Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
H36J — The lark betrays man.
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 lark is to blame for the fact that man is mortal.
Berezkin category: Paradise Lost
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 4, Origin of death, diseases and hard life.
H36 has 17 other sub-motifs
RelatedH36. A character is sent to deliver instructions or certain items. The messenger distorts the message, brings the wrong items, loses what he is carrying, delays (and is overtaken by another messenger). This has important consequences for him and for the future lives of the people.
H36a. The character distorts the message conveyed to him, deliberately lies, brings the wrong thing, loses what he is carrying, delays (and is overtaken by another messenger). As a result, people become mortal (they do not revive after death).
H36aa. The messenger must tell people what they should do if they want to avoid death, but he distorts the instructions and people become mortal. In Mesoamerican variants, it is not about people in general, but about a specific character.
H36b. The chameleon is to blame for the fact that man is mortal or that he must labour; he loses the trust placed in him by the deity. See motif H36.
H36c. The lizard is to blame for the fact that man is mortal. See motif H36.
H36d. The hare distorts God's command and/or is responsible for the fact that humans are mortal. See motif H36.
H36e. The rat is to blame for the fact that man is mortal.
H36f. The raven is sent to deliver an important item or message. He distorts the message or loses what has been entrusted to him.
H36ff. The raven (crow) or other large bird of prey tries to kill people and/or is responsible for the fact that humans (tigres: domestic animals) are mortal or susceptible to disease.
H36g. God sends a messenger to the people to tell them to eat infrequently (once a day, once every three days, etc.). The messenger says that one should eat often â at least two or three times a day.
H36g1. When a bull (ox, cow) is ordered to convey certain instructions to people, he confuses them or deliberately distorts them.
H36g2. When a character, who later became a dung beetle, was ordered to convey certain instructions to people, he distorted them.
H36gg. The coyote is to blame for the fact that humans are mortal.
H36h. Creatures, including a frog or toad, must cross an obstacle. This does not go as planned and results in humans becoming mortal.
H36hh. The frog or toad is to blame for the fact that humans are mortal.
H36i. The goat or sheep is to blame for the fact that man is mortal. See motif H36.
H36j. The lark is to blame for the fact that man is mortal.
h36k. Trees try to prevent humans from appearing on earth, fearing that they will cut them down.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| A42A | 98.39% | Having risen into the sky, the character unsuccessfully performs the role of the sun and as a result falls or is thrown down to earth. |
| B91A | 98.06% | A blind character asks another to lend him his eyes or to swap eyes, keeping his own eyes. |
| M29Y | 97.42% | See the motives in square brackets. |
| B92 | 96.90% | A character whose body is hard and has broken into small pieces, or (rarely) a small object, turns into flint or other hard stones (the origin of flint). |
| K23A | 96.90% | Birds use their feathers as arrows, or falling feathers cover the mouths of their victims. |
| I49 | 96.67% | Earthquake â an anthropomorphic character (or category of characters) that moves around, shaking the earth. |
| F60 | 96.33% | A girl or woman falls ill. A character comes to heal her. The treatment consists of him copulating with her or attempting to do so. |
| A32C1 | 96.22% | The figure or imprint of a predatory mammal (fox, wolf, dog, coyote, jaguar, lion) is visible on the lunar disc. Either this animal is associated with the moon, belongs to it. See motif A34. |
| K50 | 95.74% | A man approaches the enemy disguised as a woman and kills him at night (usually cutting off his head and taking it with him). |
| L50 | 95.32% | The character kills travellers passing by. Usually, he does not attack them unexpectedly, but distracts their attention first. Often, he pushes his victims down somewhere. |
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
7 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 7 traditions: Lithuanians, Southern and Central; Ryukyu Islands: Yaeyama, Miyako, Okinawa, Pomo, Maidu, Nisenan, Konkov, Sierra Miwok, Lake Miwok, Plains Miwok, Coastal Miwok
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