Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
L17A — Eyes on the back of the head.
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
OverviewA character or creature has an eye or a second pair of eyes on the back of the head or on the back. Cf. motif L17b, "mouth on the back of the head".
Berezkin category: Adventures: Monsters and evil spirits
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 8, Queer and monstrous beings, creatures, objects and loci, folk beliefs related to particular phenomena and objects.
L17 has 4 other sub-motifs
RelatedL17. Mouth and eyes of an anthropomorphic creature on the chest, no head.
L17a. A character or creature has an eye or a second pair of eyes on the back of the head or on the back. Cf. motif L17b, "mouth on the back of the head".
L17a1. Characters with a sequentially increasing number of eyes follow the hero or heroine. He or she puts the eyes to sleep one by one, but forgets about the last one.
L17a2. Instead of a beautiful woman, a man takes a devil with an odd number of eyes.
L17b. A character or creature has a second face or a second mouth on the back of its head.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| K102A2 | 93.72% | The mother seeks to destroy her son (children) because he interferes with her love affair. Cf. motif L86: Children flee from their demon mother. |
| K29A | 93.47% | The hero demonstrates his magical abilities or cunning by remaining alive in a hot bath, oven, fire, or among burning vegetation. |
| J51 | 93.13% | The character is dismembered or eaten; he is revived from his remains, but since one of his bones was broken, swallowed or carried away (or a drop of blood or a piece of flesh was lost), the revival fails, or the character remains defective in some way. |
| K177 | 92.37% | A girl or woman sets off on a journey to find or return her fiancé or husband, or flees from danger, and her journey ends in a successful marriage. |
| L41A | 91.83% | The character runs away from his captor, leaving a stone (or a log, sand) in his place. See motif L41. |
| K1F | 91.28% | One man traps another, driven by jealousy or the desire to possess his rival's wife. See motifs K1A, K1E, K2A. |
| I22G | 91.12% | Mountains (rocks) are mentioned that constantly collide and diverge, or a crevice or gap in a vertical rock that opens and closes. Cf. motif I22g1, Colliding rocks. |
| F35A | 91.11% | The character, unaware of this, eats or prepares meat (slowly kills) a member of his household (a relative, rarely a servant or spouse) or feeds it to his acquaintances, or uses its bones for household needs. |
| L42 | 91.09% | After capturing the character, the enemy brings the prey home or to the place where he intends to eat it. The character runs away and escapes. |
| L57A | 90.85% | The enemy takes possession of part of the character's body (remains). Another (usually resorting to trickery) returns what is missing, and the character comes back to life or recovers. |
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
32 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 32 traditions: Bari (incl Fajulu), Kakwa, Kerewe, Sukuma, Kwaya, Kumbi, Busiba, Gusii, Suba, Torricelli family: Valman, Samap, Arapesh (Upper, Coastal), Monumbo, Lilau, Ngaimbom; Moando (Banara); Menya, Olo, Mindanao and Sulu: Blaan (Bilaan), Bagobo, Bukidnon, Cotabato, Hiligáynon, Binukid, Magindaan (=Magindanao: main Muslim population), Mandaya, Mansaka, Manobo (Agusan, Ata, Dibabawon, Sarangani, Ilianen), Maranao, Samal, Subanon (=Subanun), Subanen, Tboli, Eastern Arunachal Pradesh: Abor (incl Minyong, Shimong, Padam, Pasi, Panggi), Apa Tani (Apatani), Bori, Bugun, Dafla (=Nyishi, Nisi, Nishing, incl Tagin), Gallong (=Galo, Adi), Mishmi, Kafir, or Nuristani: Prasun; Kati (incl. Paruni), Ashkun (Ashunu), Waigali, Ireland, Slovenians, Slovenes, Romanians, Moldavians, Aromanians, Moldovans, Ancient Greece, Western Sami, Eastern Sami (including Skolts), Byelarusians, Belarusians, Baluch, Karachays, Balkar, Armenians, Chuvash, Central Yakuts (Sakha), Tahltan, Gwich'in (Kuchin, Loucheux), Kiowa Apache, Lkungen (Straits; including Samish, Songish, Sooke, Lummi), Klallam, Klamath, Modoc, Maidu, Nisenan, Konkov, Mono (Monache), Western Apache (White Mountain, San Carlos), Chorti, Bari, Tacana, Mataco, Nivakle (=Chulupi, Ashluslay, Ajlujlay), Phoenicia
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