The Mythology and Folklore Database
A23B - First rays on mountains and trees, (ATU 120).
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Source Data from Berezkin's Analytics Catalogue, if using this data please acknowledge and link to it here:
Ю.Е. Березкин, Е.Н. Дувакин. Тематическая классификация и распределение фольклорно-мифологических мотивов по ареалам. Аналитический каталог.
Summary of Motif
Two characters argue about who will be the first to see the rising sun. The winner is the one who first notices not the sun itself, but its reflection or the trees and mountains illuminated by its first rays.Berezkin category: The Sun and Moon
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part group 11, Tricks and competitions won thanks to deception, absurd and obscene behavior
A23 has 5 other sub-motifsA23. The first ancestors come together to choose who will become the sun, to raise the sun to the sky, to see the sun rise for the first time, and to name the sun correctly. See motif A22. A23a. Arguing about superiority or seniority, the characters agree to decide in favour of the one who first sees the rising sun (the beginning of the year). The winner is the one whose victory seemed unlikely. (In Uther 2004(1), No. 120: 87, the definition of the motif includes the detail that the winner looks not to the east but to the west and sees the tops of trees illuminated by rays of light. In Europe, in most cases (except for the Scots) that have been verified, this detail is indeed present. However, it is absent in American and some Asian traditions). A23b. Two characters argue about who will be the first to see the rising sun. The winner is the one who first notices not the sun itself, but its reflection or the trees and mountains illuminated by its first rays. A23c. Birds argue about which of them will fly higher or arrive first. The winner is the one whose victory seemed unlikely (he hides in the feathers of a strong bird and flies away with it). A23d. Animals argue about which of them should start the cycle of 12 months or years. The mouse wins the primacy. A23E. Two birds argue about who will get up first, or agree to consider the one who gets up first to be the better singer. The bird that sings the most melodious trills wins, and the one with a shrill or hoarse voice loses. Click here if would you like to see a distrbution map combining all of A23's motifs? |
Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns
| Motif | Similarity | Motif Summary |
|---|---|---|
| E9I1 | 99.28% | Before meeting the hero, his beloved (wife, helper) takes the form of a swan. |
| K47B | 99.28% | 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. |
| H6C1 | 99.15% | To obtain the desired object, the character grabs the young or the female bird (snake, crab) and promises to release them if the father (mother, male) bird delivers the desired object. |
| A23A | 98.49% | Arguing about superiority or seniority, the characters agree to decide in favour of the one who first sees the rising sun (the beginning of the year). The winner is the one whose victory seemed unlikely. (In Uther 2004(1), No. 120: 87, the definition of the motif includes the detail that the winner looks not to the east but to the west and sees the tops of trees illuminated by rays of light. In Europe, in most cases (except for the Scots) that have been verified, this detail is indeed present. However, it is absent in American and some Asian traditions). |
| M38D | 98.08% | Two or more characters, which are small objects or small animals, live or travel together and die one by one while committing protozoa actions. |
| M38D6 | 97.97% | Several characters embody small objects and die one at a time. The last one left laughs and rejoices so much that he bursts with laughter (breaks his head, etc.). |
| K66D | 97.91% | A boy who grew up (was conceived) in a bear's den (lion's cave) becomes a bogatyr. |
| H6C | 97.89% | The raven (crow, vulture) is associated with death or contrasted with humans as immortal among mortals (sent to bring the elixir of immortality or water that revives the dead; drinks this water himself; teaches people funeral rites; etc.). |
| L94A | 97.66% | When a person leans over the water, a demon grabs him by the beard and releases him on the promise that he will fulfil his demand. |
| I90 | 97.65% | The character goes towards their goal, following a rolling ball of thread (less often an apple or a ball). |
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Map of Motif Dispersal
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This motif has been recorded in 35 traditions: Rawang, Dulong; Anong, Drung, Ireland, Spain, Spaniards, Portuguese, Portugal, Catalan, Sicily, Sicilians, Ancient Italy: Latins, Etruscans, Magna Graecia, Macedonians, Balkarians, Croatians, Croats; Italians of Dalmatia (if the motif is absent among other Italians), Slovenians, Slovenes, Lithuanians, Estonians, Finns, Karelians, Swedes, Danes, Danish, Karachays, Balkar, Georgians, Kalmyk, Kirghiz, Mansi, Eastern Khanty (Ostyaks), Buryats: Western (cis Baikal), Mongols (Khalkha), Tofa (Karagas), Southern Altai: Altai proper (Altai-Kiji), Telengit, Altaians, Northern Altai: Chelkan, Kumanda, Tubalar, Altaians, Central Yakuts (Sakha), Ainu, Chukchi, Tlingit, Central Tibetans (Yu Tsang, incl. Sikkim Tibetans, Tichurong of NW Nepal), Icelanders, Buryats: Eastern (trans Baikal), i.e. Khori, Faroe Islands