Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

K22A — Dwarves are attacked.

32 Myths, legends and folktales
32 Unique narratives for motif K22A
28 Cultures & traditions where K22A is told
4 Sub-motifs of motif K22A
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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

Birds or other creatures that are harmless to ordinary people attack dwarves living in another world. See motif K22.

Berezkin category: Adventures: Acts of heroes

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

K22 has 4 other sub-motifs

Related

K22.  The inhabitants of a distant land, who differ from (ordinary) people, occasionally fight off enemies of a non-human nature who attack them.
K22a.  Birds or other creatures that are harmless to ordinary people attack dwarves living in another world. See motif K22.
K22aa.  There is a country whose inhabitants are migratory birds that live with us in the summer and turn into people when they fly away to their own country.
K22b.  The inhabitants of another world are attacked by certain enemies. A human helps them to defeat these enemies, because these creatures are not dangerous to humans. See motif K22.
K22c.  Inhabitants of another world who are birds (bird-people) are afraid of birds or animals that are not dangerous to ordinary people, but which regularly attack them.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of K22’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny
MotifSimilarityMotif summary
B87A97.44%A dim star next to the second star of the handle of the Big Dipper (Tibetans: Little Dipper) Ursa Major – dog.
K2397.41%Birds attack inhabitants of another world or a person who has entered another world. See motif K22.
K2296.89%The inhabitants of a distant land, who differ from (ordinary) people, occasionally fight off enemies of a non-human nature who attack them.
K3592.92%The deceiver pretends to be a hero in order to take his place (to possess his woman). (This motif includes all texts with motif K35a3).
B42P92.58%The Big Dipper is identified with a bear.
L8792.26%A character accidentally tastes blood or human flesh, after which he devours himself and/or others.
C6A90.85%A turtle or toad (frog) brings a desired object from the bottom or from the underworld.
I6590.75%The Milky Way is a path to another world, followed by the souls of the dead and/or shamans, or it is the path of a funeral procession.
L1C190.38%Fleeing from demonic characters, a group of men – relatives of a girl – ascend to the sky and remain there. See motif L1C.
K22B90.20%The inhabitants of another world are attacked by certain enemies. A human helps them to defeat these enemies, because these creatures are not dangerous to humans. See motif K22.

See the 100 most similar distributions →

Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

28 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 28 traditions: Saudi Arabia, France, Ancient Greece, Finns, Western Sami, Eastern Sami (including Skolts), Scandinavians: early written sources ("Edda"; Saxo Grammaticus etc.); Gothland picture stones; Ancient Germans (Late Bronze Age in Scandinavia), Georgians, Tungus (Evenki): Baikal region, Evenks, Tungus (Evenki) of China (Solon, Birar, Oroqen, Manegir), Evenks, Tungus (Evenki): Russian Far East, Evenks, Nanai, Tsimshian, Bella Coola (Nuxalk), Sauk (Sak, Mesquakie), Fox, Kickapoo, Lkungen (Straits; including Samish, Songish, Sooke, Lummi), Klallam, Comox, Pentlatch, Lushootseed (Puget Sound: Puyallup, Nisqualmi, Snuqualmi, Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Snohomish, Skagit), Western Sahaptin (Upper Cowlitz, Klikitat, Tenino, Umatilla, Yakima, Wallawalla), Natchez (incl Avoyel), Alabama, Koasati, Cherokee, Zuni, Lipan, Warihio (GuarijΓ­o), Tarahumara, Choco: Embera, Nonama (Waunana), XVI century Dabaiba, pre-Columbian iconography of Sinu, Tacana, China

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