Folklore and Fable

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Lecture V: Tale Types and Motifs

     

    The Incredible Scope of Tale Types

    What are Tale Types and Motifs and What do they do?  This explanation is from the

    The British Columbia Folklore Society

    The Motif Index: what it is, and what it does.

    Throughout issues of B.C.Folklore many folktales and beliefs have been followed by odd-looking letters and numbers with references made to the Motif Index. These references may not have meant very much to some readers. Consequently we thought we might republish an article that first appeared in BCF explaining what the Motif Index is all about, together with a list of suggested additions to the Motif Index that we have developed during this time.

    In order to compare folk tales, and understand their distribution, they are classified by an indexed system called the Types of the Folk Tale. Generally tales are made up of a number of specific elements in order to make them work as tellable tales. These elements are known as motifs. To be accepted as a motif the element needs to be an identifiable unit of the tale's makeup or character and, by giving it a number within an alphabetical system, one can quickly access similar motifs, seeing where they occur and how common they are. Describing comparative examples of specific elements within a tale, the Standard Dictionary of Folklore says: "It must be more than commonplace. A mother as such is not a motif. A cruel mother becomes one because she is at least thought to be unusual. The ordinary processes of life are not motifs. To say that ‘John dressed and walked to town’ is not to give a single motif worth remembering; but to say that the hero put on his cap of invisibility, mounted his magic carpet, and went to the land east of the sun and west of the moon is to include at least four motifs - the cap [D1067.2.] [D1361.15.], the carpet [D1155.], the magic air journey [D2120.], and the marvelous land [F771.3.2.]. Each of these motifs lives on because it has been found satisfying by generations of tale-tellers.1

    Before such a complex system can work, a huge number of tales must be read, analysed, and, together with details of their source, be entered, piece by piece, into the index. To give some idea of the size of the basic Motif Index, the largest single volume of the six-volume set is the 893-page index to the Index.

    This is the essence of the Motif Index, but folklore is not a static science, and newly found tales, and variations of existing tales, are continually being unearthed, and these sometimes include previously unrecorded motifs. With so much work having already been done in compiling the basic Index, it is generally possible to suggest a new number be assigned to a previously unrecorded motif, closely based on a motif that already exists. Additions to the already published system, therefore, are cited by people who are aware of the system and who think they may have discovered an aspect of a tale previously not documented, not documented from that area, or varying sufficiently from another established index number, to warrant its recognition. These numbers usually either have the word ‘suggested’ in brackets after them, or are indicated by a section mark (§), with a note to the same effect. They pretty well remain in this state of suspended animation until they become accepted, changed slightly, or dismissed, by a properly recognised, responsible, world committee of folklore scholars, such as the Folklore Fellows, at the Finnish Academy of Sciences in Helsinki. For that to happen, however, it is necessary for any such committee to be aware of what additional motifs are being submitted to the science, and therefore the importance of networking within the fellowship of folklore should be readily apparent.

    Finally, all the numbers end with a full stop, e.g. D413.2. This does two things. First, the number is essentially a sentence in itself and therefore the end of the number is the end of the description. It also defines the number and, if the stop is left out, it is not clear that the number is complete. Notwithstanding this rule there are many authors who display a certain lack of discipline by leaving the final point out. When the number is part of a sentence, on the other hand, the stop may be omitted, as Stith Thompson himself has shown.

  1. Some Further Information about Tale Types and Motifs

  2. Websites Dealing with Folklore, Storytelling, and Motif Indexing

    An Index of Folklore Motifs

    In Search of Folklore

    {I recommend that you bookmark these pages as you visit them - they will be so useful to you in your research ahead!}

     

    Research Tools--Tale Types and Tale Motifs

    1.  The Types of the Folktale:   A Classification and Bibliography (second rev. 1961) by Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson, Helsinki:  1961.  Folk Lore Fellows Communications #184.

    Tinkerbell5.gif (6050 bytes)

    Tinkerbell from Peter Pan - a classic fairy with a magic wand

    This volume explores the basic types of the folktale.  In 1910, Antti Aarne, a Finnish scholar, devised a catalog of Tale Types - a recognizable tale for which variants are known.  His work was translated and enlarged by Stith Thompson of Indiana University in 1928. 

    In this work 2,499 tale types are given numbers and categorized into five divisions:  Animal Tales, Ordinary Folktales, Jokes and Anecdotes, Formula Tales, and Unclassified Tales. 

       As we can see, the Tale Type index deals with whole tales, but, in an effort to further illuminate the nature of the folk tale, Thompson continued his research by compiling a far larger (ten times larger) compendium that explores motifs - "the smallest element that persists in tradition."

    2.  The Motif-Index of Folk Literature (6 vols., revised ed.) by Stith Thompson.  Bloomington, Ind.:   Indiana University Press, 1955-58.

    Motif-Index of Folk-Literature

    Stith Thompson

    six volumes at $75 dollars a pop.

    largest single volume of the six-volume set is the 893-page index to the Index.

    Thompson's six volume Motif-Index of Folk­Literature (1932-37) is considered the international key to traditional material, and it has been said that Thompson was responsible for putting the study of folklore in the United States on a solid, scholarly basis. After he retired as distinguished service professor of English and folklore at Indiana University in June 1955, he returned to the University of Texas as a visiting professor of English during the spring semester of 1956. Thompson and his wife traveled widely after his retirement, but he continued to work in the field of folklore. He wrote autobiographies in 1956 and 1966. Stith Thompson died on January 13, 1976, in Columbus, Indiana; he was buried in the family cemetery outside Springfield, Kentucky.

    The Motif Index is arranged in order of motif-types,

    A. Mythological Motifs
    B. Animals
    C. Taboo
    D. Magic
    E. The Dead
    F. Marvels
    G. Ogres
    H. Tests
    J. The Wise and the Foolish
    K. Deceptions
    L. Reversal 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 Motif

     

    Despite the extent of these volumes, new additions are being suggested every year.  These new additions to the Thompson Index have been suggested by the British Columbia Folklore Society (an indication of the way that new stories that are added to the legendstock may need new categories).

    A192.1.2.0.*
    God killed by man (9:22)
    A721.+
    Sun kept in yupik ball [van 1999]
    A760.+
    Stolen stars restored to sky [van 1999]
    A814.11.*
    Raven as culture hero [van 1999]
    A829.*
    Culture hero (raven) creates world by defecating [van 1999]
    A969.10.*
    Creation of local, geographical features from obstacles thrown behind Culture Hero to evade pursuit [van 1999]
    A1141.1.+
    Light kept in box [van 1999]
    A1147.0.*
    Origin of bad weather [van 1999]
    A1149.1.*
    Origin of good weather [van 1999]
    A1245.5.*
    Culture hero's wife creates men from long, river stones [van 1999]
    A1252.+
    People created from wood chips [van 1999]
    A1435.+
    Creation of first yaranga (dwelling) [van 1999]
    A1439.5.*
    Origin of stone hitching posts [van 1999]
    A1439.5.*
    Origin of tundra tethering post [note: A1439.5.* in MacDonald (1982) is A1436.1.+] [van 1999]
    A1439.6.*
    Origin of metal utensils [van 1999]
    A1482.+
    Language originally learned from shore birds [van 1999]
    A1610.4.1.*
    Origin of tribes from sap of trees (1:6)
    A1653.1.1.*
    Origin of chiefs (12:11)
    A2034.+
    Mosquito created from ball of clay [van 1999]
    A2034.+
    Sparks of burning cannibal woman become mosquitoes [van 1999]
    A2140.4.*
    Woman (sorcerer) cleans storm from sky [van 1999]
    A2140.4.1.*
    Woman (sorcerer) cleans sky with skin-scraper [van 1999]
    B16.2.6.1.*
    Man-eating mammoth (12:11)
    B16.2.6.1.1.*
    Man-eating mammoth killed (12:11)
    B33.+
    Man-eating birds (cannibal eagles) [van 1999]
    B80.1.1.*
    Seal with man’s (God’s) face (9:22)
    B174.*
    Magic sea mammal [van 1999]
    B603.0.*
    Whale abducts person (girl) [van 1999]
    B603.0.1.*
    Bone (of whale) abducts girl [van 1999]
    D114.+
    Transformation: man (woman) to ungulate (mountain sheep) [van 1999]
    D127.1.1.*
    Transformation: God to seal (9:22)
    D161.3.1.*
    Transformation: pieces of cut up person into ducks [van 1999]
    [D327.3.*
    Transformation: fur seal to person]1
    [D327.4.*
    Transformation: sealion to person]
    D327.5.*
    Transformation: walrus to person (woman) [van 1999]
    D412.8.*
    Transformation: reindeer into gulls [van 1999]
    D431.7.1.*
    Transformation: reed to soldier (1:3)
    D437.1.1.*
    Transformation: skeleton to girl (young woman) [van 1999]
    D452.1.2.1.*
    Transformation: stone into tall cliff [van 1999]
    D442.2.+
    Transformation: dirt to animal (reindeer) [van 1999]
    D452.4.+
    Transformation: dirt to object (yaranga) [van 1999]
    D457.1.1.*
    Transformation: blood to river [van 1999]
    D457.13.1.*
    Transformation: human excrement to object [van 1999]
    D476.0.1.*
    Meat of God only half cooked (9:22)
    D476.3.0.*
    Meat will not cook (9:22)
    D992.4.1.*
    Skull's mouth opens and shuts by magic [van 1999]
    D1029.2.4.*
    Ravine made by mouse's tail [magic mouse tail] [van 1999]
    D1162.1.1.*
    Magic lamp of beads [van 1999]
    D1531.+
    Magic object gives power of flying [van 1999]
    D1610.+
    Speaking lamp [van 1999]
    D1648.1.3.*
    Tree bows down to ogre [van 1999]
    D1658.1.5.3.*
    Tree grateful for not being cut; rewards old man (3:11)
    D1700.+
    Black magic witch [magic powers] [van 1999]
    D1719.12.*
    Unaccountable human flight [van 1999]
    D1767.*
    Magic results produced by spiritual ceremony (shamanistic) [van 1999]
    D1767.1.*
    Shaman makes objects (bullets) appear by magic [van 1999]
    D1967.7.*
    Sleep comes suddenly; from touch of unseen being [van 1999]
    D2037.*
    Exit barred by magic [van 1999]
    D2037.1.*
    Door locked by magic [van 1999]
    D2122.6.*
    Return journey of great distance in only one day (9:22)
    D2143.2.3.*
    Drought produced by magic (2:12)
    D2144.5.1.1.*
    Yaranga (dwelling) filled with water and ice by magic [van 1999]
    D2159.*
    Magic control of objects - miscellaneous [van 1999]
    D2159.1.*
    Garment moves (dances) by magic [van 1999]
    D2159.2.*
    Magic control of objects; object (cutting board) flies by magic [van 1999]
    E1.+
    Dead (woman) has ability to resume life [van 1999]
    E246.1.*
    Unappeased spirit causes hunter's death (by drowning) [van 1999]
    E294.*
    Ghost responsible for drought (2:12)
    E431.5.1.*
    Feet of dead body cut off to prevent ghost from walking (2:12)
    E431.6.1.*
    Sharpening-stone placed on corpse's chest, to prevent its waking [van 1999]
    E431.9.3.*
    Coffin cast in river to prevent return of corpse (2:12)
    E440.0.*
    Walking ghost laid by exhumation (2:12)
    E440.0.1.*
    Walking ghost laid by exhumation and removal from cemetery (2:12)
    E443.10.*
    Ghost (of murdered holy man) demands atonement and reburial; laid (11:44)
    E459.8.*
    Walking ghost laid by exhumation and removal from graveyard, mutilation of body, and disposal of body in coffin (2:12)
    F164.1.*
    Otherworld dwelling of dead ancestor [van 1999]
    F403.2.0.*
    Invisible helper (gives advice) [van 1999]
    F405.+
    Means of combating spirits [van 1999]
    F552.5.*
    Hands become sharp as knives [remarkable hands] [van 1999]
    F661.+
    Skillful marksman (thrown knife cuts off hands) [van 1999]
    F699.2.*
    Evil woman, with hands cut off, throws knife with teeth [van 1999]
    F699.2.1.*
    Man decapitates evil woman by throwing knife with teeth [van 1999]
    F771.6.!.*
    Disappearance of evil dwelling (yaranga) at dawn [van 1999]
    F861.2.1.1.*
    Flying sled [van 1999]
    F979.+
    Supernatural growth of forbidden plant [van 1999]
    G312.+
    Cannibal ogres [van 1999]
    G230.0.*
    Evil dwelling [van 1999]
    G303.16.14.2.2.*
    Evil spirits warded off by burning sweet grasses [van 1999]
    G522.2.*
    Giant drinks river dry, then transforms into teapots, cups, plates, buckets and other metal objects [van 1999]
    G581.1.*
    Ogre chased away by contents of chamber pot [van 1999]
    H1543.1.*
    Diving contest results in winner’s death (11:14)
    J1791.6.+
    Man chases woman's reflection in (lake) water [van 1999]
    L460.+
    Pride brought low (boasting moose hunter killed by bear) [van 1999]
    N211.4.*
    Shaman makes lost object return by magic [van 1999]
    N338.1.1.*
    Girl, swaps place with lover in bed, accidentally decapitated by mother [van 1999]
    Q205.*
    Retribution in kind [van 1999]
    Q205.1.*
    “eye for an eye” (death occurs as balance of death caused) [van 1999]
    Q456.0.4.*
    Burial alive as punishment for false testimony (leading to murder) (11:44)
    S119.*
    Murder by stoning (9:22)
    T563.+
    Birthmark [van 1999]
    U263.*
    Perception of time altered [van 1999]
    V17.+
    Food offered to spirits to appease them [purpose of sacrifice] [van 1999]
    X916.5.*
    Person with remarkable hair (6:11)
    X916.5.1.*
    Logger (faller) caught by his eyebrows (6:11)

    animfaeleft1.gif (2943 bytes)

    Flying Yellow Fairy and Fairy Dust

    tests, for example, might include

    [H 11.1] Recognition by telling life history
    Lans.; Esm.
    [H 15.2] Recognition by recalling common experiences
    Lans.
    [H 79.3] Recognition by voice
    Esm.
    [H 119] Identification by cloth or clothing
    Esm. (3* head-band)
    [H 126] Identification by coat of arms
    Esm.
    [H 152] Recognition through accidental encounter
    Esm. ( N 735)
    [H 242] Crudential tests: proof that messenger comes from certain person
    Lans.
    [H 1227] Quest undertaken before hero will marry
    Esm.
    [H 1242.1] Unpromising hero succeeds in quest
    Esm.
    [H 1381.2.2.1.1.] Boy twitted with illegitimacy seeks unknown father
    Esm.
    [H 1385.5] Quest for vanished lover
    Esm.

     

    3.  Type and Motif-Index of the Folktales of England and North America by Ernest Baughman.  the Hague, Holland:   Mouton and Co., 1966.

    Baughman's Index is modeled on Thompson, but deals exclusively with English language folktales found in the British Isles and North America.  You can consult with our library about getting access to these and other important resources for completing your own papers.


Continue with Lecture V.