Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
L120A — Dragon tongue and blacksmith's tongs.
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
OverviewThe hero hides in a smithy from the dragon chasing him. When the monster breaks through and rubs the door (with its tongue), the blacksmith (or the hero himself) burns it (usually clamping its tongue with red-hot tongs or throwing a red-hot club into its mouth).
Berezkin category: Adventures: Monsters and evil spirits
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 |
|---|---|---|
| L94B | 99.87% | A person promises to give to a supernatural character the first thing that comes their way (either something they have not yet seen in their own home, or something that is behind the door, etc.). The person thinks that they will have to give something of little value, but it turns out to be their own child. |
| J41D | 99.84% | The strongman orders an iron club (sword, etc.) of monstrous size to be made, but breaks it and demands a new one, even heavier (often throwing it into the air and exposing his forehead, etc. – the club breaks). |
| B90 | 99.76% | There is an anthropomorphic patron, master or mistress of wolves; he usually gives instructions to the wolves on a certain day of the year. |
| K128 | 99.76% | A character orders the hero to graze animals (or birds) and promises to execute him (deprive him of his reward) if even one animal is lost. Cf. K128B (ATU 570). |
| M168 | 99.76% | Hares are desperate because they are more cowardly than everyone else, but they rejoice when they learn that there are animals (frogs, sheep) that are afraid of them. |
| M39A2C | 99.73% | A fool (or a character pretending to be crazy) sows salt (small objects) like a grain. |
| M39A8A | 99.72% | A fool or buffoon climbs a tree taking a heavy objects with him and then drops it frightening those who are under the tree |
| I59B1 | 99.72% | The Milky Way – the road to a distant city, usually with religious significance (Rome, Jerusalem, etc.). |
| M90A5 | 99.71% | The story mentions the golden fruits (rarely leaves) of a tree, usually golden apples. |
| L100B | 99.70% | Having escaped from his pursuers, the young man parts with the girl, intending to return for her soon, but forgets her. When he is about to take another wife, the girl manages to restore his memory with the help of magic, and she marries him. Alternatively, the girl, who has briefly parted from her magical spouse, herself forgets him after an embrace or a kiss in her parents' house. |
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
25 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 25 traditions: 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, Poles, Czech, Czechs, Slovakians, Slovaks, Hungarians, Romanians, Moldavians, Aromanians, Moldovans, Livonians, Estonians, Setu, Finns, Karelians, Vepsians, Western Sami, Western Ukrainians, Byelarusians, Belarusians, Georgians, Uyghur, Mari (Cheremis), Mordvins, Chuvash, Mansi, Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Lutsi (Ludza), Russian Federation
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