after you've worked through this page, practice here: Propp myth generator
	GENERAL RULES
		the list of mythemes below is an exhaustive list of possible elements in a tale
		not every tale contains all mythemes
		whatever mythemes it does contain, it must display them in the order they are given below
		any given text may contain multiple numbers of tales inside it.
		these multiple tales may interrupt each other and interweave, or they may be sequential.
	ROLES
		ROLE	SPHERE OF ACTION
		Villain	Villany (9), Struggle (18), pursuit (23)
		Donor	1st donor function (14), receipt of magical agent (16)
		helper	Spatial Transference(17), Liquidation(21), Rescue(24), Solution(28), Transfiguration(31)
		sought-after person	Task(27), Branding(19), Exposure(30), Recognition(29), Punishment(32), Marriage(33)
		dispatcher	Mediation (11)
		hero	all of 11-33
		false hero	Unfounded claims (26), Exposure (30)
		notes on roles
		Roles are distributed in one of three ways:
		1) they may match up with characters one-to-one
		2) any given role may be divided among different characters in the story
		3) a single character may play multiple roles
	MYTHEMES (AKA FUNCTIONS)			note: the table below has (helpful!) borders that don't appear with a Safari browser
	ORDER	MYTHEME	DESCRIPTION	EXAMPLES
	Preparatory part of the Story
	1	Initial Situation	Members of family of hero introduced.
	2	Absentation	One of the members absents himself from home.	to work, to the forest, to trade, to war. Intensified form is death (extreme absence) of parents. Sometimes members of younger generation go on a trip to visit, go out for a walk, gather berries.
	3	Interdiction	An interdiction is addressed to the hero.	command, request, order, advice, suggestion: Don't do "x" or "y" or "z." Sometimes inverted: you should do "x" or "y" or "z."
	4	Violation	An interdiction is violated.	the hero does the thing he's not supposed to / doesn't do the thing he should do
	5	Reconnaissance	The villain makes an attempt at reconnaissance.	Villain tries to find out the location of something precious (children, objects, etc.)
	6	Delivery	The villain receives information about his victim.	Villain finds out
	7	Trickery	The villain attempts to deceive the victim.	assumes disguise, impersonates someone trusted by the hero
	8	Complicity	The victim submits to deception, unwittingly helps his enemy.	victim accepts villain's gift, advice, or other form of trickery
	9	Villainy	The villain causes harm or injury to members of the family.	this creates the movement of the tale; 1-8 prepare the way for this harm, which guides all the rest of the action. Takes many forms: abduction, plunder, bodily injury, expulsion, murder, imprisonment, declaration of war, etc.
	Main part of the Story
	complication
	10	Lack	One member of a family lacks something or wants something.	something is missing that is needed. Examples: money, a bride, magical agent
	11	Mediation	Misfortune is known. Hero is dispatched.	causes hero to leave home. two types of hero: 1) seeker -- chases after kidnapped condemned person; 2) victimized hero -- the kidnapped / condemned person him- or herself.
	12	Counteraction	Seekers decide to agree on counteraction.	heroes decides to go right the wrong -- appears only with "seeker" type of hero (see item above)
	13	Departure	The hero leaves home.	different from temporary dispatch of 11 -- it is the launching off of tale. For seeker-heroes, it's the beginning of search; for victim heroes, it's a journey with various adventures awaiting. Sometimes not a spatial journey or search, but takes place in one location.
	donor cycle
	14	1st donor function	Hero is tested, in preparation to receive magical agent or helper.	donor tests or interrogates hero; or a dead person asks for a service to be performed; or a prison asks hero for freedom
	15	Hero's Reaction	Hero reacts to action of the future donor.	either positive (hero passes test) or negative (hero fails)
	16	Receipt of Magic Agent	Hero acquires the use of magical agent.	magical agent = animal, plant, object, a helper, or just a raw capacity (such as power to transform men into animals).
	combat cycle
	17	Spatial Transference	Hero is led to object of search.	transference between two kingdoms to reach object of search
	18	Struggle	Hero and villain join in direct combat.	man to man
	19	Branding	Hero is branded.	some kind of wound or mark is left on the hero's body
	20	Victory	Villain is defeated	vanquished
	21	Liquidation	Initial misfortune or lack is liquidated.	brings us back to the solution of the villainy set up in 9 -- narrative reaches its peak here
	pursuit and rescue
	22	Return	The hero returns.	return after the spacial transference (19), usually by the same means as the departure
	23	Pursuit	A chase: the hero is pursued.	a pursuer chases the hero by flying, by turning into an animal, by turning into one of various alluring objects
	24	Rescue	Rescue of hero from pursuit.	hero is carried away by flight, or by lightning fast feet, by becoming invisible, or taking another unrecognizable shape
	false hero cycle
	25	Unrecognized	The hero, unrecognized, arrives home or in another arrival country.	if he arrives at home he stays with some artisan; if arrives in another country, he arrives a court of a king in a menial role
	26	Unfounded claims	A false hero presents unfounded claims.	someone makes false statements when the hero arrives
	27	Difficult task	A difficult task is proposed to the hero.	a very common story element. Examples: ordeal by food and drink, ordeal by fire, riddle ordeal, hide and seek, kiss aprincess in a window, surmount the city gates, task of manufacture, tests of strength, skill, fortitude, endurance
	28	Solution	The task is resolved.	task might be resolved even before it has been assigned
	29	Recognition	The hero is recognized.	by a mark, brand, or a thing given to him, or by accomplishing a difficult task
	30	Exposure	The false hero or villain is exposed.	sometimes this is simply the result of the true hero's being recognized
	reward cycle
	31	Transfiguration	The hero is given a new appearance.	by the magical action of a helper, hero builds a marvelous palace, or puts on new clothes
	32	Punishment	The villain is punished.	villain is shot, banished, run out of town, etc.
	33	Wedding	The hero is married and ascends the throne.	bride and kingdom are awarded to the hero
		notes on mythemes (= functions):
		possible terminal functions 16, 21, 24, 33
	TIPS ON DOING A PROPPIAN ANALYSIS
	identify the characters and what role(s) each of them plays
	look for the harm or lack in each of the tales that make up the text
	identify the preparatory parts, which take place before the harms or lacks
	fill in the functions for each part of the story
		SOURCE: Eva M. Thury and Margaret K. Devinney, Introduction to Mythology: Contemporary Approaches to Classical and World Myths (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005)