Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
M168B — The crooked stick.
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 bird or a person who becomes a bird is given the task of bringing a stick that is neither straight nor crooked. This bird is still searching for it.
Berezkin category: Adventures: Tricks and episodes
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 11, Tricks and competitions won thanks to deception, absurd and obscene behavior.
M16 has 1 other sub-motifs
RelatedM16. The wife or relatives (often the mother) of the sick person do not care for him. He recovers, and those who treated him badly are punished. Cf. motifs F62 and F96.
M16a. A character (usually a loon) restores a person's sight and/or health by diving into the water with them. See motif M16.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| I82E | 100.00% | It is said that Venus or another star sold her mother or father in order to adorn herself luxuriously and dress up. |
| K14B | 100.00% | A man is advised not to do anything until he is expressly asked to do so. He unwisely offers to let someone use his knife and is subsequently accused of a crime. |
| N25 | 100.00% | said that characters spend a long time (days, weeks, months, years) on the road, but end up walking a journey as long as a grain, needle, or other small object. |
| K35A2 | 99.00% | A man kills an animal with glowing fur. Upon learning of this, an authoritative figure gives him difficult tasks. |
| N28E | 99.00% | In a list of things that do not exist in the world, a bridge across the sea, ocean or lake is mentioned |
| K27X4 | 98.45% | The character is told to climb a tree (pole, mountain, etc.) while holding a full open vessel in his hand and not spilling a drop from it. |
| M198B3 | 98.38% | A supposed fortune teller accidentally finds the missing items, is rewarded and brought close to the ruler. One day, for some reason, he rudely pushes him (or people in general) out of the room. Immediately afterwards, the roof of the building collapses. Since then, no one has doubted the fortune teller's abilities. |
| F70F | 98.27% | Finding themselves in a deserted place, people accidentally change their gender. |
| K133 | 97.92% | A man notices that his horse (donkey) looks tired and learns that an animal or demonic creature is riding it. Cf. motif M182a. |
| I95A | 97.42% | Orion (probably always Orion's Belt) is Libra. |
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
3 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 3 traditions: Armenians, Azeris (Azerbaijanis), Talysh
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How to cite: Fielder-White, J. (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
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