Folklore Database · Browse
Stith Thompson Motif Index
About this index and how to read it
Stith Thompson's Motif-Index of Folk-Literature classifies recurring narrative elements in folktales, myths, legends, ballads and related traditional narratives. Each entry below gives Thompson's motif reference and the description recorded in the index.
The index is large, so this browser displays 250 entries per page. You can search by motif reference or by words in the description, restrict the results to one of Thompson's main letter categories, and click motif references mentioned inside descriptions to follow cross-references. Individual motif pages also show any ATU tale types whose concordance explicitly cites that Thompson reference.
All
A
Mythological Motifs
B
Animal Motifs
C
Motifs of Tabu
D
Magic
E
The Dead
F
Marvels
G
Ogres
H
Tests
J
The Wise and the Foolish
K
Deceptions
L
Reversals of Fortune
M
Ordaining the Future
N
Chance and Fate
P
Society
Q
Rewards and Punishments
R
Captives and Fugitives
S
Unnatural Cruelty
T
Sex
U
The Nature of Life
V
Religion
W
Traits of Character
X
Humor
Z
Miscellaneous Groups of Motifs
| Thompson reference ▲ | Description |
|---|---|
| F556.2 | Voice changed by work of silversmith (goldsmith). Jamaica: Beckwith MAFLS XVII 242 No. 17; N. Am. Negro (Georgia): Harris 236 No. 40. |
| F556.3 | Voice changed by medicine. Africa (Hausa): Rattray II 14ff. No. 23, (Madagascar): Renel I 247ff. No. 46. |
| F556.4 | Saint's voice heard from considerable distance. *Loomis White Magic 53; Irish myth: Cross. |
| F557 | Removable organs. India: Thompson-Balys; Ibo (Nigeria): Basden 140 (nose, feet, hands, face). |
| F557.1 | Removable brain. Saint's brain kept in a missile ball. Irish: Plummer xxxiv. |
| F558 | Man covered with horn. Irish myth: *Cross; Norse: Panzer Sigfrid 66. |
| F558.1 | Double-skinned tribe. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F559 | Remarkable physical organs—miscellaneous. |
| F559.1 | Person with jointless bodies of bone. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F559.2 | Long navel. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| F559.3 | Extraordinary excrement. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F559.3.1 | Excreta is so fiery it starts great fires. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F559.4 | Remarkable skull. |
| F559.4.1 | Skull has words miraculously written on it. Jewish: Neuman. |
| F559.5 | Remarkable neck. |
| F559.5.1 | Neck as hard as ivory. Jewish: Neuman. |
| F559.6 | Extraordinary stomach. |
| F559.6.1 | Stomach attains immense proportions by overeating. Eskimo (Greenland): Rasmussen III 155. |
| F559.7 | Remarkable heart. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F559.7.1 | Person with three hearts. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F559.7.2 | Adder grows in heart of man. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F559.8 | Extraordinary urine. |
| F559.8.1 | Person's urine melts rocks. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F560 | Unusual manner of life. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F561 | People of unusual diet. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| F561.1 | People who prefer raw flesh. Maori: Dixon 78 n. 77. |
| F561.2 | Ichthyophages. People who live on fish. *Chauvin VII 86 No. 373bis n. 4; Irish myth: Cross; India: Thompson-Balys; Icelandic: Boberg. |
| F561.3 | People who live on coconuts. Chauvin VII 22 No. 373 E n. 2. |
| F561.4 | Person lives by smoking tobacco. Never eats. N. A. Indian: Kroeber JAFL XXI 223. |
| F561.5 | Girl eats only kola nuts and tobacco. Africa (Angola): Chatelain 33 No. 1. |
| F561.6 | Woman fed by bees' dropping honey into her mouth (lie). India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F561.7 | Boy drinks perspiration. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F561.8 | Iron-eating tribe. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F562 | People of unusual residence. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| F562.1 | Boy lives on ox. Never walks on ground. Missouri French: Carrière; Africa (Zulu): Callaway 221. |
| F562.2 | Residence in a tree. Type 710, Grimm No. 3; Missouri French: Carrière; Hindu: Tawney I 121, 381, 531, 552, II 79, 162. |
| F562.3 | Residence in (under) water. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F562.4 | Girl lives in fruit and comes out only to be bathed by her twenty sisters. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F562.5 | Boy lives in ant-hill. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F564 | Person never sleeps. |
| F564.1 | Person of diabolical origin never sleeps. *Krappe Mod. Lang. Review XXIV (1929) 200ff.; Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F564.2 | Semi-supernatural person sleeps little. Irish myth: *Cross; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F564.3 | Person does not sleep for many months (years). Jewish: Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F564.3.1 | Long sleep, long waking. (Six months sleep followed by six months waking, or the like.) India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| F564.3.2 | Person sleeps for three days and nights. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F564.3.3 | King sleeps for six days and acquires after that magic wisdom. Icelandic: Hjálmpérs saga ok ölvis 505, Boberg. |
| F564.3.4 | Person sleeps for nine months. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F564.3.5 | Spirit woman sleeps through whole year; eats through the next. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F564.3.6 | Twelve years' sleep customary to demons. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F564.4 | Man sleeps with one eye and one ear open. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F565 | Women warriors or hunters. |
| F565.1 | Amazons. Women warriors. **Klein Die Antiken Amazonensagen in der deutschen Literatur (Leipzig, 1919); *Chauvin VIII 55 No. 22; *Gaster Exempla 186f. No. 5A.—Irish myth: *Cross; MacCulloch Celtic 144; English: Wells 105 (The Prose Alexander) Malory Morte Darthur X 39; Icelandic: Olrik Sakses Oldhistorie I (1892) 52ff., *Boberg; Greek: Fox 85, *Frazer Apollodorus I 98 n. 1; India: *Thompson-Balys, Tawney II 589 n.; Chinese: Eberhard FFC CXX 411 s.v. "Amazonen"; Philippine (Tinguian): Cole 68; N. A. Indian: Hatt Asiatic Influences 70ff.; S. A. Indian: *Chamberlain JAFL XXIV 16, Alexander Lat. Am. 19 n. 5, 281f., (Tropical Forests): Lowie BBAE CXLIII (3) 55. |
| F565.1.1 | Amazons cut off left breast of daughters so that they can handle bow. Greek: Fox 85. |
| F565.1.2 | All male children killed by Amazons. Greek: Fox 85; S. A. Indian (Aspinayé, Carajá, Taulipang, Tupinamba): Lowie BBAE CXLIII (1) 516. |
| F565.1.3 | Queen takes husband's place in battle. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F565.2 | Remarkably strong women. Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F565.3 | Parliament of women. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F565.4 | Women hunters. English: Malory Morte Darthur XVIII 21. |
| F566 | Celibate peoples. |
| F566.1 | Village of men only. N. A. Indian (Thompson River): Teit MAFLS XI 53 No. 34. |
| F566.1.1 | Country which no woman may enter. Africa (Swahili): Stignand 97ff. No. 15. |
| F566.2 | Land where women live separate from men. Cohabit with water monsters. Irish myth: Cross; S. A. Indian (Amazon): Alexander Lat. Am. 286. |
| F567 | Wild man. Man lives alone in wood like a beast. Type 502; *Dickson 113ff.; Irish myth: Cross; Italian Novella: Rotunda; Jewish: Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys; Africa (Fang): Trilles Proverbs 199. |
| F567.1 | Wild woman. (Similar to wild man.) Type 314; **Hdwb. d. Abergl. IX Nachträge 968ff.; U.S.: *Baughman. |
| F568 | Naked tribe. Sun, cold, wind, rain do not harm them. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F568.1 | Naked men (boy). Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F569 | Unusual manner of life—miscellaneous. |
| F569.1 | Woman lays eggs and hatches them. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F569.2 | Men menstruate. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F569.3 | Silent person. |
| F569.3.1 | Silent princess. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F570 | Other extraordinary human beings. |
| F571 | Extremely old person. Irish myth: *Cross, O'Suilleabhain 28, Beal XXI 309; Icelandic: *Boberg; Jewish: *Neuman; Chinese: Eberhard FFC CXX 206f. |
| F571.1 | Old man with hanging eyelids. So old that the eyelids hang down to his chin and must be lifted up. *Fb "öje" III 1167a; *BP II 398 n. 2, IV 148; Welsh, Irish: MacCulloch Celtic 187; N. A. Indian (Seneca): Curtin-Hewitt RBAE XXXII 213 No. 41. |
| F571.2 | Sending to the older. Old person refers inquirer to his father, who refers to his father, and so on for several generations. *Type 726; *Baum JAFL XXX 379 n. 2; *Wesselski Archiv Orientální IV 1ff.; Irish myth: *Cross, O'Suilleabhain 74, Beal XXI 326. |
| F571.2.1 | Sending to the older uncle. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule. |
| F571.3 | Very old woman. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F571.3.1 | Woman so old her chin reaches her knee. Italian: Basile Pentamerone IV No. 8. |
| F571.4 | Man so old he sleeps in cradle. Scotch: Campbell-McKay Nos. 1, 2. |
| F571.5 | King so old that he only can take food from a horn. Icelandic: Flateyjarbуk I 26, Boberg. |
| F571.6 | King so old that he cannot get on horseback without help. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| F571.7 | Person hundreds of years old. Icelandic: Herrmann Saxo II 587, *Boberg. |
| F571.8 | Man lives for nine generations. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F572 | Dancers upon whom icicles hang. Swiss: Jegerlehner Oberwallis 323 No. 97. |
| F573 | Negro so black that he makes whole garden somber. Malone PMLA XLIII 401. |
| F574 | Luminous person. Jewish: *Neuman; India: *Thompson-Balys, Penzer II 43 n. 2, VI 1 n. 1. |
| F574.1 | Resplendent beauty. Woman's face lights up the dark. *Fb "prins og prinsesse"; Irish myth: *Cross; Jewish: *Neuman; India: *Thompson-Balys, *Penzer VI 1 n. 1, II 43 n. 2, VII 189 n. 2; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 1339; Koryak: *Jochelson JE VI 363; Philippine (Tinguian): Cole 35 n. 1, 62, 68, 106, 154. |
| F574.1.1 | Woman's beauty burns onlooker. N. A. Indian (Chuckchee): Bogoras AA n.s. IV 666. |
| F574.1.2 | Woman's beauty shows through seven veils. Köhler to Gonzenbach No. 13; *Köhler-Bolte Zs. f. Vksk. VI 63. |
| F574.1.3 | Men killed by look of beautiful princess. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F574.1.4 | Man's beauty eclipses splendor of sun. Jewish: Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F574.2 | Man with luminous arms. Jewish: Gaster Exempla 227 No. 223, Neuman. |
| F574.3 | Holy man (hero) emits light. |
| F574.3.1 | Face of saint radiant. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F574.3.2 | Holy man radiant. Jewish: *Neuman; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 802, 1015 (Buddha), I 427, 852, II 695 (ascetic). |
| F574.3.3 | Hero luminous. Cook Islands: Beckwith Myth 247. |
| F575 | Remarkable beauty. (Cf. F574.1.) Jewish: *Neuman. |
| F575.1 | Remarkably beautiful woman. Greek: Grote I 279 f.; India: *Thompson-Balys; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 349, 762. |
| F575.1.1 | Birth of daughter so beautiful mother is frightened and abandons her. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F575.1.2 | Old woman beautiful as in youth. Jewish: Neuman. |
| F575.1.3 | Woman so beautiful sea is calm for her. Eskimo (Greenland): Rasmussen I 307. |
| F575.2 | Handsome man. Jewish: Neuman. |
| F575.2.1 | Supernatural beauty of men in Messianic era. (Cf. A1095.) Jewish: *Neuman. |
| F575.2.2 | Supernatural beauty of Jerusalem's inhabitants. Jewish: *Neuman. |
| F575.3 | Remarkably beautiful child. Jewish: Neuman. |
| F576 | Extraordinary ugliness. (Cf. A2402.) Jewish: Neuman. |
| F577 | Persons identical in appearance. (Cf. F1072.) Jewish: *Neuman. |
| F577.1 | Friends identical in appearance. Irish myth: Cross; Cape Verde Islands. Parsons MAFLS XV (1) 212 No. 73. |
| F577.2 | Brothers identical in appearance. *Type 303; BP I 528; *Ranke FFC CXIV 286. |
| F577.3 | King and fool identical in appearance. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F577.4 | Lovers identical in appearance. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F577.5 | All people in certain place identical in appearance. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F582 | Poison damsel. Woman nourished on poison is fatal to her husbands. Sometimes the poisoning is from fatal look or breath, sometimes from intercourse. *Penzer X 265 s.v. "Poison Damsel"; **Penzer Poison Damsels 3ff.; Herbert III 211; *Oesterley No. 11; **Hertz Abhandlungen 156ff.; Krappe Mitt. d. schles. Gesell. f. Volkskunde XXVIII (1927) 131ff.; *bin Gorion Born Judas I 360f. |
| F582.1 | Serpent damsel. Woman has serpent inside which comes out and kills her bridegrooms. *Type 507C; BP III 490ff., 494; *Liljeblad Tobiasgeschichte 259 s.v. "Schlangenmädchen"; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| F582.2 | Man spews venom. Icelandic: FSS 119, *Boberg. |
| F582.3 | Venomous man. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F583 | Hero has lain motionless since birth. Koryak, Mongol Turk, Russian: Jochelson JE VI 363. |
| F584 | Person remarkably light in weight. |
| F584.1 | Princess' weight that of five flowers. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F585 | Phantoms. Irish myth: *Cross; Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 61 No. 445B. |
| F585.0.1 | Fairy (god) as phantom. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F585.1 | Fatal enticements of phantom women. Chauvin V 34 No. 16. |
| F585.2 | Magic phantom army. Created out of puffballs and withered leaves. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F585.3 | Phantom women cause weakness. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F585.4 | Treasure struck from hand of phantom. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F591 | Person who never laughs. Jewish: Neuman; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 347, 1288. |
| F591.1 | Prince who never laughs. Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "rire". |
| F591.2 | Sad-faced princess cannot laugh. *BP IV 189 n. 2; Italian: Basile Pentamerone Introduction. |
| F592 | Man's ferocious glance kills (causes swooning). Irish myth: Cross. |
| F593 | Person's extraordinary body temperature. (Cf. F546.5). |
| F593.1 | Extraordinary heat of body melts snow far around person. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F594 | Man whose entrails are visible when he laughs. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F595 | Man's body exudes sweet scent. Jewish: Neuman. |
| F596 | Extraordinarily slow person. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| F597 | Woman without womb. Jewish: Neuman. |
| F598 | Old woman gives miraculous amount of milk. Jewish: Neuman. |
| F600 | Persons with extraordinary powers. |
| F601 | Extraordinary companions. A group of men with extraordinary powers travel together. *Types 301B, 513, 514, 571; *BP II 79, 95; *Benfey *Kleinere Schriften III 94; *Köhler-Bolte I 601 s.v. "Gefährten"; *Cosquin Contes indiens 431ff.; *Kittredge Arthur and Garlagon 226 n. 3; Jacobs's list s.v. "Extraordinary Companions"; Alphabet No. 693; *Chauvin VII 125 No. 392.—Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: Boberg; Missouri French: Carrière; Italian: Basile Pentamerone I No. 5, Rotunda; Buriat: Holmberg Siberian 428; Koryak, Mongol-Turk: Jochelson JE VI 363; India: *Thompson-Balys; Indonesian: De Vries Nederlandsche Tijdschrift voor Volkskunde (1924) 97ff.; Korean: Zong in-Sob 163f.; Chinese: Graham; Japanese: Ikeda; Philippine: Fansler MAFLS XII 27, 114, 128, 433; N. A. Indian: *Thompson CColl II 334ff., 345ff. |
| F601.0.1 | Skillful companions. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F601.1 | Extraordinary companions perform hero's tasks. *Types 513, 514; Irish myth: *Cross; India: Thompson-Balys; Korean: Zong in-Sob 163ff.; N. A. Indian: Thompson CColl II 345ff. |
| F601.2 | Extraordinary companions help hero in suitor tests. *Types 513, 514; Italian Novella: Rotunda; India: *Thompson-Balys; N. A. Indian: Thompson CColl II 345ff.; Africa (Fjort): Dennett 74ff. No. 16. |
| F601.3 | Extraordinary companions betray hero. *Type 301; N. A. Indian: Thompson CColl II 334ff. |
| F601.4 | Extraordinary companions rescue hero. *Type 514. |
| F601.4.1 | Extraordinary companion hides behind hero to trick enemy. S. A. Indian (Chiriguano): Métraux RMLP XXXIII 143. |
| F601.4.2 | Extraordinary companion saves hero from death. Korean: Zong in-Sob 164. |
| F601.5 | Extraordinary companions are brothers (twins, triplets). *Cosquin Contes indiens 447ff.; Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F601.6 | Extraordinary companions are transformed animals. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F601.7 | Animals as extraordinary companions. Type 715; Africa (Fjort): Dennett 74ff. No. 16. |
| F610 | Remarkably strong man. (Strong John). (Cf. X940, X959.1.) *Panzer Beowulf; *Types 301, 650*, 650**, 650, 1003—1013; *BP II 285ff., 300ff.; *Fb "styrke", "stærk", "Svend Felding".—Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: MacCulloch Eddic 86, 153 (Heimdall), *Boberg; French: Cosquin Lorraine Nos. 14, 46, 52, 69 and notes; Italian: Basile Pentamerone III No. 8; Greek: Fox 75 (Herakles), Frazer Apollodorus I 259 n. 3; Jewish: Frazer Old Testament II 480ff. (Samson), *Neuman; Armenian: Ananikian 86; Hindu: Keith 172; India: Thompson-Balys; Indonesian: *De Vries Nederlandsch Tijdschrift v. Volkskunde XXX 97ff.; Chinese: Graham; Buriat: Holmberg Siberian 428; N. A. Indian: *Thompson CColl II 334ff. incident A 2; West Indies: Flowers 435. |
| F610.0.1 | Remarkably strong woman. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 551, 902; Africa (Upoto): Einstein 128. |
| F610.0.1.1 | Remarkably strong women defeats man in arrow and spear contest. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F610.1 | Wild man of superhuman strength. *Dickson 114 n. 37; Missouri French: Carrière. |
| F610.2 | Dwarf-hero of superhuman strength. Philippine: Fansler MAFLS XII 24; Missouri-French: Carrière. |
| F610.3 | Warrior of special strength (Berserk). (Cf. F1041.8.6.) Hdwb. d. March. I "Bärenhäuter"; Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F610.3.1 | Invulnerable berserk. (Cf. D1840.) Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F610.3.2 | Black berserk. (Cf. F527.5.) Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F610.3.3 | Twelve berserks. (Cf. F610.3.4.1.) Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F610.3.3.1 | Two berserk-brothers. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F610.3.4 | Fighting with berserks. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F610.3.4.1 | Fighting with twelve berserks. (Cf. F610.3.3.) Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F610.3.4.2 | Single combat with berserk. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F610.3.4.2.1 | Berserk killed in combat about maiden. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F610.3.5 | Competition with berserks in their particular sports: walk through fire, etc. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F610.4 | Man with strength of many men. Jewish: Neuman. |
| F610.4.1 | Man with four men's strength. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| F610.4.2 | Man with twelve men's strength. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F610.4.3 | Man with seventy men's strength. Jewish: Neuman. |
| F610.5 | Man with strength of animals. |
| F610.5.1 | Man with strength of lion. Jewish: Neuman. |
| F610.5.2 | Man with strength of ten elephants. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 31, 580. |
| F610.6 | Man so strong that he breaks most of what he gets in touch with. (Cf. F614.3—F614.6.) Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F610.6.1 | Man so strong that he must be chained except when in battle. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F610.7 | Strong man is so heavy that no horse can carry him all day. (Cf. F681.8.) Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F610.8 | Strong man so heavy that only his own horse can carry him. Icelandic: Þiðriks saga II 380, Boberg. |
| F610.9 | Strong man accomplishes superhuman tasks when God's spirit is over him. Jewish: Neuman. |
| F611 | Strong man's birth and rearing. |
| F611.1 | Strong man's birth. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 703*. |
| F611.1.1 | Strong man son of bear who has stolen his mother. *Types 301, 650; *Panzer Beowulf 16ff.; *Dickson 117 n. 48; *BP II 293, 300; Hdwb. d. Märch. s.v. "Bärensohn"; N. A. Indian: Thompson CColl II 334ff. |
| F611.1.2 | Strong man son of woman and dwarf. Type 301; BP II 300; Dickson 117 n. 48. |
| F611.1.2.1 | Strong man son of woman and forest spirit. Africa (Fang): Einstein 70ff., Trilles 190ff. No. 11. |
| F611.1.3 | Wild man son of woman and satyr who overpowers her. Dickson 124 n. 76. |
| F611.1.4 | Wild man son of woman and robber. She is overpowered in forest. Dickson 117 n. 48. |
| F611.1.5 | Strong man son of man and she-bear. Type 301; BP II 300; Dickson 117 n. 48. |
| F611.1.6 | Strong man son of man and mare. Type 301; BP II 300; Dickson 117 n. 48. |
| F611.1.6.1 | Strong man accused of being son of man and mare. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F611.1.7 | Strong man son of person and giant. Fb. "styrke". |
| F611.1.8 | Strong hero engendered by eating of fruit. BP II 300. |
| F611.1.9 | Strong hero engendered by the wind. BP II 300. |
| F611.1.10 | Strong hero engendered from burning brand. BP II 301. |
| F611.1.11 | Strong hero born from egg. *Type 650; Christiansen 92. |
| F611.1.11.1 | Strong hero born from noodle. Cheremis: Sebeok-Nyerges. |
| F611.1.12 | Strong hero struck by smith from iron. Type 650; Christiansen 92. |
| F611.1.13 | Strong hero son of man and troll-woman. Relations take place in dream. Type 650; Christiansen 92. |
| F611.1.14 | Strong hero son of woman of sea. Type 650. |
| F611.1.15 | Strong hero son of wood-spirit. Type 650. |
| F611.2 | Strong hero's suckling. |
| F611.2.0.1 | Hero's unusual strength from drinking his own mother's milk. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F611.2.1 | Strong hero suckled by animal. Type 301; BP II 293, 300; Dickson 117 n. 48. |
| F611.2.2 | Strong hero suckled by mermaid. Gives him strength of twelve men. *Fb "havfrue" I 569. |
| F611.2.3 | Strong hero's long nursing. *Type 650; *BP II 293; Panzer Beowulf 20f. |
| F611.2.4 | Strong hero suckled by seven women. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F611.2.5 | Strong hero suckled by giant. German: Grimm No. 90. |
| F611.3 | Strong hero acquires his strength. (Cf. F611.2.2.) |
| F611.3.0.1 | Extraordinary strength from fasting for 12 years and eating nothing except earth. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F611.3.1 | Strong hero practices uprooting trees. (Cf. F621.) Type 650; BP Il 287; Christiansen Norske Eventyr 92; N. A. Indian: Thompson CColl II 435. |
| F611.3.2 | Hero's precocious strength. Has full strength when very young. Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: Herrmann Saxo II 69, Snorra Edda Prol. III, *Boberg; Norwegian: Christiansen 92, India: *Thompson-Balys; Lau Islands: Beckwith Myth 483; Marquesas: Handy 105. |
| F611.3.2.1 | Strong hero drives huge log into frozen ground. Eskimo (Greenland): Rasmussen I 237. |
| F611.3.2.2 | Baby tied to a mill-stone by strap so he would not wander about; drags stone after him. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 31. |
| F611.3.2.3 | Precocious hero crushes iron wall with fists. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F611.3.2.4 | Precocious hero jumps across river. (Cf. F614.11.) India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F611.3.2.5 | Small child beats giant challenger. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F611.3.2.6 | Twelve year old hero captures town of father's enemy. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F611.3.3 | Strong hero tests weapons. Breaks first swords. *Von Sydow Fâvne 22ff.; Irish myth: Cross; Icelandic: Herrmann Saxo III 305, *Boberg. |
| F611.3.3.0.1 | Precocious strong hero demands bows and arrows. (Cf. F611.3.3.) Type 650. |
| F611.3.3.1 | Hero tests sword by cutting steer in two. Chinese: Graham. |
| F611.3.3.2 | Strong hero tests scythes: they break all. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F611.4 | Precocious son saves kingdom. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F612 | Strong hero sent from home. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F612.1 | Strong hero sent from home because of enormous appetite. *Type 650; BP II 293; Christiansen Norske Eventyr 92; *Fb "spise" III 495b, "æde" III 1140a; Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "appétit"; Indonesian: De Vries Nederlandsche Tijdschrift voor Volkskunde XXX (1926) 97ff.; Philippine: Fansler MAFLS XII 24. |
| F612.2 | Strong hero kills (overcomes) playmates: sent from home. Irish myth: *Cross; Icelandic: *Boberg; French: Cosquin Lorraine No. 52; N. A. Indian: *Thompson CColl II 334ff. |
| F612.3 | Hero leaves home with giant equipment. |
| F612.3.1 | Giant cane for strong man. Cane holds fifty cattle. *Type 650; *Cosquin Contes indiens 482ff.; *Fb "jærn" IV 249a; French: Cosquin Lorraine No. 52; Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "bâton"; French Canadian: Barbeau JAFL XXX 86; N. A. Indian: Thompson CColl II 436. |
| F612.3.2 | Strong man with giant hammer and shield. India: Thompson-Balys; Chinese: Graham. |
| F613 | Strong man makes labor contract. *Type 650; Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F613.1 | Strong man's labor contract: blow at end of year. Blow sends his master to sky. *Type 650; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. *762. |
| F613.2 | Strong man's labor contract: all grain he can carry. *Type 650; Lithuanian: Balys Legends Nos. 505—511, 520f., 523f. |
| F613.2.1 | Labor contract: as much money as my companion (strong man) can carry. Italian: Basile Pentamerone III No. 8. |
| F613.3 | Strong man's labor contract: anger bargain. First to become angry shall receive blow. *Type 650, 1000; BP II 293. |
| F613.4 | Strong man serves ogre as punishment for stealing food. *Type 650. |
| F614 | Strong man's labors. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F614.1 | Strong man drives anvil into ground. *Type 650; BP II 293; Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F614.2 | Strong man uproots tree and uses it as weapon. *Type 650; Dickson 179 n. 47; Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F614.2.1 | Strong man uses pillar-stone as weapon. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F614.2.2 | Strong man uses rafter as weapon. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F614.2.3 | Strong man buries axe in tree stump and removes it with his little finger. Cheremis: Sebeok-Nyerges. |
| F614.3 | Strong man as gardener: destroys plants. *Type 650; Finnish: Kalevala rune 31 (woods); Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 77 No. 650. |
| F614.4 | Strong man as rower; breaks boat. Finnish: Kalevala rune 35. |
| F614.4.1 | Strong man as rower: rows one side of boat against many at other. Irish myth: Cross. |
| F614.5 | Strong man as fisherman: destroys fish and nets. Finnish: Kalevala rune 35; Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F614.6 | Strong man throws trees on roof and breaks it. *Type 650; Chinese: Graham. |
| F614.6.1 | Strong man throws man back and breaks his bones (legs). Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| F614.7 | Strong man uses stable-roof as flail. Type 1031; French Canadian: Barbeau JAFL XXIX 21. |
| F614.8 | Strong man fells tree with one blow of axe. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F614.9 | Strong man clears plain. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F614.10 | Strong hero fights whole army alone. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F614.11 | Strong man jumps across rivers. (Cf. F611.3.2.4.) India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F614.12 | Youth crushes coins to powder with fingers. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| F615 | Strong man evades death. Vain attempts to kill him. *Type 590, 650.—Irish: MacCulloch Celtic 143, *Cross; Hindu: Keith 173 (Krishna); Philippine: Fansler MAFLS XII 24; N. A. Indian: Thompson CColl II 391. |
| F615.0.1 | Death of strong man. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| F615.1 | Strong man sent to devil's mill: drives devils to master's house. *Type 650. |
If you wish to get access to data for projects and research, then please contact us, we do our best to help
How to cite: Fielder-White, Jonathan (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
0009-0006-1672-4451
Please cite the relevant sources, catalogues, and classification systems, including the Folklore Database, Berezkin-Duvakin Catalogue, ATU, Thompson, alongside the page accessed and the last time accessed. Please respect copyright and licenses.
Editorial annotations and database enhancements © Jonathan Fielder-White licensed under CC BY 4.0. Berezkin-Duvakin derived narrative and metadata licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Full rights information can be found here.
All rights are reserved in the database structure, selection, arrangement, metadata, classifications, software, interface design, and original editorial content.
Important: The Folklore Database expressly reserves all rights in relation to text and data mining, automated extraction, scraping, machine learning, dataset creation, and the training, development, validation, or improvement of artificial intelligence technologies or systems. No part of this website or database may be scraped, copied, reproduced, harvested, downloaded in bulk, or otherwise used for AI training or commercial data extraction without prior written permission.
Designed and Developed by Jonathan Fielder-White.
© 2024–2026 Crecganford / Jonathan Fielder-White. All rights reserved.