Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
F86A — The pet is eaten.
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 character cares for a fish, crab or other creature. Others watch the character, kill and eat his pet, or try to do so.
Berezkin category: Gender and sex
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 10, Adventures.
F86 has 1 other sub-motifs
RelatedF86. A character calls another character of non-human nature (a mate or ward) with a conventional signal; the other character sees this, makes the same signal or utters the same words, takes on the appearance of the character they have come to replace, kills those who come out to meet them, or makes use of their sexual services.
F86a. The character cares for a fish, crab or other creature. Others watch the character, kill and eat his pet, or try to do so.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| C8C | 99.06% | After a global catastrophe, at the beginning of time or when settling a new land, a woman and her son give birth to humans. |
| K29B | 97.32% | The hero is asked to climb (or is thrown) into a pit, which is immediately filled with earth or into which a pole or stones are lowered, K959,6 (Posthole murder). The hero proves his magical abilities by climbing out of the pit alive. |
| B1D | 96.90% | Two characters are building the world, one works poorly, the other well, so different parts of the universe (or a specific island) have different appearances. |
| F54D | 96.90% | A woman gives birth to a boy after accidentally drinking animal urine, or a female animal gives birth to a boy after drinking a man's urine. |
| M144 | 96.90% | One character manages to convince another that dangerous and inedible objects are attractive and delicious (a wasp's nest is a drum, a snake is a flute, dung is a delicacy, etc.). |
| I81A | 96.41% | The giant crab causes earthquakes or floods, closes or can close the water outlet. |
| L85B | 95.48% | A pregnant woman curses the Sun, Rain or another powerful character. Because of this, the child is born physically disabled. He possesses magical powers and usually acquires a normal body. |
| F54A | 94.34% | In her husband's appearance, the woman discovers signs that are not immediately noticeable, indicating that he has hidden his true nature from her and is not the right marriage partner (he is an animal, or her son, brother or father); or the husband discovers in the same way that his wife is his sister. |
| M3 | 94.20% | The character crosses a water or air barrier on the backs of chained animals, birds, or fish. |
| I81B | 94.12% | During high tide, a certain creature spews seawater or displaces it with its body, and during low tide, it swallows the water or makes room for it (or it is simply reported that the water is either spewed or recedes). |
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
16 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 16 traditions: Malagasy, Central Vanuatu: Espiritu Santo, Araki, Aore, Maewo, Malekula, Vao, Efate (Vate), Nguna, Mae, Ambrim, Pentecost, Oba (=Aoba, East Ambae, Lepers'), Omba, Ontong Java, Nukumanu, Takuu, Nukuria, Tuvalu (Ellice), Marshall Islands, incl Ailinglapalap, Arno, Jaluit, Kili, Lae, Maloelap, Majuro, Ratak, Wotho, Ujae, Jaluit (=Jalooj), Namdrik, Toraja (Toradja), To Mori, Baree (=Eastern Toraja), Ami, Yami, Karen, Pa-O, Padaung, Kayah, Early Chinese written sources, Manchu, Choco: Embera, Nonama (Waunana), XVI century Dabaiba, pre-Columbian iconography of Sinu, Guajiro, Mehinaku, Waura, Yaulapiti, Tokelau, Vietnam
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