Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
E39A — A female animal conceives from human urine.
Source data for narratives and traditions is drawn from Berezkin’s Analytical Catalogue. If you use this data, please acknowledge and link to it: Ю.Е. Березкин, Е.Н. Дувакин. Тематическая классификация и распределение фольклорно-мифологических мотивов по ареалам. Аналитический каталог.
Summary of motif
OverviewAn animal (snake, pig) conceives from a man's urine and gives birth to a human child (or twins).
Berezkin category: The origins of people and culture
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 5, Origin of human beings, ethnic groups, etiology of human anatomy, strange body configuration, ways of behavior, marriages before the establishment of the present norms.
E39 has 1 other sub-motifs
RelatedE39. The child of a pig or boar is a woman or man â the ancestor of a certain group of people.
E39a. An animal (snake, pig) conceives from a man's urine and gives birth to a human child (or twins).
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| A21A | 100.00% | The moon is an object that was accidentally released by its owners or stolen from them and ended up in the sky. |
| B118 | 100.00% | A character who was unable to reach the sky or returned from the sky to earth becomes an owl. |
| B74B | 100.00% | The owl is forced to part with the moon and now cries out when it sees the moon. Usually, the story tells how the marriage of the owl and the moon fell apart or did not take place. |
| F43C | 100.00% | The husbands of the first women, Amazons or single women are small animals - usually flying foxes. |
| K32F | 100.00% | A woman or girl raises a bird of prey chick, which brings her food and fire. This usually happens after an evil spirit leaves the girl or young woman in a tree or on an island. |
| K37D | 100.00% | The character recognises the presence of another by noticing traces of their teeth or nails on fruit or leaves. |
| L132 | 100.00% | When one member of a small (family) group, left alone, secretly eats food, this leads to serious conflict, often resulting in the murder of the guilty party. |
| L133 | 100.00% | The character keeps his limbs separately, connecting them to his body when necessary. |
| M5A | 100.00% | Small animal characters sail in the boat, it sinks, everyone escapes as best they can. |
| M5B | 100.00% | rat drowns, has difficulty getting to the shore (usually an aquatic animal takes it), and mocks other animals (usually its savior). |
See the 100 most similar distributions →
Map of motif dispersal
DistributionDrag the map to pan, use the scroll wheel to zoom — choose a texture or projection below
Traditions
4 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 4 traditions: Melanesians of the northern coast New Guinea, nearest off-shore islands and Huon Gulf (Morobe district): Watut, Bilbil (Bilibili), Jabim (incl Kai), Tami, Bukawac, Wogeo, Tumleo, Yakamul, Manam, Sissano, Sio, Bali, Lombok, Malay; Temuan (incl Mantra or Mentra), Jakun (Moken), Gondi (mostly Northern Gondi)
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How to cite: Fielder-White, J. (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
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