Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
A2D — Suns of different worlds.
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
OverviewOther suns illuminate other levels of the universe or will shine sequentially in the future.
Berezkin category: The Sun and Moon
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 1, Sun and Moon.
A2 has 12 other sub-motifs
RelatedA2. There was a time when several, i.e. more than two, suns shone in the sky at the same time.
A2a. The world was or will be (almost) burned when several suns lit up or will light up simultaneously; or destructive heat (or light) once emanated from one sun.
A2a1. At first, the moon was as bright and hot as the sun.
A2b. In addition to the current sun and/or moon, other suns and moons shone in the sky, which were then destroyed. See motif A2A.
A2b1. Two or more suns shine in the sky. When the extra ones are destroyed, there is a danger that the last one will be destroyed along with them and darkness will ensue.
A2c. The extra suns that existed in the past or may appear in the future are the children of the Sun-father. See motif A2A.
A2c1. The Sun is going to have children. One of the animals warns that if the Sun has children, the world will burn. The Sun has to (refuse marriage and) remain childless.
A2c2. The catastrophe threatening the earth is associated with the appearance of not only several suns, but also several moons.
A2c3. In extraordinary circumstances, the moon or sun are not round, but have corners and edges.
A2d. Other suns illuminate other levels of the universe or will shine sequentially in the future.
A2e. The sun and/or moon – severed heads of anthropomorphic beings.
A2F. Suns grow on tree branches.
A2G. At different times throughout the day, different suns shine in the sky.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| M7A | 96.08% | Birds or animals take the character into their boat, but take on a zoomorphic appearance and leave their passenger in the water (after he breaks a ban). (It is significant that the boat or raft only appears to be artifacts, but is actually the bodies of the corresponding birds or animals, or it is an ice floe; cf. Motive M31). |
| L38 | 85.06% | The demon sets a trap, and people fall into it. Cf. motif K64A. |
| F49A | 82.00% | A small animal (mouse, rat, rabbit, two-wombed animal, bird) explains how to give birth. See motif F49. |
| L18 | 75.55% | A bird with two or more heads in descriptions or images. |
| L27 | 74.15% | Sisters or friends encounter a demon. One or both do not understand the danger. One is eaten or maimed, the other escapes. |
| E1A | 74.09% | The first humans are made of fragile materials (clay, wax, fire, honey, etc.) and prove to be unviable. |
| I17A | 73.96% | Creatures without an anal opening or mouth - dwarves. |
| H28 | 73.91% | A creature that has been killed and destroyed (often burned) (usually a cannibal, a ferocious animal, or a powerful shaman) turns into stinging insects or other harmful, unpleasant, or dangerous creatures. |
| I14 | 72.88% | Creatures without an anal opening are described. |
| K16 | 72.81% | Taking the form of a bird, bat, insect, small animal, or fish, the man enters the young woman's home (her father's house). |
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
15 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 15 traditions: Fula (Fulbe, Fulani, Pular), Hungarians, Eastern Khanty (Ostyaks), Southern Selkups, Northern Selkups, Kets, Central Yakuts (Sakha), Chukchi, Lacandon, Cuna; XVI century data on Eastern Panama, Kogi (Cagaba), Sanha, Creols of Aritama Valley, Tunebo, Mura (Pirahã), Machiguenga, Kayapa
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