Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
M5D — Squirrel and fish
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 squirrel and the creeping fish are smart and get medicines for each other
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.
M5 has 4 other sub-motifs
RelatedM5. Once in a situation where his life depends on the will of a demon or animal, the hero feels like insulting or hitting him. See M1 motif.
M5a. Small animal characters sail in the boat, it sinks, everyone escapes as best they can.
M5b. rat drowns, has difficulty getting to the shore (usually an aquatic animal takes it), and mocks other animals (usually its savior).
M5c. The octopus or star-fish was covered with hair but the rat had eaten it up
M5d. The squirrel and the creeping fish are smart and get medicines for each other
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| A21A | 100.00% | The moon is an object that was accidentally released by its owners or stolen from them and ended up in the sky. |
| B118 | 100.00% | A character who was unable to reach the sky or returned from the sky to earth becomes an owl. |
| B74B | 100.00% | The owl is forced to part with the moon and now cries out when it sees the moon. Usually, the story tells how the marriage of the owl and the moon fell apart or did not take place. |
| E39A | 100.00% | An animal (snake, pig) conceives from a man's urine and gives birth to a human child (or twins). |
| F43C | 100.00% | The husbands of the first women, Amazons or single women are small animals - usually flying foxes. |
| K32F | 100.00% | A woman or girl raises a bird of prey chick, which brings her food and fire. This usually happens after an evil spirit leaves the girl or young woman in a tree or on an island. |
| K37D | 100.00% | The character recognises the presence of another by noticing traces of their teeth or nails on fruit or leaves. |
| L132 | 100.00% | When one member of a small (family) group, left alone, secretly eats food, this leads to serious conflict, often resulting in the murder of the guilty party. |
| L133 | 100.00% | The character keeps his limbs separately, connecting them to his body when necessary. |
| M5A | 100.00% | Small animal characters sail in the boat, it sinks, everyone escapes as best they can. |
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
5 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 5 traditions: Batak (Toba, Dairi), Minangkabau; Kerinci, Malay; Temuan (incl Mantra or Mentra), Jakun (Moken), Simeulue, Nias, Lampung (Lampong); South Sumatra Malays (incl. Bengkulu)
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How to cite: Fielder-White, J. (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
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