Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
G24A — Seeds hidden on the body.
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 character steals cultivated plants for people, hiding the seeds on/in his own body.
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.
G24 has 1 other sub-motifs
RelatedG24. The first seeds (shoots, tubers) of cultivated or important wild food plants and/or agronomic knowledge were brought from the sky (received from the gods).
G24a. The character steals cultivated plants for people, hiding the seeds on/in his own body.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| M29O1 | 93.91% | As a result of its stupidity or antisocial behavior, the monkey dies or suffers damage. See the motives in square brackets. |
| K47D | 93.35% | A girl gives herself to a dog because it fulfils the condition of marriage set by her or her father for her future husband. See motif K47A. |
| I81A1 | 93.09% | The struggle between the crab and the snake (eel) determines the features of the relief of a particular area or has cosmic proportions. |
| F86A | 92.83% | The character cares for a fish, crab or other creature. Others watch the character, kill and eat his pet, or try to do so. |
| L85B | 92.53% | A pregnant woman curses the Sun, Rain or another powerful character. Because of this, the child is born physically disabled. He possesses magical powers and usually acquires a normal body. |
| C8 | 92.51% | At the beginning of time or as a result of a catastrophe, the only human couple is a brother and sister (less often a mother and son, father and daughters). They marry and give birth to people. |
| E40 | 92.45% | The first humans had nostrils facing upwards, into which rain poured. |
| M3 | 92.25% | The character crosses a water or air barrier on the backs of chained animals, birds, or fish. |
| I81A | 91.73% | The giant crab causes earthquakes or floods, closes or can close the water outlet. |
| F45A | 91.56% | A woman or female animal conceives by deliberately exposing her genitals to the wind. |
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
12 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 12 traditions: Ceram: Alune and Wemale (West Ceram), Patasiwa (Ceram), Honitetu (West Ceram Highlands); Nusawele, Hatuolu, Huaolu, Patasiwa; Ambon; Buru, Toraja (Toradja), To Mori, Baree (=Eastern Toraja), Minahasa (incl. Tondano, Tentemboan), Bantik, Southern Taiwan: Rukai, Paiwan, Puyuma, Saaroa, Ketangalan, Viet, Muong, Rawang, Dulong; Anong, Drung, Sinhalese; Vedda, Ainu, Choco: Embera, Nonama (Waunana), XVI century Dabaiba, pre-Columbian iconography of Sinu, Makiritare (Yecuana), Moseten, Chimane, Yabuti, Amniapä, Kumana, Wari (Aikana), More (Itene)
If you wish to get access to data for projects and research, then please contact us, we do our best to help
How to cite: Fielder-White, J. (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
0009-0006-1672-4451
Where applicable, users should also cite the relevant original sources, catalogues, and classification systems, including Berezkin, ATU, Thompson, and other cited authorities, alongside the page accessed and the last time accessed.
Editorial annotations and database enhancements © Jonathan Fielder-White licensed under CC BY 4.0. Berezkin-derived narrative and metadata licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Full rights information can be found here.
All rights are reserved in the database structure, selection, arrangement, metadata, classifications, software, interface design, and original editorial content.
Important: The Folklore Database expressly reserves all rights in relation to text and data mining, automated extraction, scraping, machine learning, dataset creation, and the training, development, validation, or improvement of artificial intelligence technologies or systems. No part of this website or database may be scraped, copied, reproduced, harvested, downloaded in bulk, or otherwise used for AI training or commercial data extraction without prior written permission.
Designed and Developed by Jon Fielder-White.
© 2024–2026 Crecganford / Jonathan Fielder-White. All rights reserved.