ATU 303 The Twins or Blood-Brothers

ATU 303

The Twins or Blood-Brothers

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

Motifs the recorded variants carry

Medicine shown by animal. It heals another animal with a medicine (herb, water, etc.) and thus shows the man the remedy. Sometimes the medicine resuscitates the dead. (The animal is most frequently the serpent. (Cf. B491.) 12 variants
Transformation: man to stone. 12 variants
Life token. (Cf. E760.) Object (animal, person) has mystic connection with the life of a person, so that changes in the life-token indicate changes in the person, usually disaster or death. 12 variants
Following witch's fire into her power. 12 variants
Husband's twin brother mistaken by woman for her husband. 12 variants
Jealous and overhasty man kills his rescuing twin brother. 12 variants
Sword of chastity. A two-edged sword is laid between the couple sleeping together. 12 variants
Simultaneous birth of (domestic) animal and child. 12 variants
Conception from eating apple. 4 variants
Conception from eating fish. 4 variants
Conception from drinking. 4 variants
Rescue tokens. Proof that hero has succeeded in rescue. (Cf. H105, H105.1, H105.2.) 3 variants
Impostors claim reward (prize) earned by hero. 3 variants
Lowly hero marries princess. 3 variants
Rescue of princess (maiden) from dragon. 3 variants

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.