Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

J4 — Revenge for the death of male relatives.

483 Myths, legends and folktales

478 Unique narratives for motif J4

196 Cultures & traditions where J4 is told

3 Sub-motifs of motif J4

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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 heroes avenge the death (enslavement) of their father, uncle, grandfather, or mother and father, or in general their descendants, with the loss of men being the most painful.

Berezkin category: Avenger heroes: The amerinday cycle

This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 10, Adventures.

J4 has 3 other sub-motifs

J4.  The heroes avenge the death (enslavement) of their father, uncle, grandfather, or mother and father, or in general their descendants, with the loss of men being the most painful.
J4a.  A woman is killed. Her son or sons (rarely: grandsons, nephews) avenge her.
j4b.  The children (son, sons, son and daughter) of the murdered person take revenge on characters who are related to the victim by marriage or close kinship.
j4c.  An egg remains from the deceased water character. The young hero who emerges from it avenges his father.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of J4’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny

Motif	Similarity	Motif summary
L70	94.39%	The character is killed or maimed by an object dropped from above, the fall of which he expects, but has a false idea of its nature or weight (fruit, piece of bark, turtle, log, etc.).
L34	93.17%	The character kills or maims the enemy by setting fire to their clothes, mask, headdress, hair, or an object behind their back.
M11	92.39%	The character gives others food extracted from his or someone else's body or contaminated with bodily secretions, without revealing the source of the food.
F9	92.29%	For various reasons, sexual intercourse with a woman is deadly dangerous for a man, or so it seems to him: Teeth, blades or sharp stones in the vagina or on the inside of the thighs; the vagina is a toothy mouth. See motif F9A.
D4A	92.15%	Fire is stolen from its original owner, returned to people by the thief, or (the motif of theft is not expressed) brought with difficulty from a distant place.
I82A	92.12%	The Morning and/or Evening Star – a male character.
A5	92.02%	The Moon is male, the Sun is also male or (rarely) has no gender.
H34B	91.79%	Somewhere there is or was a river that flowed or, according to the plan, was supposed to flow in two directions at once.
H18	91.34%	Hunted animals were concentrated in one place. A certain character creates them there or allows them to scatter.
M8A	90.72%	Animals, and more often birds, find it difficult to break through a rock from the outside or inside, make a hole in the tree, in the body of an absorber creature, tear fetters, etc., to help a character or get out of the confined space by yourself. The list <b><i>includes</i></b> groups whose texts deal with the exit of the first ancestors to earth from a confined space.

See the 100 most similar distributions →

Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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🌐 Open as Airocean (Dymaxion) map ↗

Traditions

196 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 196 traditions: Ancient Egypt, Egyptian, Mehri; Harsusi, Jibbali (Shahri, Shauri), Arabs of Iraq, Iraqi, Malagasy, Shilluk, Anuak, Mongo (Mongo-Nkundu), Nkundu, Ngelima, Ngombe, (Ba)Tetela), Pende, Wu(Kusu), (Ba)Mbala (incl Saie, Kwilu), Maka (Makaa), Baya, Kaka, Melanesians of southeastern New Guinea: Mekeo, Motu, Sinagoro, Koita (Koitapu), Mukawa (Are), Wagawaga, Taupota, Awaiama, Gelaria, Goodenough Bay, Bartle Bay, Wedau (Wamira village), Maori, Moriori (Chatam Islands), Society Islands: Tahiti, Borabora, Raiatea, Tuamotu, incl Pukapuka (different from Pukapuka in Cook Islands), Vahitahi, Anaa, Hao, Fangatau, Tuvalu (Ellice), Ulithi, Ngulu, Northern Luzon: Apayao, Bontoc, Nabaloi (Ibaloi), Ifugao, Igorot (highland people, not specified), Ilocan, Ilongot, Isneg, Kalinga, Kankanay, Tingian (Tinggian, Bilongan Itneg); Ibanag, Kasiguran Agta, Keley-i Kallahan, Southern Taiwan: Rukai, Paiwan, Puyuma, Saaroa, Ketangalan, Santali, Turi, Mahli, Oraon (Kurukh), Marathi (incl. Bhamta; incl. Mumbai area), Hindi-speaking peoples and casts (incl. Teli, Parahiya; incl. Chhattisgarhi) of Northern and West-Central India, Sinhalese; Vedda, Koreans, Basques, France, Ancient Greece, Finns, Vepsians, Scandinavians: early written sources ("Edda"; Saxo Grammaticus etc.); Gothland picture stones; Ancient Germans (Late Bronze Age in Scandinavia), Cherkassians, Adyghe, Kabardin, Karachays, Balkar, Ossetians, Ingush, Tabasaran, Aghul, Nogai, Svans, Mingrelians (Megrelians), Laz, Kalmyk, Bashkirs, Mansi, Eastern Khanty (Ostyaks), Tundra Nenets, Buryats: Western (cis Baikal), Mongols (Khalkha), Daur (Daghur), Tuvinians of Tuva, Tuvans, Khakas, Southern Altai: Altai proper (Altai-Kiji), Telengit, Altaians, Northern Altai: Chelkan, Kumanda, Tubalar, Altaians, Nenets, Nganasans, Southern Selkups, Northern Selkups, Kets, Dolgans, Tungus (Evenki): Baikal region, Evenks, Tungus (Evenki) of China (Solon, Birar, Oroqen, Manegir), Evenks, Tungus (Evenki): Russian Far East, Evenks, Udeghe, Nanai, Olcha (Ulch), Negidal, Forest (Upper Kolyma) Yukaghir, Chukchi, Aleuts, Central Yupik, Inland Tlingit, Bering Strait Inupiat (incl. King Island), North Alaskan Inupiat, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Kwakiutl (Kwakwaka'wakw), Bella Coola (Nuxalk), Malecite, Passamaquoddy, Western Ojibwa (Chippewa), Eastern Ojibwa (Missisauga, Timagami and other groups in eastern Ontario), Algonquin, unspecified Algonkians of the Midwest (probably Old Algonquin), Northern Ojibwa (=Severn Ojibwa, Sandy Lake Cree), Western Woods Cree, Western Swampy Cree (incl. Rock Cree), Eastern Cree, Montagnais, Menominee, Sauk (Sak, Mesquakie), Fox, Kickapoo, Five Nations Iroquois (Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga), Tuscarora, Winnebago, Sarsee (Tsuu T'ina), Yuchi, Teton (incl Oglala), Iowa, Wichita; Spiro Mound iconography, Plains Ojibwa, Carrier, Shuswap, Thompson (Nlaka'pamux), Lillooet, Lkungen (Straits; including Samish, Songish, Sooke, Lummi), Klallam, Comox, Pentlatch, Lower Chehalis, Upper Chehalis, (Lower) Cowlitz, Nez Perce, Quileute, Chemakum (Hoh), Quinault, Tillamook, Kalapuya, Takelma, Coos, Alcea, Coeur D'Alene, Kalispel (Pend d'Oreille; incl Spokane), Flathead, Kutenai, Lower Chinook (Chinook proper), Shasta; Chimariko, Yuki (Yuki proper, Coastal Yuki, Huchnob), Wappo, Sierra Miwok, Achomavi, Chumash, Yokuts, Owens Valley Paiute, Northern Paiute (=Paviotso), Northern Shoshone, Western Shoshone, Gosiute, Eastern Shoshone, Upland Yuma: Walapai, Havasupai, Yavapai, Ute, Southern Paiute, Chemehuevi, Serrano, Western Apache (White Mountain, San Carlos), Tewa (San Juan, Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Tesuque, Nambe; Hano), Tiwa (Taos, Picuris; Sandia, Isleta), Towa (Jemez), Diegueño: Ipai, Tipai, Kamia (Kumeai), Kiliwa, Yuma proper (Quechan), Mohave, Maricopa, Pima, Papago, Huichol, Tepecano, tarasques, Popoloca; Tlapanec, Pame, Jonaz (Chichimeca-Jonaz), Mazahua, Otomi, Quiche, Achí, Cakchiquel, Pocomchi, Pocomam, Tepehua, Totonac, Gulf Nahuatl, Chontal, Chol; pre-Columbian Mayan iconography outside of Yucatan, Chorti, Choco: Embera, Nonama (Waunana), XVI century Dabaiba, pre-Columbian iconography of Sinu, Chimila (Ette), Yanomamo (Yanoama): Yanomam, Yanomami, Siona, Secoya, Coreguaje, Mai Huna (Coto, Orejon), Chayahuita , Karijona, Barasana, Taibano, Macuna, Desana, Siriano; Tatuyo, Bara, Tuyuca, Wanana, Tucano proper, Pira-Tapuya, Arapaso, Letuama, Tanimuca, Ufaina, Yahuna, Cubeo, Kabiyari, Yukuna (Yucuna), Baniwa (incl. Wakuenai), Bare, Piapoco, Curripaco, Siusi, Guarikena , Tariana, Andoque, Witoto, Ocaina, Yagua, Ticuna (Tucuna), Maue (Mawe), Cashibo, Tacana, Moseten, Chimane, Suruí, Gaviâo, Zoro, Arua, Cinta Larga, Kamayura, Trumai, Rikbaktsa, Iranxe, Nambikwara, Paresi, Caraja, Sherente, Makka, Mocovi; Kechua of Santiago del Estero with probable Guaikuruan substratum; Abipon, Chamacoco (Ishir), Mataco, Nivakle (=Chulupi, Ashluslay, Ajlujlay), Chorote, Guarani of Paraguay and Brazil: Caygua, Mbia, Apapocuva, Nyandewa, Chiripa, Yamana (Yaghan), Alacaluf, Central Tibetans (Yu Tsang, incl. Sikkim Tibetans, Tichurong of NW Nepal), Upper Chinook: Wasco, Wishram, Clackamas, Kathlamet, Mustang, Northern Khanty (Ostyaks), Salars, Southern Altai: Teleut, Faroe Islands, Egypt, China

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