Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

I65 — Souls of the dead on the Milky Way.

172 Myths, legends and folktales

172 Unique narratives for motif I65

103 Cultures & traditions where I65 is told

0 Sub-motifs of motif I65

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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

The Milky Way is a path to another world, followed by the souls of the dead and/or shamans, or it is the path of a funeral procession.

Berezkin category: Supernatural objects, objects and creatures

This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 2, Moon spots, stars, constellations.

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny

Motif	Similarity	Motif summary
F63	94.01%	A male trickster transforms into a woman and gets married. In the end, he is exposed or runs away from his husband.
K35	92.33%	The deceiver pretends to be a hero in order to take his place (to possess his woman). (This motif includes all texts with motif K35a3).
A17	92.15%	Having travelled halfway across the sky or the underworld, the Sun stops to rest.
K22A	90.75%	Birds or other creatures that are harmless to ordinary people attack dwarves living in another world. See motif K22.
K22	89.27%	The inhabitants of a distant land, who differ from (ordinary) people, occasionally fight off enemies of a non-human nature who attack them.
K23	88.56%	Birds attack inhabitants of another world or a person who has entered another world. See motif K22.
E1B	88.51%	A character made of unsuitable material and turns out to be short-lived or poorly suited to performing his functions.
M81	88.43%	Wandering, the hero finds himself in a place where blind or blind (two or more) live.
M62A	88.19%	The hero quietly damages each of the two characters; they accuse each other, quarrel, fight.
L15B	87.29%	The character can only be killed with a specific plant, which is not usually used for making weapons.

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Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

103 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 103 traditions: Bari (incl Fajulu), Kakwa, Luba (Baluba, Luba-Katanga, Shaba), (Ba)Holoholo, Tumbwe, Bena-Piana, Tabwa, Benabena-Mitumba, Zela, Bene-Marungu, Congo (Koongo, Bacongo; incl Vili, Fioti, (Ma)Yombe, MuKunyi), Ndombo, Luango (Loango), Zombo (Sambo), Laadi (Laari), (Ba)Fioti, Woyo (Kiwoyo), Ronga, Akan, Ashanti, Akwapim; Ga (Accra), Kra, Twi (Chwi, Chi), Krache (Kraci); Ga; Adele, 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), Chin-Naga: Ao, Mao, Sema, Zeme, Kolren, Kom, Lhota, Rengma, Angami, Kabui, Tangkhul, Koirenf, Punjabi, Seraiki (Multani), Balahi; Lambadi (Banjaaa), Bhils (incl Barela-Bhilala), Wales, Portuguese, Portugal, Sicily, Sicilians, Ancient Italy: Latins, Etruscans, Magna Graecia, France, Germans: North (Low- and Central German dialects): Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg, Pommern, Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony, incl East Frisia and Oldenburg), Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Thüringen, Saxony-Anhalt, Sachsen, Brandenburg, Rügen, Poles, Hungarians, Bulgarians, Balkarians, Romanians, Moldavians, Aromanians, Moldovans, Ancient Greece, Finns, Scandinavians: early written sources ("Edda"; Saxo Grammaticus etc.); Gothland picture stones; Ancient Germans (Late Bronze Age in Scandinavia), Western Ukrainians, Tajik, Cherkassians, Adyghe, Kabardin, Armenians, Tahltan, Lenape (Delaware), Malecite, Passamaquoddy, Micmac, Wawenock, Abenaki, Penobscot, Western Ojibwa (Chippewa), Eastern Ojibwa (Missisauga, Timagami and other groups in eastern Ontario), Ottawa, Northern Ojibwa (=Severn Ojibwa, Sandy Lake Cree), Eastern Cree, Naskapi, Montagnais, Menominee, Huron (incl Wyandot), Five Nations Iroquois (Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga), Winnebago, Sarsee (Tsuu T'ina), Cheyenne, Teton (incl Oglala), Omaha, Ponca, Pawnee, Gros Ventre, Plains Cree, Plains Ojibwa, Shuswap, Thompson (Nlaka'pamux), Shasta; Chimariko, Karok, Hupa, Chilula, Klamath, Modoc, Yurok, Natchez (incl Avoyel), Creek, Seminole; Tuskegee; iconography of Kentucky Hopewell, Choctaw, Chicasaw, Catawba, Tutelo, Cherokee, Wappo, Pomo, Wintu, Patwin, Nomlaki, Maidu, Nisenan, Konkov, Atsugewi, Achomavi, Chumash, Owens Valley Paiute, Northern Paiute (=Paviotso), Northern Shoshone, Western Shoshone, Gosiute, Eastern Shoshone, Ute, Southern Paiute, Luiseño, Juaneño, Hopi, Quiche, Achí, Cakchiquel, Pocomchi, Pocomam, Yucatec, Itza, Lacandon, Paya (Pech), Sumu, Misquito, Choco: Embera, Nonama (Waunana), XVI century Dabaiba, pre-Columbian iconography of Sinu, Bari, Guajiro, Panare (Eñape), Wapishana (incl Ataroi); Mapidian; Taruma, Pemon: Arekuna (incl. Kamarakoto), Taulipang (Taurepan), Siona, Secoya, Coreguaje, Chayahuita , Yagua, Trumai, Caraja, Tapirape, Cayapo (incl. Kubenkranken, Pau d’Arco, Shikrin or Xikrin), Sanapana, Lengua (incl Angaite), Vilela, Galicians, Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Italians: Central (Toscana, Umbria, Marche, Lazio), Russian Federation

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