ATU 2030 The Old Woman and her Pig

ATU 2030

The Old Woman and her Pig

Aarne–Thompson–Uther tale-type index · Formula Tales · The full type description is not served here; the number and name are the classification facts.

Motifs the recorded variants carry

Woman has meat (liver) stolen by bird. Recovery chain (similar to Z41). 9 variants
The old woman and her pig. Her pig will not jump over the stile so that she can go home. She appeals in vain for help until the cow gives her milk. The final formula is: cow give milk for cat; cat kill rat; rat gnaw rope; rope hang butcher; butcher kill ox; ox drink water; water quench fire; fire burn stick; stick beat dog; dog bite pig; pig jump over stile. (Various introductions.) 1 variant
Conflict between fowl and thistle. Wind obeys and breaks the chain. 1 variant
The mouse regains its tail. The cat bites off the mouse's tail and will return it in exchange for milk. The mouse goes to the cow for milk, the farmer for hay, the butcher for meat, the baker for bread. Other persons mentioned are the locksmith and the miner. 1 variant
Mouse bursts open when crossing a stream. Series of helpers similar to Z41.4. 1 variant
My dog picked up a string, but did not wish to give it to me unless I gave her bread. Cupboard did not wish to give bread unless I gave it a key; smith, charcoal; charcoal-burner, calf's legbone; butcher, milk; cow, grass; meadow, water; clouds, dove's feather. Dove gave me a feather which I gave to clouds, etc. 1 variant
The wormwood does not want to rock the sparrow. Final formula: the worms begin to gnaw the rods, the rods to beat the oxen, the oxen to drink the water, the water to quench the fire, the fire to burn the hunters, the hunters to shoot the wolves, the wolves to kill the goats, the goats to gnaw the wormwood, the wormwood to rock me – it rocked and rocked me to sleep. 1 variant
Boy dirties his shoe and asks the hay stack to wipe it clean. 1 variant
Pulling the needle out of the seamstress's hand. Final formula: That was just what the cat was waiting for – it sprang to devour the mouse, the mouse to tear the spider's web, the spider to entangle the dog, the dog to eat the goat, the goat to gnaw the rushes, the rushes to grow in the stream, the stream to quench the fire, the fire to burn the stone, the stone to beat the axe, the axe soon pulled out the needle that was stuck in the seamstress's hand. 1 variant
The lazy servant and the grain. "Lentils, lentils, get into my sack!" Final formula: the hungry hawk attacks the hens, the hens the worms, the worms the stick, the stick the ox, the ox runs to the water, the water attacks the fire, the fire the hunters, the hunters the wolf, the wolf the goat, the goat the willow, the willow the cat, the cat the mice, the mice the lentils, the lentils go whoosh whoosh into the sack. 1 variant

Type numbers and names after Aarne–Thompson–Uther, via Hagedorn, trilogy (2022), CC-BY-NC-SA; motif links weighted by the dataset’s recorded tale variants. Served as classification facts with attribution.