Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
F85 — The Moon: women against men.
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
OverviewThe moon/moon leads women in their confrontation with men or takes women away from men.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| B7C | 60.30% | Fresh water, which its sole owner hides in a vessel or pond, is scattered throughout the world. |
| I34 | 60.30% | It is necessary to approach a tree that is surrounded by fire, spews fire, throws sharp splinters, etc. |
| F41 | 53.84% | Ancestral men kill women who behave contrary to social norms. |
| G22 | 53.60% | The frog/toad is associated with humans acquiring cultivated plants. |
| G26 | 52.44% | After swallowing or hiding food in their mouth, the character brings it to earth (passes it on to people). |
| B75C | 52.22% | The sound of the surf or water on the rapids has been heard since the time of creation. |
| J48 | 51.03% | A character climbs up to the sky or descends from the sky to the ground on a rope. A parrot cuts the rope, and the character falls. |
| G12C | 50.25% | The fox or coyote ascends to the sky and, upon returning, spreads plants across the earth that previously only existed in the sky. |
| I54 | 49.73% | Inside a snake or other aquatic creature are aquatic animals or live fish; an aquatic monster gives birth to fish, is the master of fish; turns into many fish. |
| G7 | 49.09% | The first ancestors need to cut down a giant tree or (rarely) a rock. Their axes become blunt or break, and/or they obtain a special axe suitable for such work. If not otherwise: a tree with cultivated plants at the top, see motif G5A. |
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
6 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 6 traditions: Yana, Tepehua, Totonac, Guaymi, Bocota, Dorasque; XVI century data on Western Panama, Mapuche, Selknam, Yamana (Yaghan), Alacaluf
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How to cite: Fielder-White, J. (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
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