Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

L40 — Reflection and shadow, R351.

155 Myths, legends and folktales

155 Unique narratives for motif L40

107 Cultures & traditions where L40 is told

3 Sub-motifs of motif L40

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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 character discovers (rarely: cannot discover) another person on a tree or rock, noticing their reflection or shadow. See motif L39.

Berezkin category: Adventures: Monsters and evil spirits

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

L40 has 3 other sub-motifs

L40.  The character discovers (rarely: cannot discover) another person on a tree or rock, noticing their reflection or shadow. See motif L39.
L40a.  An unattractive woman sees the reflection of a young man sitting in a tree in the water and thinks that she has become beautiful.
L40b.  To make the character come closer, absurd actions are performed in front of him. The character does not understand the deception and comes closer to explain how to act correctly.
L40c.  Relying on the ambiguity of the statement, the buyer of a cheap item claims rights to a much more valuable one.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of L40’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny

Motif	Similarity	Motif summary
I99	94.85%	The Pleiades – a group of boys, young men, men or people of different genders, but predominantly male.
I8F	93.47%	The sky, the world rests on a single object (a pillar or tree).
I100B	92.67%	The Pleiades - a group of people of any gender and age. See motifs i99 - i100A, aggregate data.
A12	92.31%	A creature or creatures regularly (sunrise and sunset, winter and summer, night and day, phases of the moon) or occasionally (eclipses, eschatological catastrophes) attack the luminaries or block their light.
F7	91.57%	A man catches, grabs, meets, or receives a woman associated with the aquatic-chthonic world (a fish, mermaid, snake, crab, seal, etc.) and takes her as his wife. Cf. motifs E26 and K25.
F9	91.56%	For various reasons, sexual intercourse with a woman is deadly dangerous for a man, or so it seems to him: Teeth, blades or sharp stones in the vagina or on the inside of the thighs; the vagina is a toothy mouth. See motif F9A.
I108	91.49%	The Pleiades are a single character, not a group of people.
A12A	90.90%	During an eclipse or under other circumstances, predators attack the luminaries: wolves, bears, jaguars, pumas, dogs, foxes, raccoons. See motif A12.
I82A	90.87%	The Morning and/or Evening Star – a male character.
A12C	90.59%	Eclipses of the sun, moon or their setting (marked*) are caused by a snake, lizard, dragon, fish or crocodile; these creatures attack the luminaries now or attacked them at the beginning of time. See motif A12.

See the 100 most similar distributions →

Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

107 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 107 traditions: Saudi Arabia, Arabs of Levant (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan); Bedouins of Sinai, Arabs of Iraq, Iraqi, Arabs of Egypt, Kabylia and other Berber of Northern and Central Algeria: Beni Snous, Beni Menacer (incl Zuav), Shaui, etc.), Morocco Arabs, Maka (Makaa), Baya, Kaka, Soninke, Akan, Ashanti, Akwapim; Ga (Accra), Kra, Twi (Chwi, Chi), Samoa, Tuamotu, incl Pukapuka (different from Pukapuka in Cook Islands), Vahitahi, Anaa, Hao, Fangatau, Gilbert Islands, Nauru, Banaba (Ocean island), Tuvalu (Ellice), Yap, Marshall Islands, incl Ailinglapalap, Arno, Jaluit, Kili, Lae, Maloelap, Majuro, Ratak, Wotho, Ujae, Jaluit (=Jalooj), Namdrik, Timor: Amarasi, Tetum, Meto, Atoni (incl Mollo), Kedang (Lomblen island), Leti Islands (Leti, Moa, Lakor), Roti, Toraja (Toradja), To Mori, Baree (=Eastern Toraja), Ot Danum, Ngadju, Northern Luzon: Apayao, Bontoc, Nabaloi (Ibaloi), Ifugao, Igorot (highland people, not specified), Ilocan, Ilongot, Isneg, Kalinga, Kankanay, Tingian (Tinggian, Bilongan Itneg); Ibanag, Kasiguran Agta, Keley-i Kallahan, Shan, Ahom, Khampti, Chin-Naga: Ao, Mao, Sema, Zeme, Kolren, Kom, Lhota, Rengma, Angami, Kabui, Tangkhul, Koirenf, Kuki, Chiru, Falam (Hallam), Chin (Meitei =Manipuri, Khami, =Kumi), Lakher, Mizo (Lushei), Anal, Pawi (Lai), Purum, Koireng, Milhiem, Kolhen, Mru, Tamil, Muthuvan, Marvar, Tamils, Konkani (incl Goa), Sinhalese; Vedda, Miao (Hmong) and Yao of Southern China, Koreans, Ireland, England, British, Bretons, Spain, Spaniards, Portuguese, Portugal, Sicily, Sicilians, Sardinia, Corsica, Sardinians, Corsicans, France, Slovakians, Slovaks, Hungarians, Greeks (modern), Balkarians, Estonians, Norwegians, Yazgulami, Yagnobi, Persians, Nogai, Tats, Anatolia Turks, Azeris (Azerbaijanis), Kazakh, Southern Altai: Altai proper (Altai-Kiji), Telengit, Altaians, Northern Altai: Chelkan, Kumanda, Tubalar, Altaians, Southern and Central; Ryukyu Islands: Yaeyama, Miyako, Okinawa, Asiatic Eskimo (Sirenek, Naukan, Chaplino), Kaska, Gwich'in (Kuchin, Loucheux), Haida, Nootka (Nu-chah-nulth), Makah, Bella Coola (Nuxalk), Eastern Cree, Menominee, Plains Cree, Carrier, Comox, Pentlatch, Lushootseed (Puget Sound: Puyallup, Nisqualmi, Snuqualmi, Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Snohomish, Skagit), Western Sahaptin (Upper Cowlitz, Klikitat, Tenino, Umatilla, Yakima, Wallawalla), Nez Perce, Tillamook, Okanagon, Sanpoil, Yurok, Tunica, Catawba, Tutelo, Navajo, Chiricahua, Hopi, Western Keres (Acoma, Laguna), Eastern Keres (Cochiti, Sia, San Felipe, Santo Domingo, Santa Ana, Paguate, Seama), Popoloca; Tlapanec, Tzeltal, Chol; pre-Columbian Mayan iconography outside of Yucatan, Lacandon, Choco: Embera, Nonama (Waunana), XVI century Dabaiba, pre-Columbian iconography of Sinu, Sicuani, Makiritare (Yecuana), Sanema, Locono, Siona, Secoya, Coreguaje, Tacana, Mehinaku, Waura, Yaulapiti, Kamayura, Iranxe, Cayapo (incl. Kubenkranken, Pau d’Arco, Shikrin or Xikrin), Craho, Apinaye (Apinage, Apinaje), Suya, Txukarramae, Sherente, Makka, Mocovi; Kechua of Santiago del Estero with probable Guaikuruan substratum; Abipon, Nivakle (=Chulupi, Ashluslay, Ajlujlay), Chorote, Guarani of Paraguay and Brazil: Caygua, Mbia, Apapocuva, Nyandewa, Chiripa, Central Tibetans (Yu Tsang, incl. Sikkim Tibetans, Tichurong of NW Nepal), Arabs (literary tradition; incl. One Thousand and One Nights), Urums, Rumei, Galicians, Italians: Central (Toscana, Umbria, Marche, Lazio), Terek Cossacks, Japan, Russian Federation

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