Folklore classified
I love classification. Sometimes, it's fun to traverse the tree of knowledge from top to bottom instead of vice versa. Recently, I found out that folklorists created these amazing classifications for folk tales and fables. For what's worth, I believe we need more classifications in literature!
According to these studies, tales have these important definitions that we need to know before checking out the indices:
- A Function or mytheme is a plot point which directs the course of the tale and appears in set orders.
- A motif is the smallest definite element of a tale.
- A Tale type (or tale-type) is a recurring, self-sufficient plot or group of motifs.
THE AARNE-THOMPSON-UTHER INDEX (ATU)
The Aaarne-Thompson-Uther tale-type index (ATU index) classifies story plots into seven broad categories.
- 1-299 Animal Tales
- 300-749 Tales of Magic
- 750-849 Religious Tales
- 850-999 Realistic Tales
- 1000-1199 Tales of the Stupid Ogre (Giant, Devil)
- 1200-1999 Anecdotes and Jokes
- 2000-2399 Formula Tales
How cool is that?!
Each type has a summary, sub-type, cross-references to other indices, etc. For example, "Cinderella" is a sub-type of "Persecuted Heroine"!
THE MOTIF-INDEX OF FOLK LITERATURE
The Motif-Index of Folk Literature organizes motifs into twenty-six different classes, lettered A to Z. Each motif, then, is given a letter to designate its type and a number to identify it.
- Mythological Motifs
- Animal Motifs
- Motifs of Tabu
- Magic
- The Dead
- Marvels
- Ogres
- Tests
- The Wise and the Foolish
- Deceptions
- Reversals of Fortune
- Ordaining the Future
- Chance and Fate
- Society
- Rewards and Punishments
- Captives and Fugitives
- Unnatural Cruelty
- Sex
- The Nature of Life
- Religion
- Traits of Character
- Humor
- Miscellaneous Groups of Motifs
This index also includes which culture the tale belongs to!
The full source material exists in textbooks. But some amazing librarians and researchers have created online versions with links to the tales in the Internet Archive or other resources:
