Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

I64 — Animal tracks on the Milky Way.

66 Myths, legends and folktales

66 Unique narratives for motif I64

44 Cultures & traditions where I64 is told

1 Sub-motifs of motif I64

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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 Milky Way – traces of animals that walked or ran.

Berezkin category: Supernatural objects, objects and creatures

This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 2, Moon spots, stars, constellations.

I64 has 1 other sub-motifs

I64. The Milky Way – traces of animals that walked or ran.
I64a. Two different hoofed animals race across the sky. Usually, the Milky Way is the dusty trail they leave behind.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of I64’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny

Motif	Similarity	Motif summary
H6A	89.57%	Mortal humans are contrasted with plants, which regularly shed their bark, bloom in spring after winter dormancy, or reproduce vegetatively. See motif H4.
H34F	85.67%	Baskets or clay vessels carried heavy loads themselves.
E16	85.12%	When rowing, the character first tries to push off with the edge rather than the flat side of the oar.
I24	85.10%	A snake (or fish) forms a bridge across a river.
L39	85.07%	By force or deception, the character forces another to climb down from the tree in order to harm him.
L9D	84.67%	The character has sharp nails or knife-like hands, which he uses to kill people.
A12	83.10%	A creature or creatures regularly (sunrise and sunset, winter and summer, night and day, phases of the moon) or occasionally (eclipses, eschatological catastrophes) attack the luminaries or block their light.
G8D	81.80%	A tree (pillar, mountain) is cut down (gnawed, ground down) or prevented from being cut down in order to save the world (or the gods, the king, etc.) from danger.
D13D	81.60%	One character tries to make another character, who is hiding somewhere in the house, laugh in order to find them.
H47	81.57%	The sky (celestial deity) or Earth is offended by people's behaviour towards them and reacts accordingly.

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Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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🌐 Open as Airocean (Dymaxion) map ↗

Traditions

44 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 44 traditions: Ganda, (Ba)Nyoro, Nyankole, Masaba (Gisu), Luia (=Luyia, Haya, Luhya, Bantu Kawirondo; incl. Vugusu, Maragoli), Garo (Atchik), Kachari (Bodo, incl. Lalung), Dimasa, Tripuri, Riang (of Tripura), Khami, Riga, Mori, Gondi (mostly Northern Gondi), Tamil, Muthuvan, Marvar, Tamils, Bengali, Punjabi, Seraiki (Multani), Balahi; Lambadi (Banjaaa), Dards (Kalash, Kho, Kohistani, Shina, Pashai), Germans: North (Low- and Central German dialects): Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg, Pommern, Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony, incl East Frisia and Oldenburg), Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Thüringen, Saxony-Anhalt, Sachsen, Brandenburg, Rügen, Abaza (Abazins), Cherkassians, Adyghe, Kabardin, Abkhaz, Abkhazians, Karachays, Balkar, Ossetians, Lezgians, Archin, Kürin; Khinalug, Tabasaran, Aghul, Avar, Andi, Akhvakh, Georgians, Kazakh, Kirghiz, Turkmen, Nanai, Olcha (Ulch), Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Oto, Pawnee, Kiowa, Kutenai, Chumash, Yokuts, Yuma proper (Quechan), Mohave, Maricopa, Akawai, Locono, Guiana Kariña, Kaliña, Galibi, Wayapi, Emerillon, Siona, Secoya, Coreguaje, Napo (Quijo), Kanelo (“Jungle Kechua”), Tupinamba, Kanamari, Bolivian Guarani: Chiriguano (including assimilated Chane Arawaks), Pauserna (=Guarasu), Guarayu, Tapiete, Chacobo, Caraja, Botocudo

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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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