Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

D1B — Man-fire.

166 Myths, legends and folktales

166 Unique narratives for motif D1B

93 Cultures & traditions where D1B is told

6 Sub-motifs of motif D1B

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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 man is the master or embodiment of fire (alone or alongside the woman-fire).

Berezkin category: Fire and Laughter

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.

D1 has 6 other sub-motifs

D1.  A woman (usually elderly) is the embodiment of fire – alone or together with her husband, the master of fire. Cf. motif D5 (woman possesses fire).
D1a.  A girl marries a man whose mother is fire.
D1a1.  Because a woman offended the fire, its mistress takes her child away.
D1a2.  The house of the person who insulted the fire burns down, but the property inside it or the child of another person (or that person himself) who treated the fire with respect is not harmed.
D1a3.  A man marries a woman who is fire. She is mistreated, or her husband does not like her, and the marriage breaks down.
D1a4.  Two fires from different dwellings meet and converse.
D1b.  The man is the master or embodiment of fire (alone or alongside the woman-fire).

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of D1’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny

Motif	Similarity	Motif summary
I62	93.91%	The Milky Way is a heavenly river, a body of water, a chain of creatures floating in the water.
I78	91.42%	The earth is thought of as rectangular (usually square).
I81	91.30%	Earthly waters fall into the abyss.
H28	90.68%	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.
H1E	90.27%	A certain character is the first to enter the world of the dead, after which all people follow the same path; he paves the way to the world of the dead; the first to die becomes the master or guardian of the afterlife.
C2	90.00%	The inhabitants of the middle world (in part) are destroyed (or will be destroyed) once by fire or drought, another time by a flood, or the world is flooded with a stream of fire and boiling water.
B2E	89.96%	The Earth or the world as a whole is a male character (alone or alongside a female character).
A12	89.78%	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.
E9	89.74%	The character notices that someone is running the house in his absence and catches the person doing so by surprise.
L18	89.52%	A bird with two or more heads in descriptions or images.

See the 100 most similar distributions →

Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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🌐 Open as Airocean (Dymaxion) map ↗

Traditions

93 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 93 traditions: Akkad, Assyria, Babylonia, Bushmen (all groups), Mangareva, Ontong Java, Nukumanu, Takuu, Nukuria, Tuvalu (Ellice), Viet, Muong, Juang, Sora (Savara, Saora), Parenga, Northern Naga: Konyak, Lungshang, Wancho, Nokte, Moclum, Lunshan, Chang, Maring, Naga of Myanmar, Garo (Atchik), Kachari (Bodo, incl. Lalung), Dimasa, Tripuri, Riang (of Tripura), Khami, Riga, Mori, Indian literary tradition (Vedic, Brahman, Purana, Indian Buddhism, Hinduism, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Panchtantra, Jatakas); iconography of Hindu temples, Early Chinese written sources, Ancient Italy: Latins, Etruscans, Magna Graecia, Finns, Vepsians, Scandinavians: early written sources ("Edda"; Saxo Grammaticus etc.); Gothland picture stones; Ancient Germans (Late Bronze Age in Scandinavia), Western Ukrainians, Karachays, Balkar, Ossetians, Tabasaran, Aghul, Tats, Kazan (Middle Volga) Tatars, Mari (Cheremis), Chuvash, Komi (Zyrians and Permyaks), Buryats: Western (cis Baikal), Mongols (Khalkha), Daur (Daghur), Tuvinians of Tuva, Tuvans, Khakas, Nenets, Nganasans, Central Yakuts (Sakha), Dolgans, 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, Udeghe, Oroch, Uilta (Orok), Nanai, Nivkh, Forest (Upper Kolyma) Yukaghir, Creols of Russkoye Ustye, Asiatic Eskimo (Sirenek, Naukan, Chaplino), Inland Tlingit, Koyukon, Tlingit, Caddo, Tunica, Alabama, Koasati, Hitchiti, Pomo, Navajo, Tewa (San Juan, Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Tesuque, Nambe; Hano), Tiwa (Taos, Picuris; Sandia, Isleta), Towa (Jemez), Diegueño: Ipai, Tipai, Kamia (Kumeai), Huichol, Aztec; Aztec and Teotihuacan iconography, Popoloca; Tlapanec, Tepehua, Totonac, Huastec (Teenek), Yucatec, Itza, Lacandon, Bribri, Cabecar, Terraba; Chiriqui (AD 800-1500) iconography, Kogi (Cagaba), Sanha, Creols of Aritama Valley, Guajiro, Cuiva, Saliva, Warao, Wapishana (incl Ataroi); Mapidian; Taruma, Pemon: Arekuna (incl. Kamarakoto), Taulipang (Taurepan), Guiana Kariña, Kaliña, Galibi, Maue (Mawe), Mehinaku, Waura, Yaulapiti, Kamayura, Chamacoco (Ishir), Mataco, Nivakle (=Chulupi, Ashluslay, Ajlujlay), Guarani of Paraguay and Brazil: Caygua, Mbia, Apapocuva, Nyandewa, Chiripa, Central Tibetans (Yu Tsang, incl. Sikkim Tibetans, Tichurong of NW Nepal), Upper Chinook: Wasco, Wishram, Clackamas, Kathlamet, Chechens, Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Buryats: Eastern (trans Baikal), i.e. Khori, Ilimpii Tungus/Evenki, Yerbogachen Tungus/Evenki, Tungus/Evenki of Nercha - Chita area, China, Japan, Russian Federation

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