Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

L96 — The changed appearance is sold and returns (ATU 325).

164 Myths, legends and folktales

164 Unique narratives for motif L96

86 Cultures & traditions where L96 is told

3 Sub-motifs of motif L96

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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 has the ability to transform into animals or objects. Sold in this form, he achieves his goal and becomes human again.

Berezkin category: Adventures: Monsters and evil spirits

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

L96 has 3 other sub-motifs

L96.  The character has the ability to transform into animals or objects. Sold in this form, he achieves his goal and becomes human again.
L96a.  A person sighs, after which a character named Oh, Uh, Hey-way, etc. appears.
L96b.  A person encounters an ascetic, demon, etc. The latter intends to kill him by pushing him into a boiling cauldron or cutting off his head when he bows before the deity. The person asks the ascetic to do everything first, then pushes him into the cauldron or cuts off his head himself.
L96c.  A young man is learning magic. In order for the sorcerer to let him go, he must pretend that he is incapable of learning.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of L96’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny

Motif	Similarity	Motif summary
K160A	99.62%	A woman living in the house of a supernatural character hides a man who has come to her and asks the character questions, the answers to which the man must find out.
K135	99.61%	By accidentally defeating powerful opponents, a physically weak and timid person gains honour.
K27G	99.55%	The character is ordered to bathe in (hot) milk, in boiling water, to jump into the fire; he remains unharmed, while his opponent usually perishes.
K27U	99.51%	Task: to hide (the hero finds the antagonist, and/or the antagonist cannot find the hero). See motif K27.
K27F1	99.49%	A character builds a bridge (usually from precious materials) in an implausibly short time.
M91C5	99.48%	The person himself or his little son goes to the bazaar to sell a cow (or another large pet). The crook convinces him that it is a sheep (or another animal that is smaller and cheaper). Each of the crook's friends confirms the score or gives an even lower grade. A man at a loss sells a cow for the price of a sheep.
K2B	99.46%	The occupations or names of the hero's companions are unusual and different for each one, but their specific abilities, which can be inferred from these names, are insignificant for the development of the plot. Cf. motif K66, "Heroes with different abilities".
L42G1	99.46%	Father (stepfather) takes children into the forest and slips away unnoticed. To make the children think he is nearby chopping wood, father hangs a board, pumpkin, etc. on a tree, which bangs against the trunk in the wind.
M137	99.38%	A weaker predator tries to imitate a stronger one, but cannot perform the actions that the strong one performs easily.
K131	99.37%	Certain characters argue over the possession of magical objects, but the objects go to the hero. Usually, he suggests that the disputants race each other or asks them to let him try out the objects, after which he hides, taking the objects with him.

See the 100 most similar distributions →

Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

86 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 86 traditions: Saudi Arabia, Arabs of Levant (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan); Bedouins of Sinai, Arabs of Iraq, Iraqi, Arabs of Egypt, Morocco Arabs, Northern Gur (Oti-Volta): Mamprussi, Dagomba, Dagari (Dagara; incl Lodaga), Bassari, Mosi, Nankanse, Konkomba, Moba; Ditammari, Nyende, Bulsa (pl Builsa, Bulo), Santali, Turi, Mahli, Chin-Naga: Ao, Mao, Sema, Zeme, Kolren, Kom, Lhota, Rengma, Angami, Kabui, Tangkhul, Koirenf, Gondi (mostly Northern Gondi), Indian literary tradition (Vedic, Brahman, Purana, Indian Buddhism, Hinduism, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Panchtantra, Jatakas); iconography of Hindu temples, Kannada, Lingayat, Halakki, Tamil, Muthuvan, Marvar, Tamils, Hindi-speaking peoples and casts (incl. Teli, Parahiya; incl. Chhattisgarhi) of Northern and West-Central India, Sinhalese; Vedda, Meo (Hmong) of Thailand, Laos and Northern Vietnam, Koreans, Ireland, England, British, Bretons, Spain, Spaniards, Portuguese, Portugal, Sicily, Sicilians, 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, Czech, Czechs, Slovakians, Slovaks, 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, Ancient Greece, Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, Setu, Finns, Karelians, Western Sami, Eastern Sami (including Skolts), Norwegians, Danes, Danish, Western Ukrainians, Byelarusians, Belarusians, Uzbek, Wakhi, Ishkashimi (including Sanglich), Munji, Yazgulami, Sarikoli, Tajik, Baluch, Persians, Abaza (Abazins), Abkhaz, Abkhazians, Ossetians, Ingush, Tabasaran, Aghul, Avar, Andi, Akhvakh, Tats, Georgians, Armenians, Gagauz, Azeris (Azerbaijanis), Kurds, Kara Kalpak, Kazakh, Kirghiz, Turkmen, Kazan (Middle Volga) Tatars, Mordvins, Chuvash, Udmurt, Komi (Zyrians and Permyaks), Mongols (Khalkha), Central Yakuts (Sakha), Lkungen (Straits; including Samish, Songish, Sooke, Lummi), Klallam, Mustang, Arabs (literary tradition; incl. One Thousand and One Nights), Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Italians: Central (Toscana, Umbria, Marche, Lazio), Terek Cossacks, Transylvanian Saksons, Bosnians, Japan, Russian Federation

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