Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

B74 — Red-eyed capercaillie.

87 Myths, legends and folktales
87 Unique narratives for motif B74
17 Cultures & traditions where B74 is told
2 Sub-motifs of motif B74
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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 eyes of the capercaillie or black grouse turned red from tears.

Berezkin category: The Origins of the Characteristics of the environment

This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 7, Etiology of plants and animals and of their peculiar features, particular animals as protagonists of cosmological stories, metamorphoses, weather and calendar.

B74 has 2 other sub-motifs

Related

B74.  The eyes of the capercaillie or black grouse turned red from tears.
B74a.  Red cloths are sewn over the character's eyes (threads, eyelids are painted red) or he does it himself. He sees everything in red or his eyes have turned red forever.
B74b.  The owl is forced to part with the moon and now cries out when it sees the moon. Usually, the story tells how the marriage of the owl and the moon fell apart or did not take place.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of B74’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny
MotifSimilarityMotif summary
J27B99.86%An infant is thrown into a lake or river and occasionally comes ashore. In addition to his earthly parents, he has a father (and mother) in the underwater world. He does not want to part with them, nor do they want to let him go.
N599.70%Long trips, hikes, flights, or battles are described using a formula that indicates that characters learn about winter through snow or frost, and summer through warmth, rain, dew or other similar signs.
M91D99.60%The character deceives others by passing off the dead as alive, directing suspicions of murder to innocent people, etc. When a shaman (less often a shaman) is ready to discover the truth, he succeeds in it kill and avoid being charged with murder.
B8199.47%The creator and his opponent consider whether to give the dog the ability to shoot (with a bow or a gun).
I56A99.24%When a person who has entered another world touches the local inhabitants, they become ill or die.
B11A98.85%The mammoth, represented as an underground fish-like creature, creates rugged terrain on wet ground and digs river beds.
K52C198.85%Demonstrating his power, a shaman, sorcerer or other character with magical abilities causes the dwelling in which he and other people are located to begin to fill with water. Sometimes it is said that this water is an illusion. One episode: the magical specialist orders those present to catch the birds or fish that have appeared with the water, or they begin to catch them on their own initiative; when the water disappears, people see that they are holding not caught animals, but their penises or something else.
K89C98.63%A girl parts with her brother or sister. He or she becomes the wife or husband of a bear and helps the girl.
I55B98.45%The hero chases a deer or elk carrying the sun.
M18698.35%An animal (fox, wolf, leopard) runs along the shore, while a fish (burbot, goby, catfish) swims in the water. The animal calls out to the fish, which is always ahead (usually keeping other fish at a distance, but in the Negidal variant, the motif of competition is omitted).

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Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

17 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 17 traditions: Eastern Khanty (Ostyaks), Tofa (Karagas), Shor, Southern Altai: Altai proper (Altai-Kiji), Telengit, Altaians, Northern Altai: Chelkan, Kumanda, Tubalar, Altaians, Southern Selkups, Northern Selkups, Kets, Tungus (Evenki): Baikal region, Evenks, Tungus (Evenki) of China (Solon, Birar, Oroqen, Manegir), Evenks, Tungus (Evenki): Russian Far East, Evenks, Western Tungus (Evenki), Western Siberia Tungus (Evenki): Sym River, Ket River, Nivkh, Ilimpii Tungus/Evenki, Yerbogachen Tungus/Evenki, Tungus/Evenki of Nercha - Chita area

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