Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

M42 — Eyes taken out and lost, E781

134 Myths, legends and folktales

134 Unique narratives for motif M42

92 Cultures & traditions where M42 is told

3 Sub-motifs of motif M42

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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

Overview

The character takes his eyes out of his orbits and loses them. He usually regains his eyes later, makes new ones, takes away from another character, etc. See the M41 motif.

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.

M42 has 3 other sub-motifs

M42.  The character takes his eyes out of his orbits and loses them. He usually regains his eyes later, makes new ones, takes away from another character, etc. See the M41 motif.
M42a.  The character (usually after losing his own eyes) inserts seeds or berries into his eye sockets and sees again.
M42b.  After losing his eyes, the character makes new ones out of resin or wax, sees again (often this is an episode on the way to finding good eyes, while tar eyes do not see well).
M42c.  Falling off a cliff and breaking his leg, the character eats his bone marrow.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of M42’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny

Motif	Similarity	Motif summary
I117	97.48%	A spider or spider woman lifts a hero or heroine up to the sky, helps them descend to earth, or otherwise helps them cross the path leading to another world.
I112	96.82%	The boat is a living creature with a mouth, a fish.
J13	96.50%	Not one woman or girl, but two sisters (or more than two, but only two play an important role in the narrative) wander and meet an unwanted deceiver instead of a desired husband or fiancé, or encounter dangerous creatures. See motif J12.
F58	96.42%	The character spends the night with a group of women, concealing his nature and/or intentions. In the end, he is either identified and punished, or he slips away to continue his mischief.
M22	96.38%	A long-necked bird living near water (crane, heron, bittern, swan) helps a fugitive escape from his pursuer (indicated in brackets). See motifs J44-J46 (a long-legged bird helps cross the river, drowns the pursuer; the pursuer is most often a bear).
B51	96.22%	Thanks to a deliberate lie, Thunder did not learn from the bloodsucking insect that it had drunk human blood.
J38	95.88%	A mighty bird sinks its claws into a huge aquatic creature. The claws get stuck in its body. The bird is dragged underwater or struggles to free itself.
E30	95.80%	A man has no wife or a woman has no husband, and uses a wooden substitute as a spouse.
M41	95.62%	The character throws his eyes (an inhaler has a tooth) up or into the distance. At first they return to the eye sockets, but then they disappear.
M19	95.50%	The character ties another person (usually a child) to the end of a line, using them as bait or forcing them to catch fish with their hands.

See the 100 most similar distributions →

Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

92 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 92 traditions: Shilluk, Anuak, Zande (Azande, incl Nzakara), Aka, Baka (Badjue) and other Western (Bantu speaking) Pygmies, Biu-Mandara: Margi, Kilba, Bura, Kera, Karekare (Kerri-Kerri), Bachama, Zulgo, Giziga, Hdi, Kapsiki, Mandara (incl Mukulehe, Matakam), Mofu (Mofu-Gudur), Somrai (Sibine, Shibha), Yoruba; incl Ife), Nupe, Bini (Edo), Engenni, Chamba, Dakka, Kukuruku, Northern Gur (Oti-Volta): Mamprussi, Dagomba, Dagari (Dagara; incl Lodaga), Bassari, Mosi, Nankanse, Konkomba, Moba; Ditammari, Nyende, Bulsa (pl Builsa, Bulo), Southern Gur (Oti-Volta): Grusi, Kabiye, Kasena, Lyela (Lyele), Wala, Dyan, SW Arunachal Pradesh: Sherdukpen, Tawang (Monpas), Aka (Hrusso), Miji, Eastern Khanty (Ostyaks), Tundra Nenets, Nenets, Nganasans, Kerek, Reindeer Koryak, Asiatic Eskimo (Sirenek, Naukan, Chaplino), St. Lawrence Island Yupik, Central Yupik, Chipewyan, Upper Tanana (Nebesna), Tanacross, Inland Tlingit, Ingalik (Der Hit’an), Tanana, Gwich'in (Kuchin, Loucheux), Eyak, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Kwakiutl (Kwakwaka'wakw), Wawenock, Abenaki, Penobscot, Eastern Cree, Huron (incl Wyandot), Five Nations Iroquois (Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga), Winnebago, Blackfoot, Sarsee (Tsuu T'ina), Arapaho, Osage, Iowa, Arikara, Pawnee, Kiowa, Kiowa Apache, Comanche, Gros Ventre, Plains Cree, Assiniboine, Shuswap, Thompson (Nlaka'pamux), Lushootseed (Puget Sound: Puyallup, Nisqualmi, Snuqualmi, Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Snohomish, Skagit), Lower Chehalis, Upper Chehalis, (Lower) Cowlitz, Western Sahaptin (Upper Cowlitz, Klikitat, Tenino, Umatilla, Yakima, Wallawalla), Nez Perce, Tillamook, Kalapuya, Takelma, Coos, Okanagon, Sanpoil, Kutenai, Klamath, Modoc, Caddo, Wappo, Maidu, Nisenan, Konkov, Achomavi, Northern Shoshone, Western Shoshone, Gosiute, Eastern Shoshone, Upland Yuma: Walapai, Havasupai, Yavapai, Ute, Navajo, Jicarilla, Western Apache (White Mountain, San Carlos), Hopi, Tewa (San Juan, Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Tesuque, Nambe; Hano), Tiwa (Taos, Picuris; Sandia, Isleta), Towa (Jemez), Lipan, Seri, Pima, Wapishana (incl Ataroi); Mapidian; Taruma, Pemon: Arekuna (incl. Kamarakoto), Taulipang (Taurepan), Locono, Wayapi, Emerillon, Napo (Quijo), Kanelo (“Jungle Kechua”), Shuar, Achuar (Shiwiar), Aguaruna, Huambiza, Ticuna (Tucuna), Mundurucu, Curuaia, Rikbaktsa, Caraja, Cayapo (incl. Kubenkranken, Pau d’Arco, Shikrin or Xikrin), Chorote, Guarani of Paraguay and Brazil: Caygua, Mbia, Apapocuva, Nyandewa, Chiripa, Kono (=Kone), Wai, Upper Chinook: Wasco, Wishram, Clackamas, Kathlamet, Itelmen

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