Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

I115 — Orion and the Pleiades.

85 Myths, legends and folktales

85 Unique narratives for motif I115

61 Cultures & traditions where I115 is told

2 Sub-motifs of motif I115

Please log on to view the narratives.

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

Orion and the Pleiades appear in the same story.

Berezkin category: Supernatural objects, objects and creatures

I11 has 2 other sub-motifs

I11.  The turtle (toad, frog) serves as a support (embodiment) of the earth (sky), or the supports of the sky are made from its body.
I11a.  Describes how, in the process of creation, the earth is placed on the back of a turtle or frog, which becomes its support.
I11b.  The pillars of the sky are made from the legs of a four-legged animal (usually a turtle).

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of I11’s motifs

No dispersal data found for motif 'i115'.

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

Drag the map to pan, use the scroll wheel to zoom — choose a texture or projection below

🌐 Open as Airocean (Dymaxion) map ↗

Traditions

61 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 61 traditions: Old and New Testament, Banda, Gbaya (Baya), Manja, Ngbandi, Mbum (incl Mbaye), Fali; Mündü, Geez, Tigrai, Tigre, Masai, Ganda, (Ba)Nyoro, Nyankole, Masaba (Gisu), Luia (=Luyia, Haya, Luhya, Bantu Kawirondo; incl. Vugusu, Maragoli), Kete, Luba-Kasai, Bena (Bene) Lulua; (Bena-)Kanioka, Boa, Komo, (Ba)Nyanga, Mbole, Tuareg, Bia: Anyi, Agni, Baule, Nsema, Temne (Timne), Khoekhoe (=Hottentot; incl Nama, Korana); Damara, Sandawe, Southeast Australia: Kamilaroi, Yualarai (Ualarai, Euahlayi), Milpulo (Mailpurgu), Wuradjeri (Wiradjurim, Wiradjeri, Wurundjeri, Yarra, Yarra Yarra), Wongaibon (Wonghibon), Noongahburrah (Narran, Narran River), Kurnai, and many others (see file 0.doc), Western Australia: Walmanjeri, Njolnjol (Njulnjul, Nyul-Nyul), Worora, Kariara (Karierra), Karadjari (Karadjeri, Garadjari), Djaberdjaber (Djaberadjabera), Ngarluma, Wiilman (Wheelman), Bibbulmum (Pebelman), Burong (Panaka), Central Australia: Kaitish, Warramunga, Arunta (Aranda), Loritja (Kukatja), Pijandjara (Pitjantjara), Adnjamatana (Andjamathana, Wailpi), Aluridja, Walpiri (Walbiri), Aluridja, Matuntara (Maduntara), Nambutji, Wamma (=Wommana?), Trans-New Guinea and unclassified Papuan groups of Irian Jaya: Mejprat, Arandai-Bintuni, Inanwatan-Berau, Papua of Gelvink (Cenderawasih) Bay, Kamoró, Marind Anim, Sawi, Mafore; Korowai; Kwerba; Momina, Eipo, Yale, Awyu, Torricelli family: Valman, Samap, Arapesh (Upper, Coastal), Monumbo, Lilau, Ngaimbom; Moando (Banara); Menya, Olo, Rotuma, Toraja (Toradja), To Mori, Baree (=Eastern Toraja), Batak (Toba, Dairi), Mentawai, Karen, Pa-O, Padaung, Kayah, SW Arunachal Pradesh: Sherdukpen, Tawang (Monpas), Aka (Hrusso), Miji, Bengali, France, Slovenians, Slovenes, Ancient Greece, Western Sami, Eastern Sami (including Skolts), Mari (Cheremis), Eastern Khanty (Ostyaks), Ainu, Negidal, Reindeer Koryak, Maritime Koryak (Alyutor), Chukchi, Polar Inuit, Osage, Carrier, Lkungen (Straits; including Samish, Songish, Sooke, Lummi), Klallam, Comox, Pentlatch, Yana, Yokuts, Navajo, Zuni, Western Keres (Acoma, Laguna), Eastern Keres (Cochiti, Sia, San Felipe, Santo Domingo, Santa Ana, Paguate, Seama), Tewa (San Juan, Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Tesuque, Nambe; Hano), Tiwa (Taos, Picuris; Sandia, Isleta), Towa (Jemez), Guajiro, Makiritare (Yecuana), Panare (Eñape), Akawai, Guiana Kariña, Kaliña, Galibi, Siona, Secoya, Coreguaje, Ashaninca (Campa), Shipibo, Conibo, Setebo, Mehinaku, Waura, Yaulapiti, Paresi, Toba (incl Pilagá), Central Tibetans (Yu Tsang, incl. Sikkim Tibetans, Tichurong of NW Nepal), Itelmen

Please log on to view the narratives.

If you wish to get access to data for projects and research, then please contact us, we do our best to help

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

0009-0006-1672-4451
Where applicable, users should also cite the relevant original sources, catalogues, and classification systems, including Berezkin, ATU, Thompson, and other cited authorities, alongside the page accessed and the last time accessed.

Editorial annotations and database enhancements © Jonathan Fielder-White licensed under CC BY 4.0. Berezkin-derived narrative and metadata licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Full rights information can be found here.
All rights are reserved in the database structure, selection, arrangement, metadata, classifications, software, interface design, and original editorial content.

Important: The Folklore Database expressly reserves all rights in relation to text and data mining, automated extraction, scraping, machine learning, dataset creation, and the training, development, validation, or improvement of artificial intelligence technologies or systems. No part of this website or database may be scraped, copied, reproduced, harvested, downloaded in bulk, or otherwise used for AI training or commercial data extraction without prior written permission.

Designed and Developed by Jon Fielder-White.
© 2024–2026 Crecganford / Jonathan Fielder-White. All rights reserved.