Sardinia, Corsica



Tradition title rus: 
Сардинцы, корсиканцы
Areal ID: 
3.3.2.3
Language: 
Tradition analysis result motif count all: 
291.00
Tradition analysis result motif count cosmo: 
41.00
Motifs: 

Motif

a3


Name_eng: 
Male sun and female moon
Description: 

The Moon is female or bisexual, the Sun is male




Motif

b2a


Name_eng: 
The female earth
Description: 

The earth is a female person (alone or together with a male person); she is female being or associated with a woman




Motif

b33a


Name_eng: 
Person dies of cold in the spring
Description: 

When it becomes warm, a person or animal (bird) decides that the winter is over (most often an old woman goes to graze her animals) but dies of cold or the animals that had been deiven to the pasture die




Motif

b33a1


Name_eng: 
The offended March
Description: 

Person or animal, bird teases, offends March or other month and are punished




Motif

b33c


Name_eng: 
The borrowed days
Description: 

When the winter ends and the spring begins certain month (usually March) borrows (rare buys, steals) several days from a neighbor month




Motif

b46


Name_eng: 
Big Dipper is seven men
Description: 

Every one of the seven main stars of the Ursa mayor is a an adult man




Motif

b104


Name_eng: 
Chicken turns into tortoise
Description: 

When a guest comes, a host hides from him a cooked chicken. When the host is going to eat it himself, he finds the chicken transformed into the tortoise (origin of tortoises) or a toad




Motif

e31a


Name_eng: 
Creators and rescuers of a girl
Description: 

Several men take part in rescuing, creation or reanimation of a girl (rare: a bird) or several women take part in the reanimation of a dead man or they differetly express their grief. It is asked whose role was crucial (who behavior more noble) and/or who should be the spouse of the reanimated person. Or three men make something valuable and it is asked whose role in the corresponding enterprise was more important




Motif

h7


Name_eng: 
The personified Death
Description: 

Death (also Old Age, Disease, etc.) is a particular person not identical with the Master of the Dead. He kills people usually carrying away their souls




Motif

h27


Name_eng: 
Mosquitoes let lose
Description: 

Stinging insects (rare diseases) had been inside a container or some enclosure. They escaped to the world when the container or enclosure was foolishly opened




Motif

h52


Name_eng: 
The land of immortality
Description: 

Person finds a land where there is no death. Setting off to visit his home country, he does not come to this land again




Motif

j62


Name_eng: 
People turned into stones
Description: 

Person transforms people who come to him or her into inanimate objects, usually stones




Motif

k14


Name_eng: 
Precious advices
Description: 

A man gives his last money for simple advices. Each of them saves his life or helps to achieve success or he does not follow the advices and gets into trouble




Motif

k27e


Name_eng: 
Eating or drinking contest
Description: 

Person or animal must eat (drink) enormous quantity of food (beverage) or eat or drink poisonous beverage or food




Motif

k32


Name_eng: 
The false wife
Description: 

An ugly, old, lazy, etc. woman or (in Chaco) a male trickster comes to man under disguise of his wife or bride who is driven out, confined to the underworld, killed, etc.




Motif

k33c


Name_eng: 
Girl from a fruit
Description: 

Young man gets a girl who is inside of a fruit or (rare) a flower or an egg




Motif

k56


Name_eng: 
The kind and the unkind girls
Description: 

One of (step)sisters, co-spouses or young female neighbors meets a being that is able to reward and to punish. She behaves herself properly and is rewarded. Another (other) girl comes to the same being but behaves in a wrong way and is punished (not rewarded).




Motif

k57


Name_eng: 
Cinderella
Description: 

A girl who conceals her beauty and/or is poor and oppressed by her stepmother puts on a splendid attire and comes incognito to a feast where a man of high status falls in love with her. He marries her after identifying her by an object given to her or lost by her or (rare) seeing how she changes her clothes




Motif

k65c


Name_eng: 
The various children of Eve
Description: 

A woman conceals from God part of her children (rare: all of them) or part of domestic animals that are under her care. The concealed children become poor people or non-human beings and the concealed domestic animals become wild




Motif

k66


Name_eng: 
Extraordinary companions
Description: 

Several companions have extraordinary abilities (one who runs fast, one who eats great quantities, one who produces or can withstand severe frost, etc.); a hero comes across and takes for companions several men, each of them being involved into a special and unusual activity




Motif

k73


Name_eng: 
Children of the youngest wife
Description: 

A young woman promises to bear a wonderful children (wonderful son). In her husband's absence other people (co-wives, mother-in-law, etc.) try to kill the mother and/or the child, usually slandering the young woman




Motif

k77a


Name_eng: 
Small objects and animals defeat the ogre
Description: 

Small objects and animals (rare: animals alone but including those who really are harmless) revenge on a powerful enemy making attack on him in succession (usually they hide in his or her house); the enemy is badly injured, runs away or dies




Motif

k77b


Name_eng: 
The animals in night quarters (Bremen town musicians)
Description: 

Domestic animals abandon their masters. They find an empty house or build a house. Robbers or the predator animals come there. The domestic animals attack (or just frighten) them. The robbers (predators) do not understand who are their enemies, are scared and run away




Motif

k77c


Name_eng: 
Ones who hide in a house frighten dangerous enemy
Description: 

Objects and/or domestic animals live in a house. When dangerous enemy comes, they attack him, he dies or escapes (all texts with K77A and K77B included)




Motif

k81


Name_eng: 
The handless girl
Description: 

For minor offence or because of false accusation a young girl or woman is maimed and expelled from home (rare: killed or she kills herself). The maimed person magically obtains her body integrity (the dead revives)




Motif

k107


Name_eng: 
Lost husband found
Description: 

A woman is abandoned by her magic husband. She finds him and becomes his wife again




Motif

k119


Name_eng: 
Animal helper marries a poor boy to a princess
Description: 

To make a poor man rich (usually to marry him to a rich girl or to marry a poor girl to a prince), an animal makes other people believe that the groom is rich already. The man becomes prosperous indeed




Motif

k120


Name_eng: 
The averted incest (daughter and father)
Description: 

A man is going to marry his daughter (rare: his stepdaughter; sometimes certain conditions are put on his future marriage and only his daughter complies with them). The girl gets to escape




Motif

k127


Name_eng: 
Brothers transformed into animals
Description: 

A girl has many (more than three) brothers, they turn into birds or animals (rare: into plants; killed by magic), ultimately become human again




Motif

k135


Name_eng: 
Seven with one stroke
Description: 

A weak and timid man or boy overcomes accidentally powerful enemies and gets high esteem




Motif

l4


Name_eng: 
The unmasked murderer (The Blue Beard)
Description: 

Person kills girls (rare: his nephews or younger brothers of his wife) in succession (usually the male person kills his wives). The last of potential victims escapes, usually after finding remains of those who had been killed or imprisoned earlier




Motif

l15d


Name_eng: 
The external soul
Description: 

Life of a person or creature is preserved outside of his (her, its) body. Person or creature dies after the corresponding object is destroyed




Motif

l17b


Name_eng: 
Two faces
Description: 

Person or creature has another face (another mouth) on the back of his (her, its) head




Motif

l81


Name_eng: 
Demon’s fire
Description: 

Person sets off in search of fire and finds it in the house of a demon. The demon makes harm to the person




Motif

l108


Name_eng: 
The wolf and the kids
Description: 

An (animal) person gives a signal (special song, etc.) to his relative or friend who lets him or her in. Antagonist imitates the person's voice or guise and the relative lets him in




Motif

m29b


Name_eng: 
Trickster-fox, jackal or coyote
Description: 

In episodes related to deception, absurd, obscene or anti-social behavior the protagonist is fox, jackal or coyote




Motif

m57d


Name_eng: 
Beat, cudgel!
Description: 

Person gets one by one magic objects that bring food or treasure. Other people replace them with common objects or take them away by force. The person takes his property back (usually beating the thieves with magic cudgel or whip)




Motif

m78


Name_eng: 
A tiny boy (Thumbling)
Description: 

Tiny boy as small as a thumb, a pea and the like taunts people, predator animals, ogres




Motif

m106


Name_eng: 
Meaningful name
Description: 

Person lies that his name is so and so. Others understand it not as a name but as a common word and behave accordingly




Motif

m109b


Name_eng: 
Sick animal carries the healthy one
Description: 

A healthy animal tricks an injured one (a wolf, a bear) into carrying him on his back by pretending to be injured himself




Motif

m116


Name_eng: 
Wisdom of hidden old man saves kingdom
Description: 

People are ordered to kill their fathers or (rare) mothers (the Nyoro: to deprive them of power and property; the Baluch: not to take them setting off for the journey). An old man concealed by his son helps to resolve difficult problem




Motif

m140


Name_eng: 
The theft of fish
Description: 

Trickster pretends to be dead, sick or weak and is picked up by those who carry something edible in a cart (sledge, boat, bag, etc.). The trickster secretly eats the food, often after throwing it out of the cart (sledge, etc.)




Motif

m153


Name_eng: 
Letter on the hoof
Description: 

The wolf (lion, etc.) is going to eat a horse (mule, etc.). The horse asks him to look at his hoof (for different reasons) or eat him from his hindquarters forward; then he kicks him




Motif

m156


Name_eng: 
The ungrateful one returned to captivity
Description: 

An (animal) person saves a dangerous animal from a snare or the like. The saved one is going to kill his savior but the third person saves the second (usually tricks the first one to captivity again)




Motif

m159


Name_eng: 
The lion’s share
Description: 

The strongest predator (usually a lion) suggests one of his companions to shares the booty. He is not satisfied by results and beats the companion. When another companion becomes to divide, he gives everything to the strongest one and explains that the injured one taught him the right way of sharing




Motif

m166


Name_eng: 
Piece among animals
Description: 

To lure his potential victim down from a tree, a predator pretends not to be dangerous (usually announces that it has been decreed that all animals are united in piece). The victim is dubious and usually asks the predator to announce the same news to the dogs. The predator runs away




Motif

m180


Name_eng: 
Fox and crane invite each other
Description: 

An animal person invites another and serves his food in such a way that he is unable to taste it. Then the other invites the first animal and puts him in similar situation




Motif

m83b


Name_eng: 
Whose dream is better?
Description: 

Two (or more) (animal)-persons agree that whichever of them has the most wonderful dream may eat all the food. The first one tells about a feast that he participated in his dream. His companion answers that he was sure that after such a feast (after getting into the paradise, etc.) the first one would not need the food, so he has eaten it alone




Motif

b46c


Name_eng: 
Big Dipper is seven persons or animals
Description: 

Every main star of the Big Dipper is interpreted as a particular person or animal




Motif

k129


Name_eng: 
The disenchanted beauty
Description: 

Because of the female antagonist, a girl faints and is taken for dead but her body is not decomposed. A valuable marriage partner breaks the charms, she revives




Motif

k76


Name_eng: 
A strange son
Description: 

A boy born into a family or found by his adoptive parents has a strange guise (ball of meat, nut, bag, half of a man, an animal). He possesses magic power, becomes a handsome man and usually marries a girl of high social status. The magic spouse of a princess originally has a non-human or monstrous appearance




Motif

k56a5


Name_eng: 
Old woman becomes a young beauty
Description: 

An old or ugly woman is transformed into a young beauty or becomes rich. Usually another old woman tries to imitate her but dies or suffers a reverse




Motif

m154


Name_eng: 
The animal language and the stubborn wife
Description: 

A man obtains knowledge of animal languages but if he reveals the secret, he must die. Once he hears animals talking and laughs. His wife thinks that he laughs at her or at her mother. The man is ready to open his secret and either does it and dies or hears how animals (usually a cock) blame him for being so foolish. So he keeps his secret.




Motif

k33h


Name_eng: 
The cat, the dog and the magic object
Description: 

A man obtains an object that fulfills his wishes. The object is stolen but brought back by the animals (which had been saved by the man before)




Motif

k92b


Name_eng: 
Love like salt
Description: 

A girl answers her father (rare: brother) that she loves him like she loves salt (or that salt is the most valuable, etc.). He becomes angry (usually drives her away) but later satisfies himself that she was right




Motif

k92


Name_eng: 
King Lear
Description: 

A man puts his children questions that seem easy to answer (how they love him, who is the elder in the family, etc.). The elder children flatter, the youngest daughter (rare: son) is reserved and her father drives her away or deprives of inheritance. Later her noble nature becomes evident to him




Motif

m152b


Name_eng: 
Brave donkey and cowardly lion
Description: 

Getting to see a donkey (horse, deer) for the first time, a strong predator thinks that this animal is dangerous. His further interpretation of the herbivorous’ behavior supports this impression




Motif

m118


Name_eng: 
Source of values is destroyed imprudently
Description: 

Person or animal gets access to values that are inside an animal, a tree, a rock or other enclosure. Later he himself or more often somebody else tries to do the same but destroys source of values, blocks access to it or makes it too dangerous




Motif

m118a


Name_eng: 
Forty thieves and jars with oil
Description: 

Chief of thieves (demonic person) brings his men (other demons) into some people’s yard hiding them in empty jars, casks, etc. The plan to kill members of the household at night. A girl (a young woman; rare: somebody else from the family) gets to know about the danger and kills the thieves one by one (usually pouring boiling water into the jars)




Motif

k56b


Name_eng: 
The worthy man is rewarded, the unworthy punished
Description: 

First one, then another man meets a powerful person or persons. The first man is worthy and rewarded with treasure, prestige or the like. The second man (or two men) follows him, behaves in a wrong way and is punished




Motif

m57c


Name_eng: 
Gold producing animal
Description: 

An animal (ass, cow, horse, goat, bear, leopard) extracts gold or food from its body or person makes others believe that it is so




Motif

k107a


Name_eng: 
Iron shoes to be worn out
Description: 

Wandering to the purpose of her or his travel person has to worn out her or his iron shoes or staff




Motif

k33d


Name_eng: 
Peau d'asne
Description: 

A man discovers that a beautiful girl hides herself under a guise of an ugly and dirty servant, under a skin of an animal or in an object that is brought into his house




Motif

l100d


Name_eng: 
The entrapped suitors
Description: 

A pretty, faithful wife is courted by one or several men, one of them usually a clergyman. With her husband’s consent, she invites the suitor(s) to a private rendezvous. Before the first man’s wishes are gratified, the next one arrives and then the husband himself. The suitor or suitors are caught in an uncomfortable position and then killed, punished in some other manner, ridiculed, made to pay ransom, to work, etc.




Motif

l42g


Name_eng: 
Hansel and Gretel
Description: 

Step mother or more often father (persuaded by his wife) abandons children in a desolate place. Getting to the ogre or ogress, children (or at least one of them) survive and ultimately achieve success




Motif

k67b


Name_eng: 
Bargain not to become angry
Description: 

Person of a low social position (a man) makes an agreement with a person of high social position (an ogre) that the master must never become angry with the servant. The servant abuses the master until the latter erupts in anger and has to be severely punished or to pay a great fee




Motif

l114b


Name_eng: 
To bring ogre's property
Description: 

Getting a task or by his own initiative, a trickster several times comes to a person (usually an ogre) and steals in succession objects in his possession or members of his family




Motif

m75b1


Name_eng: 
Marco the Rich
Description: 

A respected man gets to know that a poor boy must inherit all his property or become a king and tries to prevent it, but the fate cannot be changed




Motif

m39c


Name_eng: 
Pumpkin sold as a donkey’s egg
Description: 

A numskull finds or buys an unknown fruit (pumpkin, melon, etc.). He mistakes it for an egg of a donkey (mare. camel, etc.). When he drops it or throws it off he scares a hidden hare (rabbit, fox, mouse, etc.). The fool thinks the fugitive is a young animal hatched from the egg




Motif

m199


Name_eng: 
Squeezing the (supposed) stone
Description: 

A man or a weak animal and an ogre (giant, devil) have a contest to see which of them can squeeze a stone. The man squeezes a cheese (egg, turnip) and thus intimidates the ogre




Motif

m171


Name_eng: 
The profitable exchange: from a pea to a horse
Description: 

Person or animal stays for a night and the next morning declares that his possessions (which value is none or negligible) are lost. Or other persons whom the trickster meets really use or spoil objects that the trickster gives them. Every time he receives in compensation objects or animals with ever bigger value, the last acquisition usually being a costly animal or a girl. (All texts with motifs M171A and M171C contain also the motif M171)




Motif

m171a


Name_eng: 
The profitable exchange: getting a girl
Description: 

Person or animal gets to exchange less valuable goods for ever more valuable. The last or the next to last one is a girl




Motif

m39a1


Name_eng: 
Misunderstood instructions: a step behind
Description: 

Fool follows instructions that were reasonable in every previous episode but become absurd in every next one




Motif

i59b1


Name_eng: 
Milky Way is the road to a remote city
Description: 

Milky Way is the road to a remote city (Rome, Jerusalem, etc.)




Motif

m75b1a


Name_eng: 
The predestined wife
Description: 

A man (usually of high social position) learns by a prediction that a (newborn) girl will be his future wife or a girl from rich family gets to know that her future husband is a poor man. The man (the girl, something else) attempts to kill the predestined marriage partner but only wounds her or him. After the wedding it becomes clear that the prediction is fulfilled




Motif

m39d


Name_eng: 
Series of clever unjust decisions
Description: 

In succession and unintentionally a man causes a series of accedents. The injured parties bring him before a judge. In each case the judge makes decisions that are formally logical but patently unacceptable and saves the man




Motif

i87a2


Name_eng: 
What is Two?
Description: 

Antagonist names numbers from one to seven or nine, every time asking what it is. The hero gives answers that the antagonist accepts as correct ones.




Motif

i59b2


Name_eng: 
Milky Way is the way of St, Jacob
Description: 

Milky Way is the way of St. Jacob (the way to Santiago de Compostela, etc.)




Motif

m39a5b


Name_eng: 
Husband discredited by absurd truth
Description: 

A woman plants fish in the field where her husband is sure to plow them up. He finds them and believes that the fish got there by itself. People take him for mad.




Motif

k151


Name_eng: 
The fisherman and his wife
Description: 

Supernatural creature fulfills a poor man’s moderate request. After this he or his wife asks for ever bigger gifts till the angry helper punishes them (usually takes all his gifts away)




Motif

k103a


Name_eng: 
Tree raises its branches
Description: 

A plant (tree, vine, lotus) that has grown up rapidly does not let anybody besides the hero or the heroine to climb it or to pick its fruits (flowers)




Motif

j47a


Name_eng: 
Beanstalk to the sky
Description: 

A plant (usually not a tree in nature and often a leguminous) grows in no time and person climbs by it to the sky




Motif

m171


Name_eng: 
The profitable exchange: from a pea to a horse
Description: 

Person or animal stays for a night and the next morning declares that his possessions (which value is none or negligible) are lost. Or other persons whom the trickster meets really use or spoil objects that the trickster gives them. Every time he receives in compensation objects or animals with ever bigger value, the last acquisition usually being a costly animal or a girl. (All texts with motifs M171A and M171C contain also the motif M171)




Motif

k27z2b


Name_eng: 
The killed doll
Description: 

Complicated relations between a poor girl and a prince lead to his attempt to kill his bride in the nuptial night. The girl puts a doll in her bed, the prince pierces it with a sword and takes the sweet juice (honey, sugar) with which the doll was filled for the blood. He repents his deed but the real girl appears and the couple is happy




Motif

k27z8


Name_eng: 
Insolvable riddles
Description: 

The riddle refers to extraordinary or accidental events that happened to the person setting the riddle, and thus is unsolvable to outsiders




Motif

m106f


Name_eng: 
A guest from the paradise
Description: 

A stranger tells a woman that he comes from the other world and had seen there her dead relative. The woman gives him money and goods for the latter. Usually when her husband goes after the trickster to retrieve the money, the trickster steals his horse




Motif

k99


Name_eng: 
Prophecy of future sovereiniy
Description: 

A young man or (rare) a girl has a (day-)dream that predicts his or her future triumph. The dreamer either conceals or reports its contest to his family and in both cases is punished for too high opinion of himself. In the beginning the dreamer sometimes sells his dream to another young man, who becomes the protagonist of the tale. Adventures that follow explain the contest of the dream. The youth becomes rich and happy (e.g. marries heiresses of two kingdoms, that in the dream were symbolized by two suns or a sun and a moon), the girl marries king's son




Motif

k33e


Name_eng: 
Disappeared and returned children
Description: 

Babies disappear but are ultimately returned to their mother or father grown up and in good health




Motif

k61e


Name_eng: 
Reward for making a supernatural laugh
Description: 

When a powerful (supernatural) person gets to see a ridiculous situation, he or she laughs (and thus is cured from his disease). People involved into the situation are rewarded (saved from a danger)




Motif

m39g


Name_eng: 
Girl bewails the loss of her child before she has any (Clever Elsie)
Description: 

Girl bewails the loss of her future child before she has any; thinking about an event that could have been tragic; is jealous of her sisters before any of them have fiancée; thinks out the name of her child that does not exist instead of coming to meet her fiancée.




Motif

h7b


Name_eng: 
The Death is stuck to a tree or a bench
Description: 

A man lures Death (Devil) to climb a tree or sit on a bench to which they are stuck and can free themselves not before the man gives them such a permission




Motif

k48


Name_eng: 
Singing bird of the hero
Description: 

An antagonist wants that a wonderful bird of the hero sing but it remains mute or cries differently. The bird begins to sing when the hero triumphs over his adversaries




Motif

k88


Name_eng: 
The two travellers (Truth and Falsehood)
Description: 

Two men travel or argue about whether truth or falsehood (justice or injustice, etc.) is more powerful. The evil one abandons the good one robbing or blinding (maiming) him but the good one gets back his sight and becomes rich. The evil one usually perishes




Motif

k100b


Name_eng: 
A grateful dead
Description: 

A young man helps to bury a man (pays the debts of the dead man, honors a saint). When the young man sets off for a journey, the grateful dead (the saint) in guise of a stranger becomes his protector




Motif

l93a


Name_eng: 
Helpful fox
Description: 

Cunning fox, jackal or coyote saves particular person or many people, helps them




Motif

m30


Name_eng: 
Trickster falls down
Description: 

Person or creature who has no wings or is unable to fly on a long distance attempts to ascend to the sky or to fly far away but falls down or, deprived of his wings, remains in a place from which he is unable to return




Motif

m184


Name_eng: 
The slow one is ahead of the sleeping one
Description: 

A slow and a fast animals agree to race. The fast one is sure that he will win and is not in a hurry at all while the slow one is moving persistently to his aim and wins




Motif

k2a


Name_eng: 
Hero marooned in the underworld
Description: 

Hero is sent to the lower world though a well, precipice, etc. After he obtains valuables (young women), his envious companions cut the rope to get rid of him but he succeeds in returning back




Motif

k38e


Name_eng: 
Of copper, of silver, of gold
Description: 

Loci or objects of three (rare – four) different materials are mentioned in such a way that all of them have positive connotations though unequal value (copper, silver and gold; silver, gold and diamonds, etc.)




Motif

k74


Name_eng: 
Hero, his companions and a dwarf
Description: 

The hero and his companion or companions live together. Every morning one stays at home while another or others go to hunt, etc. A demonic person comes, eats up all the food and beats the cook. Or the man who remained at home comes to the demon himself in search of fire and is maltreated by him. The hero kills or neutralizes the demon




Motif

k74a


Name_eng: 
Only the hero gets to overcome the demon whose track he then follows
Description: 

Every time a demon commits an outrage upon one of the men who remains at home. When it is the hero’s turn, he overcomes the demon and follows his track to his world




Motif

k80d


Name_eng: 
The stuck in pin
Description: 

Person is bewitched (transformed into a bird, faints) when a pin or other sharp object is stuck into her (rare his) body




Motif

k118


Name_eng: 
The prohibited room
Description: 

Master of the house allows person to feel himself (herself) free bit not to look into particular place. The person breaks prohibition




Motif

l4


Name_eng: 
The unmasked murderer (The Blue Beard)
Description: 

Person kills girls (rare: his nephews or younger brothers of his wife) in succession (usually the male person kills his wives). The last of potential victims escapes, usually after finding remains of those who had been killed or imprisoned earlier




Motif

l65b


Name_eng: 
Dogs save their master
Description: 

A demonic woman or (rare) her paramour or a monster is going to kill a man usually after driving him up a tree. At the last moment the man's dogs or other animals or birds who are the man's pets come and kill the demon




Motif

l94


Name_eng: 
Child promised to demon
Description: 

A demon helps a man or a woman or lets him or her free. As a reward, the person is forced to promise to give the demon his child




Motif

l100e


Name_eng: 
The lover, the husband and the guest
Description: 

Before coming in, a guest gets to notice that the housewife is with her lover. When the husband comes home, the guest pretends to possess magic object or the like that helps him to reveal where the good food and the lover are hidden




Motif

m127a


Name_eng: 
The quail makes the fox laugh
Description: 

Trickster animal asks a bird to make him laugh. The bird sits on the head of a woman (child, cow, etc.), other person tries to kill the bird, hits the wife (breaks cow's horn, etc.). Or the bird distracts person attention to let the trickster steal the person’s food




Motif

k2


Name_eng: 
The destroyed ladder
Description: 

Hero climbs up (e.g. to a tree) or down (e.g. into a deep cave) by ladder, rope, from branch to branch, etc. The rope etc. breaks or is intentionally destroyed and the hero cannot return to the ground. (All cases of motif K2A, besides the Koreans, also contain motif K2)




Motif

k85a


Name_eng: 
The thought-horse and the wind horse
Description: 

When assessing the swiftness of a horse, the speed of thought (lightning) and the speed of wind are compared




Motif

l72


Name_eng: 
The obstacle flight
Description: 

Running away from a dangerous being, person throws small objects behind him or her which turn into mighty obstacles on the way of the pursuer




Motif

l72a


Name_eng: 
Comb becomes a thicket
Description: 

Running away from a dangerous being, person throws a comb (a brush) that turns into mighty obstacle (usually a thicket) on the way of the pursuer. (In South America the motif is probably of European origin)




Motif

l100


Name_eng: 
Transformation flight
Description: 

A youth and a girl who run away from pursuer transform themselves into a pair of persons, creatures or objects (pond and duck, church and priest, etc.) in order to escape detection by the pursuer




Motif

l100b


Name_eng: 
Forgotten fiancée
Description: 

The hero and his bride get to escape from the pursuer. The youth goes to visit his home, leaving his bride behind for a time and forgets her. When the youth is going to marry another girl, the forgotten fiancée reawakens his memory by performing magic actions. Or the girl herself forgets her magic husband as soon as she gets to her parents’ home




Motif

m95


Name_eng: 
To bring a present for person's kin
Description: 

A weaker person asks the stronger one to take present to his or her kin and hides himself or herself in a bag. The stronger one brings the bag to the weaker one's relatives thinking that there are but some objects inside. Usually a girl deceives the ogre into carrying her sisters and then herself in a sack (chest) back to their home




Motif

i25a


Name_eng: 
Bones to cows
Description: 

Person sees that food put for certain animals is inedible for them and corrects situation (usually gives to herbivorous animals food that was given before to predators and vice versa)




Motif

k67c


Name_eng: 
Skin ribbon ripped off from the back
Description: 

Person agrees that under certain conditions another may rip off some skin from his back or cut off his ears, nose, etc.




Motif

i25


Name_eng: 
The bribed guards
Description: 

Way to the place of a certain person is guided by dangerous creatures (which often stand on the both sides of the pathway). Person placates them by gifts or nice talk, and they let him or her go the both ways, sometimes being punished for this by their master




Motif

k27n1


Name_eng: 
Task-giver is a king or a chief
Description: 

Person who gives difficult tasks to the hero and/or person who demands the fulfillment of certain conditions from those who want to marry his daughter is a prominent figure in social hierarchy. He is a head of the socio-political unit of community or super-community level and is neither a member of the hero’s household nor a mythical being




Motif

k27s


Name_eng: 
Contest: a race
Description: 

Contest: a race




Motif

k27ss


Name_eng: 
To win a race with an (old) woman
Description: 

A strong man has to race with a woman (often with an old woman). He cannot surpass her or does it with much difficulty




Motif

m114b


Name_eng: 
Not clothed and not naked
Description: 

When a person is suggested to make something and simultaneously not to make it or to make it differently than it could be made at all (to come clothed and naked, with and without a gift, etc.), he or she finds the solution




Motif

k27 (motif is not in the correlation table)


Name_eng: 
Competitions and difficult tasks
Description: 

Person is suggested to fulfill tasks that are mortally dangerous or cannot be fulfilled without supernatural helpers or capacities. The person fulfills the tasks and remains alive. A contest between persons has form of a competition or game in which the loser is deprived of his status or life




Motif

j32


Name_eng: 
To identify the night thief
Description: 

Some valuables (foals, hay, apples, etc.) are regularly stolen. Nobody (the elder brothers) is able to catch the thief and only the hero (the younger brother) finds who it is




Motif

k27nn


Name_eng: 
Envious minister
Description: 

Not the powerful person himself but his official or adviser tries to get rid of the hero and suggests that the person should give the hero difficult tasks




Motif

k39


Name_eng: 
Man feeds his own flesh to a creature who helps him
Description: 

Person has to feed powerful creature (usually a giant bird) giving it regularly pieces of meat. When meat supply is exhausted, he cuts off a piece of his own flesh




Motif

e11


Name_eng: 
The burned skin
Description: 

Magic person reveals his true nature and/or remains with the real people after the object responsible for preserving the non-human appearance (usually an animal skin) is destroyed (usually burned)




Motif

k134


Name_eng: 
The planted treasure
Description: 

To accuse a guest of theft, a host plants a treasure into his guest’s bag




Motif

k24


Name_eng: 
Stolen clothes of supernatural woman
Description: 

Women who possess supernatural power and usually come from a non-human world (from sky, from under the water, they are winged beings, bird- or animal-persons) take off their clothes (feather skins and the like) or part of it. Because a man hides the clothes (of one of them), their owner(s) have (has) to marry him or help him




Motif

k27hh


Name_eng: 
To sort grain
Description: 

A task: to sort a large amount or small particles of different kind (usually seeds of different plants) mixed in container or to count such particles or to pick up the spilled grains




Motif

k27r2


Name_eng: 
The dancing apples
Description: 

A task: to bring objects (usually fruits) that act like people, i.e. dance, sing and the like




Motif

k72


Name_eng: 
Three maidens
Description: 

Powerful person listens in conversation of three (rare: two or four) women. Each of them tells what she would do if the person marries her. One promises to bear his son (children) who would have wonderful qualities, two others promise to practice some kind of work or (more rare) marry people of lower status




Motif

k73


Name_eng: 
Children of the youngest wife
Description: 

A young woman promises to bear a wonderful children (wonderful son). In her husband's absence other people (co-wives, mother-in-law, etc.) try to kill the mother and/or the child, usually slandering the young woman




Motif

k73a4


Name_eng: 
Baby child substituted with a pup
Description: 

Hostile women substitute baby of the newly made mother with a pup (inform the baby’s father that his wife has given birth to a pup)




Motif

k92a


Name_eng: 
The princess responsible for her own fortune
Description: 

A girl driven away from home or married to a poor man become prosperous




Motif

m170


Name_eng: 
Pilgrimage of the animals
Description: 

An animal person pretends to have no other interests than to fulfill religious rules and prescriptions (to confess his sins, to make a pilgrimage, to become vegetarian, etc.) and kills those who have believed him




Motif

l114c


Name_eng: 
To exchange clothes with ogre's daughters
Description: 

Children or youths (usually a group of brothers) exchange clothes (headgears, ornaments, blankets, sleeping places) with their enemy’s children. The enemy kills his or her own children by mistake. Usually brothers get to the ogre or ogress and the youngest advices to exchange places (clothes, etc.) with ogre’s daughters). Outside of Europe the actors can be animals




Motif

m157a2


Name_eng: 
Bull or cart gives birth
Description: 

Person claims that a calf (colt, kid, etc.) was born (brought to the place) not by the cow (mare, etc.) of another person but by his own male animal (bull, stallion, etc.), his own animal of another species or by inanimate object (usually a cart)




Motif

k1f


Name_eng: 
Conflict because of a woman
Description: 

A man maroons another because of jealousy or because he plans to take hold of his wife




Motif

k15a


Name_eng: 
Substituted weapon
Description: 

Hero substitutes powerful person's weapon or amulet with a fake




Motif

k27f


Name_eng: 
The task: to get a woman
Description: 

A task-giver asks the hero to get for him a particular woman




Motif

k60b


Name_eng: 
Invitation to coffin
Description: 

Person is lured into a trap being invited to lie in a box or a hole to measure it. Being unable to liberate himself from the box etc., the person remains in power of his enemies




Motif

k76b


Name_eng: 
Snake son and snake husband
Description: 

An (adoptive) son is a snake who turns into handsome man. The snake is the magic spouse of princess, lost and returned




Motif

k117


Name_eng: 
Woman who never laughs (a bride)
Description: 

A woman should marry a man who would be able to make her laugh; a man promises a reward to the person who make laugh his wife or mother




Motif

l15h


Name_eng: 
The external soul: three or more objects one inside the other
Description: 

An object that contains the life (soul) of a person is inside two or more creatures or other objects (like an egg in a duck, a duck in a hare, etc.) or the zoomorphic soul container tries to escape and turns in succession to other animals (three or more transformations)




Motif

m57a


Name_eng: 
Beads discharged from the body
Description: 

Instead of common body discharges a man or a woman urinates, spits, etc. beads, flowers, gold and other valuables; valuables are produced by the very presence of particular person




Motif

m57d3


Name_eng: 
Wind grants a wish
Description: 

Wind person grants a wish to a man




Motif

m91a


Name_eng: 
Simulated killing (a bag with blood)
Description: 

Person pierces a bladder with blood or red juice, simulates murder or suicide




Motif

j51


Name_eng: 
One piece is missing
Description: 

Person or animal is eaten up or destroyed otherwise. His bones are put together and he or it is revived. Because one bone was broken, swallowed or lost (or a drop of blood, a small piece of flesh lost), the person or animal cannot be revived or being revived misses some part of his or its body




Motif

j51a1


Name_eng: 
Helpful girl is dismembered and revived
Description: 

When it is necessary to get an object from a place that is difficult to reach, a girl asks to cut her into pieces (or only to cut off her fingers and toes) and then to put pieces together again. She revives




Motif

k32g


Name_eng: 
Punishment: torn apart by horses
Description: 

To punish an antagonist, he or she is tied to a horse (camel, bull) and dragged or he or she is torn apart (usually by horses)




Motif

m39a6i


Name_eng: 
Answer betraying a theft
Description: 

Person asks a servant to bring another some food or object and to pass certain words which for the servant have no meaning. Hearing these words, the recipient understands that the servant had appropriated part of what he had to bring




Motif

k27p1


Name_eng: 
Antagonistic father-in-law acquires guise of an animal
Description: 

When father-in-law (rare: mother-in-law) asks the hero to killl or to tame a dangerous animal or not to kill certain animal during a hunt, he (she) turns into this animal himself or transforms into it his daughter(s) or wife (husband)




Motif

k37


Name_eng: 
Recognition-test
Description: 

To return or to get his or her son, wife, husband, domestic animal or (rare) object, person must recognize her, him or it among several identical persons, animals or objects




Motif

m39a6i


Name_eng: 
Answer betraying a theft
Description: 

Person asks a servant to bring another some food or object and to pass certain words which for the servant have no meaning. Hearing these words, the recipient understands that the servant had appropriated part of what he had to bring




Motif

m91


Name_eng: 
The killed corpse
Description: 

Person pretends that a person (often his or her mother, spouse or lover) who recently died is alive, claims that the death of the false alive resulted from negligence of others and gets a reward




Motif

m91b1


Name_eng: 
The sold skin
Description: 

A man goes to sell a skin of domestic animal and on his way, by trick or thanks to chance, gets a big sum of money. Usually coming back he explains that this was the price of the skin but when other people kill their animals they cannot sell skins for such a sum. (In India the hero sometimes pretends to sold cow meat to brahmins for whom it is forbidden)




Motif

m91c1


Name_eng: 
Herd from the river bottom
Description: 

Person gets other person’s possessions by trick (or pretends to get it; usually another person is drowned instead of him) and then demonstrates his possessions (usually a herd) and explains that he had received everything at the river bottom. His enemies believe him




Motif

m91c2


Name_eng: 
Put into the bag
Description: 

Person is put into a bag (a cage, tied up, etc.) to be drowned, burned, etc. He pretends to be in this situation by his own will or because he refuses to marry a princess, to become a chief and the like. Another person is willing to take his place and is killed




Motif

k57a


Name_eng: 
Beauty from Soap country
Description: 

Noble youth falls in love with a beautiful girl but does not recognize her as a kitchen maid whom he gave a harsh treatment. When he asks the beauty where she is from, he does not understand her cryptic answers related to corresponding episodes. Or younger brother gives a cryptic answer when his elder brothers first beat him and then do not recognize in a guise of a handsome hero




Motif

k38f1


Name_eng: 
The cut off tongues
Description: 

Killing a monster or an animal, the hero cuts of and hides a piece of its body, usually a tongue. (In most of the cases, the imposter claims the deed to himself and when he cannot demonstrate the cut off piece, the hero unmasks him)




Motif

k93


Name_eng: 
Twin brothers and a woman
Description: 

After a series of adventures and victories, the hero gets into trouble. His twin brother or the best friend follows his traces, gets across the same persons but overcomes the last enemy and revives (liberates) the hero




Motif

k101a


Name_eng: 
The princess in the coffin
Description: 

A man has to send several nights near the girl who died and became a dangerous demonic being. After this the girl is disenchanted




Motif

k18d


Name_eng: 
A lazy boy and a fish
Description: 

A lazy (stupid) boy releases a fish (frog, serpent, supernatural being) which gives him a power of making all his wishes come true; he marries a princess




Motif

k27z1


Name_eng: 
Bird, horse and princess
Description: 

Helpful animal instructs the hero how to steal an object he needs to get but not to take anything else (bird, but not cage, horse but not bridle, etc.) The hero breaks prohibition, is caught but released on condition that he brings another wonderful object. Situation is repeated and the last task is to bring a girl. Ultimately the hero gets both the girl and all the objects




Motif

k120a3


Name_eng: 
Jewelry in a nut
Description: 

Person gets a nut with valuables inside (precious clothes, jewelry, animal helpers, etc.) or he or she himself or herself puts valuable into a nut to use them later




Motif

k80a2


Name_eng: 
Pipe tells about a murder
Description: 

Body part of a murdered person or a plant that grew on the place of the crime tells people about the crime




Motif

k80a


Name_eng: 
A bird or an object tell about a murder
Description: 

An object or a creature that emerged from remains, decorations, etc. of a killed person tells about his or her fate. Usually a reed grows from the person's grave and a pipe made from the reed tells the story




Motif

k117b


Name_eng: 
Stuck together
Description: 

Using a magic object or spell, hero makes people (and animals) attached to the object or to each other




Motif

k130a


Name_eng: 
Girl in house of several brothers
Description: 

A group of young men live apart. A girl comes to them or is born magically. The men keep her as their sister. After some time she is separated from them and is in danger but ultimately she is rescued




Motif

k56a5a


Name_eng: 
Becomes young after being flayed
Description: 

Old or ugly woman wants to be flayed alive to become a beauty. Cf. motif H4




Motif

m29w3


Name_eng: 
The lion is a failure
Description: 

Because of its stupidity and unsocial behavior, the lion suffers a reverse, is injured or dies




Motif

m134c


Name_eng: 
The wolf overeats in the cellar
Description: 

The wolf or other wild animal gets into the cellar (storehouse, vineyard, etc.) and eats so much that cannot leave




Motif

m29b1


Name_eng: 
The wolf is a failure
Description: 

Because of its stupidity and unsocial behavior, the wolf suffers a reverse, is injured or dies




Motif

k131a


Name_eng: 
Hero settles argument of animals
Description: 

Several animals (often a lion, an eagle, an ant) argue because of an animal carcass or a living place. A man settles their argument, they give him capacity to acquire their form (their qualities)




Motif

m29gg


Name_eng: 
The hedgehog wins thanks to his smartness
Description: 

Being smart and witty, the hedgehog overcomes overcomes strong adversaries




Motif

k27z2a2


Name_eng: 
Unrecognized wife visits her husband
Description: 

A man marries a woman but abandons her without consummating his marriage. She visits him in disguise and ultimately he gets to know who was his beautiful companion. Usually the wife gives birth to his son (three sons) and upon seeing the boy, the man realizes that it is his own child




Motif

k66a


Name_eng: 
The land and water ship
Description: 

The man who is able to build (to get) a ship which can fly (travel on land) marries the princess (inherits property)




Motif

m39a4a


Name_eng: 
Fool’s customer is an animal or an object
Description: 

A fool gives meat, a domestic animal, cloth etc. to an animal (plant, inanimate object) and thinks that the latter will pay him later or asks an animal to do some work. Claiming money or products of the work, he finds treasure




Motif

k79


Name_eng: 
Snake serves an example of resuscitation
Description: 

Person in a desperate situation gets to see how a snake or other small animal uses remedy to revive or to cure itself or other animals. The person uses the remedy, succeeds




Motif

k108


Name_eng: 
A revived wife betrays her husband
Description: 

Wife dies, husband revives her, she abandons him for another man and is punished




Motif

d4a


Name_eng: 
Theft of fire
Description: 

Fire is stolen from its original owner or brought back to the people from somebody who had stolen it before




Motif

d4o


Name_eng: 
Fire stealer pretends to be wet and cold
Description: 

To steal fire from its owner, person pretends to be wet or cold and is granted permission to sit near the fireplace. In a proper moment the stealer carries the fire away and brings it to people




Motif

l37b


Name_eng: 
Secrets accidentally overheard
Description: 

Person accidentally overhears secrets of animals or demons and thus gets to know the causes of his and other people's misfortunes




Motif

k157a


Name_eng: 
Vanished husband recognized by keeping inn
Description: 

For finding the lost husband (wife, benefactor), person regularly assemble together the chance people to hear what they are saying (usually sets up an inn, bakery, bathhouse and the like where guests are stimulated to talk). One of the people proves to be the lost one or his or her story helps to find the lost one




Motif

k120a4


Name_eng: 
To fill a vessel with tears
Description: 

Person must fill a vessel (to cover a floor) with tears




Motif

f54


Name_eng: 
Oedipus
Description: 

A young man and a woman (Konkani: a young girl and a man) marry and later get to know that they commited incest




Motif

k163


Name_eng: 
Aladdin and his lamp
Description: 

A magician orders a boy to fetch a magic object (often a lamp). The boy finds the object (but refuses to give it to the magician). A helpful genie appears and fulfills the boy’s wishes




Motif

m136c


Name_eng: 
The man takes seriously the prediction of death
Description: 

Considering indirect signs or somebody’s word, a numskull thinks that he is dead and lies motionless




Motif

l100f1


Name_eng: 
Lover runs away from the husband
Description: 

A farmhand (a young son of the peasant) arranges a situation a series of tricks to the love affair between the wife of his master and another man. The wife is going to bring food outdoor to her lover but gets to her husband. Seeing the master coming with an axe (stones, etc.), the lover believes, that he is going to attack him and runs away




Motif

k88b


Name_eng: 
Food exchanged for eyes
Description: 

A companion promises to share water or food with a thirsty or hungry person on condition that he or she allows to blind him or her




Motif

k117c


Name_eng: 
Magic fiddle makes people dance
Description: 

As soon as a person plays his flute (fiddle, horn, etc.), people and animals become to dance and cannot stop without the person’s permission




Motif

k38f


Name_eng: 
The dragon-slayer
Description: 

A reptile monster demands humans (usually virgins) as a sacrifice or abducts a girl or closes sources of water. Hero kills him. Monster’s victims do not play an active part in the plot




Motif

k14e


Name_eng: 
The pretended inheritance
Description: 

Sons of a man neglect their father (daughters-in-law neglect their father-in-law). He pretends to be hiding something (counts money conspicuously, etc.). The sons believe that their father has considerable inheritance and become to look after him carefully. When the father finally dies they find nothing valuable in his chest




Motif

k56f


Name_eng: 
To divide a chicken
Description: 

A divides the chicken among the members of a household (and guests) considering the symbolic meaning of particular parts (gives the master the head, his daughters the wings, etc.).




Motif

k165


Name_eng: 
The youth who wanted to learn what fear is
Description: 

A youth who does not know what fear is tries various frightful experiences without becoming afraid




Motif

k12


Name_eng: 
Woman is lost and returned
Description: 

By trick or by force, a rival or adversary kidnaps hero's wife or bride. The man gets her back




Motif

k73a


Name_eng: 
Baby child substituted with object or animal
Description: 

Hostile women substitute baby of the newly made mother with an animal or an object (inform the baby’s father that his wife has given birth to an animal or an object)




Motif

j62c


Name_eng: 
Sister asks her brother to obtain impossible
Description: 

To get rid of a young man, his female antagonist uses a stratagem. She tells his sister (rare: tells directly him) about some wonderful objects and the girl is overcome with the desire to have them. An attempt to obtain these objects entails a risk for one’s life. The youth sets off to obtain the objects




Motif

a39a


Name_eng: 
Twelve months
Description: 

Each of calender units (usually the months) that make the year is a separate object or person




Motif

k107d


Name_eng: 
The girl cannot wake her fiancé
Description: 

Failed attempts to wake magic husband




Motif

k107a1


Name_eng: 
Head of the household is asked to bring presents
Description: 

When the head of the household goes for a journey his daughter, those who remain at home ask to bring them presents. The elder ones want something practical (usually clothes or decorations) while the younger one asks for something unusual (a flower, a bird, etc.). Thanks to this object, the younger one attains great success though after overcoming great difficulties




Motif

k128a


Name_eng: 
Best apples for the princess
Description: 

Each of three brothers carry to the princess some fruits (rare: fish, etc.).
She will marry a man whose fruits are better (more numerous) or can cure her. On their way two brothers treat roughly a person who possesses supernatural power and are punished while the youngest brother is polite and rewarded. He (after additional tests) marries the princess




Motif

m106h


Name_eng: 
Holding down the hat
Description: 

A man defecates, covers the pile with his hat and pretends that there is something valuable under it. Another man believes the deceiver and loses his money or property




Motif

h12


Name_eng: 
The alive person comes to the land of the dead after somebody’s death
Description: 

The alive person comes to the land of the dead to bring back somebody who has recently died (besides stories about shamans who journey to the other world to bring back the soul of a sick person) or, having no particular aim, goes there in company of somebody who had recently died or following his or her tracks




Motif

l72i


Name_eng: 
Obstacle flight: the thrown soap
Description: 

Running away from a dangerous being, person throws a piece of soap creating an obstacle on the way of the pursuer (a slippery mountain, a river, etc.)




Motif

h7a


Name_eng: 
The Death and a doctor
Description: 

Man receives from Death (Fortune, some spirit) knowledge will the patient recover or die. He becomes a doctor and receives rich rewards. Usually he gets the ability to see Death near the bed of a patient and considering a particular place where Death stands, gets to know perspectives of recovering




Motif

k113


Name_eng: 
The animal bride
Description: 

Several young men (usually three brothers) decide to choose wives (usually shooting arrows or throwing objects on the off-chance). The wife of the youngest initially is ugly or non-human (a frog, a snake) but proves to be beautiful enchantress. She and her husband triumph. Or girls choose their husbands and the youngest one gets a youth who has guise of a snake




Motif

k102


Name_eng: 
Woman associated with the hero conspires in favor of his enemy
Description: 

A woman who initially is friendly to the hero (his mother, sister, more rare his wife, sexual partner) begins to cooperate with his enemy. For this she provokes the hero to do something that is mortally dangerous for him




Motif

k103


Name_eng: 
Helpful cow
Description: 

Cow (ox, bull) helps an orphan child or a young woman who got into trouble




Motif

k120a1


Name_eng: 
Three dresses
Description: 

In order to delay a wedding with an undesirable suitor (her own brother or father, a monster), a girl asks him to give her a dress (often three dresses in succession) of unusual material (like gold, of fly wings, etc.). He does it but the girl runs away




Motif

k130


Name_eng: 
Am I the most beautiful?
Description: 

A woman (rare: a man) asks if she (he) is the most beautiful among female (men) folk and always receives a positive answer. It continues till she or he receives the negative one




Motif

k162


Name_eng: 
The robber gets into the sleeping room
Description: 

The antagonist (robber, wizard, witch) penetrates into the house of a girl or young woman hiding in a state (in cupboard, etc.) and/or putting her husband (guards) to sleep using a medicine. At the last moment he is destroyed




Motif

l15g


Name_eng: 
A burned piece of wood (Meleagros)
Description: 

Life of a man depends on an object that can be burned. He dies as soon as the object is burned




Motif

l42


Name_eng: 
Hero carried to ogre’s home
Description: 

An ogre or ogress catches a person and brings him to his or her home where he or she plans to cook and eat him. The hero escapes




Motif

m202


Name_eng: 
Thorn removed from lion’s paw
Description: 

Person removes a thorn from the paw (bone from the throat) of a strong and dangerous animal or a demon, the animal (demon) is grateful




Motif

k102a3


Name_eng: 
The tooth of death
Description: 

Somebody (usually his sister or mother) puts a poisonous tooth (bone, nail, etc.) into the bed of the hero. The young man dies but is revived




Motif

l65b2


Name_eng: 
Dogs with the meaningful names
Description: 

Hero’s dogs have names that tell about their strength and deftness




Motif

h7g


Name_eng: 
The life candle
Description: 

Person gets to see a lot of burning candles or lamps. As soon as one of them goes out, somebody dies




Motif

k12b


Name_eng: 
Husband of magic wife breaks her taboo
Description: 

Getting to the world that is beyond the world of the human beings, a man marries there a woman. She gives him permission to visit his home but he must avoid particular words or deeds. He breaks the taboo triggering an (irretrievable) trouble




Motif

k27g4


Name_eng: 
To plow, to sow and to reap in one day
Description: 

During impossibly short time person must to realize all works of agricultural cycle and to present food made of new crops




Motif

k177


Name_eng: 
The travelling heroine
Description: 

A girl or young woman sets off to find or return her fience or her husband or she escapes from a fanger and ultimately marries happily




Motif

k176


Name_eng: 
A man in search of the woman
Description: 

A (young) man sets off to find or to return his bride or his wife




Motif

j7a


Name_eng: 
To bring a lunch for the father
Description: 

A girl (rare: a boy) has to carry the lunch for her father or brothers who work in the field (in the forest) but gets to the ogre




Motif

l49


Name_eng: 
Body parts falling down
Description: 

Body parts of a person or pieces of his flesh are thrown down one by one. (In American Indian versions those who are on the ground usually take them for game, honey, fish)




Motif

i23


Name_eng: 
Snapping door
Description: 

The door of a house is opening and closing by itself crashing persons who attempt to come in or out




Motif

k33f


Name_eng: 
Basin of honey and basin of oil
Description: 

Two or more different kinds of valuable edible liquids like oil, honey, milk, etc. are available or imaginable. Cf. motif n34




Motif

k123


Name_eng: 
Old woman’s curse
Description: 

A youth or (rare) girl offends an elder woman. Her words make him or her to be overcome by desire to undertake something dangerous (usually to get a particular marriage partner)




Motif

k125


Name_eng: 
House utensil betrays its master
Description: 

An enemy asks house utensils or personal objects where their master hid himself or herself or what direction he or she ran away. One of the objects, not treated by the master in a proper way, betrays him or her




Motif

l110


Name_eng: 
The devourer
Description: 

A demonic being swallows a multitude of people and animals. When it is killed and cut open, the swallowed ones come out alive or are revived




Motif

l39


Name_eng: 
Hero is compelled to descend from a tree
Description: 

When a person climbs a tree, a demon comes to it and carries the person away, or the person follows the demon to his world by his own will




Motif

l39d


Name_eng: 
To pass an apple from hand to hand
Description: 

A boy climbs a tree to eat fruits. A demon asks him to share the fruits with her (him) but not to throw them to the ground but give them from hand to hand. The demon grabs the boy and carries him away




Motif

l41


Name_eng: 
Hero escapes on the way
Description: 

An ogre or ogress catches a person and carries his or her prey home but the person escapes on the way or immediately after reaching the ogre's house




Motif

l41a


Name_eng: 
Stone in basket
Description: 

Hero escapes from the demon's basket or bag letting stone (a piece of wood, some sand) instead of him




Motif

l39c


Name_eng: 
Quickly grown fruit tree
Description: 

A boy (rare: girl) climbs a fruit tree that is recently grown up (usually from a seed thrown by the boy) to eat fruits. An ogress tries to make him (her) descend to the ground




Motif

l42b1


Name_eng: 
Ladder of pots and pans
Description: 

Person abducted by a demon suggests him or her to make a ladder of pots, pans and other kitchen utensils by which the demon could climb up to catch the person. The ladder is collapsed and the demon injured or killed




Motif

l42e


Name_eng: 
Caught again
Description: 

An ogre catches a person and carries his or her prey home but the person escapes on the way. The ogre comes back, this time carries the person to his home. Or the ogre catches a group of children, most of them escape on the way, one is brought to the ogre's place




Motif

e9h


Name_eng: 
Dove-wife
Description: 

A man marries dove-woman




Motif

j51a1


Name_eng: 
Helpful girl is dismembered and revived
Description: 

When it is necessary to get an object from a place that is difficult to reach, a girl asks to cut her into pieces (or only to cut off her fingers and toes) and then to put pieces together again. She revives




Motif

k33a5


Name_eng: 
The heroine is transformed into duck
Description: 

The heroine’s rival transforms her into a duck (goose). The duck makes attempts to contact her children or husband




Motif

k33


Name_eng: 
Drowned woman remains alive
Description: 

A young woman is transformed into an animal, pushed into the water, into the underworld or she herself has to plunge into water (acquire animal form). Her connection with the human world is not completely lost, however, and usually she is helped to return to the people




Motif

k80d


Name_eng: 
The stuck in pin
Description: 

Person is bewitched (transformed into a bird, faints) when a pin or other sharp object is stuck into her (rare his) body




Motif

k123a


Name_eng: 
A broken vessel
Description: 

A youth breaks or overthrows a vessel of a woman or girl. This episode is a trigger for the narrative




Motif

k27x7


Name_eng: 
Master of animals calls them together to question them
Description: 

Person in search of the remote and inaccessible place comes to the master (mistress) of animals (birds, fish) or demons who summon all of them and asks about the way to this place. Only (the last) one knows the way




Motif

n34


Name_eng: 
Honey and oil
Description: 

Streams of honey and oil (oil and milk, milk and blood) instead of streams of water are mentioned as a sign of generosity and prosperity. Cf. motif K33F




Motif

h7b1


Name_eng: 
Devil (Death) captured in sack
Description: 

Getting a magic sack into which any being must climb according to the wish of the owner, a man acquires power over the Death (Devil)




Motif

k102a5


Name_eng: 
To fill a vessel with tears
Description: 

A woman must fill a vessel or two with her teas (rare: blood). Usually after this the time of her punishment will come to the end or the punishment depends on which of the vessels will contain more tears




Motif

k118a


Name_eng: 
A portrait of an unknown beauty
Description: 

After seeing a portrait of an unknown beauty, a man is eager to meet her




Motif

m154a1


Name_eng: 
A pregnant wife on a pregnant mare
Description: 

A man who understand language of animals hears how a pregnant mare says that she carries four (three) persons because the woman on her back is also pregnant




Motif

m39a8


Name_eng: 
A fool carries a door on his back
Description: 

A fool or a buffoon takes the door of the house and carries it on his back




Motif

k25


Name_eng: 
Magic wife
Description: 

A man consciously marries a woman related to the non-human world




Motif

m74d


Name_eng: 
Who ate the lamb’s heart?
Description: 

While travelling on earth, God (a saint) asks his companion to prepare a slaughtered animal (chicken). The companion secretly eats liver (heart, etc.) and explains that the animal did not have such an organ. He confesses his wrong deed when God (a saint) promises him a treasure




Motif

k57c


Name_eng: 
A ring in the pie
Description: 

Prince putы his ring on the beauty’s finger but does not know that she is the same girl who works in his kitchen. She plants the ring in a dish of food prepared for the prince and he recognizes it




Motif

j32f


Name_eng: 
The stolen apples
Description: 

Being on guard, the hero gets to know who steals regularly fruits (usually apples) from the garden




Motif

k32h3


Name_eng: 
Punishment: burned alive
Description: 

To punish an antagonist, he or she is burned alive. (Episodes in which the burning of the dangerous being is not a punishment but an effective way to get rid of him or her are not considered)




Motif

f65a


Name_eng: 
Death feigned to meet paramour
Description: 

Person pretends to die. His or her wife or husband abandons him or her on a burial place. He or she marries his or her paramour




Motif

l19b1


Name_eng: 
The seven-headed monster
Description: 

Описывается или изображается чудовище (обычно змей) о семи головах. При перечисления существ по мере возрастания у них числа голов ряд заканчивается на семи




Motif

k28


Name_eng: 
Father or uncle is rival and enemy
Description: 

Maternal uncle or father (or grandfather if he replaces father who is not mentioned) of the young man is his rival or enemy and tries to kill him




Motif

f54e


Name_eng: 
Unintentional killing of father
Description: 

A young man kills somebody and later gets to know that ut was his father




Motif

k27x9


Name_eng: 
To bring an object from the sea bottom
Description: 

The hero must bring a small object (often a finger ring) from the bottom of a deep waterbody (often the sea)




Motif

f35a


Name_eng: 
Feeding with the kin’s meat
Description: 

Person does not know that he or she eats or cooks the meat of the member of his or her household (blood relation, more rare a spouse or servant) or serves it to his or her friends, or uses her or his bones for everyday needs, or slowly kills him ort her




Motif

k33h1


Name_eng: 
To exchange the old ring for the new one
Description: 

The hero’s wife (mother, servant) does not know about the magic qualities of an object in their house and exchanges it for something that looks likes more expensive but actually has low value




Motif

f62


Name_eng: 
Incognito at the feast
Description: 

An (ostensibly) sick (ugly, weak, poorly clad) person remains at home when others go to the feast. The person comes by himself or herself looking like a handsome man or beautiful girl. The man (woman) does not recognize him (her) and feels against her (him) sexual interestю (All texts with motif k57, Chinderella, are also included into f62)




Motif

k75a3


Name_eng: 
The groom
Description: 

The unrecognized hero works as a groom for the powerful person




Motif

m39a8a


Name_eng: 
Fool drops an object from a tree
Description: 

A person (often a fool or buffoon) drops a (heavy) object from a tree. Those who are under the tree (usually robbers or demons) are frightened and run away abandoning their goods and valuables




Motif

k67e


Name_eng: 
The woman as cuckoo in the tree
Description: 

The bargain between two persons is to end when a bird whose call is related to particular time of a temporal cycle will be heard. In order to hasten the contract’s end, another person imitates the bird. The first one recognizes the trick




Motif

l4b


Name_eng: 
The stain of blood is impossible to wipe off
Description: 

Person gets to know that the heroine has broken his or her prohibition to enter a certain room because the corresponding evidence is preserved on her body or on an object given to her (e.g. the blood on the key)




Motif

m39a4f


Name_eng: 
Fool’s customer is a statue
Description: 

Fool sells property to the statue and believes that it will pay him. Trying to get his money, he finds treasure




Motif

m158a


Name_eng: 
Dividing the harvest (The unjust partner)
Description: 

Two animal persons work their land together and agree to share the profits. While one is working hard, another only pretends to be useful but claims for himself (greater) part of the harvest




Motif

k14c


Name_eng: 
Man mistakes his son for his wife’s lover
Description: 

Coming home after a long absence, a man understands that there is another man in his house but keeps patience and discovers that it is his own son or a close kin of his wife




Motif

l17a


Name_eng: 
Eyes on the back of the head
Description: 

Person or creature has another pair of eyes (or one eye) on the back of his head or (rare) on his back




Motif

h52a


Name_eng: 
Death tricks a person to touch the ground
Description: 

Coming back from the land of immortality, the hero should not touch the ground. However, he comes down from his horse to help an old man (old woman). It was Death in guise of an old man and he kills the hero on the spot. Rare: at the last moment the hero decides not to commit fatal acts and returns to the land of immortality




Motif

h52b


Name_eng: 
The search of immortality
Description: 

Setting off in search of the land of immortality, the hero comes across persons or animals who are involved in activity that needs tremendous time to be completed. However the hero is eager to obtain not the long but the eternal life and he continues his search




Motif

j62b


Name_eng: 
Transformed into animals disenchanted
Description: 

Person transforms people who come to him or her into animals. Thanks to the hero, victims are disenchanted




Motif

k156a


Name_eng: 
Tests to reveal the sex of a person
Description: 

People suspect that a young man is a disguised girl and suggest tests to identify the real sex of this person




Motif

k155b


Name_eng: 
Climbing up to the girl by her hair
Description: 

A girl lets down her long hair and another person uses it as a rope to climb up to her




Motif

f86


Name_eng: 
Conditional signal
Description: 

Person summons with a certain signal a non-human being (usually his or her sexual partner or his or her protégé). Another person spies, uses the same signal or pronounces the same words and kills the being who comes to him (or uses this being sexually himself)




Motif

j51


Name_eng: 
One piece is missing
Description: 

Person or animal is eaten up or destroyed otherwise. His bones are put together and he or it is revived. Because one bone was broken, swallowed or lost (or a drop of blood, a small piece of flesh lost), the person or animal cannot be revived or being revived misses some part of his or its body




Motif

k56f2


Name_eng: 
One woman, two men and five eggs
Description: 

To divide a certain (often five) number of eggs between people of different sex, a clever woman takes into consideration that every man has already two eggs




Motif

i95c


Name_eng: 
Orion is a staff
Description: 

Orion is a staff, a crook




Motif

m40


Name_eng: 
The distorted instructions
Description: 

Person is sent to receive something of relatively low value. He asks to give him quite different object (to provide a service) and asks one who had sent him to confirm the demand. Usually a person or animal comes to a wife or a son of a powerful one and tells her or him that her (his) husband or father tells to give him food, to make love to him, to marry him, etc.




Motif

k33a7


Name_eng: 
The widower, his daughter or son and their teacher
Description: 

After the death of her or his mother, a girl or a boy suggests her or his father to marry another woman who is her or his teacher, neighbor etc. and who usually persuaded the girl (boy) to give such an advice. As soon as she is married, the step-mother becomes to persecute her step-daughter (stem-son)




Motif

l42b


Name_eng: 
Credulous children of the ogre
Description: 

An ogre's child or (rare) wife believes in what hero tells him (or her) and releases him. Usually the hero kills the child and puts its meat to cook in the very pot where the ogre planned to cook the hero




Motif

m57a3


Name_eng: 
Female person is the producer of valuables
Description: 

Instead of common body discharges a a woman urinates, spits, etc. beads, flowers, gold and other valuables; valuables are produced by the very presence of particular female person. See motif m57a




Motif

k37b


Name_eng: 
To recognize a woman by her missing finger
Description: 

A man must recognize blindly the woman that he is eager to marry. He does it knowing that one of her fingers is absent or injured




Motif

i141


Name_eng: 
The magic stick
Description: 

A stick is a tool to initiate processes which results have no rational explanation




Motif

k107a3


Name_eng: 
The beauty and the beast
Description: 

When a man sets off for the journey, his daughter asks him to bring her a certain flower (leave, etc.). The man picks it up in a garden of the enchanted prince who has monstrous appearance. The monster claims from the man his daughter and thanks to her acquires his real guise




Motif

k27x6


Name_eng: 
The Sun, the Moon and the Wind direct the hero
Description: 

Travelling in search of the marriage partner, the hero (heroine) comes in succession to several supernatural persons related to luminaries and atmospheric phenomena (the Sun, the Moon, Stars, Wind). The last of them gives him or her necessary information




Motif

k65c3


Name_eng: 
Eve is ashamed to have many children
Description: 

The woman (alone or with her husband) hides from the God part of her children because she is ashamed to have so many




Motif

k33c3


Name_eng: 
Girl from the orange
Description: 

Young man gets a girl who is inside a fruit the citrus tree, usually an orange




Motif

k33c6


Name_eng: 
Only one girl is preserved
Description: 

Young man obtains several (usually three) fruits (eggs, pieces of reed). When he opens the first one, a girl who comes out from it immediately disappears because something was wrong (usually the drinking water for her is not available). Only the girl who has come out of the last fruit remains with the man. Cf. motif k33c7





Similar traditions based on Cosmology and Etiology motifs:
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition: Romanians, Moldavians, Aromanians
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition:
Italians: Central (Toscana, Umbria, Marche, San-Marino, Lazio)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition:
Poles
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition:
Sicily
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition:
Occitanie (southern France): Limousin, Auvergne, Provence, Aquitaine, Albret, Gers, Aveyron (Rouerge), Armagnac, Landes, Gascogne, Vivarés, Roussillon, Pyrénées, Bearne, Guyenne, Bigorre, Ain, Hautes Alpes, Ariège, Vienne, Aude, French part of Swiss
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
French (northern France)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Italians: Northern (Mentona, Ticino, Valle-d’Aosta, Piemont, Liguria, Lombardia, Southern Tirol, Emilia–Romagna, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino–Alto Adige)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Portuguese
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Germans: Northwest (Low- and Central German dialects): Schleswig-Holstein, Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony, incl. East Frisia and Oldenburg), Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Thüringen, Saxony-Anhalt, Sachsen
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Byelarusians

Similar traditions based on Adventures and Tricks motifs:
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 6 Tradition:
French (northern France)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition:
Italians: Northern (Mentona, Ticino, Valle-d’Aosta, Piemont, Liguria, Lombardia, Southern Tirol, Emilia–Romagna, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino–Alto Adige)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Romanians, Moldavians, Aromanians
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Portuguese
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Spain
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition:
Italians: Central (Toscana, Umbria, Marche, San-Marino, Lazio)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition:
Bretagne
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition:
Galicians
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition:
Romansh (Rhaeto-Romance)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 2 Tradition:
Germans: Southeast: Bawaria (incl. Ober Pfaltz), Franken, Bohemia (Sudeten), Austria