Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

K76B — Son-snake and husband-snake.

105 Myths, legends and folktales

105 Unique narratives for motif K76B

68 Cultures & traditions where K76B is told

9 Sub-motifs of motif K76B

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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 son or foster son of snake spouses. He turns into a human. The snake is the princess's magical spouse, lost and returned.

Berezkin category: Adventures: Acts of heroes

This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 9, Identification of protagonists of the stories with particular animals or persons with particular qualities.

K76 has 9 other sub-motifs

K76.  A boy who is born or found has a strange or ugly appearance (ball, nut, sack, half-human, dwarf, animal), but then demonstrates magical powers and turns out to be handsome (usually getting a bride of high status). The princess's magical spouse initially has a non-human or ugly appearance.
K76a.  A frog or toad marries a beautiful woman, or a handsome young man marries a frog.
K76b.  The son or foster son of snake spouses. He turns into a human. The snake is the princess's magical spouse, lost and returned.
K76c.  The son (rarely – daughter) or foster child of a married couple emerges from a pumpkin (rarely: watermelon, nut) or is found inside it.
k76c1.  A woman gives birth to a pumpkin, inside which there is a person (many people) or which turns into a person.
K76d.  The son or foster child of a married couple is a hedgehog. He marries a princess and turns into a handsome man.
K76e.  The son (daughter) or foster child of a married couple is a pig. He marries a princess and turns into a handsome man (she marries a handsome man).
K76f.  A young man with the appearance of a calf marries and then turns into a handsome man.
K76g.  The son or foster son of a married couple – a crab. He marries a princess and turns into a handsome man.
K76h.  A young man, temporarily having a strange or monstrous appearance (freak, animal, etc.), woos a princess, but is rejected. Then he causes natural disasters or creates personal troubles for the king, who is forced to give up his daughter.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of K76’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny

Motif	Similarity	Motif summary
K27HH	98.88%	The character is tasked with quickly separating small particles of different types (usually seeds of different plant species) mixed together in a single vessel, or counting the number of grains, or gathering scattered or already sown grain.
M57C	98.81%	An animal (donkey, bull, horse, goat, bear, leopard) or inanimate object makes gold or food stand out, or a character makes others believe that this is the case.
L37B	98.54%	By accidentally overhearing a conversation between animals or spirits, a person learns how to help themselves and others.
K76	98.21%	A boy who is born or found has a strange or ugly appearance (ball, nut, sack, half-human, dwarf, animal), but then demonstrates magical powers and turns out to be handsome (usually getting a bride of high status). The princess's magical spouse initially has a non-human or ugly appearance.
K33H	98.16%	A person finds a magical object that grants any wish. This object is stolen. It is returned by animals (which the hero had previously saved).
K73	97.83%	A young wife (promises to give birth and) gives birth to wonderful children (or one son). In the absence of her husband, attempts are made to kill the wife or her child (usually by slandering them to the husband), but they remain alive. (For medieval European variants, see Newell 1906).
M170	97.22%	Pretending to be concerned only with performing religious rituals or following rules (confessing sins, going on pilgrimages, giving up meat, etc.), a zoomorphic character kills those who trust him.
K73A	97.16%	Malicious women replace the newborn with an animal or an inanimate object (they tell the baby's father that his wife gave birth to an animal or an object). See motif K73.
K66	97.02%	Each of several companions or brothers excels others in some way (sees, hears, runs, etc. better than anyone else). Cf. motif K2B, "Gorynya and Dubyna".
K27Q	96.91%	Task: to obtain the milk of a wild animal or milk possessed by a dangerous creature. See motif K27.

See the 100 most similar distributions →

Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

68 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 68 traditions: Morocco Arabs, Tonga, Nyatutu, Kiniramba, Isanzu, Zulu, Swazi, Sandawe, Melanesians and Papuans of Central Solomons: Vella la Vella (Bilua language), Shortland islands (Mono language), San Cristobal, Saint Georgia, Eddystone, Vangunu, Southern Solomons: southern part of Santa Ysabel (Bughotu), Guadalcanal, San Cristobal, Malaita, Ulawa, Tikopia, Bellona, Rennell, partly Aneytium, Futuna (=Erronan, not to be mixed with Futuna in Western Polynesia), Vaeaka-Taumato, incl Matema, Nifeloli, Nukapu, Nupani, Pileni, Timor: Amarasi, Tetum, Meto, Atoni (incl Mollo), Kedang (Lomblen island), Leti Islands (Leti, Moa, Lakor), Numfoor, Warope, Wamesa (Wandamen, Windesi), Minahasa (incl. Tondano, Tentemboan), Bantik, Burmese, Intha, Karen, Pa-O, Padaung, Kayah, Indian literary tradition (Vedic, Brahman, Purana, Indian Buddhism, Hinduism, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Panchtantra, Jatakas); iconography of Hindu temples, Bengali, Punjabi, Seraiki (Multani), Kashmiri, Himachali-Pahari (Western Pahari), Assamese, Sinhalese; Vedda, Meo (Hmong) of Thailand, Laos and Northern Vietnam, Kirati (Kiranti): Rai (incl Thulung), Limbu, Newar, Koreans, Maltese, Sicily, Sicilians, Sardinia, Corsica, Sardinians, Corsicans, France, 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, Poles, Slovakians, Slovaks, Hungarians, Greeks (modern), Balkarians, Bulgarians, Balkarians, Serbs, Monte Negro, Balkarians, Croatians, Croats; Italians of Dalmatia (if the motif is absent among other Italians), Romanians, Moldavians, Aromanians, Moldovans, Albanians, Balkarians, Karelians, Swedes, Western Ukrainians, Tajik, Persians, Lezgians, Archin, Kürin; Khinalug, Rutul, Tsakhur, Dargin (Dargwa), incl. Müregin, Khürkilin, Kubachi, Kumyk, Terekemen, Tats, Georgians, Armenians, Kalmyk, Kurds, Kara Kalpak, Kazakh, Turkmen, Bashkirs, Mari (Cheremis), Udeghe, Nanai, Ndebele, Pedi, Thonga (Tsonga incl Ronga), Hlengwe, Matabele (Tebele), Central Tibetans (Yu Tsang, incl. Sikkim Tibetans, Tichurong of NW Nepal), Tonga (Tsonga; incl, Soli, Sala, Lenje), Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Italians: Central (Toscana, Umbria, Marche, Lazio), Arakan, Chakma, Khyang, Lutsi (Ludza), China, Japan

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