Aarne-Thompson-Uther (ATU) - Types of Folktales

326: The Youth Who Wanted to Learn What Fear Is

ATU > 300-749: TALES OF MAGIC > 300-399: Supernatural Adversaries > 326: The Youth Who Wanted to Learn What Fear Is

Description

Various episodes: in the church tower, under the gallows, etc. Cf. Types 1159, 1160.
  • I. Quest: To Meet Fear. A youth who does not know what fear is goes out to find it.
  • II. Experiences. He tries various frightful experiences: (a) playing cards with devil in church; (b) stealing clothes from a ghost; (c) staying at night under a gallows, (d) in a cemetery, or (e) in a haunted house where a dead man's members fall down the chimney; (f) vanquishing ghost like cats; (g) playing ninepins with a reassembled dead man; (h) being shaved by barber-ghost; (i) cutting devil's finger nails.
  • III. Learning Fear. After his wedding he learns fear when cold water is thrown on him or eels are put down his back while he is asleep.

    • Examples

    show original versions • show all versions including translations • show English versions
    Text titleATULanguageAuthorOriginPublication Date
    Märchen von einem, der auszog, das Fürchten zu lernen326GermanJacob & Wilhelm GrimmGermany1812
    Lo sciocco senza paura326ItalianItalo CalvinoItaly1956
    The Boy Who Found Fear At Last326EnglishAndrew LangTurkey1907
    The Headless Dwarfs326EnglishAndrew LangEstonia1901

    External Examples

    StoryATUOriginAuthorYearSource
    Ashypelt 326 British Internet Archive
    Avonturen van een soldaat 326 Netherlands 1896 Nederlandse VolksverhalenBank
    Black Cat 326A* British Internet Archive
    Boy who feared Nothing 326 British Internet Archive
    Cutler and the Tinker 326A* British Internet Archive
    Dauntless Girl 326 British Internet Archive
    De man dy su graag es bang weze wúd 326 Netherlands 1973 Nederlandse VolksverhalenBank
    De spookkamer 326 Netherlands 1896 Nederlandse VolksverhalenBank
    Dertiende vertelling 326 Netherlands 1804 Nederlandse VolksverhalenBank
    Down the Rotten Row 326B* British Internet Archive
    Fearless Simpleton 326 Italian Internet Archive
    Good Fortune Kettle 326 Japanesse Internet Archive
    Grey Castle 326A* British Internet Archive
    Haunted Castle 326A* British Internet Archive
    Hooidaaif en haalfmaal 326 Netherlands 1930 Nederlandse VolksverhalenBank
    I'm Going to Fall 326 African-American Internet Archive
    Jan Zonder Angst. Een Spookgeschiedenis 326 Netherlands 1892 Nederlandse VolksverhalenBank
    King of Cats 326A* British Internet Archive
    Lousy Jack and his eleven Brothers 326A* British Internet Archive
    Man who did not know fear 326 Russian Internet Archive
    Man who didn't believe in Ghosts and 'Chantments 326B* British Internet Archive
    Man who went to find Fear 326 Greek Internet Archive
    Queen of the Three Mountains of Gold 326 Italian Internet Archive
    Resurrection Men 326B* British Internet Archive
    Soldier in the Haunted House 326A* Irish Internet Archive
    The Story of a Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear 326 German Internet Archive
    Three golden balls 326A* British Internet Archive
    Twopenny Priss 326A* British Internet Archive
    Van 'n vent dei nait wis wet bang weez'n was. 326 Netherlands 1800 Nederlandse VolksverhalenBank
    Wager won 326 British Internet Archive
    Waiting for Martin 326 African-American Internet Archive
    Yann the Fearless 326 French Internet Archive

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