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Folktale Type Index (ATU Classification) - JSON
The Folktale Type Index (ATU Classification) is an international folktale classification system established by Finnish folklorist Antti Aarne in 1910 and subsequently expanded and revised by Stith Thompson and Hans-Jörg Uther. It organizes folktales from around the world into major categories such as Animal Tales, Tales of Magic, Anecdotes and Jokes, and Formula Tales, assigning AT numbers (ATU numbers) to systematically classify each tale type. This classification system is widely used as the global standard in folklore studies and comparative literature, enabling comparative research of similar narratives across different cultural regions.
folklore
folktales
oral literature
comparative literature
narrative types
ATU classification
Aarne-Thompson
[
{
"code": "1-299",
"slug": "animal-tales",
"name": "Animal Tales",
"description": "Classification for folktales featuring animals as main characters.",
"subcategories": [
{
"code": "1-99",
"name": "Wild Animals"
},
{
"code": "100-149",
"name": "Wild Animals and Domestic Animals"
},
{
"code": "150-199",
"name": "Wild Animals and Humans"
},
{
"code": "200-219",
"name": "Domestic Animals"
},
{
"code": "220-299",
"name": "Other Animals and Objects"
}
],
"examples": [
"The Lion and the Mouse",
"The Fox and the Crow",
"The Bremen Town Musicians"
]
},
{
"code": "300-749",
"slug": "tales-of-magic",
"name": "Tales of Magic",
"description": "Folktales featuring supernatural elements, magic, and miracles.",
"subcategories": [
{
"code": "300-399",
"name": "Supernatural Adversaries"
},
{
"code": "400-459",
"name": "Supernatural or Enchanted Relatives"
},
{
"code": "460-499",
"name": "Supernatural Tasks"
},
{
"code": "500-559",
"name": "Supernatural Helpers"
},
{
"code": "560-649",
"name": "Magic Objects"
},
{
"code": "650-699",
"name": "Supernatural Power or Knowledge"
},
{
"code": "700-749",
"name": "Other Tales of the Supernatural"
}
],
"examples": [
"Cinderella",
"Snow White",
"Little Red Riding Hood",
"Rapunzel",
"Bluebeard"
]
},
{
"code": "750-849",
"slug": "religious-tales",
"name": "Religious Tales",
"description": "Folktales dealing with religious themes such as God, saints, heaven, and hell.",
"subcategories": [
{
"code": "750-779",
"name": "God Rewards and Punishes"
},
{
"code": "780-791",
"name": "The Truth Comes to Light"
},
{
"code": "800-809",
"name": "Heaven"
},
{
"code": "810-826",
"name": "The Devil"
},
{
"code": "827-849",
"name": "Other Religious Tales"
}
],
"examples": [
"Miracles of Saints",
"Heaven and Hell",
"Pact with the Devil"
]
},
{
"code": "850-999",
"slug": "realistic-tales",
"name": "Realistic Tales (Novelle)",
"description": "Folktales set in the real world without supernatural elements.",
"subcategories": [
{
"code": "850-869",
"name": "The Princess's Hand is Won"
},
{
"code": "870-879",
"name": "The Woman Marries the Prince"
},
{
"code": "880-899",
"name": "Proofs of Fidelity and Innocence"
},
{
"code": "900-909",
"name": "The Obstinate Wife Learns to Obey"
},
{
"code": "910-919",
"name": "Good Precepts"
},
{
"code": "920-929",
"name": "Clever Acts and Words"
},
{
"code": "930-999",
"name": "Tales of Fate"
}
],
"examples": [
"The Clever Peasant Girl",
"Faithful John",
"Doctor Know-All"
]
},
{
"code": "1000-1199",
"slug": "tales-of-ogre",
"name": "Tales of the Stupid Ogre (Giant, Devil)",
"description": "Folktales about outwitting stupid giants, ogres, or devils through cleverness.",
"subcategories": [
{
"code": "1000-1029",
"name": "Labor Contract"
},
{
"code": "1030-1059",
"name": "Partnership between Man and Ogre"
},
{
"code": "1060-1114",
"name": "Contest between Man and Ogre"
},
{
"code": "1115-1144",
"name": "Man Kills Ogre"
},
{
"code": "1145-1154",
"name": "Ogre Frightened"
},
{
"code": "1155-1169",
"name": "Man Threatens Ogre's Life"
},
{
"code": "1170-1199",
"name": "Man Outwits the Devil"
}
],
"examples": [
"The Brave Little Tailor",
"Puss in Boots",
"Jack and the Beanstalk"
]
},
{
"code": "1200-1999",
"slug": "anecdotes-and-jokes",
"name": "Anecdotes and Jokes",
"description": "Humorous tales about fools and clever people.",
"subcategories": [
{
"code": "1200-1349",
"name": "Stories about Fools"
},
{
"code": "1350-1439",
"name": "Stories about Married Couples"
},
{
"code": "1440-1524",
"name": "Stories about Women"
},
{
"code": "1525-1639",
"name": "The Clever Man"
},
{
"code": "1640-1674",
"name": "Lucky Accidents"
},
{
"code": "1675-1724",
"name": "The Stupid Man"
},
{
"code": "1725-1849",
"name": "Jokes about Clergymen"
},
{
"code": "1850-1874",
"name": "Anecdotes about Other Groups"
},
{
"code": "1875-1999",
"name": "Tall Tales"
}
],
"examples": [
"Tales of the Wise Men of Gotham",
"Trickster Tales",
"Baron Munchausen"
]
},
{
"code": "2000-2399",
"slug": "formula-tales",
"name": "Formula Tales",
"description": "Folktales with formulaic structures such as cumulative or chain patterns.",
"subcategories": [
{
"code": "2000-2100",
"name": "Cumulative Tales"
},
{
"code": "2200-2299",
"name": "Catch Tales"
},
{
"code": "2300-2399",
"name": "Other Formula Tales"
}
],
"examples": [
"The Rolling Rice Ball",
"The Enormous Turnip",
"This is the House that Jack Built"
]
},
{
"code": "2400-2499",
"slug": "unclassified-tales",
"name": "Unclassified Tales",
"description": "Folktales that do not fit into the above categories.",
"subcategories": [],
"examples": [
"Regional folktales",
"Composite tales"
]
}
]