Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

K15C — Substituted clothing.

10 Myths, legends and folktales
10 Unique narratives for motif K15C
5 Cultures & traditions where K15C is told
3 Sub-motifs of motif K15C
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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 owner of stone (ice) clothing kills people. By hiding or replacing his clothing, the hero kills him.

Berezkin category: Adventures: Acts of heroes

This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 10, Adventures.

K15 has 3 other sub-motifs

Related

K15.  A woman swears that she has not been with anyone except (her husband and) a dirty beggar. Others do not know that her lover has taken on the appearance of a beggar.
K15a.  The hero secretly replaces the weapon or magical tool of a powerful character with a worthless fake. Traditions in which the replaced weapon belongs to Grom are highlighted in bold.
K15b.  By secretly switching the vessels containing living and dead (giving and taking away strength) water (rarely: oil, etc.), from which the combatants drink during a duel, the hero defeats his opponent.
K15c.  The owner of stone (ice) clothing kills people. By hiding or replacing his clothing, the hero kills him.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of K15’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny
MotifSimilarityMotif summary
B1G99.23%Four brothers change the world, freeing it from monsters, transforming its inhabitants and obtaining valuable resources (water, fire, cultivated plants, etc.). Usually one of the brothers is the leader, and the others help him. All four often have a common name.
C2299.00%During a severe drought or global fire, birds and animals are sent to the thunder gods living at the edge of the world to bring rain. The last of those sent achieves the goal. The toad plays an important role in the action.
H24E98.39%Having brought the seeds of humanity into our world, the character drops or prematurely opens what he has brought. (Sometimes this explains the inequality of people and disorder in society).
F28D98.27%By masturbating with an artificial penis, a woman conceives children.
I9A97.94%Zenith and/or nadir are considered together with the four cardinal directions as one (or two) more main directions.
A4097.66%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 (#).
M7197.47%A character (usually carried away by a river or fallen from a height) turns into a piece of wood. Someone is picking it up. The character then takes on his true form, usually in the absence of the hosts.
B28D97.42%Not understanding who they are dealing with, the characters respond to the wandering Transformer that they are preparing weapons to kill so-and-so or a hiding place to escape from so-and-so. The Transformer kills them himself or turns them into animals.
J50B96.90%The father (alone or with his brother) is only partially resurrected and is unable to live among people (he cannot be a warrior). The hero leaves him (in another world) or allows him to die completely.
D4E96.68%The thief or giver of fire, light or sun is a coyote or fox (indicated in square brackets). See motif 4A.

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Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

5 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 5 traditions: Hopi, Zuni, Western Keres (Acoma, Laguna), Eastern Keres (Cochiti, Sia, San Felipe, Santo Domingo, Santa Ana, Paguate, Seama), Paya (Pech), Sumu, Misquito

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