Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
L51 — The victim is thrown to aquatic animals.
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 cannibal, spirit, or predatory beast regularly throws its victims down, where they are devoured by aquatic or chthonic creatures.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| B91A | 95.20% | A blind character asks another to lend him his eyes or to swap eyes, keeping his own eyes. |
| I49 | 94.39% | Earthquake â an anthropomorphic character (or category of characters) that moves around, shaking the earth. |
| H36J | 94.39% | The lark is to blame for the fact that man is mortal. |
| M29Y | 92.55% | See the motives in square brackets. |
| L56 | 92.11% | A large animal or monster perishes from a fire kindled in its belly. See motif K8A. |
| K93B5 | 92.06% | The character infiltrates the enemy camp disguised as a kitten or puppy. Usually, one of the enemies suspects deception, but the others believe that the cute animal is harmless. |
| L50 | 90.96% | The character kills travellers passing by. Usually, he does not attack them unexpectedly, but distracts their attention first. Often, he pushes his victims down somewhere. |
| A42A | 90.45% | Having risen into the sky, the character unsuccessfully performs the role of the sun and as a result falls or is thrown down to earth. |
| K23A | 90.45% | Birds use their feathers as arrows, or falling feathers cover the mouths of their victims. |
| L57 | 90.17% | The character loses an internal organ or part of the body, which is taken away by others; he approaches unnoticed and takes back what was lost. |
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
9 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 9 traditions: France, Micmac, Crow, Klamath, Modoc, Navajo, Jicarilla, Pemon: Arekuna (incl. Kamarakoto), Taulipang (Taurepan), Shuar, Achuar (Shiwiar), Greece
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How to cite: Fielder-White, J. (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
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