Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
K76F — The calf-boy.
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
OverviewA young man with the appearance of a calf marries and then turns into a handsome man.
Berezkin category: Adventures: Acts of heroes
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 10, Adventures.
K76 has 9 other sub-motifs
RelatedK76. 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 â 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 â 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.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| I46C | 99.09% | The rainbow is a rope to which cattle are tied. |
| K27Z5 | 98.29% | Two men agree to marry their children if one has a son and the other has a daughter. The girl's parents do not fulfil the agreement. The boy grows up and finds his betrothed. |
| M78F | 98.04% | When a woman falls asleep, a joker (usually a tiny boy) places an embryo or the entrails of an animal or something similar next to her to make the woman herself or others think she has a miscarriage or that her viscera has fallen out. |
| H49D | 97.53% | A character (usually a bird) brings a healing (rejuvenating) fruit (seed, branch). Accidentally or maliciously, poison gets into the fruit. The person whom the fruit-bearer wanted to help kills or is about to kill his benefactor, and then learns of his mistake. |
| M106B | 97.53% | The character who caused harm to the antagonist calls himself by a fictitious name such as "Last Year," and the other antagonists understand this to mean that everything happened a long time ago and there is no point in looking for the culprit. |
| L95A | 97.19% | A person sees lungs or a liver lying on the ground or floating in the water. As soon as he touches them, a demonic character appears before him. |
| N1 | 97.12% | The fabulous and epic texts start from the beginning, which states that today's huge objects were tiny at the time. |
| K66B | 96.99% | Travelling from one place to another, the hero leaves one of his companions in each place (usually marrying them to the princesses he has received as a reward), and continues on his way. When he gets into trouble, his companions come to his aid. |
| K90 | 96.99% | A person sees two opposing monsters or animals (usually of contrasting colours: red and black, black and white) and helps one of them, or one of the combatants helps the person. (Cf. ATU 156B, 738). |
| K99B | 96.95% | A girl and a young man agree that he will take her away at night. The young man is late or falls asleep, and the girl is taken away by someone else who happens to be at the appointed place. |
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
9 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 9 traditions: Koreans, Yazgulami, Tajik, Avar, Andi, Akhvakh, Armenians, Bashkirs, Southern Selkups, Northern Selkups, China
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