Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
M73A — Substitution of feces
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
OverviewTwo (animal) persons compare their feces (with different purpose). One of them gets to exchange them
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.
M73 has 1 other sub-motifs
RelatedM73. Two characters compare their excrement or vomit to learn about each other's diet and decide which of them is the more powerful beast. One of them manages to replace the selections. (Traditions in which vomiting is substituted are greasy).
M73a. Two (animal) persons compare their feces (with different purpose). One of them gets to exchange them
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| K27YY2 | 97.92% | The hero is sent to bring the chick of a dangerous bird. |
| E20 | 97.89% | When a certain person enters the water, the fish die. A plant grows from parts of his body or on his grave, from which fish poison (timbó) is made. |
| F47A | 97.21% | Men use each part of the body of a single woman for copulation, or each man takes a part of her body cut into pieces. |
| M8C | 97.21% | Birds pierce through a layer of clay, wax, resin, etc., that covers the character's eyes or anus. |
| K27I | 97.09% | Task: to drain a large body of water. |
| M70 | 96.82% | The oldest character poisons the youngest with his intestinal gases. |
| F47B | 96.25% | In order to create new people (new women) to replace those who have been destroyed, the character leaves something (feathers or pieces of flesh) in each empty hut (in the hearth, in the hammock, in the village), from which new people (new women) appear. |
| H21 | 96.15% | The character controls animals or fish; a boy, young man or girl knows his secret or serves as bait themselves; another character forces the boy (girl) to reveal the secret and/or help him in the same way that he or she helped the first character, or leads the boy to go fishing but kills him, or the boy himself starts hunting, breaking the rules; as a result, the boy or girl is killed or carried away by animals or fish. See motif H18. |
| L89 | 95.39% | One person, wishing to harm another, secretly gives him certain food to eat or a certain object to use. As a result, the other person dies (usually undergoing a metamorphosis). Cf. motif K82a. |
| I63 | 95.17% | The Milky Way is the tapir's trail; the tapir can be seen on the Milky Way. |
See the 100 most similar distributions →
Map of motif dispersal
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Traditions
19 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 19 traditions: Macedonians, Balkarians, Mordvins, Eastern Cree, Plains Cree, Natchez (incl Avoyel), Alabama, Koasati, Cherokee, Yana, Cuna; XVI century data on Eastern Panama, Sicuani, Makiritare (Yecuana), Trio, Tenetehara, Amahuaca, Cashinahua, Sharanahua, Yaminahua, Yawanahua, Capanahua), Mehinaku, Waura, Yaulapiti, Bakairi, Rikbaktsa, Caraja, Botocudo
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