Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

A29B — The Broken Moon.

33 Myths, legends and folktales
33 Unique narratives for motif A29B
12 Cultures & traditions where A29B is told
2 Sub-motifs of motif A29B
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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 character associated with the upper world and a character associated with the earth or the lower world each seek to possess the hero or heroine who is associated with the Moon.

Berezkin category: The Sun and Moon

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

A29 has 2 other sub-motifs

Related

A29.  A character associated with the upper world and a character associated with the earth or the lower world each strive to possess a human being and pull him towards themselves. One or both rivals are women. The character of the upper world and/or the one for whom the struggle is being waged is associated with the luminaries – the sun, the moon, Venus.
A29a.  Heavenly and earthly women (demons) pull a man in different directions. As a result, he (or his half) turns into a heavenly object.
A29b.  A character associated with the upper world and a character associated with the earth or the lower world each seek to possess the hero or heroine who is associated with the Moon.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of A29’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny
MotifSimilarityMotif summary
I9198.36%At the foot or around the base of a tree connecting the tiers of the universe or of gigantic size and considered the main tree of the world, there is a spring or water body, the water of which usually has unusual properties.
J26A97.18%Among children of a woman or two women living together, there is a boy and a puppy, or a puppy was placed with a woman, and her son was thrown out. The puppy lives with the woman and helps her.
K27N3A197.01%In the course of his courtship, the hero enters into a struggle with characters (more than two) who embody the elements, celestial bodies, and parts of the universe.
H27A96.59%When creating the earth, a negative character asks a positive character for as much earth as is necessary to prop up a staff, stake.
N2996.17%time required to perform an action or elapsed since the event described is estimated by comparing it with the time it takes for water to boil and/ or food has been prepared.
M38D195.83%bubble-head, the straw leg, the hair-neck are successively dying, trying to act like ordinary people.
C2895.07%A demonic character takes possession of a valuable item without which another character (and people) will perish. The demon is tricked into returning the valuable item.
L42C94.53%The character hides from someone stronger, sometimes inside the house, sometimes outside, and the stronger character cannot catch him.
M171B94.00%The character pretends to have brought meat on a shoulder blade and gives it to the hosts to cook. Taking a bare bone without meat out of the pot, he accuses the hosts of stealing the meat.
A2992.33%A character associated with the upper world and a character associated with the earth or the lower world each strive to possess a human being and pull him towards themselves. One or both rivals are women. The character of the upper world and/or the one for whom the struggle is being waged is associated with the luminaries – the sun, the moon, Venus.

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Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

12 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 12 traditions: Western Sami, Eastern Sami (including Skolts), Abaza (Abazins), Abkhaz, Abkhazians, Ossetians, Ingush, Eastern Khanty (Ostyaks), Nenets, Southern Selkups, Northern Selkups, Kets, Lkungen (Straits; including Samish, Songish, Sooke, Lummi), Klallam

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