Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
J23C — The younger brother defeats the monster, ATU 312D.
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
OverviewPeople in general or older brothers (siblings, older sister) disappear one after another. A woman raises a boy from infancy or, left alone, miraculously conceives a son or finds a baby. He defeats the antagonists, usually reviving or freeing the missing ones.
Berezkin category: Avenger heroes: The amerinday cycle
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 10, Adventures.
J23 has 6 other sub-motifs
RelatedJ23. People in general or older brothers (siblings, older sister) disappear one after another. A woman raises a boy or twins from infancy. Sometimes, left alone, she miraculously conceives a son or finds a baby. He defeats the antagonists, usually reviving or freeing the missing ones.
J23a. A woman cries, and the discharge from her nose (her tears) turns into a boy, who grows up and defeats strong opponents.
J23b. To defeat the monster, the young man (twins) prepares spears in advance and leaves them along the supposed retreat route. Fleeing from the monster, the young man throws spears at it one after another and eventually kills it.
J23c. People in general or older brothers (siblings, older sister) disappear one after another. A woman raises a boy from infancy or, left alone, miraculously conceives a son or finds a baby. He defeats the antagonists, usually reviving or freeing the missing ones.
J23D. People in general or older brothers (siblings, older sister) disappear one after another. A woman raises two twins (or several children) from infancy. They defeat their antagonists, usually reviving or freeing those who have disappeared.
j23e. Wanting to make sure that the enemy is really dead, an insect or bird penetrates its body from one end and exits from the other.
j23f. Something inanimate incarnates in a human being to solve people's problems and then returns to its original state.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| M81C | 94.31% | A person goes to heaven or (rarely) to the lower world, where he meets blind people (one or two), usually makes them sighted, and returns to earth himself. |
| B1B | 94.28% | Two female progenitors participate in the process of creation. The actions of one bring good, the other evil. |
| J67 | 92.58% | At night, the character places light-coloured stones or shells over his eyes. Thinking that the character's eyes are open, the antagonist either does not dare to attack him or takes the stones away instead of gouging out his eyes. |
| J57 | 88.59% | Conceived by the Sun, a woman gives birth to sons or a son; when they come of age, they visit their father. See motif J56. |
| B16A | 88.39% | The sea is formed from urine or blood. |
| M81D | 88.39% | A person meets (most often in the sky) one or two blind people and restores their sight. |
| M29M | 87.71% | See the motives in square brackets. |
| F15 | 86.60% | The character sticks his plant-like penis out of the ground (provoking a woman to sit on it). |
| D13E | 85.28% | Hunters perish because they laughed at the killed (and revived) animal. |
| H12A | 85.28% | The wife dies, the husband comes for her, or he kills her himself for adultery; she turns into a monster and haunts him. |
See the 100 most similar distributions →
Map of motif dispersal
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Traditions
106 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 106 traditions: Arabs of Iraq, Iraqi, Arabs of Egypt, Kabylia and other Berber of Northern and Central Algeria: Beni Snous, Beni Menacer (incl Zuav), Shaui, etc.), Shilluk, Anuak, Kerewe, Sukuma, Kwaya, Kumbi, Busiba, Gusii, Suba, Nyatutu, Kiniramba, Isanzu, Fipa (Bafipa), Iramba, Bende, Chagga (Jagga; incl Wasu), Pare, Digo, Kikuyu, Chuka, Embu, Emberre, Mwimbe, Gogo, Kaguru, Luguru, Zigula, Taveta, Shambala (Sambala), Bondei, Taeta, Dabida; Zaramo, Tswana (Chwana), Suto (Soto; incl Pedi, Mbire), Mandingo (Manden, incl San, Samo), Kagoro, Bambara (Bamana), Malinke, Kassonke, Diula, Dan (=Gio), Guro (=Kweni, incl Gagu, Neio), Toura, Mano, Ngere, Beng, Guro , Melanesians of southeastern New Guinea: Mekeo, Motu, Sinagoro, Koita (Koitapu), Mukawa (Are), Wagawaga, Taupota, Awaiama, Gelaria, Goodenough Bay, Bartle Bay, Wedau (Wamira village), Santa Cruz Islands (incl Nguna, Reef Islands), Loyalty Islands (Uvea, Lifu, Mare), Ontong Java, Nukumanu, Takuu, Nukuria, Tuvalu (Ellice), Ulithi, Ngulu, Ponape, Ngaik, Mwoakil (Mokil), Kusaie (Kosrae), Marshall Islands, incl Ailinglapalap, Arno, Jaluit, Kili, Lae, Maloelap, Majuro, Ratak, Wotho, Ujae, Jaluit (=Jalooj), Namdrik, Bhuiya (now Aryans, originally Munda; Rahman 1955: 203), Baiga, Bhaina, Bhumia (subgroup of Baiga, incl Bharia, formerly Munda, now speak Indo-Aryan languages of neighboring groups), Garo (Atchik), Kachari (Bodo, incl. Lalung), Dimasa, Tripuri, Riang (of Tripura), Khami, Riga, Mori, Telugu (incl. Yanadi, Chenchu), Sinhalese; Vedda, Ireland, Scotland, Scots, Picts, Scotti, Scottish, Portuguese, Portugal, 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, Slovakians, Slovaks, Hungarians, Serbs, Monte Negro, Balkarians, Croatians, Croats; Italians of Dalmatia (if the motif is absent among other Italians), Slovenians, Slovenes, Romanians, Moldavians, Aromanians, Moldovans, Lithuanians, Latvians, Finns, Norwegians, Danes, Danish, Western Ukrainians, Byelarusians, Belarusians, Pashto, Ossetians, Ingush, Dargin (Dargwa), incl. Müregin, Khürkilin, Kubachi, Svans, Mingrelians (Megrelians), Laz, Armenians, Kalmyk, Gagauz, Kirghiz, Mari (Cheremis), Mordvins, Chuvash, Udmurt, Komi (Zyrians and Permyaks), Eastern Khanty (Ostyaks), Nenets, Tungus (Evenki): Baikal region, Evenks, Tungus (Evenki) of China (Solon, Birar, Oroqen, Manegir), Evenks, Tungus (Evenki): Russian Far East, Evenks, Udeghe, Nanai, Nivkh, Chukchi, Tagish, Inland Tlingit, Athna, Koyukon, Bering Strait Inupiat (incl. King Island), North Alaskan Inupiat, Tlingit, Haida, Kwakiutl (Kwakwaka'wakw), Nootka (Nu-chah-nulth), Makah, Bella Coola (Nuxalk), Lenape (Delaware), Western Ojibwa (Chippewa), Eastern Ojibwa (Missisauga, Timagami and other groups in eastern Ontario), Northern Ojibwa (=Severn Ojibwa, Sandy Lake Cree), Arapaho, Teton (incl Oglala), Arikara, Wichita; Spiro Mound iconography, Plains Ojibwa, Crow, Shuswap, Thompson (Nlaka'pamux), Quinault, Caddo, Maidu, Nisenan, Konkov, Yana, Yokuts, Kpelle (incl Kono), Tokelau, Chechens, Maldives, Northeastern Yakuts (Sakha): Yana, Indigirka and Kolyma Basins, Kordofan, Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Lutsi (Ludza), Bosnians, Berbers of Algeria, Russian Federation