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.

46,221 motifs

Page 113 of 185 · 250 per page
Thompson reference ▲ Description
H1129.3 Task: carrying soil to cover stony ground. Irish myth: *Cross.
H1129.4 Task: filling pot with dew. Africa (Ganda): Baskerville 8ff.
H1129.5 Task: building a fire; whole tree burns up while man is bringing another. Irish myth: Cross.
H1129.5.1 Task: gathering firewood; bundle continually swept away from swimming man. Irish myth: Cross.
H1129.6 Task: building causeway, clearing land, etc. Irish myth: *Cross.
H1129.7 Task: gathering bed-tick full of harp strings. Irish myth: Cross.
H1129.8 Task: gathering vessel full of nail-scrapings. Irish myth: Cross.
H1129.9 Task: gathering crow's house full of wren's eggs. Irish myth: Cross.
H1129.10 Task: gathering fist-full of fleas. Irish myth: Cross.
H1129.10.1 Impossible task: assembling huge quantity of many-colored fleas. Spanish Exempla: Keller.
H1129.11 Task: carrying fuel. Irish myth: *Cross.
H1130 Superhuman tasks.
H1131 Task: building enormous bridge. (Cf. H359.1.) Irish myth: Cross; Japanese: Ikeda.
H1131.1 Task: building bridge over land and sea. *Fb "guldæble" I 516a.
H1131.2 Devil as suitor assigned task to build bridge or dam. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 3250, Legends Nos. 343f.
H1132 Task: recovering lost objects.
H1132.1 Task: recovering lost object from sea. Irish: Beal XXI 308, 316, O'Suilleabhain 26.
H1132.1.1 Task: recovering lost ring from sea. *Types 513, 554; *Saintyves Essais 381; BP I 134ff., II 19ff.; *Fb "guldring"; Irish myth: *Cross; Greek: Fox 101 (Theseus); Japanese: Ikeda; Cape Verde Islands: Parsons MAFLS XV (1) 280 No. 91.
H1132.1.1.1 Test: recovering ring from water. India: *Thompson-Balys.
H1132.1.2 Task: recovering lost key from sea. *Type 554; BP I 134ff., II 19ff.; Fb "guldnøgle" I 514; Irish: O'Suilleabhain 25, 35, Beal XXI 307, 312; Missouri French: Carrière; Japanese: Ikeda.
H1132.1.3 Task: recovering strap from sea. Type 434*; Japanese: Ikeda.
H1132.1.4 Task: recovering pen from sea. *Type 531; Japanese: Ikeda.
H1132.1.5 Task: recovering lost fish-hook. Done by Sea-king. Japanese: Anesaki 266, Ikeda.
H1132.1.6 Task: recovering cooking-spit from sea. Irish myth: *Cross.
H1132.1.7 Task: recovering crown from sea. German: Grimm No. 107.
H1132.2 Task: recovering object in large fire. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1132.3 Task: recovering object from python's hole. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1132.3.1 Task: getting ring from python's hole (help from python goddess). India: Thompson-Balys.
H1133 Task: building castle (fort). Irish myth: *Cross; Missouri French: Carrière.
H1133.1 Task: building magic castle. *Type 554; BP II 19ff.
H1133.2 Task: building castle in air. Fb "slot" III 377a; Italian: Basile Pentamerone IV No. 5.
H1133.3 Task: building castle in sea. Fb "slot" III 377a; India: Thompson-Balys.
H1133.4 Task: building palace of gold (crystal). India: Thompson-Balys.
H1133.5 Task: building palace and city. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1133.6 Task: building exact replica of castle in wax. German: Grimm No. 107.
H1135 Task: annihilating (overcoming) army single-handed. Type 513; Irish myth: *Cross; Greek: Fox 112 (Jason).
H1136 Task: bringing winds from the whole world. Fb "vind" III 1059a.
H1136.1 Task: bringing back flour scattered by wind. Indonesia: De Vries's list No. 171.
H1136.2 Task: gathering wind in fists. Jewish: Neuman.
H1137 Task: binding waves of the sea. Indonesia: De Vries's list No. 236; Filipino: Fansler MAFLS XII 62.
H1138 Task: supplying water in land where it is lacking. *Fb "vand" III 1001b.—Icelandic: Boberg.
H1138.1 Task: "to turn low stream and fill the high stream." India: Thompson-Balys.
H1141 Task: eating enormous amount. *Type 513; Missouri French: Carrière; India: Thompson-Balys; Africa: Werner African 153.
H1141.1 Task: eating mountain of bread. *Type 571; Fb "æde" III 1140a.
H1141.2 Task: eating three hundred fat oxen. Fb "æde" III 1140a.
H1141.3 Task: eating room-full of salt. (Trickster eats only a pinch. "He who has eaten with a friend as much salt as I have eaten and does not recognize the friendship will not do so though he eat ten rooms full of salt.") *Bolte Reise der Söhne Giaffers 207.
H1141.4 Task: eating entire goat without leaving a scrap. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1142 Task: drinking enormous amount. *Type 513; Icelandic: Boberg; India: Thompson-Balys.
H1142.1 Task: drinking wine—cellar empty. *Type 571; Missouri French: Carrière.
H1142.2 Task: drinking the sea dry. *Anderson FFC XLII 139, 356; BP II 369; *Chauvin VIII 62 No. 26; Norse: MacCulloch Eddic 93 (Thor); Gascon: Bladé I 8 No. 1.
H1142.2.1 Task: drinking the sea dry (illusion produced by magic thread which makes hero think he is drinking from spring). India: Thompson-Balys.
H1142.3 Task: drinking the sea dry: countertask: stop all the rivers. (Cf. H951.) BP II 369.
H1143 Task: dipping out the sea with a spoon: countertask: stop all the rivers. (Cf. H1113., H1142.3.) De Vries FFC LXXIII 251.—French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule (H1023.2.3.); Spanish Exempla: Keller.
H1143.1 Task: emptying the lake with a pail in one day. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule.
H1144 Task: measuring ocean. *Hdwb. d. Märchens s.v. "Meer austrinken, ausmessen".
H1144.1 Task: to collect together all the drops of water. Jewish: Moreno Esdras.
H1144.2 Task: counting the waves. India: *Thompson-Balys.
H1145 Tasks: other difficult measurements.
H1145.1 Task: weighing fire. Jewish: Moreno Esdras (H1023.16).
H1145.2 Task: measuring a gust of wind. Jewish: Moreno Esdras (H1023.18).
H1146 Task: carrying mountain on head. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1147 Task: making ladder which whole army cannot set up. De Vries FFC LXXIII 323, 331.
H1149 Miscellaneous superhuman tasks.
H1149.1 Task: yoking together lion and wild boar. Greek: Fox 107 (Admetus), Grote I 108.
H1149.2 Task: lifting a certain cat. (Is serpent that embraces the earth.) Icelandic: Boberg (Thor and the Midgard serpent).
H1149.3 Task: defeating a certain old woman. (She is Old Age.) Hdwb. d. Märchens I 445b n. 432; Icelandic: Boberg.
H1149.4 Task: collecting enormous amount of material (number of rare objects, etc.) Irish myth: Cross.
H1149.5 Feat on spear point. Hero performs it as task set by otherworld amazon. Irish myth: Cross.
H1149.6 Task: breaking pigeon's egg on parapet of castle. Pigeon in ferocious serpent. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule.
H1149.7 Task: drawing spear thrust through seven iron plates. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1149.8 Girl to bring cloth as long as river and raise pig as big as mountain. (Countertask: measure river and weigh mountain.) Chinese: Graham.
H1149.9 Task: lifting mountain. Countertask: placing it on my shoulders. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1149.10 Task: jumping across river in one bound. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1150 Tasks: stealing, capturing, or slaying. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1151 Theft as a task. *Type 1525; BP III 379ff.; Icelandic: MacCulloch Eddic 123; Missouri French: Carrière; India: *Thompson-Balys.
H1151.1 Task: stealing golden apples. *Fb "guldæble" I 516, "æble" III 1135b; Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: MacCulloch Eddic 179, *Boberg Greek: Fox 87, Frazer Apollodorus I 220 n. 1.
H1151.1.1 Task: stealing a golden lotus. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1151.2 Task: stealing twelve horses out of stall. (Cf. H1151.13.3.) *Type 1525; *Fb "hest".
H1151.2.1 Task: stealing horse when owner has been forewarned. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1151.2.2 Task: stealing king's horse as he rides on it. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1151.3 Task: stealing sheet from bed on which person is sleeping. *Type 1525; Missouri French: Carrière.
H1151.3.1 Task: stealing tray from king's bedside. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1151.4 Task: stealing ring from finger. *Type 1525.
H1151.5 Task: stealing belt from queen. Greek: Frazer Apollodorus I 203 n. 1 (Hercules).
H1151.5.1 Task: stealing girdle of goddess. Tuamotu: Stimson MS (z-G. 13/243).
H1151.6 Task: stealing elephant's tail (tusks). Africa (Gold Coast): Barker and Sinclair 123 No. 22, (Ekoi): Talbot 208.
H1151.6.1 Task: stealing enormous diamond from elephant's forehead. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1151.7 Task: stealing the two horns of a savage bull. Icelandic: *Boberg.
H1151.7.1 Task: stealing gold-filled horn of wild three-horned ox. (Cf. H933.2.) Icelandic: *Boberg.
H1151.8 Task: stealing cattle which are guarded by a marvelous dog. Greek: Frazer Apollodorus I 87 n. 3 (Melampus).
H1151.9 Task: stealing troll's golden horse. *Fb "guldhest".
H1151.10 Task: bringing branch from tree guarded by ghosts. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1151.10.1 Task: stealing pears from ingeniously guarded garden. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1151.11 Task: bringing a baby lion's tail to use as broom. Africa (Hausa): Mischlich 80ff. No. 5.
H1151.12 Task: stealing eggs from under bird. Type 653; India: *Thompson-Balys; Africa: Weeks Jungle 43, (Madagascar): Renel II 118f. No. 91.
H1151.13 Task: stealing from a king. Irish myth: Cross.
H1151.13.1 Task: stealing pigskin from a king. Irish myth: *Cross.
H1151.13.2 Task: stealing spear from a king. Irish myth: *Cross.
H1151.13.3 Task: stealing horses (and chariot) from a king. (Cf. H1151.2.) Irish myth: *Cross.
H1151.13.4 Task: stealing hound from a king. Irish myth: *Cross.
H1151.13.5 Task: stealing three pearls from king's heavily guarded treasury. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1151.14 Task: stealing sword from giant. Icelandic: Boberg.
H1151.15 Task: stealing goddess Freya's necklace. Icelandic: Boberg.
H1151.16 Task: stealing the mead of poetry. Icelandic: Boberg.
H1151.17 Task: stealing the bait of the demon Aсan. S. A. Indian (Tupinamba): Métraux BBAE CXLIII (3) 132.
H1151.18 Task: liberating wife's sister, elephant's captive, who lives in a box in his ear. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1151.19 Task: eating only what is stolen without sinning. Irish myth: Cross.
H1151.20 Task: stealing magic healing apples. (Cf. H1323.) French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule.
H1151.21 Task: stealing magic healing water. (Cf. D1500.1.18.) French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule.
H1151.22 Task: stealing laborer's pajamas. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1151.23 Task: stealing beautiful clothing of a witch. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1151.24 Task: stealing ogress's drum. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1151.25 Task: stealing ogre's grain. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1151.26 Task: bringing ruby in head of devastating serpent. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1152 Task: selling an animal and keeping him.
H1152.1 Task: selling a sheep (goat) and bringing it back along with the money. (Shears and sells wool; brings animal back.) De Vries FFC LXXIII 43ff., 157; Irish: Cross, Baughman.
H1153 Task: selling three old women. (Devil finds that no one wants them.) *Type 1170; BP III 16.
H1154 Tasks: capturing animals. Irish myth: *Cross; Greek: Fox 80ff.
H1154.0.1 Task: bringing head(s) of animal(s). India: Thompson-Balys.
H1154.1 Task: capturing magic pig carrying scissors, comb, and razors between its ears. Irish myth: *Cross; Welsh: MacCulloch Celtic 187.
H1154.2 Task: capturing deer from herd watched by giant. English: Wells 115 (Sir Eglamour).
H1154.2.1 Task: capturing ninety pigs, ninety horses, and one hundred wild oxen. Icelandic: Boberg.
H1154.3 Task: bridling a wild animal.
H1154.3.1 Task: bridling a wild horse. Finnish: Kalevala rune 14; Italian Novella: Rotunda; Spanish: Espinosa Jr. No. 74.
H1154.3.2 Task: bridling ferocious bear. Finnish: Kalevala rune 19.
H1154.3.3 Task: capturing and binding ferocious boar. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1154.3.3.1 Task: measuring (killing) wild boar. Irish myth: *Cross.
H1154.3.4 Task: capturing wild elephant. Africa (Fang): Einstein 70ff. (= Trilles 190ff. No. 11).
H1154.3.5 Task: loading ferocious camels. Africa (Kordofan): Frobenius Atlantis IV 101ff. No. 11.
H1154.3.6 Task: yoking stags. Irish myth: Cross.
H1154.3.7 Task: bringing tigers.
H1154.3.7.1 Task: procuring four full-grown tigers to guard four gates of king's palace. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1154.4 Task: catching huge fish without nets or tackle. Finnish: Kalevala rune 19.
H1154.5 Task: capturing elk. Finnish: Kalevala rune 13.
H1154.6 Task: capturing squirrel and rattlesnake. American Negro (Georgia): Harris Nights 203 No. 35.
H1154.7 Task: capturing bird. Irish myth: Cross.
H1154.7.1 Task: retrieving king's falcon. Italian Novella: Rotunda.
H1154.7.2 Task: capturing blackbird (yearly). Irish myth: Cross.
H1154.7.3 Task: procuring four full-grown peacocks to sit one on each of four golden pinnacles of palace room. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1154.8 Task: capturing magic horse. Type 313.
H1154.9 Task: capturing pair of every wild animal in the land. Irish myth: *Cross.
H1154.10 Task: capturing badgers. Irish myth: Cross.
H1154.11 Task: obtaining marrow of wild pig, lard of wild boar, water bird (coot?). Irish myth: *Cross.
H1154.12 Task: bringing in fierce lion alive. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1155 Task: taming wild animals. (Cf. H1154.3.)
H1155.1 Riding and taming a wild horse. India: *Thompson-Balys.
H1155.1.1 Task: grooming unruly mare. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1155.2 Task: milking unruly cow. India: *Thompson-Balys.
H1155.3 Task: feeding dangerous man-eating sow. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1155.4 Task: caring for mad elephant. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1155.5 Task: riding buffaloes. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1156 Task: incurring anger of ferocious animal.
H1156.1 Task: setting fire to brush wood near abode of sacred cobra. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1161 Task: killing ferocious beast. Irish: MacCulloch Celtic 126, *Cross; English: Wells 115 (Sir Eglamour of Artois); Icelandic: *Boberg; Finnish: Kalevala rune 14; Missouri French: Carrière; Greek: Frazer Apollodorus I 184 n. 2, 187 n. 3, 191 n. 3, 197 n. 3, 199 n. 2, 200 n. 1, 210 n. 1 (Hercules), II 59 n. 1 (Cychreus); Africa (Basuto): Jacottet 3 No. 1.
H1161.1 Task: killing murderous bird. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1161.2 Task: overcoming savage buffalo. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1161.2.1 Task: killing ox. Icelandic: Boberg.
H1161.2.2 Task: killing fierce bull. (Cf. H1151.7.) India: Thompson-Balys.
H1161.3 Task: overcoming elephant. Icelandic: *Boberg; India: Thompson-Balys.
H1161.3.1 Task: mouse to fight single-handed with king's state elephant and destroy it. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1161.4 Task: killing golden pig. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1161.5 Task: killing devastating lion. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1161.6 Task: killing devastating tiger. India: *Thompson-Balys.
H1162 Task: killing certain man. (Cf. H335.3, H335.5, H335.6.) Icelandic: Boberg; India: Thompson-Balys.
H1162.1 Task: overcoming robbers. India: *Thompson-Balys.
H1162.2 Task: slaying king's son so that father will not die. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1163 Task: uprooting man-devouring tree. (Cf. H335.) Jewish: Neuman.
H1165 Task: bullfight (buffaloes). India: Thompson-Balys.
H1166 Task: duel. Icelandic: Boberg.
H1166.1 Task: wrestling etc. with giant warrior. Icelandic: *Boberg.
H1172 Task: bringing an ogre to court. Köhler-Bolte I 306.
H1173 Task: luring Thor into the power of giants. Icelandic: Boberg.
H1174 Suitor test: killing monster. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1174.1 Task: bringing back two heads of a giant. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1174.2 Task: overcoming dragon. Icelandic: Þiðriks saga I 175ff.
H1177 Bringing fairies to court.
H1177.1 Suitor task: to make fairies dance before princess. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1180 Miscellaneous tasks.
H1181 Task: raising a buried treasure. *Type 613; Christiansen FFC XXIV 92ff.
H1182 Task: letting king hear something that neither he nor his subjects have ever heard. (Reads a letter from a foreign king demanding a loan.) Chauvin VI 39 No. 207.
H1182.1 Task: recovering money owed by a foreign king. *Cosquin Contes indiens 474ff.
H1182.2 King asks favorite minister to show him a trick that he has never seen before. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1183 Task: carrying a wagon axle which has broken a wheel. *BP III 16.
H1184 Task: cutting down tree without scratching for stinging insects. (Scratches surreptitiously while gesticulating.) *Jamaica Beckwith MAFLS XVII 250f. No. 29.
H1185 Task: preparing the food "Oh my". (Needle put in food which causes eater to say "Oh my!") De Vries FFC LXXIII 250.
H1185.1 Task: buying a coin's worth of eggs and another of "ay, ay." Servant puts nettles in bag with eggs, and master cries "Ay, ay" when he touches the nettles. Spanish: Childers.
H1186 Task: making pigs dance. Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "cochons". Cf. Type 850.
H1187 Task left by departing husband for virgin wife to accomplish: have a son whose real mother she is and whose real father he is. She accomplishes this by disguising as a girl. Köhler-Bolte II 647ff. *Liungman Tvе Folkminnesundersökningar 25 n. 1; FSS 7ff. (H922); India: *Thompson-Balys; Icelandic: Boberg.
H1188 Task: plowing field of vipers. (Puts on iron boots.) Finnish: Kalevala rune 19.
H1191 Task: blinding a witch. Italian: Basile Pentamerone IV No. 4.
H1191.1 Task: beheading witch, and bringing head to king. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule.
H1191.2 Task: catching devastating witch who haunts king's best garden. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1192 Task: combing hair of fairies. Type 480; Roberts 168; Italian: Basile Pentamerone III No. 10.
H1193 Task: causing dry spring to flow again. *Type 613; *Hdwb. d. Märchens I 346a nn. 121—22.
H1194 Task: making person laugh. Irish myth: Cross; Icelandic: Boberg; India: *Thompson-Balys.
H1194.0.1 Task: causing silent person to speak. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1194.1 Man whose laughter brings rain will not laugh: brought to laughter when people who, unknown to each other, have gone to sleep in same dark room frighten each other. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1194.2 Task: making jackal laugh (weep). India: *Thompson-Balys.
H1195 Task: having a shirt made by a woman free from trouble and worry. Italian Novella: Rotunda.
H1196 Task: freeing king from clutches of magic doll. Will marry rescuer if a girl. Italian Novella: *Rotunda.
H1197 Task: crossing weed-filled stream. Hero spreads cloth on weeds and floats across. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1198 Task: picking ruby out of a tray filled with identical rubies. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1199 Other tasks.
H1199.1 Task: planting beautiful garden. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1199.2 Task: healing sick person. Types 551, 610—12; Africa (Tanga): Nassau JAFL XXVIII 30ff. No. 5.
H1199.2.1 Task: causing sickness to come to certain tribe. Irish myth: Cross.
H1199.2.2 Task: curing extraordinarily incurable ulcer. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1199.3 Task: shouting from forbidden place. Irish myth: *Cross.
H1199.4 Task: engraving shield with unique pattern. Irish myth: Cross.
H1199.5 Task: disenchantment. (Cf. D700.) Irish myth: Cross.
H1199.6 Task: swine to shake bole of certain tree. Irish myth: Cross.
H1199.7 Task: swine to eat fish of certain waters. Irish myth: Cross.
H1199.8 Task: defending oneself alone against fifteen ships, sixty men. (Cf. H915.1.) Icelandic: Boberg.
H1199.9 Task: ridding city of thieves. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1199.9.1 Task: discovering ring-thief. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1199.10 Task: jumping over fire. Icelandic: Boberg.
H1199.11 Task: going to bed with Odin, the underworld's king. Icelandic: Boberg.
H1199.12 Task: unusual pasturing.
H1199.12.1 Task: shepherd in God's service tending sheep and following where they go. On the way, he sees many wonderful things. (Cf. F171.0.1.) Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 806*.
H1199.12.2 Task: pasturing witch's cattle (really her daughters). Grateful animals give help (cf. B571.) Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 557*.
H1199.13 Task: squaring the lumber on a stone without blunting the axe. Woman is purposely sent to distract him. Lithuanian: Balys Legends No. 491f.
H1199.14 Task: climbing extraordinary (high, thin) cliff. Irish myth: Cross.
H1199.15 Task: securing dishes which have been locked up in vault. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule.
H1199.16 Task: producing seven pairs of chopsticks in seven plates. (A lacquered plate and pair of chopsticks—seven coats of lacquer.) Chinese: Graham.
H1199.17 Task: guarding.
H1199.17.1 Task: guarding palace at night that no one can enter or leave. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1199.17.2 Task: guarding six sisters-in-law so that they do not joke or talk to anyone. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1199.18 Task: knocking off single fruit from king's tree. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1200 Quest.
H1210 Quest assigned.
H1210.1 Quest assigned by father. *Types 402, 550; Irish myth: *Cross; Missouri French: Carrière; Spanish: Espinosa Jr. No. 105; India: *Thompson-Balys; Chile: Pino Saavedra 399, 403, 404; Africa (Ekoi): Talbot 350.
H1210.2 Quest assigned by king. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule; India: *Thompson-Balys.
H1211 Quests assigned in order to get rid of hero. *Type 650; Dickson 51; Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: *Boberg; Missouri French: Carrière; Spanish: Espinosa Jr. Nos. 116, 139—141; Italian Novella: Rotunda; India: *Thompson-Balys.
H1212 Quest assigned because of feigned illness. Lion's milk (or the like) said to be necessary as cure; hero therefore sent on dangerous quest. *Type 590; BP III 1f; French Canadian: Barbeau JAFL XXIX 14; Missouri French: Carrière; India: *Thompson-Balys; Cape Verde Islands: Parsons MAFLS XV (1) 49 No. 17.
H1212.1 Quest assigned because of feigned dream. N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 330 n. 191g.
H1212.2 Quest assigned by wife through appeal to husband's love for her. He is sent for liver of dangerous animal. Africa (Basuto): Jacottet 2 No. 1.
H1212.3 Prince sulks until quest is accomplished. India: *Thompson-Balys.
H1212.4 Quest assigned because of longings of pregnant woman. India: *Thompson-Balys.
H1213 Quest for remarkable bird caused by sight of one of its feathers. *Type 550; BP I 503ff., *III 33; *Chauvin VI 5 No. 182 n. 1; Köhler-Bolte I 411; Missouri French: Carrière; India: Thompson-Balys.
H1213.1 Quest for princess caused by sight of one of her hairs dropped by a bird (or floating on river). *Chauvin VI 5 No. 182 n. 1; *BP III 31, 33; *Cosquin Contes indiens 369ff.; Chavannes III 258f. No. 470 (cf. Wesselski Archiv Orientální I 6); Icelandic: *Boberg; India: *Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Ikeda.
H1213.1.1 Quest for man caused by sight of one of his hairs dropped by bird (or floating on river). India: *Thompson-Balys.
H1213.1.2 Quest for original of picture. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1213.2 Quest for strong man caused by sight of his handiwork. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1214 Quest assigned because of hero's knowledge of animal languages. BP I 325; Köhler-Bolte II 340.
H1214.1 Quest for beautiful girl about whom parrots are heard speaking. India: Thompson-Balys.
H1215 Quest assigned because of hero's boast. Irish myth: *Cross; Missouri French: Carrière; Greek: Fox 33 (Perseus).
H1216 Mother sends son to find unknown father. (Cf. H1385.7.) English: Wells 134 (Sir Degare); India: Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Ikeda.
H1217 Quest assigned because of dream. India: *Thompson-Balys.
H1217.1 Quest for explanation of dream. India: *Thompson-Balys.
H1218 King possessing one marvelous object sends hero on quest for another like it. India: *Thompson-Balys.