Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
I25B — Wiping the stove with hair.
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
OverviewThis refers to women who work without the simplest tools, using parts of their bodies instead.
Berezkin category: Supernatural objects, objects and creatures
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 10, Adventures.
I25 has 5 other sub-motifs
RelatedI25. The path to the house or the entrance to the character's house is guarded by dangerous creatures. The hero appeases them with gifts or words, they let him pass back and forth, sometimes punished for this by the owner.
I25a. The character gives herbivorous animals food intended for carnivores, and carnivores food intended for herbivores; the character sees that the animals have food that is inedible for them and corrects the situation.
I25b. This refers to women who work without the simplest tools, using parts of their bodies instead.
I25b1. This refers to women who pull buckets of water out of a well using their own hair instead of a rope.
I25C. On the way to their goal, the character expresses imaginary pleasure when encountering repulsive and dangerous objects and creatures, thereby ensuring their loyalty (on the way back).
I25D. On the way to a dangerous character, a person greases the gate (door hinges) with grease or oil. On the way back, the grateful gate refuses to hold him back.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| B33F2 | 99.71% | At night, the fire goes out. The young man goes to look for fire and on the way ties up an old woman or an old man (usually a character responsible for the length of night and day). |
| M39A8 | 99.55% | A fool drags the door from the house with him (usually raises it to a tree and drops it, scaring the crowd under the tree). |
| M163A | 99.54% | A man sells a cat (rooster) to people who do not know about cats (or chickens). Having received a cat or rooster, people do not know what to feed them and fear that they will eat people. |
| K35C3 | 99.53% | For reasons that are not immediately clear, the ship stops in the middle of the sea (rarely: a horse stops in the middle of the road). |
| I22D | 99.52% | To obtain a miraculous life-giving (healing) remedy, one must penetrate the space behind the shifting rocks. |
| M39A4G | 99.52% | Fool sells property to the dogs and believes that they will pay him. Trying to get his money, he finds treasure |
| M29Z3 | 99.50% | The Gipsy (more often a female than a male) is an enemy overcome by the hero (heroine) or (rare) a weak failure |
| L131B | 99.49% | To make a bird or ladybird fly away, they are told that the place where their home and/or children are located is engulfed in fire. |
| N11 | 99.44% | The character wants to have a child or spouse who is as white and blush as snow (milk) and blood. |
| M136E | 99.40% | Instead of asking a person to bend down in front of a low lintel, others suggest cutting off his head or legs. |
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
10 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 10 traditions: Kafir, or Nuristani: Prasun; Kati (incl. Paruni), Ashkun (Ashunu), Waigali, France, Serbs, Monte Negro, Balkarians, Western Sami, Eastern Sami (including Skolts), Danes, Danish, Tajik, Armenians, Lkungen (Straits; including Samish, Songish, Sooke, Lummi), Klallam, Italians: Central (Toscana, Umbria, Marche, Lazio)
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