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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 |
|---|---|
| K2 | Animals help man in contest. Type 1081; S. A. Indian (Chincha, Peru): Alexander Lat. Am. 231. |
| K2.1 | Fortune to go to direction cat jumps. King will give wealth to person toward whom the cat jumps. Clever woman has brought mouse along and thus entices the cat. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K3 | Substitute in contest. Irish myth: Cross; Icelandic: *Boberg; N. A. Indian (Seneca): Curtin-Hewitt RBAE XXXII 234 No. 46. |
| K3.1 | Relative substitutes in contest. Africa (Hottentot): Bleek 32 No. 16. |
| K3.2 | Young knight substitutes for old man in tournament. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K3.2.1 | Supernatural substitute in tournament for pious warrior. Tupper and Ogle Walter Map 36. |
| K3.3 | Woman substitutes for husband in combat. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K3.4 | Wise man disguised as monk beats learned heretic in debate. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K5 | Contest with magician won by deception. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K10 | Athletic contest won by deception. |
| K11 | Race won by deception. *Dh IV 46ff.; *BP III 339ff.; *Von den Steinen Zs. f. Vksk. XXV 275; *Fb "væddeløb"; Icelandic: MacCulloch Eddic 93, Boberg; Missouri French: Carrière; N. A. Indian (Southern Ute): Lowie JAFL XXXVII 70 No. 40. |
| K11.0.1 | Man challenges devil to race. Cheats him. |
| K11.1 | Race won by deception: relative helpers. One of the contestants places his relatives (or others that resemble him) in the line of the race. The opponent always thinks the trickster is just ahead of him. (Told of animals or of men; often of the hare and the turtle.) *Type 1074; *Dh IV48; Chauvin III 32; *Parsons JAFL XXI 221 n. 2; BP III 340ff., *343. — North Carolina: Brown Collection I 703; Finnish-Swedish: Hackman FFC VI No. 275*; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 92*; Spanish: Espinosa III 457f.—India: *Thompson-Balys; Chinese: Basset Contes Berbères 139; Japanese: Ikeda. — Indonesia: *Dixon 192, 334 n. 18, DeVries's list No. 120; Philippine: Fansler MAFLS XII 445, (Tinguian): Cole 198. — N. A. Indian: *Boas BBAE LIX 307, (Oaxaca, Mexico): Boas JAFL XXV 214; S. A. Indian (Araucanian): Lehman-Nitsche Int. Cong. Americanists XIV 686, (Amazon): Alexander Lat Am. 288.—Africa (Cameroons): Mansfield 224, (Benga): Nassau 95 No. 5, (Kaffir): Kidd 239 No. 8, (Ila, Rhodesia): Smith and Dale II 390 No. 15, (Suk): Mervin The Suk 38, (Ibo, Nigeria): Basden 274, Thomas 153, (Vai): Ellis 199 No. 16; Bahama: Edwards MAFLS III 69; Cape Verde Islands: *Parsons MAFLS XV (1) 308 n. 1; Jamaica: *Beckwith MAFLS XVII 261 No. 60, Jekyll 39ff.; American Negro (Georgia): Harris Remus 86 No. 18, (Virginia): Parsons JAFL XXXV 271, (North Carolina): Backus JAFL XI 284, Parsons JAFL XXX 174, (South Carolina): Stewart JAFL XXXII 394, Parsons MAFLS XVI 79, (Florida): Parsons JAFL XXX 225f. |
| K11.2 | Race won by deception: riding on the back. One contestant rides on the other's back. (Cf. K25.1.) *Types 221, 250, 275; *Dh IV 72ff., 91, 160ff.; Wienert FFC LVI *54 (ET 139), 114 (ST 248); BP III 278, *339.—Italian Novella: Rotunda; Chinese: Graham; Japanese: Ikeda; Indonesia: DeVries's list Nos. 102, 121; N. A. Indian: Thompson CColl II 441, (Kalispel): Curtis N. A. Indian VII iii, (Jicarilla Apache): Goddard PaAM VIII 236 No. 45; Africa (Vai): Ellis 189 No. 5, (Gold Coast): Barker and Sinclair 155 No. 30; Jamaica: Beckwith MAFLS XVII 261 No. 60; American Negro (Virginia): Parsons JAFL XXXV 270f., (Pennsylvania): ibid. XXX 209, (North Carolina): ibid. XXX 189. |
| K11.3 | Hare and tortoise race: sleeping hare. In a race between the fast and the slow animal, the fast animal sleeps on the road and allows the slow animal to pass him. *Dh IV 66ff.; *BP III 341ff.; Jacobs Aesop 162 No. 68; Haupt Zs. f. deutsches Altertum XII (1865) 527; *Wienert FFC LVI 44 (ET 22), 135 (ST 412); Halm Aesop No. 420.—Japanese: Ikeda; Ainu: Chamberlain, B. Aino Folktales (London, 1888) No. 14; N. A. Indian (Ojibwa): Schoolcraft Algic Researches 181, (Cherokee): Mooney RBAE XIX 290 No. 43; Africa (West Africa): Cronise and Ward Cunnie Rabbit, Mr. Spider and the Other Beef (London, 1903) 155f.; West Indies: Flowers 494; Bahama: Parsons MAFLS XIII 102; American Negro (Pennsylvania): Parsons JAFL XXX 214, (North Carolina): Parsons JAFL XXX 174, (South Carolina): Parsons MAFLS XVI 79, (Florida): Parsons JAFL XXX 226. |
| K11.4 | Race won by deception: chariot disabled. A rival in a chariot race inserts linchpins of wax instead of those of bronze in the hero's chariot. The latter is dragged to death. Greek: *Frazer Apollodorus II 161 n. 3. |
| K11.5 | Race won by deception: sham-sick trickster. The trickster feigns lameness and receives a handicap in the race. He then returns and eats up the food which is the prize. N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 298 n. 90. |
| K11.6 | Race won by deception: rabbit as "little son" substitute. A man challenged by an ogre to a running race persuades the ogre to race with his little son instead. By this he means a rabbit. (Cf. K12.2, K15.1.) *Type 1072; *Köhler-Bolte I 58, 477ff. |
| K11.7 | Race won by deception: blinding opponent by spitting pepper into face. Africa (Bankon): Ittman 97. |
| K11.8 | Race won by deception: bow and arrow. Certain goal to be touched. Man shoots arrow and wins. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K11.9 | Obstacle race between deer and hare. Hare accused of removing obstacles from his course. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K12 | Wrestling match won by deception. **Hackman En Finländsk-Svensk Saga av östeuropeiskt Ursprung (Brages Еrsskrift IV, Helsingfors 1910); Icelandic: Boberg; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 314 n. 137a. |
| K12.1 | Wrestling match won by deception: where to throw the ogre. The ogre squeezes the man so that his eyes bulge out. The ogre: "Why do you glare so?"—"I am looking to see where to throw you." The ogre flees (Cf. K18.1.) *Type 1070; Hdwb d. Märchens I 193b. n. 9; *Hackman cf. K12. |
| K12.2 | Wrestling match won by deception: bear as "grandfather." A man challenged by an ogre persuades the latter to wrestle with his old grandfather instead. By this he means a bear. (Cf. K11.6, K15.1.) *Type 1071; Köhler-Bolte I 477ff.; *Hackman cf. K12. |
| K12.3 | Wrestling match: Antaeus. Giant invincible in wrestling because with each contact with earth his strength is renewed. Greek: *Frazer Apollodorus I 222 n. 2. |
| K12.4 | Wrestling match of man with fever. Man places stone image at wrestling-place; fever enters image and shatters it. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K12.5 | Wrestling between porcupine and deer. Deer defeated but always pleads illness. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K13 | Boxing match: fatal boxer defeated. All comers are challenged and all are killed until the hero defeats the challenger. (Argonauts and Amycus.) *Hackman cf. K12; *Frazer Apollodorus I 102 n. 2. |
| K14 | Rowing contest won by deception. The boat is already sawed through. Type 1087. |
| K14.1 | Rowing contest won by deception: magic boat. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K15 | Climbing match won by deception. *Hackman cf. K12; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 314 n. 135. |
| K15.1 | Climbing match won by deception: squirrel as "child". The ogre agrees to contest against the man's young one, i.e., a squirrel. (Cf. K11.6, K12.2.) *Type 1073; Köhler-Bolte I 477ff. |
| K16 | Diving match won by deception. Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 123. |
| K16.1 | Diving match won by deception: breathing under brush. Trickster comes up and breathes under some floating brush, where he is not detected. N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 314 n. 136. |
| K16.2 | Diving match: trickster eats food while dupe is under water. Africa (Kaffir): Theal 101, (Angola): Chatelain 205; Jamaica: *Beckwith MAFLS XVII 239; American Negro (Georgia): Harris Nights 373 No. 67, (South Carolina): Stewart JAFL XXXII 394, Parsons MAFLS XVI 40. |
| K17 | Jumping contest won by deception. Philippine: Fansler MAFLS XII 51; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 302 n. 104. |
| K17.1 | Contest: jumping into the ground. A hole is already dug and covered with boughs. *Type 1086. |
| K17.1.1 | Contest: who can go deepest into the earth? Wren goes into mouse hole. *Type 221; *BP III 278; *Dh IV 169. |
| K17.2 | Contest in jumping from the church tower. The devil is not to look behind him. The man runs downstairs (or otherwise cheats). Type 1075*; *Bolte Frey 222 No. 19. |
| K17.3 | Contest in jumping into a trap. Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 134. |
| K17.4 | Jumping frog contest. Frog filled with shot. Anonymous Historia de Pedro Urdemales (Yungay, Chile, 1885) No. 11. Literary treatment by Mark Twain. |
| K18 | Throwing contest won by deception. *Fb "kaste" II 103a; French Canadian: Barbeau JAFL XXIX 21; Africa (Bankon): Ittman 88. |
| K18.1 | Throwing contest: trickster shouts. He is trying to warn the people beyond the sea with his cry. The ogre is intimidated. (Cf. K12.1.) Köhler-Bolte I 64; U.S.: Baughman. |
| K18.1.1 | Throwing contest: trickster addresses Angel Gabriel. Offers him the ogre's cane. The ogre is intimidated. N. A. Indian (Penobscot): Speck JAFL XXVIII 56. |
| K18.1.2 | Throwing contest: trickster addresses Angel Gabriel or St. Peter, warns him to get out of way of missile trickster is about to throw. U.S.: *Baughman. |
| K18.2 | Throwing contest: golden club on the cloud. Trickster shows the ogre the club he has thrown. (Really only a bright spot on the cloud.) (Cf. K1746.) *Type 1063; French Canadian: Barbeau JAFL XXIX 22. |
| K18.3 | Throwing contest: bird substituted for stone. The ogre throws a stone; the hero a bird which flies out of sight. *Type 1062; BP I 148; Lappish: Qvigstad Lappiske Eventyr II 237, 251; French Canadian: Barbeau JAFL XXIX 95; Philippine: Fansler MAFLS XII 51; N. A. Indian: Thompson CColl II 431ff., (Navaho): Matthews MAFLS V 84; Africa: Meinhof Afrikanische Märchen 178, (Jaunde): Nekes 252. |
| K22 | Deceptive tug-of-war. Small animal challenges two large animals to a tug-of-war. Arranges it so that they unwittingly pull against each other (or one end of rope is tied to a tree). Africa (Mpongwe): Nassau 37 No. 5, (Ibo, Nigeria): Basden 277, Thomas 145, (Ila, Rhodesia): Smith and Dale II 377 No. 2; American Negro (Georgia): Harris Remus 124 No. 26; Bahama: Parsons MAFLS XIII 74 No. 34, Edwards MAFLS III 65; South American Negro: C. F. Hartt Amazonian Tortoise Myths (Rio de Janeiro, 1875) 20, Cape Verde Islands: Parsons MAFLS XV (1) 83 No. 27; West Indies: Flowers 495ff. |
| K23 | Deceptive shinny match. N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 314 n. 141, (California): Gayton and Newman 74. |
| K24 | Deception in swinging contest. Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 24. |
| K25 | Flying contest won by deception. |
| K25.1 | Flying contest won by deception: riding on the other. Wren hides in eagle's wings. (Cf. K11.2.) *Type 221. |
| K25.2 | Contest in flying with load. One animal chooses cotton; the other, seeing that a rain is coming, chooses salt and wins. Dh III 142. |
| K26 | Blowing contest won by deception. Hdwb. d. Märchens I 194a n. 17. |
| K27 | Riding contest won by substitution. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| K28 | Tournament won by deception on borrowed horse. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| K30 | Hunting contest won by deception. |
| K31 | Shooting contest won by deception. Philippine: Fansler MAFLS VII 137; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 314 n. 142. |
| K31.1 | Contest: shooting an unheard-of bird. The man sends his wife on all fours in tar and feathers. The ogre has never heard of such a bird. *Type 1092. |
| K31.2 | Shooting test won by deception: proof of good sight. A man puts a dead hare under a tree and shows it to his dog. He tells people to look at the hare under the tree. At the distance no one can see it. He tells them that he will shoot it. He shoots and has his dog bring the hare. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin II 207 No. 417. |
| K31.3 | Shooting contest won by deception: bird substituted for arrows. N. A. Indian: *Boas RBAE XXXI 721, 944. |
| K32 | Trapping contest won by deception. N. A. Indian: Thompson Tales 328 n. 187. |
| K33 | Harpooning contest won by deception. N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 314 n. 134. |
| K40 | Labor contest won by deception. |
| K41 | Plowing contest. |
| K41.1 | Plowing contest won by deception: hare exchanged for horse. God and the devil contest in plowing. The devil plows with a horse, God with a hare. While the devil is asleep, God takes the devil's horse and plows the field. When he wakes, the devil thinks the hare has plowed so much and gladly trades his horse for the hare. Dh I 192f. |
| K41.2 | Pig and dog as plowmen. Pig plows while dog sleeps. Then dog runs back and forth in furrow to claim victory. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K42 | Harvesting contest. |
| K42.0.1 | Contest: harvesting the hay. The man calls out, "The wolves are coming!" The ogre is intimidated. Type 1053*. |
| K42.1 | Threshing contest. Type 1089*; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 1089*; Russian: Andrejev No. 1089. |
| K42.2 | Mowing contest won by trickery. The man takes the center of the field. The ogre is given a dull sickle and mows around the outside of the field. *Type 1090; Danish: Kristensen Danske Sagn I (1892) 456ff., (1928) 284ff. |
| K42.2.1 | God cheats devil at mowing. God mows with a chisel, the devil with a scythe. God deceives devil into changing scythe for chisel. Lithuanian: Balys Legends No. 138. |
| K44 | Deceptive contest in chopping. Type 1065*. |
| K44.1 | Deceptive contest in chopping: iron in bamboo. Hero challenged to cut down bundles of bamboo suspended in air but a strip of iron is treacherously inserted in each. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 266. |
| K46 | Tree-pulling contest. N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 330 n. 191f. |
| K47 | Sewing contest won by deception. |
| K47.1 | Sewing contest won by deception: the long thread. The ogre sews with the whole length of the thread. When he returns from the first stitch, the tailor has his task finished. *Type 1096; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K48 | Contest in bridge-building won by deception. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K50 | Endurance contest won by deception. |
| K51 | Waking contest won by deception. Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 25; cf. DeVries FFC LXXIII 400ff. |
| K51.1 | Waking contest won by giving opponent soporific. Tuamotu: Stimson MS (z-G. 3/1142). |
| K52 | Contest in seeing sunrise first. |
| K52.1 | Contest in seeing sunrise first: sun on the trees. The fox places himself on a hill facing the east; the hog in a lower place facing the high trees to the west. The sun shines on the top of the trees, and the hog wins. (Sometimes told with human actors.) *Type 120; Dh III 147ff., 150ff.; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 269; Irish: Jackson FL XLVII 285; Japanese: Ikeda. Cf. Harris Friends 3 No. 1. |
| K52.2 | Contest in seeing sunrise first: sleeper wins. One keeps awake, the other sleeps. The first thinks that he sees the sun and cries out prematurely, thus waking the other, who wins. *Dh III 147f. |
| K53 | Deceptive contest in fasting. Irish myth: *Cross; Louisiana Creole: Fortier MAFLS II 34ff.; Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 133; Africa (Nigeria): Dayrell 153ff.; Bahama: Parsons MAFLS XIII 97 No. 51; Jamaica: *Beckwith MAFLS XVII 261f. No. 61; American Negro (Georgia): Harris Nights 370 No. 66. |
| K60 | Absurd contest won by deception. |
| K61 | Contest in pushing hole in tree: hole prepared beforehand. Hero and ogre to vie in pushing a hole in a tree with their heads. *Type 1085, 1640; BP I 163; Köhler-Bolte I 86. |
| K62 | Contest in squeezing water from a stone. The ogre squeezes a stone; the trickster a cheese or egg. *Types 1060, 1640; *BP I 148; *Fb "sten" III 554a, "øst" II 763a; Danish: Kristensen Danske Sagn I (1892) 438; Philippine: Fansler MAFLS XII 51; Caucasian: Dirr Kaukasische Märchen 7 No. 2; Malay: Hambruch Malaiische Märchen 109; Africa: Frobenius Atlantis IX 289; American Negro (Georgia): Harris Remus 146 No. 30. |
| K63 | Contest in biting a stone. The ogre bites a stone; the man a nut. *Types 1061, 1640; BP I 68 n. 1, II 528; India: Thompson-Balys; Africa (Ila, Rhodesia): Smith and Dale II 387 No. 13. |
| K63.1 | Hero to eat iron grains. Substitutes soft food. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K64 | Contest: pulling on steak with teeth. Two men take an end of a steak in their teeth; each attempts to pull it away from the other. After each has a good hold, the Irishman says (with clenched teeth) "Noo're ready?" The Dutchman says, "Yah!", loses the steak. (Cf. K22, K561.1.) U.S.: *Baughman. |
| K66 | Dream contests. U.S.: *Baughman. |
| K69 | Absurd contest won by deception—miscellaneous. |
| K69.1 | Contest with magician in bringing grain out of closed bamboo: trickster brings culm-borers to make holes. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K70 | Contest in strength won by deception. |
| K71 | Deceptive contest in carrying a tree: riding. The trickster has the dupe carry the branches of a tree while he carries the trunk. He rides on the trunk. *Type 1052; *BP I 149; Africa (Dzalamo): Meinhof ZsES XI 280. Cf. Type 1640. |
| K72 | Deceptive contest in carrying a horse. The ogre carries it on his back and soon tires; the man carries it between his legs (rides). *Type 1082; Köhler-Bolte I 473. |
| K73 | Deceptive contest in squeezing hands. The man has an iron glove on. Type 1060*; Russian: Andrejev No. 1060*. |
| K74 | Deceptive contest in pulling fingers. The man has an iron finger. Type 1064*. |
| K80 | Contests in other physical accomplishments won by deception. |
| K81 | Deceptive eating contest. Koryak: Jochelson JE VI 128; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 314 n. 137b; Eskimo (West Hudson Bay): Boas BAM XV 313, (Greenland): Rink 108. |
| K81.1 | Deceptive eating contest: hole in bag. The hero slips his food into a bag and makes the ogre believe that he is the greater eater. (In many versions the hero cuts open the bag; the ogre imitates and kills himself.) (Cf. K82.1.) *Type 1088; Saintyves Perrault 282; Krohn Tutkimuksia Suomalaisten Kansansatujen alalta 220ff.; Köhler-Bolte I 86; *Fb "æde" III 1139b.—Icelandic: Flateyjarbуk I 211, MacCulloch Eddic 93, Boberg; Danish: Kristensen Danske Sagn I (1892) 439; French Canadian: Barbeau JAFL XXIX 21; India: Thompson-Balys; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 330 n. 191b; Africa: Frobenius Atlantis IX 368, XII 349. |
| K81.2 | Deceptive eating contest: relative helpers. Trickster wins with the aid of substitutes. (Cf. K82.2.) N. A Indian (California): Gayton and Newman 69; Africa (Congo): Weeks 214 No. 10. |
| K81.3 | Deceptive eating contest: inexhaustible food. Hero can produce unlimited food which opponents must eat. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K81.4 | Contest: who will eat least. Food secretly furnished one, but plan detected and foiled. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 1568A*. |
| K82 | Deceptive drinking contest. |
| K82.1 | Deceptive drinking contest: hole for water. The trickster lets the water run out through a hole; the dupe drinks himself to death. (Cf. K81.1.) *Type 1088; Icelandic: MacCulloch Eddic 93; Indonesia: DeVries's list Nos. 49, 94. |
| K82.1.1 | Deceptive drinking contest: rising and falling tide. Buffalo and heron wager as to which can drink the sea until the water falls. The buffalo drinks as the tide is coming in; the heron drinks in the falling tide and wins. Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 98. |
| K82.1.2 | Attempted intoxication avoided by boring a hole in the bottom of cup. Marquesas: Handy 119. |
| K82.2 | Deceptive drinking contest: relative helpers. (Cf. K81.2.) Africa (Mpongwe): Nassau 66 No. 14; Icelandic: Boberg. |
| K82.3 | Deceptive contest in drinking whisky. The man drinks water, the devil is given vinegar. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 1089*. |
| K82.4 | Deceptive drinking contest: pretended swallowing. One bullock keeps mouth in water. Other drinks self to death. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K83 | Deceptive scratching contest. N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 306 n. 109ee. |
| K83.1 | Scratching contest: man's wife shows wounds. The man sends his wife to meet the ogre with whom he is to have a scratching contest. She tells the ogre that her husband has gone to have his nails sharpened. She shows him deep wounds that her husband has scratched on her body (obscene). The ogre leaves in terror. *Type 1095; BP III 356, 363; *Penzer III 34; *Bolte Zs. f. vgl. Litgsch. n. F. VII 456; Danish: Kristensen Danske Sagn I (1892) 454. |
| K83.1.1 | Scratching contest with devil: man's wife shows scratches in her oak table. Hdwb. d. Märchens I 193b. |
| K83.2 | Contest in scratching skin off each other: covering self with several ox-hides. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 1098*. |
| K84 | Deceptive vocal contests. |
| K84.1 | Contest in shrieking or whistling. *Type 1084; Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 107. |
| K85 | Contest in seeing. *Type 238. |
| K86 | Contest in hearing. *Type 238. |
| K87 | Deceptive laughing contest. Type 42*; Russian: Andrejev No. 42. |
| K87.1 | Laughing contest: dead horse winner. The ogre tries to laugh as long as the dead horse with a grinning mouth. Laughs till he dies. Type 1080*; Russian: Andrejev No. 1080. |
| K90 | Other contests won by deception. |
| K91 | Cursing contest. Arrow sent as a curse. Aarne FFC III 44 No. 1094. |
| K92 | Gambling contest won by deception. N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 354 n. 276. |
| K92.1 | Gambling contest: coin which attracts fly first to win. Winning coin had been rubbed on a pear. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K92.2 | Game won with loaded dice. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K92.3 | Girl distracts opponent's attention so that gambling lover wins. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K95 | Finger-drying contest won by deception. Three daughters are to wet hands; the first to have hands dry is to be the first to marry. The youngest waves her hands, exclaiming, "I don't want a man!" She wins. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 14; U.S.: Baughman; North Carolina: Brown Collection I 701; Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K97 | Duel won by deception. |
| K97.1 | Boar in duel with tiger cakes mud on body: defeats tiger. India* Thompson-Balys. |
| K97.2 | Combat won by means of substituted weapons. Zs. f. d. Phil. XXVI 12—13; Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| K98 | Beauty contest won by deception. |
| K98.1 | Beauty contest won by deception: other contestants covered with leaves. Tonga: Gifford 186. |
| K100 | Deceptive bargains. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| K110 | Sale of pseudo-magic objects. French Canadian: Barbeau JAFL XXIX 23; Missouri French: Carrière. |
| K111 | Pseudo-magic treasure-producing objects sold. India: Thompson-Balys; Korean: Zong in-Sob 178f. |
| K111.1 | Alleged gold-dropping animal sold. *Type 1539; BP II 10ff.; Penzer V 5—13; Italian Novella: Rotunda; India: *Thompson-Balys; Indonesia: Coster-Wijsman 26 No. 5. |
| K111.2 | Alleged bill-paying hat sold. *Type 1539; BP II 10; *Fb "hat" IV 202b; India: Thompson-Balys; Philippine: Fansler MAFLS XII 196, 443. |
| K111.3 | Pseudo-magic wealth-providing bag sold. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K111.4 | Pseudo-magic formula for making gold sold to king. Gold required for its manufacture carried off by manufacturer. Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| K112 | Pseudo-magic food-producing object sold. |
| K112.1 | Alleged self-cooking kettle sold. *Type 1539; BP II 10; Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K112.2 | "Soup stone" sold. It needs only the addition of a few vegetables and a bit of meat. *Type 1548; *Prato RTP IV 168; Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K112.2.1 | Alleged soup-making pot sold. It already has the ingredients in it. Jamaica: Beckwith MAFLS XVII 242 No. 16. |
| K112.3 | Sale of pseudo-magic cake tree. Korean: Zong in-Sob 179 No. 77. |
| K113 | Pseudo-magic resuscitating object sold. Dupe kills his wife (mother) and is unable to resuscitate her. *Type 1535, 1539; BP II 10; India: *Thompson-Balys; Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 275. |
| K113.0.1 | Seven devils' wives imitate ritual of death and resuscitation done over hero; not having the real water of life and death, the seven enemy devils are killed. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K113.1 | Alleged resuscitating bone sold. (Cf. D1013.) Nubian: Sébillot RTP III 394. |
| K113.2 | Alleged resuscitating whistle sold. (Cf. D1225). *BP II 10; French Canadian: Barbeau JAFL XXIX 99; Philippine: Fansler MAFLS XII 196; N. A. Indian: *Thompson CColl II 422ff. |
| K113.3 | Alleged resuscitating book sold. (Cf. D1266.) Philippine: Fansler MAFLS XII 137. |
| K113.4 | Alleged resuscitating wand sold. (Cf. D1254.1.) *BP II 10; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K113.5 | Alleged resuscitating fiddle sold. (Cf. D1233.) *BP II 10; Missouri French: Carrière. |
| K113.6 | Alleged resuscitating knife sold. (Cf. D1083.) *BP II 10, Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K113.7 | Alleged resuscitating horn sold. Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| K113.8 | Alleged resuscitating bugle sold. Korean: Zong in-Sob 179f. No. 77. |
| K114 | Pseudo-magic oracular object sold. *Type 1535; *BP II 18; *Fb "Spеmand". |
| K114.1 | Alleged oracular cow-hide sold. *Type 1535; *BP II 18. |
| K114.1.1 | Alleged oracular horse-hide sold. Type 1535. |
| K114.2 | Alleged oracular bird-skin sold. *Type 1535; *BP II 18. |
| K114.3 | Alleged oracular pill sold. |
| K114.3.1 | Virtue of oracular pill proved. The dupe takes it. "It is dog's dung," he says and spits it out. The trickster says that he is telling the truth and demands pay. *Wesselski Gonnella 99ff. Nos. 4, 4a, 105 No. 9; Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K114.4 | Sale of alleged oracular bamboo cup. Chinese: Graham. |
| K115 | Pseudo-magic healing objects sold. |
| K115.1 | Alleged healing letter sold. Woman sold a letter to wear around her neck which will prevent eye trouble. It helps only so long as she believes in it. *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 153. |
| K115.1.1 | Alleged healing letter (charm) sold: to aid in childbirth. Actually works. When opened it contains nonsense. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K115.1.2 | Pseudo-magic letter is found to contain insulting remarks. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K115.1.3 | Pseudo-magic charm (letter): to ward off plague. Obscene contents. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K115.1.4 | Pseudo-magic letter (charm): to aid in engendering offspring. Obscene contents. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K115.2 | Alleged healing stone sold. A sailor boy sells a seasick Jew "Babylon stones" as a cure. They are pieces of coal. Type 1532*. |
| K115.3 | Pseudo-magic potion: to induce pregnancy. Found to contain snake's eggs. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K116 | Alleged rejuvenating object sold. (Cf. D1338.) |
| K116.1 | Betrayal through pretended fountain of youth. Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 51. |
| K116.2 | Alleged rejuvenating stick sold. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K117 | Alleged inexhaustible vessel sold. |
| K117.1 | Alleged inexhaustible bottle sold. *Wesselski Bebel I 224 No. 128. |
| K118 | Sale of tree with alleged magic fruit. Indonesia: Coster-Wijsman 24 No. 1. |
| K118.1 | Sale of tree alleged to produce clothes. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K119 | Sale of other pseudo-magic objects. |
| K119.1 | Alleged automatic object sold. U.S.: Baughman. |
| K119.1.1 | Fishing-rod alleged to take fish to fisherman's home. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K119.1.2 | Sale of reputed self-operating sickle. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K119.2 | Pseudo-magic acorns: to protect holder's pigs. Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| K120 | Sale of false treasure. |
| K121 | Lime (ashes) sold as gold. *Type 1535; *BP II 10; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K122 | Sale of gilded mudcakes. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K123 | Sale of gilded (plated) ware as gold or silver. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K126 | Trickster, as watchman, exchanges worthless bag for bag of gold at night. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K130 | Sale of worthless animals. |
| K131 | Animal sold as messenger. |
| K131.1 | Rabbit sold as letter-carrier. Alleged to be a swift deliverer of letters. *Type 1539; *BP II 10; Köhler-Bolte I 323; *Herbert III 35; Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| K131.1.1 | Alleged speaking hare sold as messenger. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K131.2 | Bird sold as messenger. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K132 | Wolf sold as a goat (sheep). Types 1535, 1539; *BP II 10; Köhler-Bolte I 323; Missouri French: Carrière. |
| K133 | Wild animal sold as watch-dog. |
| K133.1 | Wolf sold as watch-dog. *Type 1542. |
| K133.2 | Bear sold as watch-dog. *Type 1542. |
| K134 | Deceptive horse-sale. |
| K134.1 | Horse which will not go over trees. Salesman tells buyer that he is selling the horse because it eats too much and will not climb trees. On the way home the horse bites everyone and refuses to cross a bridge. Seller is literally correct. *Wesselski Bebel I 133 No. 33; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 112; England: Baughman; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. *1631. |
| K134.2 | The horse swifter than the rain. Caught in the rain, a trickster finds that his horse will not budge. He undresses, puts his clothes under the horse's belly and keeps them dry. When he reaches the king, he reports that his horse has run so fast that he has had no time to get wet. The king buys the horse. *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 228 No. 72. |
| K134.3 | Trickster grooms master's old mule and then sells him back without detection at huge profit. Nouvelles Récréations No. 25. |
| K134.4 | Trickster in disguise regains possession of his own horse by trading with man whom he has duped once before. Pierre Faifeu No. 47. |
| K134.5 | Owner trades a blind horse. He gives a description that is literally correct. U.S.: *Baughman. |
| K134.6 | Selling or trading a balky horse. (Cf. K134.2.) U.S.: *Baughman. |
| K134.7 | Person trades a dead horse. England, U.S.: *Baughman. |
| K134.8 | Trickster temporarily lames valuable horse and buys him for trifle. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K135 | Pseudo-magic animals sold. Köhler-Bolte I 324; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K135.1 | Pseudo-magic dog (goat) sold. |
| K135.1.1 | Dog (goat) alleged to swallow cold. Said to swallow up the cold so that if he is near, one may sleep comfortably in the cold. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K135.1.2 | Dog alleged to chase hare and bring it to hunter's home. Dupe deceived. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K135.1.3 | Sale of dog supposed to excrete sweet dung: dupe deceived. Korean: Zong in-Sob 178f. No. 77. |
| K136 | Sale of dead buffalo by making him seem alive. Indonesia: Coster-Wijsman 24 No. 1. |
| K137 | Alleged speaking animal sold. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K137.1 | Two jars full of live black wasps sold as interpreters of foreign language. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K137.2 | Parrot knowing only two words sold as speaking foreign language. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K139 | Other worthless animals sold. |
| K139.1 | Animals made by magic exchanged for real ones. The magic animals disappear. Welsh: MacCulloch Celtic 96. |
| K140 | Sale of other worthless objects. |
| K140.1 | Deceptive exchange: useless for magic object. Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 280. |
| K141 | Sale of a sausage filled with blood. Type 480*; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 656*. |
| K142 | Sale of worthless glass as diamond. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K143 | Sale of dung. Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| K143.1 | Pot of cow dung covered with cheese sold as cheese. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K144 | Exchange of alleged ghee (liquid butter) for goat (cow). India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K144.1 | Pus from sore sold as ghee. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K144.2 | Earthen pot with rice water on top of which clarified butter had been poured sold as a pot of clarified butter. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K144.3 | Mud sold as fresh butter. India: Thompson-Balys |
| K147 | Worthless fruits (plants) sold. |
| K147.1 | Green plantains sold as matured plants. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K148 | Cheaters sell each other valueless articles. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K149 | Sale of worthless objects—miscellaneous. |
| K149.1 | Trick exchange: basket of stones for one of bread; a few pieces of money shown through slit in basket-cover to dupe. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K150 | Sale of worthless services. |
| K151 | A beggar tells the bishop how to stay warm. For a gulden he tells him that he should wear all his clothes when he goes horseback in winter. Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 513. |
| K152 | Thief masked as devil bought off by frightened owner. Type 1525; Scotch: Campbell-McKay No. 11; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 3442, Legends Nos. 859f. |
| K153 | The backwards and forwards dance. Dupe persuaded to pay for learning this dance (really moving toward and away from a fire). India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K154 | Trickster feigns ability to influence the sun; sells services. Sun to shine on fools' backs as they go to town in morning and return in afternoon. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K157 | Fraudulent permission sold. |
| K157.1 | Man collects toll fraudulently, stamps "Brass Gate" on receipts he gives. People think this is some Government phrase. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K158 | Trickster persuades dupe to sacrifice animal and give it to him as payment for supposed services. Chinese: Graham. |
| K170 | Deception through pseudo-simple bargain. |
| K170.1 | Deceptive partnership between man and ogre. *Types 1030—1059; India: Thompson-Balys; Icelandic: Boberg. |
| K171 | Deceptive division of profits. |
| K171.0.1 | Giant cheated in division of spoils of the chase. Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 28. |
| K171.0.2 | Jackal cheats other animals of elephant they have killed together. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K171.1 | Deceptive crop division: above the ground, below the ground. Of root crops the ogre (stupid animal) chooses the tops; of other crops the roots. (Cf. J242.8.) *Type 1030; *BP III 355, 363 n. 1; **J. Hackman "Sagan om skördelningen" Folkloristika och etnografiska studier III 140ff.; *Krohn "Bar (Wolf) und Fuchs" JSFO VI 104ff.; Wünsche Teufel 70ff.; Taylor PMLA XXXVI 58 n. 34; *Köhler-Bolte I 69; **Hdwb. d. Märchens I 193a, 593b; *Fb "rød".—Danish: Kristensen Danske Sagn I (1892) 441, (1928) 271; Swiss: Jegerlehner Oberwallis 324 No. 161; Missouri French: Carrière; Spanish Exempla: Keller; India: *Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Ikeda; West Indies: Flowers 497; N. A. Indian: Thompson CColl II 441, 447ff.; American Negro: Parsons JAFL XXX 175. |
| K171.2 | Deceptive grain division: the corn and the chaff. The bear chooses the chaff because of its greater bulk. At the mill the fox's grain makes a different sound from the bear's. *Type 9B; *Dh IV 249ff.; *Krohn "Bar (Wolf) und Fuchs" JSFO VI 97ff.; Hdwb. d. Märchens I 193b. |
| K171.3 | Deceptive nut and olive division: inside and outside. The clever man chooses the kernel of the nuts and the outside of the olive. BP III 363. |
| K171.3.1 | Deceptive sacrifice of nuts and dates. Trickster sacrifices only the shells of the nuts and the inside of the dates. Wienert FFC LVI 80 (ET 456), 103 (ST 164); Halm Aesop No. 315. |
| K171.4 | Deceptive division of pigs: curly and straight tails. All with curly tails belong to the trickster, others to the dupe. *Type 1036. |
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