Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
I50C — Sharabha (animal with legs on its back).
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
OverviewDescribes a hoofed animal with a second set of legs on its back that runs either normally or upside down. This makes it tireless.
Berezkin category: Supernatural objects, objects and creatures
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 8, Queer and monstrous beings, creatures, objects and loci, folk beliefs related to particular phenomena and objects.
I50 has 4 other sub-motifs
RelatedI50. Describes or depicts a hoofed animal with six or more legs.
I50a. A demon sequentially tears off the legs of an animal that helps the hero (usually the horse on which the hero rides).
i50a1. The character sequentially tears off the dog's legs, but the dog continues to do what it considers necessary.
I50b. Describes or depicts a predatory animal with six or more legs.
I50c. Describes a hoofed animal with a second set of legs on its back that runs either normally or upside down. This makes it tireless.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| C31C | 100.00% | The bat turns out to be smarter and wiser than other living creatures. |
| L90B | 100.00% | One tooth (fang) of the creature touches the sky, the other reaches the earth or the underworld. |
| M195B | 100.00% | A person sticks a needle (thread, stick) into the ear of two or three dolls (skulls). In different dolls or skulls, the object comes out of different holes (or does not go inside at all, remains inside, etc.). This refers to people who react differently to what they hear (inattentive, talkative, wise). |
| M23A | 100.00% | The turtle says that before eating it, it must be properly soaked in water, but once in the water, it swims away. |
| M188 | 99.83% | The character is honoured after accidentally acquiring an unusual appearance â getting paint on himself or attaching an object to himself that he cannot remove. |
| K27Z2D | 99.59% | A conflict arises between a pair of birds (sparrows, pigeons, etc.), in which the male is more likely (and more often clearly) to be at fault. This episode serves as the starting point for a story about the relationships between people of noble origin. |
| M114B2 | 99.39% | A man (an authoritative character) asks a girl (a subordinate) a question about the number of routine actions she has performed (or small items she has), which no one counts. She asks a counter-question about the number of similar actions performed by the questioner. |
| K116C | 99.31% | In order to take possession of the girl, the priest arranges for her father to agree to place her in a chest (barrel) and lower it into the river (leave it in a deserted area). |
| M60A2 | 99.12% | The servant must lick the master or mistress's feet or wound. The hero comes disguised as a servant and instead of licking his heels, touches them with the animal's cut off tongue. |
| M83C | 99.00% | Animals argue who of them gets drunk easier. The last one falls down because he becomes drunk as soon as somebody talks about alcohol |
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
4 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 4 traditions: Indian literary tradition (Vedic, Brahman, Purana, Indian Buddhism, Hinduism, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Panchtantra, Jatakas); iconography of Hindu temples, Bashkirs, Chukchi, Central Yupik
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