Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
J31 — Father's weapon.
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
OverviewHeroes receive weapons or other items that belonged to their deceased father and are necessary for fighting their antagonists.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| I85C | 90.76% | The character goes up to the sky and finds vessels containing various (two or more) types of precipitation, weather phenomena, seasons and/or celestial bodies. |
| I78 | 87.21% | The earth is thought of as rectangular (usually square). |
| J4 | 86.14% | The heroes avenge the death (enslavement) of their father, uncle, grandfather, or mother and father, or in general their descendants, with the loss of men being the most painful. |
| K29A | 82.84% | The hero demonstrates his magical abilities or cunning by remaining alive in a hot bath, oven, fire, or among burning vegetation. |
| K27Z | 82.67% | A character gains power over another by winning a game of chance or an intellectual game (not a sporting competition). The motif includes all texts with motif K27z4. |
| I75 | 82.60% | Before the emergence of the present world or present humans, there were others (at least two worlds or races). |
| B46C | 82.54% | Each of the stars of the Big Dipper is a separate character (people or animals). |
| B42H1 | 81.64% | In the plot of cosmic hunting, one of the astral objects is identified with an arrow or bullet, and it is emphasised that it struck an animal or three animals, which are identified with Orion's Belt. {In the Khoisan variants, it is emphasised that the arrow did not reach its target}. |
| B42H | 81.28% | Orion's Belt – game, another star or group of stars within or outside Orion – hunter. |
| G2 | 80.83% | A character embodying fertility and life, who first disappears and then (periodically) returns. |
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
46 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 46 traditions: Mehri; Harsusi, Jibbali (Shahri, Shauri), Serbs, Monte Negro, Balkarians, Romanians, Moldavians, Aromanians, Moldovans, Cherkassians, Adyghe, Kabardin, Karachays, Balkar, Ossetians, Ingush, Nogai, Mingrelians (Megrelians), Laz, Georgians, Armenians, Bashkirs, Komi (Zyrians and Permyaks), Daur (Daghur), Tuvinians of Tuva, Tuvans, Northern Altai: Chelkan, Kumanda, Tubalar, Altaians, Nenets, Southern Selkups, Northern Selkups, Tungus (Evenki): Baikal region, Evenks, North Alaskan Inupiat, Coos, Alcea, Wappo, Yana, Yokuts, Northern Paiute (=Paviotso), Yuma proper (Quechan), Mohave, Maricopa, Papago, Tepecano, Pame, Jonaz (Chichimeca-Jonaz), Mazahua, Otomi, Quiche, Achí, Cakchiquel, Pocomchi, Pocomam, Tepehua, Totonac, Chol; pre-Columbian Mayan iconography outside of Yucatan, Chimila (Ette), Chayahuita , Letuama, Tanimuca, Ufaina, Yahuna, Andoque, Yagua, Tacana, Mustang, Chechens, Chulym Turks, Salars, Northeastern Yakuts (Sakha): Yana, Indigirka and Kolyma Basins, Faroe Islands
If you wish to get access to data for projects and research, then please contact us, we do our best to help
How to cite: Fielder-White, J. (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
0009-0006-1672-4451
Where applicable, users should also cite the relevant original sources, catalogues, and classification systems, including Berezkin, ATU, Thompson, and other cited authorities, alongside the page accessed and the last time accessed.
Editorial annotations and database enhancements © Jonathan Fielder-White licensed under CC BY 4.0. Berezkin-derived narrative and metadata licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Full rights information can be found here.
All rights are reserved in the database structure, selection, arrangement, metadata, classifications, software, interface design, and original editorial content.
Important: The Folklore Database expressly reserves all rights in relation to text and data mining, automated extraction, scraping, machine learning, dataset creation, and the training, development, validation, or improvement of artificial intelligence technologies or systems. No part of this website or database may be scraped, copied, reproduced, harvested, downloaded in bulk, or otherwise used for AI training or commercial data extraction without prior written permission.
Designed and Developed by Jon Fielder-White.
© 2024–2026 Crecganford / Jonathan Fielder-White. All rights reserved.