Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
K54 — Two giants.
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
OverviewWhen encountering a giant or a snake, a person is afraid of it, but it becomes his friend and asks for help when he is fighting another giant or snake. The person fulfils the request.
Berezkin category: Adventures: Acts of heroes
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 10, Adventures.
K54 has 1 other sub-motifs
RelatedK54. When encountering a giant or a snake, a person is afraid of it, but it becomes his friend and asks for help when he is fighting another giant or snake. The person fulfils the request.
K54a. A man and a friendly giant live together. The friendly giant fights another giant and asks the man for help. The help consists of the man damaging the enemy's legs.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| B96 | 98.09% | The heroes' enemy turns into a large commercial fish (usually a sturgeon) or (rarely) a commercial aquatic mammal. |
| K27N3C1 | 97.87% | The inhabitants of the polar bear village â relatives of his wife â set the hero difficult tasks and trials. |
| K51 | 97.13% | The husband feigns death, disappears or leaves home for a long time. The wife learns that he has married another woman, finds and, as a rule, kills her husband and/or rival, who often turns out to be a creature of non-human nature. |
| K67 | 96.86% | At night, one person intends to throw another person's shoes or clothes into the fire, but ends up burning his own shoes or clothes. Usually, the father-in-law throws his son-in-law's shoes into the fire at night in order to freeze him out, but the son-in-law has already switched shoes, so the father-in-law burns his own. |
| M123C | 95.95% | A non-migratory bird sets off south with migratory birds, but is unable to reach its destination. |
| K27YY1 | 95.86% | The hero brings the feather (feathers) of a dangerous bird. |
| M29F | 95.73% | As a result of its stupidity or antisocial behavior, the wolverine dies or suffers damage. See the motives in square brackets. |
| J41A | 95.68% | The son returns and finds his mother, who has been humiliated and tortured in his absence. The son turns his mother (and usually himself as well) into a bird of a certain species. |
| K32B1 | 95.67% | The man's mother-in-law takes on the appearance of her daughter to take her place. See motif K32. |
| K19E | 95.65% | Returning from the sky to earth, a woman or two sisters encounter a male wolverine who tries to capture them. Usually, the women who have descended first find themselves in a tree. Some animals cannot or will not help them descend to the ground. The wolverine descends to take the sisters as wives; they run away from him. See motif K19B. |
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
36 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 36 traditions: Scotland, Scots, Picts, Scotti, Scottish, Georgians, Udmurt, Eastern Khanty (Ostyaks), Dolgans, Tungus (Evenki): Baikal region, Evenks, Tungus (Evenki) of China (Solon, Birar, Oroqen, Manegir), Evenks, Tungus (Evenki): Russian Far East, Evenks, Nanai, Chipewyan, Hare (K'ahsho Got'ine), Upper Tanana (Nebesna), Tanacross, Inland Tlingit, Tahltan, Tsetsaut, Kaska, Athna, Denaina, Gwich'in (Kuchin, Loucheux), Bering Strait Inupiat (incl. King Island), North Alaskan Inupiat, Copper, Netsilik, Iglulik, Tlingit, Lenape (Delaware), Malecite, Passamaquoddy, Micmac, Wawenock, Abenaki, Penobscot, Menominee, Five Nations Iroquois (Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga), Tuscarora, Carrier, Lillooet, Chechens, Russian Federation
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