Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
N28H — A horse doesn't have horns
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
OverviewIn a list of things that do not exist in the world, horns of the horse are mentioned
Berezkin category: Fabulous and epic formulas
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 13, Formulae.
N28 has 7 other sub-motifs
RelatedN28a. The roots (belt) of mountains or stones are mentioned in myths, riddles, spells, and songs as something that does not really exist.
N28b. In a list of things that do not exist in the world, a ladder or stairway to the sky (variant: a ladder in the sky) is mentioned
N28c. In a list of things that do not exist in the world, a pillar of the sky is mentioned
N28d. In a list of things that do not exist in the world, a lid or covering for the sea, ocean or river are mentioned
N28e. In a list of things that do not exist in the world, a bridge across the sea, ocean or lake is mentioned
N28f. It is said that water has no boughs or twigs
N28g. In a list of things that do not exist in the world, a gall of horse or ass is mentioned
N28h. In a list of things that do not exist in the world, horns of the horse are mentioned
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| I82H | 99.42% | The name of Venus sounds like Cholpan, Cholbon, Tsolmon, etc. (Δol- 'to sparkle, to shine' [VΓ‘mbΓ©ri 1879: 155]). |
| L95 | 98.38% | A person (usually a child or teenager) returns to a previous location for a forgotten item (often a toy) and finds a demon there, from which they struggle to escape. |
| M106B | 98.29% | The character who caused harm to the antagonist calls himself by a fictitious name such as "Last Year," and the other antagonists understand this to mean that everything happened a long time ago and there is no point in looking for the culprit. |
| N28C | 98.20% | In a list of things that do not exist in the world, a pillar of the sky is mentioned |
| M133 | 98.00% | Cumulative tale: a bird is injured by a thorny plant and asks for it to be punished, but everyone refuses because someone else has failed to do something; the last to be asked is the wind, which blows and causes all the characters to perform the necessary actions one after another. |
| L95A | 97.70% | A person sees lungs or a liver lying on the ground or floating in the water. As soon as he touches them, a demonic character appears before him. |
| N28G | 96.90% | In a list of things that do not exist in the world, a gall of horse or ass is mentioned |
| B115 | 96.01% | Conifers and some other trees and shrubs (small shrubs) became evergreen after the elixir of immortality was accidentally spilled on them. Cf. motif H6b. |
| K76F | 95.74% | A young man with the appearance of a calf marries and then turns into a handsome man. |
| M78F | 95.71% | When a woman falls asleep, a joker (usually a tiny boy) places an embryo or the entrails of an animal or something similar next to her to make the woman herself or others think she has a miscarriage or that her viscera has fallen out. |
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
7 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 7 traditions: Marathi (incl. Bhamta; incl. Mumbai area), Koreans, Tats, Kazan (Middle Volga) Tatars, Chuvash, Buryats: Western (cis Baikal), Buryats: Eastern (trans Baikal), i.e. Khori
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