Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

F73 — Imaginary wound.

75 Myths, legends and folktales

75 Unique narratives for motif F73

58 Cultures & traditions where F73 is told

2 Sub-motifs of motif F73

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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 character mistakes the vulva or anus for a wound. See motifs F73A, F73B. (In the traditions of South and Central America, it is impossible to distinguish local variants from European borrowings).

Berezkin category: Gender and sex

F73 has 2 other sub-motifs

F73.  The character mistakes the vulva or anus for a wound. See motifs F73A, F73B. (In the traditions of South and Central America, it is impossible to distinguish local variants from European borrowings).
F73a.  The vulva is an unhealed wound on the body of the first women, or the first humans did not copulate because they thought that the vulva was a wound.
F73b.  The bear (wolf, lion, dragon) believes that the vulva is a wound inflicted on a human being.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of F73’s motifs

No dispersal data found for motif 'f73'.

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny

Motif	Similarity	Motif summary
A1	0.00%	Another sun — less powerful or less favourable to humans — existed before the appearance of the current one.
A10	0.00%	The sun gets its sparkling eyes (eye) from an animal.
A11A	0.00%	The visible sun or moon are their eyes; if the eyes of the luminaries were not damaged, it would be much brighter and hotter.
A11B	0.00%	The sun or moon has one eye (usually the second eye is knocked out or sucked out, but sometimes the reason is not explained; among the Munduruku, the sun of the rainy season has lost both eyes, while the sun of the dry season has retained both). See motif 11A.
A11C	0.00%	The Sun and Moon kill a monster whose eyes shine differently. At first, the Moon takes the brighter eye, but then swaps with the Sun.
A12	0.00%	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.
A12A	0.00%	During an eclipse or under other circumstances, predators attack the luminaries: wolves, bears, jaguars, pumas, dogs, foxes, raccoons. See motif A12.
A12B	0.00%	During an eclipse or at sunset (marked *), the luminaries are swallowed by a toad or frog.
A12C	0.00%	Eclipses of the sun, moon or their setting (marked*) are caused by a snake, lizard, dragon, fish or crocodile; these creatures attack the luminaries now or attacked them at the beginning of time. See motif A12.
A12D	0.00%	Birds attack the sun or moon during an eclipse (covering them with their wings) or (*) cover the sun during sunrise or sunset. See motif A12.

See the 100 most similar distributions →

Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

58 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 58 traditions: Bilin (Blin, Bilen), Efe Pygmies, Kango (Mbuti) Pygmies, Nyamwesi, Sumbwa, Luba (Baluba, Luba-Katanga, Shaba), (Ba)Holoholo, Tumbwe, Bena-Piana, Tabwa, Benabena-Mitumba, Zela, Bene-Marungu, Kete, Luba-Kasai, Bena (Bene) Lulua; (Bena-)Kanioka, Tiv, Bamum (Bamun), Mungaka (Mgaka, Bali), Beba, Anaguta, Bete (Mbete, Karang), Ekoi, Nyang, Vute (Wute), Jukun, Chamba, Bamileke, Kwotto, Kirri; Denya (Nyang), Khoekhoe (=Hottentot; incl Nama, Korana); Damara, Melanesians and Papuans of Northern Solomons: Buka, Bougainville (Siuai, Buin), Yap, Truk, Eastern Fayu, Losap, Pulap, Puluwat, Mortlock (incl. Satawan), Marshall Islands, incl Ailinglapalap, Arno, Jaluit, Kili, Lae, Maloelap, Majuro, Ratak, Wotho, Ujae, Jaluit (=Jalooj), Namdrik, Mindanao and Sulu: Blaan (Bilaan), Bagobo, Bukidnon, Cotabato, Hiligáynon, Binukid, Magindaan (=Magindanao: main Muslim population), Mandaya, Mansaka, Manobo (Agusan, Ata, Dibabawon, Sarangani, Ilianen), Maranao, Samal, Subanon (=Subanun), Subanen, Tboli, Khmu (Kammu), Puoc, Gondi (mostly Northern Gondi), Kannada, Lingayat, Halakki, Burusho (Hunza), Spain, Spaniards, Portuguese, Portugal, France, Germans: North (Low- and Central German dialects): Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg, Pommern, Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony, incl East Frisia and Oldenburg), Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Thüringen, Saxony-Anhalt, Sachsen, Brandenburg, Rügen, Poles, Hungarians, Serbs, Monte Negro, Balkarians, Livonians, Estonians, Setu, Finns, Vepsians, Western Sami, Eastern Sami (including Skolts), Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, Danish, Western Ukrainians, Byelarusians, Belarusians, Nenets, Nganasans, Tungus (Evenki): Baikal region, Evenks, Tungus (Evenki) of China (Solon, Birar, Oroqen, Manegir), Evenks, Tungus (Evenki): Russian Far East, Evenks, Chuvans, Russian-speaking Creols of Markovo, Chukchi, Eastern Swamy Cree, Sauk (Sak, Mesquakie), Fox, Kickapoo, Blackfoot, Plains Cree, Assiniboine, Crow, Lkungen (Straits; including Samish, Songish, Sooke, Lummi), Klallam, Kutenai, Tzotzil, Chorti, Yucatec, Itza, Amahuaca, Cashinahua, Sharanahua, Yaminahua, Yawanahua, Capanahua), Tacana, Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Russian Federation

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How to cite: Fielder-White, J. (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com

0009-0006-1672-4451
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