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 |
|---|---|
| K912.0.2 | Robbers' (giants') hands cut off as they enter house. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K912.1 | Giant's (giantess's) head cut off as he (she) looks out. Icelandic: Snorra Edda Skaldsk. II, *Boberg. |
| K912.2 | Men lured into serpent pit one by one and killed. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| K912.3 | Ogre suitor persuaded by woman to bury her murdered lover: she cuts off his head. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K913 | Disguised hero attacks enemy at feast. Boje 66; Icelandic: *Boberg; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| K913.1 | Disguised shipwrecked men admitted to the king's house kill him at Yule feast in revenge for murder. Icelandic: Hálfdanar saga Eysteinssonar ch. 7—8 (cf. introd. 23—24), *Boberg. |
| K914 | Murder from ambush. Icelandic: Boberg; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K914.1 | Bear killed from ambush as he leaves his cave. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K914.2 | Rock hurled down hill slays enemy passing below. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 433. |
| K914.3 | Slaying under cover of darkness. Jewish: *Neuman. |
| K916 | Dancer stabs spectator. Uses one of the figures of the dance as a ruse. *Chauvin V 84 No. 24 n. 1; India: Thompson-Balys; N. A. Indian (Blackfoot): Wissler and Duvall PaAM II 57. |
| K916.1 | Peacock helper dances before enemy army of hero; flame of fire from her tail burns them all to ashes. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K917 | Treacherous murder during hunt. Boje XIX 61, 64; Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| K918 | Man murdered while praying. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K921 | Fox rids himself of fleas. He lets himself sink in water somewhat with a bundle of hay. The fleas gather on the hay-bundle and he dives into the water. Type 63*; *Fb "ræv" III 114a; Russian: Andrejev No. 63; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K922 | Artificial whale made as stratagem. Enemies surprised and killed. N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 358 n. 287j. |
| K923 | Murder by bleeding: taking more blood than victim realizes. England: Baughman. |
| K924 | Person cuts drawbridge partly through. Giant falls into moat. (Cf. K14, K1431, K1961.1.3.) England: *Baughman. |
| K925 | Victim pushed into fire. Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 60 No. 435*; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K925.1 | Hero entices enemies into building and sets fire to it. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K926 | Victim pushed into water. India: *Thompson-Balys; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 1260. |
| K927 | Slaughter of animals by stampede. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K928 | Murder through transformation. |
| K928.1 | Serpent transforms self to staff, is picked up and bites enemy. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K929 | Murder by strategy—miscellaneous. |
| K929.1 | Murder by leaving poisoned wine. See all references to K1685. |
| K929.2 | One-eyed doe outwitted by approaching from her blind side. Accustomed to feed on a cliff with her sound eye next the land. Wienert FFC LVI 65 (ET 287), 140 (ST 463); Halm Aesop No. 126; Jacobs Aesop 216 No. 66. |
| K929.3 | Ruler promises minister that he will not kill him "on any day of his life." Dispels his suspicions. Has him killed at night. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K929.4 | Pretended flight draws victims. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K929.5 | Murder by slipping gold coins into meat customarily demanded by enemy. Irish myth: Cross. |
| K929.6 | Murder by feigned quarrel. Peacemaker killed. Irish myth: *Cross; Jewish: *Neuman. |
| K929.7 | Men deceived into killing each other. Irish myth: Cross; Africa (Wute): Sieber ZsES XII 60ff. |
| K929.8 | Hero, who has eloped with affianced wife of king, induced to return to court and treacherously slain during enforced absence of his sureties at drinking bouts. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| K929.9 | Murder by pushing off cliff. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 356; Chinese: Graham; Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 331; Africa (Wachaga): Gutmann 188. |
| K929.10 | Old wife provokes sparrow to speak and therefore drop new wife whom he is carrying in his beak. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K929.11 | Concealed weapons in food basket sent king: kills servant who opens it. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K929.12 | False message from other world causes man to go on funeral pyre. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K929.13 | Hare causes pursuing she-bear to stick between trees and kills her. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K930 | Treacherous murder of enemy's children or charges. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| K931 | Sham nurse kills enemy's children. *Type 37; *Dh IV 247; Krohn Bär (Wolf) und Fuchs (JSFO VI) 93ff.; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 1144; India: *Thompson-Balys; Chinese: Eberhard FFC CXX 19ff.; Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 23; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 300 n. 97; S. A. Indian (Chiriguano): Métraux RMLP XXXIII 179; Africa (Basuto): Jacottet 44 No. 5, (Ila, Rhodesia): Smith and Dale II 388 No. 14, (Zulu): Callaway 24, (Kaffir): Theal 111, (Benga): Nassau 125 No. 12; American Negro (Georgia): Harris Nights 344 No. 60. |
| K931.1 | Trickster employed to educate baby crocodiles: he eats them instead. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K932 | Trickster pollutes nest and brood of bird. N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 303 n. 109a. |
| K933 | Trickster eats all of tiger's cubs but one. Counts that one many times and deceives tiger. Jamaica: Beckwith MAFLS XVII 257 No. 39. |
| K934 | Fox as shepherd. A woman in search of a shepherd tries the voices of applicants. The wolf and the bear are rejected, the fox accepted. Type 37*. |
| K940 | Deception into killing own family or animals. |
| K940.1 | Man betrayed into eating his own children. |
| K940.1.1 | Man betrayed into eating his own children and setting the village on fire. (Cf. K941.2, K944.) Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 56. |
| K940.2 | Man betrayed into killing his wife or grandmother. *Type 1535, BP II 3ff. |
| K941 | Trickster's false report of high prices causes dupe to destroy his property. |
| K941.1 | Cows killed for their hides when large price is reported by trickster. *Type 1535; *BP II 1ff.; India: *Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Ikeda; Indonesia: Coster-Wijsman 27 No. 5. |
| K941.1.1 | Wives killed when large price for his mother's (wife's) corpse is reported by trickster. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K941.2 | Dupe burns house because trickster reports high price paid for ashes. Spanish: Espinosa III No. 193; India: *Thompson-Balys; Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 274. |
| K941.3 | Enemies each burn own houses to be able to sell ashes. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K942 | Angry man kills his own horse by mistake. Trickster has shifted the places of his horse and that of the dupe. Type 1544. |
| K943 | Hermit (deceived by the devil) kills his own father, supposing him to be the devil. Herbert III 5; Crane Vitry 168 No. 76; Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| K944 | Deceptive agreement to kill wives (children). Trickster shams the murder; dupe kills his. *Beckwith MAFLS XVII 241; India: *Thompson-Balys; Africa: Weeks Jungle 384, (Thonga): Junod 217, (Fang): Einstein 155, (Cameroon): Meinhof 70, 73, Lederbogen 77, (Fjort): Dennett 85 No. 20, (Wute): Sieber ZsES XII 56, (Jaunde): Heepe 105, (Wachaga): Gutmann 186f. |
| K945 | Woman tricked into giving poison to her husband: thinks it a love-philtre. Greek: Fox 94 (Deianeira). |
| K946 | Bird flies on head of dupe's child. Dupe strikes at bird and kills child. Japanese: Ikeda; Africa (Ibo, Nigeria): Basden 279, Thomas 159. |
| K947 | King causes his own men to be burned and killed, by mistake or illusion. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| K948 | King lured to send his sons on fatal quests and to kill nephews. Icelandic: Þiðriks saga II 158—79, Boberg. |
| K950 | Various kinds of treacherous murder. *Type 709; *Böklen 100ff. |
| K951 | Murder by choking. |
| K951.0.1 | Deserted wife chokes departing husband. Asks for one last kiss. Jewish: bin Gorion Born Judas I 242ff., 376, 384, Neuman. |
| K951.1 | Murder by throwing hot stones in the mouth. Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 38 No. 285A*; Japanese: Ikeda; Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 33; Papua: Ker 103; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 324 n. 167; Africa (Wachaga): Gutmann 188. |
| K951.1.1 | Murder by hot iron in mouth. India: *Thompson-Balys; Philippine (Tinguian): Cole 199; Africa (Boloki): Einstein 114, (Upoto): Einstein 141. |
| K951.1.1.1 | Killing tiger by throwing hot hatchet into mouth. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K951.1.2 | Murder by thrusting spear (tongs) into mouth. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K951.1.3 | Murder by throwing hot fruit into victim's mouth. Papua: Ker 103. |
| K951.2 | Murder by feeding with bread full of pins. Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 38 No. 285A*. |
| K951.3 | Murder by throwing poisoned bread into mouth. Hdwb. d. Märchens I 334b. |
| K951.4 | Murder by putting clod into person's windpipe. Africa (Zulu): Callaway 55. |
| K951.5 | Animal killed by forcing ball (of hide, wax, etc.) into throat. Greek: *Robinson Works of Chaucer 966; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K951.6 | Murder by feeding with honey-covered sharpened cross-pieces of wood. S. A. Indian (Toba): Métraux MAFLS XL 71. |
| K952 | Animal (monster) killed from within. India: Thompson-Balys; Cook Islands: Beckwith Myth 267; Tonga: Gifford 79, 83; Eskimo (Greenland): Rink 438, (West Hudson Bay): Boas BAM XV 538; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 321 n. 159; Africa (Benga): Nassau 206 No. 32. See also all references to F912. |
| K952.1 | Ungrateful river passenger kills carrier from within. Crawls inside during the passage. (Porcupine and buffalo.) India: Thompson-Balys; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 302 n. 104. |
| K952.1.1 | Jackal, swallowed by elephant so it can drink water in his belly, eats elephant's liver and kills him. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K952.1.2 | Ungrateful rat defecates upon head of (or kills) octopus that rescues him from sea. Oceania: *Lessa MS. |
| K952.2 | Man transforms self to gadfly to enter giant's stomach and kill him. S. A. Indian (Tehuelche): Alexander Lat. Am. 336. |
| K952.2.1 | Man kills giant bear by crawling inside and cutting his way out. Eskimo (Greenland): Rink 438. |
| K952.3 | Animal tricked into seizing hollow log. Man reaches through and pulls animal's heart out. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| K953 | Murder by squeezing. |
| K953.1 | Murder by lacing corset tight. Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 63 No. 453. |
| K953.2 | Murder by wrapping snake around man. Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 10. |
| K953.3 | Crab carried by crane, clings round his neck and cuts off his head with pincers. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 260. |
| K953.4 | Murder by crushing in false embrace. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 996. |
| K955 | Murder by burning. Type 930; Aarne FFC XXIII 85, 92; Jewish: Neuman. |
| K955.1 | Murder by scalding. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K955.2 | Murder by burning in hot oil. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K955.3 | Murder by burning arrow. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K956 | Murder by destroying external soul. Type 302. |
| K956.1 | Gradual murder by piecemeal destruction of separable soul. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K957 | Murder by blinding. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K957.1 | Killing by throwing hot salt into eyes. Africa (Upoto): Einstein 143. |
| K958 | Murder by drowning. (Cf. K926.) Greek: Grote I 269; Papua: Ker 30, 52, 147; S. A. Indian (Chiriguano): Métraux RMLP XXXIII 163, (Tupinamba): ibid. 135. |
| K959 | Other kinds of treacherous murder. |
| K959.1 | Murder by putting mouth of pot over victim's head. Africa (Bushman): Bleek and Lloyd 123, 125. |
| K959.2 | Murder in one's sleep. Italian Novella: Rotunda; Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| K959.2.1 | Woman's father and brothers kill her husband in sleep for having married against their wishes. Italian Novella: Rotunda |
| K959.2.2 | Heroes dislike to kill sleeping people. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| K959.2.3 | Man murdered at his wife's side. (Cf. K873.1.) Icelandic: Boberg. |
| K959.2.4 | Woman marries king feigning that she can heal him, and murders him in sleep. Afterward she takes the kingdom together with his counsellor. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| K959.2.5 | Hero attacks and kills at night hero who wanted to go to sleep before their fighting. Icelandic: örvar-Odds saga 52—55. |
| K959.3 | Tent torn down over man, and he is then killed. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| K959.3.1 | Rafter supporting giant's house cut half through, so that it can be drawn down from the outside, and the giant killed. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| K959.4 | Murder from behind. Icelandic: *Boberg. |
| K959.5 | Thorns planted so that birds are killed when they light on field. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K959.6 | Post-hole murder: people invite boy to enter post-hole and then try to crush him with log. Oceania: *Lessa MS. |
| K960 | Other fatal deceits. |
| K961 | Flesh of certain animal alleged to be only cure for disease: animal to be killed. (The sick lion.) *Type 50; *Krohn Bär (Wolf) und Fuchs (JSFO VI) 21ff.; **Graf FFC XXXVIII 20; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 494; Wienert FFC LVI 47 (ET 55), 50 (ET 102), 99 (ST 129), 100 (ST *133); Halm Aesop No. 255; Herbert IV 431f.; Chauvin III 78; India: *Thompson-Balys; Africa (Hottentot): Bleek 19 No. 10. |
| K961.0.1 | Blood of certain animal said to be sweet. Its death thus brought about. *Parsons MAFLS XV (1) 57 No. 20; American Negro: Harris Friends 45ff. No. 6. |
| K961.1 | Disease to be cured by heart of monkey. (Cf. K544.) *Penzer V 128f., 128 n. 1; Bødker Exempler 298 No. 62; India: Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Ikeda. Also references to K544. |
| K961.1.1 | Tit for tat. Wolf tells sick lion that fox does not esteem him. Fox overhears it. Later fox tells lion that his only cure lies in his wrapping himself in the wolf's skin. Wolf is killed. Spanish Exempla: Keller; Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K961.2 | Flesh (vital organs) of certain person alleged to be only cure for disease. India: *Thompson-Balys; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 882; Africa (Temne): Schlenker Collection of Temne Traditions (London, 1861) 87ff. No. 7, (Hausa): Tremearne FL XXII 464ff. No. 50. |
| K961.2.1 | Brain of snake said to be only cure for monkey's disease. Monkey to be killed by snake when he goes to hole. Bødker Exempler 305 No. 79; Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| K961.2.2 | Ogress wife demands eyes of six wives of raja or she will die. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K962 | Camel induced to offer himself as sacrifice. Other animals feign to offer themselves to the lion as food. The lion eats the camel. Penzer V 53 n. 1; Chauvin II 89 No. 29; Bødker Exempler 284 No. 31; Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| K963 | Rope cut and victim dropped. Man is being hauled up on the rope. *Type 301; *BP II 300ff.; Icelandic: Boberg; Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 115 No. 960; India: Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Ikeda; Africa (Zulu): Callaway 78; Jamaica: Beckwith MAFLS XVII 242 No. 17; West Indies: Flowers 532. |
| K963.1 | Rope of mountain-climber cut and victim dropped. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K964 | Barber killed when hero reports king's ancestors need his services in heaven. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K974 | Man with deformed head slays his barbers. Irish myth: *Cross. |
| K975 | Secret of strength treacherously discovered. *Type 590; BP I 551, III 2 n. 1; *Frazer Old Testament II 480; Huet Contes Populaires 134; MacCulloch Childhood 58; Krappe Revue Archéologique (1933) 195—211.—Irish myth: *Cross; Missouri French: Carrière; Spanish Exempla: Keller; Jewish: Neuman; N. A. Indian: *Thompson CColl II 392, (Pawnee): Dorsey CI LIX 104 No. 25, (Arikara): Dorsey CI XVII 84ff. Nos. 25, 26, (Crow): Simms FM II 309 No. 20. |
| K975.1 | Pretended exchange of confidences as to the one thing that can kill. India: Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Ikeda; N. A. Indian: *Thompson PMLA XXXVII 133. |
| K975.1.1 | Hero tells enemies how he may be killed. Marquesas: Handy 105. |
| K975.2 | Secret of external soul learned by deception. *Type 302; Scottish: Campbell-McKay No. 1; Spanish: Espinosa Jr. Nos. 65—67; India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K976 | Daughter pulls out father's magic life-containing hair. As soon as it is taken out he dies. Greek: Frazer Apollodorus II 117 n. 3 (Nisus). |
| K978 | Uriah letter. Man carries written order for his own execution. *Types 428, 930; *Aarne FFC XXIII 64ff., 91; Irish: *Cross, O'Suilleabhain 38, Beal XXI 314; Icelandic: Herrmann Saxo II 262ff., Boberg; Spanish Exempla: Keller; Jewish: *Neuman; India: *Thompson-Balys; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 828, II 267; Japanese: Ikeda. See also all references to K511. |
| K978.1 | Message of death. Man carries unwittingly an oral order for his own execution. See all references to K1612. |
| K978.1.1 | Leopard and crocodile both sent for the dog. Neither has seen a dog nor have they seen each other. Man sends them to the same place saying that the dog will be there. They kill each other. Africa (Fjort): Dennett 99 No. 26. |
| K978.2 | Message of death lost. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K981 | Fatal deception: changed message from oracle. Greek: Fox 108 (Phrixos). |
| K982 | Dupe induced to stand under falling tree. India: Thompson-Balys; Africa (Ekoi): Talbot 70, (Cameroon): Rosenhuber 43. |
| K983 | Dupe persuaded to climb tree. Tree felled and dupe killed. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K983.1 | Tree cut down to get at victim in top. Alu: Wheeler No. 54; Mono: ibid. No. 21; Buin: ibid. No. 4; Papua: Ker 86. |
| K983.2 | Dupes lured onto tree-trunk bridge; fall to death. S. A. Indian (Kaigang): Métraux RMLP XXXIII 148. |
| K984 | Man is lured into sitting in a mechanical chair and is killed. Italian Novella: Rotunda. |
| K985 | Magic horse lent by fairy in disguise brings about death of mortal. Irish myth: Cross. |
| K986 | Murder induced by bribery (lands, riches, wives). Irish myth: *Cross. |
| K988 | Person thrown out of magic airship and killed. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K991 | Dupe persuaded to go to dangerous place; killed. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K991.1 | Brother causes brother's death by sending him to robbers and giving false advice. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1000 | Deception into self-injury. Japanese: Ikeda; Indonesia: DeVries's list Nos. 9—20. |
| K1010 | Deception through false doctoring. Type 1136; Chinese: Graham. |
| K1010.1 | Remedy: covering with dry leaves. Victim burned up. (Cf. K1013.2.) Africa (Wakweli): Bender 88f. |
| K1011 | Eye-remedy. Under pretence of curing eyesight the trickster blinds the dupe. (Often with a glowing mass thrust into the eye.) *Type 1135; *BP III 375; **Hackman Polyphemsage; *Herbert III 40ff.; Hervieux IV 204 No. 29; Icelandic: Boberg; Spanish Exempla: Keller; India: Thompson-Balys; Africa (Ibo, Nigeria): Basden 140. |
| K1011.1 | Fool deceived into curing headache by removing his eyes. Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| K1011.2 | Ashes as remedy for sore eyes. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1012 | Making the dupe strong. The false doctor injures him. |
| K1012.1 | Making the dupe strong—by castration. *Types 153, 1133. |
| K1012.2 | Making the dupe strong—by scalding. *Type 1134. |
| K1013 | False beauty-doctor. The trickster pretends to make the dupe beautiful. Injures him. *Cosquin études 385ff.; India: *Thompson-Balys; Chinese: Graham; Indonesia: DeVries's list Nos. 73, 74; Eskimo (Bering Strait): Nelson RBAE XVIII 467; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 352 n. 271, (California): Gayton and Newman 83; Africa (Ekoi): Talbot 387, (Kaffir): Theal 99, (Wute): Sieber ZsES XII 69f., 172. |
| K1013.1 | Making the beard golden: "such a one". A man named "Such a one" persuades an ogre to have his beard gilded. He covers it with tar and leaves the ogre caught to the tar-kettle. The ogre with his tar-kettle wanders about and asks everyone, "Have you seen such a one?" *Type 1138. |
| K1013.2 | "Painting" on the haycock. The fox persuades the wolf to lie on the hay in order to be painted. He sets fire to it. *Type 8; *Dh IV 239; *Krohn Bär (Wolf) und Fuchs (JSFO VI) 67ff.; American Negro: Harris Friends 60 ff. No. 8. |
| K1013.2.1 | Making wife beautiful by burning her. S. A. Indian (Chiriguano): Métraux RMLP XXXIII 175; Africa (Cameroon): Rosenhuber 79. |
| K1013.2.2 | Burning children on promise of giving them fawn's beautiful spots. N. A. Indian (Zuсi): Benedict II 344. |
| K1013.3 | "Painting" with a red hot iron. *Type 152*; Russian: Andrejev No. 152. |
| K1013.4 | Trickster to give wings to tiger. Wounds him fatally. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1013.5 | False hair-restorer injures patient. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K1013.6 | Trick: breaking legs for prowess in dancing (or for swiftness). N. A. Indian (Zuсi): Benedict II 344. |
| K1014 | Pepper given as ointment for burns. (Cf. K1045.) Japanese: Ikeda; American Negro (Georgia): Harris Friends 69ff. No. 9. |
| K1014.1 | Pepper up noses as remedy. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1014.2 | Pepper rubbed on injured skin. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1015 | False remedy for toothache. |
| K1015.1 | Biting on stone given as remedy for toothache. Teeth injured. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1015.2 | Leopard wants teeth filed: large stone dropped from tree knocks all leopard's teeth out. Africa (Cameroon): Lederbogen 63. |
| K1016 | Beetles and barley introduced into wounds on pretence of healing them. Irish myth: Cross. |
| K1017 | Feeling pulse: doctor severs arteries instead. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1018 | Hare flatters other animals into letting it bite off their ears. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1020 | Deception into disastrous attempt to procure food. |
| K1021 | The tail fisher. The bear is persuaded to fish with his tail through a hole in the ice. When he is attacked and tries to escape, he loses his tail. *Type 2; *BP II 111; *Dh IV 219; Krohn Bar (Wolf) und Fuchs (JSFO VI) 26ff.; *Fb "ræv" III 113b, "bjørn" IV 43a, "ulv" III 971a.—Lappish: Qvigstad Lappiske Eventyr II 3, III 3; Japanese: Ikeda; Korean: Zong in-Sob 159 No. 69; Eskimo (Mackenzie Area): Jenness 44; N. A. Indian: Thompson CColl II 438; American Negro (Georgia): Harris Remus 120 No. 25, Nights 113 No. 21, (Pennsylvania): Parsons JAFL XXX 214, (Virginia): Smiley JAFL XXXII 361, (South Carolina): Parsons JAFL XXXIV 12. |
| K1021.1 | Tail buried (hair tied). Dupe bound fast and then attacked. Spanish: Espinosa III Nos. 199—201, 204; India: *Thompson-Balys; Indonesia: DeVries's list Nos. 35, 88; N. A. Indian (Hupa): Goddard U Cal I 154ff., Kroeber JAFL XXI 224; Africa (Zulu): Callaway 6, 358, (Kaffir): Theal 110, 183, (Basuto): Jacottet 20 No. 2, (Ila, Rhodesia): Smith and Dale II 385f., (Hottentot): Bleek I No. 1, (Thonga): Junod 217; American Negro (Georgia): Harris Nights 339 No. 59; Jamaica: Beckwith MAFLS XVII *241 No. 14, 233f.; West Indies: Flowers 533. |
| K1021.1.1 | Hair tied to basket so that dupe kills self when she throws basket down. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1021.2 | Basket tied to wolf's tail and filled with stones. Wolf is persuaded that it is filled with fish. Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 28 No. 2, Espinosa III Nos. 199—204, 209, 211, 223, Espinosa Jr. Nos. 3. 4. |
| K1021.3 | Bear persuaded to slide down rock. Wears off tail. American Negro (Georgia): Harris Nights 113 No. 21. |
| K1022 | Dupe persuaded to steal food: cannot escape. |
| K1022.1 | Wolf overeats in the cellar (smokehouse). Cannot escape through the entrance hole. *Type 41; *BP II 109, IV 318; *Dh IV 232; *Chauvin III 45; Wienert FFC LVI 60 (ET 226); Halm Aesop No. 31; *Graf FFC XXXVIII 71ff.; Herbert III 374 No. 11; Fb "ulv" III 971a.—Italian Novella: *Rotunda; Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 21; N. A. Indian: Thompson CColl II 438; Africa: Frobenius Atlantis XII 291, 327, (Wachaga): Gutmann 188. |
| K1022.1.1 | Jackal eating into elephant's dead body becomes a prisoner when it dries up; is released when storm moistens hide. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera II 1131. |
| K1022.2 | Wolf tied to cow's horns. The fox ties one end of the rope around the wolf's neck, the other to the cow they intend to eat. The cow drags the wolf to the house where the man skins it. Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 29 No. 47C*, Espinosa III No. 208. |
| K1022.2.1 | Water-monster, trying to pull horse into water, is dragged to house where he begs for his life and is spared. Japanese: Ikeda. |
| K1022.3 | Bear throws hens to the fox, falls from the roof-beam, and is beaten. Type 3B*. |
| K1022.4 | Wolf brings cake from the window-sill. He imitates the fox in so doing, but rings a bell, so that he is beaten. Type 160***. |
| K1022.5 | Turtle induced to rob in a man's garden. Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 18. |
| K1022.5.1 | Otter persuaded to rob: beaten. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1022.6 | Fox eats cake: gets brass pot caught on neck. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1022.7 | Thieving wolf persuaded to stick head through handle of jar of wine so as to be able to carry it off and also sing. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1023 | Getting honey from the wasp-nest. The dupe is stung. Type 49; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 1637*; Mexican: Espinosa JAFL XXIV 419ff.; Chinese: Graham; Indonesia: Coster-Wijsman 38 No. 26; N. A. Indian (Menomini): Skinner JAFL XXVI 75; Africa (Basuto): Jacottet 44ff.; American Negro (Georgia): Harris Nights 51 No. 10, 83 No. 16, Remus 135 No. 28, (Virginia): Parsons JAFL XXXV 274. |
| K1023.1 | Dupe allowed to guard "king's drum": it is a wasp nest. India: *Thompson-Balys; Java: Dixon 188 n. 5; cf. DeVries's list No. 12. |
| K1023.1.1 | Dupe allowed to guard "king's girdle": it is a snake, which bites him. Indonesia: *DeVries's list No. 10. |
| K1023.2 | Dupe persuaded to pick up biting ants. Africa (Angola): Chatelain 161, 163. |
| K1023.3 | Dupe persuaded to sit on ant hole. Hindquarters eaten. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K1023.4 | Animal made to believe sound of swarming bees is that of her children singing in school. Rushes to water to relieve stings and is drowned. Africa (Suto): Jacottet I 36ff. No. 5. |
| K1023.5 | Dupe induced to strike at bee's nest: badly bitten. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1024 | Beginning with the smallest. Animals are to eat one another up to avoid starvation. The fox persuades them to start with the smallest. *Type 20; *Krohn Bär (Wolf) und Fuchs (JSFO VI) 81ff. |
| K1025 | Eating his own entrails. The fox persuades the wolf to do so. *Type 21; Krohn Bär (Wolf) und Fuchs (JSFO VI) 85; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1025.1 | The fox suggests eating his own brains. The wolf, wanting to get brains, strikes his head against a tree. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. *21A. |
| K1025.2 | Tiger persuaded to eat own eyes. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1026 | Dupe imitates trickster's thefts and is caught. *Types 1 (and notes to K371.1.), 66**; Japanese: Ikeda; Africa (Ibo, Nigeria): Basden 274. |
| K1032 | Dupe made to sit on hot stone. Chinese: Graham. |
| K1032.1 | Jackal persuaded to come to fireplace for food. Burns self. (Cf. K955.) India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1033 | Hot porridge in the ogre's throat. He is tricked into burning his throat. *Type 1131. |
| K1034 | Dupe persuaded to climb rope for food: rope breaks. Africa (Hottentot): Bleek 7 No. 3, 9 No. 4, (Kaffir): Theal 190; American Negro: Harris Nights 45. |
| K1035 | Stone (hard fruit) thrown into greedy dupe's mouth. India: Thompson-Balys; Japanese: Anesaki 330; Africa (Hottentot): Bleek 10 No. 4, (Ila, Rhodesia): Smith and Dale II 387 No. 13. |
| K1036 | Trickster pretends to give dupe magic power to produce food. Injures him. Chinese: Graham. |
| K1036.1 | Dupe told he can get meat by putting hand up animal's anus: animal drags him. (Cf. K952.1, K1022.1.1.) India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1036.1.1 | Jackal puts head in anus of sham-dead camel: caught and punished. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1038 | Dupe injures self on fence of thorns surrounding food-plants. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1040 | Dupe otherwise persuaded to voluntary self-injury. |
| K1041 | Borrowed feathers. Dupe lets himself be carried aloft by bird and dropped. *Type 225; *Parsons JAFL XXXI 218 n. 1; *Fb "ræv" III 114a; Herbert III 37ff.; *Dh IV 269; Wienert FFC LVI *46 (ET 51), 50 (ET 98), 93 (ST 63), *123 (ST 320); Halm Aesop No. 419; Gaster Oldest Stories 82.—Spanish: Espinosa III Nos. 218—220, Espinosa Jr. Nos. 21—23; India: *Thompson-Balys; Indonesia: DeVries's list Nos. 70, 108; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 294 n. 80, Thompson CColl II 449, (Klikitat): Jacobs U Wash II 30; Africa (Ila, Rhodesia): Smith and Dale II 373 No. 23; American Negro (Georgia): Harris Remus 103 No. 21, (Virginia): Bacon and Parsons JAFL XXXV 263. |
| K1041.1 | Flight by putting on bird feathers. Dupe falls. Spanish Exempla: Keller; India: Thompson-Balys; N. A. Indian: *Thompson Tales 295 n. 80. |
| K1042 | Water bird takes dupe to sea: shakes him off into water. *Type 226; *Fb "and" IV 12b; Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 69, Dixon 193 *n. 20. |
| K1042.1 | Elephant offers to let chameleon hold on to his tail: it is oiled and chameleon falls off. Africa (Cameroon): Mansfield 225. |
| K1043 | Dupe induced to eat sharp (stinging, bitter) fruit. India: *Thompson-Balys; Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 13; Philippine: Fansler MAFLS XII 376. |
| K1043.1 | Monkey "shares" ointment with tiger: produces sores. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1043.2 | Dupe persuaded to eat stones. Korean: Zong in-Sob 158 No. 69; Africa (Cameroon): Meinhof 77. |
| K1044 | Dupe induced to eat filth (dung). Irish myth: Cross; Italian Novella: Rotunda; Indonesia: DeVries's list No. 15; Marquesas: Handy 110; Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 442; West Indies: Flowers 533. |
| K1044.1 | Dupe induced to drink urine. Cheremis: Sebeok-Nyerges. |
| K1045 | Dupe persuaded to oversalt (overpepper) food. Africa (Ekoi): Talbot 197. |
| K1045.1 | Dupe fed oversalted food. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1045.2 | Dupe persuaded to rub salt on wounds. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1046 | Dupe persuaded to scald self with hot water in order to learn languages. Cheremis: Sebeok-Nyerges. |
| K1047 | The bear bites the seemingly dead horse's tail. Is dragged off by the horse. *Type 47A; *BP III 75; Dh IV 235; Krohn Bär (Wolf) und Fuchs (JSFO VI) 70; Spanish: Espinosa III Nos. 163—7, 172—4; Korean: Zong in-Sob 105 No. 56; N. A. Indian (Chickasaw): Speck JAFL XXVI 292; American Negro (Georgia): Harris Nights 8 No. 2, 208 No. 36. |
| K1051 | Diving for sheep. Dupe persuaded that sheep have been lost in river. *Type 1535; *BP II 1ff.; *Parsons MAFLS XV (1) 51; Köhler-Bolte I 91, 190; India: *Thompson-Balys; Korean: Zong in-Sob 105 No. 56; Indonesia: Coster-Wijsman 26 No. 5. |
| K1051.1 | Dupe induced to dive for alleged jewels. Type 1535; India: *Thompson-Balys; Africa (Vai): Klingenheben ZsES XVI 102ff. No. 8, (Madagascar): Renel II 89ff. No. 83. |
| K1051.2 | Diving for clothes. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1051.3 | Diving to become strong. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1052 | Dragon attacks own image in mirror. Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 40 No. 300; Japanese: Ikeda. |
| K1054 | Robber persuaded to climb down moonbeam. A man hearing a robber enter tells his wife aloud that he always makes a prayer and then enters the house by climbing down a moonbeam. The thief tries it and falls. *Chauvin II 84, IX 31 No. 22; *Wesselski Hodscha Nasreddin I 231 No. 81; *Pauli (ed. Bolte) No. 628; Günter 104 and note 226; Krappe Bulletin Hispanique XXXIX 21; Bødker Exempler 274 No. 10; Spanish Exempla: Keller; Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
| K1055 | Dupe persuaded to get into grass in order to learn new dance. Grass set on fire. Korean: Zong in-Sob 158f. No. 69; Africa (Ibo, Nigeria): Thomas 94. |
| K1055.1 | Crocodile hides in strawstack and is burned to death. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1056 | Dupe allowed to guard "king's litter": sticks in mud. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1057 | Gun as tobacco pipe. The trickster gives the ogre the gun to smoke. *Type 1157; *Fb "tobak" III 814a. |
| K1058 | Deer persuaded to butt head into tree. Kills himself. N. A. Indian (Catawba): Speck JAFL XXVI 324 No. 2. |
| K1058.1 | Serpent's jewel is covered with spiked helmet so that when he tries to recover it he strikes and is spiked to death. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1061 | Dupe digs till he dies of exhaustion. Rabbit entertains the wolf with his antics until the rabbit's wife can change to another hole. The wolf continues to dig. Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 31 No. 72A*. |
| K1062 | Dupe persuaded to transform self into animal. Cannot change back. Chinese: Graham. |
| K1064 | Man dupes animals into turning their tongues upside down. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1065 | Duck persuades cock to cut off his crest and spurs. The cat attacks the duck, who cries, "peace, gentlemen, peace!" Spanish: Boggs FFC XC 36 No. 208*. |
| K1066 | Dupe induced to incriminate himself. Taught incriminating song or persuaded to wear incriminating clothes. Africa (Nigeria): Tremearne FL XXI 489 No. 20; American Negro (Georgia): Harris Nights 69 No. 13, (Virginia): Smiley JAFL XXXII 366; Jamaica: Beckwith MAFLS XVII 235; Bahama: Parsons MAFLS XIII 70 No. 33; West Indies: Flowers 534. |
| K1068 | Trickster teaches a dupe a strange language. |
| K1068.1 | The laborer teaches his master birds' talk. Puts him in a sack and beats him. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 2443*. |
| K1068.2 | Teaching Latin. Cuts off tip of pupil's tongue or orders him to lick cold iron—pupil injures himself. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 2444*. |
| K1071 | Peas strewn on stairs so that person will slip. BP II 57 n. 2; India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1072 | Fairy induces hero to dive into lake which makes person old. Irish myth: Cross. |
| K1074 | Dupe tricked into sitting on hot iron. India: *Thompson-Balys. |
| K1075 | Fox persuades bear to lie in the haycock and wait for sheep. He sets fire to the hay. (Cf. K1013.2.) Cheremis: Sebeok-Nyerges. |
| K1076 | Dupe tricked into breaking tabu by lying. Irish myth: Cross. |
| K1077 | Men tricked into bathing in "disease-water". India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1078 | Dupe sleeps on the "king's bed": falls into well beneath and dies. India: Thompson-Balys. |
| K1080 | Persons duped into injuring each other. Icelandic: Boberg. |
| K1081 | Blind men duped into fighting. Spanish Exempla: Keller. |
| K1081.1 | Blind men duped into fighting: money to be divided. Trickster says that he is giving one of them money to be divided with the others. Gives it to none. They quarrel and fight. (Cf. K1883.6.) *Wesselski Gonnella 126 No. 21; *Bédier Fabliaux 447; Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 1577*; Russian: Andrejev No 1577I*; Italian Novella: *Rotunda. |
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.