Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

K16 — The bird becomes a young man.

83 Myths, legends and folktales

83 Unique narratives for motif K16

58 Cultures & traditions where K16 is told

1 Sub-motifs of motif K16

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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

Taking the form of a bird, bat, insect, small animal, or fish, the man enters the young woman's home (her father's house).

Berezkin category: Adventures: Acts of heroes

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

K16 has 1 other sub-motifs

K16. Taking the form of a bird, bat, insect, small animal, or fish, the man enters the young woman's home (her father's house).
K16a. In an effort to show that he is a good hunter, a man regularly walks in front of a girl, pretending to carry prey. Once he slips, and the imaginary prey turns out to be a scarecrow stuffed with ashes or a bundle of termites.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of K16’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny

Motif	Similarity	Motif summary
K15A	94.89%	The hero secretly replaces the weapon or magical tool of a powerful character with a worthless fake. Traditions in which the replaced weapon belongs to Grom are highlighted in bold.
I3	93.84%	Lightning (and thunder) is produced by an object (sword, arrow, whip, mirror, etc.) in the hands of a character; lightning is an object.
H24	93.81%	A vessel or other small container with valuables or living beings (creatures) is opened (prematurely). Its contents get out of control or disappear.
H27	93.64%	Before spreading throughout the world, stinging or blood-sucking insects or reptiles, diseases or evil spirits were kept in a vessel, bag or other small container. See motif H24.
A1	93.59%	Another sun — less powerful or less favourable to humans — existed before the appearance of the current one.
K17	92.93%	A male character in the form of a winged creature approaches a girl and either magically or unnoticed by her impregnates her. See motif K16: taking the form of an animal or bird, he enters the girl's house.
L17B	91.26%	A character or creature has a second face or a second mouth on the back of its head.
E22	91.06%	Once inside a certain creature, the swallowed character learns rituals, songs, ornamental motifs, obtains drugs or poison, and, once outside again, passes this knowledge on to people.
I78	90.46%	The earth is thought of as rectangular (usually square).
A3	89.89%	The Moon is female or hermaphroditic, the Sun is male or, possibly, male.

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Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

58 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 58 traditions: Malagasy, Ngbakka, Mbum (incl Mbai), Mundang, Fali, Tupuri, Maya (=Bali), Nyong, Ganda, (Ba)Nyoro, Nyankole, Masaba (Gisu), Luia (=Luyia, Haya, Luhya, Bantu Kawirondo; incl. Vugusu, Maragoli), Marquesas, Gilbert Islands, Nauru, Banaba (Ocean island), Bhuiya (now Aryans, originally Munda; Rahman 1955: 203), Baiga, Bhaina, Bhumia (subgroup of Baiga, incl Bharia, formerly Munda, now speak Indo-Aryan languages of neighboring groups), Eastern Arunachal Pradesh: Abor (incl Minyong, Shimong, Padam, Pasi, Panggi), Apa Tani (Apatani), Bori, Bugun, Dafla (=Nyishi, Nisi, Nishing, incl Tagin), Gallong (=Galo, Adi), Mishmi, Tamil, Muthuvan, Marvar, Tamils, England, British, Bretons, Portuguese, Portugal, Ancient Italy: Latins, Etruscans, Magna Graecia, 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, Slovenians, Slovenes, Lithuanians, Danes, Danish, Karachays, Balkar, Tats, Crimean Tatars, Karaims, Anatolia Turks, Kazan (Middle Volga) Tatars, Southern Altai: Altai proper (Altai-Kiji), Telengit, Altaians, Northern Altai: Chelkan, Kumanda, Tubalar, Altaians, Kets, Nanai, Nivkh, Reindeer Koryak, Maritime Koryak (Alyutor), Tagish, Inland Tlingit, Kaska, Bering Strait Inupiat (incl. King Island), North Alaskan Inupiat, Tlingit, Kwakiutl (Kwakwaka'wakw), Carrier, Comox, Pentlatch, Ute, Navajo, Lipan, Tepecano, Tepehua, Totonac, Gulf Nahuatl, Mixtec, Trique, Cuicatec; Amuzgo, Chol; pre-Columbian Mayan iconography outside of Yucatan, Kekchi; Mopan, Barasana, Taibano, Macuna, Cubeo, Kabiyari, Yukuna (Yucuna), Tariana, Andoque, Bora, Lima dep: Costa and adjacent Sierra (Spanish, Kechua, and Jacaru-speaking communities, mostly in Pachacamac, Cajatambo, Canta, Huarochirí; Spanish sources of XVI-XVII centuries), Kechua-speaking communities of Apurimac, Cuzco, Arequipa, Puno departments; Spanish sources of XVI-XVII centuries; Callawaya (Kechua with Pukina substratum), Guarani of Paraguay and Brazil: Caygua, Mbia, Apapocuva, Nyandewa, Chiripa, Chechens, Italians: Central (Toscana, Umbria, Marche, Lazio), Itelmen, Greece

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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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