Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
M31 — Discharged into water
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 who can't swim asks another to take him by water. He agrees, but throws the rider into the water.
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.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| A32K | 85.40% | A character, discernible in the silhouette of the moon's spots, first headed for the sun and only then reached the moon, or the Sun and the Moon argued over who he should belong to. |
| I71 | 82.59% | Stars â roots of plants growing in the upper world. |
| K63 | 80.88% | A man comes to people who hunt humans or catch fish-people. For them, these are wild animals or fish. |
| E5AA | 80.82% | The first people grew out of the ground like trees, grass, and mushrooms. |
| A32J | 80.00% | A shaman with a tambourine ascends to the moon and remains there, visible in the silhouette of the lunar spots. |
| B42M1 | 80.00% | The three main stars of the Big Dipper's handle are associated with people of three different nationalities. |
| B64A | 80.00% | Fish and birds fight (usually by shooting arrows at each other). Since then, fish have had many small bones in their bodies and/or birds' legs have taken on their current form. |
| B72D | 80.00% | A woman makes herself wings (beak, tail) from clothing accessories and turns into a bird or a flying creature. |
| B74A | 80.00% | Red cloths are sewn over the character's eyes (threads, eyelids are painted red) or he does it himself. He sees everything in red or his eyes have turned red forever. |
| D1A1 | 80.00% | Because a woman offended the fire, its mistress takes her child away. |
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
10 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 10 traditions: Mangareva, Timor: Amarasi, Tetum, Meto, Atoni (incl Mollo), Kedang (Lomblen island), Leti Islands (Leti, Moa, Lakor), Dusun, Murut, Kelabit, Tombonuwo, Bajau, Tidong, Central Yakuts (Sakha), Kerek, Reindeer Koryak, Maritime Koryak (Alyutor), Chukchi, Central Yupik, Itelmen
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How to cite: Fielder-White, J. (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
0009-0006-1672-4451
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