Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

M70 — The elder poisons the younger ones with intestinal gases

16 Myths, legends and folktales
16 Unique narratives for motif M70
13 Cultures & traditions where M70 is told
1 Sub-motifs of motif M70
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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 oldest character poisons the youngest with his intestinal gases.

Berezkin category: Adventures: Tricks and episodes

This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 10, Adventures.

M70 has 1 other sub-motifs

Related

M70.  The oldest character poisons the youngest with his intestinal gases.
M70a.  A character on whom an old woman defecates or whose face blows the winds pierces her from below with a sharp object. See M70 motif.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of M70’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny
MotifSimilarityMotif summary
E2199.17%A child catches fish (with poison), or fish poison is secreted from his body. Fish or water snakes kill him. Death is avenged.
L8299.17%A person deliberately or accidentally burns his foot in a fire or burns himself completely; he turns into a demonic creature. See motif L9 (man with a sharp foot).
M29QQ99.17%See the motives in square brackets.
M699.16%A young man or girl spends night in the forest. The forest partridge (Tinamus sp.) provides him or her a fire, a shelter and/or a hammock but takes them away and flies away itself when the person does something wrong
B5899.13%After the first ancestors steal the original fire, a forest bird the size of a partridge (Penelope sp.; Anhima cornuta; etc.; jacu, paujil) swallows a hot coal. As a result (except for the Andoc), its neck turns red.
D4P99.13%The parrot obtains fire for humans. See motif D4A. Australian data is not taken into account, as the common origin of the motif in America and Australia is excluded.
D6B99.13%The one who is burned turns into a crocodile/caiman.
B1F99.10%In the era of creation, two men have a common origin, are not antagonists, and display their characteristics in a series of episodes. One is intelligent and successful, the other is simple-minded and irresponsible.
F47A99.06%Men use each part of the body of a single woman for copulation, or each man takes a part of her body cut into pieces.
M8C99.06%Birds pierce through a layer of clay, wax, resin, etc., that covers the character's eyes or anus.

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Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

13 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 13 traditions: Micmac, Five Nations Iroquois (Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga), Yana, Yanomamo (Yanoama): Yanomam, Yanomami, Trio, Ticuna (Tucuna), Rikbaktsa, Kayabi, Nambikwara, Bororo, Suya, Txukarramae, Chamacoco (Ishir), Guarani of Paraguay and Brazil: Caygua, Mbia, Apapocuva, Nyandewa, Chiripa

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