Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

I98C — Pleiades – a flock of birds.

13 Myths, legends and folktales

13 Unique narratives for motif I98C

10 Cultures & traditions where I98C is told

2 Sub-motifs of motif I98C

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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 Pleiades - a flock of (flying) birds.

Berezkin category: Supernatural objects, objects and creatures

I98 has 2 other sub-motifs

I98a.  The Pleiades (in Tajikistan – Giady) – hen, brooding hen with chicks, chicks, rarely – rooster.
I98b.  The Pleiades – ducks, nest or wild duck egg.
I98C.  The Pleiades - a flock of (flying) birds.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of I98’s motifs

No dispersal data found for motif 'i98c'.

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

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Traditions

10 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 10 traditions: Yoruba; incl Ife), Nupe, Bini (Edo), Engenni, Chamba, Dakka, Kukuruku, Dan (=Gio), Guro (=Kweni, incl Gagu, Neio), Toura, Mano, Ngere, Beng, Guro , 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), Timor: Amarasi, Tetum, Meto, Atoni (incl Mollo), Kedang (Lomblen island), Leti Islands (Leti, Moa, Lakor), Batak (Toba, Dairi), Bondo, Didayi (Gata'), Gutob (=Gadaba; cf Dravidian-speaking Gadaba), Ancient Greece, Mordvins, Mende, Loma, Gbunde (Gbandi, Bandi), Kolam

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