Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
G22 — Frog/toad and cultivated plants.
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
OverviewThe frog/toad is associated with humans acquiring cultivated plants.
Berezkin category: Fertility and Agriculture
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 6, Origin and interpretation of culture elements, in particular related to agriculture, inadequate forms of subsistence and economic activity before the establishment of the present norms.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| L78 | 99.19% | In the images, the character has the features of a jaguar and a toad; the toad/frog turns into a jaguar; the toad/frog is the mother or wife of the jaguar. |
| L39A | 99.17% | A supernatural character emerges from the underworld and attacks a man who has climbed a tree. |
| A25 | 99.06% | When coming out onto the earth (for the first time or after a global catastrophe) or witnessing the first sunrise, people should not look directly at the light. |
| J68 | 99.06% | Characters who have been chasing an animal for a long time see increasingly fresh droppings on the trail and finally catch up with their prey (usually the droppings correspond to how long they have been lying there); or the pursuers see areas where less time has passed since sowing. |
| A1A | 98.78% | Before the sun appeared, the world was lit by a large bird with bright colours (a parrot or toucan). |
| A26 | 98.78% | The bird embodies the sun, daylight; it can be caught, released, killed. |
| B25 | 98.78% | Characters who climb trees or vines and then fall turn into wild pigs or other game animals. |
| B75D | 98.78% | The sound of leaves or grass rustling in the wind has been heard since the time of creation. |
| F29A | 98.78% | To kill a woman's lover, who has the appearance of a worm or snake and crawls into her vagina from under the ground, boiling water, resin or hot coals are poured on him. |
| J12C | 98.78% | A girl meets her fiancé at a dance and then follows in his footsteps. See motif J12. |
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
8 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 8 traditions: Yana, Makiritare (Yecuana), Wapishana (incl Ataroi); Mapidian; Taruma, Mai Huna (Coto, Orejon), Witoto, Ocaina, Tacana, Mehinaku, Waura, Yaulapiti, Caraja
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How to cite: Fielder-White, J. (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
0009-0006-1672-4451
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