Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
I35B — Copper sky.
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 sky is considered to be metallic. The process of its creation resembles metal forging.
Berezkin category: Supernatural objects, objects and creatures
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 3, Cosmogony, the earth and the sky, etiology of the elements, natural and biological phenomena (fire, water, soil, thunderstorms, dream, etc.), cataclysms and cosmic threats, spirits of nature.
I35 has 7 other sub-motifs
RelatedI35. Thunder is produced by a (tanned) animal skin or (rarely) a person being dragged, or clothing being dragged behind or shaken out.
I35a. Thunder is produced by an old woman in the sky.
I35a1. The character claims the role of the thunder god and imitates him.
I35a1a. The character considers himself equal to the deity, imitating him, mocking him or trying to kill him.
I35a2. Thunder is heard when stones or large vessels are rolled, dragged or overturned in the sky.
I35b. The sky is considered to be metallic. The process of its creation resembles metal forging.
I35b1. The sky is made of ice.
I35c. One of the mythological characters who, using his craft skills, first makes (usually forges) tools and natural objects; he is the patron of craftsmen (usually blacksmiths).
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| N10B | 98.92% | A girl or (rarely) a young man with a transparent neck is described, through which you can see the drinks and/or food that this girl or boy swallows. This neck is a sign of beauty. |
| M91C3 | 98.74% | A person releases an animal or a bird - supposedly with his wife instructing his wife to cook food, etc. Another does not understand deception and buys an animal. |
| K83A | 98.23% | To fulfil the task, the character's sons must travel to a place where he has never been (or once was). |
| B46A1 | 98.20% | The stars of the Big Dipper – thieves or robbers. |
| M146 | 98.09% | Knowing that the meat is in a trap or poisoned, or that there is a trap ahead, a zoomorphic character provokes another to try the meat first or to go ahead. |
| M29Z | 98.07% | hero of the story is a character named “Beardless” or Aldar-Kose (Aldar is a “deceiver”, a braid is “beardless”). |
| K102B | 98.07% | In order to destroy the hero (heroine), the antagonist must first get rid of his beloved animal (usually a horse). When the animal is about to be slaughtered, the hero (heroine) mounts it, rides away and escapes. |
| L96C | 97.96% | A young man is learning magic. In order for the sorcerer to let him go, he must pretend that he is incapable of learning. |
| I89 | 97.88% | There is a star that brings death and misfortune; it is usually told how people mistake a star or constellation rising at night for the Morning Star, set off on a journey and lose their way. |
| N24 | 97.79% | You can see a light that resembles a second moon or a second sun. It comes from a pretty girl. |
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
21 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 21 traditions: Ancient Egypt, Egyptian, Old and New Testament, Dusun, Murut, Kelabit, Tombonuwo, Bajau, Tidong, Konds (Khonds; language is Kui, incl Kuttia, Konda-Dora), Koya; Pengo, Ancient Greece, Finns, Karelians, Scandinavians: early written sources ("Edda"; Saxo Grammaticus etc.); Gothland picture stones; Ancient Germans (Late Bronze Age in Scandinavia), Iranian literary tradition (including Avesta, Pahlevi scripts, Sah-nameh, Marzban-nameh); Zoroastrians of Iran, Indian Parsees, Zoroastrianism, Ossetians, Ingush, Tabasaran, Aghul, Tats, Georgians, Kazan (Middle Volga) Tatars, Komi (Zyrians and Permyaks), Tuvinians of Tuva, Tuvans, Khakas, Dolgans, Chechens, Southern Altai: Teleut
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.