Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
B7C — Sprinkled water.
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
OverviewFresh water, which its sole owner hides in a vessel or pond, is scattered throughout the world.
Berezkin category: The Origins of the Characteristics of the environment
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 3, Cosmogony, the earth and the sky, etiology of the elements, natural and biological phenomena (fire, water, soil, thunderstorms, dream, etc.), cataclysms and cosmic threats, spirits of nature.
B7 has 3 other sub-motifs
RelatedB7a. Someone possesses water or a drink. Another character swallows what is hidden, runs away and spits out what is hidden, making the water or drink available to everyone.
B7b. The sea (flood, river) flows out of a small container.
B7c. Fresh water, which its sole owner hides in a vessel or pond, is scattered throughout the world.
B7d. Water pours from a broken bone, flooding the earth.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| G12C | 83.33% | The fox or coyote ascends to the sky and, upon returning, spreads plants across the earth that previously only existed in the sky. |
| B20 | 76.38% | People ascend to the sky to hunt, fish, or gather honey; they do not give honey, fish, or good meat to the person who remained below; that person makes sure that they remain in the sky forever. |
| J58B | 76.38% | With the help of a chain of arrows, the sky or the sun is pulled down or pushed up, or a hole is made in the sky. |
| I67 | 75.48% | The giant figure of an emu (in Australia) or a rhea (in South America) is visible in the Milky Way. |
| K46 | 74.62% | In a fit of fear or shame, a woman or girl runs to the sea, throws herself into the water or hides on the shore. The suitor tries in vain to catch up with her. |
| D13F | 72.22% | Laughter causes the appearance or spread of fire or the sun. Usually, the owner of fire or the sun loses it after bursting into laughter. |
| K11A1 | 71.33% | Pieces of flesh or feathers from a monstrous/unusual bird turn into present-day birds (or their plumage). |
| I66 | 70.71% | The Milky Way is ash or smouldering embers. |
| J3 | 70.71% | A woman conceives a son or twins in a way that is incomprehensible to her; the reason is that when she sits on the ground, a male character (animal) creeps under the ground and fertilises her from below. |
| I134 | 70.50% | Along the axis of the Milky Way, a creature with a long neck (llama, emu, rhea) can be seen. |
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
7 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 7 traditions: Arnhem Land: Enindhilyagwa (Groote Eilandt), KuTiwi, Yulengor, Mara, Oenpelli, Murngin, Roper River, Maung, Murinbata, Murngin (Duwal), Millingimbi, Goulburn Island, Ngulugwongga, Yirrkalla, Voctoria River Downs, Alawa, Anu, Kunwinjku, Lushootseed (Puget Sound: Puyallup, Nisqualmi, Snuqualmi, Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Snohomish, Skagit), Chemehuevi, Kaingang, Xokleng, Botocudo, Selknam, Yamana (Yaghan), Alacaluf
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How to cite: Fielder-White, J. (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
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