Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

L96A — Oh!

69 Myths, legends and folktales
69 Unique narratives for motif L96A
31 Cultures & traditions where L96A is told
3 Sub-motifs of motif L96A
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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

A person sighs, after which a character named Oh, Uh, Hey-way, etc. appears.

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

Related

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
MotifSimilarityMotif summary
N1899.67%fairy-tale text ends with a formula stating that the narrator received food, drinks, money or other real world items from the characters described, but lost them against their own free will because of meeting dogs or people (robbers, boys, children or a neighbor).
I35A199.58%The character claims the role of the thunder god and imitates him.
N1499.51%fairy-tale text ends with a formula stating that the narrator attended a feast and/or wedding arranged by the characters of the fairy tale.
K29D99.47%To catch an animal or supernatural character, the water in a reservoir is replaced with wine, honey, etc., or containers with alcohol are left in plain sight. The creature, having lost control of itself, is captured.
K85C99.46%A three-legged horse is strong and fast, but its four-legged brother is faster.
M39A2B99.46%After buying salt or sugar, a fool pours them into a pond to salt or sweeten the water.
I92A99.45%A person who jumps or steps over a rainbow changes their gender.
N2799.45%Bird milk (variant: chicken, pigeon, hawkish, etc.) milk is mentioned in fairy tales, riddles, paroemias and conspiracies as something very rare and difficult to obtain or non-existent actually.
I9599.37%The Pleiades are a sieve or riddle for sifting agricultural products. See motif I95.
B32A99.34%The enemies of a hero sailing the sea turn into seals or dolphins.

See the 100 most similar distributions →

Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

31 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 31 traditions: Sicily, Sicilians, Greeks (modern), Balkarians, Bulgarians, Balkarians, Romanians, Moldavians, Aromanians, Moldovans, Karelians, Vepsians, Western Ukrainians, Persians, Abaza (Abazins), Abkhaz, Abkhazians, Karachays, Balkar, Ossetians, Ingush, Tabasaran, Aghul, Avar, Andi, Akhvakh, Tats, Mingrelians (Megrelians), Laz, Georgians, Armenians, Gagauz, Anatolia Turks, Azeris (Azerbaijanis), Kirghiz, Turkmen, Kazan (Middle Volga) Tatars, Udmurt, Komi (Zyrians and Permyaks), Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Italians: Central (Toscana, Umbria, Marche, Lazio), Russian Federation

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