Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

M75B — The animal in the carcass was carried away by a bird

60 Myths, legends and folktales
60 Unique narratives for motif M75B
45 Cultures & traditions where M75B is told
9 Sub-motifs of motif M75B
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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 hides in the skin or carcass of a large animal. A bird brings a skin or carcass to the nest without knowing what it brought the person.

Berezkin category: Adventures: Tricks and episodes

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

M75 has 9 other sub-motifs

Related

M75.  The character attracts and catches corpse eaters (usually birds) and as a result obtains valuables or returns something valuable (fire, woman, animals, etc.).
M75a.  The character lures a veteran to avenge his fall from the sky. Either the (potauatomi) shovel drops the character or leaves him on top to avenge being lured and caught.
M75b.  A person hides in the skin or carcass of a large animal. A bird brings a skin or carcass to the nest without knowing what it brought the person.
M75b1.  A person (usually of high status) learns that a poor boy who is born will inherit his property or become king. He tries to stop it, but what he predicted comes true.
M75b1a.  A high-ranking person finds out that a (just born) poor or ugly girl is intended for him, or the girl herself finds out that she is destined to become a man's wife of high origin. A betrothed or someone else tries to kill a girl, but only hurts her and the prediction is fulfilled; if the girl is ugly, she becomes beautiful.
M75b2.  bird tries in vain to prevent the marriage, which she learned was inevitable when the future spouses were still children.
M75b3.  Enemies are shown a life-size or larger image of a horse or bull. Not realizing that this is a ruse, they bring the figure to their own territory and are defeated as a result.
M75b4.  To master a woman, the hero hides inside the hollow figure of a horse (bull, deer) or in an animal carcass. The character guarding the woman takes her to her. The hero gets outside and becomes a woman's lover. Or a woman hides inside the figure of a horse, which is taken to the man's chambers.
M75c.  A person is offered to climb a rock or tree to get treasures. A return descent is not possible. Doomed to death, the hero remains alive.
M75d.  A man bereaves vultures of their hunting weapons or amulets

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of M75’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny
MotifSimilarityMotif summary
I5999.42%The Milky Way is associated with agriculture and scattered objects – straw, chaff, less commonly flour, hay, peas.
M75C99.27%A person is offered to climb a rock or tree to get treasures. A return descent is not possible. Doomed to death, the hero remains alive.
K35A98.87%In exchange for improving his current situation, the character agrees to have his body injured or branded.
K123A98.83%A boy or young man accidentally, or more often out of mischief, breaks or overturns a vessel belonging to a woman or girl. This episode forms the basis of the rest of the story.
M198B298.64%An authoritative character asks a person whose name (or his wife's name) is the name of an insect (most often Grasshopper) to guess what is in his fist (in a box, etc.). The corresponding insect is there. The person says that now he, so-and-so, has been caught, while others think that he has guessed correctly.
K100A98.59%Setting off on a journey, a young man releases a caught fish or animal, or he or his father does someone a favour. As a reward for their help, a person or creature in the guise of a stranger or animal comes to the young man, becomes his companion and protector.
K88A98.56%The stepmother (aunt, rival) blinds a young woman. The latter regains her eyesight (often by exchanging them for some valuable item).
K168A98.29%A person thinks that they are holding something intended for food (a calf's head, a melon, bread, etc.), but these objects turn into human heads or limbs. Cf. motif K80c1.
K75A97.97%The character chooses one of many suitors (a woman chooses a husband, a boy chooses a father, a young man chooses a bride) by throwing an object (often an apple) at him. Cf. motif K113A (throwing an object at random, not at a person who is nearby).
K73B97.92%A woman falsely accused of murdering her newborn child, or of giving birth to a puppy instead of a child, etc., is subjected to cruel and humiliating punishment or execution. See motif K73.

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Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

45 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 45 traditions: Yemen, Arabs of Egypt, Arabs of Libya, Berbers of southern Tunisia and adjacent part of Libya (Matmata and Ghadames areas), Mandjak, Mankanya, Pepel, Balant, Felupe, Diola (Jola), Spain, Spaniards, Portuguese, Portugal, Maltese, Czech, Czechs, Bulgarians, Balkarians, Romanians, Moldavians, Aromanians, Moldovans, Albanians, Balkarians, Latvians, Finns, Western Ukrainians, Byelarusians, Belarusians, Uzbek, Tajik, Persians, Cherkassians, Adyghe, Kabardin, Karachays, Balkar, Ossetians, Lezgians, Archin, KΓΌrin; Khinalug, Georgians, Armenians, Anatolia Turks, Kurds, Kirghiz, Uyghur, Turkmen, Kazan (Middle Volga) Tatars, Bashkirs, Mari (Cheremis), Mordvins, Udmurt, Buryats: Western (cis Baikal), Mongols (Khalkha), Chechens, Luri, Bakhtiari, Arabs of Kuwait, Bahrein, Qatar, Emirates, Oman,, Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Buryats: Eastern (trans Baikal), i.e. Khori, Tunisia, Russian Federation

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