Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
M86 — The boulder punishes the offender
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 rock stalks or otherwise punishes a character when he unfairly insults her (usually takes away her property, see motive L33).
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 |
|---|---|---|
| M22A | 99.93% | In a foreign house, in a foreign country, where the hero finds himself, the crane or heron is a watchman who must raise the alarm in case of strangers appearing. |
| K19G | 99.81% | One star is an old man, the other is a young man; both stars differ in brightness or colour, but it is impossible to determine the age of the star-man by these characteristics (a dim star may be young and vice versa); usually two girls want to marry stars of different types (one bright, the other dim, one red, the other blue, etc.). See motif K19B. |
| L33A | 99.77% | The trickster takes an object lying on or near a rock or other inanimate object, which he has given to that object. The object pursues or otherwise punishes the offender. See motif L33. |
| L33E | 99.34% | The trickster demands back or takes the cloak belonging to the skale or another character (usually he himself had previously given this cloak as a gift). |
| L33F | 99.02% | A rock or boulder pursues a character. The character calls for help, and the nightjar splits the rock into pieces. |
| M82 | 98.94% | The character sees that something is tied to the other's tail. He also wants such a tail for himself, and as a result he suffers damage. |
| L74A | 98.79% | The enemy carries the hero away or tears off and carries away part of his body, after which he hangs his victim or part of his body (usually over a fire) in order to cause the victim torment. Another character rescues the hero himself or returns the stolen part of his body to him. |
| L1B | 98.63% | A young woman turns into a monstrous bear and kills most people except her younger sister (Ojibwa: the younger sister of her former husband). Their brothers (or one brother) return from hunting and kill the bear, or she dies while chasing them. Cf. motif L65D. |
| F68 | 98.23% | A woman pretends to be dead or actually dies. Her (former) lover comes to her grave. She goes with him, trying to avoid exposure, puts on men's clothes, but is eventually recognised. |
| M29C | 98.23% | See the motives in square brackets. |
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
20 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 20 traditions: Eastern Cree, Naskapi, Blackfoot, Arapaho, Santee, Yankton/Yanktonai, Arikara, Pawnee, Plains Cree, Assiniboine, Crow, Hidatsa, Tillamook, Flathead, Northern Shoshone, Western Shoshone, Gosiute, Eastern Shoshone, Ute, Chiricahua, Lipan
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