Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

J34 — Grandchildren scare their grandmother.

14 Myths, legends and folktales
14 Unique narratives for motif J34
11 Cultures & traditions where J34 is told
0 Sub-motifs of motif J34
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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

After killing a dangerous enemy, the heroes make a scarecrow out of him to frighten the household.

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
MotifSimilarityMotif summary
H24B98.65%The character must open the vessel containing the soul of the deceased when he reaches the place or after a certain time has passed; if he opens it before the time is up, the soul flies away. See motif H24.
A4098.38%The Toad or Frog is the wife (or one of the wives) of the Sun or Moon. Traditions in which the frog jumps onto the face (chest, back) of the Moon and remains there are highlighted in italics; those in which the frog is visible on the lunar disc are marked with an asterisk; traditions in which the frog or toad is the wife of the Sun are marked with a hash (#).
K1H98.32%The character finds himself inside a tree trunk or inside a rock; someone frees him by making a hole from the outside.
C1098.13%During the flood, some birds or animals escape to a mountain, a tree, a boat, or by clinging to the sky; their tails or other parts of their bodies remain in the water and as a result acquire their current colour or shape. Cf. A2211.7 ("During the flood, birds cling to the sky; their tails acquire their current colour").
H24A98.08%Opening the bag, the character releases stars that rush chaotically into the sky.
K21A97.83%A celestial being marries an earthly woman. She longs to return to earth and secretly descends from her husband.
I10597.31%One of the constellations is associated with the hand (with five marked fingers).
L9897.16%The demon that carries off children and threatens heroes, people, etc., is the eagle owl; there is a race of owls that is hostile to humans.
J3997.15%The antagonist makes the woman his slave. Other characters secretly come to her and kill a small animal or bird for her. The antagonist suspects that the woman could not have caught the game herself, but she insists that she did.
B44D96.84%Night and day alternate because the slain beast was black and white, spotted.

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Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

11 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 11 traditions: Sauk (Sak, Mesquakie), Fox, Kickapoo, Pawnee, Kutenai, Chumash, Yokuts, Kitanemuk, Hopi, Zuni, Eastern Keres (Cochiti, Sia, San Felipe, Santo Domingo, Santa Ana, Paguate, Seama), Tewa (San Juan, Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Tesuque, Nambe; Hano), Tiwa (Taos, Picuris; Sandia, Isleta), Towa (Jemez), Napo (Quijo), Kanelo (β€œJungle Kechua”)

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