Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
M197E1 — The demon claims the harvest.
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
OverviewThe demon claims that the harvest in a field belonging to a human belongs to him. But if the human brings him an animal unknown to him, he will renounce his claims. The man brings his wife, smeared with something sticky and covered in feathers, standing on all fours, with her hair loose, etc. The demon admits defeat.
Berezkin category: Adventures: Tricks and episodes
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 11, Tricks and competitions won thanks to deception, absurd and obscene behavior.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| M57D4 | 99.96% | A person receives a reward from a character who is associated with frost. |
| K80A3 | 99.93% | Members of the same family (girls, young women or children) go to the forest to pick berries and kill (bewitch) the one who is the object of their envy. |
| K175 | 99.82% | A man was carrying flour, but the wind blew it away. The man complains to an authoritative figure and usually receives compensation. Cf. motif M57d3 ("The Wind-Giver"). |
| L94B | 99.75% | A person promises to give to a supernatural character the first thing that comes their way (either something they have not yet seen in their own home, or something that is behind the door, etc.). The person thinks that they will have to give something of little value, but it turns out to be their own child. |
| M199N | 99.67% | A man offers a demon to fill his hat, bag, etc. with money. The demon does not notice that there is a hole in the hat and gives the man much more than he intended to give. |
| B90 | 99.44% | There is an anthropomorphic patron, master or mistress of wolves; he usually gives instructions to the wolves on a certain day of the year. |
| K171 | 99.42% | The heroes fight, but the number of enemies does not decrease, because someone is constantly weaving (forging) new warriors. |
| M39A8A | 99.42% | A fool or buffoon climbs a tree taking a heavy objects with him and then drops it frightening those who are under the tree |
| K57D | 99.41% | The prince marries the girl who fits the shoe. The girl cuts off her toes or heel so that the shoe will fit. |
| K56A4A | 99.41% | Left alone with the demon in the bathhouse (mill, etc.), the girl demands that he bring her new clothes, jewellery, etc., and while the demon is fetching them, morning comes. |
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
13 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 13 traditions: France, Poles, Latvians, Livonians, Karelians, Western Ukrainians, Byelarusians, Belarusians, Komi (Zyrians and Permyaks), Tuvinians of Tuva, Tuvans, Wallons, Picardie, Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Russian Federation
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