Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
E31A1 — Who will be the husband of the created girl? ATU 653C.
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
OverviewThree (rarely four or two) men participate in the creation of the girl: one carves the figure out of wood, another dresses her, and the third brings her to life. To whom should the animated girl belong?
Berezkin category: The origins of people and culture
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 11, Tricks and competitions won thanks to deception, absurd and obscene behavior.
E31 has 5 other sub-motifs
RelatedE31. A man makes a wooden doll and behaves as if it were alive. It does not come to life, or comes to life only partially or temporarily. A real woman replaces the figure and marries the carver.
E31a. Several men (women) participate in the rescue, creation or revival of a girl (man), or mourn her (his) death. The question arises as to whom the revived person should belong to or who contributed more to the revival. Alternatively, three men create something valuable, each contributing their part. The question arises as to whose contribution is more important.
E31a1. Three (rarely four or two) men participate in the creation of the girl: one carves the figure out of wood, another dresses her, and the third brings her to life. To whom should the animated girl belong?
E31a2. The girl must be given to one of several men. She herself or someone else explains that one of the suitors can be called her father, another her brother (etc.), and only one can be her husband.
E31b. Several women participate in reviving a dead man and argue about who did more to revive him.
E31c. Several men, each possessing a unique skill, bring a (kidnapped) girl from a distant country.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| L15F | 99.11% | A young woman or man dies as soon as her or his jewellery (rarely: organ) is stolen, and comes back to life when the jewellery is returned or when the antagonist removes it. |
| K117A | 98.84% | A girl who is constantly silent is promised to the one who can make her speak; or a husband struggles to make his magical wife speak. |
| M39A6C | 98.45% | The poor girl agrees to marry the prince only if he learns a craft. The prince fulfills the condition, then falls into the hands of enemies. He promises to make them an expensive item, let them sell it. His wife or (father, vizier) learns the job, the prisoner is released, the attackers are executed. |
| I82I | 98.02% | The name of the object in the night sky (usually Venus) sounds like Zukhra, Zahra, Zura, etc. |
| I35A | 97.73% | Thunder is produced by an old woman in the sky. |
| K60C | 97.43% | The stubborn wife of a worthy man goes on a date with a demon or a servant. He beats her, but she patiently endures her lover's beatings. |
| M157C | 97.38% | To put a character in an awkward position, others present him with chicken eggs that they have prepared in advance, which the character does not have. (Usually, he crows and says that there are hens around him and only he is a rooster). |
| L37A1 | 97.32% | A man sets out to discover the reason for his misfortunes. Others also convey their questions to him. God (fate) replies that a predator (wolf, lion, bear) must eat the fool, and in order to help the others, one must dig up treasure, marry the queen, etc. The man refuses to marry, take the gold, etc., because he has not received direct instructions to do so. The predator decides that he will not find anyone more foolish. |
| M114C | 96.56% | The character is puzzled as to how the other person's clothes (firewood, etc.) remained dry after the rain â the other person covered them with their body (hid them in a vessel, waited out the rain in a shelter). |
| K129A | 96.56% | A young woman (lying in a tomb) comes back to life, then appears dead again, but is ultimately freed from the spell. |
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
51 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 51 traditions: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Arabs of Levant (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan); Bedouins of Sinai, Arabs of Iraq, Iraqi, Arabs of Egypt, Berbers of Morocco and adjacent parts of Algeria, Kabylia and other Berber of Northern and Central Algeria: Beni Snous, Beni Menacer (incl Zuav), Shaui, etc.), Algeria Arabs, Malagasy, Arabs of Sudan, Sudanese, Swahili, Midjikenda (incl Giryama), Nyika, Duruma; Ngindo, Kiluguru and other Islamic groups of the Eastern Coast of Africa, Karen, Pa-O, Padaung, Kayah, Khmer, Viet, Muong, Northern Munda of Kharwar branch: Birhor, Ho, Mundari, Kol, Asur (including Agaria, Kol, Birjhia), Bhumij, Oraon (Kurukh), Kannada, Lingayat, Halakki, Rajasthani (Radjasthan and Madhya Pradesh), Greeks (modern), Balkarians, Uzbek, Rushani, Shughni, Khufi, Bartangi, Yazgulami, Tajik, Baluch, Persians, Cherkassians, Adyghe, Kabardin, Abkhaz, Abkhazians, Kumyk, Terekemen, Nogai, Georgians, Armenians, Kalmyk, Anatolia Turks, Azeris (Azerbaijanis), Kurds, Talysh, Kirghiz, Uyghur, Turkmen, Buryats: Western (cis Baikal), Tuvinians of Tuva, Tuvans, Arabs (literary tradition; incl. One Thousand and One Nights), Luri, Bakhtiari, Arabs of Kuwait, Bahrein, Qatar, Emirates, Oman,, Buryats: Eastern (trans Baikal), i.e. Khori, Tunisia, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
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