Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
H36G1 — The bull distorts the message.
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
OverviewWhen a bull (ox, cow) is ordered to convey certain instructions to people, he confuses them or deliberately distorts them.
Berezkin category: Paradise Lost
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 4, Origin of death, diseases and hard life.
H36 has 17 other sub-motifs
RelatedH36. A character is sent to deliver instructions or certain items. The messenger distorts the message, brings the wrong items, loses what he is carrying, delays (and is overtaken by another messenger). This has important consequences for him and for the future lives of the people.
H36a. The character distorts the message conveyed to him, deliberately lies, brings the wrong thing, loses what he is carrying, delays (and is overtaken by another messenger). As a result, people become mortal (they do not revive after death).
H36aa. The messenger must tell people what they should do if they want to avoid death, but he distorts the instructions and people become mortal. In Mesoamerican variants, it is not about people in general, but about a specific character.
H36b. The chameleon is to blame for the fact that man is mortal or that he must labour; he loses the trust placed in him by the deity. See motif H36.
H36c. The lizard is to blame for the fact that man is mortal. See motif H36.
H36d. The hare distorts God's command and/or is responsible for the fact that humans are mortal. See motif H36.
H36e. The rat is to blame for the fact that man is mortal.
H36f. The raven is sent to deliver an important item or message. He distorts the message or loses what has been entrusted to him.
H36ff. The raven (crow) or other large bird of prey tries to kill people and/or is responsible for the fact that humans (tigres: domestic animals) are mortal or susceptible to disease.
H36g. God sends a messenger to the people to tell them to eat infrequently (once a day, once every three days, etc.). The messenger says that one should eat often â at least two or three times a day.
H36g1. When a bull (ox, cow) is ordered to convey certain instructions to people, he confuses them or deliberately distorts them.
H36g2. When a character, who later became a dung beetle, was ordered to convey certain instructions to people, he distorted them.
H36gg. The coyote is to blame for the fact that humans are mortal.
H36h. Creatures, including a frog or toad, must cross an obstacle. This does not go as planned and results in humans becoming mortal.
H36hh. The frog or toad is to blame for the fact that humans are mortal.
H36i. The goat or sheep is to blame for the fact that man is mortal. See motif H36.
H36j. The lark is to blame for the fact that man is mortal.
h36k. Trees try to prevent humans from appearing on earth, fearing that they will cut them down.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| M167 | 99.63% | In the dark, a person mistakes a tiger (lion, demon) for another person or a domestic animal (bull, ox). |
| A2B1 | 99.59% | Two or more suns shine in the sky. When the extra ones are destroyed, there is a danger that the last one will be destroyed along with them and darkness will ensue. |
| M167A | 99.51% | A strong predator mistakes an unfamiliar word for the name of a creature that is stronger than him and flees. |
| K136D | 99.46% | A young man receives two flutes (pipes, horns) from a cow (buffalo), which produce different effects when played (joy and sorrow, prosperity and a call for help, etc.). |
| K73A3 | 99.46% | The midwife's ill-wishers replace the baby with a statue or doll (telling the father that his wife has given birth to a doll). |
| M21B | 99.46% | The character consistently harms others in such a way that each person who has been deceived is used as a tool to harm the next. |
| M106D | 99.32% | By saying that his name is "Son-in-law" ("Husband," "Uncle," etc.), the character deceives others. The victims find no sympathy, since as a relative he has the right to behave in this manner. |
| A8 | 99.18% | The sun, moon and stars â three brothers or three sisters. |
| B119 | 99.18% | A woman of non-human nature agrees to live with a man, but leaves him upon learning of his real or imagined infidelity. |
| B121 | 99.18% | A small bird carries pebbles and sticks, trying to fill the sea. |
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
10 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 10 traditions: Malagasy, Bondo, Didayi (Gata'), Gutob (=Gadaba; cf Dravidian-speaking Gadaba), Sora (Savara, Saora), Parenga, Khasi, Kuki, Chiru, Falam (Hallam), Chin (Meitei =Manipuri, Khami, =Kumi), Lakher, Mizo (Lushei), Anal, Pawi (Lai), Purum, Koireng, Milhiem, Kolhen, Mru, Telugu (incl. Yanadi, Chenchu), Gujarati, Mongols (Khalkha), Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang Chinese; Manchuria Chinese (data not specified on particular provinces), China
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