Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif

M90A — Marry a guesser

89 Myths, legends and folktales

89 Unique narratives for motif M90A

64 Cultures & traditions where M90A is told

9 Sub-motifs of motif M90A

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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 girl will marry the person who guessed her name, or someone who will fit the ring, or someone who says what material a particular object is made of or originated, etc. The deceiver fulfills the condition.

Berezkin category: Adventures: Tricks and episodes

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

M90 has 9 other sub-motifs

M90.  Someone asks a riddle about the material from which a particular item is made or originated. It is almost impossible to guess, but the character learns the secret, forcing the hero or heroine to fulfill the conditions set. (Usually requires a girl to marry him).
M90a.  The girl will marry the person who guessed her name, or someone who will fit the ring, or someone who says what material a particular object is made of or originated, etc. The deceiver fulfills the condition.
M90a1.  It is required to sew clothes from the skin of lice (fleas) or guess the origin of a large animal, a large skin, the contents of the box; the animal (skin) arose from lice (fleas), in the box - louse.
M90a2.  It should be guessed that the plant grew from a part of the body of a man or a snake or from dirt scraped off from the body
M90a3.  plant grows from a killed snake or part of a snake's body.
M90a4.  A tree is described on which jewelry or ornaments hang instead of fruits; individual parts of the tree are made of different metals or (semi) precious stones.
M90a5.  The story mentions the golden fruits (rarely leaves) of a tree, usually golden apples.
M90a6.  Owning some apples ensures eternal youth.
M90b.  The character was wrong when he claimed that the sun would never rise in the west or go down after midnight.
M90c.  man agreed with another that he could take the first thing he touched from his house. The visitor is going to take his wife, but when he takes up the stepladder to go up to the woman, he is told to pick up the stepladder and leave.

🌐 See a combined distribution map for all of M90’s motifs

Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns

Phylogeny

Motif	Similarity	Motif summary
I38	97.82%	There are creatures that combine the characteristics of dogs and humans (usually people with dog faces or heads).
M106	97.64%	The character calls himself by a fictitious name, which others understand not as a proper name, but as a common noun with a specific meaning.
M140	96.81%	The character pretends to be dead, sick or infirm, is picked up, and eats the food that others are carrying – usually after first throwing it out of the cart, sleigh, sack, etc.
M57A1	96.38%	When a beautiful woman walks on the ground, jewels appear under her feet, flowers bloom, etc.
K47B	96.34%	A woman marries a man who originally had the appearance of a dog. The birth of children from a dog is not essential to the plot.
M109	96.06%	A zoomorphic character sits down, lowering his tail (penis) so that something edible will stick to it, but as a result he is left without a tail (penis) or dies. Cf. motifs M109A, M109C.
K33D	95.79%	A man discovers that a beautiful girl is hiding under the guise of an ugly hag or under the skin of an animal.
K89D	95.75%	Left alone in the house or finding herself in a stranger's house, a girl (less often a male character) hides by turning into a needle (a pin) or another tool for sewing or spinning.
K60B	95.68%	The character is invited to find out whether the box or pit is the right size for him, whether he can crawl through the opening, climb into the bag, etc., after which he is locked in a coffin, box, barrel, buried, etc. Cf. motif M56D.
M134	95.61%	Animals, demons or people stand on top of each other to reach something. The one at the bottom jumps off (leans, jerks), and everyone falls after him.

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Map of motif dispersal

Distribution

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Traditions

64 recorded

This motif has been recorded in 64 traditions: Arabs of Levant (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan); Bedouins of Sinai, Arabs of Egypt, Algeria Arabs, Arabs of Sudan, Sudanese, Nuba, Tiv, Bamum (Bamun), Mungaka (Mgaka, Bali), Beba, Anaguta, Bete (Mbete, Karang), Ekoi, Nyang, Vute (Wute), Jukun, Chamba, Bamileke, Kwotto, Kirri; Denya (Nyang), Ewe, Akan, Ashanti, Akwapim; Ga (Accra), Kra, Twi (Chwi, Chi), Bali, Lombok, Northern Munda of Kharwar branch: Birhor, Ho, Mundari, Kol, Asur (including Agaria, Kol, Birjhia), Bhumij, Marathi (incl. Bhamta; incl. Mumbai area), Spain, Spaniards, Portuguese, Portugal, Catalan, Sicily, Sicilians, France, Macedonians, Balkarians, Slovenians, Slovenes, Romanians, Moldavians, Aromanians, Moldovans, Albanians, Balkarians, Latvians, Livonians, Estonians, Setu, Western Sami, Eastern Sami (including Skolts), Danes, Danish, Western Ukrainians, Persians, Abaza (Abazins), Armenians, Anatolia Turks, Kazakh, Kirghiz, Bashkirs, Mari (Cheremis), Mordvins, Mansi, Eastern Khanty (Ostyaks), Buryats: Western (cis Baikal), Dolgans, Tungus (Evenki): Baikal region, Evenks, Tungus (Evenki) of China (Solon, Birar, Oroqen, Manegir), Evenks, Tungus (Evenki): Russian Far East, Evenks, Western Tungus (Evenki), Western Siberia Tungus (Evenki): Sym River, Ket River, Udeghe, Olcha (Ulch), Forest (Upper Kolyma) Yukaghir, Eastern Cree, Plains Cree, Lkungen (Straits; including Samish, Songish, Sooke, Lummi), Klallam, Central Tibetans (Yu Tsang, incl. Sikkim Tibetans, Tichurong of NW Nepal), Mustang, Mukulu (Mokilko), Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Italians: Central (Toscana, Umbria, Marche, Lazio), Buryats: Eastern (trans Baikal), i.e. Khori, Ilimpii Tungus/Evenki, Yerbogachen Tungus/Evenki, Tungus/Evenki of Nercha - Chita area, Iraq, Russian Federation

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