696.1.3 | How much water is in the sea? A tub-full if the tub is large enough. Anderson FFC XLII 134. |
| H696.1.2 | How much water is in the sea? So and so much, and if you don't believe it, go measure it yourself. Anderson FFC XLII 136. |
| H696.1.1 | How much water is in the sea? Stop all the rivers and I will measure it. Anderson FFC XLII 134; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| A2378.3.2 | How muskrat got long, thin tail. Dh III 51. |
| A2421.1 | How night-swallow got voice. Esthonian: Aarne FFC XXV 147 No. 51. |
| A2421.5 | How nkundak got voice. (See A2223.2.) |
| A2402.2 | How ostrich lost beautiful feathers. (See A2252.3.) |
| A2326.1.4 | How ox got horns. Exchanged for horse's teeth. (See A2247.) |
| A2421.4 | How partridge got voice. Borrowed from tortoise. (See A2241).—Dh III 132. |
| A2378.1.9 | How peacock got its tail. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| A1485 | How people learned about calculating time and the seasons. Chinese: Graham. |
| A2513.3 | How pig was domesticated. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| A2421.4.1 | How quail got voice. Lithuanian: Balys Legends No. 267. |
| A2211.11 | How rattlesnake became harmful: earthworm feeds him chili pepper. S. Am. Indian (Toba): Métraux MAFLS XL 68. |
| A2444.3 | How salmon swims. Dh III 222.—Irish: Beal XXI 327. |
| A2326.1.3 | How sheep got horns. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 3126; Tahltan: Teit JAFL XXXII 215. |
| A2320.1 | How snake got small head. (See A2213.1.)—Jewish: Neuman. |
| F411 | How spirits travel. |
| A2326.1.1 | How stag got antlers. From camel. See A2241.1. |
| A2326.3.2 | How stag got long antlers. Dh III 30. |
| A2571.1 | How the blackbird (merulus) received its name. Irish myth: Cross. |
| G303.5 | How the devil is dressed. |
| G303.7 | How the devil travels. |
| G303.16 | How the devil's power may be escaped or avoided. Irish myth: *Cross; Finnish-Swedish: Danielsson 112. |
| A851 | How the earth became oblong. God the Father situated on one side of the earth, the Son on the other.—Finnish: Aarne FFC VIII 3 No. 2; Estonian: Aarne FFC XXV 139 No. 3. |
| J2374 | How the first man killed himself. The second fool imitates the first who leaps from a palm tree by means of a looped rope. The first kills himself. The second wants to see just how it happened and kills himself too. Africa (Ekoi): Talbot 156 No. 2. |
| J2281 | How the fishes got there. Guests of host who waters his wine put little fishes into the wine jug. "Now I confess that I put water into the wine; otherwise the fishes could not be there." *Wesselski Bebel II 109 No. 32. |
| X611 | How the Jews were drawn from heaven. Someone cries, "Clothes are being auctioned off in hell." *Type 2403; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 1868*; cf. U.S.: Baughman (X597.1, X902). |
| A2711.6 | How the plum tree came to be so hardy: blessed by Ram. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| Z23 | How the Rich Man paid his Servant (Lönen hos den rike man). A farmer pays his servant in the first year a hen, in the second a cock, goose, goat, cow, horse, .... girl. farmstead. **Taylor JAFL XLVI 80 No. 2010 I; Kristensen Danske Dyrefabler 168—78 Nos. 392—418; *T. Norlind Svenska Allmogens Liv (Stockholm, 1925) 612. — Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 2010 I*. |
| J1305 | How the tail pointed. One who believes in auguries asks peasant woman if she has seen a bird. "Yes, a crow." And in what direction was his tail pointing?" Answer: "Toward the rear!" |
| J2711 | How the tower was built. Fool gives three explanations: (1) It was formerly a deep well; dug up and set out; (2) it was built by a very tall man; (3) it was built flat on the ground and then set up. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 243 No. 27. |
| A1661.1 | How the white man got his beard. Cheyenne: Campbell JAFL XXIX 407. |
| A2435.1.2 | How tiger formerly cooked its food and why it changed. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2716 | How to find if it is raining. (Cf. W111.2.4.) |
| J2173.9 | How to remove hairs from salt. Washed with water, salt melts away. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2119.6 | How to save the rice. Boy has rice in joined hands and arms around a pillar. Afraid to move lest rice be lost. Roof is removed and boy lifted over pillar. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J1735.1 | How to tell the right hand in the dark. Numskull keeps the candle at his right side as he goes to bed so that he can do so. Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 235 No. 104. |
| A2378.2.7 | How toad lost tail. Dh III 54.—Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 38 No. 287. |
| A2320.2 | How turtle got snake-like head. (See A2247.2.) |
| J2133.14.1 | How was the pigeon killed? Fool aims stone at inquirer saying, "I struck him like this." Inquirer is killed. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| J2062.3 | How was the town burned? India: Thompson-Balys. |
| H682.2.1 | How wide is heaven? So and so wide, and if you do not believe it, go measure it yourself. Anderson FFC XLII 227. |
| A2330.1 | How wildcat got his mashed face. (See A2213.2.1.) |
| A2378.3.3 | How wolf got long tail. (See A2215.1; Cf. A2262.) |
| A2421.2 | How woodcock got voice. Traded with turkey. (See A2247).—Dh III 123. |
| A2322.3 | How zebra got its mane. Ila (Rhodesia): Smith and Dale 368 No. 19. |
| D1812.5.1.12.1 | Howling of dog as bad omen. (Cf. D1812.5.0.9.) Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F472 | Huckauf. A goblin which jumps on one's back. *Kittredge Witchcraft 220f., 528f. nn. 78—79; Dutch: Sinninghe FFC CXXXII 68 No. 291; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 3425, Legends Nos. 827—832. |
| F1041.9.2.1 | Huge boil appears on forehead of youth keeping a secret. Irish myth: Cross. |
| D1691.1 | Huge load easily carried by a saint. (Cf. V220.) *Loomis White Magic 48. |
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