US IB English-Grimms' Tales for Young and Old: The Complete Stories: Folklore Studies Indexes

By Hannah Mummert

One of the most important tools for anyone studying fairy tales or just looking to research them for creative purposes has to be the ATU system.

Okay. Maybe it isn’t the most important. But it’s incredibly helpful. But what is it? Most people haven’t heard of it, and truthfully it sounds a bit confusing and daunting to use. Don’t worry. We’ll get through this together. Because I’m going to be referencing the ATU types a lot as we start to look at other fairy tales versions and variations, because there are just so many tales out there. So once we have an understanding of all the numbers and crazy things going on here, it’ll be nothing but smooth sailing after that. It is confusing at first, which is why I’ve decided to to give you…A Casual Girl’s Guide to Using the ATU Index.

The ATU Tale Type Index is a Categorization System
The ATU Tale Type Index, which is only one of its “official names,” is an essential guide for those of us who are trying to find different versions of the fairy tales we already know, or discover tales and types of fairy tales we don’t know. And with thousands of discovered tales around the world, having one big source like that is awesome.

Officially it’s a categorization system, cataloguing fairy tales, folk tales, and fables around the world and filing them neatly away in smaller categories according to their plot. So a story of a girl with a red garment who gets into mischief, usually involving a wolf, will be filed under ATU type 333 (Red Riding Hood type tales), and stories about little helpers who keep their names secret so they can get away with stealing babies or wives would be ATU 500 (Rumplestiltskin type tales).

In reality it’s a little more complicated than that. Because of course it is. So here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know about the ATU Tale Type Index, which is what I like to call it most often, and how I’m going to use it in the future.

https://retellingthetales.com/a-casual-girls-guide-to-using-the-atu-index/

Grimm No.	Grimm Tale	ATU TYPE
1	The Frog King, or Iron Heinrich	440 The Frog King
2	Cat and Mouse in Partnership	15 Stealing the Partner's Butter
3	Mary's Child	710 Our Lady's Child
4	The Story of a Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear	326 The Youth Who Wanted to Learn What Fear Is
5	The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids	123 The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids
6	Faithful Johannes	516 Faithful John
7	The Good Bargain	1642 The Good Bargain
8	The Strange Musician	151 Music lessons for wild animals
9	The Twelve Brothers	451 The Maiden Who Seeks her Brother
10	The Pack of Scoundrels	210 The Traveling Animals and the Wicked Man
11	Little Brother and Little Sister	450 Little Brother and Little Sister
12	Rapunzel	310 Rapunzel
13	The Three Little Men in the Woods	403 The White and the Black Bride
14	The Three Spinning Women	501 The Three Spinners
15	Hansel and Gretel	327A Hansel and Gretel
16	The Three Snake-Leaves	612 The Three Snake-Leaves
17	The White Snake	554 The Grateful Animals
17	The White Snake	673 The White Snake
18	Straw, Coal, and Bean	295 The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean
19	The Fisherman and His Wife	555 The Fisherman and his Wife
20	The Brave Little Tailor	1640 The Valiant Little Tailor
21	Cinderella	510A Cinderella
22	The Riddle	851 The Riddle of the Suitor
23	The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage	85 The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage (Trading places)
24	Frau Holle	480 The Kind and the Unkind Girls
25	Seven Ravens	451 The Maiden Who Seeks her Brother
26	Little Red Cap	333 Little Red Riding Hood
27	The Bremen Town Musicians	130 Outcast Animals Find a New Home
28	The Singing Bone	780 The Singing Bone
29	The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs	461 Three Hairs of the Devil (Giant)
30	Little Louse and Little Flea	2022 Death of the little hen
31	The Girl without Hands	706 Maiden without Hands
32	Clever Hans	1696 What Should I Have Said?
33	Three Languages	671 The Three Languages
34	Clever elsie	1450 Clever Elsie
35	Tailor in Heaven	800 The Tailor in Heaven
36	Table-Be-Set, Gold Donkey,Cudgel-out-of-the-sack	563 The Table, the Donkey, and the Stick
37	Thumbthick	700Thumbling (Tom Thumb)
38	Mrs. Fox's Wedding	65 Mrs. Fox's Suitors
39	The Elves	503 Gifts of the Little People
40	The Robber Bridegroom	955 The Robber Bridegroom
41	Herr Korbes	210 The Traveling Animals and the Wicked Man
42	The Godfather	332 Godfather Death
43	Frau Trude	334 At the Witch's House
44	Godfather Death	332 Godfather Death
45	Thumbling's Travels	700 Thumbling
46	Fitcher's Bird	311 Rescue by the Sister
47	Juniper Tree	720 The Juniper Tree -my mother killed me my father ate me
48	Old Sultan	101 The old dog rescues the child
49	Six Swans	451 The Maiden Who Seeks her Brother

 

50	Little Brier-Rose	410 The Sleeping Beauty - Little Briar Rose
51	Foundling-Bird	313 The Magic Flight
52	King Thrushbeard	900 King Thrushbeard
53	Little Snow-White	709 Snow White
54	The Knapsack, the Hat, and the Horn	569 The Knapsack, the Hat, and the Horn
54A	Hans Dumb	675 The Lazy Boy -- fools wishes come true
55	Rumpelstiltskin	500 Name of the Supernatureal helper Rumpelstiltskin
56	Sweetheart Roland	1119 Ogres Kill Their Own Children
57	The Golden Bird	550 Bird, Horse, and Princess (previously Search for Golden Bird)
58	Dog and the Sparrow	248 The Dog and the Sparrow
59	Freddy and Katy Lizzy	1291 One cheese sent to bring back another
59	Freddy and Katy Lizzy	1291B Filing cracks with butter
59	Freddy and Katy Lizzy	1385* Learning about Money
59	Freddy and Katy Lizzy	1387 A Woman Draws Beer in the Cellar
60	Two Brothers	567A The Magic Bird Heart and the Separated Brothers
61	The Little Peasant	1535 The Rich Peasant and the Poor Peasant
62	The Queen Bee	554 The Grateful Animals
63	The Three Feathers	402 The Animal Bride
64	Golden Goose	571 All stick together
65	All-Kinds-Of-Fur	510B Peau d'Asne Cap o' Rushes Father wants to marry daughter
66	The Hare's Bride	311 Rescue by the Sister
67	Twelve Huntsmen	884 The forsaken fiancee
68	The Thief and His Master	325 The Magician and his Apprentice
69	Jorinde and Joringel	405 Jorinde and Joringel
70	The Three Children of Fortune	1650 The Three Lucky Brothers
71	How Six Men Got On in the World	513A Six go through the world
72	Wolf and the Man	157 Learning to Fear Men
73	The Wolf and the Fox	41 The Wolf Overeats in the Cellar
74	The Fox and His Cousin	152A wife scalds the wolf
75	The Fox and the Cat	105 Cat's only trick
76	The Carnation (Pink)	652 The Boy Whose Wishes Always Come True
77	Clever Gretel	1741 Priest's Guests and eaten chickens
78	Old Grandfather and his Grandson	980 Ungrateful Son
79	Water Nixie	313 The Magic Flight
80	The Death of the Little Hen	2021 The rooster and the hen
81	Brother Merry	785 Who Ate the Lambs Heart ?
82	Gambling Hansel	330 The Smith and the Devil
83	Hans in Luck	1415 Trading Away One's Fortune
84	Hans gets married	859 The Penniless Bridegroom Pretends to Wealth
85	Gold-Children	555 The Fisherman and his Wife
86	Fox and the Geese	227 The geese's eternal prayer
87	The Poor Man and the Rich Man	750 A Three wishes
88	The Singing Springing Lark	425C Beauty and the Beast
89	Goose-girl	533 Speaking Horsehead
90	The Young Giant	650A Strong John
91	Gnome	301 The Three Kidnapped Princesses
92	King of the Golden Mountain	401A The Soldiers in the Enchanted Castle
93	The Raven	400 The Quest for a Lost Bride - formerly 401
94	The Peasant's Clever Daughter	875 The Clever Peasant girl
95	Old Hildebrand	1360C Old Hildebrand
96	The Three Little Birds	707 The Bird of Truth
97	The Water of Life	551 The Water of Life
98	Dr. Know-All	1641 Doctor Know-all
99	The Spirit in the Glass Bottle	331 The Spirit in the Bottle

100

The Devil's Sooty Brother

475 Heating Hell's Kitchen

101	Bearskin	361 Bearskin
102	The Wren and the Bear	222 The Willow-Wren and the Bear
103	Sweet Porridge	565 The Magic Mill (why the sea is salty)
104	Clever People	1384 The husband hunts for three persons as stupid as his wife
105	Tales of the Toad	285 The child and the snake
105	Tales of the Toad	672 The Serpent's Crown
106	Poor Miller's Boy and the Cat	402 The Animal Bride
107	The Two Travelers	613 The Two Travelers: Truth and Falsehood
108	Hans My Hedgehog	441 Hans My Hedgehog
109	Burial Shirt	769 The Child's Grave
110	Jew in the Thorns	592 The Dance Among Thorns
111	The Trained Huntsman	304 The Trained Hunter
112	Threshing Flail from Heaven	1960A The Great Ox
113	The Two Kings' Children	313 The Magic Flight
114	The Clever Little Tailor	850 The birthmarks of the Princess
114	The Clever Little Tailor	1061 Biting a stone to pieces
114	The Clever Little Tailor	1159 Ogre caught in a cleft
115	The Bright Sun will bring it to light	960 The Sun Brings All to Light
116	The Blue Light	562 The Spirit in the Blue Light
117	The Willful Child	779 Divine rewards and punishments
118	The Three Army Surgeons	660 The Three Doctors
119	Seven Swabians	1321 Fools frightened
120	The Three Journeymen	360 The Three Apprentices and the Devil
121	The King's Son Who Is Afraid of Nothing	590 The Faithless Mother
122	The Cabbage-Donkey	567 Magic Bird-Heart
123	Old Woman in the Woods	442 The Old Woman in the Wood
124	The Three Brothers	654 The Three Brothers
125	The Devil and His Grandmother	812 The Mystery of the Devil
126	Ferdinand the Faithful and Ferdinand the Unfaithful	531 Clever horse (previously Ferdinand the true)
127	The Iron Stove	425A Animal as Bridegroom
128	Lazy Spinning Woman	1405 The Lazy Spinner
129	The Four Skillful Brothers	653 The Skillful Brothers
130	One-Eye, Two-Eyes, and Three-Eyes	511 One-Eye, Two-Eyes, and Three-Eyes
131	Fair Katrinelje and PifPaf Poltrie	2019 Fair Katrinelje and Pif-Paf-Poltrie
132	The Fox and the Horse	47A Fox hangs on horse's tail
133	The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces	306 The Twelve Dancing Princesses --Dance out shoes
134	The Six Servants	513A Six go through the world
135	White Bride and the Black Bride	403 The White and the Black Bride
136	Iron Hans	502 The Wild Man
137	Three Black Princesses	400 The Quest for a Lost Bride - formerly 401A
138	Knoist and His Three Sons	1965 Disabled Comrade
139	The Girl from Brakel	1476A Prayer to Christ's Mother
140	Household Servants	1940 The Extraordinary Names
141	The Little Lamb and the Little Fish	450 Little Brother and Little Sister
142	Simeli Mountain	954 The Forty Thieves formerly 676
143	Going Traveling	1696 What Should I Have Said?
144	The Little Donkey	430 The Donkey
145	The Ungrateful Son	980 D Old Parents and Ungrateful Son
146	The Turnip	1960D The Great Vegetable
147	The Little Old Man Made Young by Fire	753 Christ and the smith
148	The Lord's Animals and the Devil's	Unclassified
149	Rooster Beam	987 False Magician Exposed by Clever Girl

 

150	Old Beggar Woman	Unclassified
151	Three lazy ones	1950 The three lazy ones
151*	Twelve Lazy Servants	1950 The three lazy ones
152	Little Shepherd Boy	922 The king and the abbot
153	The Star Talers	779 Divine rewards and punishments
154	The Stolen Farthing	769 The Child's Grave
155	Choosing a Bride	1452 Choosing a Bride by How She Cuts Cheese
156	The Hurds	1451 A suitor chooses the thrifty girl
157	The Sparrow and His Four Children	157 Learning to Fear Men
158	The Tale of Cockaigne (Schlaraffenland)	1930 Schlaraffenland
159	The Tall Tale from Ditmar (Lying Tale)	1930 Schlaraffenland
160	A Riddling Tale	407 The Flower Girl
161	Snow-White and Rose-Red	426 Snow White and Rose Red
162	The Clever Servant	1681B Fool as Custodian of Home and Animals
163	The Glass Coffin	410 The Sleeping Beauty
164	Lazy Heinz	1430 Air Castles
165	The Griffin	610 The Healing Fruit
166	Strong Hans	650A Strong John
167	The Peasant in Heaven	802 The Peasant in Heaven
168	Lean Lisa	1430 Air Castles
169	Hut in the Woods	431 The Waldhaus
170	Sharing Joy and Sorrow	921D* Witty Answers
171	The Wren	221 The Election of Bird-King
172	The Flounder (sole)	250A The Flounder's Crooked Mouth
173	The Bittern and Hoopoe	236* Imitating bird sounds,
174	The Owl	1281 Burning the Barn to Destroy an Unknown Animal
175	The Moon	Unclassified
176	Duration of Life	173 Man and animals readjust span of life
177	Death's Messengers	335 Death' Messengers
178	Master Pfriem (Cobblersawl)	801 Master Pfriem
179	The Goose-Girl at the Well	923 Loving the Salt
180	Eve's Unequal Children	758 The various children of Eve
181	The Nixie in the Pond	316 The Mermaid in the Pond
182	Gifts of the Little People	503 Gifts of the Little People
183	Giant and the Tailor	1049 The heavy axe
184	The Nail	2039 The Horseshoe Nail
185	The Poor Boy in the Grave	1408C String of Chickens (includes AT 1876)
186	True Bride	510 Cinderella and Cap o' Rushes
187	Hare and the Hedgehog	275C Hare and Hedgehob race (formerly 275A*)
188	Spindle, Shuttle, and Needle	585 Spindle, Shuttle, and Needle
189	The Peasant and the Devil	1030 Man and ogre share the harvest
190	Crumbs on the Table	236* Imitating bird sounds,
191	Rabbit (sea-Hare)	554 Grateful Animals
192	Master Thief	1525 The master thief
193	The Drummer	400 The Quest for a Lost Bride
194	The Ear of Grain	779 Divine rewards and punishments
195	The Grave Mound	815 The Devil who skins a corpse
196	Old Rinkrank	311 Rescue by the Sister
197	The Crystal Ball	552 Girls who marry animals
198	Maid Maleen	870 The Princess Confined in the Mound
199	The Boot of Buffalo Leather	952 The King and the Soldier
200	Golden Key	2260 The Golden Key
201	St. Joseph in the Woods	480 The Kind and the Unkind Girls
202	Twelve Apostles	766 The seven sleepers
203	The Rose	Unclassified
204	Poverty and Humility Lead to Heaven	Unclassified
205	God's Food	751G* Bread turned to stone
206	The Three Green Branches	756A The Self-Righteous Hermit
207	Our Lady's Little Glass	Unclassified
207	The Aged Mother	Unclassified
209	The Heavenly Wedding	767 Food for the Crucifix
210	The Hazel Switch	Unclassified

https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/c.php?g=1052498&p=7642279

The letters used to designate the individual motif tell us something about a motif's character. Thompson used the letters of the alphabet to organize his motifs as follows:

A. Mythological motifs
Motifs designated with the letter A cover such things as the nature of gods and the universe, the origin of people, and the primordial organization of human life and society. A few examples of A motifs are:
A131.6. Horned god.
A901.1. Topographical changes or landmarks due to battle between gods.
A1212. Man created in Creator's image.
A1460.1. Arts taught to man by angel.
A2480. Periodic habits of animals.
A2481.1. Why bears hibernate.

B. Animals
This covers everything about animals except their primordial origins, which are covered under the A motifs. Here we find out about animals that speak, giant snakes, magic animals, and animals that help out humans in their adventures. A few examples of B motifs are:
B11.11. Fight with dragon.
B161. Wisdom from serpent.
B455.3. Helpful eagle.
B733. Animals are spirit sighted.

C. Tabu
These motifs cover forbidden things, both things that are forbidden within a given tale and things that are forbidden in a given society. This includes such things as Pandora's box, which she is forbidden to open, the temptation of a forbidden room, the incest prohibition, and the consequences when a tabu is broken. A few examples of C motifs are:
C31. Tabu: offending supernatural wide.
C221.2.1. Tabu: eating animal helper.
C401.6. Tabu: speaking while taking a bath.
C942. Loss of strength from broken tabu.

D. Magic
There are many D motifs because magic is prominent in both Märchen [fairy tales] and myths. These motifs may refer to the types of magical transformation, to magical objects, or to magic powers. A few examples of D motifs are:
D174. Transformation: man to cuttlefish.
D711. Disenchantment by decapitation.
D1069.1. Magic handkerchief.
D1573.1. Much butter made from little milk by power of saint.
D1964.1 Savage elephant lulled to sleep by virgin.
D2143.1. Rain produced by magic.
D2197. Magic dominance over animals.

E. The Dead
Ghosts and revenants are frequent characters in folk literature, and under the E motifs we find descriptions of their appearance and motivations. Here we also find information about how the dead are resuscitated in traditional literature, beliefs about the nature of the soul, and beliefs about reincarnation. A few examples of E motifs are:
E64.16.1. Resuscitation by yak's tail.
E221.3. Dead husband returns to reprove wife's second husband (lover).
E251.3.2. Vampire milks cows dry.
E431.13. Corpse burned to prevent return.
E481.2. Land of dead across water.
E646. Reincarnation as meteor.
E755.2.5. Icy hell.

F. Marvels
It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between D. Magic and F. Marvels. [We] can offer two guidelines: first, magic is not natural. Therefore, something amazing but natural such as a marvelously strong hero, would be found under F. Marvels and not under D. Magic. If, however, a puny hero put on a belt of tremendous strength, that would fall under D. Magic. The second guideline is that magic requires a deliberate action. Therefore, although we may not think of fairies as natural, they are categorized under F. Marvels rather than D. Magic because they merely existed, in spite of any action taken by the hero or villain. Under marvels we also find beliefs about the otherworld (Tir Na Nog, Avalon, Hell, or FairyLand) and how to get there. A few examples of F motifs are:
F162.8. Magic fountain in otherworld.
F343.13. Fairy gives mortals a child.
F511.0.4. Man carries his head under his arm.
F531.6.5.1. Giants can make selves invisible.
F569.1. Woman lays eggs and hatches them.
F771.1.10. Gingerbread house.
F932.1. River pursues fugitive.
F1083.0.1.3. Jerusalem suspended in air.

G. Ogres
Thompson uses the term "ogre" as a generic form of monster, not as a specific sort of monster. Therefore, under ogres we find information about cannibals and cannibalism, and witches, giants and trolls. We also have those motifs that refer to how the character fell into the ogre's power. Finally we learn how to defeat the ogre, because in traditional literature, particularly Märchen, the ogre is usually defeated. Any motifs referring to the devil, his appearance, motivations, or actions, are also found under G. Ogres. A few examples of G motifs are:
G36. Taste of human flesh leads to habitual cannibalism.
G241.1. Witch rides on wolf.
G303.4.4.1. Devil has five claws.
G512.3.2. Ogre burned in his own oven.
G610.3. Stealing from ogre as task.

H. Tests
This is another very long category of motifs because tests abound in folk literature. These include tests to prove one's identity, tests of cleverness, strength or skill, riddles, and quests that heroes are sent on. A few examples of H motifs are:
H35.3. Recognition by unique needle-work.
H316. Suitor test: apple thrown indicates princess's choice.
H411.8. Magic bridge as chastity test. Cannot be crossed by unchaste.
H631.4. Riddle: what is strongest? Woman.
H1023.12. Task: catching a noise.
H1321.2. Quest for Water of Life.

I. 
Thompson doesn't use an I motif category because it would be too easily confused with the number 1.

J. The wise and the foolish
Many folktales follow the adventures of a fool, who goes through the world thinking that he is doing well, when actually he is making a fool of himself. These adventures are followed here, as are the deeds of the especially clever. A few examples of J motifs are:
J141. Youth educated by seven sages.
J157.2. Fate of parents revealed in dream.
J267. Choice between flattering lies and unflattering truths.
J1250. Clever verbal retorts — general.
J1932.3. Sowing salt to produce salt.
J2527. Thief out of habit robs from his own purse.

K. Deceptions
This includes not only the obvious types of deception such as adultery but also more subtle things such as lying, theft, bluffing, and hypocrites. A few examples of K motifs are:
K81.1. Deceptive eating contest: hole in bag.
K111.1. Alleged gold-dropping animal sold.
K311.4. Thief becomes monk in order to rob monastery.
K521.4.1.1. Girl escapes in male disguise.
K783.1. Enemy blinded with chili powder and overpowered.
K1392. Trickster and girls play obscene tricks on one another.
K1521. Paramour successfully hidden from husband.
K1955. Sham physician.

L. Reversal of fortune
Märchen often tell the story of a young person, down on his or her luck, who goes out into the world and has a series of successful adventures that lead to his or her being married to a prince or princess and becoming wealthy and powerful. We see a lot of reversals of fortune in Märchen, including the poor becoming wealthy, the youngest son inheriting the kingdom, and the person marrying far above his or her apparent social station. All of these are covered here.Of course, not all reversals of fortune are positive; the villain often loses his or her money, the evil judge his or her position, and that is covered here, too. A few examples of L motifs are:
L10.2. Abused son of younger co-wife becomes hero.
L114.1. Lazy hero.
L212. Choice among several gifts. The worst horse, armor, or the like proves best.
L315.12. Rabbit slays rhinoceros.
L419.2. King becomes beggar.

M. Ordaining the future
This category covers not only prophecy but also vows, oaths, bargains, promises, curses and judgments. A few examples of M motifs are:
M113.1. Oath taken on sword.
M161.2. Vow to revenge (king, friends, father) or die.
M211. Man sells soul to devil.
M301.0.1. Prophet destined never to be believed.
M411.8.3. Curses on places because of offensive answer to saint.

N. Chance and fate
This category includes gambling, the nature of luck and fate, lucky and unlucky accidents, treasure, and helpers. A few examples of N motifs are:
N2.3. Bodily members wagered.
N111. Fortuna. Luck (fate) thought of as a goddess.
N421.1. Progressive lucky bargains.
N452. Secret remedy overheard in conversation of animals (witches).
N511.1.10. Treasure buried under tree.
N731. Unexpected meeting of father and son.
N825.3.1. Help from old beggar woman.

O.
Thompson also does not use the letter O to designate motifs, probably because it is too easily confused with the number 0.

P. Society
This category covers social customs, the government, trades and professions, family and friendships, and the nature of leaders or the royalty. A few examples of the P motifs are:
P14.19. King goes in disguise at night to observe his subjects.
P234. Father and daughter.
P251.6.7. Twelve brothers.
P310.5. Defeated enemy turns true friend.
P324.3. Guests' life inviolable.
P424.5. Female physician.
P632.4. Color worn signifies rank.
P711. Patriotism.

Q. Rewards and Punishments
Folktales often end with the hero or heroine receiving a great reward and the villain receiving a terrible punishment. Such things are covered in this category, which looks at the deeds that are either rewarded or punished, and the nature of the rewards or punishments received. A few examples of the Q motifs are:
Q94. Reward for cure.
Q115. Reward: any boon that may be asked.
Q211. Murder punished.
Q415.5. Punishment: being devoured by tiger.
Q581. Villain nemesis. Person condemned to punishment he has suggested for others.

R. Captives and Fugitives
People are often taken or held prisoner in folktales, and this category covers how they are captured, their rescue or escape, and their pursuit and potential recapture. A few examples of the R motifs are:
R11.1. Princess (maiden) abducted by monster (ogre).
R112.3. Rescue of prisoners from fairy stronghold.
R164. Rescue by giant.
R211.15. Captive hews through iron prison with sword.
R261.1. Pursuit by rolling head.
R355. Eloping girl recaptured by parents.

S. Unnatural Cruelty
Essentially, this category is about those villains who do cruel things either without reason or out of proportion to the reason. Here we have cruel relatives such as the wicked stepmother, horrible murders, abandoned children, and cruel persecutions. A few examples of the S motifs are:
S31. Cruel stepmother.
S139.2. Slain person dismembered.
S161. Mutilation: cutting off hands (arms).
S264. Sacrifice to rivers and seas.
S302.1. All new-born male children slaughtered.
S352. Animal aids abandoned child(ren).
S411.1. Misunderstood wife banished by husband.

T. Sex
This category covers love, marriage, chastity, celibacy, childbirth and rearing, and illicit sexual relations. A few examples of the T motifs are:
T11.2. Love through sight of picture.
T92.1. The triangle plot and its solutions.
T97. Father opposed to daughter's marriage.
T136.1. Wedding feast.
T203. Peace in marriage more important than truth.
T232. Woman deserts husband for unworthy lover.
T252. The overbearing wife.
T317.2. Repression of lust through prayer.
T417.1. Mother-in-law seduces son-in-law.
T516. Conception through dream.
T581.1. Birth of child in forest.
T615.1 Precocious speech (in child).

U. The Nature of Life
This [could be considered] the simple philosophy category. It includes observations about the need to obey one's parents and government, explanations about why life is unfair, and other such aphorisms. A few examples of the U motifs are:
U11. Small trespasses punished; large crimes condoned.
U30. Rights of the strong.
U110. Appearances deceive.
U131. Familiarity takes away fear.
U232. No place secret enough for sin.

V. Religion
It is sometimes difficult to differentiate between D. Magic and V. Religion. Essentially, V. Religion is about religious ritual such as prayer, religious beliefs about things like angels and saints, or religious buildings and objects. Therefore, a miracle would be covered under V. Religion, as would miraculous affects caused by prayer. A few examples of the V motifs are:
V41. Masses work miracles.
V112. Temples.
V221. Miraculous healing by saints.
V310. Particular dogmas.
V510. Religious visions.
V530. Pilgrimages.

W. Traits of Character
This category is subdivided into two kinds of traits: favorable and unfavorable. Some examples of favorable traits of character often found in folktales are bravery, kindness, generosity, and humility. Unfavorable traits include greed, arrogance, and cruelty. A few examples of the W motifs are:
W33. Heroism.
W45. Honor.
W111. Laziness.
W195. Envy.
W211. Active imagination.

X. Humor
This includes things like humor about sex, about social standing, about races or nations, about appearance or disability, and based on lies, exaggeration, or drunkenness. A few examples of the X motifs are:
X52.1. Woman exposed to ridicule when her wig is snatched off by a monkey.
X135. The humor of stuttering.
X410. Jokes on parsons.
X700. Humor concerning sex.
X811. Drunk man lying under his bed thinks he is lying in his shroud, is cured of drunkenness.
X905. Lying contests.
X1301. Lie: the great fish.
X1850. Other tall tales.

Y.
Thompson doesn't assign motifs under Y, perhaps because it looks something like a 7.

Z. Miscellaneous Groups of Motifs
There are always extraneous elements that don't fit into a specific organizational scheme. Under Z we find such things as frequent numbers of episodes in tales (three is the most frequent number in Indo-European Märchen); the symbolism of colors, objects, or words; the nature of heroes; and other things that don't fit into the A-X Motif categories. A few examples of the Z motifs are:
Z18. Formulistic conversations.
Z22.1. The Twelve Days (Gifts) of Christmas.
Z65.1. Red as blood, white as snow.
Z71.1. Formulistic number: three.
Z111. Death personified.
Z143.1. Black as symbol of grief.
Z255. Hero born out of wedlock.
Z311. Achilles heel. Invulnerability except in one spot.

MOTIF NUMBERS
So now that we understand what the letters in a motif number mean, what about the numbers? Let's look a little at the motifs dealing with the creation of animals in order to understand the numbers. A1700. Creation of animals. begins this list. Then we see how the animals were created starting with A1710. Creation of animals through transformation. A1800. starts the Creation of mammals. A1810. is the Creation of Felidae (felines). A1811. Creation of cat. refers to the domestic cat. But there are several ways that cats are created in traditional narratives, so these are designated as A1811.x. For example, A1811.1. Cat from transformed eagle, is followed by A1811.2. Creation of cat: sneezed from lion's nostrils, and finally A1811.3. Cat of divine origin. is really praying when he purrs. Then we're back to different types of cats with A1815. Creation of tiger. This could be diagrammed like an outline:

• A. Mythological Motifs
  • A1700. Creation of animals.
    • A1800. Creation of mammals.
      • A1810. Creation of Felidae (felines).
        • A1811. Creation of [domestic] cat.
          • A1811.1. Cat from transformed eagle.
          • A1811.2. Creation of cat: sneezed from lion's nostrils.
          • A1811.3. Cat of divine origin; is really praying when he purrs.
        • A1815. Creation of tiger.
        • A1817. Creation of jaguar.
      • A1820. Creation of mustelidae (weasels, otters, etc.).
        • A1821. Creation of otter,
          • A1821.1. Creation of sea otter.
        • A1824. Creation of martens.
      • A1830. Creation of canidae (canines) and other carnivores.
        • A1831. Creation of dog.
          • A1831.1. Dog created as watch-dog for Jesus.
          • A1831.2. First lapdog in Ireland.
        • A1832. Creation of fox.
        • A1833. Creation of wolf.

You can see how the motifs are nested into one another numerically. In fact, this nesting can move beyond single decimal points to two or even three decimal points. Here's an example:

• A. Mythological Motifs.
  • A1700. Creation of animal life.
    • A2000. Creation of insects.
      • A2030. Creation of diptera (flies, fleas, gnats and mosquitoes).
        • A2034. Origin of mosquitoes.
          • A2034.1. Deity's wife creates mosquitoes to drive her husband out of jungle.
            • A2034.1.1. Mosquitoes created by goddess to make sleeping outside impossible to men.
            • A2034.1.2. Deity creates mosquitoes to irritate other gods.
          • A2034.2 Mosquitoes from bones of slain demon flung into air.
          • A2034.3 Mosquitoes from ashes of bad woman.
      • A2040. Creation of lepidoptera (butterflies).

Theoretically one could continue out to twelve decimal points, although more than three is unusual.
The motif designations, such as A2030, are used as a form of shorthand, just as the AT Tale Types are used to succinctly refer to a particular tale. The Tales Online team has chosen to include the written descriptors along with the letter and number code for two reasons. First, very few people, even among folklorists, know the Motif code by heart. Secondly, it serves as a check to ensure that a single typo doesn't irrevocably change the meaning of a given motif.

https://sites.ualberta.ca/~urban/Projects/English/Content/Motif_Help.htm