Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
J10 — Wasp sting.
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
OverviewA woman loses her way after being stung by a wasp (or bee, ant, snake). She slaps her stomach (either to kill the insect or to punish her unborn sons, because of whom she went to pick a flower and was stung; see motif J11). The offended sons fall silent, ceasing to show the way. See motif J9.
Berezkin category: Avenger heroes: The amerinday cycle
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 10, Adventures.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| B28A | 100.00% | A character pinned to the ground by a rod, transported somewhere to the edge of the world and associated with an object that continues to influence people. |
| B32 | 100.00% | As a result of conflict with their husbands, women turn into fish. |
| J11 | 99.99% | The son in his mother's womb asks her to pick flowers or fruit for him (usually when a woman picks flowers, she is bitten by an insect). See motif J9. |
| C37 | 99.95% | The sloth causes a global catastrophe or saves people from it. |
| K27H | 99.95% | The hero must carve an image of the character's head, which he never shows. It usually adorns a wooden bench. |
| I63 | 99.90% | The Milky Way is the tapir's trail; the tapir can be seen on the Milky Way. |
| I5A | 99.89% | The tapir is associated with the upper world (thunder, sky, moon). |
| K13D | 99.89% | A group of boys reaches the sky, the last one's leg is cut off or torn off. |
| K19F | 99.89% | A star or many stars descend from the sky to work in the fields. See motif K19B. |
| M139 | 99.89% | The fox caught the birds and put them in a bag. Another character secretly replaced them with thorns. |
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
13 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 13 traditions: Warao, Trio, Locono, Wayapi, Emerillon, Napo (Quijo), Kanelo (“Jungle Kechua”), Zaparo, Yagua, Urubu (Urubu-Kaapor), Tenetehara, Piro (Yine), Chacobo, Caraja, Guarani of Paraguay and Brazil: Caygua, Mbia, Apapocuva, Nyandewa, Chiripa
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How to cite: Fielder-White, J. (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
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