Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

K22B — Man helps the inhabitants of another world.

67 Myths, legends and folktales

67 Unique narratives for motif K22B

57 Cultures & traditions where K22B is told

4 Sub-motifs of motif K22B

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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 inhabitants of another world are attacked by certain enemies. A human helps them to defeat these enemies, because these creatures are not dangerous to humans. See motif K22.

Berezkin category: Adventures: Acts of heroes

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

K22 has 4 other sub-motifs

K22.  The inhabitants of a distant land, who differ from (ordinary) people, occasionally fight off enemies of a non-human nature who attack them.
K22a.  Birds or other creatures that are harmless to ordinary people attack dwarves living in another world. See motif K22.
K22aa.  There is a country whose inhabitants are migratory birds that live with us in the summer and turn into people when they fly away to their own country.
K22b.  The inhabitants of another world are attacked by certain enemies. A human helps them to defeat these enemies, because these creatures are not dangerous to humans. See motif K22.
K22c.  Inhabitants of another world who are birds (bird-people) are afraid of birds or animals that are not dangerous to ordinary people, but which regularly attack them.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of K22’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny

Motif	Similarity	Motif summary
J13	96.61%	Not one woman or girl, but two sisters (or more than two, but only two play an important role in the narrative) wander and meet an unwanted deceiver instead of a desired husband or fiancé, or encounter dangerous creatures. See motif J12.
L15A	96.33%	The character's vulnerable spot is located on the surface of the body, but not in vital internal organs.
K22	95.97%	The inhabitants of a distant land, who differ from (ordinary) people, occasionally fight off enemies of a non-human nature who attack them.
L98	95.48%	The demon that carries off children and threatens heroes, people, etc., is the eagle owl; there is a race of owls that is hostile to humans.
K23	95.44%	Birds attack inhabitants of another world or a person who has entered another world. See motif K22.
F10	95.35%	A woman has a second mouth (usually in her vagina) with sharp teeth. A man inserts or throws a stone, bone, stick, etc. into this mouth, knocking out the teeth or extracting toothy animals from it in this way.
K27O	95.18%	The confrontation between heroes and antagonists unfolds in the form of a ball game.
H18	94.84%	Hunted animals were concentrated in one place. A certain character creates them there or allows them to scatter.
I13A	94.81%	A huge aquatic or celestial serpent, dragon, or snake-like creature with horns on its head.
C6A	94.41%	A turtle or toad (frog) brings a desired object from the bottom or from the underworld.

See the 100 most similar distributions →

Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

57 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 57 traditions: Saudi Arabia, Arabs of Levant (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan); Bedouins of Sinai, Arabs of Iraq, Iraqi, Arabs of Egypt, Stieng, Chrau, Sre (Koho), Maa, Mnong, Chin-Naga: Ao, Mao, Sema, Zeme, Kolren, Kom, Lhota, Rengma, Angami, Kabui, Tangkhul, Koirenf, Early Chinese written sources, Finns, Georgians, Tofa (Karagas), Tungus (Evenki): Baikal region, Evenks, Tungus (Evenki) of China (Solon, Birar, Oroqen, Manegir), Evenks, Tungus (Evenki): Russian Far East, Evenks, Western Tungus (Evenki), Western Siberia Tungus (Evenki): Sym River, Ket River, Nivkh, Reindeer Koryak, Maritime Koryak (Alyutor), Chukchi, Asiatic Eskimo (Sirenek, Naukan, Chaplino), Tutchone, Inland Tlingit, Gwich'in (Kuchin, Loucheux), Bering Strait Inupiat (incl. King Island), Tlingit, Tsimshian, Bella Coola (Nuxalk), Sauk (Sak, Mesquakie), Fox, Kickapoo, Five Nations Iroquois (Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga), Blackfoot, Sarsee (Tsuu T'ina), Kiowa Apache, Gros Ventre, Crow, Comox, Pentlatch, Lushootseed (Puget Sound: Puyallup, Nisqualmi, Snuqualmi, Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Snohomish, Skagit), Western Sahaptin (Upper Cowlitz, Klikitat, Tenino, Umatilla, Yakima, Wallawalla), Kalapuya, Natchez (incl Avoyel), Alabama, Koasati, Cherokee, Navajo, Jicarilla, Western Apache (White Mountain, San Carlos), Zuni, Lipan, Cuna; XVI century data on Eastern Panama, Choco: Embera, Nonama (Waunana), XVI century Dabaiba, pre-Columbian iconography of Sinu, Shuar, Achuar (Shiwiar), Tacana, Kuikuro, Kalapalo, Calapalo, Kamayura, Nivakle (=Chulupi, Ashluslay, Ajlujlay), Arabs (literary tradition; incl. One Thousand and One Nights), Ilimpii Tungus/Evenki, Yerbogachen Tungus/Evenki, Tungus/Evenki of Nercha - Chita area

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