Pan-Hispanic Ballad Project

Index of Folklore Motifs in the Romancero

Harriet Goldberg's Motif-Index of Folk Narratives in the Pan-Hispanic Romancero
(modified and enhanced to optimize its implementation and functionality on the Web)

Click on any major category A-Z to jump to that location. Ballad titles and publication data appear in blue. Both the unique IGRH number in parentheses (e.g. 0141) and the abbreviated designation I use to identify each of the 24 publications H. Goldberg consulted (e.g. RT-Galicia 1998) coincide with ballad ID numbers and with the abbreviated designation used to identify these publications throughout my online romancero project. To access the version referenced, click on Retrieve Ballad. To date all versions from the following collections are available: Wolf 1856b, RT-Galicia 1998, Costa Fontes 1997, IGR-vulgar 1999, TOL I 1991, TOL II 1991, Cossío 1933-1934 and much of Ferré - Rebés - Ruiz 2001. Only selected texts from the remaining collections are currently online. To access all or selected versions of a particular ballad, go to the ballad archive search page.


A. MYTHOLOGICAL MOTIFS
B. ANIMALS
C. TABU
D. MAGIC
E. THE DEAD
F. MARVELS
G. OGRES
H. TESTS
J. THE WISE AND THE FOOLISH
K. DECEPTIONS
L. REVERSAL OF FORTUNE
M. ORDAINING THE FUTURE
N. CHANCE AND FATE
P. SOCIETY
Q. REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS
R. CAPTIVES AND FUGITIVES
S. UNNATURAL CRUELTY
T. SEX
U. THE NATURE OF LIFE
V. RELIGION
W. TRAITS OF CHARACTER
X. HUMOR
Z. MISCELLANEOUS GROUPS OF MOTIFS