Folklore Database · Browse
Berezkin/Duvakin Catalogue of Motifs
English translation, enhancements and additional metadata by Jonathan Fielder-White
Source: Berezkin and Duvakin's Analytical Catalogue · Original catalogue (Russian)
About the catalogue and its sources
Unless otherwise stated, narrative and tradition data comes from Berezkin and Duvakin's Thematic classification and distribution of folklore and mythological motifs by area (Analytical catalogue).
Original Berezkin/Duvakin catalogue (Russian)
The English translation uses AI assistance alongside manual verification. Errors may occur; consult the original source when in doubt.
All motif categories
| Ref | Title ▲ | Summary | Traditions | Narratives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B42k In B42 family | Cosmic hunting – Pleiades. | In stories about cosmic hunting, the object of pursuit or the hunters are identified with the Pleiades. See motif B42. | 36 | 37 |
| B42 | Cosmic hunting, F59.2. | Hunters, their dogs, fleeing or killed animals are visible in the sky in the form of stars and constellations. | 153 | 299 |
| I43a In I43 family | Cosmic serpent. | A giant reptile, serpent, fish, or chain of fish stretches across the earth and/or supports the sky. Usually associated with the Milky Way, sometimes with a rainbow. | 37 | 78 |
| I11 | Cosmic turtle/toad. | The turtle (toad, frog) serves as a support (embodiment) of the earth (sky), or the supports of the sky are made from its body. | 68 | 108 |
| M3a In M3 family | Count the inhabitants of the waters | The character invites aquatic creatures to count them, and to do this, form a chain; crosses it to the other side or climbs to land. See M3 motif. | 33 | 51 |
| M155 | Covered nakedness of the father. | The father or mother (pretends to) fall asleep naked. One of the children covers him or her, which is a sign of respect. | 8 | 8 |
| A35b In A35 family | Covering the moon with resin. | The character tries to cover the moon with resin (so that it shines less brightly). | 11 | 14 |
| B49b In B49 family | Cow teats. | In the past, cows had more teats on their udders than they do now. | 5 | 6 |
| K71 | Coyote betrays and saves his brother. | The coyote's brother successfully defends himself against enemies until the coyote breaks a certain taboo. The enemies kill the brother; the coyote comes to the enemy camp, retrieves his brother's remains and either flees from the enemies or kills them. The brother comes back to life. | 13 | 23 |
| D4e In D4 family | Coyote or fox obtains fire. | The thief or giver of fire, light or sun is a coyote or fox (indicated in square brackets). See motif 4A. | 43 | 48 |
| I81a1 In I81 family | Crab and snake. | The struggle between the crab and the snake (eel) determines the features of the relief of a particular area or has cosmic proportions. | 5 | 6 |
| I35c In I35 family | Craftsman god. | One of the mythological characters who, using his craft skills, first makes (usually forges) tools and natural objects; he is the patron of craftsmen (usually blacksmiths). | 36 | 62 |
| M162b In M162 family | Cranberry juice in the bear's eyes. | The character pretends to rub sour berry juice into his eyes. Another (always a bear) wants the same thing, goes blind, and the character kills him. | 6 | 7 |
| K22 | Cranes and pygmies, F535.5.1. | The inhabitants of a distant land, who differ from (ordinary) people, occasionally fight off enemies of a non-human nature who attack them. | 58 | 97 |
| B43a In B43 family | Created from many objects. | The character is created from many materials or objects, or from materials brought from different places. | 32 | 22 |
| E4 | Creation from mud on the skin, A1263.3. | From mud on the skin (rarely: from under the fingernails), the character creates the earth, people or other creatures. | 36 | 62 |
| E31a In E31 family | Creators and saviours of girls, ATU 653, 653A, 653B. | Several men (women) participate in the rescue, creation or revival of a girl (man), or mourn her (his) death. The question arises as to whom the revived person should belong to or who contributed more to the revival. Alternatively, three men create something valuable, each contributing their part. The question arises as to whose contribution is more important. | 133 | 175 |
| H28 | Creature turns into reptiles, A2034. | A creature that has been killed and destroyed (often burned) (usually a cannibal, a ferocious animal, or a powerful shaman) turns into stinging insects or other harmful, unpleasant, or dangerous creatures. | 157 | 286 |
| L19a In L19 family | Creature with an even number of heads. | Creatures (any except ornithomorphs) with an even number (but not more than ten) of heads at one end of the body are described or depicted, except when such creatures are mentioned among others and the series ends with an odd number or a number greater than ten. | 105 | 147 |
| L19b In L19 family | Creature with an odd number of heads. | Creatures (any, except ornithomorphic ones) with more than 10 heads or an odd (but more than one) number of heads are described or depicted (in the case of listing creatures in order of increasing number of heads, the series ends with an odd number). | 197 | 325 |
| B53 | Creatures and objects made from severed genitals. | The character's enormous genitals are cut off (usually cut into pieces), thrown away, and transformed into snakes or other creatures or objects. | 22 | 23 |
| I14 | Creatures without an anus, F529.2. | Creatures without an anal opening are described. | 101 | 145 |
| I15 | Creatures without mouths. | Creatures without mouths. Usually, their mouths are cut open later. | 44 | 50 |
| D6a In D6 family | Crocodile and fire. | The crocodile/caiman is the temporary or original owner of fire or lightning. | 19 | 40 |
| B56A In B56 family | Crocodile without a tongue. | The reptile's tongue is cut off or mutilated (no association with fire). See motif B56. | 24 | 33 |
| M114f In M114 family | Crooked pipe. | The girl has a minor physical defect. Man: The house is nice, but the pipe is crooked. Girl: But the smoke comes out well. | 6 | 7 |
| A15 | Crossing paths. | An eclipse or the appearance of spots on the lunar disc is explained by the fact that the moon or sun turns onto the wrong path or the paths of the luminaries intersect. See motif A14. | 16 | 20 |
| A27 | Crowns of the sun and moon. | The light and/or heat of the sun and/or moon is contained in their crowns, necklaces or clothing (made of feathers or animal teeth). | 48 | 57 |
| M53a In M53 family | Crows and seals | raven gathers seals or other marine mammals around and deceives them into killing them. | 6 | 6 |
| H54c In H54 family | Crucified eyelids. | The character's eyelids are crucified so that he cannot close them, or he does so himself on the advice of another. | 5 | 7 |
| M39g In M39 family | Crying for an unborn child, ATU 1450 | The girl weeps, imagining the dangers that threaten her future child; remembering an incident that could end badly; jealous of the fiancé she does not have; distracted from urgent matters, considering the name of the future child instead of meeting the groom. | 58 | 60 |
| G12b In G12 family | Cultivated plants – a gift from the stars. | Cultivated plants – a gift from a male star or female star. | 15 | 27 |
| L106a In L106 family | Cut belly. | The antagonist makes formally justified but essentially unfair demands on the hero. The hero either fulfils them or is punished by the antagonist. Then the antagonist takes an object or animal belonging to the hero, but cannot return it and is punished equally or more severely. | 24 | 28 |
| L110a In L110 family | Cut ear. | A character swallows a person or (usually) many people and animals, the hero kills the monster, and while cutting it open, accidentally wounds one of those who were swallowed. Usually, the wounded person is offended and when those who were swallowed come out, they harm or destroy the hero. | 5 | 8 |
| M162a In M162 family | Cuts off his genitals. | The character pretends to eat his own genitals. Another believes him and castrates himself. | 13 | 8 |
| M136b In M136 family | Cuts the branch he is sitting on, ATU 1240. | A man cuts the branch he is sitting on and similar variants (cuts the rope he climbed up on; climbs onto a dry branch that breaks; climbs onto a tree that has been cut down in order to fell it). | 33 | 33 |
| L9 | Cutting and stabbing body parts. | The character's body parts resemble cutting or stabbing weapons. | 123 | 164 |
| L124a In L124 family | Cutting belt. | The belt (wire, intestine, strip of leather, etc.) cuts or burns whatever it is applied to (a tree or a person). | 13 | 18 |
| G8e In G8 family | Cutting down a tree on the moon. | A character unsuccessfully cuts down a tree growing on the moon. | 6 | 9 |
| G8a In G8 family | Cutting down a tree to make a boat. | A man cuts down a tree to make a boat or something else from the trunk (Yap: a board for building a house; one of the texts from Ulithi: a wooden bird), goes away to rest, and upon returning finds the tree intact again. Usually, the character who restored the tree in the man's absence then cuts down the tree himself and makes what the hero needs. | 21 | 32 |
| B59 | Dancers turn into the Pleiades, A773. | A group of people (usually children, brothers or sisters) play, dance, rise to the sky and turn into the Pleiades or another small constellation. | 15 | 20 |
| K117c In K117 family | Dancing against their will, ATU 592. | When a character plays a pipe (violin, horn, etc.), people and animals begin to dance against their will. | 59 | 60 |
| K27r2 In K27 family | Dancing apples. | Task: bring objects (fruit, wood, water, etc.) that perform actions characteristic of humans (sing, dance, yawn, laugh, etc.). | 37 | 61 |
| L127 | Dancing ears. | Having entered another world, the character sees dancing body parts and other strange creatures. He must not be surprised, laugh, or mention God. | 6 | 6 |
| B71 | Dancing flashes. | The northern lights are people who play, dance, sit by the fire, fight or run with torches. | 43 | 50 |
| K24b In K24 family | Dancing in magical clothes. | A magical wife deceives her naive mother-in-law into giving her wonderful clothes or some other item that enables her to leave the human world. | 31 | 37 |
| F9e1 In F9 family | Dangerous animal in the vagina. | A woman's womb is dangerous because it contains a toothy or stinging animal (not just its mouth) or many such creatures. | 56 | 81 |
| L43 | Dangerous characters devour refuse. | Characters dangerous to the hero (demons, robbers, merchants) mistake excrement, insects, snakes and other disgusting things (not intended for food) for something pleasant (edible). | 49 | 54 |
| M1 | Dangerous crossing. | The character crosses a body of water on the back of a monster or animal that agrees to be a carrier but may or intends to drown or eat its passenger. | 65 | 126 |
| M55 | Dangerous overnight stay | A human or weaker animal character takes a stronger character to sleep in a supposedly dangerous place where hot coals, sticks, etc. can fall on those lying at night; when A strong character falls asleep, his companion burns or hits him, pretending that both of them have suffered equally. | 5 | 12 |
Tradition and narrative counts are the stored catalogue totals for each entry.