ATU 550 Bird, Horse and Princess (previously Search for the Golden Bird)

ATU 550

Bird, Horse and Princess (previously Search for the Golden Bird)

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, and the motifs below are the doors onward.

Motifs the recorded variants carry

Golden bird. Bird with golden feathers. 80 variants
Magic horse. 80 variants
Helpful fox. 80 variants
Golden apple. 80 variants
Youngest brother alone succeeds on quest. 80 variants
Watch for devastating monster. Youngest alone successful. 80 variants
Impostors claim reward (prize) earned by hero. 80 variants
Lowly hero marries princess. 80 variants
Ungrateful brothers plot against rescuer. 80 variants
Helpful animal an enchanted person. 20 variants
Animals advise men. 20 variants
Magic garden. 20 variants
Animals help hero on quest. 20 variants
Quest accomplished by means of objects given by helpers. 20 variants
Series of quests. One quest can be accomplished when a second is finished, etc. (Cf. H1235.) 20 variants
Compassionate youngest son. Kind to people or animals: rewarded. 20 variants
Hero finds maiden in (magic) garden. 20 variants
Quest assigned by father. 16 variants
Quest for remarkable bird caused by sight of one of its feathers. 16 variants
Quest for marvelous bird. 16 variants
Quest for three feathers of marvelous bird. 16 variants
Quest for golden bird. 16 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.