Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
I4E — Thunder riding on a cloud.
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
OverviewAn anthropomorphic deity (associated with thunder and rain) rides on a cloud or a cloud.
Berezkin category: Supernatural objects, objects and creatures
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 3, Cosmogony, the earth and the sky, etiology of the elements, natural and biological phenomena (fire, water, soil, thunderstorms, dream, etc.), cataclysms and cosmic threats, spirits of nature.
I4 has 7 other sub-motifs
RelatedI4. When a vehicle moves across the sky, thunder rumbles.
I4a. Thunder falls to earth and cannot rise. Usually, a person helps it return to the sky.
I4b. A person helps thunder defeat the enemy.
I4c. The enemy of the thunderer temporarily defeats and captures him.
I4d. An enemy steals a weapon (usually a musical instrument) used by the thunder god to summon a storm. The thunder god or his assistant comes unrecognised to the thief, takes possession of his weapon and kills his enemies.
I4d1. An enemy steals the tendons (heart and eyes) of a thunder god, who returns them and prevails over his enemy. Cf. motif L57A, "The hero's companion returns his organ."
I4e. An anthropomorphic deity (associated with thunder and rain) rides on a cloud or a cloud.
I4F. The hero and his opponent engage in single combat and are still fighting in the sky. This is thunder.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| K27Z9 | 98.07% | (Dried) fish (water, satyr, etc.) laughs, smiles or spits. The reason is that there is a man dressed as a woman in the house. |
| K158 | 96.68% | In order to find her missing husband (and other men who helped her or caused her harm), a woman displays her image and calls to her those who, by their behaviour, show that they are familiar with the features in the portrait. |
| M195 | 93.38% | The character must guess which of the two horses or cows is older. He does this by knowing the behavioural characteristics of these animals. |
| M39E | 92.99% | When reviewing the dispute, the judge asks about the secondary circumstances of the case. The offender is exposed by showing that he knows (or, on the contrary, does not know) about them. |
| M39A5 | 92.96% | fool led the goats to the fruit tree and killed them because they ate the fruit he had thrown. |
| K154A | 92.60% | By solving a riddle, a boy or young man (rarely a girl) exposes the daughter, wife or assistants of an authoritative character: the daughter or wife has a lover; the assistant is plotting a conspiracy. |
| M157C | 92.09% | To put a character in an awkward position, others present him with chicken eggs that they have prepared in advance, which the character does not have. (Usually, he crows and says that there are hens around him and only he is a rooster). |
| M171C | 91.82% | At the request of a character, another character removes a thorn from his body (cuts off the tip of his tail, etc.). The thorn (tip of the tail) disappears, or when it is removed, the character is wounded. As a result, he receives something more valuable than what he has lost. |
| K561 | 91.63% | A poor man brings his master a chicken (goose, etc.) as a present. The master asks him to divide the bird appropriately among the members of his household. The poor man does it considering the symbolic meaning of particular parts (gives the master the head, his daughters the wings, etc.) and receives rich compensation. A neighbor brings the master five chickens but is unable to divide them approppriately. The first man does it again. |
| J25A1 | 91.29% | A woman dies, but remains incorrupt and gives birth to a child in the grave. He is found and brings his mother back to life. |
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: Old and New Testament, Ugarit, Phoenicia, Indian literary tradition (Vedic, Brahman, Purana, Indian Buddhism, Hinduism, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Panchtantra, Jatakas); iconography of Hindu temples, Spain, Spaniards, Persians, Southern Altai: Altai proper (Altai-Kiji), Telengit, Altaians, Northern Altai: Chelkan, Kumanda, Tubalar, Altaians
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