Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

A39B — Full moon and crescent moon.

2 Myths, legends and folktales
2 Unique narratives for motif A39B
2 Cultures & traditions where A39B is told
2 Sub-motifs of motif A39B
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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

The full moon and the crescent moon are different characters.

Berezkin category: The Sun and Moon

A39 has 2 other sub-motifs

Related

A39.  Suns are born and die, and every day a new one rises in the sky.
A39a.  Each of the calendar segments (usually months) that make up the year is represented by a special object or creature.
A39B.  The full moon and the crescent moon are different characters.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of A39’s motifs
No dispersal data found for motif 'a39b'.

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny
MotifSimilarityMotif summary
A10.00%Another sun — less powerful or less favourable to humans — existed before the appearance of the current one.
A100.00%The sun gets its sparkling eyes (eye) from an animal.
A11A0.00%The visible sun or moon are their eyes; if the eyes of the luminaries were not damaged, it would be much brighter and hotter.
A11B0.00%The sun or moon has one eye (usually the second eye is knocked out or sucked out, but sometimes the reason is not explained; among the Munduruku, the sun of the rainy season has lost both eyes, while the sun of the dry season has retained both). See motif 11A.
A11C0.00%The Sun and Moon kill a monster whose eyes shine differently. At first, the Moon takes the brighter eye, but then swaps with the Sun.
A120.00%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.
A12A0.00%During an eclipse or under other circumstances, predators attack the luminaries: wolves, bears, jaguars, pumas, dogs, foxes, raccoons. See motif A12.
A12B0.00%During an eclipse or at sunset (marked *), the luminaries are swallowed by a toad or frog.
A12C0.00%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.
A12D0.00%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.

See the 100 most similar distributions →

Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

2 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 2 traditions: Bidayuh (incl. Maloh), Iban (Sea Dayak), Sakarram; Brunei, Kodiak

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