Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
E16 — Oars with edges.
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
OverviewWhen rowing, the character first tries to push off with the edge rather than the flat side of the oar.
Berezkin category: The origins of people and culture
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 6, Origin and interpretation of culture elements, in particular related to agriculture, inadequate forms of subsistence and economic activity before the establishment of the present norms.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| D13C | 95.35% | Two companions or brothers live together. The older one has a wife, whom he hides. To discover her, the younger one, left alone in the house, makes her laugh. |
| I28A | 95.35% | Large animals that are hunted go underground and cause earthquakes. |
| J36 | 95.02% | The turtle drags the hero's parents under water. |
| J60 | 94.81% | A woman conceives twins from two different fathers. |
| C9A | 94.39% | During the flood or when crossing a river, those who drowned or were saved turn into aquatic or amphibious animals. |
| H24F | 94.02% | The character has the ability to put a large amount of meat or fish into a bag or container that is easy to carry. |
| E13A | 93.93% | Sacred knowledge, objects and rituals were first obtained by humans from the inhabitants of the underwater world. |
| L9A | 93.09% | The character's leg is crippled (intentionally or accidentally) or originally pointed. He uses the pointed bone for hunting, fishing or killing people. |
| F44 | 92.81% | In the community of the first ancestors, women and men quarrel, leave, kill, maim each other, etc. |
| M73 | 92.74% | Two characters compare their excrement or vomit to learn about each other's diet and decide which of them is the more powerful beast. One of them manages to replace the selections. (Traditions in which vomiting is substituted are greasy). |
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
8 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 8 traditions: Nootka (Nu-chah-nulth), Makah, Twana (Skokomish), Lower Chehalis, Upper Chehalis, (Lower) Cowlitz, Warao, Trio, Locono, Shipibo, Conibo, Setebo, Caraja
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How to cite: Fielder-White, J. (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
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