I want access to this, desperately: “Motif-index of folk-literature : a classification of narrative elements in folktales, ballads, myths, fables, mediaeval romances, exempla, fabliaux, jest-books, and local”. Apparently, none of these goddamn folklore scholars has put it online, which is such an obvious thing to do, that to overlook it is infuriating, to say the least. More infuriating, is the price tag of the CD-ROM (hehe, who still uses those?) version, an individual license is FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS!!! That’s crap! Don’t they even look at what they are talking about? This is folklore dammit! It was invented by people, and passed on by people. It shouldn’t be fucking sold. It should be given away freely, just like the people who told the stories gave them away freely. I find this approach to scholarship so paradoxical and aggravating; I just can’t think about it anymore.

In case you have no idea what a folk-motif is, take a look at this:

What’s a “folk-motif”? Think of all the repeating significant figures and actions that populate folk tales, ballads, medieval romances, etc. They'’re drawn from a vast vocabulary of like motifs which would be known to the audiences of the surviving tales, and they also suggest other possibilities known to the authors which were rejected in favor of the version presently before us. Wondering where you’ve seen that rudderless boat or magical duck or talking deer before?

And here’s an example from a page with recommendations to add to the motif-index. I love looking at this shit - it makes my head spin. Let me throw in some example motifs: