Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

A12D — Birds eclipse the sun.

36 Myths, legends and folktales

36 Unique narratives for motif A12D

29 Cultures & traditions where A12D is told

8 Sub-motifs of motif A12D

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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

Birds attack the sun or moon during an eclipse (covering them with their wings) or (*) cover the sun during sunrise or sunset. See motif A12.

Berezkin category: The Sun and Moon

This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 1, Sun and Moon.

A12 has 8 other sub-motifs

A12.  A creature or creatures regularly (sunrise and sunset, winter and summer, night and day, phases of the moon) or occasionally (eclipses, eschatological catastrophes) attack the luminaries or block their light.
A12a.  During an eclipse or under other circumstances, predators attack the luminaries: wolves, bears, jaguars, pumas, dogs, foxes, raccoons. See motif A12.
A12b.  During an eclipse or at sunset (marked *), the luminaries are swallowed by a toad or frog.
A12c.  Eclipses of the sun, moon or their setting (marked*) are caused by a snake, lizard, dragon, fish or crocodile; these creatures attack the luminaries now or attacked them at the beginning of time. See motif A12.
A12d.  Birds attack the sun or moon during an eclipse (covering them with their wings) or (*) cover the sun during sunrise or sunset. See motif A12.
A12e.  The spider attacks the sun or moon (usually causing lunar eclipses).
A12f.  The stars fade because the moneylender demands that they repay their debt.
A12g.  The character tries to eclipse the moon for telling on him.
A12H.  Eclipses of the sun or moon are caused by a woman's attack.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of A12’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny

Motif	Similarity	Motif summary
A5	92.29%	The Moon is male, the Sun is also male or (rarely) has no gender.
L41	90.85%	After catching a person, the cannibal carries his prey home, but the captive escapes on the road or at the cannibal's house. See motif L38 (a person falls into a demon's trap).
D4A	90.06%	Fire is stolen from its original owner, returned to people by the thief, or (the motif of theft is not expressed) brought with difficulty from a distant place.
I99	90.00%	The Pleiades – a group of boys, young men, men or people of different genders, but predominantly male.
I72	89.53%	Stars – anthropomorphic beings. See motif K19 (marriage to a star). Cases where the Star is a unique object, e.g. Venus, rather than one of many Star-people, are not included.
J4	89.44%	The heroes avenge the death (enslavement) of their father, uncle, grandfather, or mother and father, or in general their descendants, with the loss of men being the most painful.
I100B	88.59%	The Pleiades - a group of people of any gender and age. See motifs i99 - i100A, aggregate data.
I47	88.21%	The rainbow smells disgusting, is associated with foul-smelling animals, is a stream of excretions, is associated with the lower body, causes inflammation or skin diseases, and is associated with death.
I82B	88.00%	The Morning and/or Evening Star – a female character.
J46	87.98%	Antagonists perish by falling into water or attempting to cross a water barrier. See motifs J42, J44.

See the 100 most similar distributions →

Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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🌐 Open as Airocean (Dymaxion) map ↗

Traditions

29 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 29 traditions: Chagga (Jagga; incl Wasu), Pare, Digo, Mandingo (Manden, incl San, Samo), Kagoro, Bambara (Bamana), Malinke, Kassonke, Diula, Central Australia: Kaitish, Warramunga, Arunta (Aranda), Loritja (Kukatja), Pijandjara (Pitjantjara), Adnjamatana (Andjamathana, Wailpi), Aluridja, Walpiri (Walbiri), Aluridja, Matuntara (Maduntara), Nambutji, Wamma (=Wommana?), Toraja (Toradja), To Mori, Baree (=Eastern Toraja), Mindanao and Sulu: Blaan (Bilaan), Bagobo, Bukidnon, Cotabato, Hiligáynon, Binukid, Magindaan (=Magindanao: main Muslim population), Mandaya, Mansaka, Manobo (Agusan, Ata, Dibabawon, Sarangani, Ilianen), Maranao, Samal, Subanon (=Subanun), Subanen, Tboli, Shan, Ahom, Khampti, Semang, Senoi, Hungarians, Iranian literary tradition (including Avesta, Pahlevi scripts, Sah-nameh, Marzban-nameh); Zoroastrians of Iran, Indian Parsees, Zoroastrianism, Abkhaz, Abkhazians, Svans, Armenians, Tuvinians of Tuva, Tuvans, Southern Selkups, Northern Selkups, Nanai, Wawenock, Abenaki, Penobscot, Coos, Alcea, Yurok, Chumash, Yokuts, Western Keres (Acoma, Laguna), Eastern Keres (Cochiti, Sia, San Felipe, Santo Domingo, Santa Ana, Paguate, Seama), Popoloca; Tlapanec, Gulf Nahuatl, Bakairi, Iranxe, Mataco

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How to cite: Fielder-White, J. (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com

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