Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
M58 — A trail or bush saves you from the heat
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
OverviewThe earth is burning, the fire is chasing the character. A number of elements and objects refuse to cover him, saying they will burn or heat up; the last in the row shelters him. The earth cools down, the character leaves the shelter.
Berezkin category: Adventures: Tricks and episodes
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 |
|---|---|---|
| A5A | 100.00% | The younger brother (usually the Sun) is made from the urine and swaddling clothes of his older brother (usually the Moon), who was kidnapped as a baby. See motif A5. |
| B107 | 100.00% | During the (world) fire, the oyster burns, which is why oyster shells are black. |
| B28B | 100.00% | The inhabitants of the area where the hero finds himself are afraid of creatures that are tools, utensils, and plants that are now harmless. The hero easily defeats these creatures and usually transforms them into what they are now. |
| B28D1 | 100.00% | Not understanding who he is facing, the man promises to kill the Transformer. The Transformer turns his weapon into deer antlers and him into a deer. |
| B61 | 100.00% | The mole had to hold up the fallen sky and sun. Since then, its paw (hand) has remained dislocated backwards. |
| B64C | 100.00% | Fish, together with other earthly creatures, wage war on the inhabitants of the sky. Falling to the ground, they break their bones, which is why fish have many small bones in their bodies. See motif B64. |
| B91 | 100.00% | The snail had (the most keen-eyed) eyes. Another character borrows them and does not return them. |
| D1A | 100.00% | A girl marries a man whose mother is fire. |
| D4I | 100.00% | The beaver obtains fire for humans. See motif D4A. |
| D4Q | 100.00% | The fly rubs its legs together and produces fire. |
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
16 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 16 traditions: Lushootseed (Puget Sound: Puyallup, Nisqualmi, Snuqualmi, Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Snohomish, Skagit), Twana (Skokomish), Lower Chehalis, Upper Chehalis, (Lower) Cowlitz, Kutenai, Wintu, Patwin, Nomlaki, Maidu, Nisenan, Konkov, Sierra Miwok, Lake Miwok, Plains Miwok, Coastal Miwok, Northern Paiute (=Paviotso), Western Shoshone, Gosiute, Panamint, Upland Yuma: Walapai, Havasupai, Yavapai, Ute, Southern Paiute, Chemehuevi
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How to cite: Fielder-White, J. (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
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