Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
F39 — Women's time.
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
OverviewIn the past or in distant lands, women dominated men, were the active party in marital relations, and engaged in male activities. Men engaged in female activities. Later, the situation changed. Either women missed the opportunity to gain superiority. See motif F38.
Berezkin category: Gender and sex
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 5, Origin of human beings, ethnic groups, etiology of human anatomy, strange body configuration, ways of behavior, marriages before the establishment of the present norms.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| I3 | 94.51% | Lightning (and thunder) is produced by an object (sword, arrow, whip, mirror, etc.) in the hands of a character; lightning is an object. |
| M29K1 | 93.59% | A turtle (toad, frog) gets into unpleasant situations due to its own stupidity or carelessness. See the motives in square brackets. The character is named if it is a toad or frog; otherwise, a turtle. |
| H24 | 92.95% | A vessel or other small container with valuables or living beings (creatures) is opened (prematurely). Its contents get out of control or disappear. |
| J7 | 91.78% | A woman or girl sets off to her husband (beloved) or relatives, or a man sets off to find a bride. She or he loses their way after a certain character substitutes the signs indicating the way. See motif J12. |
| M21 | 91.76% | The character runs away from his pursuer. The person, animal or object that the character asks for help hides him (and kills the pursuer). |
| A3 | 91.61% | The Moon is female or hermaphroditic, the Sun is male or, possibly, male. |
| K17 | 91.39% | A male character in the form of a winged creature approaches a girl and either magically or unnoticed by her impregnates her. See motif K16: taking the form of an animal or bird, he enters the girl's house. |
| B2E | 91.19% | The Earth or the world as a whole is a male character (alone or alongside a female character). |
| J26 | 91.13% | The character or that from which he arises is found in a river, lake, sea, or on the riverbank. The future hero emerges from the body of water into which he was thrown. |
| A14 | 90.82% | The meeting of the sun and the moon is the cause of eclipses or lunar phases. |
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
56 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 56 traditions: Kabylia and other Berber of Northern and Central Algeria: Beni Snous, Beni Menacer (incl Zuav), Shaui, etc.), Algeria Arabs, Somali, Oromo (Galla), Konso, Sidamo, Darasa, Bussa (Bassa), Kambata, Guji, Kikuyu, Chuka, Embu, Emberre, Mwimbe, Bushoong: (Ba)kuba, Dengese, Ngongo; Yansi, Dogon, Hadza, 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, Khmer, Sora (Savara, Saora), Parenga, Miao (Hmong) and Yao of Southern China, France, Czech, Czechs, Bulgarians, Balkarians, Romanians, Moldavians, Aromanians, Moldovans, Lithuanians, Western Ukrainians, Byelarusians, Belarusians, Ossetians, Avar, Andi, Akhvakh, Nogai, Armenians, Kazakh, Turkmen, Komi (Zyrians and Permyaks), Buryats: Western (cis Baikal), Tofa (Karagas), Nganasans, Japanese folklore outside of Ryukyu, Kwakiutl (Kwakwaka'wakw), Karok, Yurok, Yana, Kawaiisu, Zapotec, Chatino, Guajiro, Aguaruna, Huambiza, Maue (Mawe), Northern Peru: Sierra (Kechua-speaking communities, Cajamarca, Ancash, Huanuco and San Martin departments; Chavin pre-Columbian iconography; Spanish sources of XVI-XVII centuries), Mehinaku, Waura, Yaulapiti, Rikbaktsa, Caraja, Shavante, Mapuche, Selknam, Yamana (Yaghan), Alacaluf, Central Tibetans (Yu Tsang, incl. Sikkim Tibetans, Tichurong of NW Nepal), Senufo, Northeastern Yakuts (Sakha): Yana, Indigirka and Kolyma Basins, Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Buryats: Eastern (trans Baikal), i.e. Khori, Bosnians, China, Russian Federation
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