Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

F83 — News precedes the hero.

50 Myths, legends and folktales
50 Unique narratives for motif F83
28 Cultures & traditions where F83 is told
2 Sub-motifs of motif F83
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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

Overview

The character does something forbidden and indecent in a place hidden from prying eyes, and then asks people what's new. They reply that there is no news – except that so-and-so (the character) did such-and-such.

Berezkin category: Gender and sex

This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 11, Tricks and competitions won thanks to deception, absurd and obscene behavior.

F83 has 2 other sub-motifs

Related

F83.  The character does something forbidden and indecent in a place hidden from prying eyes, and then asks people what's new. They reply that there is no news – except that so-and-so (the character) did such-and-such.
F83a.  One character asks the children of another to convey an insult to their mother or father – usually announcing his intention to make love to their mother. {ATU data is included in the correlation table, but not in the text}.
F83b.  A strong female animal chases a weak male, but gets stuck between trees, rocks, etc. The fugitive mocks his pursuer, usually raping her. {In ATU, motifs f83a and f83b are described as one plot type, ATU 36. The degree of their plot connection can only be determined by having the original texts}.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of F83’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny
MotifSimilarityMotif summary
A4296.18%The character comes to the Sun, tries to fulfil its role, but deliberately or through incompetence breaks the rules, usually causing disasters on earth.
F6394.07%A male trickster transforms into a woman and gets married. In the end, he is exposed or runs away from his husband.
M8493.50%A person, animal, fish, or (rarely) a large fruit is killed and eaten. After a meal, what is eaten revives, usually after the bones (seeds) are put together. Cf. motive C16.
B42P93.42%The Big Dipper is identified with a bear.
C1693.32%Contrary to human desire, processed skins, tools, and (meat) food (again) turn into (those) animals (from whose body parts they were made). Cf. motif M84.
K27Z92.59%A character gains power over another by winning a game of chance or an intellectual game (not a sporting competition). The motif includes all texts with motif K27z4.
K2191.62%A girl ends up in the sky and gets married there.
I64A90.31%Two different hoofed animals race across the sky. Usually, the Milky Way is the dusty trail they leave behind.
M8190.10%Wandering, the hero finds himself in a place where blind or blind (two or more) live.
K2390.09%Birds attack inhabitants of another world or a person who has entered another world. See motif K22.

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Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

28 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 28 traditions: Finns, Western Ukrainians, Azeris (Azerbaijanis), Kazakh, Mari (Cheremis), Chuvash, Komi (Zyrians and Permyaks), Khakas, Chukchi, Kwakiutl (Kwakwaka'wakw), Western Ojibwa (Chippewa), Eastern Ojibwa (Missisauga, Timagami and other groups in eastern Ontario), Northern Ojibwa (=Severn Ojibwa, Sandy Lake Cree), Montagnais, Iowa, Plains Cree, Plains Ojibwa, Hidatsa, Shuswap, Lower Chehalis, Upper Chehalis, (Lower) Cowlitz, Tillamook, Kalapuya, Oregon Athabaskans: Lower Umpqua, Tututni (incl Joshua), Upper Coquille, Galice, Tolowa, Coos, Upper Chinook: Wasco, Wishram, Clackamas, Kathlamet, Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Russian Federation

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